Tears were flowing freely from her honey colored eyes as she continued to walk further and further away from the village. Her steps felt somewhat constricted as if something in the village was pulling her back. She couldn't quite put a finger on it but knew that somehow it had something to do with her white haired teammate who was still standing at the main gate, watching her walk away from him. How she wanted to turn around to get one last glance of him but she wouldn't dare do such a thing to risk her tears being seen.

She tried her best to conceal her shimmering tears and glossy eyes from the little girl who she was fully responsible for. Tears were a sign of weakness in her eyes and she didn't want Shizune to feel as if an emotional train wreck was taking care of her. No, she couldn't let her down by being weak, she had to be strong. Thankfully her blonde bangs were hiding her eyes from Shizune but it was quite obvious that she was crying due to the fact that she was instantly wiping her eyes and sniffling. Shizune was no idiot so she knew that her master was feeling upset and vulnerable. She didn't care though, she just wanted her to be happy.

"Why are you crying Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked innocently.

Tsunade wiped her eyes again before answering the girl, "I'm not crying." Tsunade lied.

"Then why are you wiping your eyes and sniffling?" Shizune questioned, already knowing the answer.

"A-Allergies." She lied again, "That's all."

Shizune knew with all her heart that her master was blatantly lying. She didn't understand why she wanted to hide her tears but didn't further question it. She had a feeling that Jiraiya was the cause of her sadness so she decided to address that issue, "You'll see Master Jiraiya again Lady Tsunade, I'm sure of it."

Tsunade said nothing more. Instead she pulled Shizune closer to her body and continued to walk away from their home. Their journey ahead wasn't going to be easy. They would encounter many obstacles that they must cross but they would do it together.

They continued to walk until Shizune couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. She was exhausted. From the moment Tsunade stepped in the house after her meeting with Sarutobi, she started to pack and asked Shizune to pack as well. They didn't take much except for a few of their clothes, personal items and non perishable food for travel. They would have to stay in inns and camp outdoors before they could settle in a new town and a new, permanent home. Whenever they get a home, they would purchase more items and perhaps some furniture. The Senju mansion was now unoccupied but Tsunade couldn't bring herself to sell the house. It held too many memories of her family. Furthermore, if anything happened to her, Shizune would always have a place to stay if she ever wanted to return to the village. Tsunade pulled her savings that accumulated from all her missions and took it with her. That would take care of them for some time but she didn't know what would happen when it finished. She couldn't fight for other villages other than her own. She had too much respect for her home to do a thing like that. What would she do for money? She dismissed the thought and decided to cross the bridge when she got there.

"Lady Tsunade, I'm really tired." Shizune said groggily with her eyes closing.

Tsunade scooped the tired child up in her arms and continued to walk until they arrived at a small inn that from the looks of it was empty. She walked into the inn and saw a tired looking lady at the front desk.

"May I help you?" The receptionist said in a very uninterested tone.

"I need a room for the night."

"One bed or two?" She asked looking at the sleeping child in Tsunade's arms.

"One is fine."

"Okay, for the night that'll be ten yen." She said, "You'll be in room five."

Tsunade reached into her pocket and handed the lady the money and took the keys from her and walked up to her room. She entered the small room and laid Shizune gently on the bed and put down their luggage. The room wasn't very fancy instead it was rather dingy. It didn't matter though, they would just be staying there for the night after all. She took off her shoes and coat and joined Shizune in the double bed. She covered herself and Shizune with a warm blanket and laid awake, staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to claim her, only she never fell asleep. She thought that running away from the village, from Jiraiya was a good idea, but in the back of her mind she felt as if she was doing the wrong thing. She didn't have all the answers but there was no way she could go back, not after he silently gave her permission to leave and move on with her life. Memories of their childhood and pictures of his face plagued her mind. She was on the brink of going completely insane.

