This entire short-story is dedicated to the wonderful FireShadow5! :)

Chapter 1

Tsunade Senju was an esteemed lawyer for a multi-million dollar company, with a promising chance of becoming the next chair of managing partner for the main branch located in the Leaf City. Not to mention, she was engaged to an internet entrepreneur responsible for the creation of one of the leading social platforms used today. A lot of people would consider her the luckiest woman in the world, but her luck was given to her by the devil. Despite her success and accomplishments, she still couldn't escape the shackles that bound her to her mental predicament.

She was not an ordinary person, she knew. She was the Tsunade Senju, the heiress to the Senju wealth. She has tried to abandon her origins by paving a career for herself, but that just put a bigger spotlight on her life. For over two decades, she meticulously constructed a picture-perfect image of herself, creating the perfect façade to deflect the criticism aimed towards her. But her mask was not perfect at every angle. It contained hairline fractions that, if exploited, could crack under pressure.

And to her chagrin, it did.

So, now, Tsunade Senju was unemployed, single and in hiding from her family. The Tsunade they knew would check into a luxurious penthouse upstate, so she tried to impose a psychological trick onto them by renting an average flat in the outskirts of the city. The transition between living in a multi-million house with butlers and maids to living in a compact one-bedroom apartment was very jarring on her, she'd admit, but this will have to do.

It didn't help that her ineptitude to the most basic tasks rendered her unfit for survival in this environment. For one, her bed was still a heap of wooden parts that required assembly, and her diet consisted of ordering food through online services. Since they had a Michelin Star Chef at their beck and call, they didn't need to worry about food. That has since changed. Thank God for Ubereats, honestly.

Tsunade shifted on her couch and sighed as she stared up at the ceiling. It was morning again, and the sun was beginning to peek through her blinds. What was she going to do to pass the time? Her heart still felt heavy from the previous drama show she binged for six seasons, and she didn't have any other past times that could pre-occupy her for the whole day besides binge-watching. Maybe she could exercise for a few hours, complete her daily chores, shower, and munch on whatever leftover she has in the fridge, she contemplated.

And then, it will be evening again.

She covered her eyes with her forearm and took a deep breath. How did her life end up this way? A week ago, she was on cloud nine with her fiancé. But now, the only remnant of their relationship was the mark of the engagement ring left on her skin. With an outstretched arm, she scrutinised the patch of skin that was lighter than the rest, outlining the band of the ring. She missed it, and she missed him even if she shouldn't.

Cheating pig.

She curled on her side and stared blankly at the adjacent wall. The rhythmic ticking of the clock filled the void in the room as she mulled through her thoughts. Wallowing in despair and regrets was useless since she chose this path. She chose to resign, to break off her engagement, and to estrange herself from her family. While it was freeing to live the way she wanted to now, it was also daunting to have so many options.

Her honey-hued eyes darted to her phone's screen when it illuminated. She received a text. Without much thought, she flipped her phone and ignored the notification, already knowing who it was from. Since half of her body was now out of her duvet, she took that as her cue to kick the duvet completely off of her and to tidy up her makeshift bed. After a small stretch, she headed to the bathroom to splash her face.

Tsunade's morning started off with avocado on toast (because her loaf of bread was about to expire tomorrow) and a morning jog around a park across the street from her apartment. By the time she showered and completed her chores, it was only 10 o'clock. She collapsed onto her couch, bored out of her mind. The last time she was unemployed, she was seventeen years old. Her days were always structured around a plethora of activities back then. So now that she was out of a job, she didn't know what to do with herself.

The thought of constructing her bed came to mind, but she dampened such thoughts immediately. If she could help it, she was going to procrastinate about it for as long as she could. Perhaps she could manifest its construction. Not that she believed in such ludicrous things, but she was desperate for a miracle to happen.

Tsunade grabbed this month's Vogue issue and stationed herself on her balcony that overlooked the main street and the adjacent park. As she engrossed herself in modern fashion, beauty, and lifestyle, she noticed a shadow begin to stretch across the glossy pages. Perturbed, she craned her neck up. Then, she gasped.

