Agitated did not begin to describe Tsunade's mood. Being dragged to the home she had sworn never return to was annoying, but the fact that sensei had duped Jiraiya into doing his dirty work just pissed her off. Topping off her foul mood, Tsunade and Shizune had been cooped up for the last few nights in a shared hotel room with that lecherous schmuck; not only were Jiraiya's perversions annoying, but they disrupted Tsunade's efforts to imbibe copious amounts of alcohol, lose repeatedly at any and all gaming tables, and ingest a moderate amount of barbiturates. All of her painstaking efforts to bury her past—the memories far too precious to forget and far too painful to remember—were for nothing.
Now, before Tsunade even had the chance to wrap her arms around that scrawny, geezer's neck, Sarutobi-sensei had thrown what was left of her life into chaos.
The child in the Hatake kid's arms was horrifying real and more terrifying than some of the worst genjutsus she had ever experienced. Tsunade's last hope was that the boy was a figment of her own broken mind or a drug-induced hallucination, but she observed the way the masked jounin's arms tightened a fraction around the source of Tsunade's mental break and knew this was all too real.
Perhaps most disarming of all was that Tsunade may have been unable to see Hatake's face beneath the mask, but she could sense the hostility, like that of a trapped animal, oozing from the lanky male. Jiraiya must have perceived the same reluctance in Namikaze's student that Tsunade had noticed because the toad-sage was already stepping forward with his hands raised in a placating manner that worked far too often on shinobi than was reasonable to expect.
"Looks like those kids have been having a good time playing, Kakashi." Tsunade wondered how Jiraiya could sound so relaxed when she felt like she was about to throw up at any moment.
"So, they are." The Hatake brat replied with false levity, the poor street lighting refracting dully on the damp gray spikes.
In Hatake's arms, the child squirmed and those scarlet eyes roamed from Shizune, to Jiraiya, and finally to Tsunade, fixing her with an intelligent, hopeful, and somewhat guarded look that seemed far too old on such a young face.
He knows me. He's waiting for me. Then…then…oh Kami, no. Just no!
"It's cold out here." Tsunade heard the blonde whine as bile rose in Tsunade's throat. "Can we go home, Itachi-nii?"
"That's a good idea there, kiddo." Jiraiya had already moved forward, plunked an oversized hand onto the blonde's head, and unintentionally fed her hysteria by leaving her a clear view of the scarlet markings on otherwise perfect, alabaster skin.
I'm going to be sick.
"Go home and get cleaned up." Jiraiya was still talking and Tsunade was held petrified by the internal warzone she was fighting against herself. "You kids look pretty cool. So how about you squirts get cleaned up and meet us back at the Hokage's Tower for a nice visit after we chat with the old man."
"Who are you calling old? Your hair is white too, you old geezer!" Namikaze's brat yelled loudly. "And what kind of weird adult wants to hang out with kids anyway? I heard tou-san tell kaa-san that he arrested a pedophile that wanted to hang out with kids! What if this guy is a pedophile too?"
"I am not a pedophile!" Jiraiya spluttered.
Tsunade would have found it more humorous had the situation not been such a disaster.
"Tou-san said that?" Another high-pitched, boy's voice asked, obviously ignoring her old friend's protests. "Must be true than. Tou-san wouldn't lie."
"Naruto-kun!" The Uchiha teen broke into the conversation swiftly. "Jiraiya-sama is the Sandaime's student. He's one of our village's most powerful shinobi."
"Him?" The duo asked together dubiously.
"I heard Jiraiya-sama taught the Yondaime Hokage." The timbre of the nameless boy's voice was pitched higher like all younger children, but each word was enunciated carefully as if the speaker had mulled over the words before speaking. It would have sounded alarm bells had Tsunade not attributed it to be a trait the child shared with Tobirama. "If that's the case, perhaps Jiraiya-sama could teach you something, Naruto-kun."
Not a dream. Not a dream. Okay, the kid is talking and every word out of his mouth is horrifying. What do I do? Oh, Kami, what am I going to do?
"Aha!" The blonde shouted and the bizarre debacle continued seemingly oblivious to Tsunade's mounting panic. "You better teach me something cool, dattebayo!"
"You certainly came to the right place, gaki!" Her friend boasted tediously. "You get cleaned up and you have yourself a deal. I'll teach you an ace technique!"
Blah, blah, blah. Shizune was whispering something in her ear and the woman had grabbed her elbow in a more firmly supporting grip, but it all seemed so far away. All she could feel was old wounds reopening to seep poison into her thoughts. All she could see was a tiny child with an uncanny smile and the face of a dead man. A face overflowing with compassion aimed squarely in her direction.
Tsunade couldn't help it, she giggled tensely and felt hysteria overtake her natural senses and she swayed slightly on her feet.
Around her people reacted; Jiraiya reached for her, Shizune's grip tightened on her arm, and Hatake seemed to have reached some sort of decision and was gesturing to the older Uchiha teens. A snorted giggle popped out of her mouth, and Tsunade watched a pale hand reach out toward her, the little bow mouth moving. Speaking. Communicating something.
Oh Kami. Oh no.
Tsunade recoiled backward frantically, knocking away Shizune's restraining arm and feeling the ground crack around her heeled feet.
"Tsunade! Hime!" Jiraiya was coming toward her again and she shied away with a hissed warning.
I can't breathe. I can't breathe.
Instinctively she ripped at the rain coat, tossed it away, hunched over just in time to vomit up the meagre breakfast she had consumed. Her throat burned and she dabbed furiously at the corners of her mouth. Before she could make out the words buzzing around from her companions, her eyes unconsciously flickered right back to the trigger of her present misfortunes. The Senju child—for whatever else could that boy be—had a crinkle on his forehead and something that reminded Tsunade of regret on that far too young face. Tsunade looked away and saw the Hatake's center of gravity shift and the muscles tense.
No.
Tsunade lurched forward with impressive dexterity considering her nausea, but she was far too late: the formerly occupied space was empty.
He's gone. Why am I always too late? I'm always too late! I just can't take this.
"No!" Tsunade heard herself scream and the chakra came to her fist as naturally as breathing.
There was an unsatisfying roar as dust and debris went flying in every direction and the remainder of the area obscured the massive cloud of dust caused by the explosion. Tsunade screamed harshly again and felt droplets, that had nothing to do with the weather, dampen her cheeks. The aftershocks of her impromptu quake rocked the ground but they weren't enough to soothe the ache in her heart. She wanted to break something. She wanted to rip someone apart! Raising a fist over her head, she swung downward—only to be ripped backward by arms snaked around her midsection.
"Let me go or I'll rip your arms out of your sockets!" She screamed at her assailant.
"You won't!" Jiraiya's words teased her ear.
She wanted to fight. She wanted to scream. Tsunade wanted to obliterate the looming monument that was silently mocking her. Instead, she sagged in Jiraiya's arms, until she could feel pebbles and grit bite into the unprotected skin of her lower legs, and she sobbed. She heard Jiraiya murmuring nonsensically to her, but Tsunade just wanted to drown in this misery until everything hurt a little bit less. At some point, Jiraiya must have realized she was in no condition to continue her stunted rampage and the grip around her waist loosened. Tsunade pitched forward slightly and she felt a fleeting sense of abandonment, and than she was swept upward into Jiraiya's arms like a bride. Ever a medic, she effortlessly read Jiraiya's steady heartbeat and noted the lecherous hands had not made any move to be inappropriate. Reluctantly thankful, Tsunade dropped face into the man's shoulder and continued weeping.
I know why I'm here now. I don't know the story, but I know sensei and I can't. I can't. I can't! Oh Kami, Jiraiya please don't let them do this. PLEASE!
"Shizune, if you'll stay with the ANBU?" Jiraiya's voice again. Strange to realize that a boy she had once considered nothing but a loser was now Tsunade's only island in an ocean she was drowning in. Tsunade sank her hands into Jiraiya's haori and hated herself when a whine escaped her throat. The arms around her flexed and she felt sure the man's lips brushed her forehead for a moment. "Tsuna, I'm not leaving. I promise."
The words were comforting but not for the value of the words themselves, but only because the speaker was the only person left alive that Tsunade could truly rely on.
Oh Kami, Baa-sama…oji-sama. Oji-san. I can't do this. I can't do this. Nawaki. Dan. I just. I can't do this! Please, no.
"Tsunade-sama. I'll follow as soon as I can. Stay strong." Shizune again. Such a loyal girl even when she hardly deserved it.
