When Naruto arrived at Training Ground Seven, he saw Jiraiya standing beside a tall Anbu operative wearing a bird-shaped mask. Curious about why the operative was there, he hurried over to find out what was going on.
"Oh, perfect timing, Naruto. Before you ran off with your little girlfriend yesterday, I told you I'd found a way to help you finish your waterfall-cutting training," Jiraiya said to the blond boy. The news that he could finally complete his wind release nature transformation training instantly excited Naruto, but then he looked around in confusion.
"Uh, that's great, Pervy Sage, but shouldn't we go to our usual training ground for this? There's no waterfall here. It's just an open field-there isn't even any water," Naruto said.
"Exactly, which is where Sparrow here comes in. He's exceptionally gifted in both Earth Release and Water Release. He'll make you a waterfall big enough for you and your clones to train efficiently." No sooner had Jiraiya finished speaking than a towering cliff rose in the middle of the training ground. Water poured down from its summit, forming the largest waterfall Naruto had ever seen. What caught Naruto's attention even more was that wooden posts had also risen in front of the waterfall, forming platforms for his training, though he soon put that little detail out of his mind.
"Whoa, that's amazing! Will I be able to use ninjutsu that cool once I'm done training?" Naruto asked, leaping onto a platform and instantly creating hundreds of Shadow Clones. "All right, guys, let's get to work!"
At his words, all the clones poured chakra into the waterfall at once, trying to sever the flow.
Meanwhile
Yugito stood before Tsunade's desk, waiting for her to finish reading the proposal for cooperation against the Akatsuki and give her final answer.
"These terms are all reasonable: both sides may move freely within each other's territory, but neither may enter the other's village without personal approval from the Hokage or Raikage, or a designated escort accompanying them at all times; both villages must share all intelligence on the Akatsuki; if either side comes under attack and needs support, the other must send at least one squad to assist. The treaty will remain in effect until the Akatsuki is completely destroyed. I agree to all these terms, but I'd like to add one more and have Sunagakure join the agreement. They've just signed a new peace treaty with us and paid reparations for the earlier invasion-after all, they were being manipulated by Orochimaru at the time."
Yugito nodded. She didn't think the Raikage would object to the additional clause, but she felt a little disappointed that the treaty was only temporary rather than a permanent partnership. Still, she didn't complain. The thought of being so far apart, and whether she would be able to see Naruto often in the future, left her heart heavy.
"All right, Miss Yugito. This agreement still needs to go before the Elder Council so they're informed. After that, I can give you an official response to take back to Lord Raikage. You should be able to leave in about a week," Tsunade said, noticing the disappointment the young blond woman couldn't quite hide.
"Yes, Lord Hokage! I'll make sure the message reaches him safely," Yugito replied quickly, trying to conceal her sadness at having to leave so soon.
"Don't look so down. I'll suggest to the Raikage that you serve as the official liaison between our two villages. That way, we'll be seeing each other often-or rather, you'll get to see a certain spiky-haired brat often." A mischievous smile curled Tsunade's lips as she watched Yugito's expression instantly shift from disappointment to pure joy.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage!" the young blond woman said, rushing forward and throwing her arms around Tsunade. Then she realized what she had done and hastily stepped back, pleading in a panic, "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade! Please forgive me!"
"It's fine, it's fine. Now, I've still got a pile of paperwork to deal with, and I'm sure there's someone you want to tell about the new treaty and your new position. Off you go," Tsunade said with a smile, watching Yugito happily run out of the office to find Naruto.
Looking at the mountain of paperwork before her, Tsunade let out a despairing sigh. "Why didn't anyone tell me being Hokage meant dealing with this much paperwork? Now I finally understand why all the previous Hokage were practically driven insane."
As she grumbled, the Slug Sage pulled a bottle of sake from a hidden compartment in her desk. The compartment had once held the Third Hokage's complete collection of "Icha Icha Paradise," which Tsunade had long since burned in front of a tearful Kakashi-who had even volunteered to help her "dispose of" the books.
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