A/N: This fic is for Sakura Week 2018, Day 3: From a Bud to a Blossom. I've always loved the thought of this pairing. Personally, I can't ship Tsunade with any male characters. I can only pair her with Sakura, Shizune, or Mei. So I figured Sakura Week would be the perfect opportunity to experiment with this pairing and give it some of the attention it deserves.
Consent is an incredibly important thing to me not just in daily life but in my writing. Although there will be some pining and self loathing in the beginning because of Sakura's young age when Tsunade realizes her feelings (17 years old), Sakura will be of age when the romance begins (20 years old).
There were only three times in Tsunade's life where she was certain she was going to die.
The first was during the Third Shinobi War when her, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya had been trapped in a cave together, bearing the brunt of an assault from shinobi from the Hidden Stone. The second was when Orochimaru had tried to return to her the lives of Dan and her little brother Nawaki in exchange for healing his arms. After having refused, she had accepted that she was ready to die to be reunited with the ones she loved only for that blond haired brat to ruin her plans.
The third was now.
Tsunade's head lolled to the side, her blurry eyes barely able to process the destroyed landscape around her. She could spot the fiery hair of Mei in the distance and the tiny, battered body of the Onoki just nearby. A and Gaara's bodies were somewhere too far for her to see but she could tell by the absence of chakra all around her that they would soon be gone if they weren't already.
Just like she would be soon.
Tsunade had heard legends of Madara Uchiha's power but she had no idea how deadly he truly was.
Her eyes slid shut as she fought back another wave of pain, the scattered bodies of Katsuyu desperately trying to piece together her bisected body. Even though her lower half lied apart from her, she still felt as if every nerve in her legs and hips were on fire. The pain was so immense that, even with blood loss fogging her sense, she could feel every slithering motion of Katsuyu against her wounds like a red hot brand.
In all the previous instances that Tsunade had been certain she was going to die, she hadn't been given the opportunity to think. She had never been allowed to reflect and the slow, agonizing death she was being subjected to now gave with it the mixed blessing of being able to look back on her life.
As she reflected, one face in particular kept making its reappearance over and over again: the face of her young apprentice Sakura Haruno.
With her recurring appearance came the recurring feeling of shame and self loathing. No matter how hard she tried to deny it or ignore it, she had done the unthinkable.
Tsunade had fallen in love with her student.
Even now, with the pain shooting through what felt like every inch of her body as Katsuyu frantically tried to piece her back together, Tsunade had the energy to feel ashamed.
Their relationship had began so innocent, so pure. Just a young woman trying to find her strength and a legendary kunoichi more than happy to take her under her wing. Tsunade had always, would always, be impressed by Sakura's tenacity and her willingness to learn.
She had withstood training sessions that grown shinobi would turn away from and had always come back for more. She had taken on extraordinary quests of learning and had come back with more information than she had been sent to garner. She had taken the jutsu that Tsunade had taught her and had made them more efficient, more stable, and more powerful.
Tsunade had come to respect the young woman and had used her determination and intelligence to further her training to the point where, during this damned war, Tsunade wouldn't be hesitant to insist that Sakura was as powerful as she was. Her precious student easily sat at the level of Kage and that fact filled her with pride.
She hadn't always felt this way for her young student. Tsunade tried to pinpoint the moment in which her feelings began to change, in which she began to look at Sakura differently, but she couldn't place the exact moment. She could, however, remember the exact moment her attraction had made itself apparent: after Sakura had detailed to her how her and Chiyo had defeated Sasori of the Red Sands.
Tsunade had felt a maelstrom of emotions following the return of the teams she had sent to Suna. She had been horrified that her apprentice had been thrown into such a dangerous situation but that horror had been overshadowed by how incredibly proud she had been.
Not only had Sakura saved the life of the Kazekage's elder brother but she had defeated one of the members of the Akatsuki, an S-class missing ninja, with the help of a kunoichi of the Sand. Tsunade had never expected her pupil to accomplish something so mind boggling, so incredible, so stupidly dangerous that it made her heart hurt.
More than anything else, Tsunade had been so happy, so relieved, that Sakura was home and safe that she wanted to wrap her up in her arms and kiss her.
That realization and the shame that had come with it had fueled a drinking binge that Tsunade had conveniently blamed on the stress from the Akatsuki's attack. A low hanging fruit of excuses but one that was believable enough. Anything was better than admitting that she was ashamed for having romantic thoughts about her seventeen year old apprentice.
