Naruto: Marrying Tsunade

Chapter 5 - Tsunade's Childhood Dream

News that Aokiji had been caught staying up late reading adult books spread unintentionally, sweeping through the entire class like wildfire.

Of course, he hadn't actually done any such thing. But facts no longer mattered. The gossip had already taken on a life of its own.

By the time the afternoon training session began, everyone in the class had heard about it. Standing at the training grounds, Aokiji could feel countless eyes glancing at him. Some were amused, some judgmental, and others just downright skeptical. It was as if an invisible force had labeled him "Pervert No.1" in bright red letters.

While practicing shuriken throwing, he quickly realized that whenever he approached a group of female students, they would instinctively back away, their expressions wary.

"Wait, let me explain—"

His hands hovered helplessly in midair.

The girls, however, had already retreated further.

Aokiji clenched his jaw, frustration brewing inside him. He could practically feel his blood pressure rising.

Jiraiya.

That damned loudmouth.

Right now, more than anything, he wanted to grab that spiky-haired idiot by the collar and choke him until his face turned black and blue.

"Aokiji, it's really not that big of a deal…"

A hand landed on his shoulder.

Jiraiya, with the audacity of someone completely oblivious to his sins, patted him as if offering comfort.

Aokiji's expression darkened. He resembled a burnt pancake—charred on the outside, seething on the inside.

Just as he was seriously considering whether or not to eliminate Jiraiya right here and now, a wave of excited screams erupted from the other side of the training grounds.

"Ahhh! Orochimaru-kun is so cool!"

Aokiji turned his head, and sure enough, at the center of all the commotion stood a boy dressed in traditional robes.

Orochimaru.

His delicate features were only slightly inferior to Aokiji's. Just by a tiny bit, of course.

In front of him, the target board was completely riddled with shuriken. Every single one had landed with pinpoint precision, not a single throw wasted.

The girls watching from the sidelines cheered, their voices filled with admiration.

Orochimaru, for his part, didn't acknowledge them at all. He remained cool and focused, his eyes locked on the target as he prepared for another round of throws.

This mix of talent, good looks, and cold indifference only fueled his popularity further. The girls practically swooned, showering him with praise as if he were some kind of idol.

Meanwhile, the boys in the class all wore the same expression—discontent.

"Tch. What's so special about him?" someone muttered.

"This level of skill isn't a big deal," another boy scoffed.

Jiraiya, standing beside Aokiji, crossed his arms with a sour expression. "I don't get it. What's so great about Orochimaru? If I wanted to, I could do that too."

Aokiji gave him a sideways glance.

Oh?

Jiraiya continued grumbling. "I mean, isn't one of the main reasons to become a ninja so that girls will notice you? If Orochimaru can do it, I can do it too!"

Determined to prove himself, Jiraiya grabbed a handful of shuriken and stepped up to the throwing line. With a confident smirk, he took aim and let them fly.

His first throw missed completely.

His second throw barely grazed the target before bouncing off.

The third? A total disaster.

The girls watching burst into laughter.

"Haha! Jiraiya, you idiot! You think you can surpass our Orochimaru-kun? Dream on! Maybe in your next life!"

Jiraiya's eye twitched. "Damn it! Take this!"

Frustrated, he started throwing shuriken wildly.

His form was a mess, his technique erratic—but then, against all odds, one of his throws actually landed on the target.

Jiraiya froze.

For a moment, he just stared.

Then, slowly, he wiped a finger under his nose, crossed his arms, and thought smugly, Damn, I'm awesome.

"Wow! Amazing!"

He grinned. Finally.

Jiraiya turned, expecting to see a group of awed girls rushing toward him.

Instead, there was no one.

Huh?

Confused, he scanned the area.

Then he saw them.

All the girls had run to someone else.

Aokiji.

Jiraiya was completely dumbfounded.

"Why is everyone gathered around Aokiji?"

Shikou, another student, walked past and pointed at the target board next to Aokiji.

It was completely empty.

"Idiot, you hit the wrong target, that's Aokiji's throw, not yours."

"WHAT?!"

Jiraiya entered full-on emo mode.

Meanwhile, Aokiji was surrounded by a group of curious students.

A ponytailed girl looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "You're incredible! How did you do that?"

Despite the whole "pervert" rumor lingering in the background, his flawless shuriken skills had stolen the spotlight.

His reputation was being rewritten in real-time.

Aokiji blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift.

One moment, he was an outcast. The next, he was being admired.

Perhaps talent really did overshadow all sins.

Jiraiya, watching from the sidelines, felt an overwhelming sense of injustice.

How the hell is Aokiji this good?

He had always assumed that Aokiji was just as lazy as he was. If anything, Aokiji napped more than him. So how was he suddenly outshining everyone with skills that should've taken years to master?

The gap between them felt unfair.

Shikou sighed. "Of course he's strong. Even if he's been slacking off lately, his foundation is still there."

Jiraiya frowned. "Slacking off?"

Shikou didn't elaborate, but there was a hint of concern in his expression.

Shikou didn't respond right away, but there was a weight to his silence. His gaze carried a flicker of concern, as if he had already given the matter some thought. Aokiji's current state was a far cry from what it should have been. If he continued to let himself decline, it wouldn't be long before he was just another face in the crowd—his presence, once striking, gradually fading into obscurity.

