Prologue (or, From the Mouths of Babes)

Senju Tsukina was by no means an unattractive woman. Quite the opposite, really, with her bright red hair and glossy, dark eyes. In fact there were many people who considered her to be quite the beauty. She may have been rather petite (standing at a mere five feet tall), but she carried herself with such an undeniable grace that her very presence itself was immense. Hair always done up in an elaborate fashion, not a strand out of place, and head held high as she walked with hands clasped delicately in front of her. She was the oldest daughter of the Hokage and his wife, the Lady Mito Uzumaki, and it showed. What social stature didn't allot for she managed to attain on her own. Hashirama often joked that so much like her mother was she that he sometimes wondered if there was any trace of him at all in her. Perhaps Mito had simply cloned herself, he'd say. Or maybe she'd exerted so much chakra that she simply split into two. However, despite barely resembling him at all, Tsukina was the favorite child - at least as far as Hashirama was concerned. His wife, to quote: "loved all her children equally and could no sooner select a favorite daughter than she could choose a favorite time of day." The Senju heiress hummed absentmindly to herself on that one. That was a blatant lie; everyone knew that Hashirou - shy, ever unsure of herself, Hashirou - was her mother's favorite. It still greatly pained the woman to this day that her youngest had run off to Kumo with a well-to-do nobleman and settled down there at the tender age of seventeen. Then, of course, there was Akito… As the middle child Akito prided herself on being as bright and as boisterous as was humanely possible. Tsukina may have been their mother's duplicate and while Hashirou favored their father in terms of looks, Akito (Aki-chan to her family) was a perfect blending of the two, physically speaking. Long, unruly red hair, and warm brown eyes. Tall and slender like a sapling, but as loud as hungry baby birds chirping at dawn.

"Make way for royalty, good people of Konoha! Princess coming through!"

Looking down at her own daughter, Tsukina winced slightly. Had she not carried the child before her in her womb for nine months and given birth, she would have sworn the girl was Aki-chan incarnate. "Tsunade." She waited until the girl had turned to peer back over her shoulder, never ceasing in her march a few steps ahead. "That is not acceptable behavior befitting one's station, young lady. Just think of what your grandmother would say." Honey eyes went wide and blonde pigtails bobbed in apprehension. The Lady Uzumaki may not have been as young as she once was (what, with three grown children and one precious grandchild), but she was no less a stickler for good manners and punishments were often severe. "Yes, mama." She slowed a bit, attempting to imitate her mother's regal stride. Luckily the handful of villagers who were awake this early in the morning found the five year-old's antics adorable, if not entertaining. Most greeted her with humored replies of "good morning, princess" and "my, don't you look pretty today" as they passed. One man even bowed and you'd have thought he'd captured the sun with how much the girl beamed.

"Tsu-chan." Tsukina stopped once they were right outside their destination. Her use of endearment demanding the littlest princess' full attention. "Remember what I told you. This is a somber occasion. Now is not the time to be running around or enticing the other children to play. We're here to pay our respects. So I fully expect you to be on your best behavior. Am I understood?"

"Yes, mama. But, mama…" There was no helping the tiny whine that escaped into her voice. "Why are we here again?"

"Because Tsu-chan, there was an accident. Lord Uwabami Ibeki and Lady Kasumi have passed. Do you remember them? Well, they have a son. He'd be about your age now. We're here to give our condolences to him. He's the last of his family, Tsu-chan. The very last."

"What's the boy's name, mama?"

"His name is…" Tsukina paused, trying to recall the name her husband had given her. She remembered the boy well enough, though it had been a year or two since she last saw him. Pale, reserved thing that never seemed to speak much, but it was his eyes that stood out most in her mind. Cold, startling yellow eyes that seemed to have seen far too much for a child; almost predatory-like with their sharp, intense gaze. She would have felt sorry him, having grown up the only child in a very secluded existence, were it not for those eyes. Something about them disturbed her far more than she would ever willingly admit out loud. She said so once to her husband after returning home from a social function. The boy couldn't have been more than three at the time but even then it alarmed her how quiet he was. He didn't interact with the other children (not for lack of them trying, mind you). No. It was almost as if he found them to be beneath him, much like how a serpent will disregard a mouse when it's not hungry. Rather, he stayed close to his parents' sides the entire evening, listening to the political conversation as they mingled - ever observant, ever alert. Her husband had chided her for that one. "Come on, Hime, you really think a toddler is evil." Reflecting on that particular discussion (which ended with her husband consenting that there was at least something off about the boy), she at last remembered it. "His name is Orochimaru."

