Behind the Mask
Rated: T for language and violence
Disclaimer: Naruto characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto
Summary: We all wear masks. But that only makes it harder to tell the difference between truth and lies.

Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I had meant to post this earlier in celebration of the good weather, and then life got in the way again T.T

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as much as the last. Reviews would be appreciated.

017: 婚礼
(wedding)

The path to Tsunade's estate had been previously shoveled clean of snow in the early hours just before dawn so that the wedding procession wouldn't dirty their shoes with slushy snow. Not that Sasuke had to worry about stepping on dirty snow anyway. The Uchiha heir sat with his head held high in a beautiful teak sedan that was being carried on the shoulders of four servants.

The morning sun, which by now had risen relatively high in the sky, illuminated off of Sasuke's pearly white skin. He used his hand to shield his eyes from the sun as they moved closer to Tsunade's estate. Behind him was a procession of servants, Hyuuga clan members and members of the Peking Police Force who had been invited by Itachi. Umino Iruka himself walked among the procession in his best uniform, black armband gleaming around his arm as he banged on a small drum.

Firecracker wrappings rippled in the wind and villagers emerged from their homes to see the procession pass by, carrying Chinese lanterns, banners and some playing small drums or gongs. They cheered and offered wishes of good luck toward Sasuke which he acknowledged with a barely perceptible nod of his head.

Beside him, Hyuuga Neji's four year old son sat beside him as the good luck son. He cheered every time a firecracker went off or he caught a glimpse of the dancing lion behind them. He waved eagerly to the villagers, standing up which caused the sedan to rock off balance. More than once, an irritated Sasuke had to pull him back down to the seat by his pants.

"If you do that one more time, I won't be so delicate." Sasuke said threateningly to the Hyuuga boy.

The boy pouted and crossed his arms. He stared at Sasuke with his white eyes. "Are we there yet? I'm getting bored."

Sasuke stared at the boy incredulously. "How can you be bored?" He hissed. "You cheer and stand up every time you see or hear something. I was under the impression you were having fun." Said Sasuke, a dark look in his eyes.

The boy pouted some more. "You're mean. I don't like you." And with that he turned away from Sasuke.

Sasuke shrugged. If he ever had a child that was like that, Sasuke would be sure to leave the boy with his mother.

Asuka struggled to open her eyes and it felt like she was lifting weights. With tremendous effort, she finally managed to open them and take in her surroundings. She was in a bedroom, an ornate one to say the least, but devoid of human possessions. A guest bedroom she surmised. There was a charcoal brazier placed next to the bed that was emitting a constant heat. The open window showed that it was morning. How long had she been out?

Asuka strained to get up, and found that it was quite an effort; especially her stomach muscles which seriously ached. Eventually, she managed it and leaned against the wall that the bed was against. She could feel she was starting to sweat from the exertion. There were piles of thick blankets covering her, showing that her guest, whoever they were, cared about her well-being. As she tried to lift her hand, however, she found her wrists were bound together with thick rope. Struggling, she tried to undo them.

"I wouldn't try it."

Startled, Asuka looked to the doorway to see a tall man with silver hair leaning casually against the door frame, his arms crossed against his chest. A porcelain shinobi mask covered his face. A grimace contorted Asuka's mouth. She hadn't been able to hear nor sense him coming.

"Who the hell are you?" Asuka spat, quickly covering her discomfort. "Why am I tied up?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow under his mask. "You don't remember?"

Asuka grit her teeth. She didn't want to give her captor the satisfaction of saying she didn't but the blank void in her memories wasn't really giving her any options. She felt exposed and being in public without her mask made her feel fidgety. It was easier to hide behind the mask. "Everything is…hazy." She finally allowed.

Kakashi's mouth twitched in annoyance. Was this another ploy of hers? That the memory loss would make her seem more innocent and perhaps allow Kakashi to let his guard down? Kakashi couldn't afford to let his guard down even if she was telling the truth. "You'll understand if I keep the binds." He said instead.

The statement seemed to make Asuka angry. "You forgot my feet." She said, kicking off the covers. "I can still run away."

"You can try." Agreed Kakashi with a nod of his head. "But I think you'll find that you have trouble walking."

Asuka's nose twitched in annoyance. She would take his word for it as she didn't want to give him the satisfaction in case she should fail. He did seem a bit familiar now. Asuka remembered drinking tea with him at a crowded inn. She had wanted to tell him of her father's plans. Had she told him? Did he believe her? Did they fight? Asuka's limbs tingled with remembered pain.

"Then how long do you intend to keep me prisoner?" Asuka demanded. "If I am gone for too long, it could raise…suspicion."

Kakashi sighed. "Something can be arranged. Fair enough?"

