Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Slight AU warning.
Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!
Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?
Note: Italicized lines often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. Bolded lines often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. Bolded italicized lines often mean flashbacks.
The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/possible lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.
Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.
Definitions:
futanari – hermaphrodites, pertaining to hentai involving hermaphrodites
Songs:
"Move Along" by The All-American Rejects
"Stronger" by Kanye West
"Breathe Today" by Flyleaf
"Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield
Show Me a Hero
Chapter 11 – Questions: A Risen Leader
"I don't think I'll ever be able to kill another person," Tsunade admitted, her team sitting down next to the training posts after a hard day's work.
Judging eyes preyed down on her and she smoothed her robe out in nervousness. Their training had focused on locating the major arteries of the assailant during combat. The young kunoichi excelled in human anatomy but she was skeptical of her abilities.
"What makes you say that?" Sarutobi asked her, his sun-stained brown hair poking out of his hat.
"I want to save human lives, not take them away. Who are we to judge who should die or not?" Tsunade wondered, brushing a blonde lock out of her face.
Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "You are such a humanitarian."
"Oooh, big word for someone with your brain," she taunted.
"Very clever. Come on, you knew when you signed up for this that we'd have to kill somebody at some point in our lives. If you wanted to question the meaning of life or whatever then you should've done it before you paid for enrollment." Jiraiya flopped down on the dry grass, some of it sticking to his bushy white hair.
"Don't stir her up," Sarutobi told his most difficult student. "Tsunade, we all have a conscience and sense of right and wrong. Shinobi have a common belief they share of wrongdoing, and when you go into the field of shinobi, you are adhering to that belief, because you wouldn't want to be a shinobi if you didn't believe in our cause. Our sense of wrongdoing can be seen with all the missing-nin in the world. They symbolize the extent of what we think is evil, and you, as a Chuunin, are to uphold that belief."
She remained quiet, knowing it was true. She didn't wish to be rebellious, but her fear of killing would have to go, even if it wasn't in the way she wanted it.
The meeting ended with the setting sun. Sarutobi stayed behind to clean up the grounds while she and her teammates went home. Orochimaru walked next to her, his long black hair fanning out behind him.
"People are gonna mistake you as a girl. You should wear your hair up," Tsunade critiqued.
"And people are gonna think YOU look like a guy. Wear your hair down, no-boobs," Jiraiya teased, prompting a slap from his female friend.
"You still harass her about that silly detail?" Orochimaru asked. "It's nothing to think about at our age."
"Don't act so mature. You know you look at porn like the rest of the guys," Jiraiya said, the long red streaks on his face wrinkling when he squinted against the sun.
"Maybe I do," Orochimaru admitted, with a sly smile, "but I prefer a woman's legs and muscle. Lean women repel me. I want a strong woman."
"You are such a fag," Jiraiya teased. "But then again, you like futanari."
"Pardon me for saying this, friend, but it was you who left all those monster hentai magazines at my house, if I'm not mistaken," Orochimaru reminded him.
Tsunade groaned. "You two are so freaking weird. Hentai is for pervs."
"And pervs we are! Though Orochimaru is a closet perv." Jiraiya punched the coal-haired boy's shoulder. "Aint that right?"
"I do not spend all my time and chakra spying on girls, if that's what you mean," Orochimaru replied calmly. He smiled at Tsunade. "I only reserve my affections for the most beautiful, capable women."
She blushed heavily. Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I have to hang a left here, I'll see you two tomorrow."
"Training's at eleven, remember that!" Tsunade called as he sprinted away.
"I have to get up that early?!" was all they heard from the white-haired boy as he grew farther away.
She laughed. "He's so lazy. But I love him."
"Do you still have softball practice at five? I'd like to eat dinner with your family, if that would be of interest to you," Orochimaru stated.
"I still do. Maori didn't wanna cancel it, even though it's gonna get really windy later. But they're selling food at the concessions today...so maybe you could stay for a little while?" she asked hesitantly.
His apartment building was up ahead. He stopped and gazed upon her. "I'd be happy to."
"Unless you'll be bored of course," she added, unable to meet his eyes.
"I hardly doubt spending time with you would be boring."
Tsunade dared to look at him. Orbs of liquid peridot bore into her amber ones, conveying a caring feeling that made her entire body relax. His pale, young face was chiseled with feeling of overwhelming intelligence and charisma that made her resolution melt. He had a natural beauty, complemented by his midnight black hair that was so straight and perfect as it blew around his face.
"O-Orochimaru..."
"Tsunade?" Naruto roused her from her dream, "we're back."
She blinked once before reality came into focus. The moon was shining in the dark skies that had spread over the land, now less varied than Otogakure and much less vibrant. The sector platform was unlit, and people were tiredly plodding carefully down to Konoha's forest pathway.
Everyone filed out of the train. They emptied out onto the platform and headed for Konoha. There wasn't much unified discussion along the way. Team 7 stuck close to each other and Shino stayed silent the entire time.
Tsunade was already missing Orochimaru's presence. Seeing him again had been a comfortable experience. Traveling alone for fifteen years normally made a person feel lonesome.
"You look tired," Kakashi noticed as he caught up to Tsunade.
She shrugged. "Long day. I don't like getting up early."
"That's not very responsible of you," he joked. A solemn look crossed his face. "...Then again, I shouldn't say anything. I come home drunk and sleep until four."
"You're using the present tense," she said.
"I never said I stopped drinking," he mumbled. "It's hard, but I've been distracted by the team. I think in a few months I'll be completely sober."
"I used to be drunk a lot too," Tsunade remembered, "after I left Konoha. Probably ten years of my life I spent boozing it up."
"Because of Dan and Nawaki?" Kakashi asked. He quieted, realizing he had just toed the line by mentioning their names.
Her face darkened, but she brushed off the question. "Anyway, I have to go to Sarutobi's office and check over his reports. Being his assistant is killing my rest. He forgets so many things."
It was the first time anyone had ever addressed Sarutobi's faults in such a blatant way. The statement was true. Kakashi had been in his audience many times, and recently he had been forgetting many important issues.
Sarutobi stared at the teacher in absolute confusion when he saw him sitting in the meeting room, writing in a notebook. "Hatake-san? What are you doing here? It's past midnight."
"My Lord," he said cautiously. "You...you called me here. You wanted to discuss something about the kyuubi. You set the meeting for eight. I've been waiting. Should I have gone to find you?"
Sarutobi looked shocked. "I...I didn't call a meeting..." he spoke slowly.
"My Lord, you gave me this scroll," Kakashi reminded patiently, opening up the document with a scrawled note across the page.
The old shinobi read it over several times. He looked up at Kakashi. "Well, I'm quite sorry about that! It must have slipped my mind. About the kyuubi, I just wanted to ask you if it's been affecting Naruto's training."
Kakashi shook his head. "Not that I've seen. In fact, the kyuubi supplies Naruto with a lot of chakra, it's helping him. The seal's holding strong. Sometimes I forget he even has the kyuubi. Though...the adults do still hold him in contempt, despite his recent successes in missions. It bothers me how judgmental they are, but I can't blame them for fearing the thing that destroyed their way of life."
