"Lady Tsunade, don't you think this is a bad idea?" Shizune asked while holding her faithful pet pig TonTon in one hand, close to her chest, and holding a briefcase with her other, shaky hand. She was now sixteen years old, taller than Tsunade, and slender. She looked more grown up, and she surely conducted herself in a mature manner. A few years ago when she started to enter puberty, Tsunade was the one who taught her everything about growing up, the birds and the bees. She was now at an age where she was attracted to the opposite gender, but she never had any time for relationships due to the simple fact that she was traveling all over the world with Tsunade.
They left their adopted village six years ago, not too long after Tsunade had the unfortunate miscarriage. She was now unemployed, but she managed to obtain money through her old habit that she put away when she adopted Shizune. Of course she was never any good at it, and she always lost, but she would borrow money and get out of her debt by using her transformation jutsu. Shizune hated this habit of hers with a passion, and often worried about what would become of them. She tried her best to keep Tsunade out of trouble, but of course there was little to nothing she could do to keep her mentor away from the gambling hall.
"Just pipe down and follow me." Tsunade snapped and entered the building that they stood before. The six years after her miscarriage changed her for the worst. She was no longer the kind, caring person she once was. Instead, she was a cold and indifferent person who in her opinion, lost everything she once loved.
Shizune let out a sigh of defeat and followed her mentor into the gambling hall. Once they were inside, they stood before a bunch of men who were already seated and ready to gamble away everything they owned.
"Hey!" A bearded man shouted, "That girl is underage, she shouldn't be in here." He said while pointing at Shizune.
"That man's right Lady Tsunade." Shizune agreed and tried to pull Tsunade out the room to no avail, "Maybe we should leave."
"Shut up Shizune." She said and then turned to the man, "She's not going to be gambling so there's no harm in her being here. Now do you want to give me some chips or not?"
The man looked as if he was going to send Tsunade and Shizune out of his gambling hall, but he stopped when his associate whispered in his ear.
"You would be a fool to send her away. She's none other than the Legendary Sucker."
After about three years of heavy gambling, the 'Legendary Sucker' name stuck with her. She always lost. She never had a winning streak in her life. However, in the rare occasion when she hit it big, she dismissed it as a bad omen and an excuse to leave the current town she was in.
"Okay you can stay, but I better not see that girl try to participate." He said.
"Trust me, she won't." Tsunade assured him and took a seat among her fellow gamblers. She motioned for Shizune to give her the briefcase, and when it was in her possession, she opened it before the men, revealing it's contents. The briefcase was filled with wads and wads of cash.
The men couldn't help but become excited upon seeing the money that Tsunade was so willing to gamble away. They knew her track record, so they were pleased to have her in their company.
"Lady Tsunade maybe this isn't a good idea." Shizune whispered in Tsunade's ear. However, Tsunade just ignored her.
"This is all my cash." Tsunade said, "Think I can get some chips?"
"Of course you can!" One of the men said happily and pushed a numerous amount of playing chips towards Tsunade, "And I trust that you're comfortable?"
The men wanted to ensure that Tsunade was more than comfortable where she sat, for they were all too ready to take the money she had as their own.
The game started, and as expected, Tsunade started off on a bad foot. Her bad luck stayed with her throughout the entire game. She kept loosing, and the men among her kept winning. Shizune watched as the money they had, the money that was supposed to be used for their survival dwindle down to nothing at all, not even a single dollar was left. Everything was gone.
"Looks like you ran out of money." One of the men laughed, "Thanks for stopping by, you made me into a very wealthy man."
Tsunade got up from her sitting position and headed towards the door, "Come on Shizune."
It was as if Shizune was glued to the ground, for she couldn't move. All she could do was think about how all their money vanished in only a few minutes.
"Shizune let's go!" Tsunade shouted, unsure if the girl heard her the first time.