It wasn't very responsible of her and she was probably going to regret it, but she had to get out of that hotel room and find a bar. She needed sweet alcohol to drown all her sorrows and make her forget about everything. She hasn't had a drink since she adopted Shizune but in that moment, she needed it. She needed it like the very air in her lungs and by all means she would get it. She got out of bed and slipped on her shoes and coat and ensured that the windows were locked tightly with the curtain over them and that the door was bolted. Shizune was sleeping safely within the confinements of the room so Tsunade slipped quietly out of the room and ventured out into the night.

She didn't walk very far until she encountered a bar. It was by no means the best bar in town but all she wanted was some cheap sake so the condition of the place meant absolutely nothing to her. She walked in to see drunken people laughing at nothing particular in the back of the bar and others on the verge of becoming drunk sitting up at the front, swinging back some hard liquor as if it didn't have a consequence. She walked up to the counter and sat at one of the stools until a bartender came to her service.

"What can I get ya?" He said with a glass and a washcloth in his hand. He was wiping the glass dry and looked at Tsunade very closely. He could tell that she had a lot on her mind.

"A round of sake and keep them coming." She said before digging her hand in a bowl of salted peanuts. She placed the salty snack in her mouth and continued to eat them until her thirst grew and her alcohol was set down before her.

"Here ya go miss." The bartender said as he placed the alcohol beside her.

"Don't call me miss." She snapped and then immediately started to drink her sake.

With each round of sake that she consumed, her reflexes slowed and her speech slurped. She was now officially drunk but not completely out of it. It was so late that the bar cleared out leaving only her and the bartender. It was quiet now, too quiet. It was so quiet that all Tsunade could think about was Jiraiya regardless of the fact that she was drunk.

"It's not working." She said quietly, on the verge of tears, "Bartender!" She shouted and this caused the man to jump in shock, "Give me more sake!"

"I'm sorry miss but you had enough."

Tsunade rose to her feet and grabbed the collar of his short to bring him close to her face, "Who the hell are you to tell me that I've had enough?! Do your damn job and get me more sake!"

She let go of him and he stumbled backwards but he still refused to give into Tsunade's drunken rage, "No miss, you're drunk. If I continue to give you more alcohol you'll just die of alcohol poisoning."

"But it's not working!" She shouted with tears now streaming down her face. She stormed out of the bar and sat on step just outside the door. The rain was falling heavily now and she was becoming soaked to the bone. Her hair and clothes were drenched and her salty tears mixed with the rain water as she sobbed. She cried and cried but she still felt no better. She was confused and just not in a good place in her life. She thought she was doing the right thing but why did she feel as if she should have just stayed in the village? Her decision to run did nothing but make her feel extremely sad and confused. She didn't know what to do or what to think so she just cried.

The bartender walked out of the bar and sat beside Tsunade on the step. He placed a kind hand on her trembling shoulder and proceeded to talk to her, "What's not working?" He asked kindly, "Why are you so sad?"

"I'm not going to sit here and tell a complete stranger like you my problems." She spat. "Why do you care anyway? You don't know me."

"You're right, I don't know you." He said, "But I know that you've been through a lot and I want to help."

"How can you possibly know what I've been through? You don't know a damn thing!"

"When you walked in the bar, in your eyes I saw all the sadness in the world. You looked as of you haven't slept for days. I see a lot of people like you come into the bar, hoping that the very taste of sake can wash all their problems away. Little do they know that it does nothing but make their problems ten times worse." He said, "I'm not trying to invade your life miss. I just want to help."

"I'm not from here." Tsunade started, "My name is Tsunade Senju andI'm a ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I came here to get away from someone."

"A boyfriend?"

"No, my..." She started but stumbled on her words, "My... My teammate."

"You're teammate? What did he or she do?"

"He did nothing." She said softly, "He did nothing but help me and all I did was treat him like shit and use him." She said, completely disgusted at herself.

"If he did nothing then why did you run away from him?"

