On the rooftop of the Hokage Tower, Tsunade couldn't help but feel concerned as she made her way up, wanting to see what mischief Naruto might be up to this time. As she stepped out of the small door onto the rooftop, she immediately heard Naruto's strange shouting.
"… Monster…"
'What a mess…' Tsunade frowned, thinking to herself, 'Could it be that this kid is losing his mind because of his failed training?'
She glanced in the direction of the noise and was instantly stunned.
With a loud bang, a huge slug, as tall as the Hokage Tower, was summoned. It sat amidst the rain, occupying the space inside the Hokage Tower's walls.
The torrential downpour blurred the surroundings, obscuring the view.
Naruto was bewildered, 'It seemed like I had just summoned the slug out of nowhere, but what was I supposed to do next?'
'I remembered Tsunade saying that I should address the slug as 'Katsuyu-sama' when I saw her. So, should I just shout now? But I wasn't sure if Katsuyu could see me.'
At that moment, Naruto stood on the inner side of the rooftop, under a barely one-square-meter overhang, staring at Katsuyu that resembled a small mountain. Having seen Kyubi before, he wasn't afraid of large creatures.
Right now, he was like a shy rookie who had accidentally walked into a massage parlor, hesitating about how to start a conversation with the masseuse who had just entered the room.
Tsunade was stunned, but also amused.
She stood at the rooftop door and didn't step forward.
She thought to herself, 'He actually managed to summon her, but wasn't the process a bit too simple? Well, summoning her was one thing, and earning Katsuyu's recognition was another.'
The sudden commotion startled everyone in the Hokage Tower. But when they realized it was Tsunade's Summoned Beast, Katsuyu, they automatically averted their gaze.
Two Anbu's members heard the news and landed on the Hokage Tower's red dome. They stood in the rain, silently observing everything below.
Tsunade crossed her arms under her chest with a meaningful look in her eyes. She had high expectations for Naruto and hoped that he could climb higher mountains, travel to more vibrant and distant places.
Not be trapped in Konoha, like a prisoner with no sense of belonging.
Tsunade knew Naruto's boundary-less personality well. It was precisely because of this that she wasn't blindly optimistic. She knew better than anyone that Naruto didn't really have any attachment to the village.
He stayed in Konoha simply because it was a place he could stay. As for what would become of Naruto in the future, she wasn't sure herself.
"Um…" Naruto began, reaching out his hand toward Katsuyu, trying to say something to break the awkward silence.
But in the next moment, Katsuyu slowly lowered her head, adopting a submissive posture.
Naruto was stunned, then he quickly turned around and saw Tsunade leaning against the red wooden door of the rooftop.
He suddenly felt a little disappointed, 'So it was because Tsunade was here… I thought Katsuyu was bowing to me.'
He sighed and opened his mouth, but before he could speak, he heard Tsunade say, "Okay, that's enough. You go back."
She waved her hand, and Katsuyu disappeared with a bang.
"Ah! How could my Summoned Beast listen to you!" Naruto's face was full of sadness and resentment, "How can this be!!!"
Tsunade was speechless and waved her hand, gesturing for him to come closer.
"Come here."
"Huh?" Naruto moved closer, but before he could react, Tsunade grabbed him and pinned him against the wall, and he couldn't budge.
"What do you mean your Summoned Beast? So the moment it's in your hands, it's yours, huh?" Tsunade scolded him, punishing the guy who tried to take advantage of public resources for personal use, "I gave you the summoning scroll, do you understand?"
"I gave it to you!"
"… Understood." Naruto felt like his bones were about to fall apart and quickly nodded in agreement.
Hearing this, Tsunade finally let Naruto go. She rubbed her forehead and said, "Come with me, I have something to discuss with you."
"Oh."
The rain outside showed no signs of letting up. After Tsunade led Naruto away, the two Anbu's members exchanged a glance and disappeared as well.
With a rustle, the curtains of the Hokage's Office were drawn by Tsunade.
Seeing this, Naruto felt his legs go weak. He crouched by the door, looking sheepish and said with a hint of grievance, "Tsunade-sama, this isn't good."
"What are you talking about?" Tsunade plopped down into the Hokage's chair and glanced at Naruto from the corner of her eye, "The proposal for Team 7's reorganization has been finalized."
"Do you want to know the details?"
Naruto thought for a moment, then nodded, "Yes."
"The opinions from the higher-ups pretty much come down to a handful of people." Tsunade leaned back lazily in her chair, "Anbu will send one Jonin Instructor, and the Root will send a Genin."
After hearing this, Naruto basically knew the arrangement of the top management for Team 7, 'The Jonin Instructor should be Yamato, also known as real estate builder, and the Genin will be Sai, the autistic man who draws.'
"My suggestion is to temporarily halt the reorganization of Team 7." Tsunade suddenly said.
"Huh? Why?" Naruto was a little surprised.
He didn't particularly care about the reorganization of Team 7. Either way, he'd be just taking it easy. He planned to stick around until adulthood, then surprise Konoha with something big.
The chaotic Gods seemed to be watching him. The moment he got into any relationship with an underage girl that went beyond holding hands, he'd spontaneously combust!
But letting go of all constraints felt so liberating, he couldn't wait to inherit Jiraiya's legacy and become the next great risqué writer of the Shinobi World.
So, when he heard Tsunade mention pausing the reorganization of Team 7, it didn't really bother him. It didn't matter, as even if they were to reform, he had no intention of trying to save Sai.
If Sai got in his way, he'd gladly bash his head in.
"Reorganizing Team 7 right now doesn't benefit you. Danzo's intentions are too murky, and I don't trust it." Tsunade said as if discussing a trivial matter.
"Since you can summon Katsuyu, there's no need to worry about dying suddenly in some corner. On a personal note, I'd rather have you focus on training for a few years. After all, for now, Konoha doesn't particularly need you."
"Training? Not interested at all." Naruto blurted out instinctively.
Hearing this, Tsunade surprisingly didn't get angry. She just gave him a deep look and said, "It's all right. I just said that casually."
"Since that's how you feel, there's another matter." Tsunade paused before continuing, "Gaara, from our allied village, Sunagakure, is in some trouble, and the Anbu has infiltrated Sunagakure."
"By this summer or next year at the latest, another faction in the Sunagakure is expected to take action. Be prepared. If necessary, you might have to carry out missions in the ambiguous border area between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire."
"Got it."