The next month and a half or so consisted of heading towards my new home. Tsunade seemed reluctant to tell me about it, often changing the topic when I asked. Shizune was the same, but only because Tsunade was with us. Eventually I gave up attempts of learning about the place and resolved myself to learn of it only when I got there.

We probably could have arrived there in a week if we ran, but we all had a silent agreement to extend the journey to Konoha as long as we could. In order to delay time, we went to some cultural sights, much to Shizune-nee's joy. While Shizune dragged us around fawning over things, Tsunade-nee continued teaching me chakra control techniques.

She thought it might take me a while to 'find' my chakra, I was only two after all, but it came to me the moment I thought of it. All I had to do was close my eyes and feel the glowing world, only this time I had to feel it inside myself. Happy with my quick progress, I went straight to channeling the chakra into the leaf and then sticking it to my forehead. This is where my problem lied. I could not in any physical way get my chakra to pour into that itty bitty leaf. I kept overdoing it and causing it to become fried.

After a day of killing leaves, Nee-chan told me she 'forgot' to mention that my reserves were higher than average due to my Uzumaki blood which made chakra control difficult. I was upset, but she assured me I would still be able to have good chakra control so long as I practiced often. However, I couldn't start with the leaf.

Instead of starting small, she made me simply try and get my chakra to appear visible all around me. Easy, I finished it in an hour. I wasn't even winded. The rest of the journey consisted of lowering the area in which I focused chakra out of until it was as small as the leaf. By the time we finally arrived near Konoha, I was able to focus my chakra down to only my hands.

"We are separating here, Hoshi," Tsunade-nee said stopping in the middle of the large road. We were still about an hour away from Konoha.

"What? You're not coming with me? I don't know where to go! What am I supposed to do once I get there? What about—"

"Let me reword that. We are separating here physically. I'm sending a shadow clone with you," she rephrased.

"What's a shadow—"

A white poof clouded my vision and a second Tsunade stood next to all of us.

"—clone…nevermind," I said dryly. "You always do that, Nee-chan! You never even let me finish my questions."

She crossed her arms smirking. "You're too predictable. It's a advanced jutsu. Who knows, maybe I'll teach you when you're older," she said as she crouched down for a hug. I ran to her outstretched arms and hugged her neck tightly before pulling away and rushing over to Shizune-nee to do the same. After that I picked up and kissed Tonton's head then handed her back to Shizune.

We had already said our goodbyes last night before we went to bed. To put it simply, there were a lot of tears on Shizune's and I's part. Tsunade-nee wouldn't admit it if anyone asked, but I'm sure I heard a sniffle or two from her when she thought we were asleep. Either way, we wanted to be smiling when we separated, not snot-faced, so we got that over with beforehand.

We all just stood there a while before Tsunade turned to the clone. "You know what to do."

Tsunade's clone nodded. I went to follow her, but Shizune pulled me back into one more hug and whispered, "Remember what we planned the other day?"

I grinned mischievously and nodded into her shoulder.

"Good," she smiled and pulled back. I walked over to the clone taking her hand only to be lifted up and held on her hip instead. I wrapped my arms around her neck and waved goodbye as we took to the trees.

Laying my head on Tsunade-nee-chan's clone's shoulder, I thought about Shizune's soon-to-be prank. You'd be surprised, but Shizune-nee is quite the prankster. She's just very subtle about it. Once, she replaced Tsunade-nee's whole stash of sake with flavored water. When asked about it she simply replied, "Oh? I guess next time you'll have to double check to make sure it's sake before you buy it, Tsunade-sama." Lately I've been in on them and this time was going to be our biggest prank yet.

Another few minutes passed and we arrived to two large gates that towered yards above our heads. I heard Nee-chan's clone mumble a few profanities and an, "I don't want to be here," as we walked up to two men behind a counter to the left of the gates. They were gaping at us openly before abruptly straitening their backs and squeaking out, "Tsu-tsunade-sama! You're back! Oh, we better alert the Hokage."

One of the men dashed off and not soon after a crowd seemed to be slowly forming near the gate as we walked through. Embarrassed, I held onto the clone tightly and hid my face in her neck. I overheard villager's voices as we passed which only served to embarrass me more. Who was Tsunade-nee to them? I peeked out and trailed my eyes over the growing crowd. Oh my god, did one just bow to them?

"Tsunade-hime's returned!"

"She's back!"

"I wonder who that kid is."

"Such vivid red hair. Doesn't that remind you of—"

"Shh!"

"Maybe she's here to finish that demon."

"I can't believe the Tsundade-sama is back!"

"I'm seeing Legendary Sannin Tsunade in the flesh. Am I dreaming?"

Whoa. Sannin? Hime? Demon? What is with all these people? Oh, wait, I almost forgot. I needed to do the prank Shizune gave me. Shyly, I lifted my face and turned to Tsunade-nee's clone and said, "Okaa-san, why are they staring at us?"

The clone sputtered and stared at me wide eyed, "O-okaa-san?!"

I internally sniggered at her reaction. Once Shizune gets word of this, she's going to have a field day. In fact, the moment those words left my mouth, the crowd had a field day.

"Did she just say—!"

"Oh my! Tsunade-sama has a kid."

"Now that you mention it, don't their noses look the same?"

"Do you think that's why she's returned?"

"I never thought that she would—"

The clone blushed lightly and glared down at me accusingly. I gave her the most innocent eyes I could muster.

"Aww! Isn't she so cute!"

"I wonder what she named her."

"Who do you think the father is?"

"She's not my kid!" the clone suddenly yelled with a red face. After that we sped to the big red building away from the crowd. The moment we were in closed doors she scowled at me and dropped me on the ground. "Shizune set you up to this, didn't she? Didn't she?!"

"What are you talking about Nee-chan?" I played dumb. She cracked her knuckles and I paled spouting, "Yes! YES! She did! Please don't hurt me! I don't want any more noogies!"

"Shi-zu-ne, you are so dead when I dispel," she growled out loud before grabbing my hand and leading me up lots of stairs. "Setting the two year old on me is not fair…"

I would have giggled, but I didn't have a death wish.

When we reached a certain level, we walked passed a receptionist desk whose receptionist was gawking at us. I ducked my head as we turned and Nee-chan slammed open a door to a room with a very large window. Looking around I spotted an old man with a pipe in his mouth staring openly at us. I hid behind Tsunade-nee's legs.

"So it's true. Welcome back Tsunade-chan," the old guy said warmly.

"Don't call me that," Nee-chan said.

I peeked from behind her and looked at the old guy. He peered down at me and smiled, "And who might you be?"

I opened my mouth to reply only to be cut off my Tsunade handing him a letter. "Her name is Uzumaki Hoshi, last known survivor of the fall of Uzushiogakure. The letter should explain things. I've placed a fake birth certificate in there with her real one so not to cause confusion during blood tests. That's…about it, I think. Take care of her," she said. She leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on my forehead and then poofed into oblivion. Just. Like. That.

I stared at the dissipating smoke for a minute before turning to the old man. He had dropped his pipe in shock. I couldn't help it this time, I giggled. He abruptly looked down at me, then he reached for the letter and opened it, reading quickly. I watched him read it once, twice, thrice, before he pulled out the birth certificates and dropped them on the table wide eyed.

Once he seemed to gather his thoughts he gazed back at me again. I shuffled my feet sheepishly and said the only thing that came to mind.

"Hi."