Sarutobi nodded. "Someday they'll see the contribution Naruto makes to Konoha. I can assure you of that." He smiled. "That's all I needed to know."
"Alright, can I finally go home?" Kakashi joked as he turned to leave and headed for the door.
He nodded. "Of course, Sakumo."
Kakashi froze, hand wrapped around the doorknob. "L-Lord Sarutobi," he spoke quietly, "I'm Kakashi Hatake. Sakumo was my father."
"He's a good man," Sarutobi said without acknowledging his mistake, "how is he doing? We should eat lunch together one of these days."
His blood ran cold. "Maybe. Good night, Sarutobi." He left the office as quickly as possible, horrified.
A lunch arrangement with his father wouldn't have worked so well. Sakumo Hatake committed suicide during the kyuubi war.
"...Tsunade," he said. "Lord Sarutobi is unfit to rule anymore. That's what I believe."
She took in his opinion with sad agreement. He hadn't really been a good ruler to begin with, but many liked him. He was a nice man who had no leadership skills. "I agree with you." She hated admitting it. She felt like she was betraying her sensei. "But who will take over? He hasn't appointed anyone. If we're doing it based on family, it'd have to be Asuma."
"Asuma can't lead," Kakashi said. "He's got enough problems with his own team, we don't need to pile any more on him."
"Then who? Konohamaru? He's eleven. He's not even going to the academy."
"He can't preside over Konoha either. Speaking of him, Sarutobi wants you to give him a proper checkup, to see how he's doing." They hit the gate, opened it, and soon they were back inside their destitute little city. Immediately Kakashi missed the pleasant smells of Oto and the feeling that people weren't stacked on top of each other, as soon as a man pushed him out of the way to get to a lone house crumbling near the gate.
"I'm starving. You get no food on that train," Naruto complained.
"I'm kinda hungry too," Sakura noted.
Sasuke's mood had lightened considerably with his nap on the train and finally getting away from that city. "Well, normally what people do when they're hungry is eat food. Does Kakashi-sensei need to teach you how to do that too?"
"Shut up," Naruto hissed. "I was gonna invite you to Ichiraku, but I guess if you wanna be a prick then I can get angry at you again."
"I don't turn down food offers, unless they're from annoying girls," Sasuke thought out loud.
"I'm not paying for it! I'm poor enough as it is!" the blond pointed out, laughing. "Hey Shino, wanna join?"
The shady teenager looked at him behind his sunglasses, though the moon was obscured by wispy grey clouds. "No," he said. "I'm not hungry." Without saying anything else, he looked for the street leading to his house and left.
"Such a boring guy. Well, let's go!"
The adults watched Team 7 head towards the ramen joint. Tsume and Kuromaru bade them goodbye and left.
Tsunade kept her eyes on Naruto. "When I see that boy, I see the next leader of Konoha."
His head snapped to look at her. "He's only sixteen. There's no way he'll lead Konoha next."
"He'll make a great leader. I know it. I don't even know why. Maybe Orochimaru's thinking is influencing me." Tsunade shook her head. "Can we continue this discussion another time? I have work to do. Following me?"
"My house is not on your path. I guess we'll say goodbye here," Kakashi said. "So, goodbye."
She chuckled. "Goodnight, Kakashi. Keep up the good work," Tsunade said, departing.
He nodded and walked to his house, his mind wandering several times as he thought of their opinions. Sarutobi was showing signs of old age. He was a smart man, but unfortunately inexperienced, and sooner or later someone would have to take his place. Before Tsunade came, no one had ever really given it much thought. He thought it cruel how much faith he put in the Lord. The pressure couldn't have helped his health.
He didn't like the way Tsunade put so much confidence in Naruto. He was only a teenager. Sarutobi had done the same thing with him.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, OBITO AND RIN ARE DEAD?!" Kakashi roared, unable to move from his chair, frozen in anger. "LORD SARUTOBI SAID THEY COULD MANAGE IT!"
"They must have been ambushed. Kakashi," Koharu said gently, "the Lord's word is not always accurate. Remember, he did allow you to sign off the mission..."
"NO, FUCK YOU!" he screamed, kicking over the table in a burst of violence. Koharu stood patiently, expecting his anger. "DON'T BLAME THIS ON ME! IT'S...IT'S NOT MY FAULT! IT'S LORD SARUTOBI'S! FUCK HIM! FUCK YOU ALL!" He collapsed to his knees, starting to cry heavily. "Fuck you all...fuck, fuck fuck FUCK! Why did this happen? T-They were just moving fucking MONEY! They can't be...no...Obito...Rin...fuck you...fuck..." he moaned, bawling and curled up at the senior's feet.
He unlocked the door to his house and threw the keys on the counter. A beer or five were suddenly sounding good.
XxXxXx
It was very late in the evening, and in this particular section of Konoha, it was oddly quiet. The denizens of the night were tucked in their beds instead of out having a good time. Even the bars were scarcely occupied.
Three people appeared on the road, all wearing foreigner's clothing and obviously shinobi. Their headbands all bore the symbol of the great Hidden Village Sunagakure.
"That train took forever. We could have walked here in less time," a young man complained, his completely black attire blending into the unlit streets. He looked around with a wrinkled nose. "What kind of dump is this? This place looks like the slums at home."
"This is Konoha, what did you expect?" One of his companions, a fresh adult with spiky blonde hair, adjusted her obi strap. "I calculated the travel time completely wrong. I hate arriving at new places at night. It makes everything difficult."
"There are no signs," he observed. "How are tourists supposed to find an inn?"
"Do you seriously think people would come here for vacation?" she snorted. "We're here on business."
"The Kazekage wants to take over this dump? Normally I'm all for his ideas but this place...hell no." His inky black eyes darted over to the third person. He was met with his primitive green gaze above a frown. He had no eyebrows. "You like this place, Gaara?"
The red-haired boy sporting a kanji tattoo looked away and at the ground. He kicked up some dirt which pathetically wheezed a dirt cloud. "...no. I'm hungry."
"We'll get you food soon," the woman comforted. "Don't worry."
Gaara's nose twitched and he started growling like a dog. "I smell food. Temari...get me food."
His eyes fixated on a young woman who had appeared on the street corner. She wore a tight black leather skirt and a tube top cut above her belly button, pierced with a red butterfly. Fishnet covered her shoulders and neck, framing her cleavage. Her blonde hair was smoother than Temari's, and hung loose down her back.
Kankuro smirked when he saw her. Temari sighed. A whore. Not what they were looking for. Well, at least she was a person. They approached her. Gaara kept growling, but a harsh glare from her quieted him, though he made whining noises every once in a while.
"Excuse me," Temari asked.
The girl looked at her and smiled. "Can I help you? If you're wondering, gender doesn't matter to me," she said professionally.
