Chapter 8—Dreams
Tsunade stood alone in Konoha once again. It was night, very late or early morning, and all the houses were dark and quiet. She stood before the Hokage's Residence, staring up at the mountain behind it. The shadow of the faces immortalized there seemed to press upon her with the weight of the very rock that formed them. She tried to look away but her eyes were drawn to the Third Hokage's face against her will. As she stared, the stone eyes shifted, grinding against their rigid sockets, dust pouring from them like blood as they moved to fix on her. Terrified but still unable to look away, Tsunade fell to her knees and tried to cover her face, but her arms would not respond. Finally her gaze was released and she looked down at her unmoving limbs. Her arms were dead and cold, discolored as Orochimaru's had been when he first approached her some three years ago – as though the Third had bound Tsunade as well with his death. Shaking violently, she collapsed onto the ground and screamed.
"Tsunade,"
There was a warm touch on her shoulder. Her arms had life again and she was covering her face, curled up on the base of the black stone war memorial. She sat up slowly and saw Jiraiya kneeling beside her, his hand on her shoulder. Orochimaru was there as well, standing beside him with a wry smirk on his face.
"Really, Tsunade, get a hold of yourself," he said.
She tried to speak but though her lips moved, there was no sound. Jiraiya stood and he and Orochimaru began to walk away from her, each in a different direction.
"Wait," she said, but her voice still did not come and her friends were already disappearing. She scrambled to her feet and ran after them but something caught her ankle and she fell. When she looked up, Jiraiya and Orochimaru were gone. She looked back at the memorial stone. A chain ran from its base and was locked around her ankle. Tsunade reached for it but a red light reflected off of the metal and caught her eye. She looked up at the glossy black surface of the monument. There, in burning lettering, she saw the names of her little brother and Dan. The letters blurred behind her tears, but the light of the manifested Will of Fire only burned brighter until she felt its heat on her face, and the flames crept down from the stone to engulf her…
[X]
Tsunade woke with a start. Her hands were shaking with the buzz of chakra, her body responding to what her mind had concocted. The dream slipped away from her almost immediately, leaving her with only a vague feeling of unease.
Across the room, Orochimaru was resting quietly. She watched him for a short while. Watched his breathing. He slept soundly – more soundly than she would have thought possible knowing the condition his body was in.
He can't last much longer this way, she thought.
Tsunade sighed and got to her feet, feeling stiff and not at all well-rested. She was grateful that they had a bit of a run ahead of them to wake her up before the real trouble started. She walked over to Orochimaru and knelt to wake him but he sat up on his own before she could touch him.
"I'll never understand why you insist on wearing those ridiculous shoes," he said. "They make far too much noise. It's impractical."
"Well excuse me," Tsunade sneered. "Now get up. It's time." She headed for the door. "Let's go."