Everything happened so quickly, mere seconds. A heavy crash occurred as her tiny coffee table was trampled on by the shadowy intruder she vaguely registered as a man. Tsunade instinctively staggered back from the commotion to maintain a safe distance. But in between of tripping over an unsuspecting item and being tackled by the man who toppled over her table, Tsunade found that safety was but a fickle dream.

She yelped when her back hit the ground, and the man on top grunted as he followed suit.

"Fuck," cursed Tsunade. "What the –"

Her eyes locked with his. Warm hazel against cold onyx. The perfect juxtaposition. Silver strands draped down, crowning his pale face. He almost looked ethereal under the sun's golden rays.

"A-Are you alright?" he asked, immediately jumping up on his feet so he could help her back on hers.

"Y-Yeah, I'm good. How about you, are you –"

Her concern was immediately replaced with disgust as her eyebrows raised at the realisation that Mr Ethereal was half-naked on her baclony and was now haphazardly gathering his belongings like a dubious raccoon. Maybe dubbing him as highly as she did was premature.

He must have not noticed her leer at him because he didn't look up to acknowledge her presence again. It wasn't until Tsunade kicked his shoe – the object she suspected she tripped over – towards him that he raised his head. She looked down at him with her arms folded, expecting an explanation, but he only chuckled. "Oh, hey there. Good morning. I seemed to have... miscalculated my landing. I thought this was my balcony."

Was that all he had to say? She shook her head. "Last I checked, I'm the tenant here."

"Ah… I see…." He smiled again. "You must be the one who moved in a couple of days ago. It's nice to meet you. I'm Kakashi Hatake, and I live in 5B." He extended his hand out for a handshake.

"Tsunade Sen…" she bit her tongue immediately. It's probably best to keep her surname a secret. "Uh, just Tsunade Sen. I live in 5A. So, your apartment must be this one on the left." Despite keeping a cordial conversation with the man, she didn't bother to shake his hand. He took the hint soon enough and lowered his kind gesture.

"Maa, this isn't the best first impression to have on a neighbour."

"No, it isn't," she agreed as she kept a tight smile.

"Well, uh, it was nice meeting you, Tsunade….Sen. I would stay longer to chat but, uhh, I'm in a compromising position right now – in my underwear and all…." He said as he chucked his clothes onto his balcony.

"Wai-Wait, just use my front door!"

Kakashi was already on top of her balcony, crouched like a cat ready to pounce. He looked over his shoulder, wearing the same carefree smile. "Maa, it's okay. It's quicker this way."

After throwing a juvenile peace sign at her, he jumped over to his balcony with relative ease as if he had done it so many times before. Tsunade wouldn't put it past him, honestly. Before he entered his apartment, he took one last glance at her and smirked boyishly.

"I'll see you around, neighbour."

Tsunade mumbled the same sentiment but more incoherently since his change in personality caught her off guard. It wasn't just her overthinking things, right? That gaze he gave her at the end was different to his juvenile persona when he was on her balcony. She sighed and shook her head. Maybe she did sustain a small concussion in her fall after all, because she was beginning to imagine things.

After hyping herself up to cook dinner, Tsunade went grocery shopping at the closest convenience store. Everything in her food-deprived state looked appetising, even the cream puffs she would normally avoid, and she wasn't one to hold back. As a result, she may have bought too much in the process. While she was a strong woman (her fiancé – ex-fiancé – always told her so), she was a petite one. Her dainty stature often failed her when it came to carrying a handful of bags. She'd normally have butlers for this – as she has told herself numerous times – but that was her life in the past.

She was now Tsunade Sen, an unemployed twit who overestimated her strength. Since she didn't bring her car, because she didn't want to lose her parking, she was now burdened with the task of walking back home. While it was only 30 minutes away, the thought of it seemed more tedious with her groceries weighing down on her shoulders. Maybe she should call for a cab? No, that's unnecessary. As she crossed the street, she walked across a group of young thugs who were resting against their bicycles.

Tsunade knew she made a mistake when she accidentally locked eyes with one of the members because his interest was piqued by the possibility that she eye-fucked him on purpose. She swore under her breath. Men.

