~*****~

Tsunade slams her fist against the ground just as Naruto is on her with that Rasengan, and his foot is caught in the cracked earth. His Rasengan buries into the ground, and sends him flying backwards. Naruto starts struggling in the crack. "Oh my god- this is too good." I tease as I approach him and gaze down at his agitated expression.

"SH-SHUT IT, REN!" Naruto bellows. I laugh heartily and extend my arm to pull him out.

"Naruto, are you all right?" Shizune asks softly.

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade snaps. I turn my head to gaze at her. "Are you the one who taught this little kid the Rasengan?"

"Well, of course I did." Jiraiya retorts as if it's obvious. "I'm his teacher, aren't I? What of it."

"You and the Forth Hokage are the only ones who can use that jutsu. Whats the point of teaching it to someone who could never master it?" She looks furious. "You old fool! Giving him false hopes like that. Filling his head with stupid ideas. Making him think he could actually be Hokage some day!"

"I'll show you who's stupid!" Naruto bellows as he stands up quickly. "Just wait! Give me just three days, and I'll have that jutsu down flat!" He exclaims.

"Watch what you say, kid." Tsunade scoffs. "I might just hold you to it."

Naruto scoffed back. "I said it, and I never go back on my word. That's my nindo- My ninja way!"

I gasp softly and smile. He never fails to surprise me. "Well then, care to make a bet on it?" Tsunade asks.

"A bet?" Naruto asks.

"I'll give you one week," Tsunade starts explaining. "If you can master that jutsu by then, I'll admit I'm wrong, and that you're worthy of becoming Hokage. I'll even throw in my necklace."

"Lady Tsunade, No!" Shizune objects. "No, you don't really mean that."

"Ah, you can keep it." Naruto casually denies. "I'm not really into jewelry"

"You numb skull." Jiraiya quips to him. "That necklace belonged to the first Hokage himself. There are only three like it in the world." He explains. "Why that little thing is worth three gold mines, and the mountains on top of 'em."

'Really? Dad's old necklace is super expensive? Why'd Mom let me keep it, then?' I cock my head and reach into my pouch and finger the small necklace delicately.

"Lady, you've got yourself a bet." Naruto agrees immediately.

'Well, at least he'll have ramen set up for life.' I moan outwardly.

"All right," Tsunade smirks. "However, if you don't master it in a week, you lose and admit I was right. And I get the money in froggy." Tsunade holds up Naruto's froggy purse.

"Wow- I didn't even see her take it." I exclaim softly.

"Not Gama!" Naruto exclaims in terror.

"Lady Tsunade, what are you doing?" Shizune asks in horror. "How could you gamble with the necklace?"

"He hasn't a chance of winning." Tsunade retorts. "Let's go Shizune." She walks off with Shizune. I try to take a step towards them, but the fear of rejection takes hold quickly. I lower my gaze and cross my arms over my chest.

~*****~

The river babbled calmly as I sat by its side, letting my bare feet soak into the cool water. "Excuse me," I hear Shizune behind me. I turn my head and smile at her.

"Ms. Shizune-" I turn my head back to the waters surface and tense when she sits besides me.

"You're.... You're Shun's daughter... Correct?" She asks cautiously.

I nod slowly. "Yeah..."

"I see..."

We're both silent in the night, and I find myself unconsciously stealing glances at her. "Does.... Does Lady Tsunade know?" I ask shyly.

"She hasn't let on, but it was unmistakable to me." She grinned and ruffled my hair. "I remember how love struck he was when he spoke of your mother. You look just like her. But your eyes, though different in color, they're Shun's. Full of life, and curiosity."

"J-Jeez, you really think so?" I chuckle.

"Of course," Her hand plops onto my hair and rubs it affectionately. "You're a chunin?"

"Yes ma'am. The- Uh, the Third Hokage had submitted a promotion request after the prelims of the exams." I start tugging on the vest self consciously. "I was pitted against one of my cousins."

"That must've been hard- fighting against your family." She explains.

My heart tightens a little. "I may bear their name, but Konoha is my family now." I grasp at my kimono slightly. "At first, I only knew asking Tsunade to heal Sasuke and Kakashi was our goal. But the news of her being chosen for Hokage? I mean, I guess I'm kinda like Tsunade in that aspect. Hokage just isn't on my bucket list either."

Shizune just smiles and leans back with her hands propped against the ground.

"Can... Can I ask you a favor?" I nervously stutter.

"Sure," Shizune responds.

"Will you... help me learn medical ninjutsu?" I ask hopefully.