I may have more strength than any man or woman living, but I'm not strong. I can destroy mountains and eradicate disease, but what is the value in emptiness? It should have been me that died...but I'm still here. I can't breathe. I can't do this. I can't do this!
"Tsuna, we're here." That was an old name and it made her older than her body was underneath her layered illusions. "Just hang in for me and I'll get you a nice cup of the good stuff in sensei's office. Just like old times?"
"Old times are full of dead people."
To that, not even the exuberant Jiraiya had a reply.
Sensei's office looked the same as it had ten years before; a steaming mug of tea set next to sporadic piles of paperwork, and the engrained woody scent of the pipe tobacco from tea country. Jiraiya had sat down on a bench that had appeared out of nowhere and was supporting her in an alarmingly respectful manner with a hand around her waist that did not stray from a supporting role.
"-think she's in shock." Jiraiya was saying over her head.
Oh. Tsunade blinked and realized she was facing a heavy carpet that bore an exquisite if faded pattern that had certainly been walked on quite enough.
"How Biwako-chan ever put up with you remains a mystery." That old bat Koharu? "Hiruzen, get Tsunade a drink and I'll arrange for some rooms to be made-up at your house. I'll see you in the morning."
"Thank you, Koharu." Sensei actually sounded thankful too as he exchanged a few pleasantries with the old battle-axe. That was interesting since she was rather sure sensei had not been on the best of terms with his former teammate before she left. Not that it was any of her business, of course.
"You back with us, Hime?" Jiraiya's voice sounded like he was coaxing a spooked horse than an S-ranked shinobi.
"I don't know." She hardly recognized the croaky sound that emerged from her throat. A few seconds of concentration and Tsunade flushed her internal system with medical chakra. A few surges jolted her network and Tsunade carefully raised upward to manage residual traces of adrenaline in her system and ease the swelling in her throat. "I've been better, but I've also been worse." She paused before turning her ire on the robed Kage with a chilling mile. "Although this may actually meet my top-five worst moments."
"I had not intended you to find out this way." Sensei's craggy face had more lines and a few more brown, age spots than the last time she saw him. There was an unmistakeable aura of power that clung to the man like a comfortable skin, but there were telling details ever her distracted mind perceived. Discoloration of the eyes and a thinness that suggested several potential underlying conditions. Of course, it was practically unheard of—if one discounted Fence-sitter Ohnoki—for a Kage to continue living let alone reigning into their elderly years. While chakra allowed a person to push a withering body well beyond physical limitations, age itself was a sign of the mortality that all humans must face in time.
The troubling thing was, Tsunade could see all these different problems weighing down a man that she still cared about no matter how much she drank and pretended otherwise. And ironically enough, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been the longest surviving parental figure that Tsunade had. And the fact of the matter is, she found herself entirely unsympathetic to a man that she cared about. She wanted answers more than she wanted to placate an old man whose days were numbered.
Tsunade forced her stiff limbs into motion and only wobbled for a second before crossing the room to where sensei was known to stash his booze. Not really caring about the opinion of anyone in the nearby vicinity—or anywhere else—Tsunade ripped the cork out and chugged several burning mouthfuls.
"You have to admit sensei…things appear to be going a lot differently. Not just with.. you know."
"A lot has changed in the last month, Jiraiya." The old man's voice even sounded older. Not weaker, but certainly aged.
"Start talking, old man." Tsunade squeezed the bottle tight. "And don't bother trying to hide anything. You spill your guts and give me answers or I'll leave this place in ruins before I walk out of here."
"Alright." The old man answered wearily. "But let me speak without interruptions. You may ask questions afterward. Is that fair?"
"Fair enough." Jiraiya reclined back, wove a few signs, and a crack of chakra reactivated the office's privacy seals to potent levels humming chakra that raised the hair on the back of Tsunade's neck.
"Were my seals really so inefficient, Jiraiya?" The look Jiraiya shot sensei was positively sheepish and did little to settle Tsunade's mood.
"Get on with it." Tsunade barked causing the two, fully-grown men to startle sharply.
Jiraiya wore reluctance like a familiar coat and Sarutobi-sensei's hands were clutching his pipe almost as if he were physically unable to let go rather than unwilling. After a significant pause, the old man turned away with his hands clasped behind him and started telling a story.
When they arrived back at the Compound, Mikoto had taken one look at them, listened to Shisui's garbled explanation, and promptly tossed them all into the bath. Minato did not complain when Mikoto scrubbed them almost painfully hard and rinsed their hair repeatedly until the water ran clear. With little fanfare, they were bundled into fluffy towels and ushered into their bedrooms to change.
Now he was standing over a pile of carefully folded clothing that was sitting on top of his box of fuinjutsu supplies from Kakashi. The stuffed dog his brother bought him clutched tightly to his chest, Minato felt a sense of unease.
Naruto and Sasuke were standing on either side of him shifting and frowning.
"You don't have to go." Sasuke's words tumbled out in a rush that seemed more like Naruto. "I know the Sandaime said you would only stay with us until Tsunade arrived, but there's no sense in leaving tonight."
That would merely delay the inevitable, but it made a sort of sense since Tsunade had only just arrived and there was unlikely any accommodations prepared unless Hiruzen had really been on his game. Nothing was impossible of course, but it seemed more unlikely at this point.
Minato clutched the plush dog tighter, wondered at his odd attachment to the stuffed animal, and offered his friend a tired smile. "I'm sure the Hokage knows best."
"Jiji is great." Naruto response seemed especially forced and lacked the cheer that made Naruto so unique.
"I'll still see you all the time." Minato put on his best Kage smile, reluctantly surrendered the plush dog to his pile of belongings, and slung an arm around each boy's shoulders companionably and squeezed before releasing the pair. "Besides, Tsunade-sama doesn't have any family. And neither does Kakashi. It seems like they really need someone to show them love and affection, just like you both have Fugaku, Mikoto, Itachi, Shisui—" Both boys made a face and Minato merely smirked. "And you have each other. That's more than my family has…I think they need me."
"I guess you're right." Acceptance did not come easy to Uzumaki Naruto and the blonde's eyes were downcast and so glum.
Minato turned and slung his arms around Naruto's shaking body and bit his lip when the blonde sobbed once before returning the embrace desperately.
"I get it… I just hate it." Naruto whispered almost brokenly in his ear and the boy's chakra just radiated depression, causing a lump to form in Minato's throat and tears to gather in his eyes. "Without you, I might not have found all of them and…I don't want to lose you, dattebayo."
There was a sniffing sound behind them.
'Oh no…so much for putting up a tough front. I'm so done for.'
'Yes you are.' If only his bijuu did not sound so cheerful.
Minato felt his own eyes grow moist, fill, and overflow. And yep, he was crying like he did when he read a particularly emotional novel. Crying like he couldn't after slaughtering an entire platoon of enemy troops. And crying now like a child his age might do.
Breaking the hug with a protesting Naruto, he reached back and dragged Sasuke into a three-way hug. Sasuke tucked his face close and his tears were much quieter compared to Naruto's loud sobs. Minato figured he made up a good middle ground. He was neither too quiet nor too loud.
"You're the glue that holds those two idiots together." "Shut it, Kurama!"
"And I'll still be around even if I don't fall asleep with you guys." Minato whispered, pausing when he felt the chakra signatures hovering just outside the door. "You're my best friends, right? You can't get rid of me that easily."
There was no reply to that. The moment seemed too emotional and emphasized the frayed nerves they all had. Duty called though. Minato escaped from the hugs and moved to where he could sense Shisui and pressed himself against the older boy's side. The weight of Mikoto and Fugaku's stares was comforting rather than scrutinizing and he enjoyed feeling Shisui squeeze his shoulder comfortingly.
"Time to go?"
"It is, little silver." Shisui's voice sounded strained so he slipped his hand into the other boy's grasp and squeezed. Shisui seemed to anchor himself to his touch and straightened a bit.
"Tou-san." Minato's head shot up at the sound of Naruto's voice.
"What is it?" The answer came when the blonde's lips parted in a toothy grin and he held his hand out hopefully.
The big man sighed but accepted Naruto's hand and only grumbled a little when the blonde made a V for victory sign with his opposite hand. Sasuke sidled up on his other side and cold fingers tangled around his free hand. Minato squeezed the freezing digits but otherwise did not acknowledge the gesture; Sasuke was more skittish than a colt and would rather set himself on fire than acknowledge that he had a softer side.