He took one last puff of his cigarette before he flicked it to the ground. "Those bags look heavy, babe," he said casually as he flattened his cigarette into the pavement with the tip of his sneakers.

Oh, great. From the sounds of it, his balls have not even dropped yet. Tsunade refrained from rolling her eyes, knowing it will only incite anger from the group. She held her breath as she walked past them; shoulders squared and chin held up high to show confidence in her stature. She wasn't going to fold and look down on the floor because these boys have decided to leer at her.

She must have been a step or two past them before her arm was snatched and she was pulled back. "I asked you a question. It's only polite that you answer me, lady. I was trying to be a gentleman because you look like you have your hands full." As expected, his gaze wandered lower from her face. "And from the looks of it, you have a couple of bags that I could help handle."

Quiet chortles were shared between his friends who followed his example and outwardly appraised her body. Each pair of eyes hungrily scaled her figure as if she was a blueprint for their mischievous plan. With both of her hands pretty occupied with her shopping, she didn't really have a way to defend herself. She especially didn't want to break her dozen eggs in the bag.

This was going to be a hassle.

"Are you deaf?" He probed, visibly more irate now. He pressed his finger just under her collarbone, pushing her aback a step or two.

Finally, Tsunade huffed and tightened her eyes at him, quietly voicing her own agitation. "Are you stupid? It's clear that I'm not interested in you." She clicked her tongue and expressed a look of haughty disdain. "I'll be clear: never in a million years, boy."

"What was that, you bitch?" he snarled, daring to raise his fist at her.

Tsunade raised her head, provoking his threat. With a raise of her eyebrows, she smirked and shook her head. "Try it. No? Can't do it? Then step aside and let me walk past. My ice cream is melting."

"Who do you think you are, huh? Do you even know we are? We're part of the gang who owns this side of town." He lifted his sleeve to reveal his tattoo affiliation. "Since you're in our territory, we also own you. Got that, lady? You're not leaving until we're finished with you."

Tsunade couldn't help it anymore – she rolled her eyes. This guy really just pulled out every cliché line from box office movies, and she would know because she has consumed a lot of it over the past couple of days. Before she could quip back, the gleam of a knife from his pocket caught her attention.

Shit.

Before the tip of the blade could touch her skin, another hand intercepted the weapon by its hilt. Her perpetrator winced in pain as his wrist was pulled up into the air until he lost his grip over his weapon.

"Maaa, is this how you treat a lady who has said 'no' in more ways than one?"

She blinked up at the man who shielded her from her close call. It was him. That man from this morning.

"Tsunade, was it?" he said, looking over his shoulder, half-smiling. "Step back for a bit. Things are going to get a bit physical."

Within a split second, the rest of the group pounced on him with their own set of knives. Despite the grave situation, the silver-haired man kept his hands in his pockets and easily dodged their feeble attempts to scratch him. With a small side-step, he tripped one of the members onto the lamppost next to Tsunade before he kicked the weapon out of the next person's hand in one smooth succession.

As he was preoccupied with toying with the other members, their leader grabbed his knife from the ground and launched himself at him.

"Tatashi!" Tsunade instinctively screamed.

He grimaced, turning to her. "It's Kakashi!"

"Whatever! He's got a knife!"

Kakashi turned, pulled his hand out of his pocket, and quickly disarmed the man once more before he flipped him on his back on the ground. Tsunade breathed out in relief. Kakashi crouched next to the leader as he toyed with his blade in front of him. "Do you feel manly with this? Hm?" He pressed the blade against his throat until it drew out a slither of blood from his torn skin. "I'm tired of seeing your kind here."

"Who asked for your opinion, Old Man?"

Within a millisecond of realisation that two of his goons were right behind him, Kakashi ducked to evade their surprise attack before he side-swept their feet off from the ground. He huffed and pushed his silver locks back. His eyes then flickered at the two other members who were now hesitant about approaching him.

Tsunade picked up on the sudden shift in the group's demeanour against Kakashi. Were they scared of him?

"Oi, oi," one guy stammered. "He's got a scar over his left eye and he's got silver hair. Isn't-Isn't he…."