"Oh- Lady Tsunade would be a better instructor than I will." She explains. "But I can teach you the basics for now." I nod enthusiastically.

~*****~

Through the course of the week, apart from Shizune following Tsunade around, she's been teaching me medical ninjutsu at night. My chakra control went through the roof as I spent each night practicing on fish from the river. Shizune taught me about various herbs and plants in the forest to aid in healing when my chakra got low, and even some medicines.

"Ms. Ren, you're amazing! I've never seen anyone grasp such control in such a short amount of time!" Shizune exclaimed while I placed the fish back into the water.

"Medical Ninjutsu just feels so natural to me. I don't know." I shrugged sheepishly. "Besides, I couldn't let Naruto be the only one training all week."

"You're just like your father," Shizune sighs happily. "Prodigy~" She cooed and rubbed my head.

I started chuckling and scratching my cheek. "Actually, I wasn't completely honest with you." I started shyly.

"Let me guess- You wanted to impress Lady Tsunade." She smirked at me. A flush crawled up my neck. "It's okay- I don't blame you. Every time you've crossed paths, you've hid yourself and ran away. It must be nerve wracking to meet your aunt after all these years."

"I don't want to disappoint her," I admit softly. "All I have to remember my dad is this small picture thats seen better days. We're the only ones connected to the Senju family left."

"Well, I'm sure Lady Tsunade will accept you no matter what." Shizune praised. "Now, time to get back to training!"

"Ma'am!"

~*****~

"Ms. Ren!" I hear Shizune whisper from my room. I step out of my bathroom with my towel laying on my head.

"Naruto!" I yelp as I take in the battered sight of him on the bed. "Jeez, you idiot- You're always overworking yourself!"

"Please, watch over him- I need to find Tsunade." She sighs softly. I nod swiftly and start tending to his wounds.

"I'm always taking care of these wounds, aren't I, dummy." I mutter softly as I brush hair from his forehead. A dreamy smile wraps onto his face, and I'm sighing in relief. "At a time when you're in so much pain, you're still smiling, huh..." The door opens again, and I turn my head. "Shizune, I wrapped his wounds and healed some of the minor injuries. He should be-" I inhale sharply as Tsunade stands there with Shizune behind her. I move away from Naruto quickly as she steps up to him to check him over. It was silent for a few moments.

"How is he doing?" Shizune asks nervously.

"He's collapsed from exhaustion. And his right hand was severely burned from concentrated chakra. He's out of it." Tsunade explains quietly. "He won't wake up till the day after tomorrow at the earliest. Old Jiraiya was right about me." I cock my head at her declaration. "To think I've sunk so low, I'd bet against a kid." An uneasy silence covered the room for a moment. "What am I getting so torn up about? It's his problem, not mine."

I don't know what came over me, but I just got so mad. "His problem?" I whisper. Tsunade looks at me in an unrecognizable expression. "His problem was that you were bad mouthing the Hokage. Being the Hokage is an honor- and for a Leaf Shinobi, you've lost your fire- You're passion! Whatever you're going through, at least Naruto has his sense of pride in the right place!" I exclaim wildly before pushing past Shizune. "To think I wanted your approval, Auntie!" I bit out the last part and left the room after shoving my feet into my sandals.

~*****~

Morning broke as I got back the motel room. I'd been out all night practicing medical ninjutsu on river fish, and felt pretty confident I could move onto the next lesson- that is if Shizune still wanted to teach me. I opened the door to our room and gasped in shock. "Shizune!" I yelped as Naruto sat up with a languish stretch. "Are you alright?"

"Hey," Naruto belted out as he finally noticed my concern.

Shizune's eyes slowly began to open. Her eyes were hazy, and she looked a little wobbly. I lifted my palm and pressed it against her shoulder as the faint green glow shimmered from it. The damage swelled around her stomach. I moved my palm against her stomach and breathed out softly as I started to repair the damaged muscles.

"Ms. Ren...." Shizune muttered in concern. She moved my hand away as she bolted upwards. "Oh, no! What time is it right now? No, what day of the week is it?!"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Monday. What?" Naruto hummed in confusion.

"Naruto, your body is feeling okay already? You should've slept for two days!" Shizune exclaimed.

"Naruto's always been like this. He usually pops right back up after a good nights sleep." I giggle as I pat his head.

"More importantly, where's that old hag?" Naruto asked. "Today's the deadline for the bet."

"Then you were successful with the technique?" Shizune asked.

