PAT: Hey, guys. I'm taking a short break to write this fic. It doesn't have a pairing, but is Tsunade-centric. BTW, Sasuke was stopped and realized his utter, emo angst stupidity and…yeah. Well, enjoy.

Disclaimer: Do I look like Masashi? No?

Well now that we've cleared that up, let me just say…today is my birthday and I decided to treat my readers with a new Naruto fic.

The Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure, Tsunade of the Sannin, was tired, tired and busy. No one actually noticed, but Tsunade hadn't been drinking lately, the last week or so. She had gone into a deep trance that day, while she had a lapse in work and stress, and while in that trance, something snapped. For the first time in her adult life, at least since she was very young, the Legendary Slug Princess was completely and utterly disgusted with herself. She had looked at the tall bottle of sake that sat, unopened, within arm's reach of her now clenched fist. Rage and shame mixed with the feelings of disgust and she grabbed the bottle and within seconds, the bottle had shattered, and a large, floating glob of sake remained in the air.

Hate filled eyes glared into amber-brown liquid, and with an annoyed flick of her wrist, the glob had flown out the window and most likely splashed somewhere in the forest that was within Tsunade's range. A sharp inhale preceded sounds of frantic searching, drawers and compartments were yanked open, any source of alcohol was found and disposed of. A hot, throbbing began to beat behind the temples of the enraged blonde. Glowing golden-brown eyes began to moisten, blazing tears streaking down a snarling face.

Tsunade stopped. Her breath was heavy, and she knew her office was full of the same hateful feelings that burned a hole in her stomach. Glass shards of many colors littered the area around her desk within a five foot radius, she knew that the alcohol she had thrown out into the forest would probably cause some strange events, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

What the hell had she been doing all these years? How could she have let herself fall this far? Sake? Gambling? Ugh, no wonder she never let down the genjutsu! Her tolerance for alcohol had made her all but immune, but it had most likely destroyed her body. Her organs were fine, but she knew that the damage from the poisonous liquid would be hell to undo.

'I've been destroying myself…all these years…all this regret…oh God…Dan, Nawaki, Grandfather, Sensei, Minato, you must all be so ashamed…so disappointed…ugh, no!'

A sob escaped her, the tears came faster, hotter, the pain in her skull beating her down. Her hands shook, she stared at the broken glass, and then…she broke.

Tsunade-hime, probably one of the most feared and well-respected kunoichi of her generation, the direct descendant of Konohagakure's founding father…Godaime Hokage to the same village…she sat at her desk, surrounded by glittering shards of broken glass, her face leaning into her hands, supported by her elbows on her desk, silent sobs racking her body. No one was there to witness her moment of self-realization, no one had any thought to check in on the Hokage, no one…however, that did not mean that no one could sense her great sorrow and self-loathing.

/Konohagakure's Ninja Academy\\

Umino Iruka's chocolate tressed head shot up from its small respite after his last class was let out. A sense of utter wrong was ringing through his body, worry sending alarms screaming in his analytical mind. He knew not to ignore these warnings, he'd had them before, often leading him to saving others from their personal darkness…the most recent being Uchiha Sasuke, but he'd have time to reflect on that later, right now, he was pulling on his discarded gear and mentally flashing through names of people he knew, trying to pick up on any clues as to who needed him right now.

Tying his long hair into its usual top tail, Iruka paused, feeling four familiar chakra signatures approaching. He wasn't really that surprised, and teleported himself out to meet them.

/Memorial Stone\\

Hatake Kakashi leapt up from his vaguely Nara-like position resting against the stone with a serious aura. He knew the sensation that swirled in his stomach, the self-disgust, the shame, the panic. He had been reliving more pleasant memories, and so he knew the feelings belonged to someone else who needed his help. Having lived through many experiences where the feelings had actually been his own, he knew enough to differentiate between his personal emotions, and the more physiologic sensations he felt when others needed him.

Leaping through parts of Konoha with no thought to those who could see him, he headed in the direction of the Academy, knowing he could ascertain a better estimation as to the origins of the actual feelings from such a perfectly positioned part of Konoha. He barely even acknowledged Sakura when she flashed just to his left, not that she had done so either.

