Chapter 37 : Only Fools Want To Be Hokage
Renji glanced up at the izakaya's weathered sign swaying gently in the breeze, then turned to Jiraiya standing beside him. He cleared his throat lightly with a couple of symbolic coughs, putting on a show of reluctance. "Drinking is one of the Three Shinobi Prohibitions, right? Would it really be okay for me to go in there?"
It wasn't that he actually believed it was a bad idea deep down. No, his real worry was the opposite: the sake might taste so damn good that it could crack his carefully maintained facade, letting a slip of his true chaotic self peek through.
Jiraiya couldn't have cared less about the Three Shinobi Prohibitions. The Legendary Sannin practically embodied them—each one a walking violation of the rules they'd grown up hearing about. He'd ignored those dusty old guidelines since he was a kid, convinced that his own path, wild and unapologetic as it was, was the only one worth following. "Nonsense, kid," he said with a booming laugh, slinging Renji effortlessly over his shoulder like a sack of rice. "Rules are for people who need 'em. Let's go!"
With that, Jiraiya barreled into the izakaya, his sharp eyes sweeping the room like a hawk on the hunt, zeroing in on the crowd with shameless precision. His gaze bounced from one woman to the next, appraising them in that infuriatingly predictable way of his.
Small!
Small!
Small!
Medium!
Small!
Medium!
Large!
Large!
Small!
Extra large! Target locked!
He wove through the tables like a storm, his massive frame brushing past the patrons with zero subtlety. Skirts flipped up in the chaos, and a chorus of startled shrieks filled the air as the slightly tipsy young women scattered like startled birds.
"Ahhh!"
"My skirt!"
"Which pervert did that?!"
"..."
In the dimly lit corner booth, far from the uproar, Tsunade's hand froze mid-pour, the sake bottle trembling slightly in her grip. She set it down with a soft clink, her brow furrowing.
"What's wrong, Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked softly, cradling Tonton in her arms, the little piglet snuffling contentedly against her chest.
Tsunade rubbed her temple, a familiar knot of irritation tightening in her gut. "That commotion... it feels like an old headache coming back to life." Only one thick-skinned, shameless idiot could turn a quiet evening into a whirlwind of screaming women, leaving chaos in his wake like a bad habit.
And right on cue, the next second brought him striding into view—a figure as familiar and unwelcome as a recurring nightmare—plopping down opposite her at the table without so much as a hello.
Shizune's eyes went wide, her surprise bubbling over in a hushed gasp. "Lord Jiraiya!"
Tsunade didn't even spare him a glance. She lifted her sake cup to her lips and took a slow, deliberate sip, as if his presence was just another bitter aftertaste she had to swallow.
Renji, meanwhile, settled obediently beside Jiraiya, his heterochromatic eyes—one silver-gray, the other grayish-blue—fixing on Tsunade with an intensity that bordered on fascination. He couldn't help it; even through the haze of alcohol and years of wandering, she carried herself like a force of nature, her beauty sharpened by the scars of loss.
Tsunade finally noticed the kid, propping her head up on one hand as her drunken gaze drifted toward him, bleary but sharp. "Where'd this brat come from? And what're you staring at?" But the words died on her tongue the moment her eyes truly landed on him. She froze, the cup halfway to her mouth.
Blue hair tied in neat pigtails, skin pale and flawless like polished porcelain, a face that was delicately handsome in a way that tugged at forgotten memories. And when he smiled—just a soft curve of his lips—it revealed a gentleness that hit her like a gut punch. For a split second, Tsunade wondered if the sake had finally pushed her into hallucinations. But then she caught the heterochromia in his eyes, that striking mismatch of colors, and reality snapped back into focus.
Renji met her stare without flinching, his voice soft and steady as he bowed his head slightly in greeting. "Hello, Lady Tsunade. I'm Renji Mahito... You're just so beautiful, I got a little lost in thought there." The last part came out quieter, almost a murmur, but it carried clear as day through the din of the izakaya. He ducked his head shyly, a faint blush creeping across his earlobes and cheeks, standing out vividly against his fair skin.
Shizune's expression melted on the spot, her eyes turning to liquid warmth. So cute! I just want to pat his head and never stop! She'd always figured men were cut from the same cloth as Lord Jiraiya or those relentless debt collectors who hounded them from town to town—loud, pushy, or outright predatory. But this? This was a revelation. A boy whose smile could light up the murkiest night like a lantern in the fog. And that smooth talk? It was like poetry wrapped in innocence!
