Loose Ends

Orochimaru and Tsunade met again less than a week after Tsunade had stolen out of the village to confirm that he had survived. Orochimaru sent a small snake to Konoha with a message for Tsunade, telling her to meet him outside the village. Mostly, he wanted to see if she would. He was not disappointed.

They quickly realized that while Orochimaru had a few ways of contacting Tsunade, it was much more difficult for her to do the same. Her slugs were too slow and noticeable, and as Hokage, she was not as free as Orochimaru to do what she wanted, or to act in secret. But to Tsunade's surprise and pleasure, Orochimaru made frequent contact of his own accord.

Only two weeks passed before he traveled out to meet her again. The day before her birthday, he made his way to the unfinished hideout and sent a message with the trained bird he had used the day she'd found out he was still alive. Tsunade immediately fabricated an excuse and disappeared from the village for two days.

Barely ten days following that, another snake came to Konoha bearing a message:

The Dense Forest in three days. I want to show you something.

Tsunade kept her expression vague and said to the snake, "Tell him I will be there."

As soon as it vanished, she smiled. She knew she was likely being more careful than she needed to be, but she also knew that no one in Otogakure was aware of her relationship with Orochimaru. Even the snakes he sent as messengers received as little information as possible and were rotated out so they would not begin to make connections.

It would take time to travel as far as he was requesting this time. Tsunade immediately began planning her reason for leaving, laid the foundation of her lie with Shizune, and made her preparations. She even went so far as to put in extra effort to get ahead in her work so she would not draw too much scrutiny for being gone.

The day she intended to leave, she was about to head out when she opened the door to her bedroom to find Jiraiya standing in the hallway about to knock. She stopped short. "What–?"

"Tsunade, what are you doing?"

Tsunade's eyes darted away from his at his tone. "Nothing," she said, guilt twisting through her.

He stepped closer, backing her into the room until he could shut the door behind them. "Listen," he started, whispering urgently. "I'm not the only one who's noticed your absences lately."

Tsunade tensed. She had been enjoying the excitement of their new arrangement so much that she hadn't wanted to consider the danger it brought with it.

"But I am the only one who's realized you've been leaving the village," Jiraiya continued. "The only reason I don't know where you've been going is because I've been too busy covering for you to actually follow you."

The statement struck Tsunade as odd and she quickly realized why. If he had wanted to, he could have sent one of his toads to follow her and report back. The fact that he didn't, she thought. Means he probably knows where I've been going. In her moment of distraction, Jiraiya moved closer and confirmed her suspicions.

"Orochimaru's alive, isn't he," he whispered. It was not a question.

Tsunade gave a stiff, hesitant nod.

"And you've been going to see him again. Haven't you." Still not a question.

"I…" She sighed heavily. "We… Ugh, dammit! Why is this so hard to tell you?" Tsunade groaned. She collected herself and tried again. "Jiraiya, Orochimaru and I are… together now…"

Jiraiya took a step back. He was quiet for a while, then eventually he said, "I guess… these trips out of the village… won't be stopping any time soon."

Tsunade shook her head.

"And you're going to meet him right now."

"Yes."

Jiraiya nodded and turned to leave.

"Jiraiya…?"

"I'd rather you left right now," Jiraiya said. "I'll cover for you. Just make sure you come back."

"Of course I'll come back. Jiraiya, would you stop?" She reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him from opening the door. "What's going on?"

"Never mind, Tsunade." He shook his head but turned back and met her eyes with uncomfortable focus. "You can still trust me, can't you?"

"Of course," Tsunade said again.

"Okay then." He pulled easily from her grasp and left.

Tsunade entertained only a few moments of confusion and unease before pushing their strange interaction out of mind. Then she headed out to meet Orochimaru.

[X]

The Dense Forest was an area in the Land of Fire made up of massive, tightly clustered trees and vicious nocturnal predators that made it difficult to travel through. It was rare that anyone had cause to pass through it, so Orochimaru did not bother to disguise himself. He chose a comfortable branch high above the ground but still well below the forest canopy to wait for Tsunade, and she arrived an hour later, leaping up to join him. He stood to greet her and pulled her forward, giving her a quick kiss.

"You're late," he said, smiling.

"I am not," she laughed. "Now, what did you want to show me?"

Orochimaru turned from her to pick up the small bag he had left at the base of the branch. From it, he drew out Deidara's scope.

At first, Tsunade could not place where she had seen it, but when she realized what it was, she asked, "Is this why you wanted to go after Deidara?"

Orochimaru gave a short nod and allowed Tsunade to take it from him. She examined it closely, noting how meticulously it had been cleaned. "You almost died to get your hands on this thing. It better be pretty amazing," she said, turning it over in her hands. "What does it even do?"

"Deidara was training his eye to counteract genjutsu, specifically that of the sharingan. I thought if I could study this, I could figure out how he was doing it."

