Konohagakure no Sato
Hokage's Office :
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of Konoha, sat in the oppressive silence of his office, the afternoon light cutting through the room like a blade.
In his trembling hands, he held a report delivered by a messenger toad from his student, the Toad Sage. Jiraiya had sent a brief word yesterday saying everything was contained and he would report in person within 24 hours, but this detailed scroll... it was not what Hiruzen expected.
As he read, it felt as though someone had placed a heavy stone upon his heart. The report spoke of things that defied reason.
It detailed Tsunade's sudden presence, her confrontation with Jiraiya , and the tactical encirclement of Danzo by the allied clans and Civilian Shinobis. But it was the description of the Konoha Elder's monstrosity that turned Hiruzen's stomach.
Danzo Shimura had possessed the Wood Release. He had an arm crafted entirely from the First Hokage's cells, and most chillingly, an arm embedded with ten Sharingan.
The report from Jiraiya included the use of the forbidden Uchiha technique, Izanagi. Jiraiya's disgust was palpable through the ink, directed at the village's dark politics and the man Hiruzen had called his friend.
(Ten Sharingan embedded in an arm made of the First's cells... Danzo, just what had you become?)
Hiruzen stared at the paper. Beside the military report was the news of Tsunade's Return—she was coming back with the Anti-Danzo Coalition, and she was demanding answers regarding the defilement of her grandfather's remains at the hands of the village he founded.
(Tsunade is coming... alas, this is not how I wanted her to return.)
The Hokage noted Jiraiya's subtle distancing, his clear siding with Tsunade's outrage, and his pointed inquiry into whether Danzo had been collaborating with Orochimaru.
(Danzo... Orochimaru... am I really too sentimental?)
Hiruzen tried to stand, wanting to look out the window to clear his head, but his legs wouldn't move. The weight of the revelation had done more damage than any physical blow.
THe Hokage sat in the silence for what felt like hours. Finally, he forced himself up and walked through the corridors, bypassing the lower floors and heading straight for the rooftop of the Hokage Tower.
--------------------------------------
The Rooftop :
Standing at the corner of the roof, overlooking Konohagakure no Sato, Hiruzen felt his emotions begin to calm under the familiar sight of the village's vitality. Yet, the doubts remained like a persistent itch.
(Did WE do something wrong? We always tried our best for the village... but Danzo... when did things go wrong?)
He looked down at the streets and remembered every decision made in the name of peace.
Was it wrong to keep this peace through sacrifices?
Was it wrong to find information on enemy villages using those lives?
Was it wrong to think of the betterment of the village through those dark means?
(How could a single individual compare to this whole village?)
He questioned if Danzo's visions were truly wrong.
It was Danzo who had provided the first-hand information needed to survive when Konoha had no god like Hashirama sama to deter others .
That information was necessary through all these years , after all Konoha did not have some God who can tell future .
In the Third Shinobi World War, when Suna, Iwa, Kumo, and Mizu all targeted the Konoha , it was that timely, blood-soaked information that allowed them to pull through.
In the end, it was that "dirty" information that empowered the Golden Flash. Minato's Flying Thunder God didn't just work on its own; it needed to know exactly where to teleport to be effective.
Jiraiya was reluctant for war, Tsunade was mentally unsuitable, and even Orochimaru wanted to avoid the front lines.
( Since when did things start going downwards? ....Aaahh, it was the Kyuubi's Night.)
Hiruzen remembered that night as the turning point. But he forced his mind back to the present crisis.
He could technically arrest Shikaku and the others for insubordination, but the real enemies were the other villages. They were like hyenas, jumping at any chance to start the next World War.
Peace had been bought at a cost few knew. Three years after the Kyuubi's night, the treaty with Kumo had cost them dearly. Mizugakure was still skirmishing at the borders, while Iwa and Suna waited in the shadows.
But everything had truly fractured with the Uchiha Massacre.
("If you face an Uchiha one-on-one, then run...!")
