In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

The eldest princess of the Senju Clan stood outside the door, frowned and stared at Naruto's back, but said nothing. She came in, picked up a document, and left.

The green robe brushed past Naruto's side, making him tense up immediately. The imposing aura of Konoha's Empress was too overwhelming. It was mainly because Tsunade had been too busy lately and her temper wasn't the best.

Naruto basically hid and never made a sound, for fear of being noticed by Tsunade.

Halfway down the hall, Tsunade suddenly stopped. She turned around and looked at Naruto, then said, "I'll be waiting for you outside. Once you're done with your business, come out."

"Okay."

Shizune watched Naruto's sudden change in demeanor, and was slightly stunned. She then thought to herself, 'It truly was a case of one thing restraining another. Despite all my effort to persuade him, Naruto wouldn't budge, but he immediately changed his attitude the moment Tsunade-sama showed up.'

'Heh, men.'

Since Naruto had already agreed, Shizune had nothing more to add. She briefly outlined the details of the Sunagakure's matters and ended the discussion, urging Naruto to head out quickly so as not to keep Tsunade waiting.

Naruto, feeling somewhat reluctant, dragged his feet as he left.

Tsunade stood outside in the corridor, her green robe fluttering in the wind. She had been serving as the Godaime Hokage for almost a year now, and her earlier defiance had worn down significantly.

"If you're not fond of dealing with Sunagakure, just handle it however you want." She began, "Jiraiya sent a message. He has gathered some intel about the Akatsuki organization."

"They seem to be entrenched in the Land of Rain, where conflicts occur frequently. He plans to investigate on his own, but he wants to come back to take you to Mount Myoboku first."

"Is that a question for my opinion?" Naruto was slightly taken aback.

"Yeah." Tsunade let out a breath, then reached out to pinch Naruto's cheek, "He is your teacher after all. I'd like to hear your opinion."

Naruto pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "We should let Pervy Sage come back first. The situation in the Land of Rain isn't urgent. Since someone like Uchiha Itachi can serve the Akatsuki organization, it proves that the Akatsuki organization is definitely not an ordinary organization."

"Rushing in with limited information could be dangerous, even for Pervy Sage."

"Hmm, I had similar concerns." Tsunade showed a relieved smile, "Since you said so, there's no reason to hesitate."

"You won't be assigned any missions for the time being. The reorganization of Team 7 will also be on hold until Jiraiya returns. Kakashi is no longer in charge of Team 7's missions. He has gone to further his studies."

Naruto thought for a while, carefully savoring the meaning of Tsunade's words. He then thought of another possibility, so he asked with a frown, "Are the higher-ups planning something with the Biju?"

"Yeah…" Tsunade said, " But that's not something you need to worry about. Whether it's the Advisors or the other higher-ups, they're all outdated. Their minds are rotten and stuck in the past, always thinking about conquest and war."

"Is it hard for you, Tsunade-sama? Arguing with the higher-ups and all?"

"What?" Tsunade was visibly stunned for a moment, and looked at Naruto with a look of surprise, "Hard? Why would you think that?"

"Well, they are the village's higher-ups after all. There's bound to be some trouble, right?" Naruto didn't understand why Tsunade reacted that way, and hesitantly said.

"Although Tsunade-sama is the Godaime Hokage, your foundation isn't solid. If there's a big conflict with the higher-ups within your first year in office, wouldn't that be problematic?"

"Even though Danzo and his gang are not good people and they even sent people to test me before, there is nothing we can do about him if he doesn't admit it."

Naruto spoke a lot in one breath, venting about what he found bothersome. Anything involving the village's higher-ups seemed like a headache to him.

Tsunade patted his shoulder and looked at him with a bemused expression, "Are you underestimating me?"

"Huh?" Naruto was at a loss for words.

His understanding of Konoha's higher-ups was mostly based on the original plot, and he definitely didn't have a deep comprehension of it.

Tsunade reached out again, this time pinching Naruto's cheeks with both hands, and asked with a smile, "What do you think the village is built on?"

"It's probably a coalition of clans coming together, forming a collective of mutual support, abandoning prejudice, and based on the foundation of forging the sign of reconciliation…" Naruto said intermittently.

"That was in the textbooks, but it's been so long, I've forgotten."

"You can't completely trust what's in books." Tsunade said with a smile, "The village was built by the Shodaime Hokage through force, whether it was the Uchiha Clan or other clans."

"It was power that allowed Konoha to emerge from the long wars."

"Wasn't the Shodaime Hokage a peace lover?" Naruto gulped and said with a wry smile.

"Loving peace and loving conflict, is that the same thing?" Tsunade asked back, "True peace has never existed in the Shinobi World. Wherever there are people, conflict will always continue."

"The old man's Will of Fire is certainly admirable. The land of Konoha is full of life and endless vitality."

"But at its core, Konoha was once a village established through power and maintained peace in the Shinobi World through strength. There's no reason that would change now."

"So why would you think I'd shy away from conflict with the higher-ups?"

"Tsunade-sama, aren't you the Hokage?" Naruto was dumbfounded, "Okay, it's not that I think you wouldn't dare, it's just that it seems troublesome. And arguing won't solve the problem."

"Arguing won't solve the problem, indeed." Tsunade nodded, agreeing with him, "And I don't intend to argue with those old fogies."

"Don't underestimate me, brat. I have a lot of people supporting me. What's so special about the higher-ups? Why do you think they can restrict me?"

"If they truly had the ability, why aren't they Hokage?"

"This…" Naruto felt a new realization sink into his mind, recognizing that Tsunade was reshaping his understanding of this world.

"Is it because of power?" He asked tentatively.

"Looks like you finally get it." Tsunade seemed satisfied, and let go of his slightly swollen cheeks, "The position of Hokage has never been earned by reputation alone, it's won through power."

"Within the framework of the village, we do need to be more cautious and be mindful to certain impacts. But on some matters, even if I disagree with them, the higher-ups can't do anything about it."

"Who do they think they are? Just a bunch of old geezers. Sandaime was too gentle and gave them too much respect. I don't agree. Why should they have a say over you?"

"They can keep dreaming!"