Tsunade wipes the sweat from her brow. The so-called "Third Great Shinobi War" has provided unlimited casualties for the legendary medical nin to treat. The only upside to all the carnage is all the hands on, real life training provided to Shizune. Tsunade can see the makings of a great kunoichi in the girl, but the faults of youth still plague her. Shizune often reveals her fatigue and frustrations and she still struggles with the most difficult lesson in the medical field; you can't save them all.

Tsunade and Shizune never stay in one place for too long, there's always another battle, more wounded to treat, and Jiraiya to avoid. Part of Tsunade feels ashamed for eluding her husband, but she still can't bring herself to face him. Not yet. In a couple of battles she's caught glimpses of the fourth hokage caught up in the skirmish but Tsunade always manages to slip away before she's truly within his grasp. Whenever she gets the inkling that Jiraiya is drawing close, she preys upon his old weakness towards perversion & will wait for him in a tavern filled with attractive women with loose morals. Tsunade also takes advantage and will help herself to a drink or two, or eight, but she makes herself scarce once Jiraiya arrives and engages himself with the ladies and the sake. The diversion usually buys Tsunade enough time to get a day or two away from her husband before he starts tracking her scent again.

On one such occasion, Tsunade finds herself weary from the toils of war. As evening descends over the landscape, the fighting quiets and she finds she is not able to perform anymore good today. Watching the shinobi work together to clash against their opponents strikes a pang of nostalgia and sadness in Tsunade's chest. It makes her reflect back to when she, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru fought side by side, taking on the warlord Hanzo of the hidden rain village. Hanzo dubbed the trio "the sannin", marking them as legendary heroes. But they didn't fight to become heroes. They fought to bring peace. Tsunade smirks now at the irony of fighting for peace, but she won't let herself become immersed in her memories. A bottle of sake seems like the perfect antidote to cure her of her past, so she slips away to a nearby village to find her medicine.

A bar is no place for a young kunoichi like Shizune, so Tsunade sends the girl off to find a public bath and instructs the girl to relax in a hot spring and reflect on what she's learned today. However, Shizune is not ignorant; she knows where her master is headed and already knows better than to try and stop the bawdy blonde from going. The dark haired girl is not the only person who has learned Tsunade's tricks, and Tsunade is shocked as she rounds the corner of the alley behind the bar and finds Jiraiya there, drunk already and slumped over his things. It appears he's been tossed out for non-payment, and Tsunade hopes he's drunk enough she can still slip away.

"Tsunade… don't go." Jiraiya manages to slur while making a lazy gesture towards her. She freezes in place, her breath caught in her chest. Maybe, just maybe she can still play this off. Softly, Tsunade responds

"Shh, just go to sleep Jiraiya. This is just a dream."

"It's not a dream! I'm just drunk, not stupid!" He snaps with a sudden lucidity. Tsunade was about to run but now that he's lifted his head towards her, she can see the pain in his face through the liquor. Jiraiya knows he has her full attention now, so he continues

"I've been following you for a long time, my love."

"I know."

"I've noticed you always try to shake me off at a bar, so this time I figured I'd beat you to the bar first."

"Very clever."

"Of course I'm fucking clever! I am Jiraiya! One of the legendary sannin! Fourth hokage of Konohagakure! Your husband and oldest friend! Or doesn't that matter to you anymore?"

The last part of his statement stings. Tsunade swallows the rising lump in her throat before she speaks

"Jiraiya, you never stopped mattering to me!" She meant for her words to come across with tenacity, but instead they almost sound like a plea as she feels the warmth of an unwanted tear roll down her cheek.

"Then why did you leave?" Jiraiya huffs, leaning his head back against the wall as the brief moment of sobriety leaves him.

"Because I couldn't stay. I couldn't keep living a lie."

"Was your love for me a lie?"

"No, I do love you. Truly. But not the way a wife should love a husband."

Jiraiya deflates. His head slumps against his shoulder and the tears that run down his face hurt Tsunade worse than any of his words ever could. Rummaging into his bag, he spills some items before finding a tall green bottle. Removing the cork, he takes a long slow drink of something Tsunade safely assumes to be highly intoxicating.

"Jiraiya… please stop looking for me." His only response is a loud belch followed by the bottle sliding out of his hand and landing on the ground with a heavy thunk. With his head tilted back and his mouth open, a slow grinding snore escapes from him. Tsunade is willing to leave him there, but her conscience gets the better of her. Hastily stuffing his belongings, a manuscript catches her eye.

