A/N: It's been a biiiit longer than I anticipated... my bad! It's been super busy for me, but this chapter is longer and is 100% OroTsu material. It was a bit hard, but here it is!

BlackLady777: Really happy that you liked my drawing! Tsunade is a strong and independent woman who needs no one XD and ahhh I can't wait to write more of mitsuhima but i have to be careful not to rush the whole thing. The initial plans for chapter 7 included Karin and Suigetsu but it might just be too early. Thank you for the support!

Nikky-neeFireOroTsu322: muchas gracias! Finalmente, hay OroTsu en este capítulo ^.^

Guest: yesss they're the cutest :3

Amaranthine89: so glad you enjoyed it! I would really love to see more dynamics between all these characters so here I am, doing my best :D I really love how Kishimoto introduced some Japanese folklore in the manga and I thought it would be interesting if I could do the same or at least maintain what's already in.

Ken18: Thank you so much!

Felikowy: I want to believe that Orochimaru changed a bit, just like Tsunade mentioned. The Mitsuki one shot showed a bit of a softer side of Orochi and I really liked to see that, so I suppose that in this fic he will be a bit ooc. I can see that the anime keeps his intentions a secret and no one ever knows what he'll do next and I think they're doing a great job with this, but I personally want to explore this softer side of his that we never really got to see. Again, it might be ooc, but it's something I'm genuinely invested in.


It was no easy job for Suigetsu to be the right hand of the top missing-nin in the whole ninja world. From babysitting to killing mental shinobi that could have anything up their sleeve, he had done it all. It was neither easy, nor pleasant, yet it was this position that ensured him everything he needed.

Therefore, sneaking into some hideouts nearby Oto was no big deal.

While it was rather unfortunate he couldn't spot any faces at all, the conversations he overheard were quite interesting. He came back with quite some interesting information that might just put Orochimaru's patience to the test. Until then, he just had to make sense of the notes he took and what he recorded.


"Three more days till we start the investigation ourselves. I hope your assistants got their hands on some useful information," said Tsunade from her couch.

"Oh, they have. I am just waiting for the complete report," replied Orochimaru, walking around the living room. "Everything's in our favour so far. Anyway, do you have something interesting to read? I lost count of the days I've been here and there's nothing to do but watch TV and play on the cellphone. Tsunade, you're boring."

"You telling me that means nothing," she whispered under her breath. How was she boring compared to some loner who decided to dedicate his life to research while living in a cave for what could be an eternity? Oh, how she despised his attitude. "And what would you want to do?"

He made his way through the living room, then sat down near Tsunade. Orochimaru put both of his hands on her shoulder and got extremely close to her face, their foreheads almost touching. Based solely on his expression, though, the woman could tell he wasn't being serious at all about it. Just another distasteful attempt at teasing her. Still, she let him do his number.

"Why don't we go gambling, like in the good old days? There must be something in Konoha, you'd know best. We can go drinking after; I haven't drunk in years. What do you say, up for some quality time with your good old friend?"

While his fake puppy eyes were basically staring into her soul, she returned the gaze with a skeptic look. Next thing he knew, Tsunade's hand was all over his face, pushing him away, genuinely taking him by surprise.

"Who are you and what did you do to Orochimaru?"

He managed go grab her wrist and put her hand away slowly. Considering the force she had, it was a miracle he managed to do so.

"Oh, now don't act responsible, that's just hypocritical. Look at me and tell me you would better stay here when there's surely a gambling house nearby."

It was more than clear Orochimaru was speaking the truth, he knew her way too well. She wasn't sure whether it was in fact a good idea to just go out with him. It was very unlikely that he'd do something fishy, but she could never be 100% confident when it came to him. She extended her hand in his direction and addressed herself to him:

"Your weapons. Now."

First, he chuckled and tried to convince her it wasn't the case, but she was aware how bad of a liar he is. Rolling his eyes, he pulled from the inside of his kimono a set of shuriken, kunai and some poisons. She put them all on the coffee table. Slowly, he tried turning away from her, but Tsunade wouldn't have any of it.

"Orochimaru, all of them," she hissed. Clearly pissed off, he got out a small kunai and even more potions from his sleeve.

"All," she demanded for the last time, as he handed her the last weapons he had on him. "You're so extra. You don't even need all this stuff to get things done, yet you carry them around you."