Temari flushed and Kankuro chuckled. "That's...I'm not interested in what you have to offer, er...thank you."
The girl just then noticed their headbands. Excitement clouded her face. "You're from Sunagakure?" she asked.
"Yes, we are," Temari said.
"That's so cool! We never get tourists around here, except maybe Oto people here and there." Her gaze went back and forth from their appearances to their headbands.
The woman felt uncomfortable. She didn't want attention to be drawn to them. "Can you direct us to the nicest inn here?"
"The nicest?" the prostitute pondered for a moment. "Um...Kazaro's is probably the nicest. It's expensive though, so not a lot of people stay there. It has a good Western restaurant. Um, it's down there, take a right and head past the ice cream carts and you'll find it."
"Thank you," Temari bowed, and was ready to be on her way, but Kankuro stayed.
"How much are you?" he asked.
She smiled. "My base price is thirty-five hundred ryo for normal sex. Any requested positions are an extra five hundred ryo."
"Really," his eyes raked her body.
Gaara also stared at her. "Can you feed me?"
Temari grabbed Gaara and pulled him back, but the prostitute laughed. "That will be only fifteen hundred, but the other way around is twenty hundred."
"We don't want anything, thank you," Temari said, more to the boys than her. "My brothers and I will be on our way now. Thank you for your help."
She dragged Gaara away, and Kankuro followed hastily. "Come on," he said, "you know I can't get a girlfriend. They freak out whenever I put on my makeup. And she was smokin' hot!"
"She doesn't even look eighteen," the blonde woman spat. "It's probably the only way she can live in this place. Don't take advantage of her."
"Hey, if I help her buy the groceries by fucking her then it's a win-win situation!" Kankuro exclaimed.
"Gaara was going to attack her. Couldn't you see it in his eyes? He wanted blood, not sex. I thought you'd be able to read him better by now," she scolded.
"Relax, sister. Let's get to the inn already."
XxXxXx
Ino watched the Suna-nin leave. How interesting, she thought. Man, if only that woman hadn't dragged them away. Those boys were hot! She giggled, and turned to the sound of footsteps. A man was walking towards her, with a desperate look on his face.
She regarded him in interest. "Hello Izumo. I thought you'd be with Kotetsu at this hour."
Izumo Kamizuki shook a little. A weak smirk sprawled across his features. "Kotetsu hates me at the moment."
That piece of news saddened her. Izumo and Kotetsu had always been happy together. "Do you need to forget him?"
"...Your father always told me to be patient with Kotetsu. He was a bit of an impatient guy. Your father...was the best sensei I ever had. Even when he was going through his own tragedies..." Izumo pulled out some ryo. "Please help me, Ino."
"I'll be happy to," she said. "Come with me."
They went to an inn nearby. She gladly submitted herself to his angry thrusting and his tears splashing on her delicate skin, wetting the bandages covering her hand as he clutched her tightly to him, crying about his lost lover. She reassured him that Kotetsu still loved him, and that he had to face him and settle things.
She sat in the sticky, cum-stained sheets and counted her money as he took a shower. Her felt her heart twinge as his sobbing rang over the beating water. She noticed his wallet sticking out of his pants pocket on the floor. With a sigh, she grabbed it and opened it, withdrawing about seventy hundred more ryo.
It happened a lot. Izumo was not the only man who had used her as relief after a lover's spat. Still, she had been getting fewer customers because of her injured hand and her ninja status; at the flower shop, her father had been becoming increasingly lethargic with the flowers, buying flower seeds and never watering them. Money was growing tighter. She felt for poor Izumo, but her conscience didn't affect her so much anymore.
She'd stolen from everyone she'd slept with. It was a dog-eat-dog world.
XxXxXx
It was a cool morning. Tsunade donned a light jacket before she left the apartment she had recently rented. She had been up all night correcting reports that the Lord had mixed up. She was growing increasingly worried about his loss of memory.
The streets were busy that morning. She bought a tart from a coffee shop, and pinpointed Sasuke next to a shop. He wore baggy jeans and a tight black shirt with a boy crying blood on it.
How pleasant, she thought, heading towards him.
He was organizing newspapers. When he noticed her, he slackened his pace on the pile. "Hello, Tsunade-san."
"Morning, Sasuke! Hard at work?" she asked.
"Yes, and later Team 7 is training with Kakashi-sensei," he said. "When will we be receiving our paychecks for the mission?"
"Orochimaru's got jurisdiction over that," Tsunade reminded. "I'm sure he'll get them to you soon. I haven't even gotten mine yet."
"...Did you need something?" Sasuke eyed her tart. "I could've gotten you one of those for free here."
"Advertising?" she teased. "I wanted to know where I could find Sakura."
"She's at work, over at Amaguriama, that sweet shop on Gravel Road," Sasuke said.
"Do you think I'll get in trouble if I bother her?"
"They're nice people over there. I don't think it'd matter as long as you didn't distract her for long."
Tsunade nodded. "Thank you."
She headed to Amaguriama. The sweet shop was nestled on one side of the road, filled with people. It was a successful place, almost as popular as Ichiraku, and much more varied.
Sakura was working at the register. Tsunade waited in line patiently. When she stopped in front of the counter, she smiled at Sakura's surprise.
"Tsunade-san! Ah, welcome to Amaguriama. Oh, you have nothing for me to ring up?" she asked, looking at her empty hands.
"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute or so. That is, if your boss doesn't mind," Tsunade muttered. She grew wary of the line forming behind her.
A booming laugh resonated throughout the outdoor shop. The aging owner, Masashi, came out with a smile. He patted Sakura on the back. "Of course she can. I'll just man the register for a little bit."
"Masashi!" Tsunade exclaimed, smiling. "How are you doing?"
"How am I? Fifteen years older. And you still look young and beautiful. So, still harboring that teenage crush on me?" he asked, flexing his scrawny arms.
She laughed. "Come on, I was eleven. Let bygones be bygones."
"Sakura, don't take too long," he said.
"I won't," she promised, stepping out from behind the register and following Tsunade to a secluded side of the shop. "What is it you wanted me for, Tsunade-san? Have the paychecks arrived?" she asked hopefully.
"Funny, Sasuke asked me the same thing. But no, they haven't. Actually, I wanted to make a proposal to you."
"Oh!" she sounded surprised.
"You are going to be taking my class starting next month, correct?" Tsunade asked.
"Why of course. I'm saving the money to pay for costs," the pinkette said proudly.
The blonde smiled at her words. It made her happy to hear such things from the kunoichi. "I was wondering if you'd like to get a little extra out of these classes," she asked. "I've been watching your progress ever since the Chuunin exams, Sakura. Your passion for medicine is inspiring. I'd like to see you go far, Sakura, and I can help you."
Sakura watched the older woman with confusion. "What are you saying?"
"Sakura, would you like to become my apprentice? I can teach you many more things than what I can offer in the classroom. It'd give you a chance for extra practice for the medical field. It'll be difficult, advanced training, but I'll start you out slow. Masashi will probably help plan out your work schedule so you can fit everything in..." Tsunade trailed off, thinking, not noticing the expression on the girl's face.
