Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Author's Note: I am terribly sorry for my horribly long absence, but I have a legit excuse. I don't want to waste your time by having it here, but if you're interested (you're probably not) it's on my profile and will be for a bit :P

Anyways, to cut it short: I'm sorry I couldn't update in so long. I'm back on track now, so this story is continuing and I'll be updating more regularly.

Also – this chapter sort of has spoilers for the recent manga chapters. Well, not really spoilers. But it introduces two characters which are in the recent manga, because I needed villains for my plot, and they were perfect. So yeah. You'll get it once you read it, and even if you don't it doesn't matter, cause in the manga those characters are basically filler.

Please review when you're done! :) Your words really mean a lot to me!

/\/\/\/\/\

"ONEE-CHAN! WAKE UP!"

Tsunade groaned, rolling over, and buried her head in her pillow to muffle the rambunctious racket her little brother just had to make outside her room. At 7 a.m nonetheless.

Little fists pounded on the door incessantly.

"ONEE-CHAN! RIGHT NOW!"

What a demanding little brat, Tsunade thought, uncharacteristically annoyed with her sibling, won't even let me enjoy my one rare day off…

"I'M COMING IN!" the little voice screeched.

"Nawaki, no-" Tsunade groaned, but it was too late.

The door slammed open, and the endless ball of energy that was her hyperactive three-year old brother shot in, leapt on to the bed, landing right on Tsunade's sleeping form.

"NAWAKI!" Tsunade yelped, effectively woken up, "WHAT THE HECK?"

The little child peeked at her over the covers, hazel eyes twinkling, face beaming with excitement.

"Good morning onee-chan!" Nawaki chirped sweetly.

Tsunade felt her annoyance fade away at the sight of his happy face, and sighed in exasperation.

"Why couldn't you let me sleep in a bit more?" she asked, "It's my day off. I said I'd train with you later-"

"BUT ONEE-CHAN!" Nawaki shrieked, eyes widening indignantly, "I'm starting academy today! You're supposed to drop me!"

Oh! Tsunade jolted up, remembering, of course! That's why he's more hyper and louder than usual today…

"YOU FORGOT DIDN'T YOU?" Nawaki cried accusingly, pointing a finger at Tsunade at scrunching up his eyebrows in an attempt to look mad.

Tsunade giggled, finding it all too adorable.

"Course not," she smiled, tweaking his nose, "Now leave, I'll just get ready."

"You did!" Nawaki whined, crossing his chubby little arms, "Onee-chan forgot about my big day!"

Tsunade picked up the little ruffian by the collar. Nawaki squirmed and kicked, and Tsunade dumped him unceremoniously outside her door.

"Stay out. I'm changing," she informed him, before shutting her door in his pouting face.

A second later she re-opened it though, feeling almost regretful. The child was still sitting there, looking confused.

"Five minutes, okay?" she promised, ruffling his hair.

/\/\/\/\/\

"What happened to all the excitement?" Tsunade asked, amused, squeezing her little brother's hand.

They were standing outside the Academy building, where a large crowd of shinobi and kunoichi had gathered with their children.

Nawaki mumbled something, and then latched onto her leg, burying his little face behind her skirt.

"Don't wanna…"

"Come on Nawaki," Tsunade urged him, "You'll never be able to become a shinobi if you don't graduate. And to graduate you need to attend school first!"

"How bout next year?" Nawaki suggested, "This year you can train me at home!"

"I can't," Tsunade told him firmly, "Besides I'm busy taking missions with my team and doing medical ninjutsu. I don't have time to train you. Plus, I'm not even skilled enough. I'm just a Chuunin. Once you graduate from here, you'll have a Jounin teaching you. And don't you want to make new friends your age?"

Nawaki paused, considering these arguments. Then –

"Kushina-onee-chan's not starting yet!"

"She's enrolling next week, Nawaki," Tsunade explained, "She was sick, remember? She has to wait for a whole month to recover before she can start attending."

Indeed, Kushina had gone for what Tsunade was told was a 'minor surgery' three weeks ago. It was apparently related to her 'special chakra'. Tsunade had visited at the hospital. For the first week or so she had seemed uncharacteristically pale and depressed. Thereafter, she'd become more hyperactive than before, which for Kushina, was quite the feat. She made Nawaki look like a quiet, calm child.

Though they seemed to be enrolling quite early – until Tsunade reminded herself that she had enrolled at three as well, and graduated at six, along with her teammates. Still, most kids nowadays enrolled by three or four, though they didn't graduate till about seven or eight, sometimes even nine or ten; Tsunade knew her team had been an exception.

She finally managed to coax Nawaki into leaving her side, though she wondered why. The kid had been bursting with excitement over the past week about enrolling. She'd never heard the end of it.

"Look, there's kaa-san," Tsunade said, pointing at her mother, who waved and walked towards them.

"Ah, Nawaki-chan!" her mother greeted, "Excited?"

"No!"

"He's a bit nervous, I think," Tsunade said, gently pushing her brother over, "Come on Nawaki. Go on."

"Thanks for dropping him, Tsunade-chan," her mother smiled, "Are you meeting your team now?"

"I might," Tsunade shrugged, "I mean it's our day off – but that probably means Jiraiya and Oro-kun are sparring or something… maybe I'll just practice some medical ninjutsu…"

"Well, be sure to enjoy yourself and relax a little," Tsukiko said, smiling.

"I will," Tsunade nodded, before leaning down to give Nawaki a quick hug.

"Bye, Nawaki! Be good and pay attention in class, okay!"

"ONEE-CHAN!" Nawaki wailed, clinging onto her, but Tsunade pried him off.

"I have to go now. You'll be alright. Bye, now!"

Tsunade walked out, only to bump into Dan.

"Oh! H-hey!" Tsunade greeted, smiling, "Dan! It's been awhile."

She noticed he'd gotten taller. For some reason, seeing him after all this while gave her an excited leaping feeling in her stomach; it was a distractingly familiar feeling. The kind she'd been getting around a certain dark-haired teammate of hers fairly often recently.

"Tsunade-chan," Dan said, eyes lighting up, "I thought I'd find you here. You dropped off Nawaki, right? My little sister was enrolled too."

"Oh, really? That's great, they'll be classmates. My cousin sister is joining next week."

"Kushina? That's nice."

"Yeah… know anyone else whose enrolling?"

"Yep. I met Izumi Yamanaka here too, a couple minutes back, with her little brother Inoichi. Even the Nara and Akimichi clan kids have enrolled, plus some of the Uchiha I think. And the Inuzuka and Aburame. And Hikari told me there are two Hyuuga twins as well."

"Oh, wow," Tsunade nodded, "All in the same year, huh? That batch is going to be pretty loaded."

"Well, I mean so was ours, what with Sakumo, and then you, Jiraiya and Orochimaru," Dan said smiling.

"Still, I don't think we had that many clan kids," Tsunade said, "They'll probably have to make five or six teams during graduation. We just had four."

"Yeah well," Dan shrugged, "Over the years they've been postponing graduation too. Since the wars are over, I think they prefer keeping them in Academy longer, so they're better trained before they start going on dangerous missions."

"Hm… speaking of missions and teams and stuff… I actually have to go meet mine right now," Tsunade said, "So um – I'll see you later?"

"Sure thing," Dan nodded, "I have a mission, so I have to get going too. See you around, Tsunade-chan!"

"Yeah, bye. And good luck," Tsunade called after him, blushing slightly.

She then began walking towards her team grounds. She didn't really need to meet up with her team. It was her day off. But for some reason, Tsunade had an urge to go meet up with them anyways, as soon as possible, so that she could see Orochimaru again – and Jiraiya, of course.

Besides, she would probably get bored without them. They were fun, and Tsunade couldn't imagine what she would be doing otherwise, if she didn't meet them the entire day. She decided she'd train with them and then spend lunch with them, and then go back home after that to relax and read some medical scrolls. Nawaki would be back from the academy as well by then, and they could go have dinner at the hospital with Kushina.

Besides, someone needs to supervise those two idiots so that they don't beat each other up, Tsunade told herself, before smiling slightly, and since Hiruzen-sensei is busy with his Hokage duties, it'll have to be me.

/\/\/\/\/\

She entered the clearing, and sighed.

She really shouldn't have been surprised.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru had pretty much given up the pretext of sparring – or maybe they had been sparring earlier, but then inevitably some sort of smart comment from one would have pissed the other one of – currently, they weren't even doing what could be qualified as taijutsu.

In fact, all ninja techniques and jutsu forgotten – they were brawling like a pair of civilians.

On the ground. Kicking. Punching. Scratching. Biting. Overuse of expletives.

Tsunade thought she glimpsed a sight of spiny white hair and an elongated arm somewhere in the scuffle – the only hint that the two morons on the ground were actually shinobi (though sensei was right, Orochimaru was fond of using that stretching jutsu way too often).

This is getting ridiculous, Tsunade thought, rolling her eyes.

Two of the most powerful shinobi in their year – reduced to what could only be classified as some sort of a retarded catfight.

They hadn't even sensed her chakra or noticed her presence. Or, in all likelihood, they had, but were too caught up in their petty fight to care.

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. She waited for a full minute.

Finally, she drew her fist up, and punched the ground.

Not a second too late, her teammates sprang apart, finally resembling ninja as they arced backwards through the air and landed gracefully on their feet.

"Tsunade-hime. What. The. Hell," Orochimaru bit out, his green eyes flashing as they met hers.

"Don't give me that look," she snapped at him, "I can't believe you two. What were you even doing?"

"Sparring," Orochimaru and Jiraiya said together, without missing a beat.

"Hi, Tsunade-chan," Jiraiya added after a moment, "Nice of you to come join us on your day off."

"I'll leave pretty soon if you keep this up," Tsunade said, rolling her eyes, "Seriously, can't you two spar like normal shinobi?"

"We were!" Jiraiya defended, gesturing at the destroyed training field.

It was littered with kunai, and shuriken, and there were chunks of charred grass as well as puddles of water – evidence that they had, in fact, used jutsu.

"But then this bastard had to go and make a stupid comment and – Tsunade-chan, he started it!" Jiraiya screeched, "Blame him."

"I bet it was you," Tsunade shot back, and Orochimaru smirked, "Oro-kun wouldn't have stooped down to this level if you hadn't provoked him!"

Jiraiya glared at her darkly.

"Of course," he muttered, "because Oro-kun is just so perfect, right?"

"You're both idiots," Tsunade said, "I'm not blaming either of you, but now that I'm here, and you've both fulfilled your momentary desire to exemplify civilian girls, could we please spar normally now?"

Both Jiraiya and Orochimaru were silent for a moment, Jiraiya having the decency to look slightly embarrassed, before he piped up.

"Does sparring involve you throwing huge boulders at us like last time? 'Cause if it does I'll pass, thanks."

"You should be able to defend yourself against them," Tsunade sniffed, "What if your enemy used earth-based jutsus on you? What will you do?"

