Tsunade sat under the starry night sky in front of the small tent that she set up for Shizune, staring off into the vast distance. She felt absolutely terrible for leaving Jiraiya once again but she knew that it had to be done. If they were to enter into a relationship with each other she knew within her heart that it would only end in disaster. She probably would break his heart or maybe he would break hers and that would only leave them with permanent scars. No, it was better this way. Right?

She couldn't stop thinking about him and the night of passion that they shared. This time around, she wasn't using him for pleasure. No, they did what they did because they both wanted to feel each other's love. Only when she realized the feelings that she was trying so hard to deny and suppress did she allow her tears to fall freely from her honey colored eyes. She loved him. Finally, she could admit that to herself, but the love that she had for him was not enough for her to will herself to go back to the village, to him. She didn't trust herself with his heart and would never want to hurt him again. Of course she was well aware of the fact that she hurt him again by leaving but she knew that with time, he would get over it. It killed her to know that she loved him because she knew that they could never be together because all she has ever done and continues to do is cause him pain.

"Why did I have to fall in love with you?" She wondered out loud through gritted teeth and salty tears. It was never her intention to actually fall in love with him. They started out as friends and now they have entered a stage in their relationship where they both loved each other but had too many obstacles to climb over in order to be together. It was all so confusing and she found herself yearning for the past before they slept together for the first time. That time in her life was hard due to Nawaki's death but it was way better than how it was presently. Back then she wasn't nearly as confused and grief stricken as she was now. If she could change the past and do things differently, she would.

She wanted so desperately to stop thinking about him but, she found herself yearning for his soft touch, his sweet kisses, and his words of comfort. However, eventually she would have to forget. It sounded like a simple thing to do but it proved to be the most difficult thing she ever had to do in her life.

Shizune woke up in the middle of the night to find herself in a strange tent. She quickly sat up in her sleeping bag and covered her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from screaming out in fear. She had no idea where she was and who she was with but figured that she was kidnapped while she was asleep in her room. She was frightened and wanted nothing more than to go home so she looked around the tent to see if her kidnapper was there and when she saw the empty, untouched sleeping bag next to her, she realized that nobody was around. Her plan was simple. She was just going to quietly creep out of the tent and run as fast as she could back to the village. She followed through with her plan and as soon as she was out the tent she was going to make a run for it until she spotted a familiar blonde sitting alone in the darkness staring into oblivion. She was hugging her knees to her chest and from the looks of it, she was crying.

Now Shizune knew why she woke up in an unfamiliar tent. Tsunade must have snatched her up while she was sleeping and left the village again. She didn't want to leave again and Tsunade knew that, but there must have been a good reason as to why they were outside beneath the stars instead of in the comfort of their home. The ten year old girl decided to approach her master. She has only seen her cry like this once and that was four years ago. She cried because she left Jiraiya so Shizune was almost certain that the reason for her tears this time was Jiraiya again.

"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune said timidly as she walked closer to Tsunade. However, she received no response. She inched closer and closer to Tsunade and when she was right by her side, she placed her small hand on her master's trembling shoulder, "Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade jumped slightly as she felt Shizune's hand upon her shoulder. She quickly wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her jacket and tried to hide the obvious shakiness in her voice, "Go back to bed Shizune." She instructed for she didn't want to have to explain anything to the young girl in that moment. All she wanted was to be left in her solitude in order for her to pull herself together.

"Why did we leave the village again?" Shizune asked while deliberately disobeying Tsunade's demands for her to return to the tent.

Tsunade shook her head and repeated what she said before, "Just go back to bed."

Shizune took this as a sign that Tsunade didn't want to discuss anything. Of course Shizune wanted to go back to the place of her birth but she made the decision to follow wherever Tsunade led without complaining. Tsunade took it upon herself to take in Shizune when she needed a home and a guardian so the least Shizune could do was to stick with her. How horrible it would be if Shizune decided to leave Tsunade now? No, she wouldn't do it. She owed her life to Tsunade and therefore would follow her until the end of her days.