Sakura squealed. "Tsunade-san, I'm honored! I can't believe you'd help me train! Of course I'll become your apprentice; I'll be the best apprentice you'll ever have! Oh thank you thank you thank you!" She jumped up and down in joy, suddenly unable to sit still.
Tsunade waited for Sakura to calm down a little. "I'm glad you're excited. I hope to be a good teacher to you."
"I can't wait to tell the boys and Kakashi-sensei about this!" she exclaimed. "Oh, thank you so much!"
"Sakura, I can't take your job forever!" Masashi called from the register.
"Sorry, Masashi-san!" she called. "I'll be right there!" She looked at Tsunade. "Thank you so much. I can't...I can't believe it! That'd you ask little me to...thank you!"
"Really, I'm glad you accepted."
Sakura rushed back to the register, hopping the whole way. Tsunade stayed at the sweet shop. She bought some sugar chestnut cake complemented by a cup of ginger tea. Sakura was more than enthusiastic as she greeted customers. After the snack she bid goodbye to both the kunoichi and Masashi, and took a side road to roam the more suburban areas.
Her sight came across an inn; a small, fairly new one. Like most inns in Konoha, it got its business from separated spouses or rebellious kids. They always had at least one group of people set outside talking or arguing. This inn seemed fairly quiet, and the only person was a tired-looking woman who was setting large amounts of laundry out to dry on clotheslines.
She frantically turned when she heard Tsunade's sandals scuffle the dirt. Tsunade nodded her head in a passing greeting, but the woman had more than a quick encounter on her mind once she recognized the green-clad doctor.
"Tsunade-sama?" she asked in an obediently quiet voice.
Said woman's amber eyes widened a little at the title. "I am no sama, there is no need to call me such."
"Do not cast away my respect, my Lady. You are renowned in the Fire Country. But please, hear my pleading." She sounded desperate.
"What's the problem?"
"I am Ioshi Sakamoto. I will not say my inn is high-class or even a great place, but I consider it better than most in Konoha. I get my fair share of customers, but I cannot get any more business. Two rogue ninja moved into my inn a few days ago, and they refuse to leave. I've asked them but they threaten my safety, and chased out everyone who had been staying at the time. I've lost plenty ryo from their terrorism, and they're eating all my food and breaking my furniture and they won't at least pay for their stay. Can you do anything to get them out of my inn?" Her eyes darted to the clothesline. "They've forced me to do their chores." Her tone went from anger to fear, and her words became choked as tears bloomed on her lashes. "Just yesterday, one of the men...he felt it necessary to sneak into my bed when I was resting. Said I shouldn't take naps at my age."
Tsunade's hand trembled, her fingers curling immediately. The woman looked fragile enough; was there a need for them to take advantage of her simple nature? "I'll get them out for you, don't worry."
She knew it would be stupid to provoke two rogues in a rickety inn, so she swallowed and sent chakra to her voice box. "Hey!" she yelled at the building. "You two! Get out here!"
There was a shaky silence for a few minutes. Then came the sound of booming laughter and foolish romping as two voices floated from the building.
"What does the bitch want now?"
"Probably wants us to help sort the clothes."
"She had better not have fucking mixed ours up. I'll fuck her up."
Two men came out of the inn. Tsunade started at their entrance. She hadn't been expecting that.
One of the men looked fairly normal, with ruffled grayish-brown hair and dull camouflage pants coupled with combat boots. He wore a black muscle shirt and bandages were wrapped around his neck and arms. Strapped to his back was a greatsword.
The other was completely odd. His hair was spiky and blue...blue like his skin. Gill slits were evident on his face and his teeth were jagged and shark-like. He wore a short black cloak that failed to cover his black bermudas. A sword wrapped in bandages held fast onto his back.
A genusist, Tsunade observed. A person who believes the next step in evolution is the fusion of animals and humans. A person who will sacrifice their current form to experimentation in the subject. He's a shark-man. She noticed the Kirigakure headbands fastened around their heads; more prominently the slashes across the village's symbol. "You're missing-nin," she said.
"Good detective work, lady." The shark-man had a smirk across his strange face. "Now why are you bothering us?" His beady eyes ran down her body, focusing on her large bust.
"Eyes up here, shark-boy." Tsunade's courageous frown did not waver. Though she was unsettled by their strong appearances, she wasn't a pushover. Hopefully this wouldn't turn into a fiasco.
"Oh, aren't you sassy. Hear her, Zabuza? She's telling me what to do," the genusist addressed his roguish friend.
"Zabuza?" The name rang familiar in her head. "Zabuza...Momochi? Of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist? That makes him..." It clicked in her head. "Kisame Hoshigaki, the shark genusist."
That wasn't a good fact. The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were the strongest offensive faction in Kirigakure. Zabuza and Kisame were well-known as being the members who had broken away from the Swordsmen Code and attempted a coup d'état on the Mizukage and the Water Emperor. They failed, and were reported being on the run ever since.
Now, they had plopped down in Konoha.
Shit.
"Alright," Tsunade said, trying to be as precise as possible. Looks like this isn't going to be an easy pest removal mission. I'm gonna have to approach this differently. "What are you doing here exactly? No offense but I don't think famous shinobi like you should be rooming here."
Zabuza unsheathed his greatsword. Tsunade flinched but he merely took it and dug it into the ground to lean against. "What better place to hide than this dump? It's not like you low-lives are gonna do anything about us."
"What makes you think I can't? I'm not exactly a regular kunoichi either," the woman said casually. "I'm not famous by face, but I think you've heard the title The Legendary Sucker, hmm?"
"...The medic-nin who can't win a gamble to save her life?" Kisame asked. "Even if that was you I wouldn't be afraid of some bitch who can throw a cure around. Magical sparkles of healing won't stand a chance against Samehada."
...I guess it was a crappy title anyway. "This isn't a gambling match, boys. Unless you wanna make a bet."
"The bitch is going to bargain with us?" Zabuza let out a harsh laugh. "Look. If you don't think we're serious about staying here, then we'll just murder your Lord and take over the village. Maybe then you'll get it through your nonexistent brain."
Fire ran through Tsunade's veins. "Don't threaten Lord Sarutobi's life. I bet you that by tonight you'll be in jail and out of our hair. If you really want to dispute that, then give me your collateral."
"Jail? That place doesn't accommodate well," Kisame joked darkly. "I believe that by tonight you'll be either dead or fucked. Maybe both if we feel like it."
Ioshi whimpered and the shark-man glared at her. "I wasn't talking about you, bitch. Unless you want that fate too!"
Tsunade was in front of the defenseless in an instant. "If you touch her, I'll skip jail and go straight to execution." She shook her head. "I'll give you three hours. If you're not out by then, I'm turning you in to authorities."