"The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi." She murmurs before placing it inside his bag as well. Tsunade is surprisingly strong despite her petite feminine frame, and she easily hefts her sleeping husband over her shoulders then grabs his things. She takes him to an inn and pays for a night's accommodation, but can't find it in her heart to leave him right away. Kissing his cheek, Tsunade pauses. Even through the alcohol, everything about him is still too familiar. He still looks, feels, smells, and tastes like home to her.

The next morning, the piercing sunlight wakes Jiraiya. His mouth feels like a desert and thankfully there's a pitcher of water next to his bed. Skipping the glass, Jiraiya takes a few greedy gulps straight from the pitcher before stopping to think.

"A bed? How did I get here?" Looking around, all his belongings are here so he doesn't believe he's been swindled, then amongst his things he spies a note scrawled on the cover of a novel he's been working on.

"This is actually pretty good. I'm impressed. Keep up the good work."

There's no signature, but he recognizes the handwriting. Sighing, scattered memories from last night slowly come back to him. Looking at the note again, he thinks "she couldn't even tell me goodbye or that she loves me." But then he remembers she did say she loves him. And not to search her out anymore. Laying back on the bed, Jiraiya speaks to no one.

"Fine, Tsunade. You win."

:::::

Danzo eyes the most recent graduating class with disdain. His country is at war, his village's leader is old and weak, and he knows most of the genin leaving the academy today will soon be fodder on the battlefields of tomorrow. He knows it's not the academy's intent for these genin to go the front lines. No, instead they will likely be guardians to the shipments of supplies and medicine for those meant to do the fighting, but it's inevitable that they will be targeted by the enemy as a means to weaken konoha's troops by severing their support. There is one graduate however whom has caught Danzo's eye. His chats with Orochimaru has brought Danzo's attention to a certain young man with scruffy brown hair & large almond shaped eyes. A young man who possesses a special ability not seen before or since the first hokage.

Many of Konoha's popular eateries are filled with the celebrating genin and their families, but Danzo makes sure to remain carefully in the shadows. At Yakinku, Tenzo stretches his arms above his head as he leans back to make room for his full belly. His fellow graduates Iruka, Mizuki, Hayate, Yugao, and Anko sit contentedly around the table, and much to his chagrin Tenzo's little sister Uzura is seated there as well. Ever since the war kicked off, Tenzo and Uzura's mother has been extra busy aiding the third hokage, and Tenzo is often charged with "watch after your little sister".

Tenzo would be lying if he said he didn't feel a little resentment. He's pretty sure his mom wouldn't have even shown up at the graduation today if the hokage didn't need to be there to make a speech. Tenzo feels like Uzura is just so damn cheeky, she's still just an academy cadet sitting there being chatty with all his genin friends. Tenzo is so busy gritting his teeth at the thought that he becomes startled when Anko pipes up loudly,

"Who's up for some sweet dango over at the tea shop!?" The wicked glint in her eye and her sharky smile lets her friends know that she really isn't expecting "no" as an answer from any of them.

Yugao smiles sweetly as she looks over at Hayate, "I'm in the mood for something sweet, what about you Hayate?"

"Sure." He responds with a lazy expression.

"Awesome! I love dango! Can we go Tenzo?" Uzura halfway pleads with her brother. Sighing he answers

"Yea, why not."

"Yay! Come on Mizuki and Iruka! We all have to go!" Uzura squeals gleefully. Mizuki is already moving out of his seat and Iruka just grins as he agrees.

"You guys go on ahead, I'm gonna pick up our photo then meet you over there." Tenzo calls as he steps back from his chair.

Yakinku is familiar with the money that celebrations such as a graduations bring, and eager to make a quick profit, they offer to snap a quick photo of you with your friends before your meal and promise to have a print ready for you when you leave. Even though Tenzo is annoyed to see his friends leave with his sister, he's glad all her noisy chatter has gone with them. Walking away from the restaurant, he looks down at the photo in it's flimsy frame. Tenzo sits smiling on one end, then Hayate and Yugao sitting close together, as always. Mizuki looking pallid yet happy as he sits next to Iruka grinning ear to ear. Tenzo chuckles remembering the day Iruka got that scar, he'll probably always have that. And next to Iruka sits giddy little Uzura with Anko's arm wrapped around her shoulders, while Anko's sharp toothed smile finishes out the scene. They all look so cool with their shiny new forehead protectors and the village symbol emblazoned upon them. This picture would be perfect if it weren't for his squeaky little sister ruining it. Not at all paying attention to where he's going, Tenzo walks into somebody, dropping the frame.

"Dammit!" He curses while scooping the photo back up, now tarnished by a crack in the glass right over Mizuki's face.

