🚨Insert Some Funny Memes or GIF🚨

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Back in the hotel, Tsunade sat alone on the yellow tatami mat.

Shizune placed a pot of freshly brewed tea on the low table beside her.

Tsunade took the blue-gray teacup, sipped slowly, and gradually calmed her hemophobia.

The scene at the bar earlier kept replaying in her mind—especially the words Uchiha Hikaru had said.

"After all, women need to take better care of themselves as they age."

The more Tsunade thought about it, the more irritated she became. Her face hardened with anger as she turned to Shizune.

"Shizune, do I really look that old?"

Shizune froze, caught off guard, and forced a smile onto her face.

"Of course not, Lady Tsunade! Don’t let that Uchiha brat get to you. You look like you’re in your early twenties! He’s just some disrespectful kid who doesn’t know how to appreciate true beauty."

She trailed off slightly, then mumbled,

"I mean... he did seem to glance at you a few times though..."

Tsunade’s anger began to ease. She took another sip of tea, mulling over what Hikaru had said.

You want me to go back to the village and become the Fifth Hokage? Are you kidding me? I’m free now—drinking, gambling, living on my terms. Why the hell would I return to that rotting place?

Her expression turned somber.

Yes... that village isn’t what it was under Grandfather and Tobirama. The higher-ups are a mess. I left because I didn’t want to watch the decay set in.

I left because I didn’t have the guts to carry on my grandfather’s will.

But why was it Uchiha Hikaru who came this time?

Not even a letter from the old man.

Even Jiraiya abandoned his mission to pursue Orochimaru just to come back... Clearly, something big is happening in the village.

I’ll have to return to Konoha myself to see the situation. But Hokage?

Hmph. Absolutely not.

Tsunade rejected the idea again and again in her heart, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep on the tatami.

Meanwhile, directly beneath Tsunade and Shizune’s room in the same inn, Uchiha Hikaru returned carrying a bundle of food.

As soon as Naruto saw him, he jumped up excitedly from the tatami.

"Hikaru-nii! I’m starving. What’d you bring?!"

He grabbed the food bags from Hikaru and laid everything out on the small table.

"Ramen and barbecue! My favorite!"

Grinning ear to ear, Naruto clasped his hands in thanks.

"Thanks, Hikaru-nii!"

Then he quickly snapped apart his chopsticks, said "I’m gonna start!" and dug in.

Watching Naruto devour the food with joy, Hikaru and Jiraiya exchanged amused glances.

Naruto was doing much better now. Ever since he’d learned the truth about his parents, he’d grown far more confident and cheerful. His gloom and self-doubt had faded significantly.

After finishing the meal, Jiraiya and Hikaru stepped away to the window, lowering their voices so as not to disturb Naruto’s rest.

"Hikaru, did something happen?" Jiraiya asked. "You were gone a while."

Hikaru glanced over his shoulder to make sure Naruto was asleep before speaking.

"I ran into Tsunade and Shizune."

Jiraiya’s eyes widened. "Tsunade? And Shizune too? What are the odds?"

It really did feel too convenient. But Hikaru just shook his head calmly.

"This town’s not that big. You know Tsunade—she gambles during the day, loses most of her money, and then hits a bar at night to drown her sorrows. It’s only natural we ran into her."

Jiraiya considered it for a moment and nodded. Yeah, that checked out.

But Hikaru’s face grew more serious.

"I bit my finger in front of her to test her... Her hemophobia hasn’t improved. In fact, it’s worse. She collapsed just seeing a few drops of blood. I don’t think she’ll be able to handle Naruto’s chakra pathway surgery."

Jiraiya clenched his teeth. His grip tightened on the steel window frame until it groaned and bent under his hands.

"Damn it. Tsunade’s trauma still hasn’t healed..."

"Don’t panic yet," Hikaru said. "If Tsunade can’t do it, Shizune might."

Jiraiya’s eyes lit up, hope flaring again.

"Right. She’s been learning medical ninjutsu from Tsunade for years. Maybe there’s still a chance..."

Seeing his faith return, Hikaru softened.

"So, how did she react to the Hokage offer?" Jiraiya asked.

Hikaru looked out the window at the crescent moon and shook his head.

"What do you think? She rejected it. I’ll try again tomorrow—see if she softens."

Then he smirked and clapped a hand on Jiraiya’s shoulder.

"No worries. If she won’t take the job, we’ve got you. Toad Sage Jiraiya, the next Hokage. That’s got a nice ring to it—just as much as ’Slug Princess.’"

Jiraiya’s soul nearly left his body.

Hikaru’s friendly smile always had a dark undertone. He might seem relaxed, but he was easily one of the most cunning people Jiraiya had ever met. If Jiraiya became Hokage, Hikaru would no doubt torment him daily.

Besides, the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy still weighed on him—the Child of Prophecy was out there, waiting.

He couldn’t let himself be trapped in the Hokage’s chair while the future of the ninja world hung in the balance.

Jiraiya quickly shrugged off Hikaru’s hand.

"No way. Not happening. I’m a free-spirited perv sage with a noble purpose—I’ve still got books to write and ninja brats to spy on."

Seeing that Jiraiya had dodged the point entirely and refused to mention the Child of Prophecy, Hikaru decided not to press the matter.

The two of them moved back over to Naruto, pulled a blanket over him, and lay down on the tatami to rest.

But even as he closed his eyes, Hikaru’s thoughts lingered.

His mind drifted back to the izakaya owner... and then turned toward the broader ninja world.

In his previous life, his memories of Naruto had been centered on Naruto and Sasuke’s journey. Everything started collapsing during the late Shippuden arc.

There were less than eight years left before Akatsuki made their big move—before Shippuden truly began.

By then, just the Mangekyō wouldn’t be enough.

He had to start preparing now.

Sasuke’s training needed to be steered.

His own power needed to evolve.

He had to forge something new. Something strong enough to face what was coming.

Otherwise, he’d just end up as another footnote in Madara’s grand Sharingan inventory.

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