The two swordsmen were obviously not worried. "Sure," Zabuza said. "Thank you for bothering us, bitch. We're going to go back inside now and relax. You!" he barked at Ioshi. "Come inside and draw us a bath."
Ioshi's large eyes pleaded to Tsunade. She shook her head. "Three hours," she muttered.
XxXxXx
Naruto yawned and kicked a rock that had unfortunately been sitting in his path. It bounced down the road past a donkey-drawn cart. The donkey whined and stared at the rock, kicking its foot cautiously. Naruto walked past the animal and pulled out his wallet, looking at his wages. Thinking quickly in his head how much the bills would be that month, he decided on a cheap meal at Ichiraku that afternoon.
His jacket's sleeves were tighter around his newly-developed muscles. He liked the feeling of it, the orange framing his arms and his black shirt underneath acting like a muscle shirt. Naruto stuck his wallet back in his pocket and noticed Hinata looking around the market.
"Hinata!" he yelled, running to her.
She turned and gasped. "N-Naruto-kun!" she exclaimed. "You're back!"
"I've been back. At home though, with Iruka-sensei, telling him all about Oto. Oh, I gotta tell you about it too! It was so cool! You wanna get ramen?" he asked.
"Ah..." she sounded disheartened. "I w-would, but I'm with K-Kiba today. I'm sorry."
He shrugged. "I can't get in the way of you two! I got your sweets when I got home. I can't believe I left the door unlocked, stupid me. You didn't take anything, I hope," he joked.
"N-No, n-never," she murmured. "I'm glad y-you liked the sweets."
The street was becoming crowded. He noticed Kiba hurtling towards them on his skateboard, skillfully weaving through the people to get to his girlfriend. He stopped short so as not to hit Naruto, but used his chakra to keep him from falling.
"Hey Naruto," the dogboy said with a strained smile. "Why are you hanging out here? Hinata and I are going back to her house later. You're not following, of course."
This struck Naruto as rude, but he didn't pursue it. Kiba was normally straightforward. "Nope, I wasn't planning to," he said cheerfully.
The hair on the back of his neck prickled and a severe cramp exploded in his stomach. His aqua eyes widened and his skin began to crawl. He heard growling in his head, but not from Kiba. It was much more sinister.
What...what's this feeling? Are you feeding again? Please not here. Stop, the boy pleaded to the monster locked inside him.
I don't need your chakra now, the creature growled. Leave here this instant. Someone's coming.
What are you talking—The pain increased in his stomach and he moaned in pain, doubling over. A few people in the crowd stared at him.
"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, worried.
"What's with you, man?" Kiba wondered.
His eyes remained fixed to the ground. Using all the strength he could to fight the kyuubi's will to run, he shook as he forced his head up to look across the street.
He met a pair of cold green eyes watching him, accented by heavy black frames shaped around his eyes. He had no eyebrows to go with his dull red hair, and underneath his Sunagakure headband was a kanji tattoo. The boy had a hungry, demonic look on his face, and was being held tightly on the shoulder by a blond woman.
He's looking at me like I'm his prey, Naruto stammered. He wants to rip me apart. Though the boy was evidently human, the kyuubi was roaring in fury around inside him.
That's because he WANTS to kill you. No, not you. Me. Shukaku has found me. The kyuubi, for once, sounded frightened. I cannot kill him in my pathetic state. Get me out of here, boy!
He's going to kill me?! I...I can't...oh god, what's happening to me! Naruto screamed internally. His body shook violently and he let out a strangled yowl. The redheaded boy was no longer there. All he saw was a disgusting brown monster, calling to him, snapping its gaping jaws...
He screamed and grabbed his stomach, starting to pant heavily. Kiba took a step back but Hinata drew close to him. Naruto's eyes flashed red. "Don't come near me!"
"Don't hurt my girlfriend!" Kiba warned. "Hinata, get away from him!"
The crowd went into pandemonium. They screamed and ran away from the teenager, claiming that the kyuubi was finally escaping its prison and now everyone would be killed in its unholy clutches. Kiba pulled Hinata away from him and heaved her onto his shoulder, skating away with her as she pleaded to see if he was alright.
All invisible ropes holding him to the ground were severed and he took off, running through the hectic men and women who all clamored to get away from him. He retreated into an alley where he collapsed against a bunch of garbage cans.
He woke up what seemed to be a few hours later in what seemed to be Lord Sarutobi's home. Iruka was hanging over him, pressing a cold compress on his forehead.
"You're awake!" he noticed at Naruto's open eyes. "Thank god. I thought you were really sick when I found you."
"...Why am I here of all places?" Naruto asked weakly.
"I'm teaching Konohamaru today and he happened upon you in the alley. People were freaking out. What the hell did you do? Everyone's under the impression the kyuubi's been unsealed." Iruka took the compress off and threw it in the bucket of warm water.
"I don't know. I thought it was starting to feed, but he said that there was something after him. I saw this boy looking right at me and he turned into a monster and I freaked out. I don't even think he was a monster. Kyuubi said something about 'Shukaku,' whatever that means." He sat up.
"Shukaku? That's a tailed beast like kyuubi. It's the weakest tailed beast, however. Why would kyuubi be afraid of it?" the older man wondered out loud.
"Kyuubi said he's weak in his current state. He wasn't trying to escape the seal or anything, he just wanted to run away. I think that boy was going to attack me or something. I don't know. I just wanted some ramen." Naruto curled up on the cushioned chair he had woken up on. "I don't need this drama. How are people supposed to trust me when shit like this happens?"
"I still trust you," a little voice quietly piped from the edge of the room.
Naruto's sight turned to a preteen boy, the same boy that had been beside Lord Sarutobi at the Chuunin exams. His brown hair was still up in a ponytail and he was as pale as ever. He looked skinnier from their last brief encounter, and his clothing combination had changed to a green shirt and brown pants. He held a bowl of steaming ramen.
The teenager's mouth immediately began to water. "Thank you...Konohamaru?"
"That's my name, yes." He handed Naruto the bowl. "I didn't make it though. It's grandpa's recipe. He'll be out shortly."
The boy had a weak voice and looked very tired. For one crazy moment Naruto thought he was being starved but then he remembered this was the Lord's grandson. It didn't seem likely.
Iruka headed into the kitchen to speak to the Lord. Konohamaru took his chair after he left. "I saw you at the Chuunin exams. I heard you were awesome. I bet you were."
Naruto grinned. "Thanks, kid. It'd probably be cooler to watch us shinobi in action, right? You interested in taking the exams yourself? Are you a first-year in the academy?"
"I'm not enrolled in the academy," Konohamaru said.
"...Huh?" That seemed odd, seeing as how he was related to the Lord. "That's...strange."
"Isn't it? I don't go to regular school either. Ebisu-sensei and Iruka-sensei teach me regular stuff like mathematics and grammar and history at home. Uncle Asuma also teaches me things. My friends Moegi and Udon are gonna be ninja though. I think that's cool. I wish I could be one but I'm not allowed." He watched Naruto slurp up the ramen.