She was a fifty-four year old woman and Sakura's mentor. Such thoughts were more than just inappropriate, they were wrong. She had watched Sakura grow from a bud to a blossom. She was supposed to be someone who Sakura could trust and rely on, not a perverted old woman who had intimate thoughts about her.
Months later, and more carafes of sake than she would care to admit, Tsunade's feeling had yet to dissipate. If anything, they had only grown more powerful.
She watched on as Sakura continued to grow and become even stronger. She saved Naruto's life following the nine-tails takeover of his body, she repaired Naruto's arm after it had been destroyed from the inside following his first use of his dangerous new jutsu, and she defeated the jonin level kunoichi, Fuen, during her group's invasion of Konoha.
As Tsunade watched, she could feel as her feelings continued to grow, despite her desperately shoving them down.
The moment that Tsunade had finally accepted her feelings was when Sakura had saved her life.
During Pain's assault on Konoha, Tsunade had used everything she had, all the chakra in her seal and every ounce of power in her body, to save the lives of all those in Konoha under her protection. After her desperate gamble, one she had won despite her reputation, she had lost consciousness from the strain.
When she had finally woken up from her coma, she had learned from Shizune that it had been Sakura who had saved her life. Who had kept her alive and who had cared for her following the attack.
Tsunade had been unable to deny her feelings for Sakura any longer but had decided to keep her secret until her death. She couldn't bear the thought of losing the companionship and the trust she shared with Sakura be exposing her to her shameful secret.
As Tsunade stared up at the starry sky above her, feeling as her body slowly succumbed to her wounds, she felt regret. As she waited to die, knowing that Katsuyu's desperate efforts to fix her were in vain, she mourned for the time she would no longer be able to spend with Sakura. How she wouldn't be able to see her surpass her, how she would never see her gain her Strength of a Hundred seal, how she would never see her grow into the beautiful woman she knew she would become…
Tsunade's eyes slid shut, silent tears slowly building. As she laid on her back, the wood style conjured tree beneath her serving as her deathbed, she grieved. And as she grieved, she made a promise.
If she somehow, miraculously, lived to see another day… She would tell Sakura how she felt.
It was only moments later that the sound of footsteps approaching met her ears.
After the granting of her wish, as if the universe was calling her out of her wager, Tsunade found herself at the front once again with Sakura at her side.
As they worked together to summon Katsuyu, the largest version of the slug that she had ever managed to pull free from the Shikkotsu Forest, Tsunade couldn't tear her eyes off of Sakura.
She looked so magnificent.
Sakura had finally manifested the Strength of a Hundred seal, a symbol which stood proud on her forehead. When it was activated, even partially, Tsunade marveled at how it matched her own partially activated seal. She hadn't experienced this kind of connection since her grandmother Mito had passed down the secret of the seal to her when she was Sakura's age.
For the first time in decades, someone stood at her side with her same strength and she couldn't help but bask in the feeling of it. And when she watched Sakura excel on the battlefield, cutting a swath through the enemy forces like she had been born for war, Tsunade's heart soared in her chest.
When the war finally ended, when the Rabbit Goddess's justu was lifted and the sun finally rose on the victors of the battle… Tsunade realized she would have to make good on her promise.
And in that same moment she realized that she couldn't.
Tsunade continued to ignore her feelings for years, instead quietly keeping her thoughts to herself as she continued to live her life as if everything were normal.
She recovered, the village recovered, and the people recovered. Slowly but surely, the world recuperated from the war that had spanned to include every country. And all the while, Sakura continued to grow into an even more powerful and an even more beautiful woman. Every day she grew more independent, more cunning, and more stunning.
Shortly after Sakura's nineteenth birthday, and shortly after she ascending to the position of jonin, the young kunoichi had had an interesting announcement to make to everyone.
Tsunade would be lying to everyone if she said that she hadn't celebrated when she had discovered that Sakura had abandoned her childhood crush on the Uchiha brat. But she would be lying to herself if she said she hadn't celebrated harder, going as far as to drag Sakura along on her drinking adventure, when her apprentice had announced that she had done so because she was gay.
Which had lead to the situation Tsunade found herself in now.
Both her and Sakura had worked their way to a sake house deep in the outskirts of Konoha, far from the bustling bars in the heart of the reborn city. They had lost Shizune and Ino somewhere during the bar hopping, Tsunade and Sakura having decided at some point in their intoxication that they would enjoy a drink at every bar on the stretch of road they had started on.
