The silence in the arena was a physical thing. Heavy, dense, charged with the echo of bones about to break. Gaara's sand, frozen an inch from Rock Lee's shattered ankle, looked like a petrified wave. At the center of it all, Tsunade Senju stood impassive, her outstretched finger not only stopping the jutsu but defying the murderous will that drove it.
Gaara looked at her, his sea-green eyes, once empty, now burning with a demented fury. The sand didn't just stop; it seemed to vibrate with his frustration, wanting to complete the order it had been given.
"You…" Gaara hissed, his voice raspy and full of venom, a sound that made several spectators in the front rows shudder. "Who do you think you are, interfering in my match?"
The swirl of sand around him intensified, forming sharp spikes and claws that moved erratically, a manifestation of his rage. He was a hedgehog of deadly quills, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
In a blink, Temari and Kankurō appeared at his side. They didn't use a flashy speed jutsu; they simply moved with the urgency of panic. Their faces were pale, almost white, and it wasn't because of Gaara's threat, but because of the woman before them.
"Gaara, stop!" Temari's voice was an urgent whisper, almost a plea. She positioned herself slightly in front of him, as if her body could serve as a shield, though she knew it would be useless. "Don't go on! Stop right now!"
Kankurō, for his part, grabbed Gaara's arm, an incredibly risky gesture. His hand was visibly trembling. "Gaara, listen to her. This isn't part of the plan. We can't… not against her."
Gaara didn't even bother to look at his siblings. His attention was fixed on the blonde woman. "I don't care who she is," he growled, his voice low and guttural, the sand at his feet tensing like an animal about to pounce. "I was going to kill him. I was going to prove my existence with his blood."
Tsunade finally looked down at him. There was no fear in her eyes. Not even anger. Just a cold, clinical contempt, like that of a doctor observing a disease that needs to be eradicated. Her gaze swept over him, and her disinterest was more insulting than any blow.
"The match ended the moment your opponent lost consciousness," she said, her voice echoing with an authority that allowed no argument. Every word was clear, precise, and cutting. "The rules are clear, even for a spoiled brat like you. What you were about to do wasn't a victory; it was butchery. And in my arena, butchery is forbidden."
Without waiting for a response, she knelt beside Lee, turning her back on Gaara. It was the ultimate insult. Ignoring him completely, as if he were nothing more than a buzzing insect. Her hands lit up with a pale green chakra, and she began to pass her palm a few inches over Lee's broken body, her brow furrowed in professional concentration.
Gaara's sand bristled violently. "Don't ignore me!" he screamed, and a spear of sand shot toward her.
It never reached its target. A wall of sand, denser and darker, rose from the ground between Gaara and Tsunade, intercepting the attack. It was the sand from Gaara's own gourd, acting on instinct to protect him from himself.
"Gaara, that's enough!" Temari shouted, pushing him back with all her strength. "It's her! She's one of the Sannin! Do you understand what that means? It's Tsunade Senju!"
Kankurō pulled on his brother's arm in desperation. "She would annihilate us without breaking a sweat! Think, Gaara! Use your head!"
Gaara froze for an instant. The name seemed to register, not with fear, but with a grudging acknowledgment of power. The fury in his eyes didn't diminish, but it shifted from a white heat to an icy resentment. He shot one last look of pure hatred at Tsunade's back and Lee's unconscious body. Finally, with a choked growl, he allowed his siblings to guide him out of the arena. The monster had retreated, leaving behind a devastation that went beyond the physical.
As they left, Tsunade didn't turn around. She remained focused on her initial diagnosis, as if the Jinchuriki's tantrum had been nothing more than a gust of wind.
Several Konoha medics approached cautiously, carrying a stretcher. They stopped at a respectful distance, waiting for her permission. One of them, an older man with graying hair, dared to speak.
"Lady Tsunade… it's an honor. We weren't expecting your return."
"I haven't returned," she cut in, not looking at him. "I'm just passing through. Get the stretcher ready. And don't move him suddenly."