"Because I can't live with the guilt." She said as the tears rolled down her red cheeks once again, "He offered me his comfort after my brother's death and I took him up on that offer. All he was offering was a shoulder for me to cry on and I took advantage of him and we had sex. I just wanted to feel happy in that moment but I didn't consider his feelings. He didn't object to it because he loves... Loved me. After it was done he wanted to start a relationship with me but of course I had to refuse like a bitch. Ever since then, our friendship deteriorated and I never apologized to him. I would see him around the village and feel so flustered that I couldn't even look him in the eye. I had to leave, I just had to get away from him so I did. But now... I can't get him out of my mind. I came here to this bar just to get drunk so that I could forget about him but the alcohol didn't work. I can still see his face in my mind and I remember every single detail about the one and only time we had sex. It's driving me crazy!"

"Maybe you have feelings for him, perhaps even love him."

"What?!" She said as she rose wobbly to her feet, "I don't love him!"

"Then why can't you stop thinking about him?"

"B-Because I feel guilty!"

"Then apologize."

"No! I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"What if he rejects me?" She said, completely unaware of what she meant by that. She quickly placed her hands over her mouth as if she just said a bad word in the presence of her parents.

"See." He started, "You do have feelings for him. If you didn't you wouldn't be concerned if he rejects you or not."

"You're wrong! I don't have any feelings for him and I don't love him!"

Tsunade stormed away from the man who she just told her problems to and headed back to the motel.

She didn't love Jiraiya. There was no way that she could actually love him. That man knew nothing. He didn't know Jiraiya, and he didn't know her. How could he think that she loved him? He didn't know their history nor the type of people they are. He was an idiot because in her mind, there was no way that she could love him.

She walked in the rain for what seemed like hours, becoming more and more soaked to the bone until she was shivering like a leaf in the wind. Furthermore, she was drunk so she was stumbling with each step. Luckily she didn't fall to the hard, wet floor. She made it back to the motel and immediately sat in a dark corner of the room, sobbing her eyes out. She was so confused, so very confused. All she wanted to do was have everything return to normal but that was beyond her abilities. Her sobs caused Shizune to stir in her sleep and she eventually woke up. She sat up in bed and saw her mentor and guardian sitting the the corner, crying her eyes out like a young child afraid to be in the dark. Never in her life did she ever see Tsunade like this. It scared her a little but she couldn't just leave her like that. She wanted to reach out to her and help her. Perhaps even give her a hug. She just wanted to help her.

"Lady Tsunade?" She said timidly but received no answer from Tsunade. She got out of bed and walked over to Tsunade and placed her small hand on her shaky shoulder, "Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade looked up at the girl with red rimmed glossy eyes and tears running down her cheeks, "Go-Go back to bed Shizune." She said with a shaky voice.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying? And you smell like alcohol. Lady Tsunade please tell me. I want to help you." Shizune sat beside Tsunade and placed her head in Tsunade's lap, "I don't want you to cry."

"I-I'm fine Shizune, just go back to bed."

"No you're not. If you were fine, you wouldn't be crying." Shizune may have been young but she wasn't stupid. She knew that something was wrong with her mentor.

Tsunade realized that Shizune wasn't going to leave her alone until she stopped crying and tell her what was wrong. She pulled herself together and wiped away her tears before she placed her hand on Shizune's head and gently stroked her hair back, "There are certain things in this world that children shouldn't know about. My issue is an adult issue. Perhaps when you're older I'll tell you all about it."

"Is it about Master Jiraiya?"

"W-Why would you think that?" Because you were crying when you saw him before we left the village. You told me that your allergies were causing you to cry but I didn't believe you. If you miss him then we can go back to the village and see him."

"It has nothing to do with Jiraiya." She lied.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive, now go back to bed. We have to travel again in the morning."

"Okay." Shizune did as she was told and returned to bed. Tsunade was still distraught and confused but she had to continue her journey. She was very confused about her feelings towards Jiraiya so therefore, she had to get as far away as possible from him. She had to pull herself together to take care of Shizune. She was all Shizune had now and Shizune was all Tsunade had.

They spent the next few days traveling until they arrived at a small town called Yokohama Town. It was quiet and very boring but it was far away from the Leaf Village so Tsunade decided to establish her new life there. She bought a small house with only two bedrooms, one bathroom, a small kitchen and living area. It wasn't anything compared to the Senju mansion but that was to be expected. The Senju mansion was built years and years ago by the very hands of the first Hokage so it was a work of art. Her new home could not be compared to that ever.