Itachi and Kakashi were standing together under a street lamp just outside the house. Itachi wore a few new bruises that shaded his pale skin garishly and was eyeing Kakashi with a faint vein of disapproval evident from the slight tightening of the boy's jaw. Kakashi seemed to be his typical, quirky self with an orange book in one hand and twirling a kunai in the other. The second they appeared, the conversation ended abruptly and Kakashi gave a short wave with a notably kunai-free hand before lifting the orange novel to his face.
"What are you doing here, Hatake?" The Clan Head looked like he would very much like to gut Kakashi in the streets. Minato made a frustrated sound and just shook his head at Sasuke's look of concern. Not even time could erase all issues, but it was depressing how tightly Uchiha's seemed to cling to old grudges.
"Maa, I'm accompanying the pup to the Hokage Tower." Kakashi reappeared in a burst of leaves that showered their little group with leaves—much to Naruto's hyperactive delight—and ruffled Minato's loose hair. He craned his neck to look at the masked man—if an eighteen year old really was a man—and grinned impishly, pleased when his brother eye-smiled right back before flashing the irate Fugaku a devilish look that was clearly more bite than bark. "Surely you wouldn't try to keep me from my little brother, would you Fugaku-sama?"
"Do not read that filth in my presence!" The Uchiha stalked forward and their little group followed quietly with Itachi falling-in next to Kakashi whose book remained in place despite the threat.
It was going to be a long walk to the Tower.
Jiraiya mopped his bruised forehead with a cloth and wondered if it was too late to check-out of this meeting and get plastered. Seriously, he was too old for this shit. Experimental jutsus? No problem. Experimental jutsus that combined the DNA of some of the most powerful men that had ever lived to literally create a new human being. That had been a bit of a bigger pill to swallow. Sometimes the unchecked limitations of the shinobi world really, really got on his nerves.
On the bright side, Hime seemed to be less volatile and he had avoided all of her blows except a chakra packed elbow to the forehead earlier. At the moment, Tsunade was pacing the floors and sensei was wincing every time the buxom blonde's chakra spiked a little too menacingly.
Jiraiya really felt for the old man, he had been handed a can of worms to deal with that was not his fault. Hell, none of the evidence pointed to Danzo so that was another win as far as Jiraiya was concerned. If only this didn't have Orochimaru's stink clinging to it like a wet dog. If the man truly had tried to retrieve the bijuu chakra from where the Yondaime had sealed it away…Jiraiya was not sure what that meant. But the implications of such an action hardly boded well for Konoha.
"Alright, so let's go over the facts again." Jiraiya's headache threatened to increase in intensity. "A child that is biologically related to Hatake Sakumo and the Nidaime appeared in the village with no reports of prior sightings. And there is no mention of his existence or alternate means of entry."
Tsunade's lips tightened but sensei nodded once. "That's correct."
"Said child finds Uzumaki Naruto and they spend a night together before you brought the Senju kid in for questioning." Jiraiya frowned, his mind flashing to a blonder, cerulean eyed student bearing the same name. "Has Naruto been checked for genjutsu or other methods of coercion?"
"I had Uchiha Itachi discreetly check the boy over."
"An Uchiha?" Tsunade's voice was rather incredulous and dismissive.
"Absolutely loyal and perhaps one of the most discreet and capable shinobi I have, despite his young age. Itachi was thorough and reported that Naruto is free of coercion."
This was good news except that someone had made a jinchuuriki without attracting the attention of the elemental nations. Such a feat could hardly be ignored and secrets of this size were damnably difficult to keep under wraps. Moments like this made Jiraiya wonder what exactly the Shodai Hokage had been thinking when he went along with his wife's bright idea to imprison bijuu inside human hosts.
"Back to the drawing board," Jiraiya muttered, carefully stepping away from Tsunade before she could shoot him down again. "The kid is a jinchuuriki then?"
"Without a doubt." The Sandaime remarked and Jiraiya felt a renewed sense of loss deep within him. "Obviously, I'll need you to take a look at the seal at some point and I'll need your spy network to discreetly look around for some information."
"Uzumaki survivors wouldn't be too much of a stretch." Jiraiya massaged his jaw thoughtfully. "I'll have my informants be on the lookout for information.
"I wish we had more information on the reincarnation technique used to create the boy." Jiraiya watched Tsunade jerk sharply at sensei's musing. "The DNA results speak for themselves, but I still feel we know too little about how the jutsu was performed and we don't know whether Orochimaru has gotten his hands on the information."
While Jiraiya struggled to combat his misgivings for Orochimaru having that sort of knowledge, he could not help but wonder if the niggling notion scratching at the back of his brain was more plausible than impossible.
"Is it possible that the Senju kid is actually…him?" Jiraiya stressed his question cautiously despite the seals warding the room.
"If reincarnation works the way its supposed to, I doubt we would ever be able to find out short of using a kinjutsu to test it out." Hiruzen grunted. "A costly jutsu that may not work if Orochimaru only removed the bijuu chakra and nothing more. I've wondered if the soul itself could have been his too since the boy's name is the same, but that answer may be beyond our reach, Jiraiya. And it is far more likely the name was made as a tribute to the man that sealed Kyuubi away."
Moments like these made Jiraiya wish that whatever madness had inspired Kushina and Minato to procreate in the first place had never happened. It was something Jiraiya had admitted to no one, but he had privately thought it had been a foolish decision for Kushina to give birth considering the risks, but he had seen how much the pair he had loved like a son and daughter were looking forward to their baby. So Jiraiya had remained silent and now he was almost five years later holding onto a foolish hope that his former student's soul had returned for another go-around.
Talk about ridiculous. I've obviously missed my Minato too much if I'm dreaming up ludicrous possibilities that have no potential for being realized.
"Who knows that the boy is a jinchuuriki?" Tsunade surprised him by asking.
"Shikaku, Inoichi, Shisui, one of my ANBU and myself." Hiruzen tapped a fresh bit of tobacco into his pipe, lit it and inhaled deeply.
"Are you sure that Danzo doesn't know?" Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.
"Hardly. One can never be sure of anything concerning my old friend." Sensei looked truly pained to admit that, but there was a resolve in that gaze too. "I made the mistake with Naruto when word of what he was got out…I'll not make the same mistake with Minato. Even at my age, I can learn from my mistakes."
"That's something at least." Jiraiya mused. "Orochimaru has his fingers in too many pies. I had originally wanted to report about something else I heard about him lately, but I never got the chance to verify those rumors before you called me in."
"Orochimaru is hardly the point." Tsunade kicked a chair into oblivion against the wall, showering the area with splinters of wood and broken pottery from the unfortunate vase that had been sitting against the wall. "I know what you're trying to do here old man! I know what you're thinking and just let me tell you-!"
The door swung open rather swiftly and Tsunade's words died in her throat and she straightened upright. In walked the grouchy Uchiha patriarch himself holding hands with his godson—definitely something Jiraiya needed to discuss with sensei later—and the blonde immediately raced over to the Sandaime and threw himself in the man's arms. It hurt to see that. It should have been Minato pouring over a boring border patrol report that scooped the tyke into his arms. Instead it was his sensei that, was well past the prime of his life, stuck with a job that by all rights Jiraiya or Tsunade should take; except his role as spymaster made him a poor choice and Tsunade's grief made her unsuitable. Jiraiya would wallow in his self-inflicted miseries later; preferably far away in the arms of an overpriced prostitute that would allow him to pretend that everything really was alright.
Burying his emotional turmoil for a much later day, Jiraiya looked over to where Uchiha Mikoto was standing shooting a critical eye toward Tsunade. Roving to the next, the Uchiha teen from before was slouched in the backdrop with a slightly younger boy that Jiraiya concluded were attending with the parents. Hatake Kakashi stood directly behind the Nidaime's clone with two hands on each of the boy's shoulders and a look on his face that Jiraiya remembered seeing the day he found the kid beside his father's cold corpse. Sakumo had been one of Jiraiya's good friends so his death had come as one of the greater losses in the Sannin's life, right behind Orochimaru's defection and his Minato's death. Still though, it was peculiar for Kakashi to seem so…uptight about this little meeting. Surely he did not expect something bad to happen to the boy.
While undeniably similar to Senju Tobirama, Jiraiya picked out features that were unique to Hatake Sakumo in the cut of the child's jaw and the shape of the eye. Subtle things, but something that someone who had known the man could discern from the features. Senju Minato, Kami the name ached like an old wound, had tipped his head sideways and the mini-Uchiha was whispering something in the boy's ear.