"His left arm and left leg are pulverized," Tsunade said without looking up. Her tone was factual, devoid of emotion. "I'm not talking about clean breaks. The long bones are splintered into dozens of fragments. The elbow and knee joints are a mash of cartilage and shattered bone." She paused, her hand hovering over Lee's chest. "The muscle fibers are torn at a cellular level from using the Gates, and his chakra system has suffered a massive overload. He's on the verge of total collapse. Take him away."
Might Guy, who had jumped into the arena as soon as Gaara retreated, knelt on the other side of Lee. His face, normally a beacon of radiant optimism, was a mask of anguish and guilt. He looked at his student's body as if it were the result of his own failure.
"Will he…?" Guy's voice broke. He had to swallow hard to continue. "Will he ever be a shinobi again?"
Tsunade looked at him. For a fleeting, almost imperceptible instant, her expression softened. It wasn't compassion, but a kind of professional acknowledgment of a comrade's pain. She saw the shattered Jōnin, not Kakashi's eccentric rival.
"His bones are too damaged," she declared, her verdict as sharp as a scalpel. "With Konoha's current medical technology, they might be able to fuse the larger fragments, but they'll never regain their structural integrity. Any strong impact, any sharp taijutsu movement, and they would shatter again like glass."
Guy clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "But his will! His fighting spirit! It's stronger than anyone's! With the right rehabilitation, he—!"
"With the right rehabilitation, he might be able to walk again without too much of a limp," Tsunade interrupted, her tone hardening as if to crush any false hope.
"And that's not the worst of it," Tsunade continued, turning her attention back to Lee's leg. "The damage to his chakra pathways is severe. By forcing the Gates that way, he burned out several of the main networks in his limbs. Even if his muscles healed, he wouldn't be able to channel the chakra needed to move at the speed that defined him." She stood up, brushing the dust from her knees. "Spirit doesn't rebuild chakra networks, Jōnin. The reality is that his career as a shinobi… is over."
The sound that escaped Guy's throat wasn't a scream, but a choked sob, the lament of a breaking heart. He leaned over Lee, his shoulders shaking. "It's my fault… I taught him how to open the Gates… I pushed him to this…"
Tsunade watched him for another moment. "...unless there's a miracle," she added, her voice regaining its usual steel edge. The small window of empathy had closed. "And it just so happens that I'm the only miracle this village has right now. Don't touch anything until I get there. Take him to the central hospital's infirmary. I'll see what I can do after I have a chat with the Hokage."
The head medic stared at her, stunned. "A miracle, Lady Tsunade? You mean there's a chance? A jutsu…?"
"I mean shut up and do what I say," she replied bluntly.
She stood, her declaration leaving everyone present in a stunned silence. The arrogance was absolute, as vast as a mountain, but it was backed by a legend they all knew. Without another word, she headed for the stands, leaving the medics and a broken Jōnin in her wake.
****
On a dark rooftop on the other side of Konoha, the night wind was cold, carrying the distant murmur of the shocked crowd.
"Impossible…" Kabuto whispered. His usual analytical, detached composure had broken for the first time. He adjusted his glasses with a nervous gesture, his eyes wide behind the lenses. He mentally reviewed every intelligence report, all the data gathered for months. "She wasn't in any of the reports. She was supposed to be lost, out of the game, drowning in debt and sake. Our sources confirmed she hadn't set foot in a ninja village in almost a decade. How could she be back?"
Orochimaru, standing beside him, let out a low, sibilant laugh. It wasn't a laugh of joy, but of icy frustration, the sound of a snake watching its prey get snatched away at the last second.
"Kukuku… so the old slug finally decided to crawl out of her hole. How… unexpected. Truly unexpected."
"More than unexpected, it's problematic," Kabuto insisted, regaining some of his composure. "Our spy network in Tanzaku completely failed. There was no report of her departure, nor of her meeting with Jiraiya or… whoever convinced her. It's a colossal intelligence failure."
"Intelligence has its limits, Kabuto," Orochimaru replied, his tone condescending. "Tsunade doesn't operate on logic or plans. She moves on impulse, on debts, and on ghosts. She's unpredictable. That's why she was always so irritating."
"This changes everything, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto said, his analytical mind already racing, calculating the new variables. "Her presence here… could compromise the invasion. Her medical skills alone could nullify a large part of our attrition strategy. A battalion wounded in the morning could be back on the front lines by afternoon. Our numerical advantage is drastically reduced."