Tsunade couldn't help but beam, a genuine smile cracking through her guarded facade. No woman alive could stay stone-faced when hit with a compliment like that—especially not one laced with such earnest charm. She reached out, her fingers hooking under Renji's chin with a teasing lift, tilting his face up to get a better look. "Smooth talker, huh? C'mere, kid." She crooked a finger, beckoning him closer like she was coaxing a skittish kitten.
Renji played it perfectly, his wide almond-shaped eyes shimmering with that innocent, watery gleam as he scooted over. He slipped between Tsunade and Shizune, letting Tsunade pull him into a loose, one-armed hug right there in the booth. Shizune, not one to be left out, sneaked in a couple of quick rubs against his cheeks, her own eyes sparkling like she'd just unwrapped a festival gift.
So... so cute!
Poor Tonton, squished between Shizune's arm and Renji's side, let out a muffled squeal and wriggled desperately for escape, tiny hooves flailing.
"..." Jiraiya, watching the whole scene unfold from across the table, felt a vein throb in his temple. He twisted in his seat, his face contorting with a jealousy so raw it bordered on comical. Why does this kid have all the luck with women? Why him, of all people?
"Tsunade," Jiraiya cut in, his voice dropping to a more serious timbre as he leaned forward, elbows on the scarred wooden table. "You've heard the news from Konoha by now, right?" The shinobi world was buzzing with it—the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, cut down by his own student, Orochimaru, one of their fellow Legendary Sannin. It was the kind of scandal that spread like wildfire, even to someone as deliberately detached as Tsunade. No way it hadn't reached her ears.
Tsunade's gaze stayed fixed on the sake bottle in her hand, swirling the amber liquid absently as her mind wandered back to Orochimaru's words from earlier that day. Let me show you Dan and Nawaki again... She didn't bother acknowledging Jiraiya, just took another swig, letting the burn chase away the ghosts.
Jiraiya had seen that look a thousand times before; he pressed on without missing a beat. "Only you can shoulder Konoha's burden now." She was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama himself—the pinnacle of medical-nin expertise in a world that desperately needed it. Her name alone carried the weight to rally the village, to heal its wounds both seen and unseen.
"Being Hokage... I'm not interested," Tsunade muttered, fiddling with her sake cup, her fingers tracing the rim in lazy circles. Her eyes drifted down to Renji's blue hair, and something unnameable stirred in her chest, pulling words from her she hadn't planned. "Only fools want to be Hokage."
Jiraiya met her eyes steadily, the unspoken history between them hanging heavy in the air. He knew exactly why those words slipped out—the ghosts of Dan and Nawaki, the endless cycle of loss that had driven her away.
"That's not true," Renji's voice piped up, small but unyielding, cutting through the tension like a kunai through silk.
Tsunade let out a scoff, her hand darting out to pinch Renji's cheek with just enough force to make him wince playfully. "You're too young, kid. What do you even know? You probably just picture it as some shiny, heroic crown in that childish head of yours!" She tossed her head back and downed another hearty gulp of sake, the liquid glinting in the lantern light.
"Lady Tsunade, don't underestimate me," Renji replied, lifting his chin to meet her gaze head-on. His expression turned deadly serious, a stubborn glint in his mismatched eyes that hit Tsunade like a jolt—familiar, achingly so.
Sis, don't underestimate me.
The words echoed from a lifetime ago, another child's voice overlapping with Renji's in her mind. A wave of sadness crashed over her, sharp and stinging, twisting in her chest like a fresh wound reopening.
"The Hokage isn't just a symbol of honor," Renji continued, his tone steady and measured, drawing out each word for emphasis. "They carry the weight of the entire village on their shoulders, always ready to throw themselves into the fire if it means protecting what's theirs."
"Actually, I think every shinobi who lays down their life for the village deserves the title of 'Hokage' in their own right."
"And those who dream of becoming Hokage? They're definitely not fools."
"They're heroes—ones who grasp the full gravity of that responsibility and still choose to shoulder it, ready to give everything for the village they love."