Jiraiya ignored the introductions for the most part, simply nodding or flashing a cheeky smile where appropriate. He was far more interested in observing from his corner. Shizune had slipped into the room soak and wet and had taken a place next to him like the good little mouse she was. Shizune had mumbled something about the ANBU cleaning up Tsunade's little mess and Jiraiya had to hand it to Hime, she really knew how to pick loyal subordinates.
"Tsunade-sama." The room quieted and the slender child walked forward and bowed slightly right in front of her and spoke in a soft voice that somehow managed to sound distinguished. "I'm Senju Minato. Sandaime-sama told me that you're my family and that you would be the one taking care of me now."
"Did he?" Jiraiya's stomach plummeted as he heard that certain inflection in the blonde woman's tone that was icy sweetness and defiance. Jiraiya took a tense step forward, suddenly just knowing something was about to go wrong.
"He did." Jiraiya watched the Senju child tense up, nose crinkling, and then Minato's face slackened and his eyes fell downward in a position that seemed disappointed, but not surprised.
For a second, Tsunade's eyes closed before snapping open with a hazy look that was partially haunted and defiant. Tsunade craned her neck to shoot sensei an almost hateful stare. Jiraiya was moving before he registered his feet lifting, but he was too late to stop the words that were aimed for her sensei and she glared the old man's way, but impacted the Senju child more than anyone else.
"You can forget it! Find someone else to raise the brat. I decline!"
Minato had already half expected it to come to this. Technically he had been in existence 25 years—42 if you counted the years he had been sealed away with Kurama. It made it a little more difficult for Minato to cope with how irrationally miserable he felt when the buxom Senju woman sneered at the Sandaime and verbally orphaned him. He had grown up alone before and while Minato already knew that Kakashi would never allow that to happen, it still stung.
Minato's throat had already unhelpfully tightened and tears clouded his vision, but he got himself under control much quicker than an ordinary child would have and found himself speaking before he was ready.
"The last thing I have ever wanted is to be foisted upon someone that does not want me around." His throat felt like sandpaper and he brushed at his eyes roughly until he could see again. Tsunade had turned, angling her face toward him with Jiraiya lurking just behind the blonde medic with a restraining palm on her shoulder. "When I heard you were coming, I hoped that I would experience what a mother's love was. Now I know that I never shall. That dream was nothing more and nothing less than exactly that: just a dream. But I do have my friends and I have a new brother." Minato heard the intake of breath that Kakashi was not quite unable to smother directly behind him. "I wish you luck in finding something to make you happy, whatever that might be."
"Kid…" Jiraiya-sensei's voice said in that quiet, sorrowful way that Minato was far too familiar with. He ignored that and the sudden gasping breath from the blonde Sannin, and turned toward the Sandaime who was standing with a horrified Naruto clutched in his arms. Neatly, Minato offered a tiny bow to the village leader.
"Hokage-sama, I'll take my leave." Minato fled like the child he both was and was not.
He ran past his friends and darted outside the office and descended the familiar set of winding stairs that would eventually take him to the base of the tower. He swatted at the moisture once again gathering in his eyes and spilling annoyingly quick down his cheeks. It felt silly to be crying over something like this, but his stomach hurt from his emotions getting the best of him.
Still, Minato found himself running faster and up the slopes of the Hokage mountain until he was safely able to drop onto Tobirama's head. The pull was magnetic and Minato had often come up there in his previous childhood for solitude and thinking. At the time, the man's prowess with fuinjutsu and suiton jutsu had been inspiring and he had dedicated himself to surpassing the man. Now, that seemed to be his fate again in this new life.
'Your reasoning has been mildly effected by your transition to a child's body.' Kurama's voice lulled him even as tears continued to fall and he settled down on the stone face against the wind's chill. 'For the most part you will hardly notice a difference, but right now, your body's emotional state is somewhat dictated by hormones and other nonsense that make children so annoying.'
'I'm afraid.' Minato whispered to his friend, lost in a fog of the bijuu's creation. 'There isn't a reason for this, but I feel trapped by the uncertainty of what will happen to me. I was never that close to Tsunade-sama. Why do I care if she reacted like that?'
'Because emotions are not rational.' Kurama snorted. 'Why do you think my anger was so intense for so long? Even as a bijuu, my anger trumped all other desires because it is by far the most potent of emotions. You're not afraid, Minato.'
'I'm angry?' Minato gasped. 'Is that…but why am I angry? I don't understand.'
'Because even though Tsunade's anger was directed at her sensei and herself, her words hurt you. And you were caught by surprise.'
'I suspected…that Tsunade may not react favorably, but I had hoped that just maybe she could be convinced to change.'
'If she hurts you again, I'll eat her.' Kurama rumbled and Minato could felt the hate seeping from his old friend.
'Kurama!' Minato yelped, somewhat scandalized by the bijuu's apparent resentment taking shape.
'Don't go all sanctimonious on me, Minato.' He could feel the chakra within him surge and than settle. 'Besides, what are friends for?'
The gesture speared Minato right in the heart and he felt two more tears salt his cheeks in the corporeal realm, this time of happiness.
'I love you too.'
'Don't drag me down to your level.' Minato easily read the embarrassment in his friend's reaction and laughed happily. 'Kid. A few things. Sasuke is about to arrive and I sense the copy-nin is not far behind. But beware…I sense someone from the shadows watching you. The intent isn't hostile, but it feels wrong. I would suspect a particularly adept sensor.'
'Danzo.' Minato hissed, mind racing furiously. Minato had grown complacent if the man was successfully spying on him again. He needed to train some more. 'It has to be one of his men.'
'We will have to be more vigilant from now on.' Kurama rumbled. 'Go now.'
Sasuke's footsteps were loud and angry behind him. The other boy dropped down next to him with chakra that hissed like a contained, wrathful storm.
"You're coming home with us."
"Probably." Minato agreed, feeling the cool wind chill his damp cheeks and closing his eyes for a moment.
"I was angry today when I saw how awful people were treating Naruto." Sasuke spoke the words like he was tasting them. "I hated them. I feel the same way now as I did then."
"People say things they don't mean when they're suffering." Minato chose his words with care. The jaded, unstable youth that had taken part in his initial resurrection was a constant reminder of how the wrong path or the wrong words could lead a person astray. "Thank you for coming to check on me. It mean's a lot."
Minato squeaked when Sasuke wrapped his arms around him once from behind and embraced him tightly. It took a second to register that Sasuke was shaking hard. For a second he was sure it was just a shared grief, but the hiss of anger distorted that illusion.
"You're important to me. Even that dobe is important. I don't care what I have to do, but I'll protect you both from now on. I promise."
"Sasuke…" The declaration was bold and naught but the promise between childhood friends, but it warmed Minato greatly. "We'll all protect each other. That's what friends are for."
"Yeah."
Sasuke had pulled back after a moment and the pair were now sitting companionably beside each other. Shisui had been unnaturally silent and his hand shifted more than once for his kunai pouch. Minato suspected that Shisui had detected Danzo's crony because Kurama had confirmed their observer's presence had vanished after they noticed a flicker of Sharingan scanning the vicinity.
The moonlight was shining with a powerful brilliance when Kakashi's shadow fell across him. Minato could sense his brother's hesitance despite the fact that he mechanically dropped into a crouch next to him. It was no doubt his former student's awkward way of trying to be supportive despite the man having no instinctive know-how. A genius beyond compare that understood none of the finer emotional nuances beyond manipulation games.
Minato promised to teach the other man and reached up without looking and grabbed Kakashi's hand. With a firm tug, he had the other man sitting next to him. Uncertainly he shivered against the cold before turning and crawling into the man's lap. Kakashi had frozen like a statue, but nevertheless allowed Minato to manipulate his arms into position to surround him. Satisfied, he leaned back against a bony shoulder and relaxed again.
"Pup." Kakashi faltered after a single word and the heart so close to his ear raced conspicuously fast.'
"It's okay, aniki." Minato snuggled in to the larger body's warmth happily. "I know you won't abandon me. I'm okay now. You can relax."
Kakashi quieted after that and his heart rate seemed pacified for the moment. From off to the side, Shisui had made a scandalized noise as Sasuke bullied Itachi into a similar position.
Everything was sure to work out. Little brothers were being looked after by the elder. And Tsunade's choice would be left to the Sannin to choose a course of action.