"I don't think I'll ever end up fighting a crazy lady like you-"

"Oh shut up, Jiraiya! It's your fault you're not strong enough to lift boulders yet-"

"Wanna bet on that, sweetheart?"

"Why you little-" Tsunade flushed, enraged by both the 'betting' reference and the endearment – when the hell did Jiraiya start referring to her as 'sweetheart'?

She lunged at him, but he dodged, and Orochimaru watched their exchange with amusement.

"That's the first and last time you're calling me that Jiraiya!" Tsunade shouted warningly.

"So you'd prefer sucker?" Jiraiya asked cheekily, and Tsunade ignored him.

If she attempted to punch Jiraiya (and/or Orochimaru) every time one of them teased or insulted her, she'd run out of chakra pretty quickly.

And punching without chakra was pretty ineffective on both of them.

"What did you mean by what you said before?" Tsunade asked, changing the topic, "You can't actually pick up boulders yet. You don't have the strength to do it without chakra, and you definitely don't have the chakra control."

"If I manage to do it right now, and show you, will you go on a date with me?" Jiraiya asked.

He said it casually, like he had, so many times before. Tsunade was almost getting used to his date requests – they were turning into something of a joke. But he was blushing faintly, and Tsunade's stomach plummeted weirdly.

"Don't piss me off," she warned him, trying to make her voice as flat-sounding as possible.

Jiraiya shrugged.

"Next time then," he said, before walking to the nearest boulder – it was quite an enormous thing, about twice his size.

It took a little bit of effort, but he managed to pick it up, and flung it in the direction of Orochimaru, who leapt to the side, cursing.

"Usuratonkachi, warn me at least!" Orochimaru hissed.

"Meh, I know you have fast reflexes," Jiraiya said carelessly.

Tsunade, in the meantime, stared at her white-haired teammate in shock.

He couldn't have done that with chakra, she knew he wasn't capable. Which meant that he'd done it on brute strength alone.

Her eyes flitted momentarily over his shoulders and arms – she could just see the muscles that he was developing, pushing against the cloth of his yukata.

She looked away almost immediately after that.

Jiraiya's grown so strong… how could I not have noticed this before?

Jiraiya was looking at her shrewdly.

"What?" Tsunade asked.

"You're wondering how I got so strong, right?' he asked, smirking.

"The frogs?" Orochimaru supplied.

"The toads, yes," Jiraiya corrected him, though he knew it was a deliberate slip-up to annoy him, "But that's not all…"

"Enlighten us, oh powerful one," Orochimaru said sarcastically.

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, straight in the eyes, a look of burning intensity that made her blush in spite of herself.

"I guess you could say I had incentive," he stated, leaving Tsunade to wonder at his words.

"C'mon, Orochimaru, I wanna show you my awesome new jutsu…"

/\/\/\/\/\

After lunch, Orochimaru and Jiraiya decided to go back and train, as per usual. Tsunade was tempted to join them; it seemed like a much better idea than sitting by herself in the library.

"Could you guys wait up," she asked, "I just need to pick up a few scrolls first."

"We'll come with you," Jiraiya said immediately, "Anyways it's a bad idea training immediately after eating."

"Glad you finally know that now, genius," Orochimaru said sourly, recalling one particularly unpleasant incident where Jiraiya hadn't remembered to exercise that particular caution.

"Ha! I totally won that spar," Jiraiya shot back.

"You're disgusting," Orochimaru informed them.

Tsunade smiled to herself, as the duo continued their bickering all the way back to her house.

She picked up the scrolls she'd left there – Biwako-san, Hiruzen-sensei's wife had given them to her. Mito had taken Biwako as her apprentice; she was a skilled medical ninja, and in fact, it had been Biwako who had overseen Kushina's procedure as well. Sometimes, when her grandmother was busy, Tsunade trained with Biwako as well.

"I can only stay out for three hours," Tsunade said, "I have to go pick up Nawaki from the academy after that."

"Oh, he enrolled?" Orochimaru asked, "When?"

"Enrollment was today, baka," Jiraiya said, "Don't you know anything?"

"What about your cousin, that little redheaded brat?" Orochimaru inquired, "Isn't she in the hospital?"

"She is," Tsunade nodded, "That's why she's enrolling next week. Nawaki and I are going to visit her today evening."

"I'm coming too!" Jiraiya declared, "I haven't seen that crazy little runt in over two week!"

"Don't let her hear you call her that," Tsunade said with a smile, "She's insanely strong for a kid of that age."

/\/\/\/\/\

To Tsunade's delight, Orochimaru had decided to accompany her and Jiraiya as well, so it came to be the three of them that went to pick Nawaki up and head to the hospital. Nawaki was thrilled – the child adored her teammates, and was in awe of Orochimaru for some reason.

The boy did exude a calm, quiet power (when he wasn't fighting it out with Jiraiya), so Tsunade could understand the fascination.

She found herself oddly fascinated by her teammate as well – especially those forest green eyes and his – okay, she was really diverting off topic.

Tsunade noticed that the three of them ended up sticking together a lot, even when they weren't on missions. She liked it that way, and hoped that nothing would change. Despite all their constant fighting, nothing ever got too serious (except for the one time she'd punched Jiraiya a bit too hard a few months ago, which had resulted in a couple days of awkwardness before everything went back to normal). She knew the constant fighting and joking was really a testament to how close they were, and how tight their team bonds were. They'd grown together over the years, and had been through a lot. She hoped it always stayed like that.

/\/\/\/\/\

A week later found Tsunade standing outside the Academy again, waiting to pick up Nawaki – and more importantly Kushina, for whom it had been her first day.

Tsunade had her doubts about how well the boisterous little Uzumaki would integrate with the other children. Kushina was a bit of a tomboy – she behaved too roughly and loudly for a girl – but from her face and her hair, which had grown to about shoulder-length and curled prettily under her chin – it was obvious that she wasn't a boy. Since that was the age when boys and girls normally didn't associate with one another (they still had quite a few years to reach the crushing and fangirling stages respectively) Tsunade was slightly worried that Kushina wouldn't be quick to make friends.

That and the fact that though Tsunade found the little girl sweet and altogether amusing, and Mito seemed to regard her as some kind of an angel rather than the redheaded devil she really was – Kushina could be a bit obnoxious and attention-seeking.

Still, Tsunade comforted herself with the fact that Kushina would at least have Nawaki for company.

The wooden door opened, and a large group of children tumbled out, scrabbling in all directions. Tsunade searched the gaggle of kids, and spotted Inoichi, Shikaku and Chouza and the white-eyed Hyuuga children amongst them. A couple of Inuzuka kids sped past her as well, followed by their yapping puppies. The Uchiha children immediately flocked over to where a group of their relatives were standing, all clad in dark shirts with the omnipresent Uchiha fan.

Tsunade scowled to herself; it was quite rich of the Uchiha, flaunting their fan everywhere. Though most kids wore clothes with clan symbols, the Uchiha seemed almost obnoxious in the positioning and size of theirs – right at the back of every article of clothing they possessed.

Tsunade's Senju insignia was stitched onto the underside of her yukata; unlike the Uchiha, though the Senju were proud, they didn't feel the need to flaunt their elite status, obviously. They had class. Or that's how Tsunade saw it.

When the crowd of children gradually dispersed, Tsunade noticed Kushina stomping towards her, her little fists balled at her side, and her hair billowing behind her like red flames. Nawaki was trudging behind her, looking rather wary.

"Otouto, Kushina-chan," Tsunade greeted cautiously, "How was your first day?"

"TERRIBLE!" Kushina screeched almost immediately, stamping her foot on the ground, as if her loud voice wasn't emphasis enough on this fact.

"Oh, that's too bad," Tsunade said, leaning down so she could be on eye-level with the little girl, "Why is that?"

"BECAUSE MINATO NAMIKAZE IS A STUPID FLAKY WIMP WHOSE TRYING TO STEAL MY POSITION AND THAT STUPID UCHIHA LOSER CALLED ME A TOMATO!"

Tsunade paused for a moment, letting the ludicrousness of what the child had just shouted out settle in.

"He – called you a what?" Tsunade asked finally, unsure if she'd heard correctly.

"A tomato, onee-chan," Nawaki piped up, "Because her hair is red, see?"

Stupid Uchiha, Tsunade scoffed to herself, can't even think of decent insults, can they?

"One of the older boys said it," Nawaki went on, "And it really-"

"IT REALLY PISSED ME OFF!" Kushina cried.

"She beat him up, you know. The Uchiha and the other kids who were making fun of her," Nawaki said, sounding slightly awestruck.

"You beat up an Uchiha?" Tsunade asked, impressed, "Good for you, I guess. You're obviously my sister."

"Yeah! And believe it or not, I'll do it again if he doesn't shut his stupid mouth next time!" Kushina declared passionately, her eyes blazing.

She was also pouting slightly, despite her obvious wrath. Tsunade found her rather adorable.

"They call her the Bloody Habanero now," Nawaki whispered, and Kushina smirked slightly at the mention of her new nickname.

"I – see," Tsunade nodded.

"She's rather scary," Nawaki continued, "Everyone is kinda freaked out by her now 'cept Minato but that's 'cause he's super-good and a genius so-"

"Please!" Kushina scoffed with all the disdain she could muster in her little voice, "Minato's a pansy!"

"Kushina, don't say things like that," Tsunade scolded, "Really where did you pick that word up from?"

"Jiraiya calls Orochimaru it all the time."

"Figures," Tsunade shook her hair, resolving to chastise Jiraiya for the kind of language that he used around kids, especially perceptive ones like Kushina.

"Besides, he is! Have you seen him! As if a flake like that will ever be Hokage," Kushina muttered.

"What's this about Hokage now?" Tsunade asked curiously.

Kushina had never voiced any desire about the position before.

"It's my new dream. I'm going to be Hokage of this village," Kushina announced.

"Since when?" Tsunade couldn't help but ask, her lips quirking upwards.

"SINCE TODAY! BELIEVE IT!" the little girl screamed.

"O-kay," Tsunade nodded, "That was sudden. But – why? There's so much paperwork. I would never want a position like that. It's the last thing I'd do!"

"Because Hokage is awesome," Kushina explained, "Which is why I totally should get it over Minato-baka!"

"She said she wanted it in class, and everybody laughed," Nawaki said, "And then Minato said he wanted it to, except nobody laughed at him."

"You know the Hokage right, he's your sensei," Kushina said, "You tell him to pick me."

"I – don't think it works like that, Kushina-chan," Tsunade said, a little taken aback, "Nepotism doesn't govern Konoha, despite what the Uchiha idiots may say."

"Nepo-what?" Kushina was confused.

"Never mind," Tsunade shook her hair, "But really, Kushina, why Hokage? Other than – um – the fact that it's – awesome?"

"Because then people will have to acknowledge me," Kushina said, "And I'll have friends and people won't make fun of me."

