"You're the best cook ever Lady Tsunade!" Shizune said happily as she munched on her pancakes. It was now three days since Tsunade adopted Shizune and she was loving every moment of it. Shizune provided her with the happiness and the company that Tsunade so desperately needed and for that, Tsunade would happily continue to provide everything that Shizune needed and ensure that she grew up to become a wonderful person and a skilled kunoichi. Therefore, Tsunade vowed to herself that she would dedicate her time and efforts into teaching Shizune the art of medical ninjutsu. She had a feeling that Shizune would have a natural talent for it just by examining her kind and gentle nature. She would have no problem teaching her.
"Why thank you Shizune." Tsunade smiled and poured some more of her homemade maple syrup on the stack of pancakes. Everyday Tsunade made pancakes for they have become Shizune's favorite meal. She was grateful for that because she wasn't a wonderful cook and pancakes were basically the only meal that she could make perfectly. However, she knew that she would have to purchase a cook book for Shizune couldn't continue to eat pancakes every morning for the rest of her life, "I was thinking that we could go shopping today." Tsunade suggested. The truth was that Shizune needed clothes, toys and other basic necessities for a child her age. Tsunade was even planning on refurbishing the guest bedroom to transform it into a room that mirrored Shizune's personality. She was going to be living with her permanently so she had to ensure that Shizune was comfortable in a bedroom that she would love.
"I would love to go shopping!" Shizune squealed, "Can we go? Please say that we can go Lady Tsunade!" Shizune was now jumping up and down in her seat in excitement and Tsunade couldn't help but giggle at her enthusiasm.
"Okay we can go but first you need to finish your breakfast." Tsunade said and noticed that Shizune had some maple syrup smeared on her cheek. She then took a napkin and wiped the girl's cheek clean, "And perhaps you should take a bath before we go."
Shizune stuffed some more food into her mouth and said, "Okay Lady Tsunade."
"Don't talk with food in your mouth." Tsunade scolded gently, "It's bad manners okay."
Shizune swallowed her food and nodded her head, "I'm sorry."
"Just finish your meal."
Tsunade watched as Shizune finished her meal with lightning speed and rinsed it down with her glass of milk, "I'm done!" She smiled and pointed to her empty plate and glass.
"Very good." Tsunade said and took the plates from her and washed them in the sink, "Okay, let's get you cleaned up."
Tsunade took Shizune into the bathroom and filled the tub up with warm water and sweet pea scented bubble bath. When the tub was ready, she helped Shizune out of her night clothes and placed her into the tub. Shizune giggled as she played with the bubbles and placed some over her lip in an attempt to have a fake mustache, "Look Lady Tsunade, I have a mustache."
Tsunade laughed along with the child, amused at her innocence and decided to play along with her, "Oh my, Shizune you're a boy!" She exclaimed, bringing her hands up to her face to cover her mouth in an attempt to look completely bewildered by the bubbles over Shizune's lips.
Shizune laughed and used her hand to wipe away the bubbles, "I was only kidding Lady Tsunade, I'm still a girl."
"Oh!" Tsunade sighed and wiped away some non existent sweat on her brow, "Thank goodness."
Tsunade washed the child's flesh until it was clean and free of sticky residue from the maple syrup. After she was done, she wrapped her in a warm towel and dried her body, ridding it of water droplets and then dressed her in a light pink dress with a dark pink obi around the waist. She looked adorable for the pinkness of the dress matched her pink tinted cheeks.
"Are you ready to go Shizune?" Tsunade asked the child as she headed downstairs towards the front door.
"I'm coming!" Shizune called from the guest bedroom which she was currently occupying, "I just have to find Mr. Bear. I don't want to go shopping without him." Shizune decided to call Nawaki's old bear, Mr. Bear. Tsunade thought it was a cute name for such a cute stuffed toy. Nawaki never named it but she knew that he would have liked that name a lot.
Tsunade placed her shoes on her feet while waiting for Shizune to emerge from upstairs and suddenly, she heard a knock on the front door. Wondering who that could be she walked over to the door and looked through the peep hole to see one of the Hokage's assistants standing outside of the door. Feeling slightly confused as to why he was there, she opened the door and asked, "May I help you?"