"They come in handy quite often, believe me," he shrugged.

The Casino was at about two kilometers south from Konoha, so they got to their destination fairly quick by foot. Tsunade started showing more excitement on their way, while Orochimaru was becoming unsure of his decision to go out. He didn't really mind it, though, as he was very lucky most of the time.

As the two of them opened the door, the sannin were immediately greeted by a person practically flying out of the building, barely avoiding Orochimaru. Things were rather heated for a late Friday afternoon.

The moment they stepped in, all the buzz stopped abruptly. What could've been hundreds of people froze as the whispers circulated around: "Orochimaru's here", "The Sannin showed up", "Don't move, he'll kill us". Though, Tsunade and Orochimaru could clearly hear them talking. It didn't really matter to them, but it was rather bothering to walk the way to the casino only to be greeted by such killjoys.

Making their way in, the whole atmosphere changed as some tough looking guys jumped in front of them. They were ripped, covered in tattoos and wore some outdated Kiri uniforms.

"Are you really the Sannin?" asked a rather arrogant dude.

"Shithead, they're clearly just two, can't you even count?"

Those guys were seriously embarrassing themselves, but it didn't seem like they were aware of it. Most people exchanged looks and some would even get close to cracking up, given their ridiculousness. Tsunade and Orochimaru appeared to be annoyed with those "tough" guys, but let them finish their moment.

"Anyway, how about you show us your legendary powers by playing some poker?"

It made absolutely no sense, but they obviously agreed, since their main objective for the day was to play some matches, and not to get stared at by a couple of strangers.

They say the snake signifies good luck and fortune. Whether it's true or not, no one can tell for sure, but Tsunade was undoubtedly the champion of the day with Orochimaru by her side. The money she won could almost make up for the amount she lost during her lifetime and even erase once and for all her nickname as "The Legendary Sucker". Despite her being the one actually playing, Orochimaru was still enjoying himself as he watched her win over and over again, knowing he'd have his share of money.
Spending the Yen on some drinks that evening sounded reasonable enough. They started lightly with (outrageously expensive) cocktails that certainly put them in a better mood than before.
People would come full of confidence but then leave with their pockets empty from the table where the Sannin established themselves. Ironically, the more they drank, the easier they defeated their opponents. That until a youngster's turn had come.

He didn't appear to be older than 12, but this wasn't the curious thing about him, rather his nonchalant expression. It was shrugged off initially.

"I'll keep it short. If you win, you get this nice bag of gold I have here," he placed it carelessly on the table, making it shake. "However, if you lose, you both have to shave your heads."
Unphased, Tsunade started shuffling the cards. She was stopped by the kid right away.
"Oh, we're not playing cards," he said, then pointed far left. A huge TV in the corner of the room had an Xbox installed, with Just Dance's start menu on the screen.
That was unexpected.

They had two options: chickening away from this challenge, or take it on. Looking like a coward didn't sound like a bad idea, since they had their pockets full at this point. But it quickly turned into a matter of winning when Tsunade realised it was the 2015 version. In Konoha, she had the highest score for the hardcore version of "Bad Romance", followed by Kakashi with little behind her. That kid must've known of her accomplishment. Her ambition did not allow her to refuse the challenge; she was very confident in her abilities of a retired woman in her 70's with too much time on her hands.

"We have a deal, but only if you agree on 'Bad Romance'."

"Then when I'm up against your… friend," he said hesitating, as the kid was not sure of their relationship, or Orochimaru's age and gender, "I get to choose a song on the spot. Both of you have to defeat me."

Tsunade got up from her seat eagerly, making space for herself in the crowd of people to get to the Xbox. Why was there a young teenager or the Xbox set up in the casino? She had no idea and at that point, frankly, she couldn't care less. The blonde knew she stood a chance against him.

Before beginning the game, Orochimaru approached her as fast as he could. He dragged her out of the Kinect area of recognition to talk to her.

"Listen here, I don't know what you had in your drinks, but I am not shaving my head because you might lose. This hair maintained its reputation as the silkiest and the softest there ever was on this Earth and I plan on not changing anything, you understand? I hope you know what you're doing."

