In Konoha, Naruto lies down

Outside the inn, the wind and snow howled, a stark contrast to Konoha's climate. They said they were renting two rooms, but in reality, they were just two oversized shared rooms.

Naruto lay in the bath, recalling the scenes when he stayed in the hotel.

The boss's voice was low, as if he was about to die of illness at any moment. "It's all mixed accommodation. There are four large rooms upstairs, each can accommodate eight people. If you want two rooms, you have to pay the price of four people."

The place was quite simple, and the requirements were quite high. But fortunately, it was clean. Naruto didn't waste any time and paid for two rooms without hesitation.

Normally, no one comes here. A bathtub is divided into two sections with a bamboo board, and a simple sticker is pasted on the door: a man on the left and a woman on the right. The water in the bath is clear, so it's probably not often visited.

To put it bluntly, it was like taking a bath in a hot spring. The bamboo boards were so old that he could vaguely see the steam rising from the other side through the cracks. He couldn't see anything specifically, and he didn't have the courage to do so.

After Tsunade let out that cry, there was no more movement and the hot spring suddenly became quiet.

Naruto also began to take a bath without distraction, but before he could calm down for long, a voice slowly came through the bamboo board. It was Tsunade's voice.

"What do you think about Danzo's situation?" she asked calmly, and the sound of drinking could be faintly heard.

"Eliminate the Root, preferably by uprooting it." Naruto said, "Danzo is only harmful to the village and is completely hindering Konoha's progress."

"It's not the time yet, we have to wait a little longer." Tsunade's voice came through little by little, without any emotional fluctuations, but with a hint of fatigue.

"I know, there's no need to tell me specifically. I'm not that anxious, these things can't be rushed." Naruto smiled, he knew that Tsunade's words were an explanation to him.

What Tsunade didn't know was that he already had a way to break the biggest threat, Izanagi. He used a forbidden technique to directly erase the effect.

Danzo was sitting there now, and no matter when he fell, it was no longer important to Naruto. Just like meat on a chopping block, it would be the same no matter when it was cut.

"Well, I'm glad you understand." She tilted her head back and took a sip of wine, leaning against the bamboo board, her figure looming tall and white in the mist. "I thought you would be angry and feel it was unfair."

"I haven't thought about it that much. If I really calculated it carefully, I wouldn't be able to figure it out." Naruto sighed and said seriously, "Some people are brilliant, while others are covered in rust."

"Ultimately, you still have to fight for it yourself. Fairness is achieved through fighting. Lady Tsunade has been very good to me. I have a guilty conscience, so how could I be angry?"

"You don't owe me anything, and you don't need to feel guilty. I won't be polite when I need you."

"You said a lot, but none of it was what I wanted to hear." Tsunade rubbed her temples. "It's good that you said it, but don't say those hypocritical words of guilt next time."

After he finished speaking, the sound of drinking could be heard from the other end. Tsunade loved wine, and this little bit of alcohol had no harmful effects on her body. Instead, it could nourish her spirit and calm her mind.

But she never smokes. Smoking makes people age quickly, and once the organs are damaged, it is difficult to reverse the damage. Even if Tsunade is proficient in medical ninjutsu, she cannot purify herself.

Naruto had seen Jiraiya smoke before, though he rarely smoked in front of others, and that was by chance. He saw Jiraiya squatting on the stone steps of the shop, out of the light's reach. The darkness was dotted with flickering firelight.

Jiraiya was silent as he smoked, and he looked older. He seemed to be burdened with the heavy fatalism of the ninja world, having spent his entire life fulfilling the old toad's prophecies, never living for himself.

When he was young, he took in a disciple, but that disciple died, and his companion Orochimaru also defected. After wandering for half his life, his teacher also died, at the hands of Orochimaru, the third generation's most proud disciple.

From now on, he will continue to live according to the toad's prophecy. According to the prophecy, Jiraiya's future has changed, and he will continue to travel and settle down in one place.

It was very lively and bustling there.

Thoughts drifted away bit by bit, Naruto felt that this ending was good for Jiraiya. For Jiraiya, his mission was to find a way to bring peace to the ninja world and find the child of prophecy.

His love is great love, from peace in the ninja world to Konoha, and finally to himself who has no choice.

After a moment of silence, the sound of splashing water suddenly came from the other end.

"Are you still wearing the necklace I gave you?" she asked lightly.

"Yeah, it's still on me." He touched the Hokage necklace on his chest, thinking that the curse of changing owners three times didn't seem to work on him. Could it be that he really had no taboos?

"Wear it well and don't lose it."

"Okay, I'll remember it."

After soaking for half an hour, Naruto left the bath, sat neatly dressed at the curtained door, and waited silently for Tsunade to come out.