"Lord Hokage wishes to see you in his office." He said, getting straight to the point.
"What for?" Tsunade asked feeling slightly annoyed by her sensei's random requisition of her presence in his office, "It's kind of a bad time now." She was supposed to be taking Shizune shopping and she didn't want to disappoint her.
"He didn't give any details as to why he wishes to see you but he is requesting your presence in his office immediately."
Tsunade sighed in defeat, realizing that there was nothing she could say or do to get out of it, "I'll be there shortly."
The assistant nodded his head and Tsunade closed her front door. Shizune then came down the stairs with Mr. Bear in hand, "I'm ready to go now."
"About that Shizune..." Tsunade started and stooped down to Shizune's level, "Lord Hokage wants to see me so we can't go shopping right away. But I promise you that when I come back we'll go okay."
Shizune gave Tsunade a small smile to silently tell her that she understood the position that she was in, "Okay."
"Great." Tsunade said, feeling relived that Shizune was such an understanding child and rose to her feet, "You stay here. Don't let anybody in the house and stay away from the stove. Just stay in your room and play." She instructed, "I'll be right back." Tsunade said before exiting the house and locking the door shut with her key. She just hoped that she could still honor her promise to Shizune.
Tsunade made her way over to the Hokage mansion determined to make it her point of duty to thoroughly curse her mentor for interrupting her plans with Shizune. This was the first time since she met Shizune that she has ever left her alone. She couldn't help but miss her even though she just left her house not too long ago. The two now had an inseparable bond and it would always be like that from now on. Tsunade didn't mind though, it was nice being in the presence of somebody who wanted you and loved you unconditionally for once. Just the thought of returning to her house only to have Shizune jump into her arms and express how much she missed her made her heart leap with joy.
She approached the gates of the mansion and came across the same guard who was from another village. This time however, he didn't question her, but let her straight through the gate and as she was walking through, she gave him an approving look. She walked through the halls and climbed the many flights of stairs, cursing under her breath and reminded herself that she should tell her sensei to install an elevator, until she was on the level where the Hokage office was situated. After what seemed like forever, she was finally at the door of the office and out of respect, she knocked before entering. However, when she entered the office, she felt her heart stop within her chest.
Standing right before her in the company of the third Hokage was none other than Jiraiya. What was he doing there? Why did Sarutobi call her if he had Jiraiya with him as well? Oh how she wanted to kill her sensei. She was frozen. She hasn't seen Jiraiya since the series of unfortunate events that happened between them and now here she was, frozen like a statue, looking straight into his obsidian eyes. She wanted to run out of the office or jump through the window. She just wanted to get away from him but she decided to keep her composure long enough to maintain her pride and ask why she was there, "What's all of this about sensei?" She asked, trying not to let the shakiness of her voice be heard.
"We were waiting quite a while for you Tsunade. What took you so long?" He asked, noticing her tardiness. As a child he always taught her to be on time but now that she was an adult, she completely disregarded that and did her own thing.
"In case you have forgotten Sarutobi sensei, I have a child to look after now. Therefore can you hurry this up so I can get back to her." Tsunade said in an annoyed tone, wanting nothing more than to go home and get away from Jiraiya.
"That's not going to be possible Tsunade."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Tsunade shouted, now feeling pissed off not only because Sarutobi wasn't getting to the point fast enough but the fact that she was in the presence of the one she so wanted to avoid for the rest of her life.
"Calm down Tsunade." Sarutobi begged of her but she wouldn't have it. Jiraiya just stood there, watching her unleash her anger, not daring to say a word to her. Like Tsunade, he wasn't too fond of the situation they were now in and wanted nothing more than to leave as well. However, he had to keep his cool and wait to hear what Sarutobi called him for.
"I will not calm down old man! I have a six year old at home waiting for me and I want to get back to her. But no, you're taking forever to say whatever it is who have to say! I have more important things to do with my time than standing here waiting around for you to open your mouth and say something! So can you just spill it so I can get on with my life?!" She said with not an ounce of respect in her voice.
