Naruto: Reborn in His Younger Self

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Inside the Fifth Hokage's office, Tsunade gently touched Jiraiya's broken arm, her expression unreadable.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya, as usual, was rambling about his information-gathering mission, barely acknowledging his injuries.

Shizune stood beside them, holding Tonton in her arms, her face filled with relief.

Naruto stood a little to the side, watching the two of them, and let out a silent sigh.

In his previous life, he had always resented Tsunade for letting Jiraiya go alone to such a dangerous place. If their roles had been reversed, Jiraiya would never have let Tsunade go to Amegakure alone.

But now, standing here and witnessing this moment, Naruto understood—even if Tsunade had tried to stop him, Jiraiya would have gone alone anyway.

"Alas..." Naruto sighed inwardly.

Jiraiya had been a shameless pervert all his life, but he had never stopped loving Tsunade.

Tsunade frowned as she looked at him. "Why would you do something so reckless? If it weren't for Naruto, you wouldn't have come back alive."

Jiraiya chuckled, flashing his usual grin. "Come on, don't be like that. You always lose your bets, but this time, you actually won one."

SMACK!

Tsunade slapped Jiraiya across the face, her teeth clenched as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Baka! You idiot!"

Jiraiya was momentarily stunned, but then, his gaze softened. He slowly raised his only working hand and gently touched Tsunade's trembling fingers that had just struck him.

Seeing this, Shizune quickly nudged Naruto, giving him a meaningful look. Naruto understood immediately and followed Shizune out of the office without another word.

As soon as they stepped outside, Shizune let out a deep breath and whispered, "Jiraiya-sama made it back safely…"

Naruto looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

Hugging Tonton a little tighter, Shizune led Naruto away from the office. "You don't know, do you? Ever since Jiraiya-sama left for Amegakure, Tsunade-sama has been depressed. She barely ate, barely slept."

Naruto was shocked. "Seriously?"

It seemed like Jiraiya's place in Tsunade's heart was far more important than he had imagined.

He had successfully saved his master from dying this time around.

Maybe now, he could push things forward—convince Jiraiya and Tsunade to finally get together. Hell, if they had a kid, Naruto could take the kid under his wing and train them to be the next Hokage!

The thought excited him. He was already imagining a mini-Jiraiya or mini-Tsunade running around, learning jutsu under his guidance.

Yeah! That would be awesome!

Inside the Hokage's Office…

The moment Jiraiya's hand touched hers, the wall that Tsunade had built around herself started to crack.

Before she could stop herself, she leaned into his chest, letting herself be vulnerable for the first time in decades.

Tsunade was still a woman first, even before she was Hokage.

There was a time when she was gentle, kind, and full of love. But as tragedy after tragedy struck, she closed off her heart. She lost her brother, she lost Dan, and eventually, she even developed hemophobia.

Because to love someone meant opening yourself to the pain of losing them.

And Tsunade had lost enough.

That was why she had rejected Jiraiya's advances all these years.

Until that time…

Until Naruto.

When Jiraiya brought Naruto to convince her to become Hokage, she had seen something in him—something she had lost.

His unyielding determination, his courage in facing Orochimaru, his reckless dream of becoming Hokage… it all reminded her of Dan and Nawaki.

And when he was brutally injured, when he fought despite the odds, she had realized something.

Naruto was different.

He wouldn't die like Dan. He wouldn't die like Nawaki.

He was strong enough to survive.

And so, she placed all her hopes in him—gave him her grandfather's necklace, entrusted him with her shattered dream of Hokage.

And now, Jiraiya had survived too.

Maybe… just maybe…

She could let herself love again.

Tsunade slowly raised her head to look at him.

And that was when she noticed Jiraiya's stupid perverted grin.

His eyes were blatantly locked onto her chest, and his hand…

His only working hand was inching dangerously close to grabbing her—

"Baka! You bastard!"

BOOM!

Tsunade's fist smashed into Jiraiya's face, sending him flying across the room and crashing into the wall.

Jiraiya clutched his bleeding forehead, groaning. "Ow, ow, ow! What the hell was that for?! My injuries haven't even healed yet!"

Tsunade crossed her arms, her expression dark. "What are you complaining about? If you're injured, I'll just heal you again."

Jiraiya muttered under his breath, "Isn't that just an excuse to hit me more? Ow, damn it… We were having a moment just now, and you—ow, ow, ow…"

Tsunade snorted, but despite herself, she smiled a little.

What a shameless idiot.

Downstairs…

At the entrance to the first floor, Naruto and Shizune had just arrived when a thunderous crash shook the entire building.

Naruto's eyes widened. "What the hell was that?!"

He immediately turned around, ready to rush back upstairs.

But Shizune grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Don't. It's just Tsunade-sama."

Naruto paused.

Yeah.

This was Konoha, and with Tsunade around, no one could hurt his master.

…Unless, of course, that person was Tsunade herself.

Yeah. He wasn't getting involved in that.

Naruto cleared his throat. "Alright, I'll leave then. If anything important happens, just let me know, Shizune-nee."

Shizune nodded. "Of course. I'll send someone to find you if needed."

Turning away, Naruto started walking down the street.

Now that he was back in Konoha, there was one place he really wanted to visit.

As he walked through the bustling streets, villagers who once avoided him greeted him warmly.

Through his actions, Naruto had finally earned the respect of most of the village.

If the original timeline had played out, Jiraiya would be dead by now. Soon, Pain would attack, and Naruto would become the savior of Konoha.

But this time?

This time, Naruto had changed things.

He had saved Jiraiya.

And he would save Konoha too.

As he walked, Naruto suddenly stopped, his instincts tingling.

Turning his head slightly, he glanced at a shadowy alleyway behind him.

He smirked, then continued walking forward as if he hadn't noticed.

A few moments later, a mysterious figure wearing an Inuzuka-style dog mask stepped out of the alley, silently watching him leave.

The game had changed.

And Naruto was ready.

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