He froze with embarrassment, but recovered with a determined look. "It's not complete yet, but I can still hope I get it right in front of her!"

I snorted and lifted my palm to my lips as I stifled my giggles. Shizune smiled affectionately at the blond knucklehead before rubbing her abdomen in slight discomfort. "Thank you for healing some of the damaged muscles, Ms. Ren. But you and Naruto stay here." Shizune explained. As soon as she opened the window, a kunai flew out and pegged the wall besides her head. She turned her head to the source in shock. "You're-"

"Master Jiraya?" I hum in concern as I peer out the window.

"Pervy sage?" Naruto leaned over me.

He was panting roughly, and leaning against the wall for support. "Shizune-" He snapped weakly. The three of us jumped out of the window to kneel down to the old man. "Damn that Tsunade. She put something in my sake. I can't mold my chakra properly. On top of that, my body is numb, and I can't throw knives properly."

"Totally uncool!" Naruto scolded. "You're always bragging about how great a ninja you are. Did she deceive you with some sort of perverted trick, pervy sage?!"

"Shut up!" Jiraya shouted at him. "She's still a medical specialist, regardless of her current state. Only she can make a tasteless, odorless drug that works against ninjas. But I didn't expect her to find an opportunity to poison me, even if I was slightly drunk."

I waved my hand around and a swirl of water came from the humidity. I gently helped him drink it. "Unfortunately, I can't pull it from your blood stream, since it started out as a powder, Master Jiraya." I explained softly. "But I can re-hydrate you if needed."

He nodded breathlessly. "I've only recovered by thirty percent so far. I could use some hydration right now." He cast his gaze towards Shizune as I placed my palms against his hands. Water seeped from the air and into his skin while he spoke. "Hey, Shizune."

"Yes?"

"You're going to tell me what you guys talked about with Orochimaru, now."

"Orochimaru?" Naruto repeated in confusion.

Shizune hesitated, but gave in nonetheless. "I wanted to believe in Lady Tsunade, so I couldn't say it before now." She stated sadly. "But..." She held onto her abdomen softly. "We're short on time. Please, follow me. I will explain while we move."

"Okay!" Jiraya yelped as we followed after her. Shizune went into detail about the deal Orochimaru made with Tsunade.

"Of course she's going to say no, right?" I asked in worry.

Shizune didn't answer me. "Once his arms are cured, he plans to renew his attack on Konoha."

"We need to stop him now, or things may take a turn for the worst." Jiraya mentioned.

"Bastard...." Naruto muttered.

I whimpered in concern as I felt Ameonna stir within. Rage swelled from her chakra, and I felt it seep into my own chakra network. By the time we had arrived at the rendezvous point for Tsunade and Orochimaru, light purple swirls began to appear over my hands, and most likely, my face. "What the hell?" Naruto trailed off as he took in the sight. It was like someone set off bombs.

"Looks like Tsunade got pretty wild here," Jiraya commented.

"That means she told that slithery bastard no!" I exclaim in relief.

"Where did that old bat go?" Naruto asked. He stepped forward, and onto the cloak she usually wears. I knelt down to it and lifted it up.

"Tonton, which way?" Shizune asked as the pig propped his hoofs onto my knee to sniff it. The pig grunted and took off in the direction of the smell. I tightly grasped the cloak to my chest as we all followed after the pig.

~*****~

Upon arriving on the scene, I reached into my pouch and launched a smoke bomb as I spot Kabuto with a kunai facing Tsunade.

"It's been a long time, Jiraya," Orochimaru greeted.

"You have evil looking eyes, as usual." Jiraya shot back.

"Kabuto?" Naruto gasped in surprise.

"Naruto. Ren." He greeted snidely.

"I see, you three know each other." Jiraya hummed.

"We took the Chunnin Exam together," I mentioned. "He dropped out early, though."

"Why is Kabuto here?" Naruto asked.

"Get away!" Tsunade snapped as she pushed Jiraya away. "I'll defeat them!" She launched a kick to Kabuto. He ducked out of the way before Tsunade kicked his kunai away and went after him. "Just because you can control your body now..." She mentioned as she kept trying to land punches on him. "Doesn't mean you can move normally!" She had him backed up against a boulder. "You're not getting away now!" He managed to pull out another kunai as she went for the attack. "Too slow!"

Blood splattered everywhere. I grimaced in worry as Tsunade started to shake from the splatter staining her front. "My body's finally starting to move normally," He mentioned with a sadistic grin. "Dealing with two sannin will be too much trouble. I'll immobilize one for now!" He slugged her across the face, and she flew back towards Shizune.

