The Third Sun

Naruto, you will surely surpass every Hokage before you... And now, you have already surpassed "yourself"...

Jiraiya sat opposite Tsunade, watching Naruto's back as he suddenly "flashed" into existence behind her, and smiled silently in satisfaction. In that instant, it was as though a golden figure in a God Robe had overlapped with him...

"You learned the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Tsunade looked surprised. The kunai in her hand bore a black mark, like foxfire.

Naruto scratched his head, gave a sheepish grin, rubbed his nose, and said, "Yeah... Thanks to Dad's help. Now you can come back to Konoha with us, right, Grandma Tsunade?"

"..." Tsunade said nothing. After a while, she casually tossed the kunai behind her and lifted her cup for a sip of tea.

Naruto caught the kunai and slipped it into his ninja tool pouch.

Shizune refilled Tsunade and Jiraiya's tea.

"Stop messing around, Tsunade. The village really needs you right now. Dan and Nawaki both dreamed of becoming Hokage, didn't they? They're both gone now, and the only one who can fulfill their dreams for them is you!" Jiraiya's expression became somewhat serious. He understood Tsunade better than anyone, because his eyes had been on her all these decades.

"Stop being so willful. Become the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade."

He knew how deeply Dan and Nawaki's deaths had hurt her.

She had left Konoha because of that pain, and only those two could possibly bring her back to Konoha.

Tsunade set down her teacup and closed her eyes. "..."

Over the past few days, Tsunade had thought about many things.

Because Jiraiya had told her many things.

The future, the village, the ninja world, war, dreams, the Hokage, hope...

She had thought about these things when she was five, when she was twelve, and when she was twenty-two as well.

At thirty-two, forty-two...

At different ages and different stages of life, thinking about the same questions always brought different feelings and conclusions.

More than a decade ago, her conclusion had been to leave Konoha. She had not wanted to concern herself with all those disputes anymore, and had wanted to stay far away from that blood-soaked storm. But now, at fifty-two, after considering the question once more, the decision she made... had returned to where it all began.

"Big sister, I'm going to become Hokage! I'm going to become an amazing Hokage!"

"Tsunade, my ambition is to become Hokage and protect everyone..."

Their faces, voices, and words from the past surfaced before her one by one. Tsunade's body went from trembling to stillness, her breathing from hurried to calm, her tightly furrowed brows to relief...

She opened her eyes and shot Shizune, beside her, an annoyed glare. "What are you standing there for? The tea's gone cold!"

Shizune froze for a moment, then hurriedly filled the cups.

"So, Grandma Tsunade, you agree to return to the village with us?" Naruto asked happily, circling around to sit beside Tsunade.

"I'm not going back... Who's going to reattach this old pervert's arm for him?" Tsunade said expressionlessly.

"Hahaha..." Jiraiya laughed heartily.

Let us turn the clock back a little.

Konoha.

A few days after Naruto and Jiraiya, master and disciple, departed, Kakashi was summoned to the Third Hokage's office.

"A C-rank mission?" Kakashi took the mission document the Third Hokage handed him and looked somewhat surprised after reading it.

Logically speaking, newly graduated genin should spend quite a long time doing D-rank missions first... Not only because rookie genin were so green, but also because there were only so many missions to go around. If rookie genin teams took all the higher-ranking missions, what were the older genin and more experienced teams supposed to do?

Pull weeds and pick up trash?

"...Kakashi, finish reading it." The Third Hokage sat behind his desk, smoking his pipe.

Puzzled, Kakashi lowered his head and continued reading. There was more? He turned another page...

"Demon of the Hidden Mist Zabuza?! How could a mere C-rank mission escorting civilians involve someone like one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist...?"

"Heh..." Since he had not given Kakashi detailed Memory Intelligence, the Third Hokage was not surprised by his reaction at all. The old man smiled. "No matter what... Kakashi, it is not easy to find a sparring partner of this level. So I intend to have you lead a special genin team to complete this mission. No problem with that, right?"

Kakashi put down the mission document. "I don't have a problem with it... But Zabuza is rumored to be the Demon of the Hidden Mist who has mastered the Silent Killing Technique. Those rookie genin could lose their lives if they are not careful."

The Third Hokage smiled. At that moment, the Hokage's office door was pushed open.

Sasuke, Hinata, Rock Lee, Sakura, and Shikamaru walked in.

"What a drag... What kind of special mission is this..." Shikamaru practically had his displeasure and impatience written all over his face as he lazily scratched his head.

Sasuke showed no particular expression. He was only somewhat annoyed at having his training interrupted, but upon hearing that it was a special mission and that he would not have to pull weeds, pick up trash, do farm work, or catch kittens anymore, he felt slightly relieved.

I should... finally get to experience real combat, right?

Sakura, meanwhile, was still irritated by Rock Lee's earlier "harassment"... That watermelon-rind haircut, those thick eyebrows, those drooping eyelashes—this girl seriously couldn't take it anymore!

Hinata was a little nervous. They had been doing D-rank missions just fine, so why had a special mission suddenly come up? It sounded difficult... I won't hold everyone back, will I...?

Kakashi turned back to look at the five genin. He understood that the Third Hokage wanted to use this opportunity to train them a little, while having him watch over them.

The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, the taijutsu personally taught by that lunatic Might Guy, the Shadow Jutsu of a high-IQ clan... Even Zabuza might end up with quite a headache against them.

But... what was this little girl doing here?

Kakashi was somewhat puzzled as to why Sakura, who looked completely ordinary, was standing here.

The Third Hokage saw through Kakashi's thoughts and said lightly, "I think that girl Tsunade will be interested in her..."

Oh? Kakashi, who had yet to witness Sakura's beloved iron fist, was utterly bewildered.

While packing their luggage, Jiraiya noticed Naruto spacing out constantly and could not help asking, "What's wrong?" Then he suddenly seemed to remember something. He walked over, patted Naruto's shoulder, and comforted him, "There are some losses we cannot prevent, Naruto..."

He thought of that portion of Minato's Chakra, which should have disappeared by now.

"Ah... I know." Naruto nodded, touched his abdomen, and smiled with narrowed eyes. "I won't let myself fall apart, so don't worry, Pervy Sage! Inside me... there are three suns shining upon me!"

"I'm very happy..." Naruto smiled, his expression warm.

"Who are you?!"

A blurry figure appeared in this space... This was inside Naruto, Naruto's spiritual world. Aside from Minato's Chakra currently here, the Nine-Tails' consciousness, and Naruto's own consciousness...

Could there actually be someone else?

That figure gradually became clearer.

Naruto remembered that after meeting his mother Kushina inside himself, he had also sensed someone nearby... A thought suddenly leaped into his mind—

Could it be!?

The figure finally revealed himself.

He was a little over 1.7 meters tall, dressed in a battered black-and-orange outfit, as though he had just gone through a brutal battle. Three whisker-like marks lay on each of his cheeks. He had... short blond hair, and he wore a Konoha Headband.

"Naruto?!" Minato was utterly shocked. He looked at the inexplicably appearing person, then at his son beside him.

The Nine-Tails silently watched the strangely appearing tall Naruto from the side, a look of realization flashing through his eyes.

"So it was you..." Naruto recovered from his shock.

They had all recognized who the person before them was, yet that person did not understand who he was.

His eyes were filled with confusion as he muttered, "It's me...? I... who am I? I..." At last, he saw Minato in the white God Robe beside Naruto. Tears involuntarily welled up in his eyes. He opened his mouth and said, "Dad..."

Gradually, light returned to his azure eyes. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks as he said softly, "I am Naruto Uzumaki."