Crack-
With a sharp crack, the lock flew clean off, and the door swung open.
Hearing the noise, Naruto hurried out to check, only to see a burly man squeezing through the doorway, followed by an old man floating in the air, an elderly woman, a gorgeous woman, and finally-
"Granny Tsunade, what's going on?"
Naruto was rather confused, but with Granny Tsunade here, these people probably weren't bad guys.
Before Tsunade could speak, the Raikage spoke first.
"You're Naruto Uzumaki? I'm the Raikage. I came here to tell you that you cannot take part in the coming war!"
What was this all about? Before he had even figured out what was happening, someone had launched into a tirade at him. Naruto was bewildered.
Everyone before him was a stranger, so he instinctively looked at the only familiar face, Tsunade.
Noticing Naruto's bewildered gaze, Tsunade sighed and explained to him.
"It's just as you see, Naruto. This is the Raikage, and these are the Tsuchikage, the Kazekage, and the Mizukage. Our Five Great Shinobi Villages have formed an alliance for the coming war. Our enemy is the Akatsuki.
"The Akatsuki's targets are the Tailed Beasts. In other words, the moment you appear on the battlefield, you'll become the target of concentrated attacks. That's why they've come to ask you to give up participating in the war."
After hearing Tsunade's explanation, Naruto understood the situation.
But-
"Granny Tsunade, I can't do that!"
If he were weak, if he really were just a Genin, perhaps he could have listened to Tsunade and stayed under their protection.
But having mastered Sage Mode, he was very strong now.
With that strength, how could he sit back and watch his comrades fight on the battlefield while he stayed protected?
There was no need to even