She sniffed slightly and Tsunade thought she saw her eyes look rater glassy, before the child blinked, and schooled her countenance back into a scowl.

She's not as happy as she pretends to be, Tsunade realized, maybe the loudness and rowdiness is just a façade, just a cover.

"People will acknowledge you if you do well and you're a strong kunoichi, Kushina-onee-chan," Tsunade told the young girl, holding out her arms, "You'll make friends too, if you're nice to the other kids and help them out."

Kushina immediately barreled into Tsunade's open embrace, clinging at her.

"Really?" Kushina asked in a small voice, muffled against Tsunade's yukata.

"Really," Tsunade said, ruffling her red locks.

She pulled away and noticed that there was a tiny tear, sliding down Kushina's cheek.

"Don't worry Kushina-chan, just give it time," Tsunade said softly, wiping away the tear, "Besides, you always have me and Nawaki!"

Kushina beamed at her, and the sudden switch to this sunny disposition was surprising to Tsunade, but pleasant. Kushina could be quite a handful. Tsunade secretly pitied this poor Minato kid who had obviously incurred her wrath for whatever reason.

"Do I – do I look like a tomato, onee-chan?" Kushina asked after a moment, her lip trembling.

"No, you don't," Tsunade assured her, "Uchiha kids are stupid. Don't listen to them."

"Okay!" Kushina said brightly, smiling at the insult.

"Yeah," Tsunade said, standing up, taking Kushina's hand, as well as Nawaki.

The three began walking home.

"So," Tsunade asked, unable to resist, "Who is this Minato kid anyways?"

"Minato Namikaze is a dumb girly baka!" Kushina said immediately, though Nawaki was singing another tune altogether.

"He's a genius, onee-chan! He's the brightest and fastest and strongest in our class! He's always finishing all the exercises first and he's really good!"

"No he's not! I'm better than him! That's why I'm going to beat him and get Hokage!"

/\/\/\/\/\

"C-RANK! WHY? YOU KNOW WE'RE ABOVE THAT NOW SENSEI!"

Hiruzen sighed, placing his chin on his fist, and patiently waited for the raging to die down. This had become almost a routine occurrence whenever his team was given a mission that ranked anything lower than B; and considering the fact that it was peacetime, that meant that this was pretty often. This should have been a good thing, because B-ranks could be highly dangerous. But Team Seven would whine nonetheless, and their sensei, the Hokage, figured that the best way to get them to shut up would be to wait till they were done venting.

"I hate escort missions," Tsunade grumbled, "What's the point of learning medial ninjutsu if I can never practice it for real!"

"Is there nothing of a higher rank available, sensei?" Orochimaru asked, the most well-behaved of the trio.

"Please, we should get B-rank at least, or A-rank. Everyone knows we're practically Jounin level anyways," Jiraiya said, crossing his arms and making a face.

"Really? What gave you that idea?" Hiruzen asked, leaning forwards.

"Ah, come on sensei, you know it's true," Jiraiya grinned, "We know Jounin level jutsu anyways! We can all do Summonings, for one thing, and-"

"I've never seen you three collectively fight with your summons," Hiruzen pointed out, "Without them trying to kill each other. That's not a very effective strategy, Jiraiya-kun."

"I can control Gama just fine! That's their fault that they can't control their summons!" Jiraiya pointed at his other two teammates.

"Hey!" Tsunade yelled, crackling her fist, "Gama and Manda argue more than Katsuyu ever does!"

"Your stupid frog tried sticking a sword into my summon last mission, so it was your fault," Orochimaru sniped.

"Besides, Jiraiya, despite being exceedingly talented, I don't think you three are quite ready for Jounin yet," Hiruzen cut in – his students could go on for hours if he didn't intervene in their arguments, and he really didn't have that much time today.

"So basically what you're saying is that Tsunade-chan and I are getting held back because Oro-teme is incompetent," Jiraiya said, nodding.

"He never said that!" Orochimaru hissed, "You baka!"

"I'm a sage! That's even cooler than Jounin!"

"Yeah right, Jiraiya!" Tsunade rolled her eyes, "Moron."

"Tsunade-chan, I actually am and I didn't say anything to you," Jiraiya whined, "I told you, it's because of this bastard here. Me and you could easily get the promotion, I bet, if he-"

"Actually Jiraiya," Hiruzen felt compelled to interrupt, seeing that Orochimaru looked rather murderous at the moment, "Orochimaru-kun is the closest to getting promoted from the three of you."

"WHAT?" Jiraiya screeched.

"Hn," Orochimaru smirked.

"And even if you were skilled enough you certainly lack the disposition and manners expected of one at Jounin level," Hiruzen concluded, "Keep training and do your missions properly, and you'll get it eventually, all of you. You're talented, but don't get ahead of yourselves."

"Whatever," Jiraiya grumped.

"Here's your scroll," Hiruzen said, tossing it to Orochimaru, "I don't have much time right now, but once you're back from the mission, I'll treat you three to dinner."

"YEAH!" Jiraiya pumped his fists, "Okay losers, let's get this lousy C-rank done with!"

"Good luck," Hiruzen said, wondering if it was a good idea sending his team off unsupervised.

They had the ranking and the talent to pull it off, he knew; besides, they managed to repel most Jounin anyways, with their constant arguing which could get annoying. A couple of Jounin had also expressed concern over the "apparently homicidal tendencies" which his team seemed to harbor towards each other. They'd also mentioned Orochimaru being rather "creepy".

Hiruzen just shrugged it off. He knew their bickering was harmless and their promises of murder were merely jokes that reflected how close they really were. And Orochimaru was his little genius student, so of course the teen was bound to be 'different'.

/\/\/\/\/\

The next day morning, at dawn, Tsunade arrived at the gate. Her teammates both jumped down when they saw her, from where they had been awaiting, atop the large Konoha gates.

"Morning, Tsunade-chan!" Jiraiya greeted.

"Morning Jiraiya," Tsunade said, nodding at him and then peeking at Orochimaru, "Morning, Oro-kun."

"Good morning, princess," Orochimaru said pleasantly enough, and Tsunade didn't know why she was feeling so uncharacteristically shy all of a sudden.

They were all teenagers now, and though they looked different, they were still the same people.

It sort of peeved Tsunade that both her teammates had experienced growth spurts last year, and now stood a couple inches taller than her.

She hadn't quite gotten hers yet – she supposed she was a late bloomer. She hoped so, at least. She was still in the 'flat' stage as Jiraiya called it when he used to tease her, though he hadn't done that for quite a while. He probably was just scared that she'd punch him all the way to Suna if he dared.

Still, she knew from her knowledge of medicine that it would happen eventually. Tsunade didn't particularly care for her appearance at that stage, being more concerned about training and missions, but she didn't want to be considered 'flat' for the rest of her life. She also knew that Jiraiya and Orochimaru certainly hadn't matured entirely. For one thing, Jiraiya's voice hadn't cracked and was still the annoying whine that grated her ears; she hoped that it would soon. Orochimaru on the other hand always had a silky, low voice so she didn't think it would make much of a difference on him.

"Let's leave," that silky voice was saying, knocking Tsunade out of her thoughts.

"We're early, can we stop and eat first?" Jiraiya asked.

"Later," Orochimaru said, "I want to get some distance covered first."

"Aw man," Jiraiya groaned, "I didn't have time to eat breakfast…"

"That's your fault for taking so much time in the morning."

"Hey! I was here before you! I bet you took ages doing your hair, you girly freak!"

The trio took off, and Orochimaru and Jiraiya eventually stopped their bickering for the sake of stealth.

Tsunade glanced over at her teammate again.

Despite Jiraiya's perpetual insinuations of the same, Orochimaru was anything but girly.

Though his ebony hair was long and silky, the sharp angles of his face, his high cheekbones and the square of his jawline were very obviously masculine – as well as his figure. Though he was usually clad in loose-fitting clothes like Jiraiya, Tsunade had seen the muscles that corded his arms when the sleeve of his yukata had fallen back.

He was already like this, and they were still in their early teens. Tsunade wondered a bit dreamily what would happen in a few years. She now could, to an extent, understand why all the silly girls in the academy were so smitten with him. Though they didn't actually know him – as a person – like she did – he was someone who could be considered attractive, though in a very different, atypical way.

The fair complexion, dark hair and dark green eyes certainly didn't hurt.

Tsunade then realized what she'd been thinking of – her teammate – Orochimaru, her teammate – and practically stumbled over the next branch.

A cool hand grasped her shoulder, steadying her, and Tsunade nearly tripped again at the touch.

"Careful, princess," Orochimaru said, "We don't want our medic injured."

"Yeah," Tsunade muttered, shrugging him off and leaping ahead, so he wouldn't see the slight blush that she knew was covering her cheeks.

What the hell is wrong with me?

/\/\/\/\/\

Their mission had seemed simple enough. They were to go to the Land of Lightning, and deliver a scroll to the Village Hidden in the Clouds, Kumogakure.

Yet, five miles from the village, Orochimaru stopped them, looking concerned.

"What's up, Oro-teme?" Jiraiya asked, as he and Tsunade landed on the thick branch on either side of their teammate.

"That chakra – can't you sense it?" Orochimaru asked, narrowing his eyes. He seemed tense, and his jaw was rigid.

"What are you talking about?" Jiraiya asked.

Tsunade immediately closed her eyes and focused on the environment – because if it was something that Orochimaru had gotten anxious enough to stop for – it potentially could be dangerous.

She immediately recoiled, gasping.

"Wh-what is that?"

The chakra was enormous – and darker and deadlier than anything she'd ever felt in her life; and that was saying a lot, since she'd bumped into Madara Uchiha quite a few times during her younger days.

It was huger than anything she had felt in her life, and she could practically feel the roiling waves of hatred and the killer intent emanating from it. It sent a chill down her spine, and made her want to turn around and run, there and then.

"We should leave. Now," Orochimaru said, "Take an alternate route."

"Are you crazy?" Jiraiya stared at him, "We're not turning back! We're shinobi!"

"Can you not sense that chakra?" Orochimaru hissed, "That's far too high level, even for us! I've never felt anything like it…"

"You're just being a coward," Jiraiya said, "I'm Jiraiya the Gallant, and I'm not afraid of anyth-ow!"

"Shut up!" Tsunade snapped, withdrawing her fist, "He's right, you idiot. Do you – do you want to get us killed? That chakra – it's stronger – and feels more evil than even – M-Madara. We shouldn't be here."

"If we leave, it'll only come after us and we'll jeopardize the mission," Jiraiya argued, "And not that I'm arguing – but what's with all these C-ranks turning B and A rank anyways?"

"That chakra feels – it feels menacing," Orochimaru said quietly, "We have to move. Now. We can't afford to bump into that. We don't know if it's after us, and if it's just a coincidence, it's best we avoid it. We'll take a detour."

"But-" Jiraiya began, but Orochimaru had already taken off, and was doubling back, with the scroll.