About ten minutes later, Tsunade finally changed her clothes and came out. She was slightly surprised to see Naruto waiting for her. Her wet blond hair fell to one side, soaking the collar of her shirt.

She asked him as she reached into her arms and adjusted her underwear.

"wait for me?"

"Yes, you can warm yourself by the fire downstairs." He skillfully handed over a towel for wiping hair. Naturally, the simple inn would not provide these, so he prepared them himself.

The advantage of having a sealed space immediately became apparent, and you didn't even need to carry a sealing scroll.

Tsunade said nothing, took the towel and wrapped her hair, then walked downstairs with crisp steps. The boss downstairs had disappeared, and there was a kettle boiling in the middle, with broken wood ready on the side.

There was no charge for wood, so you could just bring it in yourself. The fire was already gone, so Naruto sat down first and built a rudimentary structure with some firewood.

She watched Naruto lying there puffing and blowing on the fire, making it burn little by little, and she couldn't help but feel speechless. After a moment, she couldn't help but speak.

"Can't I use ninjutsu?"

"It's almost there." He said without raising his head and continued to pant.

Hearing this, Tsunade rolled her eyes at him, then sat there with her arms around her chest and her hair dripping wet, waiting. Sure enough, the fire immediately caught fire and began to burn slowly.

Tsunade sat there, warming herself by the fire, letting her hair dry bit by bit. The snowy ravines, shone obliquely by the firelight, looked as white as pearls and jade.

Every movement by the fire created white ripples.

Naruto took a quick glance and then consciously looked away. When you stare into the abyss, the abyss is also staring back at you.

He set up the barbecue grill and quietly began preparing dinner in a corner of the fire. Dinner was also served here, 30 taels per bowl and chopsticks. If you didn't mind, you could eat together. No one would be served after you were late.

It was already late when the two of them checked in, and there was nothing much to say, so they just had to do it themselves. The lame boss in the middle came out and told the two of them not to run around after dark.

"The village has been in turmoil recently. I don't know what kind of people have come. It's not safe to go out at night." After he said that, he walked away without pausing.

Naruto looked at Tsunade and blinked. Tsunade calmly took out the unfinished wine and slowly heated it by the fire, not seeming curious at all.

"Lady Tsunade has great concentration," he praised.

"Are you curious?" Tsunade glanced at him, and the unconscious anger that revealed her was very charming.

"No, no, I'm not curious at all. I'm leaving tomorrow anyway," he said with a wry smile. "Even if there's something strange, we'll only find out when we get to the inner cities of the Iron Kingdom. It's desolate here, nothing interesting."

"That's good to know." She took the wine back comfortably, frowned, and took a sip to test the temperature. "When you're out, don't be so curious."

"Got it." He replied, and folded the meat slices and pushed them over in a very servile manner.

Tsunade said something but acted arrogantly, and took over Naruto's service with great pleasure, and asked while squinting her eyes at the fire.

"Do you want to know about the necklace?"

"I..." He wanted to refuse, but seeing Tsunade was about to say it, he simply nodded, "I do."

Tsunade paused, took another sip of wine, and then slowly began to explain the origin of the necklace. She talked about the story of the Shodaime, the Sannin's childhood, and then mentioned her brother Nawaki.

Naruto responded in a disjointed manner. He was indeed a good listener. He didn't make Tsunade feel that he was perfunctory, nor did he make her feel that he was listening very seriously. It was as if he was playing the role of a stranger.

The feeling of being able to tell a stranger about the past is somewhat irresistible, even addictive, and the story has reached the part where Kato Dan meets Kato.

Chapter 253: The Five Kage meet for the first time, old and new come together

Tsunade's casual narration didn't go unnoticed by Naruto. He casually stirred the barbecue and took the kettle off the boil to make some hot tea.

The sound went in one ear and out the other, a faint, dense whisper accompanied by the crackling of the bonfire, a blatant distraction. Tsunade hadn't intended to say anything extra, she just wanted to simply explain the necklace's origins.

I said a few more things without realizing it, and they came out unconsciously.

The Hokage necklace passed from the first generation's hands to hers, and after several rounds of rotations, it was handed over to the person she thought was most important. Now it is in his hands, that's all.

"So, this necklace is cursed," she concluded.

Naruto remained calm and methodically divided the grilled meat onto plates and poured tea into cups before setting the utensils aside and looking up nonchalantly.

"I have no inhibitions."

The firelight shone on the two of them, in fact, Naruto and Tsunade were a bit similar, both were unfocused. But Tsunade had a path and a light in her heart.

Standing on that road were the Shodaime, the Nidaime, the deceased Nawaki, and the fallen Kato Dan. Clearly and clearly, he led her down the path they had all walked, or hadn't walked yet, the path of Hokage.

