Naruto: Marrying Tsunade

Chapter 1 - Classmates

Year 17 of Konoha.

Ninja Academy, Class 1-A.

The first day of school.

A five-year-old boy named Aokiji slouched lazily on his desk, yawning, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to sleep. However, beneath his drooping eyelids, his gaze remained fixed on the girl sitting closest to the podium.

"I'm going to marry her someday."

He absentmindedly rubbed his chin, making a silent vow to himself.

It might seem abrupt, but he figured an explanation was necessary.

This wasn't some case of early romance—this was loli… No, this was for the sake of his clan.

The classroom's middle-aged instructor, who appeared to be in his thirties, clapped his hands to gather the students' attention.

"I've already introduced myself, so now it's your turn. Who would like to go first?"

The students exchanged hesitant glances, unsure of what to do.

This was understandable—everyone was a stranger to each other, and not many were comfortable introducing themselves and sharing their aspirations in front of the whole class.

Perhaps sensing this, the teacher decided not to wait any longer and began calling names to break the ice.

Just as he was about to pick someone, a cute, bell-like voice rang out.

"Teacher, I'll go first."

All eyes in the classroom turned toward the source of the voice. The speaker was a girl with golden hair and brown eyes, her round face delicately sculpted, resembling a porcelain doll.

The teacher's eyes lit up with approval. As expected of that man's granddaughter.

Under everyone's gaze, the girl walked confidently to the front of the class and introduced herself.

"My name is Tsunade. My dream is to one day become Hokage, just like my grandfather, and protect the village."

Her words carried weight.

Several students quickly caught on and began whispering among themselves.

"So that means… the Hokage is your…?"

A student couldn't resist asking.

Tsunade, full of pride, nodded without hesitation. "Yes, the First Hokage is my grandfather."

The classroom erupted in an instant.

After all, the First Hokage, the God of Shinobi who had pacified the warring states era, held an unparalleled position in Konoha.

As Tsunade returned to her seat, she was instantly surrounded and treated like princess.

"That's a wonderful dream, Tsunade. Everyone should aspire to be like her," the teacher said, raising his voice slightly to quiet the students.

With her as an example, the others found it easier to follow suit. Starting from Tsunade's seat, the teacher continued calling students one by one.

After several rounds, it was finally Aokiji's turn.

The boy lazily walked up to the front of the class and said, "My name is Uchiha Aokiji. My dream is simple—to live like a plant."

The room fell into silence.

What? Live like a plant?

The teacher pondered his words for a moment before responding with a warm smile. "That's a wonderful dream. Like a plant, you can silently grow every day, and one day, you'll become a towering tree that shelters others—just like the Will of Fire."

"Oh, no, not quite," Aokiji corrected, waving his hand dismissively. "What I meant is that plants don't have to do anything. They just bask in the sun all day and, if they're lucky, live for hundreds of years. That kind of simple life sounds ideal to me."

The sudden turn in conversation hit like a whirlwind.

The teacher was momentarily speechless, lips twitching slightly.

The classroom remained eerily silent for a moment—then erupted into laughter.

In short… wasn't this just straight-up giving up on life?

If Tsunade's dream had been something everyone admired, then Aokiji's was the complete opposite—met with sheer disbelief.

"Uh… Aokiji, that doesn't really count as a dream, does it?"

At this moment, the teacher couldn't help but question whether the "Uchiha" in this boy's name was even real.

From his impression, Uchiha children were often aloof, difficult to befriend, and highly ambitious. But this kid was an absolute oddball.

Aokiji blinked his round eyes innocently and countered, "A life without work—how is that not an amazing dream?"

Amazing?!

The teacher wanted to refute him immediately, but after thinking it over, he hesitated.

Actually… it was kind of amazing.

There were people who struggled just to survive—so compared to that, Aokiji's dream really did sound… pretty damn nice.

After all, to live like that, one would need to be incredibly rich first.

"Aokiji, you may return to your seat."

Aokiji strolled back without a care.

Of course, he hadn't said that just to mess around—this was all carefully planned.

It might seem like he was living an easy life in the Academy, but outside, the world was at war.

The last thing he wanted was to be too outstanding and get dragged into the battlefield, becoming yet another sacrificial pawn for Konoha's so-called "great tree."

Additionally, the Uchiha clan had a reputation for being aggressive and warlike. By acting as though he had no ambition, he could lower others' guards and make them perceive him as harmless—a crucial step toward his real goal: becoming Hokage.

Of course, a five-year-old shouldn't be this scheming, but that was because Aokiji wasn't originally from this world. He was a reincarnated orphan.

His goal wasn't about some grand ambition or noble cause. It was survival.

After the war ended, Konoha's higher-ups would undoubtedly start eliminating potential threats. And as a member of the Uchiha, he was sure to be caught in the crossfire.

The best way to prevent that? Have an Uchiha become Hokage.

He couldn't count on the rest of his clan.

They were all too straightforward. In the original story, they had planned a coup but openly discussed it in the Naka Shrine like it was a public forum, practically begging to be discovered.

So, if no one else would do it, he would.

Ordinarily, a reincarnated person should have some kind of cheat ability, right? Maybe a powerful system or a template based on his name? But no—he had nothing.

Well… not nothing.

His late mother had possessed the Ice Release bloodline.

In other words, he had inherited both the Uchiha and Ice Release bloodlines, making him a potential powerhouse in the future.

Once a bloodline awakens, a ninja's chakra grows exponentially. Under strong emotional stimulation, it can even skyrocket or go berserk.

A classic example was Haku from the original story, whose abilities awakened after witnessing his mother's death, killing everyone around him in an instant.

On top of that, as an Uchiha, Aokiji already had significantly more chakra than the average person.

Sasuke was able to use the Great Fireball Jutsu at six years old when most ninja struggled with it at twelve. Given Aokiji's dual bloodline, he could probably reach elite jonin levels of chakra without even unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Who needed a cheat ability? He was the cheat.

That said, he wasn't getting his hopes up too soon—just in case.

After all, inheriting multiple bloodlines wasn't exactly common.

Soon after Aokiji's introduction, another boy stepped up.

Aokiji rested his chin on his hand, watching the soft-featured child dressed in traditional robes.

Orochimaru.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was the future scientist himself.

Perhaps drawn together by some mysterious force, Orochimaru glanced at Aokiji after his introduction.

Their eyes met.

Aokiji grinned.

"Ah, a kindred spirit. We'll have to get to know each other better."

Of course, his priorities remained unchanged.

His gaze shifted to the golden-haired girl, Tsunade.

The Uchiha clan had been utterly screwed over.

Despite their sacrifices in every war, they were never even considered for the position of Hokage.

After the Fourth Hokage's death, the Third snatched back power under the pretense of "necessity," and the Uchiha were conveniently blamed for the Nine-Tails attack and exiled from Konoha's center.

If they wanted real power, brute strength wasn't enough.

They needed political leverage.

Which was why… Tsunade was his best bet.

Uchiha and Senju—when these two forces united, the possibilities were endless.

Madara had gotten it all wrong.

And Aokiji would be the one to correct it — by marrying Tsunade and combining both clans!