They unpacked what little items they had in their bags and bought some furniture, some more clothes and food items. Shizune started school and Tsunade provided for them with the money that she saved from all her missions over the years and the money she inherited from her family. It was more than enough to sustain them for a few more years but she had no idea what she would do when that money ran out. She couldn't be the ninja that she was because the people in the town where she was living were not ninjas. She wanted nothing more than to fit in because if she displayed her skills as a ninja, she would be segregated as well as Shizune. Furthermore, word would get out that there was a ninja by the name of Tsunade living in that town. If that were to happen, it would only make her easier to find and she didn't want that.

Tsunade continued her lessons with Shizune and the young girl was excelling in the art of medical ninjutsu. Furthermore, Tsunade taught her the basics of being a ninja such as, how to throw a kunai, the transformation jutsu and the shadow clone jutsu. She did well in all of that but medical ninjutsu was her forte. Besides learning how to be good, well rounded ninja, Shizune was enrolled in regular school. Nobody in Yokohoma Town was a ninja so in order to fit in, Shizune had to go to school and become book smart. Shizune didn't want to go but Tsunade insisted. Whenever Shizune was at school, it was quite boring at home for Tsunade since she was all by herself. She had no friends nor did she have anything to do. She often found her mind wandering to the days of her youth when she was constantly surrounded by the company of her friends and family. Oh how she yearned for those days but this was the life she chose so she had to deal with it.

There wasn't much to do in that town. They had one bar available to the public but it was only open at night. Tsunade couldn't go because she had to take care of Shizune when she came home from school and she couldn't waste what little money she had on alcohol. Furthermore, she couldn't allow Shizune to see her drunk again. That night when she was sobbing in a corner was a disgraceful moment in her life and she promised herself that Shizune would never see her like that again. The town has some gambling halls as well and everybody who knew Tsunade knew that gambling was her favorite hobby. However, Tsunade couldn't bring herself to foolishly spend money on a game that she will never win. She couldn't spend her money carelessly like that. Not when she had limited funds and a child to care for. When she took in Shizune, her life changed dramatically.

Everyday excepts for weekends, Shizune would go to school but she didn't have any friends. The children at school would tease her and call her horrible names just because Shizune had neither mother nor father. Furthermore, Shizune was an alien to the village and an easy target because she was skinny, shy and never defended herself due to her kind and gentle nature. It was a good thing that she was so kind but it severely disadvantaged her when it came to defending herself against the scum of the school. It broke Tsunade every time she looked through the window and saw a group of kids walking home together, laughing and enjoying each other's company and Shizune, walking behind them, holding her head down in sorrow and solitude. Tsunade couldn't stand the thought that Shizune had nobody her age to play with or even talk to. Everybody deserved to have friends and Shizune didn't even have one. She had to do something about this, perhaps buy her something that would make her feel better. She would do anything just to make Shizune happy.

One day when Shizune was at school, Tsunade ventured out into town on her search for something that Shizune would love. She walked all over town but she didn't see anything that Shizune would like. Yes she saw a few toys and clothing but she needed something more extravagant to make Shizune extremely happy. She continued her search until she stumbled across an old man standing in front of a blanket enclosed with some wood. Within the enclosure there were five piglets that looked absolutely adorable. They were small in size and light pink. She knew without a doubt that Shizune would absolutely love to have one. She could occupy her free time playing with it, taking care of it and most of all, the pig would love Shizune. Shizune had such a nice personality that anything would love her. Tsunade's couldn't force children to play with Shizune but she knew that this pig would love her.

"Old man, are those pigs for sale?" Tsunade said while eyeing the squirming animals."

"You bet."

"How much?" Tsunade said while retrieving her purse out of her pocket and searching around for money.

"Eleven yen Miss."

Eleven yen was quite expensive for such a small and common animal but she wouldn't leave without it so she sacrificed the money, "I'll take one." She handed the money to old man and he gladly accepted it.

