Chapter 18: Slugs

"Hmmm," Jiraiya half-groaned at the sight of a destroyed building. "Tsunade has been here, that's for sure." Naruto looked up at his teacher.

"You know if you want me to tell you where she is and what's about to happen I can accurately tell you, right?" Jiraiya looked at Naruto with a grin and a thumbs up. 

"But that takes the fun out of finding her!" Naruto deadpanned at the white-haired pervert in front of him and stuffed his hands in his pockets. 

"Whatever pervy sage, I'ma go get a headstart on our "investigation", which should take place in a small restaurant a few blocks away." Jiraiya huffed and crossed his arms. 

"Brats and their future bullshit," He muttered under his breath before he followed Naruto with rushed steps, the blond teen already being a hundred feet away from the hermit. 

Naruto stopped walking in front of a tiny one-floor restaurant with white flaps acting as the doors with little red insignias. He looked over to his right and saw Jiraiya looking onward with a steeled gaze. "Are you nervous, Jiraiya-sensei?" 

"Is it that easy to tell?" Jiraiya laughed out. "Yeah I am, but I'm more worried about what she's up to and where her loyalties lie rather than the reunion itself." Naruto shrugged. 

"It'll be fine, let's go say hi to my last living blood relative," Naruto stated and pushed past the white barrier, leaving a dropped-jaw Jiraiya standing at the entrance. Blood relative? Did he mean the Senju and Uzumaki? 

Naruto strolled in the restaurant and immediately spotted Tsunade, Shizune, and Tonton. Tsunade was wearing her usual getup, a pair of heels with above ankle loose pants with her grey shirt that exposed plenty of cleavage and a dark-brown sash tied around her waist with her green vest on. 

"Yo," Naruto called out as he quickly took a seat next to Shizune, who awkwardly scoot over in order to make room for the Genin who had chosen to sit with them for whatever reason. 

"Who the hell are you?" Tsunade asked rudely. Naruto smirked. 

"I know you have a deck of cards tucked in the valley between those two gigantic mountains you have, why not play a little game?" Tsunade growled and Naruto's smirk only increased. "How about a game of War hm? Simple enough, you beat me I give you all the money I have in my pocket and I leave, if I win then I get to sit and chat." 

"Or, I beat the ever-living shit out of you and steal your money? That sounds better doesn't it?" Tsunade said menacingly as she cracked her fingers. Naruto's smile didn't disappear though. 

"But what fun is that? Surely a Sannin has more morals than beating up some cocky teenager, what's wrong? Scared to lose?" Tsunade's eye twitched before she pulled out the deck of cards from between her breasts and began dealing. 

"How many times are you going to have to lose to give up your money?" Naruto shrugged. 

"How about this, for each time I win I get to stay for two minutes, the first time you win two in a row I'll go and give you my money, sound fair?" Tsunade nodded.

"That's reasonable, but I hope you're ready to go down brat." Naruto laughed. 

"Oh I doubt it, the old man always said I had the luck of my mother, you know, Uzumaki's and their insanity right?" He chuckled at the end of his joke as he shuffled his half of the deck. 

Tsunade, who was in the midst of shuffling her own half, froze at the words from the blond. Did he know? Naruto noticed and spoke. 

"Gauging your reaction, you know exactly who I am. Glad to know all three Sannin are well acquainted with my existence, then again Orochimaru probably curses my name to this second. I mean, I almost killed the bastard and then he went up against the old man, how stupid does he have to be?" He flipped over a card and saw an ace of clubs. Tsunade flipped her own card over and saw a two of hearts. "And they call him a genius, yeah right." 

"Since you bought yourself two minutes," Tsunade said, taking a sip of her sake. "Mind explaining what you're doing here?" Naruto set down his cards and quickly grabbed a cup of sake, ignoring Tsunade's protests, he gulped it down with a sigh. 

"Konoha is weak." He said plainly. "We need the Slug Sannin back, more accordingly, to take up the Hokage mantle like the old man would've wanted." 

"Only a fool would be Hokage," Tsunade spit out like it was venom. "Every single one of them died protecting the village. They're all fools and I won't become one of them." Naruto shrugged. 

"That's true, every Hokage has died protecting what they loved. But then again, they die nobly. I can't think of a better way of going out than dying for those you love." 

Sakura, Kakashi, and even the woman sitting in front of him, Tsunade. "I disagree," Tsunade replied easily. "I'd much rather die with a bottle of sake in my hands than cold and alone on a battlefield." 

"Fair enough," Naruto said. "Though unless you're facing a Yuki, it's never cold. War is always hot, warm with the spilled blood of comrades. It's always warm, even when it's dried up and stained onto your clothing it never goes away. Every step you take in a puddle of blood, it's horrible." Tsunade began laughing. 