Tsunade could not recall a day that had passed nearly such a humiliating fashion. There had been countless hurts in in her lifetime, but there had always been an unwanted, but sympathetic undercurrent that existed in the people around her. None of the prior empathy was in existence in Tsunade's current company unless she counted Jiraiya. Never before had home, no matter how much she decried Konoha to anyone that would listen, made her feel like an outsider. But there was no mistaking the emotions running rampant among the assembled shinobi: Tsunade was in hostile territory.
Tsunade had done as she always did when she became upset. She lashed out against the easiest target and this time the damage was impossible to calculate. When she had first seen Senju Minato on the street, her heart had clammed up and she had a twisted joy and panic. Her only thought as sensei had painstakingly explained the situation had been to distance herself; if she did not become attached to the kid than the pain of losing him one day would be like losing a stranger. So, she hardened her heart and when the boy, who bore such a striking resemblance to Tobirama, approached her, Tsunade's thoughts were only on the unfairness life continued to throw her direction. Her family had perished one by one on the battlefield until all that was left was an extravagant clan building with empty rooms and an impressive graveyard. She had watched the light leave the eyes of those she loved and thought to herself, 'surely this child would be just another body returned to me in a scroll.' Tsunade would not endure it again. She could not!
And so Tsunade allowed her brashness, her anger to guide her actions and lashed out; at sensei, at Jiraiya, and the damn village that had taken everything from her. And when she saw that look on boy's face, Tsunade felt something break inside her carefully, guarded heart and when the boy—when Minato—ran away. No, when he ran from her, she felt like a piece of her was dying all over again.
Tsunade had recoiled as if struck at the sight of Senju Minato fleeing the room—of running from her—that she was unable to do anything except suck in a breath before the panic settled over her thoughts.
The Uchiha brat spat something that was positively venomous and indecipherable before tearing out of the tower like his heels were on fire. Not half a moment later, the Uchiha teens were in pursuit, but not before the one with the bad hair-cut paused to impale the blonde with a glance brimming with such staggering disappointment.
Inwardly Tsunade prayed that no one else would say something because she already realized what an error she had made. Luck was not an aspect of Senju blood that favored Tsunade.
Namikaze's apprentice had stepped into her space for a moment but she did not dare meet the man's gaze. The straight-backed steel in the voice identified him an individual not to be trifled with, but it was a truly blood-curdling amount of killing intent directed solely at her that reminded Tsunade why Hatake Sakumo had been so terrifying. Sakumo's son did not disappoint either: for the first time in nearly a decade, Tsunade feared for her life.
"Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash." Her chin turned without her consent and she stared into the eye of the man that could very well offer a death sentence. "I know your story, Tsunade." The bold form of address was joined with an unpleasant snarl. "Let me give you a bit of friendly advice. I failed every person I truly cared for. They all died and I could do nothing. I'm the last person that has any business around that boy. I'm too broken and I'm a shell of the person I used to be, but I won't give up. I won't abandon him. If you walk away from the village and from my otouto, know that you will have made an enemy in me and you are no comrade to the leaf."
Tsunade made a jerky motion forward that was aborted when Jiraiya grabbed her again in a smooth, practiced motion. She wanted to scream at Hatake as he vanished in a swirl of leaves. She wanted to hit him so that she felt something other than the misery and the need to cry. But the man was just like her and had known pain just like her. Except he was stronger than her. Here she was, the strongest woman alive, and far weaker than that scarecrow who vowed vengeance and murder.
"What the fuck is your problem you stupid, old hag?!"
The name calling seemed to drag her out of her stupor and Tsunade is staring at Namikaze's brat who had appeared directly in front of her.
"Naruto!" She heard sensei choking and that had to be Uchiha Mikoto yelling at the boy.
"All Minato-chan has said about you is good things." Fugaku had appeared next to the blonde and was reaching for his shoulder only for the whiskered brat to shrug it off angrily and start yelling so loudly that Tsunade felt bits of spittle sticking to her bust. "You're supposed to be some amazing fighter, a medic, and a war hero. Some hero! Your family is dead and the first thing you do when you find out one of them is alive is…treat him like trash. That Kakashi-teme is right. You're abandoning your family! You're just a washed up old hag! I hate people like you! You never appreciate what you have! You never think about anyone but yourself!"
'It hurts too much to think about other people. What has love ever afforded me except pain?'
"Naruto-kun." This time Tsunade watched with a feeling of dread mixed with relief as the raging blonde was scooped up into the Uchiha Clan Head's arms. To her surprise, she noticed free flowing tears flowing down the tan face along with snot and other stuff. Nevertheless, the rigid man pressed the crying child's face to his shoulder. "I think it's high time we have a discussion on our Clan's stance on associating with undesirable characters. Sandaime-sama, I'm taking my son home."
"Tou-san." The blonde boy wailed as he was carried from the office. "It's not fair! I hate her! It's not fair!"
"Hokage-sama, our home remains available for Minato-kun." Uchiha Mikoto bowed and turned toward her and raised a fist that shook menacingly. "I may not have your strength physically and I'm not Sannin, but I'm no pushover. Get your shit together or I'll make you wish you had."
Now Tsunade was sitting back in a chair, holding a mug that a worried Shizune had pressed into her numb hands, and ignored the worried looks from the three hovering individuals.
"Shizune-san, it's been a long night. Why don't you take Tonton and go relax?" She watched her sensei lifted a hand to stall the other woman's protests. "I know you care about Tsunade-chan, but you should know that Jiraiya and I would never intentionally cause her additional suffering and we care about her more than even Tsunade realizes."
Instead of making her feel better, the old man's statement compounded her misery and her headache pounded harder in her head. For so many years she had resented this man for sending the ones she loved on missions that they never returned from. And that same man that she cursed so regularly was here defending her.
"Tsunade-sama." Shizune was calling her. If there was one person left that Tsunade didn't want to let down, it was Shizune; she refocused on the slip-of-a-girl that was biting her lip and looking almost hesitant with a hand stretching toward her.
"It's alright, Shizune." It was really far from alright, but Tsunade was better with denial than truths anyway. She bit back the quaver in her voice and felt the skin in her palms tear from her fingernails. "I'll come find you in a little while. Go on."
Go enjoy this place before we leave. Go before we return to wandering from town to town. Go before I remember that you've given up your youth and your life to follow me around because...because I can't let go. And I don't know if I'll ever be ready.
"Do you remember the day your grandfather died?" The knob had barely clicked into place before the question was posed.
"How could I ever forget?" Tsunade replied crossly as she remembered the day her granduncle appeared with a group of faceless shinobi carrying the cold body of a man she loved. "It was the only time I ever saw my grandmother breakdown. She wept at times, but nothing like my grandfather's death."
"You're not wrong." Her sensei sat down next to her and she tensed up slightly before relaxing. "But I remember that day because of what your father said to me."
Against her will, Tsunade found herself curious about her father, Senju Keito. The man had died only a few years after Nawaki was born and her memory of the man was fuzzy at best. It was strange that her a toddler's memory of her laughing grandfather so thoroughly eclipsed a man that shared more meals, more days of early training, and more years with her. Tsunade had not thought about the brown haired, golden eyed man who crumbled when she pouted at him and saved all of his laughter for Nawaki alone. Tsunade remembered being upset when the man died, but her grief had given way to bitterness when she seemed to wear black more and more often and the list of dead Clan members grew until no one else was left. And her father was just another name on a slab of stone.
"I don't remember much of him." Tsunade spoke the words and felt grieved by the truth in them. "I just remember a parade of never-ending funerals. I remember when it was necessary for the Senju to have dozens of homes to accommodate all of our families. And I remember that it seemed each week there was one less person until everything was quiet and there was nothing except empty buildings left."
Jiraiya squeezed her hand next to her but Tsunade watched the craggy lines of sensei's brow pull together. The decline of the Senju was much like the fall of Uzushiogakure. The only difference was that the Uzumaki were wiped out in a single assault and were spared the horrifying, gradual death that claimed the entirety of the surviving Senju population.
"Your father was a skilled shinobi. Though never achieving the fame or success of his parents." Something that she already knew, but did not bother pointing out. "But when I expressed my condolences about Hashirama-sama's death, I'll never forget what your father said to me. And I feel that now is the time for you to hear his words so that you might find comfort in them."
How was she supposed to respond to that? Her father was basically a footnote on her life.
