Tsunade shot Night Maple a disdainful look. "Seeing how scared of death you are, even if the Administration assigns missions, none will land on you!"
Uzumaki Mito glanced at Tsunade. "Tsunade-hime, don't say things like 'don't let the Administration assign missions to Night Maple' again."
Tsunade turned to Mito. "Grandma, you still want Night Maple going out on missions? I'm against it. Even if he wants to, he can at least wait until Kushina has a child!"
Night Maple was stunned. That blunt?
Why does this make me sound like a stud horse…
I can't go on missions until Kushina has a kid?
Tsunade's line was a little too much to Night Maple's liking!
Kushina's face flushed crimson; restless, she shot Night Maple a glare.
Big Sister Tsunade, how can you say that!
"Ridiculous!"
Mito looked at Tsunade. "If we do that, how will others see our Senju clan?"
"Konoha's bedrock is the village above all; everyone is a member of the village—no special treatment!"
"Besides, Night Maple is the future Hokage. He says he won't be Hokage and wants Kushina to be."
"If he shrinks from missions now, how could he be called Hokage?"
Tsunade pouted. "Better that than dying."
"You still think Nawaki and Dan's deaths weren't accidents, don't you."
"I don't know if they were accidents—but I don't want any more 'accidents.' Like it or not, he's our Senju clan's last remaining male."
Night Maple was a little baffled too. Wasn't Tsunade unhappy with him before?
Why was she suddenly taking his side?
Tsunade still wouldn't yield. "Anyway, with Night Maple's current strength, once Sensei retires, with me and Grandma backing him, he's bound to become Hokage."
"Ridiculous. You think being strong and having our family's support is enough? You're as naïve as ever!"
Mito's words puzzled Night Maple too.
Mito explained, "The Hokage is chosen by all the shinobi of our village."
"It isn't 'the strongest gets the hat,' it's 'the one acknowledged in everyone's hearts.' Only then can he be Hokage."
Hearing this, a spark flashed in Night Maple's eyes; he began to grasp it.
"Tsunade, back then Madara Uchiha wanted to be Hokage—why did he fail?"
"Was he weak? Madara's strength at that time was no less than your grandfather's—so why did your grandfather inherit the title instead?"
"That wasn't our Senju pulling strings—that was the village's choice!"
"Even the Uchiha themselves didn't bet on Madara."
"And you still think being the strongest is all that matters?"
Night Maple suddenly saw the light!
So many questions he'd had watching Naruto were answered at once.
Why didn't Orochimaru become Hokage—was Minato really handpicked solely by the Third?
Probably almost no one in Konoha wanted a beast-like Orochimaru as Hokage, right?
Only the will of the people makes a Hokage.
There's the subtlety of it.
Tsunade pouted. "Grandma, I know all that. What's it got to do with what I said?"
"If you make Night Maple refuse missions, how will people see him—see our Senju? How do we still have the face to vie for the Hokage's seat?"
"Of course, it's early to talk about that now. Night Maple, for the time being rack up some military merit and get your face known among the village shinobi."
Early?
Not early at all!
Everyone thought peace would continue, but before long a new shinobi world war would erupt.
After that war, Sarutobi Hiruzen would step down and yield to the Fourth.
That would be when Night Maple helped Kushina vie for the Fourth's seat.
"Grandma, do whatever you want—I'm done arguing!"
Then Tsunade brought up Night Maple proposing to Kushina. "You've got some nerve—thinking a single flower is enough to marry our Kushina!"
"Big Sister Tsunade!" Kushina squeaked, face burning.
Just then, Jiraiya arrived.
He still had bandages on his face—courtesy of Tsunade last time…
"Night Maple…"
Hearing Jiraiya had come for him, Night Maple had a hunch.
He was heading to the battlefield?
He wasn't afraid—if anything, he felt a faint excitement.
Tsunade cut Jiraiya off. "Jiraiya, be the judge: Night Maple proposed to my little sister Kushina—does one flower cut it?"
Jiraiya touched the bandaged side of his face and uh'd, "I think it's… fine—"
Before he finished, Tsunade punched him sky-high.
"Ah!"
Jiraiya sailed out of the courtyard.
Thud.
A crash sounded outside.
Ten minutes later, Jiraiya sat before Night Maple, both cheeks wrapped in bandages—almost unrecognizable.
"Night Maple, I'm here because a mission's come in."
"The one in the Hidden Mist?"
Jiraiya nodded. "Yes. Seems your intel's pretty sharp. Here's the situation: the upheaval in Kirigakure has driven a mass exodus of commoner shinobi."
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen's bloody suppression has made it extremely dangerous for those commoners."
Night Maple asked curiously, "We're going to rescue them?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "We don't have the capacity to save everyone. This time our mission is to save one person."
"This person is crucial—a little girl who, at a very young age, possesses two kekkei genkai…"
Two kekkei genkai? The identity of the girl was already on the tip of his tongue.