"But why?" Naruto asked. His question was interrupted by a knock at the door.
Konohamaru slowly got off his chair and hobbled over to the door, opening it. Tsunade stepped in, looking frazzled.
"Tsunade-san!" he exclaimed, smiling. "Are you here for my checkup?"
"Well, I'm here to take you to your checkup," she said. "Is your grandpa here?"
"Yeah, I'll get him! Guess who we found in the street, Tsunade-sensei?" He pointed at Naruto, who felt awkward cuddled up in a couch sipping ramen.
She looked at him strangely. "Why was he in the street?"
"I gotta get grandpa. He'll tell you." Konohamaru walked into the kitchen.
Iruka headed past Konohamaru towards Naruto. He bent down and sat on his knees. "Naruto, you're free to go whenever."
"Thanks for sounding like a prison warden," Naruto joked.
Iruka smirked. "I just had to clear a few things with Lord Sarutobi. He was skeptical about letting you go without a hospital visit, but he caved in to pressure. I think you're just fine. He's going to look up the boy you saw, okay?"
"Thanks," the blond said sincerely. "Where would I be without you, Iruka-sensei?"
"It's almost three. You still hungry, or was that one bowl enough? I'll treat you," Iruka said.
A prior engagement hit him. "Really, where would I be without you? Extremely late to my training! Team 7's meeting today, I can't be late!" He jumped up.
"...Will you be alright alone?" his old sensei asked, worried.
Naruto lingered. "...Yeah. That boy's probably gone. I'll be with Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura for the day. They aren't gonna make me go psycho! Well, Sasuke might." He grabbed his jacket that was hanging from the back of the chair and donned it. "If I don't get going, Kakashi's gonna chew my ass out!"
XxXxXx
It turned out that Naruto was right on time. It was Kakashi that was late. He didn't arrive until a half-hour after the call time. Sasuke was sharpening his kunai unenthusiastically, and Sakura was sipping some cream soda, unable to stop jabbering about her apprenticeship.
He was holding a notice. "Naruto," he said in a serious voice, "this is from Lord Sarutobi. It says you had an incident today."
"Oh god, that's was the only thing people were saying at work," Sakura said. "About how Naruto went crazy."
"I didn't go crazy!" he defended. "I already explained myself a million times. It's not my fault this creepy guy got the kyuubi riled up."
"Well right now I'm supposed to be paying close attention to you, for the 'better of the people'," Kakashi said. "I don't really think you're gonna release kyuubi on our asses but I can't ignore this."
"Pointless drama," Sasuke commented. "He didn't go ape-shit or anything. We're here to train anyway, not to give Naruto a time-out."
"For once I agree with emo-boy," Naruto said.
"Well then," Kakashi said, "I think you'd better get off your asses and train."
And so they did. They spent hours being railed on their techniques in all aspects, from weapons handling to jutsu execution. Kakashi didn't hold back.
I'm not going to let them slip, Kakashi resolved. I'm going to act like the teacher.
Sasuke held back the biting remark he was going to throw at Naruto's half-baked attempt at a taijutsu. He darted amongst the rocks and jumped on one, hurtling himself in the air and throwing kunai at Sakura.
She smirked and twirled away from the kunai, doing fast sidesteps before letting a finger slip through the final kunai and swirling it around back towards Sasuke. She whirled around and quickly put her hands together.
"Earth Style: Sub-Assault Jutsu!" she yelled, sinking underneath the ground and avoiding a blast of fire from Kakashi.
Naruto flexed his hands and sent chakra pumping through to his fingers. He thrust his hand into the ground, breaking through layers of earth and grabbed a fistful of hair, unearthing the shielded Sakura. She retaliated with a kick and he caught her foot and hurtled her into Sasuke who jumped. She skidded against the ground and all three of them turned and threw shuriken at Kakashi.
He caught them all and dug them into the ground. He smirked. "You guys are doing better than I thought."
They all paused. Sakura folded her arms. "What do you mean, 'better than you thought?' What, you don't think we haven't gotten stronger?"
Naruto started punching and kicking a target. "Of course he doesn't. He blames himself I think."
"I'm trying to make up for my idiocy. If anyone needs any help with something, I'll personally help them. I...I need you guys to be strong for me." Kakashi bent over and picked up a kunai. "I gotta keep you guys strong."
"Don't say that you aren't strong yourself. Kakashi-sensei, why do you think we trust you with our future?" Naruto asked.
I don't want you to trust me so much. I'm still too shaky.
XxXxXx
Tsunade was not in the mood to go fight two strong shinobi after Konohamaru's checkup. She wanted to stay at home and ponder over what she had just diagnosed, but she knew that she'd have to face them, and she didn't want to put Ioshi in more danger.
Still, life could be really fucking unfair. Especially in Konohamaru's case.
But had her many years of experience hardened her spirit? It seemed so, because she couldn't shed any tears.
She wasn't about to take any shit from those two. She kicked open the door. "Get the hell out here!" she yelled, backing up, thankful that the area around the inn was fairly empty.
They didn't waste leave heading out, expecting her company. Zabuza and Kisame brought along their full arsenal. Ioshi stayed in the comforts of her home.
"I told you to be out of Konoha by now. What's taking so long?" she snapped.
"Are you serious, bitch? We couldn't care less what you say. Even if the fucking Lord came out and told us to leave we wouldn't give a shit. It's you who shouldn't have come back. We really didn't feel like killing any bitches today," Zabuza said.
"But since you insist on having a deathwish, we'll grant it for you," Kisame said in an almost gentlemanly manner. His hand wrapped around his sword, Samehada's handle.
Tsunade sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Bring it."
Zabuza tore off his sword and ran at her. She didn't think that he was very quick, but she knew he was a hard-hitter, and dodged a heavy blow that broke the ground next to her. He twisted his sword to the side to try to trip her up, but she jumped on its blade and over his head, kicking him. A shield of water sprung up and deflected her attack. She fell but balanced on an arm, gathering chakra to it and jumping up to avoid it getting chopped off by the greatsword.
Zabuza unfurled his bandages and they spilled across the ground, catching Tsunade's foot. She cursed and tripped, falling amongst the white.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!" he yelled, and a spiral of water shot at her.
Chakra flowed into her fists and she punched through the center of the blast, splitting it in two. The water fell on her harmlessly but soaked her head to toe. Her clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin blistering with goose bumps. Ignoring this, she ran towards Zabuza and threw shuriken. He deflected them with an air blast from his sword. She jumped. "Painful Sky Leg!" She brought down her knee against his head, driving him into the ground with such a force the ground exploded underneath her.
Zabuza threw her off him. "Water Style: Dragon Capture!" A huge dragon made completely out of water rose up from the ground and rushed at her.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Rising!" she called, an enormous amount of fire erupting from her hands and hitting the dragon, reducing it to steam. Sensing chakra behind her, she whipped around and raised her arms in defense of a sword strike from Kisame.