"What did he say?" Jiraiya asked for her. The man was more reliable than anyone and Tsunade silently thanked the man for making the inquiry.
"He told me that I had missed the point entirely." The Sandaime laughed aloud and his lips quirked upward bringing the aged face some renewed vigor. "Keito-san words to me were, 'My father died so that my Tsunade-chan might have a life. So, that our people have a life. I can't be selfish and wish for a different outcome when I know another course of action may cripple the next generation. There more than likely will come a day when I do not return from a mission. I do not fear my end because in death I may save more lives than just my own. My father could have lived, but he chose to believe that his life was not worth the cost of a thousand others. So don't be sorry that my father died, Sarutobi-san. My father died on his own terms and I can promise you he left this life smiling.' Your father's words stuck with me and I've never forgotten them in all these years."
"What good are the words of a dead man?" Tsunade snapped back, feeling like an animal pinned in a corner and not sure how to deal with the legacy of her father that was damning as hell.
"You are still alive, Tsunade."
It struck her like a pail of freezing water and she jolted upright.
Because I'm still alive?
"I know you're suffering, Tsunade. But you're not the only one who has lost people." Tsunade rubbed at her raw eyes with the back of her hand and bit back a sound. "And you have never had to truly be alone. As your mentor, I felt your suffering as if it were my own and felt helpless to ease your hurts. Even when you walked away from us, I supported you. I rationalized it by telling myself that you needed time to heal. But now, I see that I was selfish in allowing you to leave."
"I needed to leave." In fact, she was itching to start running as fast as she could in a direction that was anywhere but where she currently was.
"And that's just it, Tsunade." There was remorse infused in those words and a lone tear fell from the Kami of Shinobi's eye before a mask of iron returned to the man's face and his gaze rocked Tsunade to her very core. There was power there. And there was intent. "I love you like a daughter and I failed you because I let you run away from your pain instead of learning to manage your trauma. Your emotional growth has been stunted by your willfulness and my willingness to turn a blind eye."
"I am the best medic in the world." The sudden urge—no, the need to defend herself surged to the surface. "You think I wouldn't know if something was wrong with me? I assure you, I'm in the best of health and any damage to my liver is mitigated by my own exceptional talents. I'm perfectly fine and— "
"Tsunade." The air was suddenly choked by an influx of killing intent from next to her and her jaw dropped as she jerked around to stare at Jiraiya. Normally her greatest supporter, there was no glimpse of the goofy, pervert in residence today. The man was all business and he radiated danger and threat.
And every bit of it was directed at her.
"I've always been your greatest advocate because I understand what you're going through." Tsunade felt the urge to flee again but was pinned in place like a helpless butterfly. "But enough is enough. Sensei is right. Tsuna, it's time for you to come home."
"I can't." She choked, but it was more alarming to hear that she had not said an outright no. Oh Gods…what if her sensei was right all along? What if she was emotionally stunted?
"You will." Jiraiya sounded fierce and radiated far more authority than Orochimaru ever dreamt of. "And I will stay here for as long as it takes."
"Jiraiya." Sarutobi interjected warningly but Jiraiya batted away the old man's protest like one might swat a fly.
"If you want Tsunade to come home, my spy network can be left unattended for a while." Jiraiya grabbed her by the wrists and dragged her upward which she followed—since she didn't exactly have a choice—only feeling slightly shaky. "Now, we're going to go see that kid that you blew off."
"I can't!" Her fear was back, rearing with the same potency as her fear of blood.
"You can." Jiraiya smirked and she jumped when the man began rubbing circles on the back of her hands. "I know how much your family meant to you. And you have two children of your blood that need you now. Although I'll wager Kushina's brat is going to be a tricky one to mend fences with."
"Little brat called me old." Tsunade lips twitched and her sore eyes burned again and she closed them and watched the parade of fallen shades parade through her mind. "I don't know if my heart is in this, Jiraiya. I've heard what you and sensei have said and I understand, but I just don't think I can be this person you want me to be. I'm not even the person my father would have wanted me to be. She doesn't exist anymore."
"Of course, not." Jiraiya's seriousness again caught her off-guard. "Every experience and every loss remakes us anew into something different. But you're also wrong. You're still Senju Tsunade, you're just an evolved incarnation of her."
"I hope you're not implying anything." Using humor was just another delay tactic. Jiraiya knew it. She knew it. Sensei knew it. The world hated her.
"Never, Hime." Jiraiya's brows waggled suggestively but the lines around the man's mouth remained firm and the hands clasping hers never strayed. "But I'm going to take you out to see that brat and than I'll take you for some sake at one of my favorite haunts."
"I still haven't agreed to anything." Tsunade regained some of herself and straightened.
"But you will." Sarutobi-sensei's words were light and carried a measure of threat that Tsunade understood was all too real. And she felt…relieved. How did that even make sense? "Go see the boy now, but I expect you both back hear to discuss terms of a new agreement before midnight. Senju Minato will remain in the custody of the Uchiha Clan until further notice."
Tsunade made an aggrieved sound and scowled at the look shared between the two conspiring men and folded her arms. So, what if it rankled her a little that her Clan's old enemies were caring for the boy? It didn't mean anything.
"Tsunade, do you regret meeting Dan?"
"How could you ask me such a thing?" Lashing out quickly, she was half-aware of the scramble of ANBU, the movement of Sarutobi, and the delicious groan of wood bending and shattering in a million shards of wood until little remained but splinters.
"Do you?" The old man looked calculatingly at her while she panted and the ANBU retreated with a deliberate show of reluctance, their masked faces boring a hole into her front.
"Of course, not!" Now she was just frustrated, angry, and grieved. "He was the love of my life! I would have died for him! I would have traded places in a heartbeat if I could have!"
"Would Dan recognize you?"
She jerked backward as if slapped.
"You're blackmailing me." The fight drained from her and she could already picture the disappointed look on Dan's face if he could see her now.
"No, Tsunade." The Sandaime frowned. "I'm reminding you that someone you esteemed above all others would want you to be happy."
"Jiraiya…let's just go get this farce over with." Tsunade glared at the floor. "Hatake is going to try and off me."
"That kid is all bark and no bite." Jiraiya dismissed her concerns far too casually considering the amount of killing intent that kid had projected.
"Isn't he one of the village's top assassination experts?"
"Relax!" Some of Jiraiya's infectious bravado leeched into his mood and the man moved with a bit of swagger in his steps. "You're one of the Sannin! You could knock him down with a single flick of your beautiful fingers."
It was poorly executed, cheesy, and definitely should not have made her feel better: except it did. Already Tsunade could feel her spirits lift.
"I am one of the Sannin."
I am one of the Sannin. My comrades and I levelled battlefields and obliterated battalions. And maybe, just maybe, Sarutobi-sensei was not wrong about everything. All I've ever done is run away from the fear of my past and the memories I have. Dan may see a physical resemblance, but he would not recognize the bitter, old woman I've become. Kushina's son might have been on to something. I really have been behaving like an old woman.
I won't survive another loss…but maybe it's time to try again.
Before Tsunade had time to mull the matter over, Jiraiya had slipped his arm around her and away they went with a whoosh of chakra. Instantly she blinked as her eyes automatically began adjusting to moonlight instead of artificial office light and it took all of two seconds to recognize the wind currents, lack of immediate buildings, and the view. It would have to be her grandfather's effigy they landed on.
And a credit to Jiraiya's prowess as a spymaster, Tsunade only had to turn around to see the monuments other occupants. Senju Minato was curled up in the Hatake boy's arms looking drowsy, but curious. Hatake Kakashi looked uncomfortable and refrained from offering a greeting, but instead kept his eyes trained on where she stood like an overprotective guard dog. Beyond the little duo, the youngest Uchiha was engaged with a snit with his own brother and there was some furious whispering going on that Tsunade was thankful she could not here.
This was not going to be easy. And she had never had the best rapport with children. What was she even doing here?
If only I could disappear without hating myself more than I already do…
"Look kid," She glanced around helplessly, finding only reserved observation in the older Uchiha children, utter murder in the youngest, and a neutral but analytical look on Minato's face that reminded her entirely too much of Tobirama-oji. How did people start conversations like these anyways? And apologies were…by policy, something she never gave out. Ever.
What am I supposed to say? If Dan were here…he would know what to do. Even Orochimaru would be more help than that useless pervert I'm saddled with. And why in the hell did I even agree to do this?! Oh right, I didn't!
