Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters.
A/N: So, I this idea wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it out. So here it is. It's Tsunade and Sakura but no romance in anyway. I hope you enjoy it. I am also sorry if there are any mistakes I edited this one myself.
She never thought that she would have to be having this conversation with Sakura. She hopes that this type of thing will never happen, which is why Tsunade is talking to her apprentice in the first place. So, Sakura doesn't follow the same path that her master has.
Tsunade took Sakura out to their training field. It was a special one that Tsunade only used. The landscape was destroyed from their sparring matches.
"Master, are we having a sparring match again?" Sakura asks, as the two women walk onto the field.
"No, I brought you here to talk. I needed to get away from the village to make sure we aren't interrupted by anyone," Tsunade says, walking over to the tree that they rest under after their matches.
"What is it, My Lady?" Sakura asks, walking over to sit beside the Hokage's out stretched body.
"I need to talk to you about Naruto. You need to treat him better. I see the way you treat him…it's the same way that I used to treat Jiraiya. He cares for you a lot, I know it and you know it. Yes, he may be a pervert but that's just who he is. But, all you do is hit him. You need to cherish your relationship with him more," Tsunade says, keeping her voice soft.
Sakura's taken back because she wasn't expecting such a heavy conversation to come up. The topic of Jiraiya is still a touchy subject for the Slug Princess. She hasn't been the same since his death. Sakura knows this very well since their sparring matches got harder, and her Master became distant. "Tsunade, where's this coming from?" Sakura asks, dropping the formalities and speaking to her Master, not as a student…but as a friend.
Tsunade lets out a long sigh and she closes her eyes. "Just trust me. I don't want you making the same mistake that I had. I'm telling you to appreciate Naruto more because one day he'll go on a mission and may not return. Once that happens, you're going to feel horrible about the way you treated him. You're going to wish that you could have treated him better. You might even wish you went on a date with him at least once." She opens her eyes and stars at the blue sky through the tree branches. "Sakura, living with regret like that will weigh you down. It'll bring you to a dark place. I'm telling you all this because I don't want to see you in that type of place. You're young…you can still spend time with him. You can make sure that if by some chance he doesn't come back from a mission, that you don't have any regrets about being his friend," she finishes, turning her head slightly to stare at the pink-haired girl.
Sakura stays silent. She keeps her head down avoiding eye contact as much as possible. She knows she treats Naruto horribly. She wishes she didn't but before she can do anything she's already hitting him. It's just how she reacts. She doesn't mean to be so cruel. She likes Naruto…he's her best guy friend. She knows that she acts that way is because he's a pervert. But, if she ever lost Naruto…she wouldn't know what to do with herself.
"Your relationship with him is much like how mine was with Jiraiya when we were young. Hell, it didn't change much even as we got older. We still fought like little kids sometimes. He was the biggest pervert in the village. I hated that about him. So, every time I caught him doing something perverted I would hit him and yell at him. Sometimes, he didn't even have to do anything. If he said the wrong thing I would hit him. We used to get into so many fights when we were your age. But, we were best friends. Even when we each left the village, I still counted him as my best friend. Losing him was more devastating than when I lost Dan. I was always so cruel to Jiraiya, never giving him any chances, always rejecting him even if he did mean it just as friends," Tsunade says, breaking the silence.
"You're right…the two relationships do sound very similar. It's just that Naruto is so difficult sometimes. You know what he's like, you know how irritating he can be…hitting him just seems so natural now. I feel like it would weird if I didn't hit him," Sakura responds, looking at her teacher.
"I'm not saying don't ever hit him. Believe me, if the brat deservers it, by all means hit him. I'm saying4 try not to hit him as much or over stupid things that aren't that big of a deal. Maybe, you could even go out to eat with him sometime. He's a good kid and he cares about you immensely. That's the other thing that's similar. Jiraiya cared for me so much and all I did was be mean and pick on him because I knew how he felt. Don't do that to Naruto. He doesn't deserve that type of pain," Tsunade says, placing her hand underneath her head.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. He really is a great friend. He always keeps his promises no matter what. He would do anything for anyone, he's kind and sweet. He does get irritating but maybe going out to eat with him once in a while wouldn't be that bad. Alright, I'll try to be nicer to him," Sakura says, laying down and mirroring her Sensei's position.
"That's all I ask," Tsunade says.
The two lay there, staring at the sky, not saying a word to each other. Tsunade thinks about all the things that she could have done before she lost her best friend. There are so many things that she would have done if she had more time with him. Sakura lies there, thinking about what she can do to change how she treats Naruto. He's been so down lately about Jiraiya's death that she doesn't even know how to talk to him at the moment.
"You know, Sakura, Naruto should be at the ramen stand right about now. I noticed he's been pretty down lately. Maybe, some company from a friend would help cheer him up," Tsunade says, glancing over to see her student's reaction.
Sakura debates about it for a second before she sits up. "Alright, I'll go see him. Watching him laze around like he has been isn't a good feeling. I don't like him this way. I understand that he need to grieve and all, but I'm starting to miss the hyperactive Naruto I've grown so accustomed to," Sakura says, standing from her position. "Thanks, Tsunade, I'll say hello to Naruto for you when I see him," she finishes before running back in the direction of the village.
Tsunade closes her eyes and lets out a deep sigh. "Well, Jiraiya...at least those two can be happy. Maybe, she'll come to relies how she truly feels about him quicker than I did. When I came to my senses it was too late...you had already left. As I watch those two, I can't help but think about if that's what it would have been like if I'd ever given you the time of day," Tsunade says to herself. She rolls over to lie on her side. She runs her fingers through the grass as she thinks of Jiraiya and what they could have been. A smile forms on her face as the happy images of them together flash through her mind. "Maybe, in the afterlife…we can finally be happy." A tear slowly trickles down the old woman's face as she drifts off to take a small nap before she has to return back to work.
A/N: So there it was. It was something I felt like Tsunade would do after Jiraiya's death. I am also sorry if I spoiled anything for anyone. But, please review… it would mean a lot.