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Chapter 45 – you’re coming with me
🕑 Added 2025-06-28 09:01:31 +0000 UTCChapter 45 – you’re coming with me
The summer light poured through the high windows of the clinic, casting a soft golden hue across the wooden floors. The smell of clean gauze and crushed herbs lingered in the air. Outside, Tanzaku Quarters buzzed with life, but within the quiet walls of the clinic, the tension was growing.
Tsunade sat cross-legged on a cushion in her private office, cup of sake in her hand, eyes fixed on the far wall. She wasn’t drunk, but she wasn’t sober either. Her expression was unreadable, like she was staring into the past.
Jiraiya leaned against the doorway, arms folded, eyes serious for once. Naruto sat nearby, arms crossed, balloon tucked under his elbow as he tried to look mature and not fidget.
“So that’s your answer?” Jiraiya asked, his voice low.
“I’m not going back,” Tsunade said without looking at him. “I’m not Hokage material, and you know it.”
“You’re wrong,” Jiraiya said. “You’re exactly what the village needs.”
Tsunade scoffed. “What? A drunk? A gambler with shaky hands?”
“You’re more than that. You always have been.”
“I watched people I loved die for that village,” she snapped, finally turning to face him. “I’ve seen what the Will of Fire really means, sending children off to die, while old men sit and call it duty.”
Naruto flinched slightly at her tone, but Jiraiya didn’t back down.
“And yet here you are,” he said. “Running a clinic. Healing people. You could’ve left it all behind, but you didn’t.”
Tsunade said nothing. The silence hung heavy, thick with history and pain.
That’s when Hajime stepped into the room.
He said nothing at first, just closed the door behind him gently, like sealing out the rest of the world. His tall frame seemed to pull the light toward him, massive, calm, and imposing, even without speaking. The halberd strapped across his back hummed faintly in the air, an ever-present reminder of the power he carried.
Jiraiya looked up, raising an eyebrow, but didn’t speak.
Hajime turned to Tsunade.
“You said no,” he said simply. “But have you really thought about what it means?”
Tsunade stared at him. “I know what it means, Hajime. I was there.”
“I don’t think you do,” he replied, walking further into the room. “You think it means standing behind a desk. Signing papers. Giving speeches. But that’s not what being Hokage is.”
Tsunade’s gaze sharpened. “Then what is it?”
Hajime stopped in front of her, looking down, not as a subordinate, but as an equal.
“It’s a chance to fix what’s broken.”
That silenced her.
“You told me what happened to Nawaki,” Hajime said. “And Dan. You told me how they died because the system kept feeding wars with younger and younger shinobi. Konoha was founded to prevent that. Hashirama wanted peace. But somewhere along the way… the village forgot why it was built.”
Tsunade’s hands clenched around the cup.
“I’ve read your clan’s medical records,” Hajime continued. “I’ve studied the war logs. Konoha sent twelve-year-olds into World War Three. They handed out flak jackets like candy and told them they were ready. They weren’t.”
Naruto’s eyes widened a little at that.
“And now… Hiruzen is dead. Orochimaru nearly destroyed the village. Someone has to take charge. Someone strong enough to protect them… and wise enough to stop them from making the same mistakes.”
Jiraiya stayed quiet, listening.
Tsunade exhaled slowly. “I’m tired, Hajime. I’ve lost everything.”
“You still have your name,” Hajime said. “You still have your strength. And if you stand at the top, maybe next time… some other kid like Nawaki won’t have to die. Because you’ll be there to stop it.”
Tsunade stared at him, eyes hard, but wet around the edges.
“You think I can change the village?”
“I know you can,” Hajime said quietly. “Because I’ve watched you change this place. This clinic. These people. You made something good again. You just have to do it on a bigger scale.”
Tsunade swallowed.
The room was still.
Then, after a long silence, she spoke.
“…Alright.”
Jiraiya looked up, surprised.
“I’ll go,” she said softly. “I’ll become Hokage.”
Naruto grinned.
“But-” she raised a finger, looking up at Hajime, “—you’re coming with me.”
Hajime blinked. “Me?”
“You’re too strong to stay in the background,” Tsunade said. “And you talk like a soldier who’s already fought his war. If I’m going to fix this mess… I want you beside me.”
Hajime didn’t hesitate.
“I’ll go.”
Jiraiya gave a long sigh, smiling. “Well, I’ll be damned. The drunk and the mystery giant. Maybe there’s hope for the Leaf yet.”
Naruto pumped his fist. “Alright! Granny’s gonna be Hokage!”
“Don’t call me Granny.”
The moment passed with a ripple of soft laughter, even from Shizune who had peeked in through the door with wide eyes.
Tsunade stood slowly, setting her cup aside.
Her steps were steady.
Her shoulders, straight.
She turned to Jiraiya. “We leave tomorrow.”
The sun began to dip behind the hills, casting long shadows across the road leading east.
And for the first time in years, the Will of Fire felt a little less like a burden, and more like a chance to protect something worth saving.
Chapter 45 – you’re coming with me