Sarutobi ignored her blatant disrespect and proceeded to tell her the reason why he called her there in the first place, "I need you two to back into the war together."
Tsunade was lost for words. Did she hear correctly? She could not be going back into the war, not when she had Shizune to take care of. And to go with Jiraiya? How was she going to do that after all they've been through? No, it could not be done, "Why me?!" Tsunade asked.
Jiraya knew the reasons why he had to go into war again but he wanted to do no such thing, especially not with Tsunade in tow. If circumstances were different then he would have no problem going back to the war with her. But things were different and his hurt was still evident.
"You know exactly why I chose the both of you Tsunade. You two are the best we have at the moment. The war is reaching it's final stages and we need you two out on the front-lines to help us to become victorious."
Tsunade understood his reasoning but she was still reluctant to go. She had a little girl at home waiting on her. She couldn't let her down. What if she didn't make it out alive, what would become of Shizune?, "What about Shizune? I can't just leave her alone at home."
"She can stay here." Sarutobi said, "My wife Biwako would be more than happy to take care of her in your absence. It'll be no trouble at all."
"What about Orochimaru?" Jiraiya said, finally breaking his silence, "He's one of us too. Is he going back to war as well?"
Sarutobi nodded his head, "Orochimaru has already returned to the war. You two will meet him there and together you will fight and emerge victorious."
"If I don't make it back alive..." Tsunade started and earned looks of confusion and horror from Sarutobi and even Jiraiya, "Promise me that you'll find Shizune a good family, a family who will love her and take good care of her. Promise me that she won't end up on the streets again and let her know that I truly loved her." Tsunade said with such sadness and sincerity in her voice. If Jiraiya was on good terms with her, he would have hugged her but that wasn't about to happen anytime soon. Tsunade truly cared for that little girl, so much that she was willing to make plans for her if she was to ever perish in the war. That was sincere love.
"Tsunade -"
"Promise me!" She demanded, "Please."
"I-I promise." He assured her. As much as he didn't want to think about her possibly dying, he could see that Tsunade wasn't going to agree to go unless he promised her that Shizune would be alright. In that moment he said a silent prayer for not only her but for Jiraiya and Orochimaru as well. If anything were to happen to any one of his students, he didn't know what he would do with himself.
"Thank you."
"When do we leave?" Jiraiya asked, trying to move the conversation away from such a sad topic. He didn't wish to feel sympathy for Tsunade, not after all that she has done to him.
"It would be best if you leave as soon as possible today." Sarutobi informed them and handed Jiraiya a map with the directions in which they were to follow in order to get to the war, "Orochimaru will be waiting here for you." He said, pointing to an area on the map, "From there, you three will enter the war. Be safe and come back victorious."
They nodded their heads in union, "I have to go home to pack then I'll drop Shizune off here." Tsunade stated and looked at Sarutobi, "Take good care of her."
"I will."
Tsunade nodded her head one last time and left the room. Only when she was gone did Jiraiya express how uncomfortable he was with the idea of traveling with Tsunade after everything to his sensei, "I really don't want to do this sensei."
"I know that both of you are uncomfortable with this but you need to put your personal issues aside and fight for the security of your village. As one of the Sannin, you must be professional at all times and do what is best for your home. You know that Jiraiya."
"And why didn't you lecture Tsunade about this?" Jiraiya snapped, feeling as if Sarutobi favored Tsunade over him.
"She had a good reason to be reluctant to go back to war. Sure she doesn't want to go anywhere with you but she also has Shizune to think about. She loves that little girl so much that the very thought of her dying and leaving Shizune alone drives her crazy."
"Well the thought of traveling with her is making me crazy! I'm trying to get over her and yet I have to be in the same space as her for days. I'm still hurt by what she did to me!"
"And I know that Jiraiya but build a bridge and get over it! I'm not sending you two on a romantic vacation, I'm sending you to fight for our country and if you can't do that without complaining then you shouldn't even bother calling yourself a Sannin!" Sarutobi scolded. Suddenly Jiraiya felt as if he was a little kid again, being lectured by his sensei. But there was much sense in what the old man was saying. Jiraiya was a Sannin and therefore should stop complaining and act like one. In that moment he decided to put his personal problems behind him and fight for the sake of the Leaf Village and all of its citizens.