Shizune shut the empty briefcase and held it in her hand. She got up from the floor and walked up to Tsunade with TonTon trotting by her side. As they were walking out, all they could hear were the loud, happy laughs coming from the men who now held all their money in their possession.
What were they going to do now? They didn't have any money for food, neither did they have any money to rent a motel room for the night. If Tsunade didn't think of something quick, they would go hungry and be without shelter.
The briefcase that was previously heavy was now as light as a feather. The obvious change in weight didn't do unnoticed by Shizune. In fact, it just made it as clear as day to her that they were living in destitute. She was worried about what would ever become of them. They were poor, but that didn't seem to bother Tsunade.
"What are we going to do Lady Tsunade?" She asked, but didn't receive an answer from her mentor, "I'm hungry and soon we'll have to find somewhere to stay for the night. How are we going to get food or rent out a room without any money? You gambled away everything we had!"
"Would you calm down." Tsunade said with a raised voice, feeling somewhat annoyed by Shizune's constant reminders of the fact that they were extremely broke and living off of borrowed money, "We've been in this situation before and we didn't die. This time is no different."
"Yes, I know." Shizune agreed, "But that time we went hungry for days until you were able to borrow more money. Who knows how long it will be until you can get more money!"
"Just follow me." Tsunade said and walked a couple of blocks with Shizune trailing up behind her.
The current town they were in was crowded with people who seemed to be from other towns. They figured it was some sort of tourist attraction. However, Tsunade and Shizune were not there as tourists. They were just passing through that town because they couldn't stay in one place for any significant amount of time, due to Tsunade always trying to escape her debt collectors. It was a life that she usually wouldn't be proud of. However, after all the things that happened to her in her life, she didn't care. She no longer cared about what her friends would think nor what her family would think. After all, she didn't have any friends, and all her family members were dead.
They found themselves at a tavern that seemed to be quite busy. Shizune wasn't really surprised, but she wondered how exactly Tsunade would pay for their meals and her alcohol. It didn't make any sense at all for them to be there, because they had no money to either of their names, unless Tsunade was planning on dining and ditching. That was highly unlikely however, since knowing Tsunade, she was going to drink until she got drunk, and it would be quite difficult to try to skip out on paying her bill while stumbling out the tavern.
"Lady Tsunade what are we doing here?" Shizune sighed, "We have no money."
"I think it's quite obvious what we came here to do. You said you were hungry so I'm getting us some food. As for the money, don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it?" The raven haired teenager repeated, "How do you intend on paying for our meals?"
"I told you not to worry about it."
"Are we going to steal? If we are then I want no part in this. Stealing is wrong!"
"Would it kill you to shut up for just five seconds?!" Tsunade shouted and reached into her cleavage to retrieve a few dollar bills that she had hidden in between her breasts, "I'll pay for our damn food with this, alright?"
Shizune was speechless, for she didn't know that Tsunade had money stuffed between her breasts. Of course it wasn't a lot, but it was enough to buy them food.
"Come on, let's eat." Tsunade said before she rolled her eyes and walked into the tavern.
It was quite loud in there, for so many people were drunk and stumbling all over the place. Glasses were clinking, and many were being shattered. Shizune couldn't help but think that after a few rounds of drinks, Tsunade would be among the totally wasted.
Shizune knew that Tsunade never recovered from the pain that the miscarriage caused her. Therefore, the only way to forget about that pain and to be happy was to get drunk. She drowned her sorrows in alcohol, and tried to forget about her pain by gambling. Those bad habits were defense mechanisms, and even though they weren't good, they helped to keep her sane.
A waiter who seemed to be uninterested in everything around him came to their table and took their order. Shizune just ordered some egg rolls and some rice for TonTon, while Tsunade ordered a bowl of noodles and a round of sake. They didn't talk to each other while waiting on their meal. They just sat in silence, occasionally allowing their eyes to wander around the room.
"I have a question." Shizune declared, breaking the silence that was among them, "If you use all the money that you have on food, how are we supposed to rent out a room for the night?"
