Through My Lying Eyes

12 - Burdens

Naruto slammed his hands on the table. "What do you mean you're not becoming hokage?!" He yelled.

"Exactly what I said brat, I'm not going." Said a lady sitting across from him and Jiraiya. The lady in question was Senju Tsunade, and her assistant, Shizune and her pig, Tonton.

"Tsunade, please." Said Jiraiya in a somber tone. "There's no one else he and I picked."

"Why do you even want me to become hokage anyway?" Tsunade asked. "Because sensei is dead." Jiraiya said bluntly.

Tsunade's eyes widened, she never got the news that the sandaime was dead, so how was she supposed to know? "Of course he's dead. All the kage die for stupid reasons. I'm honestly not surprised."

"The hell did you say about them? They all sacrificed their lives to protect the village, and you're saying that's a stupid reason?" Naruto asked infuriated.

"Yep. Look, I lost my reason to stay in that village a long time ago, so I don't feel like I have a reason to go back." Tsunade answered. 'Although, you do look very much like them, but it's impossible, sensei said they all died that day.'

Naruto looked down in anger. "Fine then, let's make a bet." Tsunade looked at him confused, but he gained her attention nonetheless. "If I win, you come back to the village and become hokage. If you win, you can do whatever you want."

"And what's the contest?" Tsunade asked intrigued. "I'm in the early stages of learning the rasengan. So if I can learn it in a week, then I win." Naruto said.

"I'm testing you to make sure it's mastered, then we'll see." Tsunade said. She's been hit by Jiraiya's mastered rasengan before, so she knows what it feels like to be hit by one. "Shouldn't I be the one doing that?" Jiraiya asked. "I know what's mastered and what's not. Besides it's not like he'll actually learn it by then." Tsunade said while looking smugly at Naruto.

"Then in a week, meet right out side the entrance of the village, I'll show you." Naruto said as he ran out of the restaurant to train. For the first time in a while, he was having trouble learning this jutsu. Every other jutsu he learned always came naturally to him, but the rasengan? He couldn't get it for the life of him. But that didn't matter right now, he would just have to train harder then he ever has.

"You know he's going to win, right?" Jiraiya asked Tsunade. She looked at him with a confused expression. "What do you mean? How can you be so sure he's gonna win, it took months of the yondaime teaching you to get it right, so why is he any different?" She asked.

"Because, he's his son." Jiraiya answered. Tsunade looked at him shocked. "W-what do you mean, h-he's supposed to be dead. Sensei sent a letter saying he was dead. What the hell are you talking about?" She said getting angry for multiple reasons.

"Letter? Sensei never sent a letter saying he was dead. If anything, he sent a letter saying he was the only survivor, that is, if he sent a letter to you at all, because I don't think he did, since he didn't send one to me" Tsunade was shaking. "But the letter had his stamp and everything, how do you know I you weren't there?"

"I don't, but he knew my location at the time, so he could've sent one very easily, but he didn't." Jiraiya said.

"Then he's Uzumaki Naruto, Kushina's son, and my grandson?" She asked. "Yes, he is." Jiraiya answered. Tsunade was now silently crying, her daughter's son did survive and he's right here in front of her face. Even if he doesn't know it.

During the week that Naruto had to train, he was attacked by two akatsuki members, them being Hoshigaki Kisame, and Uchiha Itachi. But before they could get him, Sasuke, who had followed Naruto and Jiraiya here, had tried to attack his brother, but has beaten easily and knocked out. Jiraiya came to stop the both of them, making them retreat for now, even Gai showed out of nowhere. He took Sasuke back to their village, leaving Naruto to train alone again.