The young girl took her hand off of Tsunade's shoulder and vacated to the tent. She laid in her sleeping bag until her eyes grew heavy and eventually she fell asleep. She wasn't sure what exactly happened between her mentor and Jiraiya that resulted in Tsunade becoming so sad, but whatever it was, it would take some time before Tsunade would be willing to talk about it. Until then she vowed to herself to keep quiet about the situation for Tsunade's sake. She had no idea where they would go from there but she found it comforting to know that she would always be with Tsunade. She would be there for her no matter what because when she needed someone, Tsunade was there for her.

It has been a week since Tsunade's unexpected departure from the village. At first Jiraiya was consumed with grief but now his initial feelings were replaced by anger. Anger directed towards Tsunade. He believed that he has been nothing but kind to her and as a result she should treat him well, but instead she left the village and took his heart with her. All his tears were dried up so he hadn't any more to shed over Tsunade and her constant unfair acts of breaking his heart over and over again until he could no longer repair the damage. He deserved better and by all means he would find himself the happiness that he was starved of for so many years.

He had no idea where this happiness would come from but he was going to search for it no matter what. No time was wasted before he found himself in the most popular bar in the village one night drowning himself in some heavy alcohol. He drank because he wanted to feel happy and he drank to try to forget about Tsunade. One drink turned into four and soon he was stone cold drunk. He made a spectacle of himself by hopping up on the bar itself and dancing to nothing but the random music that was playing inside his head. People laughed at his antics but one particular woman was turned on by his recklessness. Her name was Tsukimi and Jiraiya was attracted by her hour glass figure and bountiful cleavage. It was quite a coincidence that she looked like Tsunade for she also had blonde hair but it was cut low just above her shoulders. Even their names were similar.

He wasn't expecting it, but before he knew it he accompanied Tsukimi to her apartment and soon started to kiss her passionately as she worked on removing his clothing. She was wearing a simple, tight dress that left little to the imagination as her rather large accents were popping out of the neckline. She broke away from their kiss and lifted her dress over her head. She was now standing before him completely in the nude and he couldn't help but take advantage of the situation and make love to each and every part of her body. She seemed to be enjoying it as she called his name multiple of times throughout the night. Jiraiya didn't have any feelings whatsoever for this woman and he was certain that she didn't feel anything for him either. They were just using each other for pleasure and they did exactly that all night long.

Jiraiya woke up that morning wrapped in the unfamiliar woman's embrace. He groaned as he went into a sitting position for he had a splitting headache and felt nothing but nausea. He overdid it that night with all the drinking and as a result, he was sick and made the mistake to sleep with a woman that he didn't even know. He pushed Tsukimi's head off of his covered lap and made his way to the bathroom where he threw up countless of times in the toilet. It was as if he spent the entire morning with his head down in the bowl and never once did Tsukimi wake up from her slumber to offer him medication or even hold his hair back to prevent it from getting tangled in the mess coming from his mouth. He emptied his stomach contents until nothing more was left and wobbly stepped in the shower to wash himself up. He didn't care that the woman didn't give him permission to use her shower. Instead he did what he had to do without any remorse.

His shower ended quickly for he felt too dizzy to stand any longer so he reached for the only available towel in the bathroom, dried himself off and located his clothes that were scattered all over the room. He was ready to leave and yet Tsukimi was still asleep. Suddenly there was a knocking on the door and before he knew it, the door swung open and there stood a rather tall man with a thick black beard.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked in a deep, almost frightening voice.

"I'm ummm, the plumber." Jiraiya lied. It seemed as if this man was somehow involved with Tsukimi and the last thing Jiraiya needed was a jealous boyfriend trying to kill him.

"Oh." He said and then noticed Tsukimi fast asleep. She was covered by a thin sheet which made it quite obvious that she was naked, "Why is my girlfriend sleeping naked? How the hell did you get in here?"

"I have no idea why she's asleep in that condition sir." Jiraiya started, "Your girl told me that if nobody answered the door I should just open it with the spare key. I did as I was told then fixed the toilet." He lied and started to walk towards the door.