Tsunade just grabbed Jiraiya's hand, momentarily dragging the boy after her as she leapt up, pumping chakra to her legs. Grumbling, Jiraiya followed.

/\/\/\/\/\

"It-it's catching up," Tsunade panted, as Team Seven fled through the forest, "I don't know if it's chasing us – but it's moving fast, really fast…"

"Too fast to be human," Orochimaru murmured.

"Hell yeah, we can take it, whatever it is," Jiraiya said, though he looked less confident.

He had sensed the deadly chakra as well, and he knew, that despite their formidable talent, this was something otherworldly, something out of their league.

"I think maybe – I think we need backup," Tsunade said, rolling up her sleeves, and making hand seals.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya both caught her movements and nodded, their hands flying through the same seals.

The three of them leapt from the tree branch at once, slamming their palms on the ground simultaneously.

"KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!"

With an enormous puff of smoke, their summons appeared one by one; a large toad, about twice the size of a human… a snake about as thick as a tree trunk and a large, dripping slug that was easily the size of a horse.

Team Seven had quickly learnt that their initially small friends grew rather quickly over the course of a couple years.

"Manda," the toad grunted, webbed fingers flying to its dagger, "You slimy little traitor. I told you I'd kill you the next time I met you."

"Gama, you maggot, I'll crussssh you," the snake hissed, rearing back, "I jussst can't wait to sssink my fangsss into your flessssh… and Katsssu…. you're next, little princesss…. I haven't forgotten what happened last month…"

"Don't even try it!" the slug shot back, trembling, "Unless you want your precious snakeskin to shrivel away in my acid!"

"Oy! Cut it out, you three!" Jiraiya demanded, "Gama-boy, you're going to listen to me!"

"Maybe summoning the three of them at once wasn't a good idea," Tsunade murmured.

"We just have to control them," Orochimaru said, his mouth a thin line, "Manda! I am your master, and we are in danger. Leave him, and obey me!"

"Why do you ssssummon me, when you know I cannot bear the presssence of thessse vile creaturessss…" the snake hissed.

"Katsu-chan, please," Tsunade begged, "We're in danger. We need your help. All of you."

"What is it, Tsunade-sama?" the slug asked, before emitting a cry, "That chakra!"

"What is it?" Tsunade asked, "We felt it too. It's more powerful than anything we've ever felt before!"

"That chakra – Tsunade-sama – it – it belongs to –" Katsuyu broke off, her entire form shaking in fear.

"That's the chakra of… the Kyuubi…" Gamabunta croaked.

"WHAT?" Tsunade and Jiraiya both shouted together, eyes widening.

"It – it can't be…" Tsunade gasped, memories flooding to her.

Memories of the war, and whispers of the tailed beasts… and their mission escorting the seven-tails Jinchuuriki a couple years ago…

"Hiruzen-sensei said all of them were sealed," Jiraiya said, panicking, "How is that even possible? You must be mistaken!"

"They're right…" Manda hissed, "It issss… I haven't felt that menace in yearssss… it's unmissstakeable…"

"It must be the Jinchuuriki," Orochimaru surmised, "That's the only explanation."

"We've been around a Jinchuuriki before, we never felt this with Fu," Jiraiya said, "It can't be that."

"Well then it's probably worse," Orochimaru stated, "Either ways, we're outclassed. If that's really tailed beast chakra… that too, nine tails…"

"It's coming closer!" Tsunade cried, "We have to do something!"

"Gama," Jiraiya said suddenly, "Get someone to contact Enma and tell him to inform sensei. We need back-up and we need it fast. Tell them they better send over some Jounin or ANBU or something. Get them using reverse summoning, I don't care, but we can't handle this alone."

"Alright, I'll be back," the toad said, before disappearing.

"Smart," Orochimaru nodded at Jiraiya.

"What about the scroll?" Tsunade asked frantically, "We need to hide it."

"Damn, I should've given it to Gama," Jiraiya said, hitting his forehead.

"It's fine. Manda can swallow it," Orochimaru said, whipping it out.

He made a hand-seal, covering the scroll with blue chakra.

"What's that for?" Jiraiya asked.

"To protect it from the venom," Orochimaru replied, before tossing it to his snake, which opened its maw wide, and swallowed.

"Keep it safe," Orochimaru ordered.

"Yesss, if we survive thissss…." Manda responded, glaring.

"Don't you dare even think of leaving," Orochimaru warned him.

The purple snake twitched its tail, but stayed.

"This scroll better have some seriously important shit," Jiraiya muttered, as the malicious chakra grew closer.

"We should hide," Tsunade began, but Katsuyu shook her head.

"Tsunade-sama – if – if the enemy has Kyuubi chakra – they – will be able to smell you out. There's no point. You can't run, or hide, or even ambush them."

"Great," Jiraiya muttered, "Absolutely brilliant."

"What, we just wait here?" Tsunade cried, "That's like letting them find us!"

"Better conssserve your chakra for fighting then wassste it trying to essscape when you cannot," Manda said.

"But – but –" Tsunade flailed, when Jiraiya placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Tsunade-chan," he said, winking at her and grinning, "I've got you covered. I'd die before I let them touch you."

"Jiraiya! I-" Tsunade broke off, staggered.

She knew he had a crush on her but she hadn't expected him to say something like this. He was smiling, but his eyes were hard and serious. She could tell he meant it, and felt somewhat overwhelmed.

She didn't know what to reply. Punching him was out of question, for a variety of rather obvious reasons.

Orochimaru said nothing, but there was a scraping sound as he drew his kodachi and readied it.

A second later, there was a loud crash, as not one, but two figures hurtled out of the trees in front of them.

The two shinobi – for though their chakra was beastly and animalistic and utterly inhuman, they had the forms of two shinobi – came to a stop, landing on the ground with a thud that made the earth tremble.

They were both large, burly men, clad in the usual attire of the Cloud shinobi. One of them had long golden locks, and the other had silver hair. The ends of their hair were tipped with dark red. Their eyes were blazing, they had large horns protruding from their heads and whisker marks on their faces.

They weren't entirely human, more like half-human and half-beast. There was something feral about their smiles, and the way their sharp canines glimmered, and their eyes swirled with malice, an age-old evil that sent waves of fear through Tsunade's body.

"Ah, look Ginkaku," the golden-haired one spoke up, his voice a raspy growl, "Kiddies from Konoha. This should be fun…"

"W-what do you want?" Jiraiya asked boldly, though Tsunade could detect a tremble in his voice, "We're not giving you the scroll."

"Idiot!" Tsunade heard Orochimaru hiss, "You're not supposed to bring it up!"

"Scroll?" the silver-haired man snickered, "You think we care about your petty scroll? I suppose you're on a delivery mission, eh? Too bad. What are you? From your chakra levels you can't be more than Chuunin…"

"If you don't want our scroll, what do you want with us?" Jiraiya asked, eyeing their attire and forehead protectors, "You're form the Cloud. We're on our way to your village. We're your allies. We don't wish you any harm."

"Please!" the silver-haired man, Ginkaku, snorted, "Kinkaku did you hear him? The arrogant runt! As if they could harm us!"

"Besides, we don't care about Cloud," Kinkaku continued, "Though now that you mentioned it… if your scroll is to be delivered there… we may as well destroy it… no harm causing a bit more trouble for our dearest Raikage-sama, eh?"

"Wh-what?" Jiraiya asked, "Why would you – why would you say that?"

"What're you doing?" Tsunade whispered, "Stop making small-talk with them! We should attack, and fast!"

Jiraiya just shook his head stiffly, before nodding at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru leant forwards, his breath brushing against Tsunade's ear, making her shiver in spite of everything.

"He's delaying them," Orochimaru said softly, "Until Gama comes back. Play along."

"Ah," Tsunade nodded, marveling at Jiraiya's shrewdness in the most pressing of situations; she would have expected Orochimaru to come up with something like that.

"We're not members of Cloud, not anymore," Kinkaku spat, "Ever since our dear Raikage tried imprisoning us! But we taught them, didn't we?"

"Why would he do that?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well… we did sort of break the peace treaty between Konoha and Kumo, didn't we?" Ginkaku said, leering.

"Ah, yes," Kinkaku nodded, "The time we nearly succeeded in finishing off the second Hokage…"

Tsunade could help the gasp that escaped her lips at this, despite Orochimar's warning look a millisecond before.

The two men looked at her, their eyes narrowing.

"What?" Jiraiya yelled, shocked as well, "Why would you – why would you try doing that?"

"It was during the negotiations during the second war," Ginkaku said, before adding bitterly, "We didn't actually succeed… and dearest Raikage-sama felt that our tactics went again the beliefs of Kumo, and imprisoned us…"

"And you – you just escaped?" Jiraiya asked, shaking now, "Aren't you being pursued?"

It was obvious what they were dealing with now – not only someone potentially as dangerous as a Jinchuuriki with deadly chakra – but two S-class missing-nin who had broken out of prison.

"Oh, we dealt with our pursuers well enough, didn't we Kinkaku?" Ginkaku grinned, displaying his fangs, "Troublesome ANBU…"

"A-all of them?" Jiraiya asked.

"All eight of them, and four Jounin," Ginkaku replied proudly, "We're powerful you know… they call us the Gold and Silver brothers… it's sad you had to meet us so early on… looks like your shinobi career is about to come to a painful end!"

"What, why?" Jiraiya panicked, "We haven't done anything to you!"

"Oh, but you have," Kinkaku said, before raising a hand, to point a clawed finger at Tsunade.

Tsunade's eyes widened, a jolt of fear coursing through her heart.

"What do you want with her?" Orochimaru asked, and Jiraiya stepped forward protectively.

"Your pretty little friend has Senju blood running in her veins," Ginkaku said, "I can smell the stench from a mile away…"

"Ah, yes… that's something we can never forget," Kinkaku sneered, "We couldn't off the Second… but bathing my hands in the entrails of his little relative may quench some of my vengeful desires!"

"I'll kill you before you touch her!" Jiraiya shouted, leaping forwards, followed almost instantly by Orochimaru.

"Alright, slaughter time," Kinkaku growled, lunging forwards as well.

Ginkaku however, hurtled straight towards Tsunade.

Tsunade gave a cry, and punched the ground as hard as she could, before leaping up. She had no time to hear or even look at what her teammates were doing, but since it was the two of them, she guessed they had better odds than her anyways.

Ginkaku stumbled slightly, but leapt over the chasm she had created, baring his teeth.

"Not bad for a little girl," he growled, "But you're going to die soon, Senju!"

He opened his mouth wide and shot something at her – it was a blazing ball of chakra from the looks of it.

Tsunade, who was in the air, had no way of moving out of the way or dodging it. She could make a clone and have it throw her to the side, but there wasn't enough time. She'd barely made the sign for a shadow clone when something wrapped around her, and jerked her back to the ground.

