Kushina's eyes popped open. Facing the window, she could see it was probably well past midday. It was hard to tell here, in Konoha. The weather was radically different from what she had experienced all her life in the Whirlpool country. She sat up and got out of bed, going to the closet where they had some clothes stored in her size.

Her room here was simple, but it was all she needed. A bed, a closet, a mirror, a washbasin, and a balcony. The balcony gave her a decent view of a good part of Konoha, and she had been overwhelmed by its sheer size. The Whirlpool village was nowhere near this big, and it definitely did not have entire hotels devoted to housing refugees and allied ninja.

"How are you feeling?"

Kushina spun at the sound of a woman's voice. She came face to face with one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. She backed up, stammering apologies and introducing herself.

"Kushina. Such a beautiful name. How old are you Kushina?"

"I'm...17 ma'am. May I ask what you're doing in my bedroom?"

"Allow me to introduce myself first if I may. I am Tsunade. You're pretty jumpy this morning? I'm guessing it's all that fighting you did yesterday. Well, don't worry; you won't be doing any fighting for awhile. We've scored a great victory in the Kirigakure."

"A victory? You mean....we won? How is that even possible? Everyone was dead!" Kushina shouted, and then fell quiet; surprised she had gotten so emphatic. Tsunade showed no surprise though.

"Not everyone was dead. We managed to defeat most of the Kirigakure ninja but we couldn't take the center of the village. Without Whirlpool and Sand village support, we didn't have enough shinobi." Tsunade said with a serious look.

"I see....wait....what do you mean without Whirlpool support? Are you saying.....that there are no Whirlpool shinobi left?" Kushina asked, expecting the worst and preparing for it.

"I'm afraid that I don't quite know. No one does. There were three known squads of shinobi from Whirlpool left during the battle that we had contact with. We lost contact with two of them. The other was your squad. You are the only survivor of that squad at the moment. We located the bodies of three other Chuunin in your squad, but couldn't find your team leader. There is still a chance he, along with the other two squads, may be alive." Tsunade said gravely, putting a hand on Kushina's shoulder.

"Then we have to look for them! We can't just leave them to die! The mist ninja will tear them apart!"

"Relax Kushina...we are looking for them. So far we haven't been successful. The fog is hampering our communications, so our search parties can't get too far out. If we can't make it to the village center, we can't capture the Mizukage and stop the fog." Tsunade said.

"I see....so what am I going to do? Konoha is no place for me. I don't know anyone here." Kushina insisted.

"You'll be fine. You'll fit right in. You're a pretty, charming 17 year old girl. You'll make friends. Besides, we need you here. You may be the last surviving Whirlpool shinobi. Your village will not die out if Konoha has anything to say about it. So please...be comfortable here Kushina." Tsunade said, giving her an easy smile. Kushina returned the smile.

"Thank you Tsunade. Please, give me any word if you here about the missing Whirlpool shinobi." Kushina said.

"Of course I will. You should rest now, you had a hard time out there. Or you could explore the village. There are tons of things to do you know. I have to be going. There are many wounded shinobi who need my assistance." Tsunade said as she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kushina sighed and sat down on her bed. She let it sink in. She let sink in the fact that all of the friends she had made over the years were probably now dead. She thought of April. April, dead because of her. But what exactly had happened to her? Maybe she could find out if she asked some of those ANBU that she came here with. But they seemed so quiet, only speaking when necessary.

She was cast out of her dark thoughts by the sudden feeling of curiosity. What exactly was Konoha like? She had heard stories in her own village, before it collapsed, but now she had a chance to experience it firsthand. She smiled and turned to her mirror. Her long red hair was sort of messy, but nothing she couldn't handle. She had changed out of her worn ninja clothing the night she had arrived, donning a simple dress that she could sleep in.

Opening her closet, she picked out an outfit. It was a little too form fitting and brought out certain areas of her body a bit too much, but she didn't mind. She tidied up her hair and looked herself over one more time. Chuckling and giving herself a thumbs up she leapt onto the balcony and let herself fall into the lobby area of the hotel.

Konoha was booming this time of day, and as she continued deeper into the center of the city the crowds grew thicker. She saw few ninja in the crowd, and those that she did see were of low rank. Of course....most of the ANBU and jounin are fighting in the war right now.

She wondered where the Hokage was. No doubt in the central government building. Her interest was piqued. She would love to see a Kage. She had only seen one in her entire life, from the Rain village. But she was very small at the time and she could barely remember. All she remembered was the amazing feeling that his chakra had. It was like none she had ever felt before.

She headed to the central government building, leaping up onto the rooftops to get a better view of its location. She almost gasped as her eyes fell on a one of the biggest things she had ever seen. This must be the Hokage monument.

Three giant faces carved into the side of the mountain that guarded one possible route into Konoha. She ripped her eyes away from it, for fear of losing track of time while staring at its splendor. She headed toward the center of the village.

Finally, she found herself at the entrance to the building. It was a round, light red structure with a few guards clustered around it. Chuunin and Jounin on patrol eyed her warily. Of course, she was an outsider, no matter how much Tsunade seemed to make her feel at home. Home. Nothing will ever seem like home again.

The huge iron double doors squeaked on their hinges and the sound of shouting from the inside caught her attention. She saw someone come through the double doors and almost gasped. His yellow hair caught the sun and made him stand out to her instantly. It's him.