Tsunade walked through her front door and immediately after she had Shizune jumping into her arms, squeezing her tightly. Her embrace didn't hurt for the girl's arms were so weak so instead it felt precious.
"Are we going shopping now Lady Tsunade?" She asked gleefully.
Tsunade instantly felt bad for she knew that she had to break her promise. Although, she didn't quite know how she was going to break the disappointing news to her, "It looks like we'll have to postpone our little outing." Tsunade said regretfully.
"Why?" Shizune asked with a hint of disappointment evident in her tone, "You said that when you came home that we could go shopping. What changed your mind? Was it something that I did?"
Oh how could Shizune ever say something like that? Tsunade shook her head, "No Shizune, it's not because of something you did."
"Then what?"
"You see Shizune, I have to go away for a few days."
"Then can I come too?" Shizune asked, feeling a bit hopeful.
"I'm sorry but no, you can't come."
"B-But I thought you said that we're a team, that wherever you go, I go too." She said while tears formed in her dark eyes.
"Where I'm going is too dangerous for little girls." Tsunade explained, "But you'll be staying at the Hokage's house. His wife Lady Biwako will take care of you. She's a nice lady and remember how big the Hokage's house is? It'll be like an adventure for you, you'll have so much fun and-"
"You're going to the war aren't you?" Shizune said softly. She was a smart girl for without Tsunade telling her, she knew that she was going to war.
Tsunade could have just lied to the girl to make her feel better but for some reason she couldn't, "Yes."
The tears were now rolling down her rosy cheeks, "M-My Uncle Dan went to the war a-and he di-died. P-Please don't die Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade held the girl close and rubbed her hair to comfort her, "I won't die, I'll come back."
"That's what Uncle Dan said but he never came back."
"I promise you that I'll come back." Tsunade said although she knew that there was no guarantee that she would actually come back. The outcome of war was unpredictable, anything could happen, even to one of the Sannin. But Tsunade couldn't let Shizune know that, she had to give the girl as much hope as she could to hold on to, "I'm one of the Sannin remember, I can't be taken down that easily. Plus, my teammates will be there with me, together we can defeat the bad guys. I'll be back in no time."
Tsunade broke their hug to wipe away Shizune's tears, "Can you give me the biggest, bravest smile ever?"
Although she wasn't the happiest person in the world right now, Shizune smiled for Tsunade, "I'll be brave."
"Well I'm glad." Tsunade said before she ruffled Shizune's dark locks, "Now, pack some of your clothes and whatever else you may need. I have to leave soon."
Shizune retreated to her bedroom to pack her stuff while Tsunade went to her room. Once Tsunade was in her room she dressed herself in her standard shinobi attire which consisted of a long sleeved shirt accompanied by a flak jacket, pants and her forehead protector. She strapped on her shinobi shoes and then began to pack her bag. Since she would be on the move a lot, she packed only the essentials such as a tent that could fit neatly in her bag once folded up, a sleeping bag, a pack of matches, non perishable food items, bottles of purified water and of course her weapons. It was going to be a long journey and she only hoped that she could get through it and make it back alive. After she was through with her packing, she went to Shizune's room to see her placing the last necessary item into her small backpack. She was such a brave, understanding little girl for she shed no more tears. Instead she decided to put on her bravest face for Tsunade.
"Are you ready?" Tsunade asked, still standing in the door frame.
"Yes Lady Tsunade, I'm all packed and ready for my adventure." She smiled.
"Okay then, let's go."
Tsunade walked Shizune over to the Hokage mansion and handed her over to Biwako Sarutobi. Before she left, she gave her another hug and told her that everything would be alright. She just hoped that she would see her sweet little girl again. Afterwards, she made her way over to the main gate and waited on Jiraiya to show up. While she was waiting she participated in idle conversation with the gate keepers until Jiraiya showed up. When he finally got there, Tsunade didn't say one word to him and he didn't say anything to her either. They just departed from the Leaf in silence.