After traveling to four different bars, they had lost the other women in the bustle of alcohol and laughter. Tsunade could hardly find it in her to complain. With Shizune and Ino finally gone, she had Sakura's attention all to herself.
Although their joint intoxication, especially following Sakura's revelation, had left Tsunade in a precarious situation.
"Hmm, you're warm," Sakura hummed, a dish of sake still expertly cradled in her hand despite her head tilting to rest against Tsunade's shoulder.
Tsunade blushed as Sakura slowly settled against her, her soft pink hair brushing against the bare skin of her shoulder. She cleared her throat, feigning disinterest as she turned her attention back to her own dish.
"You're drunk, Sakura," she grumbled as she lifted the glass to her lips, throwing back the liquid within.
Sakura just laughed, her warm breath sending a shiver of pleasure down Tsunade's spine which she tried to conceal. She focused on pouring herself another glass, blinking meaningfully to clear her fogging vision.
The young woman lifted her head long enough to finish her drink and set the empty dish on the table before nestling against her side once again. Tsunade hoped the tension in her form wasn't as obvious as it felt to her.
"You smell good, Tsunade…" Sakura purred, happily nuzzling her shoulder, her hands wrapping around her arm to hold her close.
Gods, did she even know what she was doing to her?
"That's Lady Tsunade to you, brat," Tsunade grumbled halfheartedly, her mind flying through all the reasons why her student would suddenly refer to her so casually.
"Whatever you say, Tsunade," she giggled, nestling against her so fully that she was nearly perched in her lap.
"Tch, no respect," the elder woman scoffed, trying to brush off the interaction as Sakura tried her best to slyly crawl into her lap.
She blamed the furious blush spread across her cheeks on the copious sake they had both consumed.
When Shizune and Ino, as intoxicated as they were, finally found where they had secluded themselves, Tsunade had taken the opportunity to leave.
After all, if Sakura continued to act the way she had, Tsunade doubted she would have the self control to restrain herself from finally pulling her into her arms and showing her what affection really was.
The transfer of leadership between Tsunade and Kakashi had been a difficult one and, even though they had progressed so far in the final hand off between the two great powers, much busy work still remained.
Tsunade found herself sequestered into the hokage's office, filing through numerous documents as she attempted to sort through what was important for the change in leadership and what wasn't. The words of the pages had begun to blur so, when her eyes finally drifted away from the papers in a moment of reprieve and she had met the sly gaze of Shizune, she had already been unappreciative of the inevitable commentary.
"Yes, Shizune?" Tsunade sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger as she attempted to relieve the pain building between her eyes.
"Sakura sure seems to have warmed up to you quite a bit, Lady Tsunade," Shizune teased subtly, referring to the state of affection she had stumbled upon just a week previous after Sakura's coming out party.
"Oh?" Tsunade grumbled back, her attention returning to the pile of scattered scrolls before her, hoping that her obvious change in focus would be enough to deter her aid from the unwanted conversation.
Apparently, her hopes were unfounded.
"I would say so. I've never seen Sakura be so… affectionate with anyone. Even Sasuke didn't get such a treatment when he returned," Shizune pushed onwards, her tone as innocent as if she were discussing the weather.
"Huh," the blonde grunted in return, feeling a flicker of anger at the traitorous little Uchiha brat.
"It's funny, you left so early - and how unusual is that for you - that you missed Sakura's little confession that night."
Tsunade's attention perked up at that, her eyes finally flicking away from the scroll in her hands to land on Shizune's smug expression. She scowled in response, her attention returning to the paper that she still hadn't been able to read a word of.
"Oh?" she grumbled, her curiosity about Sakura allowing her to give in to the dark haired woman's baiting.
Shizune hummed in thought as she nonchalantly gathered a scroll from Tsunade's desk, seating herself on the edge of the piece of furniture. She examined the outside of the closed scroll as if it contained information of great interest, dragging out the moment until the sannin was ready to throttle her.
"It appears as if our little Sakura has quite a crush on you, Lady Tsunade," she finally admitted, her eyes drifting away from the scroll to watch Tsunade's reaction.
"W-what?" she stuttered, her expression the picture of shock, as she gaped at Shizune.
Tsunade growled at her own obvious reaction, her face heating from embarrassment as she tore her eyes away from Shizune's quiet, knowing gaze.
"That's ridiculous. She's a third my age, it wouldn't make sense for her to have developed… feelings for me," Tsunade argued weakly.
"Whatever you say… Although I would say that after everything that happened, after the war and with so many people having died…" she began, her tone soft yet heavy with the weight of all their lost friends and family, "Well, a lot of people aren't so uptight about where a person finds love anymore."