That was a glory even the Senju didn't possess. After the downfall of the world's strongest clan, the other nations began to move again. Kumo, Iwa, and Suna were hunting for a weakness to exploit.
In Those Time , To buy the silence of the remaining clans and keep the borders secure, Hiruzen had been forced to station most of his active generals and village forces on the four fronts.
But then, the domestic landscape shifted.
In just six months, Nara Shikaku had united the clans for "warmth" against Danzo's threats. Using Naruto's subtle identity, he had gathered the Fourth's remnants and even Senju civilians.
Hiruzen had kept silent, not out of helplessness, but because he knew the alternative was a Civil War.
That was why Hiruzen had deployed his forces so thinly. That was why he had allowed the Clans to be dissatisfied, buying their silence with concessions. He was trying to hold a crumbling dam together with his bare hands.
And this was the reason , The Hokage never wanted something Like Uchiha Massacre . After all Uchiha were also Shinobi , Konoha's Shinobi .
The clans had chosen the perfect time to move. A single confrontation would have blown the village apart. Hiruzen had made a silent, cold compromise:
If peace could be kept in exchange for a single shinobi—even his friend—then so be it.
The Hokage thought of the massacre itself.
He had never wanted it, and he could never understand how Itachi, a mere fourteen-year-old, could be so twisted and vicious.
There was something senile and broken in the way that boy had operated—slaughtering newborns and children under the age of five with such cold, clinical absurdity.
It wasn't the act of a hero; it was the act of a mind that had completely snapped under the weight of its own "logic."
Now, the Clans and even Civilian Shinobi's were united against that kind of threat , but Hiruzen felt bound. If he had moved against the clans to save Danzo, the hyenas from the other nations would have devoured them.
( Shinobis are not civilians, Danzo.... Sensei taught us that, but you didn't really listen ..did you )
In the Third War, they had the Sannin, Minato, and a grown Jinchuriki.
Now? He and his advisors were old and tired. Tsunade was broken by her past, Kakashi was drowning in sorrow, and Guy could barely move after a single hard battle. Jiraiya was a solitary man who loathed the politics of war.
(If I had moved to protect Danzo against the Clans... it would have been Civil War.)
Weighing the pros and cons, Hiruzen had decided to abandon his friend and hide him one last time. He knew where Danzo was, but he had stayed his hand but also wavered sentimentally .
In the end , The Nara Forces moved too fast , By the time The Hokage knew what happened , it's already been 30 minutes since they left the village gate itself , even the report he got was at 3 Am in the morning .
In The end , Danzo was attacked or contained at dawn on the same day .
Even Hokage could only have Jiraiya respond and that is only because all of this happened in Land Of fire itself , The Hokage also couldn't move too many of his forces otherwise that will also jeopardise the Border situations.
(But if Jiraiya's report is true... then Danzo, you truly let me and the village down... Contributions cannot offset these kind of sins.)
As The Hokage turned to head back to his office, he heard a commotion. An ANBU appeared, kneeling before him.
"The Roots are finally severed... haa," Hiruzen exhaled, a long, weary sound.
He looked toward the main street, his eyes narrowing as he began to calculate. The politician in him was already working.
(What's done is done... let's see what I can salvage from this. ...Tsunade is really back.... Good )
-----------------------------------
Konohagakure No sato :
Uzumaki Apartment :
2 Months Later :
The humid air of May clung to the village, carrying the scent of blooming azaleas and the faint, antiseptic tang of a village undergoing a medical revolution.
It had been sixty days since the return of the Slug Princess, and the shift in Konoha's atmosphere was nothing short of tectonic.
Senju Tsunade hadn't just returned; she had seized the Medical Corps by the throat, purging inefficiency and establishing a rigorous new standard of care that had every hospital staff member trembling and every wounded shinobi hopeful.
Naruto sat at his small kitchen table, the scrolls of the 5th-year Academy finals piled in a corner. He had passed with ease, though his mind had been miles away from the basic history of the Warring States period.