It was not what Asuka had been hoping for, but it was probably the best she could get in her situation. The shinobi had answered her question – his acknowledgement that she was not alone in this city and that there would be others looking for her told her that he knew why she was here. But it sadly seemed that he did not believe her.

"Why would you betray your own village anyway?" Asked Kakashi, as if he had read Asuka's mind.

Asuka pursed her lips and kept her face neutral. "That's my business."

Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly although he was dismayed by the answer. "I've got to go." He said, picking himself off the door frame. "Got a wedding to go to."

"Yours?" Asked Asuka casually.

Kakashi gave a stark laugh. "Never."

Sasuke saw the entrance to Tsunade's estate looming in the distance and silently breathed a sigh of relief. Soon this whole ridiculous affair would be over and Hyuuga Neji's son could quit bothering him. The kid was a pain in the ass.

Sasuke glanced behind him and watched the happy procession. Everyone was waving their banners or banging their drums and gongs. A few musicians mingled with the procession, filling the air with music. The crowd of watchers along the sidelines had grown heavier and were cheering and clapping. A few young women now and then would look at each other unhappily as they glanced at Sasuke, but then lit right back up upon glancing at Itachi.

As he glanced through the crowd, someone caught his eye. Kimimaro stood there silently, his pale hair and light purple robes blowing with the wind. He gave Sasuke a slight smile, although Sasuke noticed something off about him. His posture was wilting, as if he couldn't exactly stand up straight. Had he been like that the last time Sasuke saw him? And just like dust in the wind, he vanished from Sasuke's sight.

Temari sat in the main room on a large elaborate couch, her back to a large window that captured the snowy landscape outside. Her friends and family occupied the waiting area outside near the front door where Sasuke and his procession would arrive with the sedan to take her back to the Uchiha compound. But first, Sasuke would have to haggle with her friends and family to be admitted into the house to get her.

She blew out a bored breath. All of this was tiresome.

Suddenly from behind, someone clamped a hand over her mouth. It was a man's hand, as far as Temari could tell. His hand was bitterly cold and his calloused fingers scraped roughly over Temari's lips. Temari's eyes widened and she let out a scream, but it was muffled by the intruder's hand. Before she could bite down on the hand, Shikamaru's head appeared above her.

"I'm going to let go." He said, whispering. "Don't scream ok?"

Temari narrowed her eyes in response, but nodded her head anyway. Shikamaru looked at her for a moment before releasing his hand from her mouth. Grunting, Shikamaru wiped Temari's lipstick off his hand on his pants before moving around the couch to sit down. Temari looked around anxiously, but there was too much chatter in the accompanying room that no one noticed what was happening in the main room.

"What the hell!" Whispered Temari, punching Shikamaru in the arm. "How did you get in here?"

Shikamaru gestured to the main window behind the couch. "Through there. Security is lax during the day." He explained.

Temari looked at Shikamaru pointedly. "The point is what are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you one last time…before you were…" Shikamaru couldn't seem to bring himself to say the word.

Temari looked away. "There's nothing you can do now to convince me not to do it." She said.

"I don't understand why." Said Shikamaru, his usually bored eyes narrowed in anger. "It took almost all I had to even convince you to come back here. Why are you going through with this wedding if you don't love him?"

"Because I can't leave." Said Temari sadly. "And if I can't leave, then I have to marry him."

"You left once." Said Shikamaru. "You could do it again."

Temari gave a halfhearted smile. "You were right the first time. I need to take care of my family. And…and my mother…she would have wanted this…" Slowly, Temari took out a small comb from the sleeve of her red jacket. It was the same comb that Shikamaru had recently given back to her.

Shikamaru looked down at the comb, suddenly realizing why Temari was so reluctant to leave. "What if I was the one to marry you?"

Temari looked at Shikamaru shocked. "You? But I thought marriage was…"

"The last thing on my mind?" Asked Shikamaru. "It is."

Shikamaru shook his head, as if he himself was still confused by his words. "For the longest time, I had no interest in women. My dad and I used to hide from my mom and then go over all the reasons why women were so troublesome."

Temari listened to his story, studying him as he talked. This was the first time he talked about a family other than the Black Cloud gang. His expression was wistful.

"So I made a plan. Eventually I would have to get married, but when I did, it would be to a docile woman who was average, you know, not too pretty, but not too ugly. And then, we would have two kids, preferably a girl first and then a boy. Then when the girl was off and married and the boy was successfully leading his own life, I would retire and watch the clouds, hopefully dying before my wife." Explained Shikamaru, a faraway look in his eye.

"But you?" Asked Shikamaru giving Temari a look. "You were far from my ideal woman." He said. "I didn't even like you when we met, and I continued not liking you…"

"Well I didn't like you either." Snapped Temari. "Does this conversation have a point?"