The sannin glared up at Shizune, snapping shut the scroll in her hands and deeming it unimportant despite having not read a word of it. She grabbed another scroll from the table, pulling it open with more force than necessary and angling herself away from her aid in a clear dismissal.
Tsunade heard as the door closed, signaling Shizune's departure. Her shoulders slumped as she stared at the paperwork in her hands, finally free of an audience. As she continued with her tedious work, she tried to reasons away Sakura's crush as being ridiculous as she simultaneously tried to brush off the reasoning behind her own heart racing.
It had been nearly a year since that fateful day and a handful of months since Kakashi's ascension to Hokage. Tsunade had been under the impression that her retirement would be one of constant drunkenness, irresponsible gambling, and absolute leisure.
Apparently she had been mistaken.
She felt as if she had only just began to enjoy her retirement when one of her old subordinates, a medical ninja from the hospital Sakura currently operated, approached her with a desperate request.
The young woman had been romantically involved with a missing ninja from another hidden village and, as a result of their forbidden liaison, the missing ninja had been able to steal a valuable scroll regarding a high powered medical ninjutsu that the woman had been studying.
Tsunade had been tempted to demand that the woman follow the proper avenues to request a team of shinobi from the village. When she admitted that she wanted to keep the mission secret because her ex-lover was a woman and that her family would disown her, however, Tsunade had given in.
A terrible mistake, in retrospect. Although perhaps one that had saved the lives of whatever team of shinobi would have been sent into this death trap.
The missing ninja that had been sleeping with the Konoha medical ninja had been just one piece in a vast, unknown organization of outlaw ninja. The group had been taking advantage of the decimation left behind during the war, gaining power for some unknown purpose. A number of ninja who had abandoned their villages before the war began had enlisted the help of numerous others who had fled their countries following the battles they never recovered from. The organization had been using one of Orochimaru's old fortresses as a base of operations, the snake sannin having abandoned a number of his posts following his 'conversion' to the side of good.
From what Tsunade could gather before beginning her battle against the army of missing ninja, the organization had been gathering the scraps left behind following the war. They had stolen corpses of fallen shinobi to take their bloodline jutsu. They had gathered the abandoned weaponry and equipment off of the battlefields to sell to further their operations. Even worse, however, they had wormed their way into the still weakened hearts of those who had suffered during the war to steal even more than what their victims had already lost.
Tsunade realized she had bitten off more than she could chew when the battle against a tide of enemies that never seemed to stop entered it's tenth hour. Opponents fueled by forbidden techniques dredged up from Orochimaru's research, enemies wielding stolen jutsu and bloodline traits, and foes that were so powerful that Tsunade knew they held high bounties in the bingo book rushed to fight against her. Wave after wave of ninja challenged her, and no matter how many she struck down and no matter how far she delved into the underground lair, she never made progress.
Even worse than that, the environment that she was being forced to fight in was one in which she could not fully take advantage of her augmented strength. One false move could send the entire complex crumbling down on top of her and, as much as Tsunade wanted to crush each and every bastard in this godsforsaken hellhole, she would rather do so while leaving with her life.
The slug sannin had been forced to contend not only with the endless enemies but with the traps left behind by her thrice damned ex-teammate. And no matter how far she made her way into the compound, the battles, and the injuries, never stopped. It was following her thirty-fifth confrontation that she had been forced to activate her Strength of a Hundred seal. It was following her seventieth that she had to summon Lady Katsuyu for assistance.
How such a vast organization had gone unchecked for so long was a baffling humiliation on the part of her own village. The fact that she, the Fifth Hokage, had to be the one to clean up the mess was all the more embarrassing. And she would finish what she had started even if it killed everyone in this damned crypt, including herself.
A vow she regretted making when it appeared that it would be the last she ever made.
When Tsunade finally reached the end of the maze of rooms, traps, and missing ninja, she was able to confront the leader of the organization. When she discovered the mastermind behind the army of shinobi was one of her old subordinates and a high ranking member of the Konoha Medical Corps, Furofuki, Tsunade had lost control of her temper.
With her seal drained dry following the hours of constant fighting and healing, Tsunade was in a horribly weakened state. She no longer had the chakra she needed to heal her own wounds, freely bleeding gashes littering her true form. She didn't have the energy to maintain her henge, she didn't have the chakra to use her augmented strength, and she didn't even have the concentration to maintain Katsuyu's presence.