His focus was entirely inward, centered on the rhythmic expansion of his lungs.
Brething and practicing , Naruto felt the change a little personal , especailly among his friends .
Beyond his apartment walls, Naruto had watched his peers undergo a brutal awakening. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, once the epitome of relaxed competence, had been forged into something much sharper. The tragedy of their fathers had acted as a catalyst.
Choza Akimichi had been the luckiest, discharged after a month of high-intensity chakra restoration.
Inoichi Yamanaka remained confined to his home, his nervous system still reeling from a complex surgery required to repair the damage from a "vacuum-based" trauma.
Shikaku Nara, however, bore the heaviest mark. The strategist of the Leaf had lost his hand—a devastating blow for a shinobi whose entire combat style relied on the intricate hand seals of the Shadow Possession Jutsu.
Naruto had visited them, bringing fruit and quiet observation. He saw the fire in Shikamaru's eyes, a cold, calculating drive that replaced his trademark "troublesome" laziness.
Choji seems to become a little mature .
And Ino , She cried in his arms that day .
And Somehow Hinata seems to be in dark .
But despite his Keen Eye and his probing questions to the Old Man, the truth of the mission remained locked away. The village elders were silent; even the children of the injured heads were kept in the dark about the specifics of the "Mission" they had executed.
The silence was a tactical necessity, a shield against the "hyenas" of the other Great Nations, but it left Naruto feeling the gaps in his own map of the world.
Naruto sighed on those memories , his focus shifting on his othere friends .
A week prior, Naruto had met with his friends who had graduated 2 year ahead of him:
Gian,Nobita, Shizuka, and Suneo.
Shizuka,Gian and Suneo. They were still under the heavy-handed tutelage of Hattori-sensei, who had also disappeared during the same period as the clan heads.
Naruto didn't need a briefing to connect the dots; Hattori had clearly been the involved .
( just what kind of mission was it.....or change ?? )
Not getting any leads , Naruto focused back on his friends , Their growth was steady and specialized:
Nobita: Now a probationary member of the Uchiha-less Police Force, focusing on urban tracking.
Suneo: now speacialised in speed and jutsu and now Utilizing his keen social awareness to prepare for the Administrative Department
Gian: His raw physical power and newfound discipline had him fast-tracked for ANBU candidacy.
Shizuka: Inspired by Tsunade's return, she had committed fully to Medical Ninjutsu, her steady hands and high chakra control making her a natural fit.
But It seemed that they were under strict order of Hattori Sensei.
Gian had challenged with a grin. "Hattori-sensei says we aren't allowed to call ourselves real shinobi until we pass the next Chunin Exams. We're preparing day and night."
For Naruto, the last two months had been a grueling experiment in bio-feedback. He had mastered Diaphragm Breathing, a technique that allowed him to maintain a constant, pressurized core, but the System Panel remained stubborn. It refused to register the skill.
"It's too passive," Naruto realized. "The System doesn't reward breathing; it rewards evolution."
He had moved on to O2 Breathing, a high-level physiological modification. The goal was to use medical chakra to super-saturate his blood with oxygen, effectively turning his cardiovascular system into a high-octane engine.
To achieve this, he had made an unorthodox request to the Third Hokage:
access to medical-grade oxygen tanks and a pressurized chamber at the hospital. He had explained the theory—how hyper-oxygenation could provide the necessary stamina for a sustained Chidori. The Old Man had looked at him with that inscrutable, weary gaze and promised to "think about it."
Near 5:00 PM, a sharp rap at the door broke Naruto's concentration. He stood, shaking off the lightheadedness of a long breathing set, and opened the door.
Standing there, without his usual retinue of ANBU shadows, was Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Hokage looked older than he had two months ago, but his eyes were sharp.
"Grandpa?" Naruto blurted out, a 'genuine' smile breaking through his tactical facade.
( The monthly 'Will of Fire' lecture isn't due for another week. Did I forget an appointment?)
Hiruzen chuckled, though the sound was dry. "Nothing so formal, Naruto. How have you been?"