/Konohagakure's Hospital\\

Haruno Sakura had just gotten off her shift in the hospital when her Inner self began to wake. Instantly, Sakura sped through a shower and change, barely even combing her damp, cherry pink locks when she slipped on her gloves and sandals, tied on her headband and teleported out on to the roof of her apartment. She began heading towards the Academy, the familiar surroundings and strategic positioning of the Academy was sure to give her better focus. Inner Sakura was quiet, but the feelings of worry and protection were clearly what kept her so subdued. Sakura's jade green eyes narrowed, her lean legs pumping faster and her light steps quickening until she had caught up to Kakashi-sensei. The pinkette paid him the briefest of attention before she locked back on to her target. The academy was coming into view, and her senses tingled at the feel of three other chakra signatures.

A brief flash of yellow and black followed a blur of white and red before Sakura and Kakashi lighted on the nostalgic grounds of the Ninja Academy.

/Training Ground\\

Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya of the Sannin had been sparring for old time's sake when both froze in their spots. Naruto's endless cobalt eyes narrowed and darkened to a slitted violet color, his scars becoming only slightly darker, hair lightening to a platinum blonde with gold streaks, his body becoming slightly leaner, almost slender. The boy's forehead had begun to tingle in a single spot, the same spot where a certain pigtailed Hokage had flicked him. The necklace given to him by that same kunoichi began to feel warm on his chest, glowing slightly. He knew. She needed him, how much, he couldn't tell. But a voice in the back of his head told him that he wasn't the only one who knew this.

Gazing at the blonde chuunin, the silver haired Toad Sage was sober and not even a hint of perversion could be seen in his stance and face. Mahogany eyes locked with fox-slitted violet orbs, a silent signal having been acknowledged, and all that was left in the clearing, were two faint after images. Jiraiya noticed Naruto's sudden and mysterious speed, but he decided he'd mull it over when the whole ordeal was over. The two were silent, Jiraiya having been focused on keeping up with the blurring blonde, having seen Kakashi and Sakura before he and Naruto finally landed in the yard of the Academy.

Kakashi and Sakura had barely touched ground when a puff of smoke caught the attention of all present.

/Front Lawn of Academy\\

Iruka was serious when he said he hadn't been surprised at the presence of Kakashi, Sakura, Jiraiya, and definitely not Naruto, but the one thing on his mind was trying to think of anyone (besides Naruto) that could possibly cause all five of them to gather so suddenly like this.

"Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Jiraiya-sensei, come. Follow me. She needs us."

All eyes were now on the blonde, some being a little surprised by his subtle changes. His voice had become deeper, more animalistic, but the tone was still Naruto. They nodded and the three shinobi and one kunoichi followed the blonde and only became more determined once they realized that the Hokage's office was the only place important enough to be positioned where they were headed.

Once inside, they all bypassed a concerned Shizune who ended up following them, and walked straight into Tsunade's office. Tsunade, to get her mind off of her failures, had resumed her work, ignoring the fact that the shattered glass from the previous week still decorated the area around her desk. She looked tired, depressed, and her head was stuffy from her bouts of rage induced tears.

"Wha? What are you all doing in here? You know you can't-"

Naruto's arms around her, his head laying on her shoulder, Jiraiya's hand squeezing her shoulder, Sakura's fussing and worried questions, Iruka's determined cleaning spree, and Kakashi's silent empathy…all of it…her teeth clenched, her eyes burned, she tried to force the sobs back.

"Oh! Tsunade-chan! What happened? Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

It was Shizune's sisterly concern that did her in. Tsunade could no longer hold in the tears. She sobbed and sobbed, clutching at anything warm, trying not to crush, but just wanting to be held for once. Love, respect, calm, peace, warmth, acceptance, the bodies surrounding her glowed with an all consuming feeling of home. Tsunade's eyes opened and caught on the child-like, world torn, slitted violet eyes of her most treasured piece of home.

"S-Sochi¹…"

"Okaa."

Tsunade embraced Naruto's warm body, unbelievably grateful that he hadn't rejected her. It was time. Tsunade sighed, feeling exponentially calmer, sitting back down in her chair. The others pulled random chairs and stools, creating a circle of warmth around her. She breathed deeply, and began to speak.

Days later, if one were to visit the Godaime Hokage, they would not only say she looked better than she ever had before, but she looks so much…lighter…like nothing could ever darken the smile that continuously stretched her lips.