"Now, I thought a fresh academy graduate would have better manners." A low rumbling voice speaks, sending chills down Tenzo's spine. Not being familiar with the voice, the young shinobi looks up into the face of one of the village elders.

"Apologies, Danzo-sama! That was entirely my fault, I should have been watching where I was walking!"

"Apology accepted, young man. I must admit your reputation precedes you, young Hatake…" Danzo speaks slowly, allowing time for dread to fill in Tenzo's stomach. His mother always warned him, "if something feels bad, it probably is bad. Trust your gut", and the way Danzo gazes at Tenzo right now, makes Tenzo want to crap himself. Rather than reveal his anxiety, Tenzo tries to speak confidently.

"Thank you Danzo-sama, I am only a lowly genin and not yet worthy of your praise."

"Oh, but you are Hatake Tenzo. I've heard of your unique abilities and believe you have the makings to be a great shinobi. You are a true prodigy and under my tutelage you could achieve your full potential faster."

"I believe he will reach his full potential in his own time." Sayonakidori interjects, stepping swiftly between Danzo and her son. Tenzo's both relieved and perturbed; he's glad Danzo's direct attention is no longer on him, but he doesn't want to look like a little kid hiding behind his mother's skirt either.

"Tenzo, you should catch up with your friends and your sister who you are supposed to be keeping an eye on."

"Yes, mother." Tenzo replies sullenly before disappearing quickly. Danzo clears his throat and redirects his words to the woman standing before him now.

"I was just having a friendly chat with your son, Hatake-san." His words are no less chilling to Sayona than they were to Tenzo, but the elder Hatake has a thicker skin and more experience with handling unsavory conversation. She notices Danzo's use of only her family name & she's unsure if he says it as a formality or as a slight to her as if she hasn't earned a first name in his presence.

"A chat about his future, I noticed."

"Is a young man not entitled to consider his options?"

"Of course he is, Danzo-sama. But a direct conversation from such a high ranking individual as yourself without the guidance of his parents can be rather… intimidating."

"I suppose you are correct, Hatake-san. I mean no disrespect towards you or the great White Fang of Konoha."

"I'm sure you do not, Danzo-sama. Perhaps in the future if you would like to speak to any of my children, you will consult both myself and my husband first. I'm not hard to find, you know where I work."

"Certainly." Danzo says dryly, his response having more than one layer. He is a calculating man who is accustomed to having his way. He draws his mouth into a tight thin line as he watches Sayonakidori walk away. Tonight was more about testing the waters than actually making progress towards his goal. With as busy as Hiruzen keeps his aide, Danzo was surprised to see her appearance so quickly. Clicking his tongue he quietly shuffles away, he has no plans to be surprised by her again.

Quickly catching up with her son, his face looks dismayed holding the cracked photo frame.

"We can get you another frame tomorrow." Sayona speaks gently while placing a hand on his shoulder. Tenzo pulls away quickly while muttering

"It's fine mom, I can get one myself."

His tone strikes guilt in his mother's heart. With all the war meetings & the preparations involved, she knows she hasn't been able to attend to her children as much as she would like.

"You know I'm very proud of you. Dad is too."

"I know. I just wish he was here to see me. I even miss Kakashi's stupid face." Sayona smirks at her son.

"I'm sure you do. You know, you're growing up really fast & I just want you to know that I'm always here for you, and you can always talk to me." Looking up at her face, he sees streaks of worry he's never noticed before and for the first time she actually looks older to him. Perhaps he's been a little selfish lately and harder on her than he needs to be. Tenzo wraps his arms around her and feels her soften. He can't remember the last time he gave his mom a hug & now he feels guilty realizing she's probably missed it. Sayona ruffles his hair before kissing the top of his head.

"Come on, let's hurry up to the sweets shop before anybody catches you hugging your mom."

Tenzo drops his arms and smiles back at her then takes off at a quick pace, but not before taking one last glance down at the photo. He hopes that crack over Mizuki's face isn't a bad omen.

:::::

"Shisui-kun, do you think the war will still be going on by the time we graduate from the academy?"

"I don't know Uzura-chan, maybe? I'd be a pretty cool chance show off what we've been learning."

"I don't think cool is the right way to describe it." The littlest Hatake says while wrinkling her nose. It's been almost two years since she last saw her oldest brother, her father has been able to visit twice, her middle brother is gone more and more with his team, and her mother barely makes it home to do little more than sleep and perhaps catch a meal. "Cool" is definitely not how this war is treating her family. Picking up on the distress on his best friend's face, Shisui tries to lighten the tone of his voice.

"Nii-san Obito sent me a letter the other day! He says he bets Konoha will win the war, maybe even soon!"