"Okay Miss, you can have anyone you like. Just pick one."

Tsunade looked carefully at the small piglets laying on the blanket. They were no more than a few months old and all of them were really cute but there was one pig, laying away from the rest of them on the furthest end of the blanket. It was the smallest of them all and it seemed like it had a great personality. That was the pig that she was going to get.

"I'll take that one." She said while pointing at the pig of her choice.

"That one?" The man said in confusion, "That pig is the runt of the litter. You can get another one you know for the same price."

"I don't care if it's the runt of the litter. I want that one." Tsunade said. She didn't care that it wasn't the prize pig. She felt a connection to it an knew that Shizune would love it.

"Okay, suit yourself." The man shrugged and reached in the enclosure to retrieve the pig of Tsunade's choice. He swaddled the small animal in a blanket and handed it over to Tsunade, "Here ya go."

Tsunade held the pig and smiled down at it. It was so cute and she immediately wanted to give it a name, "What is it? A boy or a girl?"

The man took the pig from Tsunade once again and examined it, "This is a girl."

"Okay, thanks." Tsunade said before she took the pig back from the man and walked home with her new pet.

Before she went home, she stopped at the pet shop and bought a bag of pig food along with a pet bed and some pig clothes that consisted of a small red coat and a string of pearls. She didn't want the pig to be walking around in the nude regardless of the fact that she was an animal. Plus, she looked even more adorable with clothes on.

Tsunade got home and immediately set up for her new pet. She placed her bed on the ground next to the sofa and dressed the pig in her newly bought clothes. When she finished that, she let the pig go in the house and filled a small bowl with pig food and another with clean water. Afterwards, she sat on the ground and played with the pig.

"What am I going to name you?" Tsunade said to the pig, "You're a girl so I should name you something cute, something that Shizune would love."

Tsunade thought for a moment before coming up with a name that seemed perfect for the small animal, "I think I'll name you TonTon."

When TonTon heard her new name for the first time she squealed happily, indicating that she liked her name.

"It's settled then, you're TonTon." Tsunade smiled, "Just wait until Shizune comes home, she's going to love you so much and you're going to love her as well. She's a sweet little girl TonTon, she's kind and caring and she'll take good care of you."

Before Shizune came home from school, Tsunade cleaned the house and prepared a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for her to eat upon her arrival. TonTon on the other hand, explored her new surroundings, leaving no part of her new home untouched. A few hours later, Shizune came home and dropped her school bag in its regular spot, just beside the front door.

"Lady Tsunade I'm home!" Shizune said and was immediately greeted by TonTon. The small pig came running towards her and at first she was at first she was startled because she was unfamiliar with the big but then her shock turned into confusion, "Lady Tsunade, there's a strange pig in the house!" She shouted as she ran towards Tsunade and pointed to the pig, "How did that pig get in here?"

"Shizune calm down, I bought that pig for you."

"For me?"

"You do like her don't you? Please tell me that you're not afraid of her."

Shizune shook her head, "No, I'm not scared of her, I was just confused. She's really mine?"

"Yup, go play with her."

Shizune crouched down beside the pig and placed her hand on it's pink head, "Hi, I'm Shizune."

The pig squealed happily as Shizune continued to stroke her head.

"Her name is TonTon." Tsunade informed Shizune.

"TonTon." Shizune repeated, "I like it."

From that day forward, Shizune cared for that pig and loved her unconditionally. TonTon was her pet and lifelong companion. She shared all her secrets with her and played with her every day. Tsunade made a great decision to buy that pig for now Shizune wasn't sad or lonely. She was happy and that was all that mattered.

They continued to live in that town and for the most part, they were comfortable. But how long could that comfort last? How much longer will it be until their money ran out and when it does, what would they do?

There was no Jiraiya in this chapter but I hope you guys enjoyed it regardless.

Perhaps Jiraiya will show up in the next chapter. You'll never know unless you keep your eyes open for that chapter.

Thanks for reading!

Xoxoxoxoxoxo