"It does, troublesome woman, so stop interrupting me." Snapped Shikamaru. "The point is, you are irritating, stubborn, sometimes conceited…far from docile, yet the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen." Said Shikamaru looking away. "I would throw away my whole plan for you, for reasons that I don't even understand…because I love you." Said Shikamaru, blowing out a weary breath.

Temari was unable to speak.

"Is that not enough for you?" Shikamaru asked.

Tears were threatening to spill from Temari's eyes. "I…"

"Feng-xiaojie! Sasuke-hou is here…!" Hyuuga Hiromi burst into the main room, her eyes bright with anticipation. She took one look at Shikamaru's ratty and bedraggled appearance before screaming.

"Thief!" She shrieked, pointing at Shikamaru. "Tsunade-furen, there's a thief!"

"You idiot woman, shut up!" Yelled Temari, sadness morphing into anger. She wasn't heard over Hiromi's shrieks.

"Despite what you think, I think your mother would have been happy with whatever you decide to do."

Temari turned around, only to see that Shikamaru had vanished into the white world outside.

Glossary:
Xiaojie - Chinese honorific, equivalent of Miss
Hou - Rank below lord
Furen - Chinese honorific, used for women of high rank

Naruto deftly weaved his way through the over excited crowd, all of them in a frenzy over the wedding. Naruto spotted Sakura toward the back of the crowd – her pink hair differentiating her from everyone else. He silently took his place beside her.

"Hey." He murmured quietly.

Sakura's eyes darted over to him. "Where have you been?" She hissed. Naruto's disappearance had been odd to say the least. When she asked Kakashi where he was, he said he had not seen Naruto since the previous night where Naruto had helped him with something. But since then, Naruto had been unaccounted for.

Naruto cleared his throat. "I was busy…doing things."

"Like?" Sakura asked. "You didn't come back to the guesthouse last night. Even laoshi didn't know where you were."

Naruto scrunched his face up in annoyance. With Sakura having already spoken with Kakashi, Naruto wouldn't be able to use him as an excuse for his disappearance the previous night. In truth, after seeing Sakura being kissed by Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto may or may not have obliterated a few trees in the forest in blind rage before passing out high in one of the trees. His sleep had been restful up till he was plagued by one of his worst nightmares yet. He had only just managed to make it to the wedding on time.

"I was…training." Said Naruto.

Sakura glanced at Naruto and although he couldn't see it, her gaze was skeptical. "I've never actually attended a wedding ceremony before." She said, changing the subject. "It's sort of exciting isn't it?" She asked.

Tsunade had given Sakura a new outfit for Temari's wedding. It consisted of a light green embroidered jacket with pink trim and a pink sash tied around the waist. She had a long pink skirt on underneath with green trim along the bottom. She had pinned her short hair up in a messy bun. Naruto, on the other hand, hadn't bothered with his appearance. His tactical vest was on over his clothes that he had worn the previous day. They were wrinkled from him sleeping in them. He hadn't done much to tame his hair either and he was sorely in need of a shower.

Naruto shrugged. "It seems all a bit tedious to me, especially if the bride and groom don't even like each other."

Sakura turned toward Naruto, her head tilted. "What are you talking about? How do you know that Uchiha-hou and Temari-xiaojie don't like each other?"

Naruto looked at Sakura, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Was Sakura playing dumb with him? He knew naught of what Sakura's own feelings for Uchiha Sasuke were although the very thought of Sakura having feelings for the Uchiha made his heart hurt. But Sakura couldn't pretend that the Uchiha didn't have feelings for her, or that she didn't know about them.

Suddenly, the chattering grew louder around them. "I see him! I can see Uchiha-hou coming!" A maid shouted.

Sakura and Naruto turned away from each other, Naruto's response cut off by the incoming groom's party. The crowd started to push forward, surging around them in an effort to catch a glimpse of the groom and his party as they approached the door. Reluctantly, Naruto cast another glance at Sakura.

"Do you…want to go in for a closer view?" Grumbled Naruto.

It pained Naruto to even give such a suggestion, but he told himself that Sakura was his friend and only his friend and he should be considerate of her feelings despite the fact that Sakura didn't know he witnessed the kiss. But another, smaller part of Naruto's subconscious wanted to gauge Sakura's reaction, as if he could somehow piece together how she really felt about the younger Uchiha. A part of him still wanted to believe that she had no feelings for him, but Naruto wouldn't allow himself to hope for it.

"No…" Said Sakura demurely, "I'm fine where we are. I wouldn't want to get crushed in the crowd." Subtly, Sakura started positioning herself away from Sasuke's possible line of sight. Naruto however, was dismayed by her neutral answer.

"I'll go tell Feng-xiaojie he's coming." Offered a petite brown haired girl who was near the front of the crowd. She struggled to get through the crowd that was now tittering with excitement. Naruto helped her along the way when she reached them, helping to move her through the back of the crowd with more ease. She beamed at him and Naruto only wished her excitement could be infectious.