They walked for what seemed like forever until the sun began to set. Soon they would be plunged in darkness so they ceased walking and decided to set up camp in an open field, away from the road. There were bushes and trees to conceal them from any unwanted company so for now, they were safe. Tsunade immediately pulled her folded tent out of her bag and set it up while Jiraiya worked on starting a fire. He was having some trouble setting the sticks and rubble he collected ablaze. Seeing his difficulty Tsunade threw him a pack of matches that she packed. The fire would benefit her as well for it was becoming quite chilly, so she decided to help him out. Whenever they used to go out on missions together, she was always the prepared one, never forgetting to bring the essentials while Jiraiya always under packed, forgetting the most important items. He was lucky that she was on this mission as well. He picked up the box of matches and muttered, "Thank you." Under his breath. He struck a match against the box and threw it in the collection of twigs and sticks until it set ablaze.
Nighttime was fully upon them now. They were cloaked under the moon and stars and nothing else. The air was still but chilly so they sat around the fire in silence, eating the food that they brought along with them. For Tsunade it was a can of beans and Jiraiya ate some dried beef jerky. It wasn't that appetizing but in war, one should not expect to have the finest of meals. Non perishables were good enough for the occasion. It was so silent that all that could be heard were the sound of the crickets chirping and the crackling of the fire. Boredom overcame Jiraiya so he decided to head to bed. He pulled out the sleeping bag that he packed and spread it out beneath the stars. Of course being the unprepared person he was, he forgot to pack a tent. Therefore, he would be spending the night outside in the cold wilderness. He slipped himself into the sleeping bag and laid there, waiting for sleep to claim him. Tsunade saw that he didn't have a sleeping bag but instead of offering to share her tent, she ignored him and proceeded to walk over to her tent to go to bed for the night. However, just before she crawled into the warmth of her tent, she looked over at Jiraiya once again but now he was shivering due to the chilled air. She instantly felt terrible. How could she sleep comfortably, warm under her tent while Jiraiya slept outside in the cold? No, she couldn't go through with it. They been through hell and back but he was still a person and she couldn't let him freeze to death.
"You can share the tent with me if you want." She blurted out, "It's too dangerous and cold to be sleeping without a tent."
Jiraiya looked at her lost for words, still wondering if he was hearing correctly. She was actually talking to him. That was something that she had not done in so long. He wasn't so sure if he should take her up on her offer but when a chill ran down his spine, he nodded his head, "Thanks."
"Don't thank me." She said annoyed, "Just get your ass in the tent."
Jiraiya followed Tsunade into the tent with his sleeping bag in hand. As soon as he stepped into the tent, he felt the warmth that he longed for when he was out in the open. He watched as she snuggled into her sleeping bag and turned on her side so that she was facing the wall of the tent. He did the same so that his back was turned to her. They didn't exchange any words or say goodnight. Instead, they laid awake, waiting for sleep to claim them although sleep never graced them. They couldn't sleep a bit for they were too lost in their thoughts and therefore unable to pull out of the depths of their minds. How complicated things have become. If only they could go back in time and fix everything. Unfortunately, they could do no such thing. They had to live with the bad decisions that they made and hope that one day, things could be better.
Jiraiya woke up that morning and immediately looked beside him, expecting to see a sleeping Tsunade but she was nowhere to be found. He walked out of the tent and she was wasn't out there either. He figured that she was at a nearby creek, perhaps cleaning her flesh. Feeling the sudden urge to relieve himself, he walked into the bushes and pulled down his pants to let out his waste. After he finished, he walked back to their set up when he saw Tsunade walking back, dressed in her shinobi clothes and drying her hair with a white towel.
"Hi." He said, not sure if he should say anything but that.
"Hey." She replied and went back into the tent. He realized that she didn't wish to exchange anymore words with him so he shrugged his shoulders and went to the creek himself to have a quick bath. The creek wasn't too far from camp so he got there quickly and discarded his clothes and hopped in. He scrubbed his flesh until it was clean and when he was refreshed, he hopped out, dried himself with his towel and put his shinobi clothes on. He took his time to return to camp, not wanting to go there too quickly to be plunged in awkward silence in the presence of Tsunade. When he finally returned, she was sitting around the now extinguished fire, eating a cup of assorted fruits. He looked around in his bag and found that he only packed cans of chili so he settled with it and devoured the chunky meal. After he was done, he packed his things and Tsunade did the same. Once everything was packed, they headed off again.
