Tectonic Names

The quiet inside Tsunade's office was unnatural.Not just still—unnatural. The kind of quiet that followed news, real news. The kind of quiet that left even seasoned shinobi uneasy. Shizune stood stiffly by the door, papers clutched in her hands, lips pressed into a thin line.Tsunade sat behind her desk, eyes narrowed, a scroll unrolled in front of her. The contents weren't just troubling. They were infuriating.She slammed her hand onto the desk, making inkpots rattle and Shizune flinch."He what?" she hissed.Shizune swallowed. "Naruto… apparently revealed his status as the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki to the Kiri envoy."Tsunade shot up from her seat. "Was he trying to start a war?!" She began pacing, arms crossed, eyes burning. "The identity of a Jinchūriki is sensitive intel. We've never confirmed it to foreign powers. We don't advertise it!""It wasn't intentional," Shizune said softly. "According to the report, it slipped out in conversation. The Kiri envoy interpreted it as a show of trust."Tsunade's pacing stopped cold. "A show of trust?"She stared at the scroll again, as if it personally offended her."…That idiot."But the fury was already starting to melt. Slowly, begrudgingly.Her shoulders slumped as she stared out the window. Konoha's rooftops stretched out below her, peaceful—for now. Tsunade rubbed her forehead."He's too honest for his own good," she muttered. "Just like Jiraiya."Silence.Then the door creaked open."Hey," came a familiar voice, soft but confident.Naruto stepped in, hands in his pockets, hair tousled from the wind. His newly grown frame filled the doorway in a way that caught Tsunade slightly off guard, even now. There was a quiet gravity to him lately.Shizune quickly excused herself.Tsunade gestured for him to come in, voice tight. "We need to talk."⸻Naruto stood across from her, arms folded, gaze steady. There was no sheepish grin this time, no nervous laugh."I messed up," he said before she could start.Tsunade blinked. "You—what?""I know I wasn't supposed to say anything," he continued, "but it came out. I wasn't thinking. It just… happened."She stared at him for a long moment, caught between annoyance and some strange kind of pride."Do you understand how dangerous that was?""Yeah," he said, without hesitation. "I do."The maturity in his voice surprised her.Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "They mistook it for diplomacy. That might've saved us from disaster. This time.""I didn't do it for diplomacy," he replied. "I was just being real with them. I'm not good at pretending to be something I'm not."Tsunade smiled faintly despite herself. "No. You're really not."He hesitated."Obaa-chan… you think I can do this?"Tsunade blinked again. "Do what?""Protect the village. Keep this place together. Be someone people can count on."For a moment, Tsunade saw past the confidence—into the old Naruto, the boy who once begged her to take him seriously.Then she looked again and saw something else.Someone who wasn't a boy anymore."You've got more weight on your shoulders than any Genin ever should," she said quietly. "But if anyone can handle it… it's you."Naruto smiled, faint but genuine."And I've been meaning to tell you," he added. "I've been working on naming my new ability.""Oh?" she raised a brow. "You finally decided?"He nodded. "Quake Release."Tsunade blinked, once, slowly. "…Fitting.""Felt right."She looked at him for a long time."You really are his son," she murmured.Naruto frowned slightly. "Who's?"But Tsunade didn't answer. She simply stood and moved around the desk, wrapping her arms around him in a firm, protective hug."You're family, brat. Always will be."Naruto froze for half a second, then leaned into it."…Thanks."⸻Somewhere in the Land of Rain, beneath a storm-washed sky, Pain stood at the highest point of Amegakure's tallest spire. The wind whipped his cloak around him. Raindrops fell like glass beads, steady and eternal.Konan approached from behind."You're stalling," she said quietly."I'm waiting," he corrected."For what?""For the world to believe it's safe again."Konan stepped closer, gaze unblinking. "You killed Jiraiya. The world still trembles from that alone. Why wait to strike now?"Pain's expression was unreadable, but his eyes never left the horizon."Because they expect us to."He turned to her then, Rinnegan gleaming in the rain."The loss of Jiraiya broke their morale, but it also put them on alert. If we strike now, they'll rally behind their fear."Konan didn't speak.Pain continued."Let them believe in peace. Let them believe they've survived the worst. Then we show them what true pain is."⸻Deep beneath Konoha, Danzo read another report in silence.Naruto had returned.He'd spoken openly to the Mizukage's envoys.And now, whispers of Quake Release had begun to circulate in Root's darkest corners—though none could confirm its full nature yet.Danzo crushed the paper in his fist.The boy's power was growing. His influence expanding.And worst of all, his name was spreading beyond the village.Danzo could already see it—other nations would begin to question Konoha's silence on the identity of the Fourth Hokage's son. Secrets were unraveling.Too fast."He must be controlled," he said aloud, to no one.A Root agent knelt silently."Prepare contingency plans. If Tsunade will not reign him in… we will."