Tsunade couldn't believe it. He was gone. Dead. Deceased. Whatever you wanted to call it, he wasn't there anymore.

She looked at her bloody hands that trembled with shock. She couldn't save him. She let him die.

Her brown eyes traveled down to where he laid. Blood was everywhere and his last plea, last wish haunted her thoughts. He didn't want to die but he still did.

Her vision suddenly blurred and she realized that she was crying and that dull pain in her chest was suddenly sharp, overwhelmed with grief.

"Dan!" His name rang out in the drenched forest and she crumpled over his body, trying to take in the last memories of her lover. His body heat was fading and against her cheek, she felt her grandfather's cursed necklace.

Her bloody fingers curled in despair and self-loathing. She was the one who had given him and Nawaki this. She had cursed them to die by giving them this. Her fingers grasped the accessory and took it off, deciding to keep the necklace and maybe someday, the curse would even work on her. She didn't care though, she deserved it.

"Tsunade-san," a jonin whispered cautiously, "We must hurry back to the camp."

The jonin wore a grim expression as he watched one of Konoha's strongest shinobi crumple and shatter as war tore her lover away. He looked up at the crying sky and wondered how long this war would last and how many more lives would be taken.

He knew that they fought for Konohagakure, the village he grew up in and had a family in. He even had a little baby boy who was showing great promise and it made the grief over his wife's death lessen.

When the granddaughter of the Shodaime Hoakge looked back, he felt his gaze soften at the immense grief in them. They reminded him of his own gaze in the mirror. "We won't have much time to give him a proper burial, but we can still seal his body for later."

She didn't respond, something that worried him. He had always known her to have a quick comeback ready whenever Jiraiya said something. However, he waited as he watched a comrade cry over the loss of a loved one. When he could no longer wait and his instincts told him to get going, he finally spoke out.

"Tsunade-san," he called out, "We must hurry or we will also lose our lives."

She didn't reply and he moved into action. His sensitive nose was picking out three unfamiliar scents and they definitely weren't a good sign. He nodded to a fellow jonin who whipped out a sealing scroll and pulled Tsunade away from her silver-haired lover, Kato Dan.

She barely responded to him and stared blankly, numb with pain as she watched Dan disappear in a cloud of smoke. The blonde-haired woman didn't even notice when she was lifted up and sped through the branches.

It was when she was placed in front of a campfire and slapped across the cheek she finally regained her senses. Her wide eyes stared up and were met with the even stare of Hatake Sakumo.

The pale-haired man sighed and sat down next to her, staring intently at the flames. "Sorry about that Tsunade-san, but I saw no other way to wake you up."

She nodded absentmindedly. "...It's alright."

Sakumo look back at his old Academy classmate with worry. Did she, the kunoichi known as the woman with the shortest temper really say it was alright that he just slapped her?! The man stared at Tsunade, her eyes were narrowed in deep thought and he could feel her mind working but on what, he wasn't sure.

He quickly wondered where his old friend Jiraiya was, he knew her better than he did. "Tsunade-san," he started slowly, "I get the feeling that you're thinking about doing something drastic."

Her brown eyes looked at his slate-gray eyes and he saw that her grief and despair had been replaced with anger. "Tell me Sakumo, why do you fight? Why fight when you're only going to die?!"

Oh dear, Sakumo wasn't sure if he was ready to engage in a possible argument with Tsunade. Her hot-headedness was well-known along with her great strength. His eyes looked back at the fire and he briefly admired the crackling embers and the heat emitting from it. It reminded him of the Will of Fire, something Hokage-sama had repeated many times and it honestly did inspire some courage from him.

He looked back to meet her furious eyes. "I fight for Konoha, Tsunade-san. I fight for the place where I was born and raised. I got married there and I have a little son. I fight in this war so that he won't have to. As for your second question," he chuckled but there was no amusement or happiness in his eyes, "It's a known fact that we all die someday, Tsunade-san. I do not mind fighting and dying as long as I have no regrets and that I've done something for those I protect and care about."

A silence was his reply and he wondered if he should continue talking. "You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened, Tsunade-san." He took a deep breath and thought about how life was unfair. She really didn't deserve so many tragedies, but that was the life of a shinobi. Fair never was part of the package.

She didn't reply and he was about continue but stopped when he saw the approaching figures of Jiraiya and Orochimaru. He patted her shoulder and nodded to the two men before leaving the three alone.