Tsunade didn't answer her question, because really and truly, she didn't know the answer. They needed food. She couldn't just sit there and starve and allow Shizune and TonTon to starve as well. She was the leader of their little clan so it was her responsibility to keep them alive. The choice was between food and shelter, so she chose food. It was more important anyway.
She knew that Shizune was disappointed in her, and honestly, she was just waiting for the moment when Shizune decides to leave her. Of course she didn't want that to happen, but in her mind it was the inevitable. She gave Shizune every reason in the world to leave with her compulsive gambling habits and her weakness for alcohol, and yet Shizune was still with her. Shizune was ever faithful and would never leave Tsunade. Just because they hit a rough path in their lives did not mean that she would simply pack her bags and walk away from the woman who took her in off the streets. She had too much love and respect for Tsunade to do such a thing.
Their food came shortly after Shizune's question, and to Tsunade's relief, she could now avoid her question by occupying herself with her food. Shizune sighed, realizing that her question would not be answered, so she just ate her meal in silence. Tsunade finished her bowl of noodles and quickly moved on to her alcohol.
They sat there for what seemed like forever. It was so late that people started to exit the tavern one by one, but Tsunade and Shizune were still there. It wasn't too long before Shizune fell asleep with her arms resting on the wooden table before her and her head buried in them. TonTon was curled up in ball, fast asleep as well. Tsunade was the only one awake. Thankfully the tavern was opened for twenty four hours so the manager couldn't kick them out.
Tsunade's round of drinks were done, but for some reason she wasn't drunk. In fact, she was completely sober. Perhaps the alcohol wasn't strong enough because she felt normal. She looked to her right to see Shizune and TonTon asleep and couldn't help but feel like a horrible person. Because of her they had to sleep in a dingy tavern for the night. Because of her, they had to live off of less than adequate meals. Because of her they had no real home. All the difficulties that existed in Shizune's life was all her fault. And why? Because she had a miscarriage and just couldn't get over it? Millions of women all over the world had a miscarriage, she wasn't the only person in the world to loose a baby, and yet six years after she still couldn't recover from it. How pathetic was she?
She gently smoothed Shizune's black hair back with care. As she did this, she felt tears emerge in her hazel eyes, "Why are you still with me? Why won't you leave? If you leave then you can actually have a chance at having a good life." She whispered, "I'm so sorry."
Tsunade walked out of the tavern for a few moments in order to pull herself together. She felt bad that Shizune had to suffer because of all the mistakes that she made in life. Shizune had such potential to become a splendid ninja, and Tsunade was just holding her back. It wasn't fair, but Tsunade knew in her heart that Shizune would never leave her. She knew that Shizune took that pact they made several years ago seriously. They were a team. Wherever Tsunade went, Shizune would follow. That was the promise they made to each other so long ago.
The following morning, Shizune woke up with a sore back and a stiff neck. As her eyes opened, she tried to determine where she was by looking around her surroundings. Before her stood a wooden table with glasses and empty plates scattered over it, all around the room were tables with chairs attached to them, and in the corner of the room stood a large bar. She was still at the tavern. She slept overnight in a tavern. She looked to her left and saw Tsunade fast asleep, face down on the table.
"Lady Tsunade wake up!" Shizune said in an annoyed tone as she shook her master awake.
Tsunade grumbled as she was pulled out of her sleep and woke up to see Shizune staring at her with a facial expression that was clearly one of anger, "Morning Shizune." She yawned and stretched her arms to her side and above her head to loosen up.
"We slept in this tavern!" Shizune shouted.
"Thanks for stating the obvious Shizune." Tsunade said sarcastically.
"This is an absolute outrage! I'm sixteen years old Lady Tsunade. I shouldn't be sleeping in a tavern that's open to any and everybody! What if someone came in here and kidnapped me or raped me?"
"Stop panicking and calm down. Nobody kidnapped you and nobody raped you. You're fine so just get over it."