"And?"

He shook his head. "It looks like the main function of the scope was to expand his line of sight, but I was able to modify it."

"So that you can train your eye…?" Tsunade started.

"No, that would take too much time. I modified it so that the scope itself will counteract the jutsu."

"So… it's a weapon you can use against the sharingan," Tsunade muttered. It was always an uncomfortable subject for her since she knew how many people in Konoha felt about the situation with Sasuke, but she attempted to hide this from Orochimaru and said lightly, "Is Sasuke really giving you that much trouble?"

"Oh… I suppose you don't know about Itachi," Orochimaru said.

His comment distracted her from her discomfort. "What about him?" she asked.

Orochimaru held his hand out for the scope and Tsunade returned it to him. "Help me test it out," he said.

Again, Tsunade hid her feelings, silently annoyed with him for withholding information again. He's always been a private person, she reminded herself, sighing quietly. "What do you need me to do?"

Orochimaru fixed the scope over his left eye. "I just want to get a feel for the mechanics before trying it against the sharingan. I need you to put me under a genjutsu."

Tsunade gave a small laugh. "It's always genjutsu with you. You really enjoy taking me out of my element, don't you?"

"Come now, Tsunade," Orochimaru prompted. "You're capable enough."

"Oh, capable. Thanks." She smiled and moved through the signs for a simple genjutsu, and cast it on Orochimaru without hesitation. The forest around him vanished, and Tsunade with it. His sight and hearing were cut off and he found himself standing in solid darkness. The jutsu had taken hold of his senses completely.

Orochimaru reached up and began adjusting the settings on the scope. The empty blackness around him seemed to waver for a moment but never lifted. He tried to focus, thinking through the changes he'd made to the technology and trying to determine if he had missed anything, but there was an uncomfortable pressure building in his head behind his left eye that made it difficult to concentrate. He paused for a moment, considering this, then tentatively closed his right eye. A quick reset of the scope brought the forest and Tsunade back into view.

"Orochimaru?" Tsunade said.

He removed the scope and opened both eyes to focus on her. It felt strange, but he pushed it from his mind.

"Does it work?" Tsunade was asking.

"I think so," Orochimaru answered. "It pulled me out of it. But I can do that myself. I need it to stop the jutsu from taking effect in the first place."

"Should we try it again?" she offered.

"In a minute. It takes some getting used to."

Tsunade watched him as he brought the device close to his eyes and carefully shifted a thin disc-like dial that caused the tinted lens to move and catch the light.

"Tsunade," he said somewhat abruptly. He did not look away from his work. "Did you know… that I used to be part of the Akatsuki?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "Jiraiya told me a while back."

Orochimaru laughed to himself. Of course he knew.

"Okay," he put the scope back on and closed his right eye. "Again," he said.

Tsunade repeated the genjutsu and Orochimaru's vision warped slightly, but a few seconds later it stabilized. He waited, but the jutsu did not take hold. "It's working," he said.

"Do you think it's powerful enough to work against the sharingan?" Tsunade asked.

"I'll find that out when I test it with Sasuke." He was already removing it again.

"…Are you sure this is practical?" Tsunade said slowly, watching him. "It seems like you can't keep it on for long."

"It just takes getting used to," he answered. "With training, it should be fine." He went to the base of the branch, slid the scope back into the bag, and sat back against the massive trunk. Tsunade joined him, sitting close by his side though the branch was wide enough to accommodate more than three people.

"Orochimaru," she started carefully. "Why did you bring up the Akatsuki all of a sudden? Does it have to do with Itachi?"

He glanced over at her but when she met his eye he turned away, focusing instead on the branches beneath them.

"I was partnered with him," he said slowly. "Even then, I wanted the sharingan for myself, but he was stronger than me. That's why I left. That's why I wanted this." He touched the bag with the scope lightly. Then he noticed Tsunade staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"I like when you tell me things," she said, and she leaned over to kiss his cheek.

Orochimaru reached up and guided her face toward his before she could sit back again and kissed her. His hand lingered on her cheek after they parted.

"Why did you have us leave you behind?" Tsunade whispered.

Orochimaru drew back immediately. "What are you talking about?"

"After the cave-in," she said, finding his hand and holding on to it tightly. "Why did you tell us to leave?"

"Where is this coming from?" he asked evasively.

"You're finally telling me things. This is what I want to know. Just tell me," she insisted

Orochimaru shifted uncomfortably, but Tsunade kept a firm hold on his hand and would not stop staring at him. Even her determined eyes demanded his answer.

"…I thought I was dying," he finally admitted. "I'd almost depleted my chakra in a body that was already rejecting me. I'd had my doubts that I'd make it back to Kabuto in time, even before the rocks fell."

"But then," Tsunade continued, her voice quiet again. "How did you survive? How did you get out?"

