Tsunade-sama had taught me of the basics in two years. I was quite good at it. She had said I was a natural. Shadow clone, replacement jutsu, and most importantly chakra control. Tsunade-sama had said perfect chakra control was vital for medical ninjutsu.
I was in by the forest practicing all the jutsu Tsunade had taught me—transform, shadow clone, replacement, shuriken and kunai throwing (though it's not a jutsu) and combat. I usually tried to speed up my training by doing more than one at a time; clones would throw shurikens at me while I tried to use the replacement jutsu. It all worked out fine—'til I got cut in the leg. I didn't want to let Tsunade-sama see this, so I just put ointment on it and wrapped it with a bandage. When I was finished training for 2 hours straight, I went back.
I then came back to the hotel, covered in dirt and minor scratches on my face. "Hehe, hi, Tsunade-sama!" I waved at her while she was in the kitchen. "My god, what did you do to yourself?"
I laughed. "I overdid it. Sorry, heh." Tsunade smiled and put her hands to her hips. "Well then, go clean up, you smell of dirt and grass."
"Hai!" I ran to the bathroom to clean up. Before I did anything else, I washed my injured foot. While washing, Tsunade snuck up behind me. "Now are you trying to hide your injuries from me?" I was startled and leaped back while Tsunade caught me.
"Sorry, Tsunade-sama, I didn't want your hemaphobia to rattle up again."
"Hema—what?" Tsunade looked at me like some weirdo. "I leave you at the library too long, haha." She took her hands and sealed the cut. I guess she didn't shake this time, for I had washed all the blood away.
"Now, Shizune don't ever be afraid to tell me when your hurt, okay?"
"But what about—"
"You matter more than my fears, so you just tell me whenever, you hear?" I nodded.
After I had cleaned up, Tsunade sat on the couch and gestured me to come, too. I walked over and sat beside her as I saw Tsunade hold a pair of scissors. "Time for a haircut." I turned over so that my back was facing her. "Okay, but why? Doesn't long hair indicate great respect?" Tsunade began to cut. "Shizune, you're a loving kind child. Of course you'd be a respectable person. But I just know you're too respectable. Respect doesn't lay the hair." Tsunade said, proving her wisdom. I glanced up at her as she cut my hair. It soon went from down to my elbow to up to the back of my neck. "So Tsunade-sama, why don't you ever cut your hair."
"I do." She said as she continued to cut.
"Your hair doesn't look short."
"I don't look good with hair up to my neck, do I?"
I glanced up at her once more and stared. "Nope!" I giggled.
----
I came back to the hotel cleaner than the previous day, but with a vicious thirst. There was a small cup of what seemed to be water, and Tsunade-sama wasn't here, so I took a sip. But when I was about to a voice snuck up on me again. "That's not water!" I was startled again and stumbled back, leaving the cup of "water" on the table. Tsunade-sama helped me up and collected the cup and emptied it. "That would have been a mess."
"…?"
"That was sake. Not water."
"Sake…?"
Tsunade-sama sighed. "Oy. It's an alcoholic drink. Not something for pretty girls to be drinking." She said as she patted my head. "You're pretty and you drink it." I joked. Not about the pretty part, though. She was. A fool would say she wasn't. "Very funny," Tsunade-sama smirked. It's time I knew about the world and it's contents. Starting with alcohol apparently.
Tsunade sat down then stood again after a while. "Come on let's go."
"Go where?" I asked curiously.
"You're growing out of your clothes. It's time you got new ones. I'm tired of laundry, haha." Tsunade-sama always was lazy. "I doubt you'll run into one of those bastards again, but if you do, you now know to fight back."
I remained quiet. That moment 2 years ago still stung me. I acquired a fear of the dark since then, but I would usually put logic into my head and say that no one would dare to come by me if I were with Tsunade-sama.
We left the hotel and went for the markets. They were having a sale on Kimono.
"Haha, no wonder you picked today to shop, eh, Tsunade-sama?" I giggled.
"I can't help trying to save of what's left of our money." She said.
She selected a few plain kimonos and held them to my torso to see how they'd look at me. The designed kimonos were too expensive for us, even if on sale. The ones she picked were pink and green. Neither looked good on me. In my opinion, though. I looked down the hangers and there came one that caught my eye. It wasn't the prettiest or brightest, but I always liked dark blue. It was a very dark blue, and it's collar and sash was a light yellow. I took it from the hanger and held it to Tsunade-sama.
"How bout this one?" I asked. She held it to me again and said, "I guess it would look nice on you. Go to the fitting rooms."
I ran to the fitting rooms with the kimono in my arms. After a while I came out, practically sparkling in my new kimono. I ran over to Tsunade-sama. "You look cute, let's get it." She said. She paid the cashier 500 ryo (original price 1000) and I skedaddled off wiggling around in my new outfit. "I love it love it love it!" I was immature and hyper again. I always did so when excited.
"Hush down people will stare," Tsunade laughed.
My stomach grumbled. So did hers. We laughed and went off to a restaurant. I ordered sweet dumplings while Tsunade-sama ordered sake (as usual) and a plate of sushi.
After we had finished we found that it was raining.
"The weather changing this fast?" I pondered.
Tsunade-sama put her hand over her head. "Awh, I didn't bring anything to keep us dry." She then went back inside the shop and asked for any spare umbrellas, of which she would return the next day, while I was outside catching little water drops in my hands. Tsunade then returned with two umbrellas; one small for me, of course, and another bigger one for her. The water padded and splashed with each step, and I tried to soften my steps to avoid my socks getting wet. As we passed a few buildings, we passed a farm. A man was yelling furiously as he was kicking a pig out of the barn. He also tossed a small figure at the pig—it's child. The piglet did not get hurt, for it fell on its mother.
"Scum…" Tsunade-sama angrily said as we passed by. As the farmer went back in the barn and we were sure we wouldn't come back out, Tsunade quickly gestured me to follow her to tend to the thrown out animals. The mother pig was bleeding around the stomach as its piglet was weeping around it. Tsunade-sama gave her umbrella for me to hold. She shook but still attempted to heal the pig. Unfortunately, she was, too late.
"It's passed." Tsunade-sama sighed. "Such low lives…" She murmured. I was pretty angry too. My grip tightened on my umbrella. I stared at the little piglet, weeping for it's passed mother.
The piglet reminded me of me when Tsunade-sama and I first left the village. It made me tear up. I was lucky though. Someone had taken me as her own. But the piglet didn't.
"Tsunade-sama…?" I looked up at her as she stood back up. She looked back. "Mmhmm?" She said as she took back her umbrella.
"Since the piglet has no home now, and surely the man won't accept it back, may we keep it…? Please?" I begged as I shaded the piglet with my umbrella. Tsunade-sama stared at the piglet as she stood silent, thinking, I guess.
"Please?" I said once more. "It would be awfully sad to leave it here, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade stood quiet again for a few moments more, and finally picked up the frightened little piglet. "I guess we're taking you home, little one."
I leaped of joy once again and ran straight to the hotel. Tsunade laughed and followed with the piglet curled up in her arms.
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We set aside our wet umbrellas by the door. Tsunade-sama went to the kitchen to dry off the wet piglet. When she finished she sat on the couch holding the piglet in front of her. I sat with her. Tsunade smiled. "Let's see… now what that we call you, little one?"
"Oiink!" it happily responded.
"Oh, I'm not that poorly-creative." Tsunade chuckled. She looked over to me. "Do you have an idea for what we should call this fellow?" I shook my head. I wasn't much of a namer.
Tsunade had it. "I know."
I glanced up her as she had a smile on her face. She let out a happy sigh. "We'll name you, Tonton."