Apparently brooding had its benefits because a second later, she felt a hand tug one of her own sharply and she stared down at the Senju child staring up at her with such compassion that Tsunade felt worse than when she had arrived.
"I know you're sorry." The child spoke gently her body betrayed her with yet another fit of trembling; truly, Tsunade loathed herself for her weaknesses more than anyone else possibly could. She needed to get out of here. "And I can tell you're probably afraid and this is all probably a lot to take in. And that's okay. I forgive you and…when you're ready, we can get to know each other. Okay?"
And finally, the voice in her head finally went blessedly silent. And the absence brought with it a dose of clarity that had been missing for the entirety of the evening.
A second later, a set of arms wrapped around her upper thighs in a gesture entirely platonic and full of life. With a sob and a returning headache, Tsunade dropped down and hugged the tiny boy for all she was worth. This was what sensei had been talking about. There was a rush of euphoria and a moment where her sorrows—while not forgotten—were lessened and her heart beat and she felt something that was warmth tempered with bittersweet memory.
This boy was something she had lost and finding it again was the most painful thing in the world. Because rediscovering who she was felt like agony, loss, and tremulous joy.
Minato returned her embrace and didn't complain even though he must have had difficulty breathing from how tightly she was holding him. It seemed impossible to let go though and Tsunade cried from a feeling of overwhelming relief.
"It's okay to cry." That small voice said in her ear. "Coming home is pretty amazing, isn't it?"
How could someone so small understand so much? Tsunade held the boy tighter and let the tears fall. This time, instead of a profound sorrow, she felt like she was healing the places even her greatest medical techniques had failed to reach.
Father, I'm ready to try again. I think…one more time. I can try one more time.
Jiraiya needed a drink followed by a high-stress afternoon of peeking to calm his aching nerves. This rollercoaster ride of highs and lows was becoming far too much of a strain.
Tsunade had reconciled with her newest family member and that had been a humbling moment when it felt like mortality was held at bay by a flesh and blood miracle. There was a moment when the little tyke looked a few shades away from suffocation in Tsunade's bosom, and oh what a beautiful death that would be! Despite the mystery surrounding Senju Minato, Jiraiya would be forever thankful to the boy for existing because of what the boy had done for the woman he loved. Jiraiya had witnessed Tsunade's entire being transform when that child wrapped his skinny arms around her. Golden brown eyes had suddenly flooded with the bewitching wonder of a mother gazing upon her first child and succumbing to that unconditional terms of love.
Jiraiya knew this was just the first step. Tsunade had a long way to go before she would be alright again, but she could see that spark that had been missing from Hime's eyes. Things were looking up!
Jiraiya was no fool contrary to the persona he wore in front of the majority of the populace. Sensei would be assigning Tsunade to someone with mental health experience. No doubt one of the more talented members of the Yamanaka or god help them, a Nara mental health professional. Obviously getting Tsunade to attend these meetings would be a real bitch, but Jiraiya had some ideas. And if all else failed, Tsunade never had been able to resist a good bet.
Either way, decades of drinking and addiction were going to be there own challenge on top of problems that had been with the woman since birth. The next several weeks were not going to be enjoyable for Jiraiya. Or sensei. Or the poor sod they assigned as Tsunade's therapist.
And yet…glancing over to where Hatake Kakashi was standing next to the Uchiha boys—the youngest looking like he had swallowed a lemon, Jiraiya felt another battlefront had been overlooked. Or perhaps it would be more apt to assume that another battle had been created. Because he might not know Kakashi the way he had known Sakumo, but Jiraiya knew that face.
Therapy was going to be easy marbles, the greatest hurdle that Hime had was going to be Hatake Kakashi.
Sidling over to where the group was standing, Jiraiya waved a gauntleted hand to the group. The Uchiha brat huffed and tried to look tough and ignore his presence altogether.
"Jiraiya-sama." The formality came from the Uchiha heir and was impossibly polite but even Jiraiya could not get a good read on the boy.
"I'm surprised you guys didn't head on home." Jiraiya rubbed the back of his head. "Pretty sure your parents took Naruto home with them. I'm surprised you guys didn't follow suit."
The older boy scoffed and folded his arms in almost a mirrored pose of the younger boy.
"Sasuke-chan was worried."
"With good reason." The small Uchiha snapped again and glared unforgivingly at Tsunade's back where the pair were still hugging and exchanging a few words.
"I'm proud of my otouto's care for his friends." Uchiha Itachi spoke without any inflection clinging to his voice and Jiraiya pondered whether it would be wise to try and borrow the Uchiha for reconnaissance work. With a little polish and corrupting influence that kid would be gold. "But Sasuke needs to remember that reality is rarely so simple. We must look beyond the obvious fallacies if— "
"Itachi, Sasuke is almost five, but that means he only thinks like a five-year old and isn't all ancient and mysterious like you." The older Uchiha actually quirked a grin and Jiraiya's brows surged upward. "That also means he is supposed to be bratty."
Jiraiya watched the Uchiha squirt try and assault the Uchiha teen only for the small boy to end up in a headlock. Chuckling softly, he turned again to the look on Kakashi's face. The resentment did not seem quite so strong but there was definitely backbone in that kid.
"What are you planning?" He deliberately kept his voice hushed to prevent the words from carrying to where Tsunade stood.
"Hmm, I wonder about that." Kakashi murmured mysteriously. "Shisui."
The boy snapped to sudden attention, hefting a wriggling Sasuke upright with him, and Jiraiya wondered if ANBU had snapped the boy up already. It was hardly unheard of, but the age was rare in Konoha.
"Yes?"
"I have something I need to do. Make sure Minato gets back to the Uchiha Compound safely."
"We will." The answer came from the smallest Uchiha and that seemed to give the Hatake pause. The masked man walked over and ruffled Sasuke's hair with one hand.
"Thank you, Sasuke."
With that, Hatake Kakashi vanished from sight and Jiraiya was left pondering the cryptic exchange. His information was too incomplete to form any conclusions, but there was one thing that Jiraiya was absolutely certain of.
Hatake Kakashi was going to be trouble.
Kakashi watched his little brother snuggle more firmly his pillow with one arm flung around the plush dog. Naruto was drooling on his stuffed toad and only grunted when Sasuke rolled over, taking Naruto's pillow with him. Another, smaller futon in the corner held a sleeping Itachi. Uchiha Shisui was perched in the window staring out at the stars restlessly. From time to time the teenager's brow would scrunch up and he would search the rooftops, but Kakashi was not an ANBU captain for nothing and a suspicious Shisui had nothing on Kakashi when he didn't want to be noticed.
After a moment, he retreated from his position and leapt across the rooftops methodically toward the Eastern side of the village. Despite not coming this way in years, Kakashi's feet instinctively remembered the childhood paths and it took hardly anytime for him to drop down onto the dilapidated porch that sunk tellingly beneath his weight from water damage.
Without a sound, Kakashi dismantled the seal warding that flickered for the briefest of moments before fading away with barely a spark. It seemed the chakra in the sealing matrix was all but useless after so many years without upkeep.
Kakashi longed to put his ANBU mask on, but the sooner he confronted his fears the quicker this would be over. The door opened with a squeak and the light stretched indoors to showcase dusty floors and the glow of beady red eyes that quickly scurried out of sight. The indoors were little better with drops of moisture falling from a roof that had seen better days. The windows appeared to have lost their shutters some years prior and the furniture reeked of mildew.
Kakashi ignored all of this and walked down the hallway, ignoring sagging floorboards, and pushed open the door to his father's bedroom. The room itself had the basic furnishings but was devoid of any personal items that Kakashi himself had removed before sealing the place up and leaving all those years ago. Thankfully the stench of death had long since departed and even the stains had been scrubbed away, but Kakashi fell to his knees in the exact spot he had done so the last time he set foot in the Hatake Clan Compound.
"Tou-san, it's been a long time." Kakashi closed his eyes, lost in thought. "I've been bitter about your death for a long time. I had convinced myself I hated you, but that was never the problem. The problem was that I loved you so much that I had trouble understanding how you could choose your comrades over the mission, but you couldn't choose me over the villager's hate. But I think I understand now."
Reaching out, Kakashi touched the spot where his father's head had rested for the final time. Just barely noticeable, wedged in a crack in the floor was a silver, wiry hair. Plucking it, he lifted it to his masked nose and breathed in a scent that wasn't and imagined his father's face before the world had turned on him.
"I love you, tou-san." Kakashi let the single hair fall back to the floor. "And I forgive you."