The ball of chakra whizzed overhead, singing her hair, and hit a tree and exploded instantly, sending branches and burnt leaves everywhere.

Tsunade looked down at her savior and gasped.

Manda's purple tail was wrapped around her.

"Be careful princesssss," the snake hissed, releasing here, "Masssster told usss to protect you and he would be mosssst upssset if you died…"

"Th-thank you Manda-sama," Tsunade bit out, still shocked.

Orochimaru should have been fighting alongside his summon – and yet he'd ordered Manda to protect her – all in the span of the ten seconds in which they'd begun the attack.

"Tsunade-sama!" Katsuyu cried, "Above you!"

Tsunade looked up to see Ginkaku diving towards her, a large sword in his hand, silver hair rippling behind him.

Tsunade cursed, not having a large enough weapon – deflecting that sword with a kunai would just be asking for trouble – and uprooted a small sapling, wrenching it out of the ground and thrusting it up to parry the sword.

The sword cut through the tree in a few seconds but gave Tsunade enough time to roll away, and throw a few shuriken at Ginkaku who deflected them with ease.

She then punched the ground, again, opening up a large crater – she couldn't do as much widespread damage as she wanted to, lest she risk one of her teammates stumbling or falling in – and Ginkaku managed to jump over it as well.

Unsure of what to do, Tsunade made two shadow clones, and allowed the few seconds in which they kept Ginkaku occupied with their taijutsu to scan over the rest of the battle.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya were teaming up on Kinkaku – Orochimaru was firing jutsu after jutsu of every element possible – water bullets, fireballs, enormous boulders – his fingers moving through the seals at an unreadable pace. He was managing most of the seals with just one hand, something which Tsunade knew required a lot of skill; even many Jounin were incapable of such a feat. His other arm had extended and he was using his kodachi to spar with Kinkaku. Jiraiya in the meantime, what collaborating with Gama, who had poofed back, to aim heavy-hitters on the monster. There was something different about Jiraiya –Tsunade couldn't tell what exactly. It was something about his eyes; and his chakra felt different too.

"Five more minutes, Tsunade-chan!" Jiraiya yelled at her over the ruckus, as Orochimaru's flaming dragon wrapped itself around the gust of wind Gamabunta had expelled. The fire and wind was a deadly combination, and the two jutsus only intensified each other's effects. Kinkaku roared as he was hit by them, but soon swept it away with what looked like a burst of chakra. He had suffered only mild burns from what would have probably killed or badly maimed a normal shinobi.

Tsunade understood what Jiraiya's words had meant, since Gamabunta was back. It would take another five minutes for backup to arrive. They had to hold off these two beasts for five more minutes.

Tsunade gulped – it seemed impossible. As far as she could tell, the two monsters were still only playing with them.

Still, she didn't have a second more to waste, as both her shadow clones dispelled with a flick from Ginkaku's chakra. Sick of taijutsu, the creature had simply swiped at the clones with what looked like tails of bubbling red chakra.

He roared, and leapt at Tsunade again.

Tsunade rapidly ran through her arsenal of jutsu in her head; taijutsu was out of question and she was primarily a close-combat fighter.

Medical ninjutsu was her specialty, but useless in such situations. A sudden idea hit her- what if she altered her medical ninjutsu into something that could be used for offensive purposes?

She quickly formulated a plan – it was risky and would require her to get close to the demonic beast, but it would buy her time.

"Katsu, Manda, cover for me!" Tsunade cried, leaping away, and both the slug and the snake surged forwards, Manda wrapping around Ginkaku while Katsuyu began firing balls of flaming acid.

Ginkaku gave an inhuman shriek, and Tsunade quickly formed the seals she had in mind, carefully bringing the chakra to her fingertips. This would be a tricky jutsu, but she was pretty sure she could pull it off if she managed a hit.

"Keep him there!" Tsunade shouted, as she lunged forward.

Ginkaku was still struggling in Manda's grasp.

Tsunade jabbed her fingers into the back of Ginkaku's neck, before recoiling, and jumping away. His chakra had shot out of his skin, and burnt her fingertips.

She wouldn't be able to gather chakra to her left hand anymore, not until she healed herself, and there was no time for that now.

Literally a second later, Ginkaku roared, and more chakra burst out from his form, spilling onto Manda. The snake hissed and writhed in agony, before poofing away.

Tsunade watched, horrorstruck – but she couldn't blame him; that chakra probably burnt his entire form, which had been wrapped around Ginkaku – the snake would probably take a few weeks to recover from the damage.

Ginkaku seemed enraged, and lunged forward, slashing his sword at Katsuyu.

"Katsu!" Tsunade screamed, as the metal hit, slicing the slug in half.

Tsunade then realized why Katsuyu had absorbed the impact – she'd already split herself before Ginkaku hit her, and a second later, she had exploded into dozens of small slugs, which quickly reformed a few feet away.

Ginkaku rushed forward again, but then stumbled, and fell flat on the ground.

Tsunade smirked to herself; looks like her jutsu had worked.

"What is this?" the large shinobi growled, as he struggled to get up.

He was only rewarded with his limbs thrashing uselessly.

"I injected chakra into your nervous system," Tsunade informed him, unable to keep the smugness out of her voice; heck, she had a reason to be smug, she'd temporarily incapacitated an S-class missing-nin!

"You won't be able to get rid of it by using Kyuubi chakra alone, because it's not in your actual blood or your chakra system. It's messed with your nerve impulses though, and that's why your body is incapable of moving properly. The pathways between your brain and your limbs have been temporarily disconnected – you're not going to be able to do anything."

"Nice one, Tsunade-sama!" Katsuyu cried.

Tsunade took the brief respite to look over at her teammates; they were fighting furiously. Jiraiya seemed to be bleeding, and both of them were sporting burns, but their injuries seemed far from life threatening.

Ginkaku continued to thrash on the ground, cursing at her. He seemed enraged.

And then suddenly, he seemed to explode, the red chakra pouring out of his form.

Tsunade leapt up, to avoid the chakra explosion, but Katsuyu wasn't so lucky.

"Katsu!" Tsunade cried, as the slug keeled in agony, "Katsu go back, heal yourself!"

"Are you – are you sure?" Katsuyu asked weekly.

"Yes! GO!"

There was a puff and Tsunade's loyal summon disappeared. Gama was the only one left, and Tsunade realized, horrified, that this also meant that she was fighting alone against Ginkaku.

Except – the terrible form that she in was seeing in front of her couldn't possibly be the same shinobi.

Tsunade froze, almost paralyzed with shock as she regarded the creature in front of her.

Ginkaku was entirely blanketed by boiling black chakra, except for two blazing white eyes. The chakra had taken the shape of some kind of a fox, with six large tails that whipped menacingly in the air behind him.

The fox-creature opened its mouth, and a large beam of light came blasting out, right at Tsunade.

She dodged it, leaping wildly to the left, but then less than a second later, one of the large chakra tails came stabbing at her from the opposite side, like some sort of chakra-infused spear.

It would have impaled her, for sure, if she hadn't been tackled to the ground at the last moment by a figure that had leapt at her from across the ground with a surprising speed; he'd been watching her battle the entire time out of the corner of his eye, ready to come to her aid if she needed him.

She fell flat on the ground, and he fell on her, his hard body pressed to hers almost painfully, his hair tickling her neck. He recovered swiftly though, rolling off and leaping up, just as the chakra tail stabbed into the ground and another one came flying through the air.

He deflected with his kodachi, but then dropped the weapon with a yell as the chakra burnt the blade, and his hand.

"O-Oro-kun," Tsunade gasped, struggling to her feet, "You-"

She'd been so sure it had been Jiraiya.

The dark-haired boy in front of her said nothing, but doubled over in pain, falling to his knees.

"Oro-kun! What's wrong!" Tsunade cried, running to him, stamping the ground with her heel and forcing the fox to leap backwards to avoid being swallowed by the miniature chasm that had opened up.

Orochimaru didn't say anything, and his face was obscured by dark strands of hair, but he was clutching at his side, trembling violently, biting his lip.

Tsunade then noticed the dark stain in his yukata, that was rapidly spreading, and the pool of blood that was gathering.

"N-no," she gasped, as the fox reared up, ready to shoot again.

"Doton: Doryuheki!"

A large wall of earth – larger than anything Tsunade could have punched up – exploded in front of them. It trembled as the blast hit it, but withstood it.

Tsunade realized it must have been packed with massive amounts of compressed chakra and dirt – but who could possibly have had enough power to create something like that?

She whirled around to see a familiar face glaring ahead under a triangular white hat.

"S-sensei!" Tsunade gasped.

He hadn't even changed out of his Hokage robes. When Gama had gone to get backup, she hadn't expected him. He was usually so caught up in his duties, and the Hokage never left the village for missions, unless they were war missions.

Hiruzen seemed to read her thoughts.

"You're my students. You couldn't have expected me not to come," he said, "Now take Orochimaru, Jiraiya and leave."

"But the scroll-"

"Is of no importance. I'm Hokage and I'm saying this mission is over. Now go back to the village now. That's an order."

"Y-yes sensei," Tsunade said, as Ginkaku let out an earsplitting roar.

"And make sure he gets medical attention," Hiruzen added, his stern façade breaking for a moment; Tsunade could tell he was extremely worried about Orochimaru's condition.

"Yes, of course," she murmured, dropping down to her knees next to Orochimaru.

"O-Oro-kun," Tsunade said, placing her arms around his shoulders to support him, "Look at me – please –"

He shook violently, coughing, and more blood splattered to the ground, and from his sides.

Tsunade gasped – the blood flow needed to be stopped – but she had to make sure he didn't black out, because if he fainted now…. She didn't want to consider the possibility of what could happen…

She grabbed his face, hastily pushing his sweat-drenched hair away.

"Orochimaru," Tsunade cried, "St-stay with me. Look at me."

He stared at her his green eyes glazed over, but he didn't seem to be looking at her. Seconds later, his eyes fluttered shut, and he fell forwards and slumped against her chest.

"No…NO!" Tsunade shrieked, "JIRAIYA!"

"Right here!" her other teammate landed next to her, right on cue, panting.

He looked at Orochimaru and froze, his face going pale.

"What happened to the bastard?"

"JIRAIYA! TSUNADE! DOWN!"

At the sound of their sensei's voice, both of them ducked down, Tsunade pushing Orochimaru down with her. She felt the front of her yukata grow wet – from blood – his blood.

Another blast of concentrated chakra flew over their heads.

"GET OUT OF HERE! GO BACK TO THE VILLAGE!" Hiruzen shouted, making hand seals.

Tsunade noticed that a couple of Jounin, and about a dozen ANBU had now joined the skirmish.

"Jiraiya," Tsunade said tearfully, "I need to heal him – but we can't move him, not like this. I'm pretty sure he's broken a few ribs and if they puncture his lungs-"

"Leave it to me," Jiraiya muttered, before making a few hand-seals, "Hold on to Orochimaru, okay?"

