The carriage reached Konoha without a hitch. After a bout of hard training, Naruto lay inside, snoring away, while everyone else wore an unpleasant expression.
The reason was Kikyo.
When she proposed training under Anyo, Tsunade strongly opposed it and stated outright that, as Hokage, she would never agree to let Kikyo become a ninja.
Both her parents were ninja, and even Shizune and Naruto were too, yet she alone could not become one. Of course Kikyo could not understand. Before, they had been traveling, making their home wherever they went, and lacked the means. But now they had decided to go to Konoha, and she still was not allowed. How could Kikyo accept that?
Standing beside them, Anyo understood the mother and daughter's thoughts perfectly, but with their differing positions, he did not know what to say. For now, silence was better, lest he aggravate the conflict.
Tsunade's grandfather, parents, and younger brother had all been ninja, and now they were all dead. Kikyo could be said to be her only blood relative left in the world. It was entirely understandable that she did not want Kikyo drawn into the chaotic shinobi world.
But Kikyo was clearly intensely curious about the shinobi world, and her talent was plain to see. Making her live as an ordinary person would be far too cruel.
And so mother and daughter entered a cold war. Seeing that Anyo remained silent, Shizune dared even less to interject.
The carriage stopped before the Konoha Gate. Tsunade got out with an icy expression and snapped over her shoulder, "Shizune, are you coming or not?"
Shizune jolted and hurriedly said, "Oh, coming."
Once the two had left, Anyo sighed softly and asked, "Kikyo, why do you want to become a ninja?"
Kikyo thought for a moment, then