"Not only that, Kabuto," Orochimaru hissed, his tongue flicking out for an instant, a tic he couldn't suppress when agitated. "My long-term goal. Now she's here, on the enemy's home turf, protected by the whole damned village."
He fell silent for a moment, his golden eyes fixed on the distant Hokage Tower, as if he could see through the walls.
"Jiraiya… no. He couldn't have convinced her. He's too predictable, too sentimental. She would have laughed in his face and emptied his pockets." Orochimaru's mind ran through the possibilities, dismissing them one by one. "Perhaps the Council offered to erase all her debts? No, she's too proud. A forbidden technique from the First's archives? Tempting, but not enough to make her return to this graveyard." He dismissed the options with a sneer. "So, how…? What could have possibly brought her back to this place she hates so much?"
He turned to Kabuto, the frustration in his eyes replaced by a new, cold determination.
"This changes everything, Kabuto. Our plans for the finals must be… adjusted. The acquisition of Sasuke-kun has become even more urgent. We need to get him out of here before she or Jiraiya can solidify their influence over him."
"And Lady Tsunade?" Kabuto asked, his tone returning to professional calm.
"The elimination of my former teammate…" Orochimaru hissed, savoring the words, "…has just shot to the top of the priority list."
****
As the commotion in the arena died down and the medical teams carried away an unconscious Rock Lee, Naruto, who had been watching everything from the upper stands with a mixture of awe and overwhelming pride, finally moved. The need to see his friends, to make sure they were okay, overrode everything else.
He ran down the stairs, leaping the last five steps in a single bound to land with a dull thud on the genin's balcony.
"Sakura-chan! Hinata-chan!"
Their voices shouted his name in unison, "Naruto!", a mix of disbelief and a relief so profound it was almost palpable in the air.
Sakura was the first to reach him. She moved faster than he had ever seen her move. There was no playful punch or initial scolding. She simply crashed into him, hugging him with a force that took his breath away, her face buried in his shoulder. He wrapped his good arm around her, feeling her tremble.
"You're here," she whispered, her voice muffled by the fabric of his jacket. "You're really here. I thought… I thought something bad had happened to you!"
"Of course I'm here, for real," he replied, his own voice trembling with emotion. He gave her a clumsy pat on the back. "I told you I'd be back. A ninja never breaks his promise."
Hinata approached more slowly, her hands clasped in front of her, her pearly eyes shining with unshed tears. She didn't dare hug him, but her hand rested on his bandaged arm, a gesture full of a silent, deep relief. Her touch was as light as a feather, but to Naruto, it felt like an anchor.
He looked at her and smiled, one of his wide, genuine smiles, so warm it seemed to dispel all the tension of the past few days.
"You did it, Hinata," he said, his voice full of sincere pride. "I was told your battle with Neji was incredible. I'm extremely proud of you."
Hinata's face flushed violently, from her neck to her ears, but she didn't look away as she used to. She kept her eyes fixed on his. "You… you gave me strength, Naruto-kun. I remembered your words."
"No, you already had it! You just needed a push!" he exclaimed.
The intimate moment was broken by the rest of the group.
"Hey, idiot!" Kiba barked, walking over with Akamaru trotting at his side. The dog yapped happily. "Where the hell have you been? I thought you'd chickened out and run away!"
"Of course not!" Naruto retorted, reluctantly pulling away from Sakura. "I had important stuff to do!"
Shino Aburame stepped forward, silent as always. "Your return coincides with the arrival of the Sannin. The probability of both events being a coincidence is statistically insignificant. It is logical to assume your mission was related to her."
Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "Uh… well, yeah. Something like that!"
"What a drag," Shikamaru muttered, hands in his pockets. "Just when we thought we'd have some peace, you show up and stir up trouble again. And you bring one of the Sannin with you. You never do things by halves, do you? It's a real drag having to worry about you."
"Naruto!" Ino said, putting her hands on her hips. "Do you know how worried Sakura was? She almost tore her hair out! You should be more considerate." Then she winked at him. "Though I have to admit, coming back with a legend is pretty impressive. Scores points."