"Tell me something." The man said and caused Jiraiya to turn around to face him, "You think my girlfriend was cheating on me with some scum?"

This man was obviously not from the Leaf Village. If he was he would have known Jiraiya and then would automatically realize that his plumber act was a blatant lie. Jiraiya was more than glad that this man was a tourist, "I have no way of knowing that sir." He said, "I should be on my way now. I have many toilets to clog."

"Here ya go." He said as he dug in his pocket and slapped a few dollars into Jiraiya's hand, "Thanks for fixing my toilet."

"N-No problem." Jiraiya said then quickly left the apartment. He didn't want to take the money but it would have been too suspicious if he refused it. That man basically paid Jiraiya for sleeping with his girlfriend. He wasn't proud of it but Jiraiya decided to stuff the money in his pocket and head home to sober up.

It took him longer than usual to get home. He was a stumbling, hungover mess. Everybody who was on the streets during the time he was walking home stopped what they were doing to watch the remaining Sannin in the village stumble all the way to his apartment building. It was a disgrace but nobody held it against him. They all knew that he almost died when he tried to stop Orochimaru so they sympathized with him. However, they were all wondering why he was so hungover but they knew that their answer would never come. He made it home in one peace and as soon as he stepped into his small apartment, he plopped himself down on his bed. As he did that, he felt as if the room was spinning out of control. It was the worst feeling in the world so he simply closed his eyes and tried to tell himself over and over again that the room was not spinning.

A knock on his door interrupted him from falling asleep. He was in no mood for company so he placed his pillow over his head and tried to ignore the annoying knocking sounds. Eventually they stopped but then he felt an unwanted presence in his house. Whoever was knocking on the door was now in the apartment with him. He angrily threw the pillow off his head and shot up in his bed to come face to face with his intruder. He became extremely dizzy as he did that but when his eyes focused he recognized his visitor to be Minato.

He groaned loudly and plopped himself on his bed once again, "What are you doing in here kid?"

"You didn't answer the door so I opened it with the spare key I found under the doormat." Minato confessed and moved so that he was standing right beside Jiraiya's bed.

"Remind me to find a better hiding spot for my spare key."

"Kushina told me that she saw you walking home. She said that you were stumbling a lot like you're hungover or something." Minato said with nothing but concern in his voice.

"Your girlfriend is right kid, I'm hungover. Give her a golden star on the chart for recognizing that." Jiraiya said sarcastically and pressed the pillow down harder on his head.

"She's just trying to help."

"Whatever." He grumbled.

"Did you take any medication for your hangover?"

"If I did I wouldn't be feeling so terrible."

Minato didn't hesitate before he went into the bathroom to retrieve some medication for headaches and nausea from the medicine cabinet over the sink. He then poured a glass of water and handed the medicine as well as the glass to Jiraiya.

"This will help you." Minato assured him as he placed the pills in his palm.

Jiraiya plopped the capsules in his mouth and swallowed them with the aid of some water, "Thanks kid."

"No problem." Minato said, "Want some coffee? It'll help with the hangover."

"Maybe later. Right now I just want to lay down." Jiraiya said and laid on his back in bed. The dizziness he felt was slowly but surely starting to go away. He made a mental note to never get that drunk again.

"So why did you go out and get wasted?" Minato asked curiously, "Is all of this still about Orochimaru and the fact that you couldn't save him from going to the bad side?"

"No I've gotten over that." Jiraiya assured the boy, "The reason for me going out to get drunk is a completely different situation that I'm not willing to talk about right now."

"But why?"

"You know, that coffee is sounding amazing right now. How about you go and make me some?"

Minato realized that Jiraiya really didn't want to talk about his current situation so he decided to leave him be, "Cream and sugar?"

"Nope just black."

"Fine." Minato said and went to the kitchen to prepare his sensei's coffee.

After Jiraiya drank his coffee, Minato decided to leave him alone in order to train. Jiraiya was somewhat happy for the solitude he was left in. He had a lot of thinking to do and needed time and quiet in order to do so. However, he was currently feeling like the living dead so he decided to take a much needed nap until he was back to his normal self.

