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There is a rather substantial sub-group in Naruto fiction. You've all read them. They are those stories where, right after trying to prevent the beloved Uchiha's defection, Konoha throws Naruto out.

I've recently become tired enough of that whole genre to issue to a challenge.

The Missing Hokage challenge.

We all know how Tsunade only returned to Konoha because of Naruto. Well, in this case, the start of the divergence is when the council starts to get all huffy, overruling her about the boy so they can banish him, Tsunade DOES NOT just sit back and take it like a little lost lamb.

If they are throwing out the reason she returned to town in the first place, she goes with him. Thus, you have the Missing Hokage, as Tsunade just packs up and walks out of town with Naruto. Shizune, Tonton and Hinata all trailing along.

But she's smart enough not to leave without first using that Hokage stamp to her advantage. 'Team Hokage' are pardoned of all past crimes, released from all future obligations, and are walking out with several notable treasures, including the Scroll of Forbidden Seals and a sizable fraction of the town's treasury - all released to herself under her authority as Hokage.

If they want to treat her family like crap, she can return that favor.

Things to happen in this challenge:

One, Tsunade took the hat with her.

Two, she takes both Naruto and Hinata on as her apprentices, after promoting both to chunin on her authority as Hokage. Naruto goes through some extreme, and probably ongoing, chakra control training, but both Naruto and Hinata start powering up, learning her strength and medical techniques.

Three, Tsunade and Shizune start studying from the Scroll of Forbidden Seals, and secrets from it are held out as rewards to the two kids for successfully completing bits of their medical training.

Four, the group goes through a period of being wandering treasure hunters, like Indiana Jones, but ninja. They can move through any countries or encounter any characters the author likes while doing this. One preferred treasure hunt is to penetrate a certain castle and RETRIEVE, not destroy, the Lizard summoning contract held within.

Five, One of the things they walked out with was Sarutobi's Monkey Summoning contract. Holding multiple summon contracts is possible, but most people have no reason to, not even having enough chakra to summon one boss, let alone need many.

Six, because of their skills and treasures (both taken from Konoha and recovered on hunts), ALL of the Hidden Villages, major and minor, are trying to get the Missing Hokage to settle down in their village. Some use fair means like persuassion and incentives, others play foul.

Seven, the Kitsune Clan bloodline from my fic, Chunin Exam Day, is available for Naruto and Hinata if you want to use it. That includes the regeneration, chakra boost, nearly prehensile tail and parabolic ears, although if you can find a way to add Wood or Ice you are welcome to them.

Eight, this should be a Naruto/Hinata matchup, though harems are also acceptible.

Back around town, the following should happen:

One, people are very upset, for any number of reasons. People, especially Team 7 (whether Sasuke was retrieved or not), who expected things to get better with Naruto gone are disappointed. If anything, stuff they expected to improve with Naruto gone are going the other way.

Two, with no one doing the paperwork, Konoha's infrastructure and mission assignments are doing poorly.

Three, in response to number two, above, the village council that drove her away eventually decides to revoke Tsunade's title of Hokage for extreme dereliction of duty (this, after her face is at least partly carved onto the monument). In her place, they appoint Jiraiya, this time successfully getting him to accept the post.

Four, Jiraiya tries to get the council to revoke their decree of banishment on Naruto. They refuse. He points out that they have now directly opposed four of the six Hokages they've ever had on this issue. The Fourth wanted him to be seen as a hero, the Third wanted him treated better, the Fifth left town with him when they banished him, and now Jiraiya, the Sixth, wants him back and they won't agree. When they still refuse, he pulls almost an identical exit to Tsunade's, leaving town with a few genin and loads of treasures to go join up with Tsunade. He takes the newly made replacement hat with him.

Five, soon after the departure of the Sixth Hokage, they appoint a Seventh: Kakashi.

Six, although Kakashi stays in town, ALL of his bad habits as a genin teacher carry over to his tenure as Hokage, and between his extreme lateness and laziness, having Kakashi as Hokage is almost no better than having no Hokage at all. The town is going to pieces, the clans are unhappy, and NOBODY can do any missions because the paperwork on everything is so far behind. Konoha literally starts going to pieces, and some factions become desperate to get one of their missing Hokages back.