Book Three: Silent Angel- Family Bonds!


"Why are you two laughing like that?" Grandpa Jiraiya finally crawled out of bed. He was dressed unlike Naruto.

"N-nothing!" I said trying to swallow my laughter. I Blanked Out through his forehead protector.

It's good to see those two patched things up. Although comforting Tsunade Hime- -Grandpa Jiraiya

I pulled out before I heard and saw things that would scar me for life.

Grandpa Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Where's the Tails?"

"They wondered off somewhere." I shrugged.

"We're not their baby sitters." Naruto said putting his hands behind his head. "They turn up eventually."

"Well eat, go get dressed, and we'll work on the Summoning." Grandpa Jiraiya said.

"Alright!" Naruto took the eggs I had been pushing around on my plate and devoured it.

"Hey!"

"You weren't eating it." Naruto said his mouth full of my eggs.

I smirked. "Oh well, they were cold anyway. Now I can make an omelet!"

"Any chance I can get one?" Grandpa Jiraiya asked hopefully.

"Maybe." I smiled.

"Ah man!" Naruto yelled as he plopped down in the seat next to me.

"Shouldn't have eaten my eggs." I said getting up.

Naruto and Grandpa Jiraiya left after they ate.

Grandma Tsunade walked toward the Bedroom Wing. Well that's what I call it anyway. "You coming?"

I followed her to her and Grandpa Jiraiya's room. She walked over to her armoire and pulled something out of it. She held something in her closed hand as she walked over to me. "Close your eyes."

I did so. I felt something cold and hard around my neck.

"Open."

I blinked a few times and looked down. A necklace was resting on my chest, the charm was a jade tree.

"It was your mother's." Grandma Tsunade put her hands on my shoulders.

I turned and wrapped my arms around her waist, "Thank you." I pulled away and turned around. "You know it's been a long time."

"A long time since what?" Grandma Tsunade sounded confused.

I whipped around as quickly as I could, she blocked my punch. "Since our last spar." I smirked, she smirked in return.

She released my fist. "It shows. You've gotten a little slower."

"Haven't gotten much time for training since I'm still restoring some parts of the forest."

"Tell you what." Grandma Tsunade bent down to my eye level. "I don't feel like doing paperwork and you need some practice. Why don't we both take the day off." She winked.

"Sounds good to me." I said.

We walked in silence as we went out into the lawn. We stood facing each other, both of us were wondering who was going to make the first move. Grandma Tsunade touched her forehead protector. "I haven't worn this thing in a while. I kinda missed it."

I didn't answer. I just kept my eyes locked on her, seeing if she'd make the first move. Grandma Tsunade was undoubtedly waiting for me to do the same. We hadn't sparred since I was in the Academy.

One time we spent an hour waiting for the other to make the first move. She normally got impatient and made it. But this time...

Wood came from the ground and wrapped itself around her ankles. By the look on her face she had forgotten I'd learned some new tricks other than restoring forests.

"Nice first move. Restricting your opponents movements." She broke her feet out of the wooden binds, her strength is something I can't equal myself to yet.

She came at me, I dodged almost all of her blows but my wood stopped one and wrapped itself around her wrist. Again she broke herself free of my wooden restraints. "You've have improved greatly since we last sparred." She came at me again.

"Yeah, well fighting a few creeps will do that." I said as we exchanged blows that were either blocked or dodged.

"So do you miss the other members of the Alliance?"

"Yeah, but I'll see them again." I said as we continued to fight.

We did this for a few hours, how Grandma Tsunade could keep going like this I don't know. I could keep it by my Raw Energy. Even so I was getting pretty tired.

"How much do you know about the Akatsuki?"

"Not much other than they want to capture all the Jinchuriki and take the Tails away." I ducked to avoid one of her kicks. "Thus resulting in our deaths. They're goal is to rule the world and that's about all I know."

"No wonder you were acting strange." Grandma Tsunade tripped me.

"Look at that." I pointed over toward the Village.

"Not falling for it." Grandma Tsunade said.

"I'm dead serious look."

She did. I could see Gamabunta from here.

"I think Naruto got it." I said still on the ground.

"I think he did." Grandma Tsunade helped me up.

"Wanna go see how this turns out?" I asked.

"What the heck." she shrugged.

We both disappeared in puffs of smoke. Grandma Tsunade and I appeared next to Grandpa Jiraiya.

"He did it." Grandma Tsunade said in awe, but she seemed to have expected it. Most likely from her past life.

"Took him long enough." I looked down Kitsune and Sumi were here.

"Is this where you two have been all day?" I asked.

"Eh. Here and there." Kitsune said.

Gamabunta was trying to throw Naruto off.

"It's going to be fairly entertaining." Grandpa Jiraiya said. "Shouldn't you be doing paperwork, Hime?"

"I should but I didn't feel like it." Grandma Tsunade said.

Grandpa Jiraiya laughed and put an arm around her waist. All day Gamabunta tried to throw Naruto off and Naruto almost fell of a couple of times. All in all it was funny to watch. Grandma Tsunade and Grandpa Jiraiya might have been rolling with laughter if it weren't for the fact that they were supporting each other. Kitsune was having a ball with it.

Gamabunta placed a sleeping Naruto before us at the end of the day. Naruto had definitely earned Gamabunta's respect to a certain degree.

"He is a stubborn one." Gamabunta said before he disappeared.

Grandma Tsunade made sure Naruto was alright. She could be harsh at times but she cares. "He'll be fine, he's just exhausted."

No duh! To be honest that spar with Grandma Tsunade left me pretty tired too.

Kitsune enlarged himself and pulled Naruto onto his back.

The Runt does have determination.- Kitsune

That's Naruto for you.

You may be more protective of him than Lady Tsunade but you do hold him in high regard.- Sumi

He is talented but he needs to stop goofing off.

And back to babying him.- Sumi

On the way back to the Mansion I collapsed but Grandpa Jiraiya caught me and put me on Sumi's back. I fell asleep shortly after.

Tsunade's POV

Naruto and Nozomi were both worn out from today. I watched them both sleep as we made our way back home.

"Those two push themselves, don't they?" Jiraiya commented.

"They're stubborn alright." I said smiling. Sumi and Kitsune kept quiet.

After Naruto and Nozomi were in bed I pulled out an old photo album. I compared pictures we had taken of the Twins to pictures of Naruto and Nozomi. "Hm."

"What are you looking at?" Jiraiya leaned over the back of the couch. "The resemblance between our kids and our grandkids is remarkable."

"It is, isn't it?" I said sadly.

"Worried about tomorrow?" Jiraiya asked sitting down next to me.

"No." I knew we'd come back. "Orochimaru will regret what he's done." Tomorrow the 'Sanin Showdown' would begin, again.