In reality, Tsunade felt terrible about the entire situation, but she didn't want to admit it, so she just pretending as if she didn't care at all.
"Let's get out of here." Tsunade said, "It's time for us to get some cash."
"And how do you intend on doing that? I'm pretty sure everybody in this town knows you by now by you're little gambling session yesterday. Nobody is going to want to lend you any money."
"You're forgetting that I'm a ninja Shizune. I'll just transform into a wealthy looking person and you'll do the same. In no time that briefcase will be filled with money again."
Shizune couldn't say anything about Tsunade's plan so all she did was sigh and agree to go through with it.
They walked out of the tavern and went directly into a dark, back alley to transform into the characters that would allow them to obtain a significant amount of money. Tsunade weaved some hand signs, and after the puff of smoke cleared away, Shizune could see that her mentor transformed into a well dressed, middle aged man, who really and truly looked as if he was quite wealthy and trustworthy.
"Now it's your turn Shizune." Tsunade said in a masculine voice that was quite strange to hear.
"Alright." Shizune sighed and weaved hand signs of her own before she was completely engulfed in smoke. When it cleared away, it was evident that she transformed into a well dressed, honest looking man as well. However, he was a little younger than the man Tsunade transformed into.
"What do you think?" Shizune asked and immediately clasped her hand over her mouth when she heard her deep voice.
"Perfect." Tsunade said while giving Shizune an approving look, "We look like two business men. Now we need to think of names. Got any?"
Shizune shook her head, having absolutely no idea what to call themselves.
"How about I call myself Hisao Takahashi and you can be my business partner, Ichiro Arai."
Shizune tried to remember her fake name, and sincerely hoped that Tsunade's plan would work. If not, they would surely go hungry and homeless tonight and many other nights to come.
They walked out of the back alley together with TonTon trotting behind them. They avoided eye contact with all the other people in the town and tried their best to avoid bumping into any one of them. The last thing they wanted to happen was for their Justu to be interrupted. After walking for a few minutes, they approached the largest, most luxurious building in the entire village that belonged to none other than the town mayor, the wealthiest man in the town.
"Just let me do all the talking." Tsunade whispered to Shizune and approached the guards stationed at the door.
"Who are you and what do you want?" The guard asked in a stern voice. From his tone alone, it was evident that security was tight.
"My name is Hisao Takahashi good sir. My business associate and I are here to make a business offer to the mayor of this fine town. It would be in his best interest as well as the town's best interest to hear what I have to propose."
The guard thought about it for a second, but he knew that he could not refuse them and turn them away. Tsunade spoke in such a convincing tone, and chose her words wisely that made it almost impossible to refuse. Furthermore, she looked the part with her fine suit, and old, wise appearance.
"Alright then." The guard said and stepped aside to allow Tsunade, Shizune, and TonTon to enter the building.
As soon as they were inside, they were directed to the mayor's office. Before entering, they knocked twice on the large, wooden door, and waited for permission to enter.
"Come in!" A voice coming from the inside said.
Tsunade and Shizune made their way inside and were greeted by a short, old man. Neither has ever met the mayor of that small town, nor have they ever heard about him. It was such a small town that nobody could blame them, two ninjas from the Leaf Village for not knowing who the mayor was.
"May I help you?" The mayor asked, feeling confused as to why two men and a pig were in his office, "Who are you two anyway?"
"Mayor Kobayashi." Tsunade started with a respectful bow, "We've heard so much about you. May I say that it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance?"
"Who are you?" He repeated.
"Where are my manners today?" Tsunade laughed, "Forgive me. My name is Hisao Takahashi, one of the wealthiest and most business oriented men in the Land of Fire."
"And I'm his business partner Ichiro Arai." Shizune chimed in, feeling the need to speak for herself.
"What do two business men like you want with me?" The mayor asked, not impressed by Tsunade's introduction, "If you're trying to sell me something I don't want it."