Kakashi stood slowly and retreated from his father's old room. The ends of his nose quivered as a minty scent infiltrated the outskirts of the home and Kakashi slipped outside into the cover of darkness where a masked companion stood stiff and looked incredibly uncomfortable.
"Taichou!" The man offered a snappy salute and shifted cagily. Kakashi felt a rare smile form on his face. No doubt his kohai anticipated some sort of evening exercise or training scenario. It would not be out of character for Kakashi to make such a demand.
"Remove your mask, you won't need it." Kakashi ordered.
Tentatively, an overly place face framed by spiky brown bangs peered back at him. Truthfully Kakashi was starting to think he was going to have to order the other man to spend a little more time in the sun in order to prevent Tenzo turning into a wraith.
"Tenzo, I've asked you here for a mission that only you are capable of undertaking." Kakashi chose his words with care and was pleased when the armored man relaxed and all semblance of anxiety bled out of the man's larger frame.
"Your orders?" Definitely more at ease now that he was under the impression he would be sent on some A to S-rank mission that they inevitably always performed together. Countless near death experiences tended to bring people closer together after all.
"The mission is urgent and requires your complete attention." Kakashi actually found himself almost giddy with enjoyment. It had been quite a while since he felt so light. "Are you prepared?"
"I'm prepared, Taichou. What are my orders?" Tenzo was such a rigid man. Not that Kakashi really had room to talk, but the man really needed to lighten up a little.
"Your mission is to repair this residence to the best of your ability." Okay, he might be getting off on the stupefied look on Tenzo's face. Maybe he needed to mess with the man more often. You know, in the spirit of team work. Obito would probably have approved. "Or just demolish it and build a new one from scratch. Whatever you think works best."
"My mission is to build a new house?" Tenzo did not bother hiding his dubious expression.
There was no way he could blame the man for looking doubtful.
"When have you ever known me to make jokes?" Kakashi asked seriously, but really, he was feeling more light the longer this continued. "But make sure you do your best work. After all, your Taichou deserves a nice place to put up his feet."
"Wait, this is your house?" Tenzo asked, looking around with a disappointed look on his face. "This place is such a dump!"
"It tends to happen when you haven't been around in over ten years." Kakashi scratched the edge of his masked face. "But you see now why only you can handle this mission. Of all my comrades, I feel you are the only person I can trust with building a home for my younger brother."
If Kakashi were not familiar with Tenzo's micro-expressions, he might have missed the cheeks soften a hair and the creepiness slip away from the expressionless eyes before the man crossed his arms and glowered his direction.
"And I'm sure my Mokuton had nothing to do with that?" Tenzo looked so suspicious and it was funny because of how justified it really was.
"Well, it was you or Gai and while I'm sure Gai would have agreed— "
"Right, say no more." Tenzo's mood drooped along with his face before the man clapped his hands together and gestured to the moss-covered roof. "This place is a mess, sempai. It might be better to bury it with a few doton jutsus."
"Do whatever it takes." Kakashi turned away from his residence of birth and clapped Tenzo on the shoulder, causing the man to shriek in a high-pitched way reminiscent of yowling cats. Kakashi grimaced and contemplated how best to punish the man's feline behavior. "And Tenzo, don't forget to furnish the place! What is a house without furniture?"
"Furnishings!" Tenzo shrieked.
Kakashi bounded over the property fence and waved jauntily. "I told you this was a mission only you could handle. Don't let me down!"
Kakashi walked away having said his goodbyes and thinking about the resignation paperwork he would have to start piecing together if he was going to go through with his plan. Tsunade was a wildcard at this juncture and he could not afford to rely on her, but her choices were of little consequence to him. Kakashi needed to get out of ANBU if he wanted any chance of being involved in Minato's upbringing.
And if that went well, then perhaps he could have some sort of relationship with Naruto too. And maybe than, when he eventually passed on, he could meet Rin, Obito, and his sensei with a clear conscience.
Just outside Suna…
Waves of sand rose and fell in a constantly moving ocean of golden particles. Dunes rose and fell with unnatural swiftness until the entire surrounding area was nothing except a sea of bubbling sand. No surface remained placid; the wind breathed gritty granules into the air and the arid terrain made drawing oxygen into the lungs a trying task for the hardiest desert dweller. This was particularly true for the heaving child running from the maws of desert sand that threatened to swallow the small boy if he stopped his perilous journey up and down the changing landscape.
'Faster!'
Gaara picked up the pace and ignored the strain in his muscles, dodged slithering tails of hardened sand that licked at his sandaled heels, and desperately gulped in another lungful of air.
'Pathetic!' Gaara panted and upped his movements, even if he barely scampered aside when the sand beneath his feet gave way.
Running was a new thing. Really all of this was new. But Gaara was not going to disappoint his new friend. With a bit of renewed vigor and no small amount of luck, he flipped over the next slithery wave of sand and landed with only a tiny wobble and shot forward.
'That's more like it!' The voice within him crowed triumphantly and Gaara warmed inside. Around him, the sand's motions subsided and reverted to stillness and the sweating boy raced over to the container of water.
'So, do you think I'm getting better?' Gaara was eager and hopeful. Shukaku-sama was hard to please, but at least Gaara could please him. No one else wanted anything to do with him except Yashamaru and the man was rarely around anyway.
'Don't go thinking you're all tough now.' Shukaku's chortled in his ear and Gaara's heart sank. 'But compared to the rest of these weaklings, you're alright.'
Gaara smiled broadly and greedily guzzled the remainder of the first thermos of water. The cool liquid was heaven on his parched throat.
'Thank you, Shukaku.' Gaara responded shyly.
'It's gonna take a lot more work, but we are going to be the nastiest, baddest duo around! When I'm done training you, we are going to crush anyone who tries to kill us into tiny pieces and than we'll show that damn fox and his container exactly who the top bijuu is! Kehehehe!"
'What fox?'
'That pesky older brother of mine.' Shukaku's laughter bounced through his ears with potent ferocity causing the redhead to wince. Still, he was far from complaining since the creepy whisperings had vanished nearly a month ago, leaving his mind quiet for the first time in his life. When Gaara had heard Shukaku's voice again last week, he had not expected the ferocious command to start training and the beginning of regular, cordial discussions. Gaara liked it better than being alone. Anything was better than that.
'Oh.' Gaara mulled it over. 'My aniki is afraid of me.'
'Ooh good idea…we'll make that fox afraid of us!'
Gaara sighed. Sometimes communication with his companion was difficult and sometimes he suspected that Shukaku misunderstood what he was trying to say. But Gaara did not mind too much since the voice had acknowledged him and treated him better than other people did.
'Ugh…I smell that rotten man again.' Shukaku complained.
"Gaara, come here." The command came and the redhead turned and blinked at his father who was attired in his robes of office, though the hat was missing. Not particularly wanting to, he turned and grudgingly made his way toward the man. The sand at his feet rustled wearily and he wondered if this…was the moment when the other man tried to end his existence: again.
"Yashamaru tells me that you've been sleeping."
Gaara nodded curtly and tugged the hem of his shirt.
"Explain how this is possible."
Gaara frowned and debated before finally answering. "Shukaku told me my chakra reserves and training would be hampered by lack of rest…so now I sleep."
Mostly he slept during the day and trained after nightfall to avoid the constant glares, but this proved difficult at times.
"You're controlling the beast?" There was something unreadable that Gaara had difficulty defining in his father's visage.
'Ha. What a raving loon.' Shukaku chirped. 'As if you could control my power without my help.'
"No." Gaara puzzled out exactly how he should describe his relationship with the oversized raccoon before deciding that only one term fit with all of his evidence. "Shukaku is my friend now. We're working together."
Gaara was not quite sure how to react when his father choked and made a face like a fish and Shukaku chortled in a bizarre manner.
Gaara didn't care though. Shukaku was odd, but Shukaku was his first friend.
AN: To anyone who reviewed that I didn't get back to, sorry about that! I worked hard to get this done so if you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a comment. I love you guys!
So...I'm open to criticism but please be kind. I hope no one outright hates what I did with Tsunade this chapter. I tried to keep it realistic and I felt this was true to her situation and hopefully believable. Anyway, I'm a little nervous about this chapter so please be nice?
Also! The amazingly talented Samsara has made an amazing picture to go along with this story. I hope you go take a look and enjoy it as much as I did! art/By-The-Will-of-Fire-657634497