When he had heard the news about Dan's death, he swore loudly and anxiously hurried to his teammate's side. His white hair was dirty with sweat, blood and dirt. In all honesty, he felt like he had just been beaten by said teammate at least a thousand times.

Jiraiya nodded at Sakumo, a good friend from the Academy and throughout his ninja career.

When his eyes caught the sight of an exhausted blonde who gave off an air of defeat and anger at the same time, he almost tripped over in shock. It was even worse than when Nawaki had died, and that was bad. He shared a look with Orochimaru and both knew that it was best if he was giving her physical support and the ebony-haired man gave supportive comments every now and then. His best friend was great at fighting, but his people skills were definitely lacking.

"Tsunade-hime?" he called out. She looked up and he gulped when he saw the raw emotions behind her eyes. There was anger, grief, sorrow, fear, disgust, relief and a myriad of other emotions he couldn't identify before they disappeared.

He and Orochimaru sat down next to her and a silence fell as he tried to organize his thoughts. Surprisingly, it was Orochimaru who had decided to speak. "I do not think it wise to hold in your emotions when around people you can trust, Tsunade." He looked over and met her eyes steadily. "If you want to cry, no one will hold it against you. You have lost someone dear to you; it is the least you deserve."

They weren't prepared when tears started falling from their strong teammate's eyes. She held her head low and cradled herself as she sobbed softly. The men shared another look and Jiraiya nodded, it was his part now. His best friend never had been a touchy-feely person.

His arm wrapped around her and she leaned on him for support. It broke his heart to see her shattered and the Toad Sannin knew that it was best to just stay by her side.

To many who knew of his perverted nature, they would've thought he would take advantage of her vulnerability, but he wasn't that kind of a guy. Sure he appreciated the beauty of women, but he would always put his friends first.

Hours must've passed before any of them spoke again. Tsunade was no longer leaning on Jiraiya and instead, she stared at the fire, watching as the flames waved back and forth at the wind's beckon. Her eyes were set with stubborn determination and her teammates watched her wearily.

"I'm leaving."

It was a brief and straight to the point statement, but those words caused her teammates to straighten up in shock. She held her hand up, stopping any protesting and shook her head. "I've had enough of watching those I care about die and I know Konoha will do absolutely nothing. Once this war's done, I'm gone. I'm not going to return to that hellhole for the rest of my life."

Jiraiya immediately spoke out once she was done. "Leaving?! Konoha's our home, Tsunade-hime and there's always a ceremony to honor those who've fallen!"

She turned her narrowed eyes to him and replied, "I could care less about it. It's where I was born, but it's not where I'm going to live in any longer. Lives could've been saved if there were more medic-nin in our ranks!"

"Then what about Sarutobi-sensei?" Orochimaru inquired. "He won't be pleased about this, Tsunade. You could be labeled a deserter and if you are, you'll be running from hunter-nin all your life."

She snorted and crossed her arms. "I doubt that'd happen. I'm the Shodai's granddaughter, the last link to him in fact!" Both noticed how she had left out their sensei and focused in the second part instead but chose not to mention it.

"Where are ya gonna go then? I don't think you'll be graciously received by any other country but Kiri and the smaller ones." Jiraiya sighed and looked up at the dark sky, noting that the stars were hidden partially by clouds.

The Slug Sannin shrugged, showing indifference and an uncaring attitude, ringing alarm bells in both of her teammates' head. "There's some houses my grandfather has that I can stay in."

"You will be hiding for the rest of your life then?" Orochimaru asked, really not liking what his teammate had decided to do with her life.

She scoffed and shook her head. "As if! I'll be using skills my grandfather taught me!"

"And that is?" Jiraiya asked with a raised eyebrow.

The large bosomed woman smirked. "I heard there's a new casino in Tea Country."

"Tsunade!" both men exclaimed in shock and horror.

"What are you thinking?!" the white haired man cried out. "You would lose everything you've got!"

The Snake Sannin massaged the bridge of his nose. Why was this happening to him? "Tsunade, you're the last Senju, I don't think you'll be free to do whatever you want, especially this."

"We'll see about that Orochimaru!" The blonde retorted.

They shook their heads and looked away. They could come up with better arguments but they had a strong suspicion this was how she was trying to cope with everything. Would it be worse to let her go and cope with what has happened, or would they restrict her and let her live in grief as a ninja?

Was there even a better choice? A lesser evil?

Orochimaru didn't know what to do anymore. He had lost his parents and many allies due to war. Was this going to be it? The end of the Sannin?