"We don't want to sell you anything Mr. Mayor. Instead, we wish to become business partners with you." Tsunade informed him.
"Business partners?" He wondered out loud, "Why would you want to become business partners with me?"
"You see my associate and I are planning on establishing an all inclusive resort right here in your town. Ichiro and I were passing through this town on our way to the well known Yamaguchi Town to establish this resort we have in mind, but as soon as we saw all the tourists and all the attractions that this town has to offer, we had to reconsider." Tsunade said, and seemed to grab the attention of the mayor.
"Go on." He urged.
"Of course in order to establish this resort, we need your permission since you are the mayor." Tsunade explained.
"And we also need cash." Shizune added and received a glare from Tsunade. She knew she should have kept quiet and allow Tsunade to do all the talking, but she was getting into this web of lies by Tsunade's persuasive talking that she couldn't help herself.
"Yes, we need money as well." Tsunade agreed, "That's why we came here to speak to you. If you lend us a significant amount of money, we will have this resort up in no time. And once the resort is up, tourists will come flooding in like a plague, which will only increase the amount money coming into the Town. Before you know it, this town will be as big and as popular as Yamaguchi Town."
Tsunade did her research before speaking to the mayor. She overheard town locals speaking of Yamaguchi Town. They spoke of it in high regards and mentioned that it was the biggest competition for the town that they were currently in. By bringing up Yamaguchi Town and the fact that the mayor's town could have the potential to surpass it was a smart move, for the mayor actually looked like he was considering her proposal.
"What do you say?" She asked, "Are we going to be business partners?"
The mayor thought about it for a few seconds before walking over to Tsunade and shaking her hand, "You got yourself a deal Hisao."
"Great." Tsunade smiled, feeling as if she just won an extremely difficult battle, "I'm going to need a deposit now."
"Don't you want me to sign a contract?" He asked.
"No need for that. You're the type of man I can trust." She lied.
"Alright then." The mayor shrugged his shoulders and walked over to his safe. He entered the combination and took out several wads of money and handed them to Shizune who just placed them neatly in the empty briefcase. Soon, the briefcase was filled to the brim with stacks upon stacks of money.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Mayor." Tsunade smiled and shook the man's hand once again before leaving.
They walked out of the building and immediately back into the dark alley to undo their Justu. With a puff of smoke, they were back to their normal selves.
"That was so wrong Lady Tsunade." Shizune said, feeling extremely guilty for what they just did, "We lied through our teeth to that man."
"It wasn't the best thing to do, but at least we have some cash." Tsunade said, "Now, let's get something to eat and then hit the gambling hall!"
"The gambling hall?!" Shizune gasped, not believing what she heard come out of Tsunade's mouth, "You cannot be serious Lady Tsuande! You are not going to gamble away everything again! This money is for our survival!"
"I'm not going to gamble everything." Tsunade assured her, "All that lying took it's toll on me. I just want to have some fun."
"I know you Lady Tsunade. Once you start gambling, you're not going to want to stop!"
"Relax Shizune. I can control myself."
"Are you sure about that?" Shizune mumbled under her breath and trailed behind Tsunade.
They went to a small tea shop where they indulged themselves in high class tea, fresh out the oven scones, and fancy finger sandwiches. They racked up a healthy bill, but that was by far the best meal they had in ages. After their stomachs were full, they headed down to the gambling hall. Shizune wanted no part in this, but followed Tsunade nonetheless.
The gambling hall was crowded with gamblers trying so hard to hit it big. It took them a while to actually settle down at a gambling machine, for they were all occupied by people addicted to the game. However, a spot at a machine opened up when the person who sat at it ran out of cash. People in the same position as Tsunade swooped in like vultures diving down on a carcass to the machine, but in the end it was Tsunade who won the spot. She took a few dollars from the filled briefcase and started playing. As usual, she was unlucky and didn't win anything back. She kept playing and playing until one wad of money was used up.