"That's way better than anything Kakashi ever sends me. He usually just tells me to study hard & be good for mom."

"Hey, those are important things to do too!"

"Yea, I guess…"

Sitting in the tea room of Uchiha Kagami's home, Sayonakidori glances out at the children in the yard.

"Thank you so much for making time for Uzura and I to visit, Kagami-san."

"You're very welcome, but I have a feeling you're here for more than a polite social call."

"That is true Kagami-san… I appreciate your directness about the matter of this visit."

"Again, you are welcome. I must admit I am disappointed I am not still out on the warfront alongside your husband and eldest son, but this injury I sustained demanded I come home to heal if I wish to fight another day."

"That is a very respectable decision."

"Yes, but not nearly as commendable as being able to fight… I've heard Kakashi has been appointed to jounin while out there, is that true?"

"Yes, he has."

"That is very impressive! I've also heard Minato has mastered his flying raijin technique during this mess as well. Kakashi's advancement to jounin means he will be able to lead the team, granting Minato freedom to accomplish other missions and hopefully bring this conflict to a close sooner."

"Yes, the third hokage is hoping that we will be able to turn the tides in our favor, but with our dwindling forces that possibility is slim unless we take some strategic measures."

"Ah yes, the reason why you are here. You almost let me forget you came here for a reason today, Sayonakidori-san."

"I'm afraid I must ask a rather large favor of you. Sarutobi-sama wishes to move his headquarters closer to the battlefields so he can gather a better scope of current events. With my husband and my sons dispatched, that leaves Uzura with my housekeeper. She is an old woman with much on her agenda as she is already overseeing the Hatake estate in my stead -"

"Sayona-san, you don't need to continue. It would be a privilege to guard yours and Sakumo's daughter. She is already as close to my Shisui as a sister, and she is a competent child who has been raised well by her parents. In my current condition, caring for her is the best I can do to help win this war."

"Thank you so much, Kagami-san! I am deeply indebted to you."

"Non-sense. I know your family would do the same for mine."

Sayonakidori and Uzura eventually depart, and as the evening casts shadows over the landscape, Kagami sits thoughtfully while smoking his pipe. He thinks about this war and how he wishes he could be out there like Sakumo right now, and he hopes Obito is doing well under Kakashi's leadership. Obito is a kind young man full of energy and spunk, and Kagami smiles thinking about the shinobi that Obito is growing up to be. Kagami has done his best to raise the young Uchiha after the boy's father passed on during the second shinobi war, and every night Kagami prays this third war doesn't claim Obito.

Feeling a presence nearby, Kagami looks over his shoulder to find Fugaku standing there. Taking a long draw from his pipe, Kagami exhales slowly as he readies himself for what is likely to be unpleasant conversation.

"So nice of you to drop in, Fugaku."

"You seemed to be up for entertaining visitors today, so I assumed you would be up for hosting me."

Kagami refrains from answering with how he really feels. Although chats with Fugaku are about as fun as walking around all day with a pebble in your shoe, he won't deny that Fugaku is a highly capable leader with the clan & the village's best interests at heart.

"Certainly, Fugaku. Now how is it that I may assist you with this evening?"

"Nothing really, I just couldn't help noticing Hatake Sayonakidori having an audience with you today."

"That is true, but what concern is it of yours?"

"Well, she serves the hokage so perhaps she came here on official business? Unless of course it was a visit more casual in nature."

Kagami doesn't like the emphasis Fugaku puts on the word "casual", but he presses on.

"And what business would it be of yours if it were a "casual visit" as you so put it?"

"Nothing I suppose… but people do talk. It's no secret who her husband is, and that he has been away for quite sometime. She seems to feed off those seated in positions of prestige, first the hokage, then Konoha's legendary white fang… You know Kagami to the opposite gender, you are still considered attractive. Perhaps she's -"

Kagami's heard enough. Abruptly setting down his pipe, he locks onto Fugaku with a steely gaze.

"Your speculations are wildly unfounded. It is of no true concern to you why she was here today, and there's no need for you to go about seeding lies and trying to undermine her status or the reputation of the Hatakes for that matter."

"Judging by your reaction, it would seem she was not here on behalf of the hokage, and that it was just a casual visit then." Fugaku makes sure to stress the word if for no reason than just to further rile Kagami.

"Get out of my house, Fugaku."

"As you wish."

Not waiting for the Uchiha clan leader to exit, Kagami hastily picks up his pipe and aggressively begins puffing away at it. He is sure Fugaku is off to stir a pot of rumors and Kagami is not looking forward to the consequences.

:::::