Choji, chewing on some chips he'd pulled from somewhere, simply said, "Hey, Naruto. Want some?" He offered the bag. Naruto grabbed a handful with a grin.
It was a chaos of familiar voices and relief, and Naruto soaked it all in, feeling at home for the first time in weeks. But his attention was drawn to a silent figure at the edge of the group.
He saw Sasuke, standing apart from the others, watching him. His face was a mask of cold indifference, but his eyes, now with two tomoe slowly spinning in each, burned with a resentful intensity. There was no relief in his gaze, only judgment.
"So you finally show up," Sasuke said, his voice flat, inflectionless. It wasn't a question. It was an accusation.
Naruto faced him, his smile fading. "Sasuke… I had to leave. It was important."
"Running away from the exams was important?" Sasuke shot back, his tone dripping with contempt. The tension between them was so palpable that the others instinctively backed away. "While the rest of us were risking something here, you hid away to go train. Pathetic."
"I didn't run away!" Naruto snapped, his voice rising. "I was on a mission!"
"A 'mission' to get stronger, right? Always looking for a shortcut," Sasuke continued, his gaze piercing him. "You can never do anything on your own. You're still the same coward as always, looking for others to solve your problems."
Before the tension could escalate, Tsunade arrived. Her presence instantly silenced the group. The genin, who had been joking just moments before, now stood at attention, intimidated by the aura of power surrounding her. Her eyes fell on Sakura and Hinata, assessing them with a clinical gaze.
"So these are the girls," she said, her tone brusque, as if she were inspecting a pair of recruits.
Naruto, forgetting his anger at Sasuke, stepped between them, beaming again. "Yeah! Grandma Tsunade, this is Haruno Sakura! And this is Hyuga Hinata! I told you about them on the way! They're the strongest and the coolest!"
Sakura, despite the Sannin's intimidating presence, blushed at Naruto's compliment. She straightened up, adopting a formal posture, and gave a respectful bow. "It's an honor to meet you, Lady Tsunade. Thank you for taking care of Naruto."
Tsunade looked her up and down, her gaze lingering on her hands, her posture, the determination in her green eyes. "Naruto says you want to be my apprentice."
"Yes!" Sakura replied without hesitation, her voice filled with an unshakeable determination that surprised everyone. "I'm tired of being a burden. I'm tired of watching my comrades get hurt protecting me. I want to be strong enough to protect them!" Her gaze flickered for a second toward Naruto and Sasuke.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Determination. How nice. But what do you know about medicine? Do you know the 108 pressure points to incapacitate an opponent? Can you tell the difference between snake and scorpion venom just by the color of the wound?"
Sakura swallowed, feeling small under that intense gaze. "No… I don't know any of that, ma'am. Not yet." She paused and lifted her chin. "But I have an excellent memory, and I'm a fast learner. And I swear to you that no one, absolutely no one, will work harder than me."
Tsunade watched her for a long moment, her face unreadable. The silence stretched on, tense. Then, a small, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips.
"You've got good eyes. Same stupid determination as this brat," she said, tapping Naruto on the head. "Fine. When I'm done with the village's affairs, your personal hell will begin. Get ready, kid. You'll regret ever asking me."
She turned, her attention now fixed on the hallway leading to the Hokage Tower. "Naruto. You're with me."
****
In the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was suffocating. The smell of old paper and tobacco filled the air. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, his face a web of weary wrinkles. Tsunade stood before him, arms crossed, radiating a contained fury that made the air vibrate. Naruto stood beside her, feeling incredibly out of place.
"You've gotten old, Sensei," Tsunade began, her voice an edge of steel. It wasn't an observation; it was an accusation.
"And you haven't changed a bit, Tsunade," he replied with a small, tired smile. He set his pipe in an ashtray. "Always so… direct."
"I don't have time for subtleties," she snapped, placing her hands on his desk. "I just got here, and look what I find. A Jinchuriki from the Sand running wild in a public exam. And a group of genin who, from what this brat has told me, have been through a warzone and survived an encounter with you."