She looked back down at her daughter who appeared to be very deep in thought as she contemplated this newest tidbit of information. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately: mentally cataloging everything she learned - organizing, dividing, and collecting it in her mind. The girl had a gift for memory. A trait, Tsukina mused, she must have inherited from her husband. After all, Ren was a brilliant man, a doctor by trade, and it was his keen intellect that first made her fall for the tall blonde. No one had expected for the Senju heiress to marry outside of the shinobi community, least of all to a civilian of very little standing. He wasn't wealthy, but he was kind and wonderful and she - logical, no nonsense, Tsukina - had married for love. Much like Hashirou, who followed her heart to the North (Akito vowing to forever be single, even if it killed her, thank you very much). There was the briefest moment of silence till little Tsunade caught her mother's attention again, her face a mask of resolved determination (or at least as much as was possible for a child without it being overly comical). "Okay, mama." She thrust a chubby arm out in front of her, giving the woman a thumbs up. "I promise!" Tsukina nodded, smiling gently as she placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder to usher her through the gate.

It was early evening; the sun just barely beginning to set as Konoha was painted in vibrant hues of orange and blue. The river Zen - cutting its way through the woods surrounding the village as it weaved in and out of rock and root - sparkled brilliantly in the midst of twilight. Much like some of the older metal buildings, with their tin slab roofs, which shimmered in the dying light. Merchants proceeded to lock their shops up for the close of business hours as the last of the wayward children raced home to avoid a scalding lecture about curfews. Life was peaceful here, despite the broiling conflict that lay in every which direction outside the gates. Eventually, the problems of the surrounding world would catch up with them but for now, let them fall into a blissful sleep. "And then Daddy I told him all about how very rude I thought he was, sneaking up on me like that, and do you know what he said to me, Daddy!?" Tsukina leaned against the door frame, eyes heavily lidded and a single hand resting protectively against her abdomen. She tapped her fingers (once, twice) softly as she listened to her daughter give her husband an enthusiastic play-by-play of the day's events. "No, Princess, what'd he say?" Ren indulged the girl to no end, much like grandfather and well, anyone else who met her (she'd have them wrapped around her little finger in no time). "Nothing! Absolutely nothing, Daddy! He just stood there like some big, dumb-"

"Tsunade, language!" The girl's head snapped up at the sound of her mother's reprimanding voice. "Oops… I'm sorry, Mama." At least the five year-old had some sense of decorum. "But he was a baka!" Or, not.

"There, there." Ren cooed lovingly. He pulled the pastel covers back far enough for the tiny blonde to slip into bed. A large, firm hand smoothed down a few defiant strands of hair, before leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead. "That's enough excitement for one day, sweetheart. Bedtime for you, my little tiger! Sweet dreams."

Tsunade yawned, reaching for one of the many stuffed animals that littered the duvet. She finally decided on a worn and abused looking rabbit before pulling it close and clutching it to her chest. "Love you, Daddy. Mama."

Ren smiled. "Love you too, sunbeam."

With the flick of a switch and what can only be described as a talent given by the gods to experienced parents, he shut the door behind him without a sound. There was a delayed exhale of breath and his shoulders slumped slightly. He was presumably exhausted, having just returned from a routine trip to Ame to help disperse medical supplies there. Not every nation was so prosperous, nor every village as well-equipped as Konoha. "Tomorrow, yeah?" Weary eyes turned to gaze considerately at his wife. She nodded. He paused. "You know, sometimes I find myself wishing things were different."

Tsukina visibly bristled at that. "You knew about my family before you asked to marry me; knew there was a strong possibility that any children we might have would follow in the shinobi way."

"Yeah, I realize that. Believe me, I do." Ren ran a hand over his scalp, tousling the messy, golden mane. "And if I had the chance to go back and do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing. I love you, Hime. Have since the moment I first saw you. There's not a damn thing about you I'd change, but damnit all." The good doctor had yet to raise his voice. They didn't argue in this household - a rule that Mito had established decades ago, and one that Tsukina introduced from her own upbringing. They had discussions, and then there were discussions... She could hear it his voice, though. Years of unspoken concerns had taken its toll; the man was starting to break. "She's too young. Training kids how to fight and be soldiers at such a young age. It's just wrong. Especially given the state of things. They may not be exposed to it much here, at least not yet, but things are tense. There's been quite a bit of talk of war lately and you can bet it's put everyone on edge. I just wish your family wasn't so adamant, and I wish they'd stop putting ideas in her head."