Samehada's makeshift hilt had been dispersed and she felt something shred her skin. She screamed and hit the ground clutching her bleeding arm. Kisame followed her, bringing the sword down next to her head.
"It's not ordinary sword," Kisame drawled. "It's made of sharkskin. Samehada doesn't cut...it shreds!"
He swung it and it collided with Tsunade's side. She skidded against the ground, dirt and rocks rubbing into her injured arm. Her voice ripped through the air. Trying to send chakra to her arm proved futile as the chakra poured out of the cuts and dispersed into the air.
"Fucking fuck," she cursed, standing up, her entire left side bleeding. She pulled a piece of sharkskin out of her neck and threw it at Kisame, not really aiming. With a burst of speed she spun around while running, sending blood speckles all over the place. She put out her foot and stopped herself. "Blood Points Disturbance." The blood littering the area crackled and sparked, sending electric bolts at a wet Zabuza. He cursed when the volts coursed through his body, making him twitch uncontrollably.
Tsunade took the opportunity to weaken Kisame, carefully avoiding Samehada and getting close enough to execute a series of punches that stunned him for a moment. "Painful Sky Leg!" she yelled, forcing his head down into her powered-up knee. Force made him go up, but her hand forced him down and his head threw back and he fell.
Zabuza charged her from behind. She turned and ducked his sword, rolling out of the way. He stomped the ground and puddles surrounded her foot. She slipped and rolled again, this time coupled with a back flip. "Earth Style: Platform." A piece of earth jutted out of the ground and she landed on it dryly.
"Water Clone Jutsu!" Kisame split into two of himself, both carrying Samehada and looking equally dangerous. Tsunade dodged an attack by one and punched, missing his cloak by inches.
"Mystical Palm Technique!" Chakra flowed around her hand and she punched one of the Kisames. He yelled and exploded into a puddle. She ran over the puddle at the real Kisame, punching at him. He moved out of the way and she spun and tried again, this time barreling forward and running towards Zabuza as well.
"Don't think about it, bitch!" he yelled and used his greatsword as a shield against the dangerous attack. He pushed her back and swiped—she jumped up onto the blade and spun away. The jutsu had died. She had hoped to sever their arm muscles at least before it ran out of energy.
Pausing to think of a new technique to use against the water-based men, she noticed an attack by Kisame. She avoided it, but barely. The clothing on her back was sopping wet; it was weighing her down. She kicked Zabuza away and went to jump away from Kisame's oncoming Samehada, but the water slowed her move by a second and the formidable sword hit her straight in the side.
The material dug into her skin and she yelped and went flying, skidding on the cold ground. Her head began to hurt and she held it, dizzy.
Zabuza rushed her while she was disoriented, grabbing her by the hair and tossing her over his shoulder. She flew at Kisame, who also took her by her hair. Her feet dangled towards the ground and she struggled to get out of his grasp.
He seemed to like the view of her hard nipples poking against her soaked shirt. He brought her close. He reeked of fish. "You shouldn't have picked on us, bitch." His tongue ran up her cheek, leaving some slimy residue that made her gag. She growled and kicked, but his head went down to her exposed neck.
"What—NO!" she screamed, but his jagged teeth sunk into her soft flesh, very hard and deep. Pain exploded in her head and she went blind as choked screams ripped out of her bloody throat. He began to jerk his head back and forth, digging deeper and deeper into her neck and ripped out layer and layer of flesh until he hit her collarbone. Her skin went white when he dug into that.
Something ran straight through her gut. She couldn't look down, all Tsunade could stare at was the darkening sky and pray that she wasn't going to die. Zabuza's sword had run her through. Shaking her head, she starting muttering something under her breath.
"P-Painful Sky Leg," she choked, kicked Kisame away from her. His teeth hooked on her skin and ripped it away. Blood poured up from her gaping wounds and ran like a waterfall all down half her body. She kicked Zabuza away as well and grabbed the greatsword caught in her body, and pulled it out with a scream. She fell to the ground, now stained with blood and mud, clutching herself as she sat on her knees, coughing up what seemed like gallons of blood, all coming from her torn throat. She could barely breathe.
I-I underestimated them...they're a lot stronger than I thought. Why...w-why did I have to t-take them for granted? Do I think e-everyone who comes into Konoha i-i-i-is weak? She coughed up more blood, the copper taste dribbling down her lips. Looks like I'll have to...to resort to THAT.
"Don't think we're going to watch you die slowly," Zabuza seethed. "Our policy is to make sure they're good and dead before we walk away."
Kisame towered over her and held up Samehada. "Goodnight."
He thrust it down at her. With a twitch, her arm flew up and her hand caught the blade shaking inches from her face. She gripped it tightly and felt the skin digging into her. Wincing, she shook her head, tearing.
"What is this?!" he asked, trying to tug Samehada away. The kunoichi held on fast. "Don't...say...goodnight to me," she hissed. "I'm not...finished with you scumbags."
Tsunade's free hand went up to the dot mark on her forehead. She closed her eyes. "Shadow Seal: Release!"
Maybe I'm cheating, she thought with a smirk, but at least I won't die.
The dot glowed blue and chakra poured out of its tiny vicinity. Her whole body began to glow with the incredible amount of energy flowing out of what seemed to be a storage unit. She pushed Samehada and Kisame away and stood up, moving her hands around quickly.
Four voices erupted through the battlefield. She looked over and saw Team 7 approaching her at high speed, looking frenetic. Though being unable to speak, she shook her head.
Kakashi paused and threw his arm out, stopping the three students.
"Why are we stopping? Tsunade's in trouble!" Naruto yelled.
"...I don't quite think so," the teacher mused. "Stay here. She wants it."
The two criminals didn't pay heed to the newcomers, focused on the glowing spectacle that was Tsunade. "What is she doing? Stop her!" Zabuza barked, and he ran at her along with his partner. They jumped for a double strike.
"Creation Rebirth!" she yelled, and the chakra exploded in beams of light that traveled up and down her body in the form of various kanji and unidentifiable characters, covering her entire body. The strange encasing that concealed her blew back both men's attacks.
The chakra faded slowly. Zabuza and Kisame were afraid to approach her. When their eyes were set upon her form again, they were speechless.
"How...how the fuck did you do that?!" Kisame barked.
Naruto's mouth hung wide open. Tsunade was poised upright, hands on her hips, with nary a wound decorating her body. What had once stained her clothing red and sent immeasurable amounts of pain throughout her being had disappeared.
She felt her neck; where a ripped mess had been before, now there was perfect skin. She had no trace of ever falling victim to Kisame's jaws or Samehada. With a growl, she cracked her knuckles. "I'm done playing with both of you."
Zabuza roared and tore after her, his sword slicing the ground as he paved the path towards her. Meeting her was the sharp end of his sword. She stepped up and kicked the sword. It tore from his hand and flew into a tree thirty feet away.