He grabbed Tsunade's shoulder, and she felt a sudden lurching sensation.

Seconds later, the sounds of the battle faded away, and Tsunade found herself in a large cavern with pinkish walls, dripping with slime. Jiraiya was next to her, panting from exertion, and Orochimaru's limp for was still in her arms, half on her lap.

They were on some sort of island, made from the same weird slimy pinkish substance that coated the wall. There was a greenish bubbling liquid surrounding the island that gave off a terrible stench.

"Wh-what did you do? Where are we?" Tsunade asked.

"I reverse-summoned us into the stomach of a toad. You can heal him here. We're in another dimension, so we're safe from enemies. No one can get us in here. So just get to it."

"I – oh - okay," Tsunade nodded, though a lot of his explanation befuddled her and flew over her head.

She then turned to Orochimaru, who was paler than usual from loss of blood. She placed him down, as gently as possible, wincing when a spray of blood seeped out of his side.

"How did-" Jiraiya began, but then fell quiet, letting her concentrate.

Tsunade ripped her unconscious teammate's yukata open, too frantic and frightened to even appreciate his muscled chest or toned abs – her eyes were drawn to the shredded remains of his side.

Tsunade concentrated chakra to her hands and surveyed the damage – it was worse than she could have imagined. The tail of demon chakra had entirely burnt the flesh, and broken a few of his ribs. Fortunately, since they hadn't moved him much, his lungs were still in tact. Still, the wound was a gaping one, and he had lost far too much blood already. To heal him completely, she'd need to stop the blood flow, repair all the torn blood vessels, patch up the bones and reknit the flesh together.

Though she supposed theoretically, it could be done – there was no way that she, alone could do it. A large part of his side had been destroyed and the number of new cells that would have to be grown would require mass amounts of chakra. Tsunade had already depleted over half of her chakra fighting, but she knew that even with all of it, there was no way she could have healed him.

But I have to – I have to do something… I can't let him… he can't… that blow was meant for me… he jumped in to save me…

"J-Jiraiya," Tsunade asked tremulously, not noticing the tears that were flowing down her cheeks.

"Yeah?" her teammate looked at her in concern.

"I'll heal him the best I can but – he needs – my grandmother. Can this toad – can it-"

"It'll be done," Jiraiya nodded, "I'll be back."

He disappeared with a puff and Tsunade concentrated on Orochimaru again.

She figured she could reconnect the major blood vessels, though she would just be able to plug the minor ones with chakra. She focused on that task for the next few minutes – or was it hours – she couldn't even tell.

At some point in time Jiraiya had come back.

"It's done," he said, gasping for breath, "The toads on its way to Konoha as we speak… we'll be there soon… keep it up…"

Tsunade glanced at him, and noticed what was different.

His eyes.

Instead of the usual dark onyx eyes, Jiraiya's eyes were weirdly stretched and white, with tiny iris-less pupils. The red marks under his eyes had also elongated. There was also something weird about his nose – it was no longer straight and pointed, but rather bulbous.

"It's my sage mode…" Jiraiya said weakly, and Tsunade was shocked.

He'd become a sage? That required crazy amounts of training… and skill… how war had Jiraiya been progressing with the toads, all those times he'd been reverse-summoned? Whenever he'd mentioned it, she and Orochimaru had assumed that he'd been joking. They hadn't actually believed it, and yet all this while…

"Yep, I'm really a sage," Jiraiya chuckled softly, as if reading her thoughs, "Shocked? You better fix up… teme… so I can gloat… when he wakes up…"

Tsunade returned to her healing; the blood flow and loss problem had been fixed… and there was no way she had enough chakra to mend regrow his bones – she was already feeling lightheaded and could see black spots in her vision.

What if I don't mend them – but just hold them together by chakra? That way they won't move and risk damaging him further – and since I can't grow bone tissue it can be a temporary bind…

She nodded to herself, concentrating more chakra to her fingers to fix his bones.

Suddenly, something slumped against her side. Tsunade turned her head to see Jiraiya – he'd fainted. The red marks on his face were back to normal, as was his nose, and she was pretty sure that if she could see his eyes now, they would be dark again.

She gave his injuries a quick look-over and sighed with relief. It was just chakra exhaustion, not even depletion. He'd recover.

She wanted to heal him, but Orochimaru was still in a precarious situation and she hadn't even finished healing him yet.

She also noticed a small yellow toad squatting next to Jiraiya, surveying her.

"Jiraiya-boy summoned me before passing out," the toad said, "Guess he needs me to do the reverse summon… otherwise you guys would have been stuck in here till he recovered and that would take a long time…"

"Thanks," Tsunade said, sighing again.

Jiraiya really was far more intelligent than she and Orochimaru gave him credit for; that he'd thought of doing that even when utterly spent was creditable.

There was no way Orochimaru would survive if she didn't get him to her grandmother as soon as possible. He would need multiple medics and a whole lot of chakra – and fast.

Jiraiya must have realized that…

Tsunade went back to healing Orochimaru, chakra flowing from her fingertips. She felt breathless, and her head was spinning but she continued, pumping in chakra. Every extra drop of chakra would buy Orochimaru more time, increase his chances of survival by a tiny percent.

"How – much – longer," she panted, replenishing the chakra plugs at his blood vessels.

"A few minutes, nearly there," the toad croaked.

Tsunade felt herself nearly blackout from chakra depletion once – then twice.

She knew she was pushing herself. She had gone way above her limit. What she was doing was dangerous, excessively so. She was a medic – she knew what happened to the body after it lost certain amounts of chakra.

Blackouts. Coma. Even death.

The most lethal part was that a shinobi, through enough willpower, could actively skip the first stage, overcome the blackouts; but then when they finally gave in, when their body finally gave out – the situation could become worse, much worse.

Tsunade knew this, but she pushed herself.

Orochimaru had risked his life for her. And she could – she wouldn't lose him. Not him.

It seemed like hours later when Tsunade felt the same lurching feeling – she grabbed onto both her teammates, and then suddenly everything was bright.

They weren't in the cavernous stomach of a toad anymore. They were in a familiar room with wooden floors and light streaming through it.

This is… this is… but how?

Tsunade saw another toad – and marveled at Jiraiya's foresight – this would save more time, buy Orochimaru a few more precious moments, which he needed…

"Tsunade-chan!"

It was a voice, her grandmother's voice, and Mito's face swam into view.

Her expression was one of terrible concern, but Tsunade felt relief wash over her.

Mito was here… her grandmother… from the corner of her eyes she saw a group of white-clad medics, and Biwako… all the best medical ninja in the village…

Orochimaru would be safe now… he had to be…

She finally allowed her eyes to flutter shut, and collapsed next to her teammates.

/\/\/\/\/\

To say Mito Senju was shocked was an understatement.

She'd received a toad summon – sent by Jiraiya, she supposed – saying that Orochimaru was badly injured and needed medical attention immediately. She'd known that Hiruzen had left the village about thirty minutes ago, and it didn't take long for her to put two and two together.

It was obvious. Team Seven's C-Rank had gone horribly wrong, to an extent that the Hokage himself had to rush out to aid his precious students, accompanied by the best Jounin who were available and a dozen ANBU.

The toad didn't know the details – apparently Jiraiya had been in a hurry and didn't have time – but when she saw the state of the three ninja, she had been shocked.

Jiraiya was slumped against Tsunade, who seemed on the verge of collapse. Indeed she did collapse, just a few seconds after the reverse summoning. Orochimaru's head was in her lap, and her hand was at his side, glowing with the last reserves of chakra; she'd really put every effort into healing him till the end.

Mito was worried about Tsunade and Jiraiya. Tsunade was covered in burns, and the tips of her fingers on one hand had been entirely blackened. Jiraiya was bleeding in multiple places and was burnt as well. That, however, could still be fixed. What was more frightening were their respective chakra levels, which were dangerously low. Whatever the mission had entailed, whoever this nameless enemy was, it had driven both of them till the brink of death. They would need chakra forcibly pumped into their systems to revive the circulation and the functioning of their organs – this in itself was a delicate procedure. Then, once their own chakra started replenishing, the foreign chakra would have to be extracted, until they built up their chakra reserves naturally.

Needless to say, those two wouldn't be taking missions for another two weeks.

And Orochimaru – Orochimaru was the worst. Mito didn't know what could have possibly destroyed him to such a thorough extent. The only thing she knew could cause such damage was a tailed beast… she shuddered at the thought.

Tsunade's chakra clamps and desperate healing measures had probably saved his life... though even they were starting to give away.

Mito sighed, before giving her orders and concentrating on Orochimaru.

If things had been delayed even by a few more minutes… they could have resulted in the death of the most talented team in Konoha.

/\/\/\/\/\

When Tsunade woke up, she felt like she'd been to hell and back. Every muscle and nerve in her body screamed out in protest and she couldn't move.

Her eyes fluttered open, only to meet the frantic ones of her grandmother.

"Tsunade-chan!"

"Tsunade!"

"Princess!"

"Wh-what happened?" Tsunade croaked groggily.

"Don't move. Just stay still," her grandmother said urgently.

She could hear her parents as well, though she couldn't see them.

"Oro-Orochimaru," she said weakly, "Jiraiya… are they – are they-"

"They're going to be fine, Tsunade-chan," Mito said gently, "A few weeks from now it'll be like none of this ever happened. And your sensei is back too. Relax, and don't move, and let me tell you what happened."

Tsunade did relax, feeling as if an enormous darkness had been lifted from her heart.

They'd be okay… her teammates… they were going to make it.

Thank Kami…

Tsunade then realized that she had multiple tubes attached to her – tubes filled with blazing blue chakra. Her eyes widened slightly.

"Yes, Tsunade," her grandmother said, a hint of admonishment in her voice, "Chakra replenishment. It has to be done internally because by the time a pill started working, you would've been out. You're a medic. You know your limits better than anyone. You of all people should know what happens after you cross them."

"B-but Orochimaru…" Tsunade argued weakly, but her grandmother placed a hand on her head, patting it soothingly.

"I know, princess. I understand. In your place I would have done the same for a loved one. But as your grandmother and medical instructor, I have to tell you nonetheless, don't I?"

Tsunade then realized that her mother was sobbing.

"K-kaa-san," Tsunade muttered, "Don't – I'm fine… just make sure Nawaki never finds out…"

"Too late for that," Mito said, "Kushina was here when the toad came and I've always said that child is too smart for her own good. She seemed to get that it was serious because she left without a fuss when I told her too – but you know she can't keep her mouth shut."

Well, at least I'll have interesting visitors, Tsunade thought to herself, smiling.

There was no way any nurse or even ANBU would keep the persistent Kushina from visiting her room. And if Nawaki was with her – well they'd have twice as hard of a time…

"Anyways, you suffered from chakra exhaustion – or rather depletion, really. Your chakra had reached a dangerous level, it was nearly non-existent by the time you came. Jiraiya was probably as bad, if not worse, but that kid's a fighter."