They walked in silence once again and feeling as if he couldn't bear another moment of silence, he spoke up, "Are we going to continue doing this?" Jiraiya said. He wasn't sure if he should be bringing up what happened between them but he couldn't just pretend that it never happened. Yes he was hurt by what she did to them and he was trying to fall out of love with her but that didn't mean that they couldn't still be friends. No matter what, Tsunade would always mean a lot to him.
"Continue doing what?" She snapped, dreading where this conversation was going.
"Pretend that nothing happened between us, not talk to each other. We can't just act as if it never happened."
"Can we not talk about this." She pleaded, not in the mood to discuss such a thing.
"I don't want our friendship to end. I'm still hurt and I'm still feeling like I was used but believe it or not Tsunade, I don't hate you, I still want-"
"Just shut up!" She shouted, "We're not talking about this!"
"Yes we are! Why can't we just have a civilized conversation about this?" He said and stopped walking, causing her to cease her steps as well.
"Because I don't want to! I just want to get this war over with and go home to Shizune. I don't want to think about what happened between us. I just want to forget about it. I have been trying to forget and you just had to bring it up! Just drop it!" She shouted and started to walk again.
Feeling defeated, he followed behind her. Why didn't she want to talk about it? The answer to that question was beyond him and he felt as if he would never get an answer. Were things always going to be like this between them?
They continued walking, passing through different villages and towns. Each village was different, having a different structure, customs and traditions. If circumstances were different, they would have enjoyed seeing different places and how others lived but now, all they wanted to do was go home. Furthermore, neither slept last night so they were extremely tired. They were like the walking dead, completely oblivious to their surroundings, only concerned about the thoughts circulating in their heads.
They finally got to the spot where they would meet Orochimaru. They weren't there for too long until they saw their teammate walking out from behind a tree, making himself noticeable to his comrades. He was dressed in the same thing as them but only, his weapons looked as if they have been used a lot and he had some blood stains on his clothing. He had been in the depths of war and emerged alive. He was not only skilled but extremely lucky. Even the finest of shinobis met an untimely death in war. It didn't matter how many Justu you possess or how experienced you are. War is war and war is unpredictable.
"You're finally here." He stated.
"Were you waiting long?" Jiraiya asked.
"Only a couple of hours." He smirked and looked at Tsunade, "Nice to see you out and ready for war Tsunade. I was beginning to think that your grief crippled you and rendered you useless."
"Shut up asshole." Tsunade snapped.
"I trust that you and Jiraiya worked everything out."
Tsunade glared at him and if looks could kill, Orochimaru would no longer be living. The black haired man noticed this look and came to the conclusion that they didn't work anything out.
"So you didn't. That means that Jiraiya is still pissed off at you." He stated, "You know princess Tsunade, it isn't nice to use a man for his body."
Tsunade's heart stopped within her chest when she heard those words and immediately turned to Jiraiya, "You told him?!"
Jiraiya nervously rubbed the back of his head and by that action Tsunade got her answer.
"You asshole! Who else did you tell?!"
Jiraiya didn't answer but instead Orochimaru answered for him, "Sarutobi sensei told me about it although I already knew."
This made Tsunade angry for she walked up to Jiraiya and slapped him across his face, "What the hell is wrong with you?! How could you tell them about that?! You've not only embarrassed me but made me feel like a whore!"
"I should be the one feeling like a rented out man whore! After all you used me for my dick!"
"I hate you!" She screamed and immediately after, she saw Jiraiya fall to the floor. Only when he was face down in the dirt did she see a large shuriken protruding out of his back and a wave of shuriken coming their way like a tsunami. They were under attack.
The battle begins in the next chapter so keep your eyes open for that.
I sincerely hope that you had fun reading this because once again I had fun writing it.
Please remember to review/follow etc. etc.
Thanks for reading!
Xoxoxo