Renji's voice wasn't loud, but it resonated through the booth like a quiet thunderclap, wrapping around the group and holding them in its grip. Jiraiya leaned back slightly, his usual smirk fading into thoughtful silence. Tsunade's cup hovered forgotten in her hand, and even Shizune held her breath, the weight of his words settling over them all.
"This is the first time I've heard anyone put it like that..." Tsunade murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, laced with something unreadable—maybe wonder, maybe ache.
Every shinobi who sacrifices for the village is worthy of the title Hokage... It was simple, profound, and utterly irrefutable. Who could stand against a truth like that?
"But what good are heroes?" Tsunade's eyes drooped, heavy with the ghosts she carried, a bitter sourness creeping into her throat. "Heroes can't even manage to stay alive long enough to enjoy it."
"That might be how you see it, Lady Tsunade," Renji said gently, his gaze unwavering, "but I doubt they'd agree. To them, it's not about outliving the fight—it's about what comes after."
"In life, there are always things worth more than just staying alive."
"Like faith. Like ideals."
"Even for me."
"The village and my comrades—they mean more to me than my own life. If it's my turn to step up and give everything, I'd only think, 'Thank goodness it's me instead of them.'"
"Not Lady Tsunade, not Lord Jiraiya, not any of my other friends back in the village."
"Just imagining them all living on—happy, safe, free in a future I helped build—that's enough to make me happier than I am right now."
Renji's words trailed off, and for a moment, his expression softened into something warm and achingly tender, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. It was as if he were lost in a memory of his own, one that lit him up from the inside.
Why? Tsunade's mind reeled. How can a kid even think like that? She couldn't wrap her head around it. Maybe it was the alcohol blurring the edges, or maybe it was the raw honesty in his voice, but suddenly the dam inside her cracked. She needed to let it out—the grief, the rage, the endless what-ifs that had haunted her for years.
Renji sensed the shift and leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a soft, conspiratorial whisper. "When Lord Hokage passed, I was right there by his side. I could feel it in his final moments—he was at peace. Because in his heart, he knew he'd protected the village... protected all of us, including me."
"After I woke up from the shock of it all, the pain hit like a tidal wave. I felt so useless, like I'd failed him completely. If I'd just been stronger, maybe he wouldn't have had to go."
"But then I stood in front of his memorial stone, staring at my reflection in it, and it hit me... That look in his eyes right before the end? It was like he was saying our happiness—seeing us carry on strong and whole—that was the whole point of his sacrifice."
Renji kept invoking the late Hiruzen Sarutobi, leaning hard into the old man's legacy like a well-honed kunai. The guy was gone, after all—what harm was there in borrowing his shadow for a little emotional leverage? Satisfaction bloomed in Renji's chest as he watched Tsunade's eyes glisten, the first hints of tears gathering at the corners.
He didn't let up, piling on the kindling with deliberate care. "Lady Tsunade, if you've lost people you cherished—ones who gave everything for the village—have you ever stopped to think that their lives didn't really end? That they live on... inside you, through you?"
Renji delivered the line like a wide-eyed kid spinning a pure, innocent daydream, his voice light and hopeful. "I can always feel Lord Hokage standing right behind me, you know? Watching, guiding. I'll carry his will forward, protect Konoha with everything I've got—just like he did."
Tsunade's head bowed low, her shoulders hunching as the words pierced straight through her defenses. Silent tears traced hot paths down her cheeks, pooling at her chin before dripping steadily onto the table, each one a quiet surrender.
Is that how it is? Have Dan's and Nawaki's lives really woven into mine like that?
Yes... they have.
And only I can keep their memory alive, burning bright.
"Wuwuwuwu..." In a rush, Tsunade yanked Renji into a crushing hug, her body shaking as the sobs she'd bottled up for years finally broke free. Renji barely managed to breathe, the force of it nearly squeezing the air from his lungs, while her tears soaked straight through the front of his shirt, warm and unrelenting.
So, are you two sending him to remind me? To pull me back?
The faint outlines of Dan and Nawaki flickered in her mind's eye, their faces blurring and reforming until they overlapped perfectly with the boy in her arms—the Renji sitting there now, solid and real.
----
We've reached 100 power stones! As I promised, here's your extra chapter!
200 Stones = +1 Chapter
300 Stones = +2 Chapters
400 Stones = +3 Chapters
...
If you're enjoying the story and want to read future chapters early, just search "DemonicFiction" on "P4trƐon"