Straight Ahead

Rasengan!?

"Jiraiya, how could you give this dangerous jutsu to this kid?" Tsunade questioned Jiraiya again. Not many people in the village could use this ninjutsu, and she knew Naruto's identity and Jiraiya's personality well. There was no doubt that Jiraiya had taught this jutsu to the boy.

Jiraiya waved his hands innocently, "You're mistaken about that. I didn't teach Naruto the Rasengan..."

Tsunade grabbed Jiraiya's left arm, lifted his sleeve, and saw the clearly old wound on his severed limb. She frowned tightly and asked, "Who could have injured you like this? Was it that bastard Orochimaru?" In the eyes of the Sannin, perhaps only those of their caliber could be rivals to each other.

"My old friend, we finally meet again, and you're going to keep interrogating me like this?" Jiraiya was startled. He pulled back his severed arm, laughed heartily, pulled a chair next to Tsunade, poured drinks for both of them, clinked glasses, and downed his.

Tsunade still frowned, subconsciously picking up her wine glass.

"I say!" Naruto felt hurt at being ignored and angrily dispersed the Rasengan in his right hand. He pointed furiously at Tsunade, "Grandma who always loses bets, do you dare to bet with me that I can learn the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique within a week? Surely you're not too cowardly to bet if you dare to mock the Hokage!"

Tsunade glanced at Naruto dismissively again, took a sip of wine, and couldn't be bothered to tell the brat that her grandfather, the Second Hokage, had created the Flying Thunder God Technique. Impatiently, she said, "You've only learned the Rasengan, and you're already so arrogant, brat? Flying Thunder God? What do you think that ninjutsu is? Hmph... That's why I say, anyone who wants to become Hokage is a fool!"

Shizune sat opposite them, feeling awkward. But honestly, she was a little used to it...

The Tsunade-obaa-chan in Naruto's memory... The most profound impression was of the person who stood up when Konoha was in crisis, the one who saved everyone with the slugs when they were in danger. But the one before him now? Even though he had been mentally prepared, Naruto was still burning with anger...

Bang!

Naruto slammed his fist on the table with force, making the wine bottles, glasses, and side dish plates tremble.

"Becoming Hokage is my dream! It's a dream from two lifetimes! I absolutely will not allow you to slander the Hokage!"

Shizune twitched her mouth and tried to comfort him, "Please calm down..."

"Shizune-neechan, don't worry about it. " Naruto only stared intently at Tsunade, his gaze as firm as ever.

How does he know my name... Shizune wondered.

Naruto might have a temper, but was Tsunade easy to provoke? This old woman was already in a bad mood today, and who knew how much she had drunk tonight... Clang! She placed a foot on a chair, grabbed her wine bottle, and pointed at Naruto, "You, come out with me." With that, she walked out of the izakaya's door, still holding the bottle.

Jiraiya continued to hold his forehead.

Naruto huffed angrily, "Fine..." He clenched his fists and followed Tsunade out.

Shizune looked at Jiraiya worriedly, but he didn't seem too concerned. She asked, "Jiraiya-sama, is it really okay to let these two go out..." Of course, she wasn't worried about Tsunade, but about Naruto's small body being crushed by a punch from the enraged Lady Tsunade...

Jiraiya smiled and followed them out.

Shizune felt dejected and chased after them, holding the little pig Tonton.

It was already night, and there were few pedestrians on the street. A cold wind blew, rolling up a few dry, yellow leaves.

Tsunade stood in the middle of the street, tilted her head back, and took a swig of wine. She looked disdainfully at the blonde brat opposite her, "You actually dared to come out? You think learning the Rasengan makes you invincible?"

Naruto ignored her taunts and smiled, "Is this a duel?"

"Hmph, you're still far from being able to duel me as an equal, brat..." Tsunade was truly furious. How could brats nowadays be so ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth? She had become famous in the ninja world before he was even born... Is this Minato's son? Is this the kind of person Jiraiya brings up? How can he have no perceptiveness at all?

"Obaa-chan, Konoha really needs you. Orochimaru will soon attack Konoha with Sand Ninja during the Chunin Exams! There will definitely be a lot of casualties... Hokage-jiji is already old, and Konoha needs you to be the Fifth Hokage! You will definitely be an excellent Hokage!" Naruto said this sincerely. After all, it was a fact in his memory that Tsunade was a very good Hokage...

Orochimaru? Tsunade frowned. This guy attacking Konoha? Thinking about it carefully, it really was his style...

"Are all of Konoha's medical ninjas useless?" Tsunade snorted.

"The Sand Ninja's Jinchuriki will also participate in the Chunin Exams!" Naruto urged.

Tsunade's frown deepened. Even the Jinchuriki were being mobilized, it seemed the Sand Village was determined to bite Konoha hard... What on earth was in Orochimaru's head?

"What Naruto said is correct!" Jiraiya spoke up from the side, helping to persuade her, "Tsunade, if the Sand Ninja's Jinchuriki loses control and goes berserk, the village's losses will be immense..."

Tsunade was slightly moved, but still stubbornly refused, "Hmph, that has nothing to do with me. I left Konoha long ago..." She drank more wine. Today had been too terrible. Feeling the touch of the Wood Pendant around her neck, Tsunade felt increasingly agitated.

"Are you going to fight or not, you brat? If not, scram! Go back to Konoha and chase your Hokage dream!" Tsunade threw the empty wine bottle on the ground.

"Tsunade-sama, he's still just a child!" Shizune finally mustered the courage to try and persuade Tsunade, although she also knew that at this moment, Lady Tsunade was not someone who could be reasoned with by a human...

Naruto stood opposite Tsunade, with nothing behind him. He reached for his abdomen and looked directly at Tsunade, "In order not to die one day in the future, I have been training non-stop since I was six years old until now. To protect everyone, I've corrected my bad habits and forced myself to study... All of this is for the dream of becoming Hokage! This is a dream that carries the wishes of my parents and... my own! I will never allow you to look down on her like this, Fifth Hokage!"

A wisp of golden flame slowly floated up from the shoulder of his clothes—

"Moving straight forward, never giving up, that's my ninja way!"

Boom...

The golden light blazed, and Naruto seemed to turn into the sun.

Tsunade's pupils contracted slightly.

This was by no means any of the scenarios she had anticipated. She had expected this rash brat to throw a kunai, a shuriken, or just charge forward with his fists swinging or by forming a ball of chakra... But what was this? What did transformation mean?

As a medical ninja, Tsunade was sensitive to the subtle differences in chakra signatures.

And this kind of chakra, filled with vigorous life force... she had only felt it once when she was a child, from her grandfather, Hashirama Senju.

"Nine-Tails?!" Tsunade immediately turned to look at Jiraiya, her face filled with disbelief.