"He used – he used sage mode," Tsunade said weakly.

"I gathered that much," Mito said, pursing her lips, "And he's not going to be using it again soon, not if I have a word with Hiruzen. He hadn't completed the training. He wasn't strong enough yet – that mode uses nature energy and it can destroy you if you're not ready. Still, considering who your enemies were… if he hadn't used it, I doubt you three would have survived the encounter…"

"He reverse-summoned – and I think him and Orochimaru even beat –"

"I know what happened and I know the massive amounts of chakra required for those techniques. Your sensei filled me in. But nonetheless… such high level techniques… at this age… its truly nothing but a miracle that the three of you survived this encounter without permanent damage to your bodies."

"Oh," was all Tsunade could say.

She was feeling drowsy again… too drowsy to feel adequate shock or relief.

"And Orochi-"

"Orochimaru-kun is fine. He's recovering. He'll take a week longer than you and Jiraiya, I'd guess, but he'll be fine. You saved his life, Tsunade, when you healed him. You should know that. I'm proud of you and I'm sure he'll be eternally grateful once he wakes up."

"He – saved me – first…" Tsunade mumbled.

"I'm sure he did. Modifying the chakra clamps to keep his bones in place was a smart idea, and I've already implemented it in the training regime for the new medics. The current ones have adapted it as well, Tsunade, so you should be proud. You also picked the perfect blood vessels to heal with your limited chakra. You did well."

The praise floated over Tsunade's head and she didn't have enough energy to feel proud.

"Are they – awake?"

"Orochimaru isn't awake yet, but his surgery is over, so he's out of danger. He just needs to rest. Jiraiya woke a couple hours ago, and he'd been asking about the two of you. He's gone back to sleep though, now, and you should too… you'll have plenty of time to see them and talk with them once you heal… you three are going to be off missions for at least a month with Hiruzen as Hokage… or at least restricted to D-ranks."

"That'll really… piss Jiraiya off…" Tsunade muttered, smiling slightly.

Her eyes fluttered shut, and the last thing she saw was a pair of darkened green eyes staring straight into her soul.

/\/\/\/\/\

When Tsunade was completely healed, she was allowed to see Jiraiya. They'd been in separate rooms, so though she'd had visitors (mainly Nawaki, who had been on the verge of tears, and an anguished Kushina, who, after realizing that her onee-chan was alright had demanded the gory details of the fight) she hadn't been able to see him.

None of her classmates had visited her – the mission details had been kept a secret, though Tsunade wasn't sure why. She was just told that it was confidential, and she wasn't allowed to discuss what happened with anyone but her teammates.

Teammates which she still hadn't seen or met.

Jiraiya had been discharged on the same day as she had, and they'd both headed straight for Orochimaru's room, and ended up meeting each other halfway in the corridor.

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade cried, unable to hide her joy and relief at seeing him.

"Tsunade-chan," Jiraiya grinned roguishly at her, and though Tsunade would rather die than admit it – the way he'd looked at her at that moment, with such genuine happiness on his face – it had made her heart flutter, ever so slightly.

She ran towards him, before realizing what she was doing and slowed down to a jog.

"You-you're alright?" she gasped out.

"And for a second I actually thought you were going to hug me," Jiraiya muttered.

"What?" Tsunade asked, pretending that she hadn't heard him, though she felt her cheeks heat up.

"Nothing, nothing… I'm just glad you're okay, princess."

"Y-yeah. You too. Thanks for um – the reverse summoning – and just everything – all the toad summons – it must have all taken a lot of chakra and – well – you were just amazing, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya looked away, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck.

"Um – yeah – well – it was nothing… hehe…"

His cheeks were red, and he was blushing brightly.

"So – um – I see your face is back to normal…" Tsunade said, trying to think of a conversation topic that would dispel the awkwardness.

"Uh… you noticed that?" Jiraiya made a face.

Tsunade giggled.

"Yeah…"

"I was – um – hoping you hadn't… once of the disadvantages of the sage mode is that – well – it makes you look like a toad."

Tsunade burst out laughing, and Jiraiya just smiled sheepishly, his blush intensifying.

"Well, its nice to see your normal face now," Tsunade said after a moment.

This seemed to brighten up Jiraiya.

"Yep, I supposed you missed looking at my handsomeness, didn't you?" he asked flirtatiously, winking at her.

Tsunade rolled her eyes, and whacked him on the head – without any chakra, so really it was pointless.

"Baka… I never said that…"

Jiraiya seemed to take the fact that his advances weren't resulting in her harming him physically as encouragement.

"You didn't deny it either."

"Of course not," Tsunade rolled her eyes, ignoring the fact that this banter could easily be construed as flirting.

The idea of her flirting with Jiraiya usually revolted her – but right now she was just so grateful to him for everything he'd done and so happy to have him safe and healthy besides her – that she didn't care.

Besides, what she really wanted to do at that moment was hug him – hard.

And it didn't have anything to do with her wondering how he'd feel when pressed up against her – she just wanted to hug him, and touch him – so that she could reassure herself that he was there, really there – and wasn't going to leave her soon.

"Oro-teme better wake up soon," Jiraiya was saying, as the duo walked towards his room, "They're not going to deploy us on good missions till we all recover, and he's going to take the longest…"

"Jiraiya," Tsunade said suddenly, grabbing his wrist, stopping him just before Orochimaru's door.

"Yeah?" he turned to look at her.

"Um… please don't take this the wrong way," Tsunade murmured, before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around him.

Jiraiya froze. He was so shocked that he didn't even hug her back at first, and it was a good thing that Tsunade couldn't see the expression on his face.

She held him to her for a few seconds, pressing her head against his hard chest (damn him for being that much taller than her!). He was warm, and it was there first form of such intimate physical contact that wasn't violent – and Tsunade found herself almost enjoying it.

Jiraiya finally did hug her back, placing his arms around her waist, and Tsunade pulled away. His hands lingered at her sides, and Tsunade couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze.

When she finally did, she hated herself, because his eyes seemed so hopeful at that moment.

"Like I said, don't read into that much," Tsunade muttered, cursing mentally as she felt her face grow red.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jiraiya said, though she could practically hear the smirk in his voice, "C'mon, let's meet snake-bastard…"

/\/\/\/\/\

Tsunade didn't know why her heart was thumping so loudly as they opened the door to Orochimaru's room.

She was almost scared Jiraiya would hear it.

He was just her teammate. Nothing had changed.

Or had it?

When they entered the room, they found Hiruzen there as well, sitting on a chair by his student's bed.

Normally Jiraiya would have grumbled out something about 'favoritism' but not this time.

They knew that of the three of them, Orochimaru had been the closest to death.

Orochimaru himself was sitting up in his bed – he looked almost normal now. No traces of blood, his side had been healed, and he was wearing a white hospital shirt, though he had bandages. He was no longer connected to chakra or blood machines either.

His dark sheet of her framed his face as perfectly as ever, and his green eyes glanced over Jiraiya first, before locking with Tsunade.

Tsunade's heart skipped a beat at his intense gaze, and she fought the urge to blush and look away.

"Oro-teme!" Jiraiya greeted, "You finally got up, you lazy bastard?"

"Jiraiya-baka, Tsunade-hime," Orochimaru greeted softly.

"Guess what teme," Jiraiya said, plopping himself onto Orochimaru's bed, though Tsunade remained standing near the door, "I saved your ass out there. I did a reverse summoning, and I used sage mode!"

"I saw the sage mode," Orochimaru said, "You looked ridiculous."

"Hey! Shut up! Looks don't count, did you see my mad skills and speed and chakra and-"

"And utter exhaustion when you finished?" Hiruzen cut in, "Jiraiya the toads specifically told you not to use that mode till you were ready, and you knew you weren't. You could barely maintain the clone, forget mix and gather the energy adequately. I'm letting it go now because that nature energy probably saved your life and that of your teammates as well – but I expressly forbid you from using that mode again until the toads say you're ready. You could have easily gotten yourself killed, or turned to stone!"

"Turned to stone?" Orochimaru snickered, "Not that it would make much of a difference, he's about as useful as a rock most of the time-"

"Hey! What the heck, you bastard? No 'thank you Jiraiya-sama for saving my sorry fainted ass?'"

"In your dreams!"

"Boys, enough," Hiruzen tiredly, "I understand you are both happy to see each other but-"

"What! No! Sensei?"

"I didn't ask him to come."

"-but, Jiraiya. Please understand the seriousness of what I'm saying here," Hiruzen reprimanded, "No more sage mode, for at least another few years."

"I'll master it quicker than that!" Jiraiya vowed, and Hiruzen couldn't help but smile.

"When you do, then."

"Can it – can it really turn him to stone?" Tsunade asked, rather conscious as she felt Orochimaru's gaze snap back to her.

"If he is unable to control the nature energy – and it's a miracle he managed to this time, stop gloating Jiraiya, you were lucky-"

"Or just madly skilled," Jiraiya said, puffing out his chest.

"Yes, yes, you're Jiraiya the Gallant, all the ladies love you, we get it," Orochimaru supplied sarcastically.

"If I hadn't wasted most of my chakra saving you I would have killed you right now you ungrateful freak!"

"And the nature energy will take over his body, turning him into a toad, and then a stone," Hiruzen finished.

"He already looked a lot like a toad, there wasn't much left to do," Orochimaru said cuttingly, and Tsunade couldn't help but giggle at this.

"Bastard," Jiraiya scowled at him.

"That's because he can't balance his own chakra perfectly with the nature energy, so he was using the imperfect sage mode," Hiruzen said.

"Sensei!" Jiraiya cried, "You didn't have to say it in front of him!"

Orochimaru just smirked.

"My imperfect mode still owned you, okay! Kinkaku was practically beat when the ANBU and Jounin and everyone showed up, no thanks to you!"

"I was busy elsewhere," Orochimaru replied, his eyes meeting Tsunade's for a moment.

Tsunade looked away this time, blushing.

She knew that by elsewhere, what Orochimaru meant was saving her life

Still, she couldn't get over the fact that he'd arrived at such a precise moment; somehow it seemed to big of a coincidence… had he really been watching her the entire time while engaged in his own fight?

"Why were those guys so freakishly strong anyways? Were they Jinchuuriki or something? Our summons told us that they had Kyuubi chakra and the dude Tsunade was fighting turned into some sort of weird black fox…"

"Those two had been swallowed by the Kyuubi years ago, and they survived by eating up the flesh of its stomach until it was forced to regurgitate them. But because of what they ate, they gained some of its chakra and characteristics."

"Sick," Jiraiya said, though he sounded somewhat fascinated.

"They aren't Jinchuuriki because they only contain a minimal part of the demon chakra, not all of it, and the demon's personality is entirely different from their own… but they can exercise greater control over their personalities, which in some ways, makes them all the deadlier… you're lucky to have escaped them alive. The Raikage informed me that they wiped out over a dozen of Cloud's best ANBU."