On the contrary, Naruto's inattention is more like wasting time. Unlike Tsunade, he is inattentive and doesn't care, just because he enjoys the process of wasting time.

He doesn't give up on himself, nor does he give up completely. He never finds anything troublesome, and as long as he likes it, he will still get involved no matter how troublesome it is.

There was a beam of fire in his heart, a mixture of light and dark, extending to the horizon.

Tsunade knew that Naruto had his own ideas and would not force him to become Hokage. His personality was not suitable for being Hokage and he did not have that much thought.

"Nothing will happen to you. I'm just telling you." Tsunade glanced at him calmly. "I'm just worried that if you find out, you'll keep thinking about it."

He smiled, "Tsunade-sama is quite nice."

"Ah."

There was a bright fire in the lobby, and the firewood was burning cracklingly.

Tsunade's hair was already dry, and she tied it up casually. She sat there leisurely drinking, chatting with Naruto. Soon, they washed up and went back to their rooms, and the fire went out.

The next day.

The window on the second floor of the inn creaked open. Naruto glanced at the relentless snowstorm outside and frowned. Traveling in such weather was not a good idea.

In a moment, the window of the next room opened.

Tsunade was casually wearing a warm white robe, her eyes were hazy with sleep, and a trace of saliva was hanging from the corner of her mouth. She glanced at Naruto next to her and wiped it away calmly.

"I can't leave." She yawned.

"Let's wait and see, the wind and snow won't last long." Naruto added. Not far away there was a red wall, standing out in the white snow and looking particularly eye-catching.

Breakfast was meat porridge, bubbling over the fire, but Tsunade had no appetite. Mumbling, she instinctively reached for her wine, only to have it snatched away by Naruto.

"Don't drink alcohol right after you wake up." He said, and threw the wine directly into the sealed space.

Tsunade stared at it for a few seconds, feigning shock, and then gasped.

"Shizune said the same thing to me. Are you guys secretly doing something behind my back?"

Naruto ignored her and hummed twice. While serving his porridge, he replied perfunctorily, "In a few years, I'll take Shizune-san away, and no one will bother you anymore."

She sneered, "Shizune won't leave me."

After breakfast, the snow outside subsided. The door of the inn creaked open, and two men, draped in white robes, stepped out.

The warm winter sun hangs high in the sky, but there is no trace of heat.

There were only two days left until the meeting, and after some calculations, it was just enough time to make it. Naruto turned around and glanced at Tsunade, who was walking leisurely, and shook his head helplessly.

"There are only two of us. Can we calm down that group of people? Even if Kakashi-sensei doesn't have time, it would be better to bring out Kai-sensei." He complained while standing on the side of the road.

"Gai?" Tsunade hesitated for a moment. "This is a secret journey. Do you want everyone to know our whereabouts? Hmm? The blue beast of Konoha?"

"Well..." Naruto thought about it and felt that it made sense, so he stopped talking.

"Don't worry. If it doesn't work, call the princess of Sunagakure over, and then there will be three of us here." Tsunade walked past him.

Naruto rolled his eyes. He hadn't intended to provoke Temari. It was all an accident. However... when Temari was mentioned, he immediately thought of the white waist on the other side of the curtain.

The waist is slender, soft and fair without a trace of fat.

He just recalled it for a moment, without any nostalgia. He glanced far ahead and continued on his way with his head down.

Two days later.

In the windy and snowy weather, he saw a row of armored warriors standing guard in the snow like statues. These people seemed to be wrapped in a layer of armor, with red eyes and a steely luster.

Loyalty is written all over his face, as if he is ready to serve the will of the Emperor in the Warhammer game at any time.

What the hell! He looked away and took a breath.

"What's wrong?" Tsunade laughed at him, "Have you never seen a nation of warriors forged from steel?"

"No, I want to try on that armor too." Naruto said softly, "But it's too ordinary. I wish it had a chakra-enhanced armor."

"Maybe in the future." Tsunade said casually.

"Maybe."

Naruto didn't stop and continued walking with Tsunade. The leader of the Iron Country, Mifune, and two personal guards stood in the snow to greet the two, their expressions solemn.

"I've been waiting for you, Hokage-sama." Mifune greeted seriously.

"It's so cold, let's go in and talk first." Tsunade smiled and waved her hand, pointing to the huge council tower behind them.

"Well, please come this way," Mifune said, and as he turned halfway, he added, "Did the Hokage only bring one guard this time?"

"Yeah, nothing serious happened at this Five Kage Summit. One is enough." She said with a smile.

Hearing this, Sanchuan was slightly stunned.

This Five Kage Summit was initiated by the Raikage at the request of the Land of Iron, because of the incident where two tailed beast Jinchuriki of the Land of Lightning were kidnapped by Uchiha Sasuke by wooden men.