"Orochi, Orochi, no need to get all angry. First, it takes more to get me drunk and make horrible decisions; hell, I've taken worse decisions when sober. Secondly, you Silkiest and Softest Hair Ever™ will be just fine; I've beaten Kakashi, Sakura and many more countless times at Just Dance, and this song just so happens to be my specialty. I am the one that should be concerned. Though, I believe you have something up your sleeve as usual," she winked at him, then went back near the kid.

Everyone gathered around the two competitors, not knowing exactly what to expect. Because most of them rooted for the kid, Orochimaru started feeling uneasy. 'Top rogue nin, along with his ex teammate, humiliated as they lose to a random teenager at Just Dance' was probably going to be tomorrow's headline and it genuinely gave him the chills.

When the game finally began, he closed his eyes for a couple seconds. He didn't want to see the moment that would decide his appearance's fate. What if he wasn't giving Tsunade enough credit, though? He mustered the nerve to look at her, but he immediately regretted it. She looked horrendous. Maybe she was better off being boring in her living room, complaining about her occasional trips to the hospital and Mei's petty attitude. However, the boy looked upset, exhausted and equally as uncool as her. Orochimaru finally dared to glance at the screen, and he had quite a surprise. She was actually in the lead, despite the close scores. It seemed they both couldn't care less about their posture as long as they got their points.

Tsunade had tunnel vision for the TV screen, although by that point, she probably knew the moves for the dance by heart. Peeking at the score was a risky move, therefore the whole showdown seemed to have lasted longer than it actually had. So when she finished her performance, Tsunade felt so relieved to see herself on the top of the chart. Next to her, the kid fell on the ground, drained of life and energy.

"Never mind the… dude you're with, lady. Take all my money and leave me alone! You're not human, jeez…" he managed to say as he tried catching his breath.

He looked kind of pitiful. Tsunade recalled all the times she lost as a kid: bets and other games at the casino, how no one had mercy for the young girl she was. So it was the moral thing to let it slip this time and not take the money.

At this point, they stopped playing cards or at the pachinko machines, and started spending their money on even more drinks, sitting at the bar. From Asahi to absinthe, the rest of the time they spent there was interesting.

Orochimaru hadn't had so much alcohol in such a long time, yet he did a better job at keeping himself together compared to Tsunade. His head was hurting terribly, though, and he started feeling hot so he put his hair up in a bun. If he recalled correctly, last time he felt this bad from drinking was also with Tsunade, Jiraiya as well, in between some missions. Besides the fact that they had messed up big time, he remembered absolutely nothing from that said night.

Someone sitting across them was also enjoying a lot more alcohol than he could actually handle, and his burps were so loud, they covered the music.
"Don't you just hate people like him? Disgusting."

"Such a swine," remarked Orochimaru. After a bit more thought, he added: "I also find it extremely disturbing when people put the cereal first, then the milk."

Tsunade's eye twitched.

"Is there something wrong?"

She cracked her fingers, not taking her eyes off him.

"Did you just imply that milk goes first?"

Not really understanding her point, he nodded in approval. Next thing he knew, an empty glass flew right into his direction. He had enough time to avoid it, but the object hit a stiff man who was clearly not in the mood for dealing with anything at all. So obviously enough, this disturbed him. So much that he actually got up his seat to find the one guilty of what just happened.

"Who the fuck threw a fucking glass at me?!"

Orochimaru grabbed Tsunade's arm and tried dragging her slowly to the exit. Unfortunately for him, she actually yelled back.

"It was me! You have a problem with that?!"

"Why'd you do that?"

"Because this idiot over here suggested milk goes first, then cereal!"

"Only an idiot would think otherwise!"

"Wanna fight about it, shithead?!"

"Bring it on!"

And so, the casino turned into a wrestling rink for the two of them. Two crowds were cheering for their favorite person, as if it was the wildest thing they've ever seen since the Fourth Shinobi War. But Orochimaru was having none of it. Last thing he wanted was for him to interfere so that they could get out of there, though it seemed it was going to be the case. Plus, what if she-

No, worrying about Tsunade getting injured would have been an insult to her. Even so, the thought of it was there, in the back of his mind. Without second guessing, he went in there and took her by the waist, escaping with the speed of light. It was fortunate he didn't have to pull a trick from up his sleeve, otherwise they would've gotten in serious trouble.

"You should've left me there, I was going to kill him!"

"That's what I was afraid about. Not only that, but you get me."

She scoffed, but stopped justifying her actions.

