Reaching For A Dream by Noodlehammer

Chapter 24

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One week after Naruto's defection.

Tsunade sighed to herself as she leaned back in her chair and stared at the pile of paperwork in front of her. Not that the paperwork was really a problem since Naruto had told her about the shadow clone cheat on it, but she just didn't feel like doing it.

She had just recently finished Naruto's bingo book entry and in a few weeks or so, every shinobi in the Elemental Nations was likely to know him. He had already garnered something of a reputation before going missing-nin, but it was nothing compared to what he would have now. That was mostly because they had managed to keep the full breadth of his power and ability hidden since he hadn't gone on that many missions.

With that in mind, she had deliberately made his bingo book entry as imposing as possible, while revealing little in the way of relevant information. The skills revealed in it were mostly things that had already been known and the things that weren't known weren't going to help anyone if they knew about them. She was hoping that everyone would get the idea that he was simply too dangerous to be messed with.

She had been sorely tempted to note his marital status to the Kyuubi in there as well, but caution demanded that she keep that fact hidden as much as possible. It would hardly be the first time that a seemingly irrelevant piece of information led to disaster. Oh, she certainly expected that it would be impossible to keep a lid on the fact that Xanna was free indefinitely, but it was better than blurting it all out openly. Every civilian that lived in a hidden village knew that they weren't supposed to discuss such things with outsiders, but they were civilians in the end...it was bound to get out. His personal relationships were also kept secret for the most part, in an effort to prevent anyone from going after the people close to him.

Ever since her conversation with Xanna about Naruto's mental state, she hadn't been able to shake a sense of resentment towards the village and it was making her reluctant to even continue being Hokage. It was no wonder that Naruto wanted nothing to do with the hat if this was what she felt after learning just a part of what he had gone through. The idea of protecting Konoha with his life must have been laughable.

Tsunade had to wonder just what had happened to Konoha that it's people would be able to do something like that to a child. Oh sure, looking at just the actions of a single individual, it wouldn't be anything too bad, but taken as a whole it was terrible. Her grandfather would never have tolerated that kind of behavior. Despite the fact that the man had been one of the kindest and most generous people you could meet, he would have kicked anyone that did that kind of thing to a child half to death.

Not that it would have ever come to that under his watch. She thought to herself with bitter irony. Though he had died when she had been very young, she could still remember the way that the man had drawn people to him and inspired them to follow him. His charisma had truly been something to behold. No doubt he would have found a way to have Naruto respected and seen as a hero for protecting the village by containing the demon...False though the claim would have been, since Xanna apparently didn't care about Konoha one way or the other.

And that was the crux of it wasn't it...why the village was in such a sorry state compared to the time when the Shodai had ruled. Charisma...Except for the Shodai and Yondaime Hokage's, no other Hokage was particularly charismatic.

The Nidaime and Sandaime had been highly intelligent men, but they couldn't reach the hearts of people. Both had clutched at the shadow of the Shodai's vision and teachings, but couldn't truly measure up to the man as Hokage. They had been effective leaders, but not good ones. They would have made for extraordinary advisors, if only there had been a man or woman out there that could have been Hokage in their place. Senju Hashirama had been a man that had wanted peace for the world, while those who came after him only wanted prosperity for Konoha. It was staggering, how much that kind of thing had influenced and shaped the mindsets of those that called Konoha their home.