A day free from duty, a holiday to be exact, was something an alien thought especially for a person with a level of responsibility for taking of a whole village and despite of that fact we found the fifth Hokage of Konoha sitting in a small Park near the Hokage office, just musing lost in her thoughts.
Tsunade was a person who lived her life on her own terms. No Hokage rules or what so ever could deter her from the decision she had made herself. That was the only reason how she had taken a day off from her Hokage schedule.
While sitting in a park she saw some children playing, "Hey! It's your turn to catch me" one shouted "Ok, I'll count to 10 and you better run because my dad says I have a speed of a ninja, I'll catch you before you could even blink" the other said "Ha! in you dream!" the first kid shouted back.
Tsunade smiled at their little antics, 'so cute, so beautiful, … so innocent' she though with a while looking at them. Were we ever that innocent? , was our life ever so simple? She wondered. The last though took her in her past, the past which she hated to remember, because it was full of sad & happy memories. Her heart ached to reach that kind of happiness … again.
She was very young when her father and mother died of a disease… at least that was what the others told her at that time. She was then on raised by her Grandfather and Uncle who were First & Second Hokage respectively. It was a time when she was officially known as the 'Princess of Konoha'. It was one of the best times of her life with no worries at all, living a life of freedom along with her little brother Nawaki whom she raised like a mother would raise her son. When he was old enough …. 'No! he never got older, that damned war!' she thought.Duringthe time when she was heartbroken due to her brother's unfortunate demise in the war, she found a man who picked those broken pieces and slowly healed her heart with a love & care she never knew before.
Dan Katō, the name brought so many mixed memories that she felt dazed and looked around for a moment to just clear the sudden wave nostalgia. The moments she spent with him were one of the happiest moments of her life. He was 'everything', her heart, her lover, her anchor … her life. A life she lost also to that cursed war too and what made it more painful was that he was on her lap in his dying seconds … that was it! She was finally over with the cursed village and her cursed life. She made her mind and went of wandering one country to another, vowing never to come back in the cursed village who took everyone she loved away from her in the most painful manner possible.
'Some Konoha Princess I am' she thought and laughed at her own thought loudly. I swear I would've never come back if it wasn't for that blond hyperactive knucklehead Naru.. "Hey Baa-chan!" just think of the devil, she looked around and found the said man standing there with his trademark grin. Despite of being now 25 years old, a genius who created the famed 'de-aging' kinjutsu which he successfully experimented on her, bringing back her youth of 20's (to her complete surprise) and also feared as to the likes of Minato Namikaze for having the greatest arsenal of Jutsus of in the whole Ninja world, he still was his old 'happy-go-lucky' self 'some things never change' she though.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be doing some kind of work in your office?" he asked with a curious face. "No Naruto, I decided to take a day of, so I am just resting today". Naruto came close to her, a little bit too close and slowly inched his face near to her while looked into her eyes "Oh, now did you? I think you are drunk because your eyes are all red" he said with an accusing glare. Tsunade was about to punch her to the front gate of Konoha but something restrained her, something she saw suddenly. A flicker of worry, a genuine worry she saw in Naruto's eyes as he was backing away from her face. She blinked and there he was standing with his typical Happy-go-lucky look. She could swear she saw something in her blue eyes, 'hmm what was that' she thought while looking at him curiously.
She then thought to do something different, something she never ever thought of doing. "Naruto, why don't you sit down at tell how are you doing" she said with a kind smile on her face. Naruto looked at her with a blank face for few moments and slowly smiled, not his typical mischievous smile but a real smile "So, you noticed I see" he said smilingly. Tsunade smiled back and nodded.
Naruto sighed and sat near her and asked "What would you like to know?" Tsunade wondered what to ask him as she was wondering a thought came to her mind but before she could voice her thought Naruto suddenly said the very same thought aloud "Why that mask?" he said while looking at her "right? Isn't that what you were going to ask me? Let me answer it in one word 'Childhood' " when Tsunade looked at her with a questioned look he sighed again and said "you don't know how I've lived my life, so let me tell you what my childhood was in few words, looking into trash for food, looking at parents lovingly taking their child back to home, wondering who my parents were, why don't they come to take me, wondering why don't anyone love me, why do everyone hate me, running from mob of people who were after me for me being the Jinchūriki which I of course didn't knew at that time … it goes on & on and I would gladly tell you anything you wish because you are the only person I trust enough to tell my secret".
Tsunade was left speechless after what he told her. It was a child's worse nightmare what Naruto had gone through but what made her curious was the last part of his saying. "Why me Naruto? Why do you trust me so much?" she asked him.
He looked her with an all-knowing smile and said something which shocked her, "I know you, I understand everything what you've been through and you are possibly the only person who could understand my pain, my mask, my desires and don't forget that there's someone who care for you more than the life itself".
Tsunade Senju was rendered speechless after listening that. Something alien was stirred in the depth of her heart, something which had been buried so deep in her heart all those years, that she didn't thought it possible to even reach, … that cursed feeling.
Watching her shocked & speechless Naruto continued "Yes, I noticed the pain and longing in your eyes when I came here, I saw you remembering possibly your old time, the people from your past, whom you have spent your time with, whom you've considered precious, … whom you've loved" that was the breaking point for Tsunade. A tear escaped her eyes but before it could even flow on her smooth skin, Naruto quickly came near her and scooped up that tear with a gentle touch "Please don't cry, perhaps everyone you have loved is not among us but not everyone who love you is dead" he smiled "also, a tearful face doesn't suites a Princess" she laughed at his successful try to make her laugh.
She came a little bit closer to him and he folded her arms around her, not too firmly but enough to made her feel comfortable & safe, just the way she wanted. "So tell me what was troubling you" he said gently. She sighed "where should I start?" she wondered "Ok, so I was sitting here and there were these two kids playing and I …" then she told everything which was troubling her, while he listened attentively. The pair sat all day long just sharing each other's lives, good & bad memories but what was unknown to either of them was the destiny who was watching them,
"Finally" she said with a knowing smile.