Her voice rose with each sentence. "I was gone for a decade, and this is what you've allowed to happen! Where's the control? Where's the strength of Konoha you were so proud of?"
The accusation hit Hiruzen with the force of a physical blow. He leaned back in his chair, the weight of his years and his decisions crushing him.
"I made mistakes, Tsunade. Many of them," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "The greatest of them was letting Orochimaru escape. I saw the darkness in his eyes that day, and my heart as a teacher wouldn't let me do what my duty as Hokage demanded."
"You were soft!" she shot back, her voice filled with an old, bitter pain. "You always were! With him, with Jiraiya, with me! Always giving second chances. And now, children are paying the price for your sentimentality! That Lee boy might never walk again because of your weakness!"
"Don't think that decision hasn't haunted me every day since," Hiruzen said, his voice firm despite his weariness. "But a leader must make impossible choices. And sometimes, they get them wrong."
She turned back to Hiruzen, her eyes blazing. "And what about Dan? And Nawaki? They paid the price, too! This office, this hat… it's stained with the blood of the people I loved!"
"That's why I need you here," Hiruzen said, his voice regaining some of its strength. He straightened up, his gaze meeting hers. "I made mistakes, yes. I'm old. Tired. My decisions no longer have the clarity they once did. This village needs a new leader. One with the Will of Fire burning stronger than ever."
He stood, his small frame looking fragile yet filled with an immense dignity.
"Konoha needs you, Tsunade. I need you. Take the position. Become the Fifth Hokage."
The offer hung in the air, heavy, monumental. Naruto stared at Tsunade, his eyes wide with amazement. Grandma Tsunade… the next Hokage? It was incredible!
Then, Tsunade started to laugh.
It wasn't a joyful laugh. It was a bitter, hollow sound, filled with a disdain and pain so deep it made Naruto shudder.
"Hokage?" she finally said, wiping a fake tear of laughter from her eye. Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Me? You want me to sit in that chair and send kids to die on pointless missions while politicians drink tea? You want me to clean up the mess you allowed to happen, a mess that claimed the life of my brother and the man I loved?"
She thumbed toward a completely bewildered Naruto at her side.
"I came back for one reason, Sensei. For this idiot brat. Because he reminded me of them, because he made a stupid bet and won. My only interest here is making sure that snake doesn't swallow him whole." She paused, her gaze turning icy. "The rest of the village… can fend for itself. It's not my problem anymore."
She turned, ready to leave.
"Wait!" Naruto's voice was a choked cry. "What do you mean? Being Hokage is the greatest dream there is!"
Tsunade stopped at the door but didn't turn around. "Dreams are for kids who haven't seen their heroes die, brat. That title isn't a dream, it's a tombstone. One that crushed everyone foolish enough to believe in it. Grow up."
The door shut.
Naruto stood frozen for an instant, looking at the Third Hokage's devastated face. But then, an understanding other than anger washed over him. He saw the pain behind Tsunade's cruelty. Without hesitating, he turned to Hiruzen and gave a quick bow.
"Forgive me, Third."
He ran out and found her at the end of the hall, staring through a large window at the Hokage Monument. Her back, once so imposing, now seemed burdened by an invisible weight.
He approached slowly.
"Grandma Tsunade…" he began, his voice soft.
"Leave me alone, brat," she answered without turning, her tone low and harsh.
Naruto didn't move. Instead, he stood beside her and looked in the same direction. He saw the stone face of his grandfather, the Second, the Third, and his father. To him, they were a symbol of hope. To her, they were ghosts.
Understanding, he reached out his hand and gently took hers. It was cold.
Tsunade tensed, surprised, but didn't pull away.
"It's okay," Naruto said quietly, squeezing her hand gently. "You don't have to be Hokage if you don't want to. I won't push it."
He looked at her, and for the first time, he saw past the legendary Sannin. He saw a wounded woman.
"Just… don't leave again," he continued. "You said you were here for me. Well, I'm here for you, too. You're not alone, Grandma."
A deep silence settled between them, broken only by the distant murmur of the village. Tsunade didn't reply, but her hand, slowly, squeezed back. The shock wave of her return was just beginning, but for the first time in decades, someone was there to help her withstand it.