But she still had the will and the rage she needed to beat the woman into the ground, chakra or not. Even in her crippled state, the traitor did not have the power needed to defeat the Fifth Hokage.
Following the battle, as Tsunade stood victorious over the corpse of her opponent and within a fortress littered with the bodies of the army she had decimated, she could feel as her body finally began to give in. Her vision darkened, her knees trembled, and her overworked chakra pathways burned like someone had poured acid into her veins.
Tsunade didn't know how to feel about the fact that this was where she would finally die. When she collapsed to the ground, finally succumbing, she felt as if this was her punishment for not fulfilling her promise all those years ago and telling Sakura how she felt.
When Tsunade's eyes finally slid open and she was greeted with the all too familiar ceiling of one of the patient rooms in the hospital, she was shocked that she was still alive. For a moment, she wondered if this indeed was the afterlife. She wondered if the afterlife was supposed to be this underwhelming.
Her gaze drifted downwards, lingering on the scars and slowly worsening wrinkles on her hands that she kept hidden with her henge. Frowning as the sense of being exposed slunk across her skin like tar, her perusal continued.
When she noticed Sakura sleeping against her bed, she took in a sharp intake of breath. The young woman was seated in a chair she had dragged over to her bedside, her arms folded on the bed and her head resting against Tsunade's thigh. Her breaths were gentle, the woman very much asleep, but tear stains still remained on her reddened cheeks.
Tsunade was overcome by embarrassment as she stared down at Sakura, her cheeks rapidly heating as she understood the meaning behind the gesture. Waking up and finding that Sakura had been crying over her like she had nearly lost a lover, and finding that she was exposed with her seal gone and her true form revealed, left her feeling like she had been stripped naked in front of the world. And, as she often did, she reacted to this humiliation with rage.
"Wake up, you brat!" the sannin growled, her voice barely more than a whisper with her still in such a weakened state.
Sakura's eyes fluttered open, revealing her viridian eyes in a way that was heart achingly beautiful. Tsunade scowled down at her, desperately trying to shove those thoughts away as Sakura slowly returned to wakefulness.
When Sakura laid her eyes upon Tsunade and saw she was awake, she shot up, her mouth popping open in surprise.
"Tsunade, y-you're…" she whimpered, fresh tears building in the corners of her eyes.
Before Tsunade could say a word, Sakura lurched forward and wrapped her arms around her. Tsunade tensed under the sudden affection, every muscle in her body both strained and demanding she return the embrace.
"I-I was so scared! When Lady Katsuyu came to me and told me what had happened and when I finally found you in that place, I…" Sakura tried to get out before her words were overcome by her tears.
"You're being too dramatic," was all she could get out, looking anywhere but at the woman pressed against her.
Sakura pulled away from her only to glare at her through her tears. "You pushed yourself too far! You nearly died! I almost lost you!"
"And? I'm your mentor, not your wife. You don't need to get so worked up about it," Tsunade hissed in response, crossing her arms across her chest to hide her true body from Sakura's teary gaze.
The fact she was so exposed, that her aging body was no longer hidden by her henge, only made being fawned over by the woman she was in love with but never could love all the worse.
"How can you be so heartless!? Don't you know that-!" Sakura started, tears slipping free from her eyes and sliding down her cheeks despite her anger.
"Know what?" she shot back, returning her glare and hoping that her callousness would be enough to scare her off.
"That I… I'm in love with you…" she confessed, the fury from her expression slowly fading away when she revealed her feelings.
"That's ridiculous! It's stupid that a young woman like you is pining after an old woman like me. You should be with a woman your age, not chasing after relics," Tsunade argued as she fought back the surge of emotion in her heart.
"I don't love anyone else! I love you!" Sakura shot back, roughly wiping away fresh tears, "I don't care about your age. You're beautiful how you are…"
Tsunade's eyes slid shut as she struggled against the tidal wave of emotion. Once the signs of her aging had begun to show, she had always used a henge to maintain her youthful appearance. No one had ever told her that her true appearance was beautiful. And to hear it come from the woman she was in love with felt like she had grabbed her heart in her bare hands.
She remained silent, unable to come up with the words to speak, as Sakura continued.
"You've always been there for me, you've always been kind to me, I could always trust you… My feelings developed early but I had always been scared to tell you. But, I know the truth now! I know… I know you love me back…"
Tsunade's eyes snapped open, her entire body tensing as her wide eyes settled on the Sakura. Her mouth popped open and she drew breath into her lungs as if to speak but she floundered for the words. She struggled to form the convincing denial she needed to scare off the woman before her and force her to find love with someone who could truly make her happy.