"We are so amazing," Jiraiya said.

"You're lucky they were just toying with you initially. By the time they got serious, we had arrived. Good thinking Jiraiya, on sending for backup. That was the right move at the time."

"See, Oro-teme, I basically owned this mission."

"Whatever. It's not like we completed it anyways… Sensei and his team were the ones that beat them in the end… you did beat them, didn't you?"

'We killed them, though we lost one of our Jounin and three ANBU. But yes, we did. I wouldn't be here right now if we hadn't."

"Only three ANBU compared to stupid Cloud losing over twelve," Jiraiya said, "Well, well, well, what does that tell you…"

"Konoha is the strongest village, and you should be proud and grateful that you're a part of it," Hiruzen said, "Our previous kages worked hard to keep it that way, and as long as the Will of Fire burns on, we will continue to prosper."

"Too bad we failed the mission though," Jiraiya muttered, as an afterthought.

"I just said that," Orochimaru pointed out.

"Our first failed mission ever," Tsunade said sadly, "Kind of taints our perfect record, doesn't it?"

"I would have rather you three fail one mission then never attempt a single mission again in your lives," Hiruzen said gravely, "Besides… who said you failed it?"

"What?" Orochimaru sat up a little straighter, "We didn't deliver the scroll and we returned to Konoha on the brink of death. How is that not considered failing?"

"Actually," Hiruzen said, a smile pulling at his lips, "Your summon Manda arrived at Kumo about a week ago… the scroll was slightly burnt from the poison, but mostly in tact… so technically-"

"TECHNICALLY WE COMPLETED THE FREAKING MISSION AND STILL HAVE A PERFECT RECORD!" Jiraiya shouted, pumping his fists, "HELL YEAH!"

Even Orochimaru couldn't help but smirk at this and Tsunade was grinning.

So maybe it was worth it in the end.

"Wait," Tsunade said, "Sensei… if those two missing-nin were S-rank… and they attacked us… does that mean that – our mission was S-rank too?"

"OH, KAMI-SAMA, PLEASE SAY IT WAS!" Jiraiya looked utterly delighted, "Tsunade-chan, you're a genius for thinking of that!"

"Well," Hiruzen considered this, "Kinkaku and Ginkaku didn't actually attack you for the scroll-"

"They did," Orochimaru said immediately, "They mentioned that they were enemies of Cloud and that though they didn't initially care about the scroll that it gave them more reason to attack us."

"They did?" Jiraiya wondered aloud.

"Yes. When you were conversing with them and so intelligently revealed our mission purpose to them."

"Oh yeah!" Jiraiya cried, missing the veiled rebuke, "They did, sensei, they totally did!"

"I suppose… for the sake of records… it could be upgraded to S-rank… Cloud is certainly paying us quite a lot for not informing us earlier… and you three did hold them off for quite a bit…"

"OH, WE SO COMPLETED AN S-RANK, HOW BADASS ARE WE!" Jiraiya cheered, "WE SHOULD BE IN THE FREAKING BINGO BOOK FOR THIS!"

"I'd really hope that never happens to any of you," Hiruzen said sternly, "Considering it's for missing-nin, and I don't think any of you plan to defect or abandon the village."

"Of course not, sensei, Jiraiya's talking nonsense, as usual," Orochimaru said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I just remembered something," Jiraiya piped up, "Those weird guys – they said – they said they wanted to kill Tsunade-hime. That's why we even attacked them!"

"I'm not surprised," Hiruzen said, "They failed to kill her great-uncle, Tobirama-sama, during one of the negotiation meetings… I supposed it was for revenge…"

"Damn, so many nutters out to kill you, princess," Jiraiya shook his head, "Those two, that Kakuzu guy from that mission with Fu, the Uchiha…"

"The Uchiha do not want to kill the Senju, please stop making such politically incorrect comments, Jiraiya," Hiruzen scolded, "As my student, you really shouldn't. If any of them hear you, they'll think it's a reflection of my sentiments, and that clan already seems to harbor the notion that we're persecuting them..."

"Good thing you have me and bastard here to protect you, right?" Jiraiya said, winking at Tsunade, who flushed.

"I can protect myself, you know!" she cried.

"Sensei, you're going to treat us once teme's back on his feet, right?" Jiraiya changed the subject.

"Yes, yes, I haven't forgotten," Hiruzen said, standing up, "I have to go now – I have a meeting – with the Uchiha clan head, incidentally. I'll see you three tomorrow."

"See you, sensei."

"Good-bye, sensei."

"Jiraiya," Hiruzen said, pausing at the door, "You're coming with me."

"What!" Jiraiya exclaimed, "Why? What did I do?"

"Sage mode," Hiruzen replied, "The Toad Elder is in my office. He wishes to speak with you."

"Man, I'm going to get lectured, aren't I," Jiraiya sulked.

"There's a high probability of that," Hiruzen said, smiling.

"Ah… damn… anyways, see you guys around, Oro-teme, Tsunade-hime…"

He shuffled out the door behind Hiruzen.

"Jiraiya," Orochimaru called softly, "Wait."

Jiraiya turned around, looking at him.

"What?"

Orochimaru was quiet for a moment, but finally spoke.

"Thank you."

Tsunade stared at him in surprise, and the expression on Jiraiya's face was comical.

"Close your mouth idiot, or a fly will enter it," Orochimaru teased, "Though you're already a half a toad so I don't think that matters to you…"

"Oh shut up," Jiraiya said, recovering, before grinning at him, "And – it's nothing… anytime… heh…"

He nodded at Orochimaru, who nodded back, before turning around and leaving.

Which left just Tsunade alone in the room.

She didn't know why, but that very prospect made her feel like she had butterflies in her stomach.

It was Orochimaru who broke the silence, after Jiraiya left.

"Tsunade-hime… your grandmother told me what you did."

"Did she?" Tsunade asked, "Well – okay – um – that's nice of her…"

She walked over to Orochimaru's bed and perched herself on the side, staring at the sheets.

"She told me you risked your life and used up all your chakra to save me."

His voice was low, soothing – but Tsunade could detect a hint of something – she wasn't quite sure what – an underlying tremble.

"I – well – sort of," she muttered, still unable to meet his green-eyed gaze.

"Tsunade-hime. Look at me."

It was a command, but it was so softly spoken that it nearly didn't sound like one.

Tsunade shyly raised her eyes, meeting his.

She knew she was blushing – and she knew that he could probably tell as well – but she couldn't help it.

"That is something I will never, ever forget," Orochimaru said slowly, "Thank you."

"Well… you'd do the same for me, right?" Tsunade murmured, "You – you already did."

"Yes," Orochimaru replied coolly, "I did."

Tsunade wondered how he could be so calm – when for some reason she felt like her heart was going to beat so hard that it would burst out of her chest – even though she knew the medical improbability of that was impossibly high.

"Well thank you," Tsunade said softly, and then couldn't help but add, "Why?"

"Why what?" Orochimaru asked, fixing his gaze on her again.

"Why did you – jump in like that?"

"You would have died if I hadn't. I still had a chance of surviving," Orochimaru said simply.

He had a point, and it made logical sense, but Tsunade couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of disappointment.

Well what did you expect him to say, idiot? She scolded herself, what more could you have wanted?

Actions spoke louder than words anyways – especially with Orochimaru.

"You – your chances weren't that high," Tsunade murmured.

"It was a gamble," Orochimaru agreed, "But I was willing to bet my life on it… and unlike you, princess… I don't suck that bad at betting."

Tsunade laughed at this, before smiling at him.

"Thank you, Oro-kun. Really."

"You're important to me," he said quietly, "You and Jiraiya. You're my teammates – and I – wouldn't want to lose you."

She caught the hidden emotions behind his words, and was overwhelmed.

That was much more than she could have ever expected from him. Even if he didn't mean it in the way a part of him hoped he had.

"So you would've done it for Jiraiya too?" Tsunade asked, and then immediately felt both mortified and ashamed at herself for asking such a thing.

Of course he would! Why would I be special, Jiraiya is his teammate too! What's he going to think of me now? She agonized mentally.

"What are you really trying to ask me, Tsunade-hime?" Orochimaru asked, far too shrewdly.

Tsunade wondered how he could read her so well, and her mortification intensified.

"Ah, nothing, forget I asked anything," she mumbled, looking away.

"You're not the same as Jiraiya, if that's what you wanted to know," Orochimaru said quietly, after a moment.

Tsunade looked up at him. He was watching her intently, gauging her reaction. She tried to keep her face neutral, and her voice steady.

"Wh-what do you mean? What makes me different?"

Orochimaru smirked, raising a hand her cheek, brushing the tips of his fingers against her skin.

"You're special, princess," he murmured, before retracting his hand.

His eyes never left hers.

Her face felt like it had been burnt where he'd touched her, and her heart was now thumping rapidly, She felt breathless, and she knew her face was probably as red as Kushina's hair.

She exited the room quickly thereafter with a hasty excuses, and practically fled the hospital.

She could still remember the look in his eyes, the unexpected softness of his fingertips against her cheek…

That one small touch was nothing compared to her hug with Jiraiya – it was briefer, less physical – but somehow, it had left her wanting more, and feeling far more exhilarated than the hug had.

Tsunade knew she couldn't deny it anymore. She was a medic and she could diagnose her body's reactions, and the symptoms were undeniable.

She'd developed a crush on her teammate.

And it wasn't exactly miniscule either.

/\/\/\/\/\

Author's Notes – Done! Hope you enjoyed! Yep, she admits it! And to those of you who are wondering whether she'll end up with Orochimaru or Jiraiya or both – well look at the description, lol. There's JirTsu and OroTsu, because I just think the Sannin would have been one convoluted love triangle.

And what of poor Dan? Well, since I want to stay loyal to canon, I will give him some nice stuff too… eventually… the focus is on the Sannin though.

I know they all seem all buddy-buddy and tight here… well this fluffiness will last a couple more chapters. Then things are going to get screwed up. And by screwed up I mean disturbingly and royally screwed up.

Kinkaku and Ginkaku are the manga characters I mentioned in my previous A/N. Since he edo-tenseid them. Honestly, I hated that chapter because I wasn't interested in any of those guys except InoShikaCho. But, they're interesting villains to use.

Also! I was re-watching the old episodes and I noticed this one line in the Japanese dub. Two lines actually.

Orochimaru says them. He says: I'm the one person in the world who knows Tsunade best – or something alone those lines. He also says to Tsunade – you're the only person that I wouldn't want to kill.

I mean, come on. We know JirTsu is practically canon, but those words are so suggestive! I mean, there's SO much one can do with them :D especially since we know what a pervert Orochimaru really is.

Anyways, review please, my lovelies! It would be much appreciated and really motivate me to get the next few chapters up asap! These chapters are long, and take forever, and require some research too, so are rather time-consuming. Reviews do help! :D

xx

HighQueen