"You do know I have superhuman strength, right?" she asked, cracking her neck. Without waiting for a reply, she curled her hand and punched him in the face, her mouth breaking through his lips and teeth and hitting the back of his throat. He gagged on her fist and pulled away, collapsing and spitting up blood and teeth. She pulled out a kunai and held it up to his throat as she mounted him.
"D-Don't kill me!" he pleaded, twisting around underneath her.
With a smirk, she raised the kunai as if to strike him. He winced and she turned around, throwing the kunai and embedding it into the head of an approaching Kisame.
He stopped and blinked, pawing around his head. She stood up and attacked Kisame, kicking him across the head and deepening the kunai. He yowled and struck her with Samehada; the graze hurt but she wrestled the sword out of his grip and ran it through his chest.
He screamed and his eyes bulged out of his head. Tsunade pulled the sword out of him and out came his heart, shredded from the sharkskin and attached to the sword. She turned and walked to Zabuza. Shaking her head, she delivered the same punishment to him, this time leaving the sword inside him.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu," she said, torching both bodies.
With that, she collapsed on the wet, blood-covered earth, breathing heavily.
Naruto goggled at her. As the two criminals burned and she caught her breath, he saw a sight that he realized he'd have to witness the rest of his life as a ninja. Life against life, morals against morals, ready to fight to the death and do what was necessary to come out victorious. She had killed two ninja without listening to their pleading...knowing they would have done the same given the chance.
Fights did end quickly and strangely. Most fights were very anticlimactic. They weren't meant to give a show. They were mean to get a job done—killing. Tsunade had strength unlike anyone he had ever known.
It moved him, to see her sitting amongst death, blood-soaked but uninjured, a sort of sadness in her eyes that was more from her suffering than from theirs. She stood up and he wanted to applaud her, for her courage in battle. For her determination; for her willingness to put her life on the line to protect whatever she had been protecting.
She looked at them and flashed a tired smile.
In the next hour they had buried the bodies. Ioshi couldn't thank her enough for her patronage. Tsunade took the compliments with passive thanks, looking like she just wanted to go home and change.
Team 7 accompanied her home, all talking about what they had witnessed. She assured them she hadn't been so indestructible at the battle's start.
"Tsunade, you have wrinkles," Naruto observed, looking at her face closely.
Her amber eyes avoided his stare. "Stop looking. I had to use up my chakra reserves. It cut my lifespan a little. Don't look at me; I'll fix it up later."
"It cut your lifespan?! That's crazy!" Sakura awed.
"Better than dying a few years earlier than dying in a few seconds," she said wisely.
"Did Lord Sarutobi fight as cool as you when he was younger?" Naruto asked.
She didn't answer. The mention of her ex-sensei brought up an important thought. The next leader of Konoha. I talked to Kakashi about it before, and we both know Sarutobi-sensei can't do it. But now...now I think I know who can. These three are looking for someone to look up to, just like everyone else. People think I'm strong and trustworthy. When they needed it they did seek out my help. If I fit the stereotype...maybe that next leader should be me.
She laughed a little. What the hell are you getting yourself into, Tsunade?
Tsunade spent the rest of the walk alone after Team 7 dropped themselves off at Ichiraku for dinner. She thought it'd be nice to take a bath and eat some half-cooked dinner before crashing.
She appreciated Konoha's dim lights a lot more. As she walked down the disheveled streets, she imagined how it would look once she made it great. As if she'd make it great. She didn't have the proper training, but she knew the job could get done. For once, she saw Konoha as a place of opportunity, not of hindrance. Maybe there was a way to clear it of its hovels and bring in the gold.
Down a bar-lined street she noticed someone rummaging through garbage bins laid out on the side of the road. She sighed. This will take work...
The person straightened herself out and came out holding a half-eaten cheeseburger. Eyeing it hungrily, she devoured it on the spot, loud munching sounds permeating the air. Her attire was beyond dirty. Not even flies would want to approach her. Tsunade sniffed, and lurched from the smell wafting from her.
The woman's dull eyes fixated on the approaching kunoichi. They widened and shook, and she dropped the remains of the bun.
Tsunade stopped, suddenly uncomfortable. Was she in a drunken stupor? "Can I help you?"
"...Y...Y...YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she screamed, running at Tsunade in blind fury.
"What the fuck?!" Tsunade dodged her stampeded and held her arms up defensively. "Are you drunk, lady?"
"HOW DARE YOU COME BACK HERE, YOU BITCH!" The woman swiped at Tsunade again, but tripped and fell. She coughed and remained on the ground, sitting up lazily. She jerked away from the older woman's outstretched hand. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"
"I don't think you're in your right mind. I don't know you..." Tsunade began.
This only coaxed more screams from the befouled thing. "You don't KNOW ME? Oh, OOOOHHHH that's very fucking FUNNY, you bitch. Of course you don't remember ME! You LEFT ME HERE TO ROT and you left with the money. THE MONEY!" She scrambled up, using a lamppost for support.
Tsunade's forehead broke out in cold sweat as unpleasant memories rose up from the depths of her brain. "Y-You...what do you mean?"
"YOU STOLE IT ALL! FOR YOURSELF! I knew you didn't care about me...it was ALL about DAN!" She teetered and hiccupped, moving away from Tsunade.
DAN!
Suddenly the woman looked very familiar, terribly familiar. Fifteen years was a lot of time for a person to grow. "Shizune?!"
The blonde approached the drunk lady, but she kicked her away. "DON'T TOUCH ME, you thieving bitch! I never WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! Burn in HELL!"
With that, Shizune took off fast but wobbly down the road. Tsunade wanted to chase after her, but the bars were beginning to empty and she was lost when she stepped through the crowd.
"Shizune? SHIZUNE!"
XxXxXx
Yay, more fic for everyone! I've been heavily into the production of this wonderful epic that I'm weaving and unfortunately my Unknown Deceit fans will not be happy to know that I've been spending more time on this than that...
This was a heavy Naruto and Tsunade chapter. I actually wasn't planning on the little kyuubi segment, but I decided to add some angst with Gaara.
Speaking of Gaara, the SAND SIBS ARE HERE! Yay! I've never been excited about them, really. They're good characters but they never caught on for me. But now I'm really excited to write more about them, because Gaara is a really interesting character.
The little training segment for Team 7 was for a quick character development area. I know they've gotten plenty of bonding but since Naruto was the focus of this chapter I thought it would break from the rhythm if I made it Kiba or something. Speaking of him, look's like he'll have to watch out if Hinata would brave kyuubi's wrath to stay with Naruto!
Konohamaru was introduced fully too. I'll touch on him more in later chapters.
Ah, that was a fun fight scene. Bet you didn't think Kisame or Zabuza would be in this fic? I thought it'd be cool to add them, because they're cool characters and I've been doing a bunch of cameos. Tsunade kicked their asses though...and now they're kinda dead. But hey, that's what you get for messing with the Legendary Sucker! Tell me how the scene was! I'd like some insight on my fighting scenes.
Whew, school is tiring. AP U.S. History is a lot of work. Couple that with British Literature Honors and it's crazy
See you next chapter!