"Maybe you should stop now Lady Tsunade." Shizune suggested, afraid that more of the money would be wasted on Tsunade's bad habit, "You're obviously not winning anything."
Tsunade was about to completely ignore Shizune and continue to gamble away as much money as she pleased until she overheard a conversation that two men where having at the machine behind her.
"Did you hear about the disaster that occurred in the Leaf Village a few days ago?" The man with brown hair asked his friend, another man with red hair.
"No, what happened?" The red headed man asked, feeling somewhat curious as to what kind of disaster could actually occur in a wealthy village like the one hidden in the leaves.
"I heard that the nine tailed fox demon attacked the village and destroyed everything in it's path."
"The nine tails? But isn't that kid from the Uzumaki clan it's jinchuriki? Did the seal break?" Tsunade wondered and continued to listen attentively to the men's conversation. Shizune overheard as well and decided to listen in like Tsunade.
"You're kidding!" The man gasped.
"I wish I was. They say that the Hokage sacrificed his life to save the village as well."
"Excuse me." Tsunade interrupted, feeling the need to learn more about this disaster, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you said that the demon fox attacked the Leaf Village and their Hokage sacrificed his life to save the village?"
"That's right. In fact, a Leaf ninja told me all of that himself."
"Who was their Hokage?" Tsunade asked, dreading their answer. She didn't know that Sarutobi gave up his position, so she her heart was in knots, silently hoping that her sensei was still alive.
"A young guy named Minato Namikaze. He just became the Hokage a few days before he died. I was told that his wife, what's her name... Oh that's right, Kushina Uzumaki perished as well. Minato saved the entire village by sealing that demon fox inside his new born baby."
"Oh." Tsunade said. That was all she could say without making it obvious that she was from the Leaf Village, "And what about the former Hokage?"
"Nothing is wrong with him, he seems to be fine. I bet he took on the title again."
"Well, I hope they can get past this tragedy." Tsunade said and rose to her feet, suddenly feeling the need to get some fresh air flowing through her lungs. Minato Namikaze. She knew him to be Jiraiya's student. She couldn't believe that he was actually dead. And the damage to the village. She could only imagine how bad it was, and how many casualties they suffered.
Suddenly, she was joined outside by Shizune who seemed to be holding back tears, "Wasn't Minato Master Jiraiya's-"
"Yes." Tsunade said, cutting off Shiuzune.
"I wonder how Master Jiraiya is..."
Tsunade didn't comment on that because she knew exactly how Jiraiya was feeling. Minato was close to Jiraiya, almost like a son he never had, but now he was taken away from him by cruel death. She was all too familiar with that, and no matter what, wouldn't wish the terrible feeling that accompanies a person when their loved one perishes to anyone. She wished that she could comfort Jiraiya the way he comforted her when Nawaki died, but she just couldn't muster up enough courage to do it. She was too afraid of his inevitable rejection.
"Maybe we should go back and help in whatever way we can." Shizune suggested. "Surely there are a lot of wounded people. We could go there and heal them. What do you say Lady Tsunade?" Shizune was so hoping that Tsunade would agree to go back to the village, but her heart sank when she saw Tsunade walk back into the gambling hall.
Tsunade wasn't about to return to the Leaf Village. Her brain was telling her to go back, and offer her medical expertise, but her heart was telling her to stay where she was and not return. If she went back, there would be no doubt that she would see Jiraiya, and she wasn't quite ready for that. She was still healing from the tragedy that occurred in her life a few years ago. Furthermore, she couldn't stand the thought of telling him that she miscarried their child. He just lost a student who was dear to him, so there was no way that she would inflict more pain on his life by telling him that he lost his son as well.
So this chapter serves the purpose of showing you all the life that Tsunade and Shizune are living post miscarriage. Not so pretty huh? Let's hope that things will get better for her in the near future.
Thanks for reading and reviewing etc!
Xoxoxoxoxoxo