"You crack me up kid," She got out between laughs. "You haven't been in any real wars." Her laughter died down when Naruto looked up, his now cold blue eyes staring deep into her honey brown, chilling her soul. 

"Believe me, I know exactly what war is like. You've lost what you thought was everything, but I truly did lose everything." The coldness in his voice sent shivers down her spine and even Tonton let out a scared oink while Shizune kept glancing back and forth between the two nervously. 

"But," Naruto said, his voice cheery once again. "I believe we go again." He flipped his car and revealed a king of hearts. Tsunade sighed at the sight and flipped over her card and saw a six of spades. "Bad luck." 

"What would you know about war?" Tsunade asked, now curious. Naruto reverted back to his cold gaze in an instant, like a switch being turned on as a mist clouded over his eyes. 

"It's hell," He whispered. "The helplessness you feel as your friends, the people you grew up with, die right in front of your eyes. Ripped away from you and not being able to do anything to stop it. Even if you possess strength the enemy always seems to be stronger, one step ahead. War changes people, it makes them monsters and morphs them like clay. Those who survive are never truly free, they're always back on the battlefield fighting other monsters in vain, knowing that they could never save the ones they love." 

"Cut the act," Tsunade immediately said. "You're trying to get pity from me. I know for a fact that you haven't been in any major conflict. You're only thirteen and there hasn't been a war in almost fifteen years. Quit playing victim, especially when there are people at the table who have actually lost people." 

"You think I'm lying?" Naruto's voice was filled with anger as he glared freely at Tsunade. "Fine, no more games then. The Edo-Tensei is an incomplete jutsu that has no hope of reviving Nawaki or Dan. Orochimaru is playing you like a fiddle. You call the Hokage fools but you dare fall for something so stupid? I almost killed Orochimaru, if he could revive the dead how come he needs your help with his shitty body?" Naruto stood up from the table. 

"I thought I came here to talk to the Slug Sannin, but all I see is a washed-up old woman who can't handle reality. I faced it and I'm facing it again, you're not the Tsunade I know. You're a fake, go help Orochimaru for all I care, he'll only kill you, so how about you get a headstart and kill yourself instead?" 

Naruto stormed out of the restaurant past a confused Jiraiya, who was leaning on the wall outside. "What's wrong?" He asked, concern lacing his voice. 

"That fake," Naruto spit with so much venom that Jiraiya had to do a double-take on who he was talking to. "Is not the Tsunade I know. She's different." 

"Care to say what you just said again brat?!" Tsunade shouted as she walked out of the restaurant. "Are you trying to get killed?" 

"I've faced death countless times, you don't scare me," Naruto growled. "Right now you're stronger than I am, but when I'm working with Kurama you don't stand a chance." 

"Is that what you want? A fight?" She then acknowledged Jiraiya. "Jiraiya, is this your new apprentice fated for death too? You should teach him respect, even Minato knew his betters." 

"My father!" Naruto roared, pointing a finger at Tsunade. "Keep his name out of his mouth! You called him a fool and I let it slide, but I won't let you tarnish his name even further! Especially when it's someone as unworthy as you!" He looked at Jiraiya. "We're leaving. I see no Sannin here, just an old woman." 

"You brat," Tsunade tore her green vest off. "Alright then, let's fight if you think you can beat me with your little friend!" She pointed one finger up. "I only need one finger." 

"Tsunade," Jiraiya warned. "His little friend is the Kyuubi. I wouldn't." Tsunade blew the stray hairs lingering in front of her eyes. 

"I don't care, even with the demon he's still no match for a Sannin." Naruto grinned ferally. 

"I'll make you eat those words!" He shouted as he looked down at his stomach. "Kurama, I know I haven't let you out of the seal yet, but please lend me some of your chakra. I want to show this bitch what we can do." Humming in agreement, Kurama willed Naruto his chakra as his body began flickering a bright yellow, his hair going up every few seconds. 

"What the?" Jiraiya got out as he uncrossed his arms. "Naruto are you in control?" Naruto's eyes shifted to a dark vermillion red, his pupils turning to vertical slits. 

"I'm fine," He got out. "The seal is straining it, I've only fully controlled it when I'm protecting someone or in a crazed state, but I'm sure it's fine when I'm pissed." He bent down. "I'm going to tear off those pigtails off your scalp." He warned in a low tone. "Not only for disrespecting my father and the old man but for calling me a liar. Because calling me a liar is like spitting on my friend's graves, and I'll never allow that!" 

"Bring it," Tsunade beckoned as she curled her outstretched finger. "Let's see what wannabe Yellow Flash has in him." Naruto's nose curled up as he readied himself. 

He would show her the truth, he would show her her place. 

And done. How was it? Good? Bad? Short? Decent? Tell me!

Anyway ye

Til next time my lil demons!