"Good. Tired. My lungs feel like they're made of lead, but I'm making progress," Naruto replied, stepping aside to let the old man in.
"I'm afraid we won't have time for tea," Hiruzen said, staying in the doorway. "Naruto, I want you to go and wash up. Dress in something respectable—not your training rags. We are visiting someone today."
Naruto's eyebrows shot up. The Hokage didn't personally escort Academy students to social calls. "Someone who? Is it the Medical Council? Did you decide on the oxygen tanks?"
The Hokage's expression softened, but he didn't give anything away. "Now, don't ask so many questions. Just bathe and dress. You'll have your answers soon enough."
Naruto studied the Old Man's face for a moment, searching for a hint of the "Darkness" or the "Coalition," but saw only a strange, paternal anticipation.
"Alright," Naruto said, his mind already spinning. "Give me ten minutes."
Inside the apartment, the steam from the bath began to clear as Naruto stepped out, his skin still slightly flushed from the heat. He moved to his bedroom, pulling out a formal black kimono.
It was a fine piece of craftsmanship, stitched with golden threads that formed the patterns of falling leaves—a subtle fashion in the hidden leaves village .
While Naruto dressed, he decided to probe the oldman again
"Grandpa, you okay?" Naruto's voice was softer than usual, lacking its habitual brashness.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the "God of Shinobi," took a slow sip, his weathered face regaining its mask of calm. "Haha, what can happen to me? Why are you asking, Naruto?"
"Well... you seem more tired than usual."
The Hokage paused. The genuine worry in the boy's voice hit him harder than a kunai ever could. For a moment, he wasn't the leader of a military superpower; he was just an old man with a heavy burden. "Haha, it's all Hokage work, you know."
"Just wait, old man!" Naruto shouted from the other room, his energy returning as he cinched his belt. "I'm gonna take your hat from you soon!"
"Haha, then don't keep me waiting," Hiruzen replied, a spark of true warmth returning to his eyes.
As they stepped out onto the streets, Naruto walked a half-step behind the Hokage. While he looked like a respectful student, his mind was racing through his status panel.
The training grind of the last two months had been a lesson in humility for Naruto. He had realized that being a "prodigy" didn't mean things were easy; it just meant the ceiling was higher.
Through his data analysis with the Great Sage, he had finally mapped out the progression limits of the Shinobi arts:
[Ninjutsu Progression Mechanics]
E-Rank: Maxes at Level 2 (100/100)
D-Rank: Maxes at Level 3 (100/100)
C-Rank: Maxes at Level 4 (100/100)
B-Rank: should Maxes at Level 5 (100/100)
Naruto had been obsessively drilling his three B-Rank pillar jutsu—Chakra Absorption, Chakra Transfer, and Chakra Scalpel.
They were the bedrock of his future "Original Jutsu," but they were stubborn. Despite his constant practice, they were hovering at the edge of Level 3.
Between those and his new elemental C-Rank arsenal, his schedule was packed to the breaking point. Every spare second was poured into Hiraishin, which stood mockingly at Lv0 (4/10)
--------------------------------
Flying Thunder God (Hiraishin): Lv0 (4/10)
-------------------------------
Four points in two months, Naruto thought bitterly. Even with Great Sage, this is a nightmare.
The Hiraishin was a beast of a different caliber. It wasn't just about speed; it was a complex web of spatial coordinates and sealing formulas that required a level of mathematical precision that made his head spin.
He had been training with Koga-sensei on the sealing aspect, but the Great Sage was a processor, not a god—it needed data to work. Without a deeper understanding of the physical laws of space, the "supercomputer" in his head could only do so much.
He was also pushing his Medical Chunin skills to the limit, hoping to understand the body well enough to survive the strain of O2 breathing.
He had begun merging his Soot Cloud with his respiratory cycle. It was a prototype: every breath in was pure, chakra-filtered oxygen; every breath out was a localized, silent soot-mist of CO2. It was sealless, subtle, and terrifying for anyone trying to track him by scent or breath.
