Plainly Spoken


Any good Hokage should know that she cannot change a hormonal kunoichi's mind, but then again, not many had ever considered Tsunade a good Hokage. She is such a terrible leader, in fact, that she can't find it within herself to comfort her youngest pupil when the girl is upset about issues that can't be helped.

"Sakura!" She yelled, "Stop this nonsense! It's just the way things have to be!"

"W-why?" Sakura sobs angrily. She's pissed and she's confused and she has every right to be. Most of all, though, she's hurt.

Even Tsunade, terrible leader that she is, can see that Sakura is hurt. It doesn't take a trained medic's eye to tell.

But she yells anyway.

"Stop blubbering and do something about it! If you feel so compelled to lecture me about what's wrong with society, tell someone who gives a damn. And STOP CRYING."

Cue louder sobbing—and on Tsunade's part, a few 'thumps' as she bangs her head on the desk.

"Sakura, I…you know that's not what I…eh…" And cue the sound of a sake bottle being opened.

The pink haired kunoichi scurries to Tsunade's desk, and the older woman swears she can see her staggering and shaking out of anger and an overwhelming sense of sadness.

"I promised after Sasuke-kun left that I wouldn't cry…" Sakura whispers, near Tsunade's face out of desperation to be heard.

"I—" Tsunade looks at the bottle she is drinking out of, and then plucks a cup from one of her drawers, pouring her student a glass. "Drink up." She says miserably.

So here are two highly respected women drinking and complaining in the Hokage's office about the issue of sexism that still exists in Konohagakure.

"Sasuke," Tsunade says, taking a gulp from the bottle while she tries to form a complete thought, "You mentioned him a minute ago, didn't you? I remember Kakashi telling me one time that the Uchiha brat always called you useless."

Sakura slams her cup on the desk to be refilled, and Tsunade is strangely willing to share her sake today.

"Yes," Sakura seethes, "He did. He told me I was weak and annoying and that I shouldn't be a kunoichi." She takes a swig of alcohol and then continues. "Ibiki told me the same thing before my Jounin inauguration."

"Oh, really now?" Tsunade's eyes narrow, and Sakura looks more hurt than ever.

Part of the reason Tsunade used to be glad Sakura was a medic is because she wanted to keep her from being hurt. In a way, she thought she could protect Sakura if she busied the girl with reading books while safely locked inside the hospital. She thought she could keep Sakura away from the blood and the death that lurked in the forest.

The irony, Tsunade realizes, is that there is more blood and death in a hospital than there is outside of one.

"I'm sorry," She says quietly, offhandedly. It seems appropriate to apologize after thinking about her mistakes.

Sakura waits to be refilled again, and keeps talking. "You know, before the Chuunin exams Kakashi-sensei pulled me aside to see if I was really ready for it. He knew Sasuke and Naruto would be, without even asking. It's like he expected me to back out because I'm a girl."

Tsunade laughs bitterly, throwing her head back as she remembers a time when her teacher asked her the very same thing. "You're not a girl anymore, Sakura." You're a woman. You're a woman and I'm sorry.

Sighing, Tsunade grabs another bottle from under her desk and hands it to her. The cup is thrown aside, and smashes against one of the walls.

"I hope you realize," She takes a long gulp of sake, "That you'll always be faced with such unfairness. It's because men are cocky, air-headed pricks. Even Kakashi." Even Sarutobi-sensei.

Sakura nods, downing nearly a third of the bottle's contents. "I know." She shakes her head, "I know, Shisou."

"It doesn't seem like women will ever be accepted for being able to do the work of a man, does it?" Tsunade shakes her head too, finishing off her drink.

"No, it doesn't…" Sakura agrees sadly. "I walked into one of the conference rooms on Thursday and heard some of the higher ANBU considering doing away with the women's uniforms."

Fists clenched and coming down on top of the poor wooden desk, Tsunade yells once more. "They're not going to; I won't authorize it!"

Sakura finishes her drink as well. "They'll still do it." She says, her face scrunched up.

Tsunade's hands move to her temples now, rubbing them as if they are sore. "I know." She says softly.

After all, why put the truth in fancy packaging?

Author's Notes: Just something I threw together after thinking about women's rights.