The Real Me

48

Naruto decided to let it go. Of course not completely, but until he met him again he would have to play it.

The hospital finally released him and Sasuke a few days ago. The day before being released Sasuke had challenged him to a fight and before they could actually begin Kakashi had intercepted them, testing Naruto over the other side of the building (where he landed on a tree) and had a man to man talk with Sasuke about something.
If he had to guess, Naruto would guess it had something to do with the curse mark, because when he came back he was pretty angry, more like annoyed like a child who had been scolded by their parents to not touch a pot of boiling water.

Naruto wandered aimlessly and rounded a corner, bumping into the genins. They all looked up and actually acknowledged his presence.

Huh, that's a first.

Maybe second...?

Naruto held up a hand in greeting and joined them smiling brightly at everyone.

Into continued with whatever she was saying, "-and then this lady with a huge chest and long blond hair marched straight into the Hokage office. "

Shikamaru nodded, "Lady Tsunade."
Sakura joined in nodding her head vigorously and launched off into a whole paragraph that she had learnt about her.
But Naruto didn't need her to explain.

Lady Tsunade. One of the three Legendary Sannin.
World's best medical ninja. She changed the whole ninja system by introducing medical ninjutsu and incorporating it into every team, making it a crucial part of ninjutsu.
What is She doing here?
Maybe she was called here to heal someone? But then, who exactly is that severely injured?
...
Rock Lee.
The doctors had said that he had no chance of recovery, and his sensei would do anything for his student.

"Why?" He blurted out, interrupting Sakura (which she did not appreciate.

"Oh, they say she might be the new Hokage. And also she can cure Rock Lee." Kiba said stroking Akamaru's fur who glared at Naruto.

Naruto nodded.

He talked with them for a while and then wandered around the town.

He heard whispers about Lady Tsunade.
How she was famous for her medical ninjutsu and for ... Her impressive chest.
Naruto shook his head at these pathetic gossips. He needed something more.

He soon spotted Jiraiya near a bar and interrupted his flirtation with a random lady.
"Hey Pervy Sage."

Jiraiya whipped his head. He frowned at him as if he had never seen him. His frown deepened when the ladies started walking away. He tried in vain to stop them, and was soon accompanying Naruto to the Hokage's office.

"So they asked me whether I would like to be the Hokage , and I was like, nah man that's not my thing. So they started emotionally blackmailing me and asked me to get the other Sannin. Tsunade. And I told them that she would definitely not agree. But then, here we are." Jiraiya finished with a shrug.

Naruto looked up at him and wondered how exactly he became a Sannin.
_______________________________________________________
Lady Tsunade was.... definitely scary. The first she did in front of Naruto was break through a goddamn wall.

She then proceeded to ignore to him and he to do something really stupid to catch her attention...
So he called her grandma. Coz, she had to be atleast as old as Jiraiya, and she was definitely using some high level of medical ninjutsu to keep her young beauty intact.

Big mistake. He would have been punched to heaven and back if it had not been for Jiraiya. He somehow calmed her down and then sent away Naruto, saying that he would only anger her further.

He didn't want her to think of him as a spoilt brat and so before leaving he had flashed her a huge smile and proclaimed that he would be the next Hokage. He did not miss the slight hitch in her breathing as he said that.

He left them alone and decided not to poke his nose further into their business. There was a chance that Lady Tsunade would take up the position because even she knew that their was no one else as capable as her (or Jiraiya).

Naruto was sitting on his rooftop wondering about all this when he saw Sakura run up to Sasuke on the top of another building. She seemed to be telling him something that he was clearly not interested in.

Suddenly he felt someone's chakra behind him and he turned in a stance on instinct only to find Kakashi standing their with his Novel. He took the blond and sushinied to the rooftop where Sasuke and Sakura were.

Naruto huffed out like child and asked Kakashi why they were all collected here.

"To train of course." He replied with an eye smile.

Sakura and Naruto groaned.

Kakashi decided to take some light duels personally and Sasuke and Sakura went first.

It was nothing impressive, and when it was his chance he didn't do anything impressive as well, just those normal kicks and punches.

Despite being busy fighting, his sharp ears were able to pick out the conversation going on between Sakura and Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun...I, Uh... Wanted to thank you..." Sakura fiddled with her kunai pouch ad smiled at him, while Sasuke of raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner.

"You know, back then with Gaara...?"

Sasuke shook his head. "That was Naruto." He said simply, staring intently at the blond.

"Naruto...? Come on no need to be so modest Sasuke-kun. I know you were the one who actually fought him. Naruto probably only entered in between and got his ass kicked." She huffed out.

Sasuke clenched his fists but said nothing.

Naruto felt an awkward feeling come over him.

Should he be mad at Sakura? Or should he be flattered at Sasuke's compliment? He decided to shrug it off and continued fighting Kakashi, unaware of the emotional turmoil that Sasuke was in.

Sasuke stared at Naruto as he reached too far ahead hoping to land a punch on Kakashi, but their sensei simply stepped back and stuck out a leg and tripped the blond.

It annoyed him to see Naruto downplay his strength.
It annoyed him how he managed to defeat Gaara.
It annoyed him how that was expected of him and not the blond.

Why was he so weak?
He scoffed at himself.

So much for defeating Itachi.

Join us.
A voice suggested.
He can give you power.
You already know the strength the cursemark gives you.

Sasuke grit his teeth.

The sun sank lower painting the skies of Konoha a deep purple and red. Some people returned back to their homes while some ventured out.

Everyone went about their daily life, unaware of the decisions being made by a lone survivor.

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A/N:

Helloooo!

Apologies for the extremely late chapter.
Hope you like it though.

Literally finished writing this while listening to J-Hope's Ego.

Honestly I was like expecting a dark or deep song like Interlude and Black Swan but then Ego just came like "BaM Here's YouR NeW JAm"

Anyways, my mom is watching The Untamed.
And we had started together. But then she was like (during the op) "I luv it already" and then I went to tuition and when I came back my mom was binging the Untamed. \(-_-)/
So yeah. Imma go read Mo Dao Zu Shi.

Fanfiction suggestion for this series-
Monotone by Seredemia at AO3

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Yours Truly,
23