He slept for what seemed like forever and woke up when it was late at night. He was still a little sleepy but he had a clear mind. He was now in the mental capacity to evaluate his situation and try to come up with answers.

Getting drunk and sleeping with Tsukimi was not something that he was expecting to happen. That was not what he wanted to be doing for the rest of his life. Sleeping with women he barely knew would have sounded perfect to him a few years ago, but now he just didn't want to do that. When Jiraiya was younger the great elder toad prophesied that he would travel the world and write books and yet, he hasn't done that. In fact, the thought of becoming an author didn't cross his mind until now. Perhaps that was his true calling in life.

Traveling the world to find his destiny obviously meant that he had to leave the village. All his life he has lived in the Leaf Village and this would be the first time he would ever actually leave. He would have to leave everything behind and that was something that he didn't quite think about. It had to be done though. He couldn't just remain in the village and wilt away to nothing. No, he had to find his destiny and if that meant leaving behind everything he knew, he would do just that.

The following morning, Jiraiya found himself in the Hokage's office. He knew that Sarutobi would not be amused to hear of his new plans, but he had to do this for himself. Sarutobi was wearing an expression that was hard to read. Jiraiya had no idea if he was angry or unamused, but he was certain that Sarutobi knew exactly what he was in there to tell him.

"Say what you have to say Jiraiya. I'm very busy." Sarutobi said in an uninterested tone.

"Remember when I told you about the dream that the great elder toad had about me?" Jiraiya asked but received no answer from his mentor, "Well, he told me that I would travel the world and write books."

"Where are you getting at Jiraiya?" Sarutobi interrupted. In reality, he was dreading what Jiraiya came here to tell him. In his mind he knew what was coming, but never did he prepare himself for this.

"I want to leave the village." Jiraiya said.

There was a long, silent pause. Sarutobi's eyes were now closed and Jiraiya was just staring at him waiting on an answer. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Sarutobi opened his eyes and spoke up.

"Why must all of my students leave me?" The old man wondered out loud, "First my only female student Tsunade, then Orochimaru, and now you." He said sorrowfully, "You three made up the Legendary Sannin, you were a team and now you are all separated. Orochimaru is our enemy now and Tsunade has her own reasons for leaving. Now you want to go find your destiny without realizing that it was already found. You're a ninja of the Leaf. That is your destiny."

"I'm not sure about that sensei." Jiraiya disagreed, "I need to do this for myself. I need this."

"If this has something to do with Tsunade-"

"No it doesn't. This has nothing to do with her. I just want to find my true destiny." Jiraiya explained, "I'll travel the world and write novels then one day, I'll return."

"Is that a promise or just empty words?"

"That's a promise."

"There's nothing I can do or say to stop you. That's obvious. I couldn't stop Tsunade and therefore I can't stop you." Sarutobi said, "Go ahead."

"Thanks sensei." Jiraiya said and proceeded to walk towards the door.

"Jiraiya." Sarutobi called out to him and stopped him in his tracks.

"Yes sensei?" He asked while turning around to face the old man.

"I'll miss you..."

Jiraiya instantly felt bad for leaving. He didn't want to leave his sensei but it had to be done. He had to find his destiny, "I'll miss you too."

Without another word, the toad sage turned around and exited the room. He wasn't sure if this would be the last time he would ever see his sensei. Hopefully, he would see him again.

As soon as Jiraiya left the Hokage mansion, he headed towards the training field. He was almost certain that Minato would be there training. That boy was so dedicated to his dream of becoming a great Hokage and that was something that made Jiraiya absolutely proud. It was going to be difficult to say goodbye to his student, but there was no way that he could leave without seeing Minato.

As expected, Minato was training in the training field with Kushina Uzumaki. The pair made a perfect couple and definitely complemented each other. Minato was the quiet, polite one while Kushina was the loud, fiery one. They were only teenagers but they shared a very good relationship. People older than them weren't as mature in their relationships as they were.

Jiraiya approached the two young ninjas and when he did, Kushina ran towards him and wrapped her slender arms around his body.