"After I passed out, I recovered enough chakra to merge with the ground and move into the space where you and Jiraiya had been. With more rest, I was able to escape and make it back to Kabuto. He kept me alive long enough to transfer."

"Hm," Tsunade smiled a little and said thoughtfully. "Okay, one last question."

"Tsunade, really," Orochimaru sighed. "Isn't that enough?"

"No, just one more," she said. "Why did you ask me to help with the scope instead of Kabuto?" She tried to hide her amusement as he thought it over. His answer was disappointing.

"I don't know," he said simply. "What does it matter?"

"You don't know?" she complained. "I don't buy that for one second; you always have reasons."

Orochimaru shrugged.

"Well if you're going to be like that, I'll start making up my own answers," Tsunade continued. "I think you just wanted to impress me." She gave him a sideways glance and grinned.

"Did I impress you?" Orochimaru asked with a smirk.

"Maybe a little," Tsunade admitted.

The warm breeze suddenly picked up and parted the leaves above them, throwing a shaft of sunlight across their faces. The reaction was immediate. Orochimaru cringed, drawing in a sharp breath as the light hit his eyes. He covered them quickly but the leaves had already settled back into place. Still, he did not lower his hands.

"Orochimaru, what's wrong? What happened?" Tsunade insisted, gently trying to pull his arm down.

"Nothing," he said. "The scope must have changed how my eye reacts to light. I doubt it's permanent. I'm fine."

Tsunade ignored this assessment and moved to kneel in front of him. "If you're fine then move your hand. Let me see."

Orochimaru did as she said and looked at her. Now, in the shade, his eyes were fine, even if his head did sustain a dull ache. Tsunade reached forward and touched his face, still watching carefully for any sign of abnormality in his eyes. He did not pull away, but the moment she let her chakra flow, trying to examine his eye, he grabbed her hand and forced it away from him.

"Tsunade, stop it," he said.

Tsunade sighed and sat back on the branch in front of him. "Really?" she asked. "Still? I know you don't mind me touching you. What's the problem?"

"That was never the reason," Orochimaru shot back, instantly irritated with the implication. "It's the jutsu," he explained. "I don't like it."

"You are too damn stubborn," Tsunade said, crossing her arms. Orochimaru smirked at this. Lately, he often found that many of Tsunade's mannerisms tended to ease his irritation and anger. When she was around, he most frequently found himself feeling protective. Except when she insisted on trying to heal him.

"I know it's not something you're used to," she went on. "But I'm your girlfriend. It wouldn't kill you to let me help once in a while."

"'Girlfriend?'" He'd repeated the word in clear distaste before giving it much thought. Tsunade was glaring at him, but he ignored her, considering the phrase. "I don't like the sound of that," he finally decided.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tsunade snapped.

Orochimaru laughed and reached out to stroke her cheek. "I think we're a bit old for such terms," he said. "Maybe I could call you something else… if you don't mind."

Tsunade was stubbornly trying to hold on to her anger, but Orochimaru was pulling her slowly closer and her heart was beating a little too fast. "Like what?" she managed to ask before he leaned closer, his breath dusting across the side of her neck. Orochimaru grinned, knowing exactly the effect he was having on her, and whispered, "Tsunade-hime," against her skin before he started kissing her neck.

"That's childish," Tsunade breathed, both enthralled and nervous, knowing what he was capable of.

"No, it isn't," he said smoothly, keeping his lips close to her skin and speaking between kisses. "That's your title. Granddaughter of the First. Grandniece of the Second. Student of the Third. The Fifth Hokage. A legendary Sannin."

Tsunade was too distracted to say anything and Orochimaru took this as agreement. "It's settled then, hime," he said and kissed her.

"Well if you're going to be so convincing…" Tsunade finally murmured.

Orochimaru smiled. "Good." He started to stand but Tsunade stopped him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back down.

"Orochimaru, wait," she said. "Now that you have the scope, what are you going to do? Are you really going to go after Itachi? Even now that you have Sasuke?"

Orochimaru glanced down at the scope again, feeling Tsunade's worried gaze locked on him.

"We'll see."

[X]

Loose Ends—Author's Note

First of all, apologies for the lateness of this installment. I had hoped to get it out sometime over spring break but here it is, two weeks into the last mod and I'm only just now posting . Fail.

As promised this one shot continues the Orochimaru/Tsunade shipping, but while it ties up some loose ends, as the title suggests, it also brings up some new ones. The story's not over yet!

For anyone still on board, the next installment will be yet another one shot. I've been calling it "Otogakure" for lack of something better, but I'm hoping to get some outside help on coming up with a better title before I post it (no promises on when that will be, since as soon as I say "it should be up in a week or two" another disaster will land me stranded on the moon with no computer or something else ridiculous…)

Thanks again for reading!

~DS