Carrying a drunk Tsunade back home was quite a challenge, since he himself was not exactly sober. Had someone seen him, they could have sworn he was ready to kill a person with his look only. As soon as they got to her house, though, his annoyance slowly turned into calmness; he no longer had to worry about the blonde making a scene. He led Tsunade to her bedroom, sitting her on the bed. She held her head in her hands; the alcohol had really hit her.

The man was ready to leave for the guest room, but not before checking up on her one last time. All this time she's been awfully quiet, so this raised some questions in his mind. On the edge of the mattress, Tsunade was facing the floor, the blond hair covering her face. Orochimaru couldn't help but roll his eyes at such a pitiful sight before finally approaching her. He had to admit it was rather uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Had fun today?"

"Haven't won so much in years. Really takes me back," she confessed plainly. He couldn't really tell the direction this conversation was taking, but decided to just let it happen.

"Maybe you're not that boring after all, Hime," he tried teasing her. At last, she raised her head. It still wasn't a pleasant view. She tried so hard to look indifferent, anyone could tell she had a hard time pretending. Eyeing her and not feeling anything was impossible, though.

"Can you please stay for a bit?" asked Tsunade. He nodded yes, though not fully convinced of his own answer. She suddenly stood up and started moving around, starting a whole rant Orochimaru was not prepared for.

"It's not fair. You're not fair with me, you've never been. You promised me you'd never leave me alone, but that's exactly what you did. Then, Jiraiya casually hung out with me for some drinks right before he went on that suicidal mission. And I was alone, hoping that somehow, through some kind of witchcraft, any of you would finally come back. All of you that ended up leaving me, you were the ones that gave me hope in the first place, especially you! And you came back, but not for me!"

So that's what it's all about, he thought to himself. Today's events most probably triggered something inside her to connect everything with Jiraiya's death and not only. That night was going to be an experience for him. Her lack of coherency got him trying to fill in the gaps himself.

"For the last 13 years after the war you never once dared to get in touch with me," at this point, her voice was cracking. "Were you scared? Or you just simply didn't care?" she paused, breathed in and calmed down. She sat down again, and continued. "Please, talk to me. I want to believe that in a way, we still have each other. What's on your mind?"

He blankly stared back, not really wanting to join what was supposed to be a conversation.

"For some reason, I can't be mad at you. For every single time you left or did not choose to do the moral thing, I think I can forgive you. I'm not sure. I wish I couldn't, but it's not up to my logical judgement." She made a pause. "Almost laughable," she wheezed in a breath.

"You should really go to sleep," suggested Orochimaru. He really did not know how to handle her.

"You know, I always had a thing for you," stated Tsunade, ignoring his words. He was left speechless this time.

He wasn't sure whether he cared about what she just said, if it was actually how she felt or just the alcohol, or if he was just curious. He hadn't been planning on taking this seriously, until he felt Tsunade getting closer to him slowly, but surely. This was not supposed to happen. But in the heat of the moment, he mirrored her actions. She put a hand around his neck, and the other on his own. The tip of their noses were barely touching and on her lips a helpless smile started forming. He couldn't deny Tsunade was stunning. It was easy to get lost in her eyes, her hair framed her face in such a way, it created the illusion she was perfect. Though, it might've been no illusion after all.

But taking advantage of a drunk Tsunade is wrong. Even with their lips so close.

For a bare moment, they remained still. It was likely that Tsunade was waiting for him to make a move this time. His piercing eyes looked at her one last time before breaking the contact. Next thing she knew, Tsunade found herself deep in his embrace. His arms were carefully wrapped around her. It took her some time to realise what was happening, then returned the gesture just in time.

She buried her head in his chest, seeking comfort. It felt right.

"Stay for the night," she mumbled.

Despite not saying a word, she knew he would do so.

They both laid in bed, back to back. There were too many things they would have liked to share with each other, probably a dangerous amount of them. It was enough for just one day, so they were better off sitting in silence for the rest of the night.

Tsunade was fast to fall asleep. Orochimaru, on the other hand, couldn't close an eye for hours. There was a high chance she would forget everything the next morning, but he wasn't sure of it. There was no escape, either.

The moment he finally started feeling somewhat sleepy, he felt Tsunade's arms around his waist. And it was fine, he let it all be. Maybe that's how things were supposed to happen, and there was no harm in that.