Before Jiraiya could press for an answer, a cheerful voice broke through the tension.

"You're incredible! How did you do that?"

A girl with a high ponytail looked up at Aokiji with bright, admiring eyes.

Whatever controversy had surrounded him earlier seemed to vanish in an instant. It was as if the entire "late-night adult book reading" scandal had never existed. His flawless shuriken technique had taken center stage, overshadowing everything else.

Aokiji barely reacted to the praise. His tone remained indifferent as he answered, "Isn't it just a matter of having hands?"

His words were casual, almost dismissive, as if what he had just done required no real effort.

The teacher, who had been recording the students' scores, was so stunned that his pen slipped from his fingers.

So this… this is the power of the Uchiha?

Even when Aokiji spent most of his time either dozing off or staring blankly at the ceiling, he still crushed everyone in combat training. It was almost unfair, landing a perfect hit in just one throw.

Orochimaru, standing a short distance away, watched Aokiji in silence. His slit-like pupils, eerily sharp for a child, gleamed with intrigue.

Meanwhile, Tsunade huffed, crossing her arms in defiance. "Hmph, not bad."

Up until now, she had been second only to Orochimaru in terms of shuriken throwing. But with Aokiji's sudden display of talent, she was forced to accept third place.

It irritated her.

Not that she had anything against Aokiji personally—but her pride wouldn't allow her to be satisfied with third place.

Aokiji, however, had never intended to put on a show. This level of skill was simply his baseline. If he suddenly started performing too poorly, people would definitely notice. He needed to make his decline appear natural—gradual enough that no one would suspect anything.

First, he had to solidify the idea that he was a genius. That way, when he eventually "bounced back," it wouldn't feel unnatural.

After all, geniuses didn't follow the same rules as everyone else.

Even if they fell behind, they could always catch up.

It was a far more convincing approach than pretending to be weak from the beginning and then suddenly skyrocketing in strength.

Still… there was one thing that didn't sit right with him.

According to the Naruto timeline, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru all became students under the Third Hokage when they were around eleven or twelve years old.

But if that was the case… why did Jiraiya act like he was meeting Tsunade for the first time when they became teammates?

Aokiji pondered the question for a long time before ultimately arriving at a conclusion.

The Naruto timeline is a complete mess.

---

Weekend

The Ninja Academy was closed for the weekend, allowing the children a short break from their daily training.

Away from the bustling streets of Konoha, in a quiet, secluded home, a young girl with golden hair stood in front of a wooden door. She knocked lightly before calling out, "Mito Grandma! Are you home? I came to visit!"

A moment later, a warm voice responded from inside.

"Coming, coming!"

The door opened to reveal a striking woman with deep red hair tied into a neat bun. Despite her age, her face remained elegant and youthful, untouched by time.

Mito Uzumaki.

"You really do drop by every few days, don't you?" Mito said, her tone affectionate as she reached out and ruffled Tsunade's hair.

Tsunade giggled and leaned into the touch. "That's because I love Mito Grandma the most!"

She wasn't just saying that.

Years ago, after Hashirama's passing, Tsunade had spent months in grief. At such a young age, she hadn't fully understood death, but she had felt the loss deeply. If it weren't for Mito's quiet strength, Tsunade wasn't sure how she would have gotten through it.

As she grew older, she realized something—if losing her grandfather had hurt her this much, then how painful must it have been for Mito?

Since her own parents were often busy with work, Tsunade had made it a habit to visit Mito whenever she had free time.

Mito smiled. "Come inside, don't just stand out there."

She led Tsunade inside the house, gesturing toward a small table with neatly arranged plates of sweets.

"If you're hungry, help yourself."

Tsunade's eyes brightened. She didn't need to be told twice.

Mito didn't eat snacks herself—she prepared them specifically for Tsunade's frequent visits.

As Tsunade happily grabbed a handful of sweets, she looked up eagerly. "Mito Grandma, tell me more about Grandpa Hashirama!"

Mito chuckled. "Again? You never get tired of hearing about him, do you?"

"Nope! Even if I hear them a hundred times, I'll never get bored!"

Shaking her head in amusement, Mito settled into her chair. "You really are impossible, you know that?"

Tsunade grinned, her cheeks stuffed with sweets as she listened intently.

Story after story, Mito spoke about Hashirama—his strength, his kindness, his ridiculous antics that no one but her ever saw.

Time passed in comfortable ease, the room filled with laughter and nostalgia.

At some point, Mito glanced at the nearly empty plate of sweets and teased, "My little Tsunade sure can eat. I wonder if your future husband will be able to afford to feed you."

Tsunade licked the crumbs from her lips, unconcerned. "I don't need anyone to feed me! If anything, I'll be the one taking care of someone else!"

Mito gave her a knowing smile. "Girls shouldn't say things like that."

"Why not?"

"You'll understand when you're older."

Tsunade frowned slightly, not entirely convinced.

Still, as she nestled into Mito's warm embrace, she let the conversation drift away.

Here, in the quiet of Mito's home, she felt safe. Content.

And so, the days of childhood passed in blissful simplicity.

When all of a sudden...

50 power stones = 5 chapters

100 power stones= 10 chapters

So what are you waiting for? Throw that stones!