"Hi Jiraiya sensei!" She smiled, "Are you here to train Minato?"

"I'm actually not Kushina." Jiraiya said and patted her head.

"What's up sensei?" Minato asked as he walked towards his master and Kushina.

Jiraiya looked at Minato and through his eyes he silently told him that they needed to talk in private. It was so hard to say goodbye to Minato that Jiraiya didn't want to show any vulnerability in Kushina's presence.

"Would you excuse us for a little bit Kushina?" Minato asked. He obviously hit the silent message from Jiraiya.

"Why? What am I gonna do here all by myself while you two are off talking?" She asked in her usual spunky tone.

"How about you make us something to eat?" Jiraiya suggested but received a hit in the head from the spunky red head.

"I'm not your damn maid!" She shouted and folded her arms, "I'll just sit here and wait until you two are done talking." She declared and immediately sat on the ground with her legs folded.

"Let's go under that tree sensei." Minato said nervously due to the fact that he was frightened by Kushina's outburst. He walked hurriedly over to the tree and Jiraiya followed him, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I came here to tell you that I'll be leaving the village." Jiraiya said.

"Are you going on a mission?"

"No, I'm leaving for good." He started, "I'll travel and write books. I need to do this to start over and find my true destiny."

There was a short pause before Minato randomly hugged his mentor, "If that's what you need to do for yourself then go ahead. I'm not going to stop you just because I'm going to miss you." Minato said as he pulled away from Jiraiya.

"Minato..."

"You were like the father I never had." Minato confessed, "I guess I'm lucky because on that day four years ago when you came to the Academy to meet your assigned student, it was me. That day was the beginning of you and me and I'll never forget it." He smiled and wiped tears that refused to fall from his blue eyes, "Just don't take too long to come back."

"I won't. Perhaps when I come back you'll be the Hokage." Jiraiya said without a doubt in his mind.

"I really hope so."

"Continue to train hard and I guarantee that you will become not only the Hokage but the best Hokage that this village has ever seen."

"That's impossible sensei. We all know that the First was the best."

"Well then, you'll just have to settle for second best."

Jiraiya ruffled the boy's spiky blonde hair and said, "Take care of Kushina. She's a wonderful girl."

Minato nodded his head, "I will."

Jiraiya left the boy standing under the tree and before he walked off of the training field, he said goodbye to Kushina and told her to take care of Minato and always encourage him to do his best. He loved those two with all his heart and would genuinely miss them, but he had to do what he had to do for his own personal development.

Before he left the village, he went home. He packed lightly for he would be traveling for a long period of time and therefore didn't need a heavy bag to hold him back. Only a few pieces of clothing, non perishable cans of food, and s few personal items would be necessary. He had no plans of really settling in any one place anyway. He would love the lifestyle of a nomad.

He was done packing and was just about to walk out of his house when he spotted the picture he took with his old team so many years ago sitting on top of the fire place. For some reason he felt compelled to walk towards it and when he did, he stopped for a second to admire it. He looked so young and happy back then and so did everybody else in the picture with the exception of Orochimaru. Even back then he didn't smile. Jiraiya remembered every detail about the day that picture was taken and would always cherish the memories of it. Without a thought, he picked up the picture with care and placed it in his bag. There was no way he would ever leave it. That photo held some of his fondest memories and because of that, it would follow him everywhere. Things were different now but he would always carry his childhood memories with him as long as that photo was in his possession.

He stood before the large gate and dared not to look back at his home. If he did, he would probably chicken out and not leave. He kept telling himself that this was the right thing to do and because of that, he found the will within him to walk out of the village. He didn't know where he would go or if he would ever find his destiny, but he had to try.

Hi Guys!

We're at chapter 12 already? Wow! It seems like it was just yesterday I started to write this.

So I have the next nine chapters thought out in my head so it's just for me to type them out and release them to you guys, my amazing readers. I won't spoil anything for you though so if you wanna find out what happens from here on out, you gotta keep reading.

As usual, thanks for reading/reviewing/adding this to your alerts.

Until next time (which will be very soon)

Bye!

Xoxoxoxoxoxo