"F-Fuck…."

"What are you doing? Fuck him up! There are four of you and one of him!" Their leader insisted.

Despite the sweat accumulating on their foreheads, they blindly charged at the silver-haired man. Kakashi's eyes gleamed dangerously under the tinted colour of the lamppost. Tsunade had just blinked for a second but that was long enough for Kakashi to completely outclass the street brawlers. He dipped to dodge one incoming fist, and lithely stole his packet of cigarettes from his hoodie pouch, before he kneed the next offender.

A distinct crack of the bones echoed and a painful howl followed after, making Tsunade wince as if she were the one in pain. The other two stuttered in their movements after seeing how quickly he had manhandled the first two. It was that iota of mistake in their step that Kakashi needed. One guy tumbled over the steel outdoor bench and the other rolled several feet away from Tsunade, heaving for the air that was kicked out of him.

"Amateurs," Kakashi huffed, wiping the speck of dirt off his left cheek. He reassumed his lax stance and inserted one hand back in his jeans pocket. His other hand was preoccupied with the knives he had disarmed from them.

Their leader's nose was flaring at this point. "Get up! I said, get up! He's just one man. We can –" The confidence behind his voice dwindled when Kakashi's presence loomed over him, casting a prominent shadow over his existence. "I…." His eyes trailed down to Kakashi's outstretched hand which held his members' knives. He reluctantly forfeited his own.

Kakashi smiled, although it lacked sincere warmth. "You shouldn't be playing with something this dangerous, you know. You could hurt yourself."

The man swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped away from the silver-haired man. Before he could tuck his tail and bail from the scene, Kakashi pulled a stick of cigarette out from the pack he stole and placed it between his lips. "Got a light?" he asked.

Whilst visibly reluctant and confused, the man nodded and lit his cigarette. Kakashi sucked the butt of the cigarette until the tobacco crinkled golden, and he blew a nimbus out from his lips and onto the juvenile leader. "Go on home. Don't ever come back on this street again."

"You can't tell us what to do. Our boss –"

"Inari –!" His friends tried to intervene.

"Ohhh, Inari. That's your name." Kakashi casually noted. "I'll remember that when I talk to Zabuza."

"H-How do you know Boss' name?!"

"Your boss? Hmm... How do I put this?" Kakashi hummed, taking a prolonged puff. "He used to work under me."

Tsunade frowned. Just who is this guy? And who was Zabuza?

"I suggest you leave whilst I'm letting you. My friend's ice cream is melting as we speak."

Friend? Wait, was he referring to her? They weren't friends! But it was safer to stay on his good side, she supposed. Although she could have handled the situation herself, he did save her the hassle.

"Are you alright?"

She flinched, not expecting him to be right next to her. "Y-Yeah. Thank you for that…."

"Name's Kakashi," he gently reminded.

"S-Sorry. Kakashi. I'll remember it next time." She'll have to now. It's not like she can forget a display that crazy so easily. She looked back at the delinquents who were scurrying to hop on their bicycles so they could flee the scene. "Who were those people?"

His response was straightforward. "A bunch of misfits who found the wrong kind of family."

"A family that you were into?"

He chuckled and removed the cigarette from between his lips. "Are you a reporter, Tsunade?"

"N-No! I-I was just curious as to how you were familiar with those brats."

"It's a long story and our walk home is too short. Besides, we should really hurry before your ice cream melts, right?" He warmly smiled at her before looking ahead and taking another puff of his cigarette. "What is someone like you doing in this part of the city?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you wanted to be inconspicuous you should have left your jewellery at home. Also, your entire outfit is designer. You don't exactly scream 'working class'." He said as he loosely gestured to her white satin top that was tucked into a beige maxi skirt.

"Can't a woman just look nice? Why can't I dress nicely without being judged?"

"No judgments here," he quickly said. "Just my analysation. You don't look like a woman from here, that's all."

"Well, you don't look like a man who would swing down onto other people's balconies, yet you are." She clipped back, albeit it was loaded with a playful bite rather than a vindictive one. "So, why did you swoop down so haphazardly on my balcony this morning? Did the partner come back home early?"