They walked until the bustling marketplace faded, replaced by the quiet, dignified atmosphere of the high-security district. They stopped before a massive gate. The wood was clean, the grounds well-kept, and the plaque on the gate read:
SENJU CLAN.
( So, she's really moved back into the ancestral home )Naruto thought, though the 'Acting Skill' kept his face a mask of wide-eyed curiosity .
At the gates stood Shizune, the black-haired kunoichi who always seemed to be chasing after the Sannin.
"Ah, Shizune, I hope we didn't keep you waiting," the Hokage greeted.
"No need, Hokage-sama," she replied with a polite bow, her eyes lingering on Naruto with a mixture of pity and curiosity. "It is my honor."
Naruto offered a crisp Japanese bow. "Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you, Shizune-san."
They were led inside. The compound was vast and silent, echoing with the ghosts of the most powerful clan in Konoha's history. As they approached the main building, the doors slid open to reveal Tsunade.
Beside her stood two figures that made Naruto's heart skip a beat.
A mature woman in a striking red kimono, her hair pulled into a high, traditional bun. Her presence was like a calm, deep lake.
A little girl with vibrant crimson hair and matching eyes with glasses. She had the same hairstyle as the portraits Naruto had seen of his mother, Kushina.
"Finally," Tsunade snorted, crossing her arms under her chest. "You really know how to make ladies wait, Old MAN"
"All because of old age," Hiruzen sighed. "If only 'someone' would take this burden off my shoulders."
Tsunade ignored the jab, her amber eyes locking onto Naruto. "And who are you, little pipsqueak?"
Naruto looked at his "Grandpa," who coughed and made the formal introduction. "Naruto, this is Senju Tsunade. The Slug Sannin and Medical Saint of Konoha."
Naruto's eyes widened in "realization." , He stood frozen for a moment as he 'got' back his composure , Naruto's MindHub helping in to process and helping him for an answer and also to how to deal with this situation .
But soon Naruto got his answer.
Laugh , Insult , Jab , disrespect , Ridicule , Probe
All of these and more , there is only one answer for all this in Uzumaki Naruto's dictionary , and that answer is the same for his previous self or his new changed self .
Naruto stood tall, ignored the intimidation factor, and gave a deep, respectful bow—before snapping back up with a defiant, ear-to-ear grin.
"Good evening, Tsunade-sama! I am Uzumaki Naruto! And listen... OLD HAG! I'M GONNA BECOME THE STRONGEST HOKAGE, DATTEBAYO!"
The silence that followed was absolute. Shizune turned pale. The red-haired woman's mouth popped into a small "O" of shock. The little girl simply blinked, her crimson eyes scanning the loud blonde.
*BOM!*
A fist of Love slammed into the top of Naruto's head with the force of a falling mountain.
"Gah!" Naruto collapsed to his knees, clutching his skull as a massive bump began to form.
"Is that so?" Tsunade asked, a dangerous, amused vein throbbing in her forehead. "You've got a big mouth for a brat who hasn't even grown his hair down there."
The mature woman in the red kimono stepped forward to carry Naruto up , her gaze softening as she looked at Naruto—specifically at the way his chakra flickered under the pain.
---------------------------------------
Author's note :
I wanted to write at least 2 chapter for the politics involved ,
I also wanted to write 2 chapters for Shikamaru , Choji and especially Ino and Hinata
I also wanted to write 2 chapters for Gian , Shizuka , Suneo and Nobita .
I also wanted to write Naruto's progress in Hiraishin , and other jutsu and his ongoing training .
But we are already approaching 100 chapters , and I think it's better to start Canon fast . everyone and even me is also impatient for it .
I am thankful to all ideas and inspiration but I can't write everything in 1 chapter , i also can't give OP skills to Naruto on the spot .
And That's why I decided to start kickstart Canon .
Naruto will graduate in 2-3 chapters .
Thank you for all support .