"Deny it," Sakura challenged, staring back into her honey eyes with determination, "Tell me you don't want this and I'll leave."
"I…" Tsunade tried. She desperately wanted to lie but couldn't.
"Tell me…" Sakura whispered, slowly drawing closer to Tsunade.
"I…" she attempted once again before her eyes slid shut in defeat. She gazed down at her blanket, unable to meet Sakura's gaze, as she muttered, "I can't…"
When Sakura's knee gently settled on the mattress next to Tsunade's hip, her eyes slowly rose to meet hers. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest at the vulnerable, beseeching look in Sakura's eyes as she slowly leaned in closer.
Her hands settled on either side of the blonde as she slowly grew closer, their eyes never separating from one another. When their lips were just a breath apart, Sakura paused, searching Tsunade's eyes. Tsunade took a shaky breath before her hand covered one of hers. She was the one to lean in and press her lips to Sakura's, finally giving in to what she had wanted for years and kissing the woman she loved.
Finally making good on her promise to confess her feelings to Sakura.
Their kiss was tender and sweet, their lips just barely brushing at first. They pulled away until they were just in inch apart, neither opening their eyes as they gasped against each other's lips. They both leaned in once again, their next kiss far more passionate as they finally gave into their feelings for one another.
Tsunade's fingers threaded through Sakura's, holding her hand tightly, as Sakura's free hand gripped the sleeve of her hospital gown. Their lips moved against one anothers slowly but with a barely withheld desperation.
Tsunade's mind was a maelstrom, her thoughts wild and unfocused as she finally kissed the woman she had fallen in love with all those years ago. Her heart sung in her chest as she was able to hold the woman she loved, her hand reaching out to pull Sakura closer.
She never thought she'd share love with anyone after Dan. She thought her heart had died along with him. She never thought she'd be so lucky as to fall in love with someone and have that love returned again. And she never once thought it would be with someone so unexpected.
When their kiss finally broke, both of their hearts racing so fast they could hear it in her quiet hospital room, they rested their foreheads against one another. Tsunade's eyes slid open to gaze into the sparkling eyes of her love.
When Sakura smiled, it took her breath away.
Months later, Tsunade found herself sitting in the same bar that her and Sakura had visited during their celebration of the younger woman's coming out.
Tsunade smiled widely as Sakura poured them both two dishes of sake from the warm carafe on the table. Both of the women were well on their way to intoxication, much like that night all that time ago. The only difference this time around was that Tsunade was far more receptive to Sakura's affections. And Sakura was far more comfortable with giving them.
The young woman was perched in Tsunade's lap, nestled up against her chest. Tsunade's coat was draped across Sakura's shoulders, the elder woman having wrapped it around her under the excuse of her having appeared to be cold. In all actuality, it was simply to bask in her appearance, wrapped up in her coat. Sakura had seen right through her lie but had been happy to satisfy her partner either way.
A couple patrons at the bar looked upon the couple oddly, some slyly gazing over while others blatantly stared. Some were startled by the true appearance of their Fifth Hokage, the blonde having abandoned the use of her henge and having grown to accept her appearance with Sakura's love and encouragement. Others were shocked to see Tsunade and Sakura together as a couple, none having expected them to fall in love.
Tsunade couldn't find the energy to pay them any mind while overcome with such joy. Her and Sakura's relationship, while awkward and difficult at first, had bloomed into a love the likes of which she had never felt before. She had never felt more loved, more appreciated, and more complete than with Sakura.
As they sat together, nestled in each others arms and sharing dishes of warm sake, Tsunade felt like she had finally come home after being lost for so many years.
She finished her dish before wrapping both of her arms around her lover, burying her face against her neck as she basked in the moment.
"I love you, Sakura," she hummed against the warm skin of her neck, her fingertips stroking the dip of her waist.
Sakura contentedly looped her arms around Tsunade's neck, drawing her closer.
"I love you too, Tsunade…" she whispered against her hairline, a smile in her voice.
A/N: I conveniently ignored how Dan used his spirit technique to visit Tsunade during the Fourth Ninja War during her and the Kage's battle against Madara. I'll say it's because he had been watching her from the afterlife and knew she had found love again. He's happy for her.
Also, Furofuki, the woman who was leading the organization of missing ninja, is an actual character in Naruto. She's an elderly woman and a medical ninja for Konoha who lives in the Jofuku Forest and works with flowers.