"Maa, nothing like that. Her religious parents dropped by unannounced this morning, and I don't think seeing me entangled with their daughter will do anything to consolidate their faith. Not to mention, her father has a heart condition – and often wields a gun – I couldn't risk it. For his sake, of course."

Tsunade couldn't help but side-eye her companion. "...Of course," she muttered, sceptically. A breaker of backs but not of hearts, eh? Tsunade wanted to retort but found it to be out of line, especially since they hardly knew each other. "So, your best option was to jump down from her balcony?"

"It was either I sprained my ankles or have a bullet hole in my chest. It wasn't a contest from the very beginning."

"If you explained that you were in a relationship with his daughter then –"

"No, no," he curtly said, cutting her off. "We're not exclusive. It was a fling. But contrary to my display this morning, I don't often swing down onto other people's balconies, half-naked."

"Mhm…. and to think I took you for a pro."

He laughed. "I don't know whether or not to take that as a compliment or as an insult, Tsunade. Your facial expression is quite hard to read since it's always in a tight frown."

"W-What frown?"

Kakashi stopped walking, making her abruptly halt. Without another word, he flicked her in between her eyebrows and said, "Right there."

Tsunade gasped and immediately recoiled away from him. "W-Wha –"

"Oh, it's gone. Never mind, it's back again."

"Did you just flick me?"

"I believe so."

Tsunade was flabbergasted at his audacity to get into her personal space so casually like that. Was he just a rebel in all aspects of life? He was too comfortable with her, for sure. He acts as if they have been friends for years when they have barely known each other for 30 minutes. She wanted to feel angry but her heart was oddly comforted with the idea of having someone she – kinda – knew in this part of the city.

Instead of berating him, she clicked at her loafer's heels and trudged along. The silver-haired man took several strides to match hers until their arms were shuffling side by side again. Tsunade rolled her shoulders back and readjusted her grip on her grocery bags upon feeling the pressure accumulate in her extremities.

Kakashi must have observed her discomfort because he immediately covered her hand with his. "Let me help." He whispered before taking the bag from her.

Whilst evidently relieved by the lightened burden, Tsunade's mind was too frazzled to coherently string words of gratitude. Her hand still felt the warmth of his from their brief interaction, and she cursed at herself. It has been the first time since she rebelled that she has felt another one's touch. Thinking about it made her sound more desperate.

"You're frowning again."

The tension in her face immediately unwound upon realisation and she gazed up at him. After licking her lips, she spoke. "Thank you for everything today." As much as she'd hate to admit it, this brief interaction was more enjoyable than she thought.

"Were you frowning because you were thinking hard about thanking me?" he teased.

Tsunade snorted. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

He held his free hand up in defence. "Of course not. And there's no need to thank me. I would have done it for anybody. Besides, this load isn't that heavy." He said. "But I do have a question."

"What is it?"

"Why do you have three dozen eggs here? Are you trying to raise a chicken farm in your apartment?"

"N-No. Of course not."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I-I can't cook anything else besides egg," she mumbled.

"What?"

"I can't cook anything else besides egg!"

There was a moment of awkward silence before Kakashi broke down into a fit of laughter. "You really are full of surprises."

She puffed her cheeks in embarrassment. The lingering pleasant sensation she had ebbing in her chest was now replaced with an angsty sensation of regret. She has never confessed that she was an inadequate cook to anybody before. Well, she didn't have reason to before. Still, Tsunade did not like admitting her weaknesses.

"Well, do you want to have dinner at mine? I won't be serving eggs, don't worry."

"Oh. No, no. I don't want to impose. Besides, I have nothing to offer."

"Don't worry about customs too much. I don't care much for it. But if you insist in such, then bring your ice cream. We can have that for dessert."

Tsunade contemplated over her options for a second: having scrambled eggs alone, or a potential full meal with a companion. "Okay. Deal."

Hopefully, her ice cream has not melted yet.

A/N: To my dedicated readers who follow Divergent: this story is not going to become my priority. I hope this story acts as a filler for you guys while you wait for the unravelling of Divergent.

To any new readers: welcome to humour crack!

-Idle