"Lady Tsunade!" She yelped in worry.

"Hey, Hey..." Naruto trailed off in confusion. His hand hand grasped onto my sleeve. "What's going on? Why is Kabuto fighting Old Lady Tsunade?"

"Because he's working with the snake bastard." I mentioned. "Look at his headband closely."

Naruto gasped in shock. "Yes, I was a spy from the sound village."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, clearly in denial. "Tell me you're lying, Kabuto. You told us a lot of things and helped us during the Chunnin Exams!"

"I wanted to gather information about you guys, too. Naruto, I found out something after I gathered some data on you. You have no talent a ninja. You're different from Sasuke." Kabuto sneered.

Naruto's face morphed into a harsh scowl.

"Even if you put that scary face on, you're just a cute genin who's out of place," Kabuto mocked. "It's true, we expected something from the monster inside you, but with the legendary Sannin members around me, you are insignificant to me. Ren even more so- Never truly letting that beast take control. You two are small bugs right now, and if you interfere...." An evil smirk wrapped onto his face. "I'll kill you."

"Why you-" Naruto rushed forward recklessly.

"Naruto, you idiot!" I snapped as I tried to go after him.

"Don't move-" I hear Kabuto's voice behind me. A kunai had been pressed to my throat, slightly piercing the flesh.

"Kid!" Tsunade gasped from behind me. I narrowed my eyes and turned my head slightly to glare up at the clone.

"If you think for one second I'm going to roll over, you're going to regret it." I snap as chakra starts ebbing from my body again. My hand reaches up in an instant, wraps around his wrist, and twists it away. I brace my hands against the ground and kick upwards. I nearly catch him in the chin before landing back on my feet. I pulled out a kunai and smirked. A sudden shift in my eyesight, and I was rushing forward. It was like I could detect his moves before he made them. My kunai dug into the clones stomach and it disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I hear Tsunade gasp in shock and she rushes forward. I whirl onto my heel and follow her. "Naruto!"

"You took those attacks, yet..." She trails off as she held Naruto's body. Blood dripped from his mouth, and I started to feel panicked.

Kabuto smirked. "I defended my stomach with chakra and began healing myself before I was even hit with that technique," He explained as the fibers in the wound the rasengan made began to repair themselves. "The reason Orochimaru likes me is not my superior abilities, nor is it my talent for techniques. It's my overwhelming ability to induce my cells to generate new ones." The wound was nearly completely healed by them. "It looks like these techniques were Naruto's last gamble, but..."

After taking a few steps, he spat out blood and fell to his knees as he shook with utter pain.

Naruto's fingers twitched as I ripped his jacket open and moving away so Tsunade could lean her ear against his chest. "He's showing signs of arrhythmia!" She exclaimed to herself. She placed her hands against his chest. "Damn it! His cardiac muscles are a total mess! But how?!" I quickly sliced open his shirt and looked up to Tsunade as she cast a glance to Kabuto.

"Can you heal him?" I ask worriedly. My heart was wrenching.

"It's too late for Naruto," Kabuto mocked as Tsunade pressed her palms against his chest with the familiar green glow ebbing from her hands. "I've cut the chakra circulatory system in his heart... that converts Kyuubi's chakra into strength... with my full strength... to ensure that there is no chance of him healing himself. There's no way he'll recover... even by your hands."

"Shut up!" Tsunade and I snapped angrily. "I'll kill you later!" Tsunade added. "Damn it... Damn it! Damn it!" She repeated.

Tears were falling down my face as I pressed my hands against hers. Purple chakra ebbed from my hands as I pushed Ameonna's chakra into the healing. I wanted so bad for Naruto to heal. I willed it. And it felt as if Ameonna heard my plea. Naruto's hand reached up weakly and grasped onto the crystal necklace around Tsunade's neck. "I won..." He whispered softly. Tsunade's face contorted in surprise. "The bet..." He fell unconscious again. I reached over and brushed his hair in a motherly fashion.

"This can't be!" Kabuto gasped in disbelief.

Tsunade pulled her hands away as I continued to repair the damaged muscles around his heart. The chakra networks were connected again, and he should be healing by himself in a few hours. "Because becoming Hokage is my dream, eh?" I hear Tsunade mutter. I looked up at her in curiosity. She smiled affectionately at the two of us, and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "One last time..." She says to Naruto as she heals a cut on his hand. "I want to put my hopes in you..." She removed the necklace from around her neck and slipped it over Naruto's head. "Just one last time..."