"That's not fair, Ren."

"Isn't it?" He scoffed. "I've seen the toy kunai your uncle keeps buying her and heard the stories your father tells her when he thinks I'm not around. They glorify war. Kami forbid their precious granddaughter and grandniece take after her useless, civilian dad. They've never approved of me and we both know they won't relent until they get their way. Stubborn bastards."

"Ren!" Yes. Tsukina consented. It was true that Hashirama and his brother didn't initially approve of the match. Tobirama had voiced his objections several times (none of which were at all pleasant to recall), but she liked to think that her father had eventually come around after Tsunade had been born. The man was practically besotted with joy at the prospect of being able to spoil his very first grandchild. Ren did have a valid point, but that didn't make her feel any less guilty about her husband speaking ill of her relatives.

"You know I'm right. Their opinions haven't changed in the past few years and they never will."

"Maybe not." Tsukina sighed, a bit deflated as she felt the anger leave her body in defeat. "But those same opinions didn't stop me from wanting to be with you. Even then, when my own uncle threatened to disown me if I stayed." The woman's head was throbbing. It really had been a long day. "I can't help the amount of influence my family has on our lives, but I do love you." Ren didn't budge, suddenly fixated on something apparently highly fascinating on the floor. "Do you want to know what our daughter told me today?" The Senju heiress didn't wait for a response. "She said that when she becomes a kunoichi, she wants to study medicine like her Daddy - so she can help people. You tell me: does that sound like a future blood thirsty ninja to you?"

The tall blonde looked up, an ashamed blush spreading across his cheeks. There were tears welling in Tsukina's eyes and it took him less than two seconds to cross the distance and wrap her reassuringly in his arms. "I'm sorry, Hime." He lifted her chin to give her an encouraging grin, amber eyes asking silently for his wife's forgiveness. "I just worry, that's all. There. No more crying." He brushed the pad of his thumb across her lashes, in love with the sound of her soft laughter as she nuzzled up against his collarbone. She was listening to his heartbeat having found that, no matter what, the sound comforted her immensely during periods of distress.

"I have to go back to Ame in a week. Just for a few days this time… you won't even miss me. It'll be like I was never even gone."

Tsukina closed her eyes and focused all her attention on the steady rhythm beating in his chest (thump, thump, thump). She'd wait till he got back, she decided. Tsunade would be settled in at the Academy by then (no doubt eager to tell her father all about it) and when he got back she'd tell them both: she was pregnant. Secretly, she hoped for a boy to carry on her husband's name. "Don't ever leave me, baka. I need you to promise me that."

Somewhere outside in the distance, an owl gave a solemn hoot. It twisted its feathered head this way, and that, searching for another bird like itself but there was no call. No other birds.

"I promise."

A/N: Well, there you have it… the crack baby resulting from too much caffeine, and too little sleep. I've always wanted to do an extensive fanfiction covering everything about The Legendary Sannin (and yes, I do mean EVERYTHING) and apparently, in my deprived state, thought "heh, what the hell, why not?" Just to clarify a few things though:

1. Yes. I'm aware that Mito Uzumaki nearly died in childbirth (there's a few references to this in the manga/anime) so if you're wondering how/why three… Well, for one I happen to like the number and two, I'm writing with the notion that Tsukina and Akito were born prior to Mito becoming a jinchuriki, which would make Hashirou the child in reference.

2. Also, in regards as to why I sent her off to Kumo, it's simple. With the exception of a select few (such as Gaara and Roshi), red doesn't usually seem to be a common hair color outside of Konoha (where you have the Akimichi clan, and some members of the Uzumaki clan). You do, HOWEVER, see red hair in Kumo (Konoha and Kumo are also constantly at odds with each other too and I'm a sucker for some good ole' angst). So there - method to my madness.

3. Finally. Uwabami. I've yet to find a solid lead as to Orochimaru's last name and once again, sleep deprived, I did a google search for: "Japanese. Big, evil snake" and what do you know… "mythological serpent called Uwabami in Japanese folklore" popped up and BAM! Bingo. Sold! So, yeah… Like I said, crack baby. Enjoy!

& stay tuned to see Orochimaru and Jiraiya made their grand appearance in the next chapter: From the Mouths of Babes, Part Two!