He was a prodigy, a person who was destined to be great and well-known. The pale man knew that Jiraiya had been establishing spies and that he would no longer be in the village as much. With Tsunade going out to gamble and drink, he would be the sole Sannin in Konoha.

He still had Sarutobi-sensei, but it wasn't the same with his teammates. His research was the only reason why he would be there anyway. Of course there was also his desire to become Hokage, but it was a powerful seat, who wouldn't want it?

For two and a half decades, he had spent every second with those three. Was it selfish of him to want to stay with them for more years?

His mind thought of Dan and Tsunade. He really didn't care much about their love life, but he knew that they were happy, almost as much as his parents were when they were still alive.

Tired and weary eyes looked up at the night sky. Why was war always tearing lives apart? Why couldn't people be immortal? If they were, no one would grieve or break down like Tsunade. If people were immortal, they could live and watch their children grow. They wouldn't be orphans like Jiraiya or like him, to know their embrace and love only to have it taken away.

As he thought of his parents, he wondered how his and his teammates' life would be like if they weren't ninja.

He mentally snorted as he thought of Jiraiya. He doubted much would change. His best friend would still be a pervert who joked and peeked in bath houses. He'd probably write books or something, his friend was definitely creative.

He didn't think much would change about him either. If he wasn't a ninja, he probably would've become a researcher, maybe even a father if he found the perfect woman for him.

Tsunade, however, would have an entirely different life. She would be a doctor obviously, but she'd also be married to Dan and maybe she'd even have mini versions of herself or Dan running around, calling him and Jiraiya 'uncle' and 'perverted uncle' respectively.

He shook his head. Such thoughts were worthless and nothing more than a daydream he thought of plenty times. He'd even given the kids names much to his consternation!

The dark-haired man knew that it was impossible to create mini Tsunades and Dans, the man was dead and Orochimaru didn't think he could get sperm from Dan or Tsunade's eggs without being called an insane maniac (which he wasn't, he was just a guy who liked to answer his questions himself damnit!).

What about plain DNA then? a treacherous voice whispered. You could just use their DNA, you're smart, you can figure it out.

Damn, he didn't like that voice. He also really didn't like the fact that he was considering that thought too.

Why not? Don't you think Tsunade would be thrilled to have a child of her own? Especially since it would be hers and Dan's? She'd come back to Konoha and settle there and Jiraiya would definitely show up to visit the kid wouldn't he? The Sannin would be together! Even more, Sarutobi-sensei would be proud of you! There's no way he wouldn't choose you as Hokage if you do this!

Orochimaru sighed. That really did sound good but there was the problem that he would be using the body of a Konoha ninja. Foreign ninja and criminals were fine, but he didn't think operating on an ally, heck his teammate's dead lover would be well received.

Eh, we'll cross that bridge when we get there, a voice sounding suspiciously similar to Jiraiya commented.

Another sigh left his lips and he shook his head.

"You alright there, Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked, "You've been sighing the whole time."

Orochimaru blinked in surprise. He had forgotten about his friends?

Tsunade raised a blonde eyebrow, "Need to get something off your chest?"

He shook his head. "I am fine. I was merely thinking about the future."

Jiraiya grinned. "Well feel free to tell us! This might as well be team bonding time!"

Orochimaru shook his head, yet there was a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Yes, he decided, I'll give it a try. I really do treasure these two teammates of mine. "I was just wondering when Tsunade would notice that you've been trying to peek at her in the bath."

Jiraiya gulped when he felt the fury of his blonde teammate. He waved his hands, trying to placate her, only it looked as though he were trying to grope her breasts.

A tick formed on her forehead. "How dare you, Jiraiya!"

Orochimaru smiled at his teammates. Yes, he would see to it that the three of them stayed together.

xXx

Yes, I know that Orochimaru is a baddie through and through, but I thought, hey, why not?

I like reading light-hearted things and so this will be a light-hearted, humorous, and completely AU. Seriously. Don't read this if you don't want to see an OOC Orochimaru taking care of an OC baby. Crazy, I know, but meh, I got inspired and he seemed like the guy who fit the role the most.

The chapters for this will be a lot shorter than what I usually write do to the fact that this comes last priority wise. My sister's already giving me death glares for not updating my first story… I don't know, I guess if I get lots of good responses, I'll update quicker. So, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it.

Well, thanks for reading and I hope you'll accompany me on my journey exploring Orochimaru's background! See ya!