Just as the girl moved into the room, they heard a shriek. "Thief! Thief! Tsunade-furen, there's a thief!"

Sakura and Naruto looked at each other as the girl continued to shriek. People started to murmur as they quickly pushed their way through the back of crowd and stepped into the main room. Temari was sitting on the couch, looking out toward the main window and the small brunette girl was still standing in the doorway, eyes as wide as saucers, looking like she was going to faint. Sakura quickly went to the girl while Naruto went straight to Temari.

"Where's the thief, Feng-xiaojie?" Naruto demanded at once.

Temari didn't respond. Instead, she sat paralyzed, staring at the window like she didn't even hear a word Naruto had said.

"There!" Said the girl instead, pointing to the window, "He went out the window!" She screamed.

Without a moment's hesitation, Naruto and Sakura bounded through the open window and into the snow. They hit the ground with a thud and studied the surrounding area. Naruto could hear the sound of feet slipping on tiles. "Up." He said quickly pointing. Naruto quickly jumped onto the roof, with Sakura following with a bit more difficulty. She hadn't been expecting to jump from roof to roof today when she let Tsunade dress her.

A few roofs away, Naruto spotted a figure – a man – quickly escaping. With renewed energy, he bounded quickly after the man, leaving Sakura to fend for herself. Only two houses behind the thief now, Naruto whipped a shuriken out of his tactical vest and flung it at the thief. The thief spun around, as if he heard the shuriken coming and jumped over it. His feet however, hit a slippery patch of ice on the tile as he landed and with a crash, he slipped off the roof and onto the ground below. Naruto heard a thud and quickly hopped off the roof.

Sakura, tired of dealing with the skirt, ignored propriety and finally picked the skirt up with both hands to about mid-thigh and hurried to catch up with Naruto.

Naruto found the man lying in a heap on the ground in a pile of empty crates. He took out a kunai and pointed it at the man. "Hands up, thief." He said.

The man groaned as he removed himself from the pile to stand on his hands and knees. "I'm not a thief…jeez…" He grumbled. Straightening up, the man rubbed his head before slowly getting to his feet. Naruto backed up a couple of steps but kept his kunai at the ready.

The man brushed his clothes off and sighed before looking Naruto in the face. "I'm not a thief, ok? I was only there to talk to the bride." He muttered.

"Why would you need…?" Naruto's eyes widened as he took in the man's face, his slightly tanned skin, his dark hair pulled into a ponytail. "No way!" Naruto cried. "Nara Shikamaru?"

Glossary:
Laoshi - Teacher
Xiaojie - Chinese honorific, equivalent of Miss
Furen - Chinese honorific, used for women of high rank

Sasuke watched with belated concern as Neji stood before him, bartering with the friends and family of Temari who stood crowded in front of the door, barring their way in. With an elegant smile, Neji handed out more red envelopes filled with money to the small Feng children who demanded payment. Despite the fact that Sasuke hated Neji, he could see why he had such a charming effect on people. The young maids that were standing by the door were clearly affected.

In truth, Sasuke hated this whole tradition and was glad that he didn't have to do the bartering himself. He could concern himself with more pressing matters. He could see Tsunade-furen, standing inside the doorway. He was looking, however, for Wu He. He was embarrassed, of course, by what happened the previous day, yet he didn't regret it. Sure it had taken him hours to secretly apply makeup that would hide the black and blue blemish that covered his cheek, but it had been worth it to taste her lips, to see her startling green eyes and delicate face. Sasuke convinced himself that she had just been surprised. Just because she punched him didn't mean she hated him or anything.

"And that was the last time I saw you." Said Naruto, his feet swinging off the edge of the roof they were sitting on. "So how the hell did you end up here, trying to convince Temari-xiaojie to marry you instead of Uchiha Sasuke?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "It's a long story and honesty, it isn't all that interesting. And it doesn't have a happy ending." He sounded bitter, perhaps for the first time.

Sakura felt sorry for Shikamaru. She hadn't known him as well as Naruto did when they were children, but she knew him as the aloof sort, the one who was always shirking his duties. He was smart, she knew that much, but it didn't surprise her all that much when Shikamaru had been reported missing, only days after the Name Giving Ceremony. Temari, by comparison was stubborn, rash and impulsive. Yet Sakura could see how they both fit together; they balanced each other out.

No one should be doomed to a loveless marriage. Temari had admitted as much, back when she invited Sakura to meet her fiancée that their marriage was a ploy on part of their families. And Sasuke…well Sakura was certain that Sasuke couldn't possibly have any feelings for Temari. So why shouldn't Shikamaru and Temari be together, if they truly loved each other?

Was this scenario in Sakura's future? Would her parents arrange a marriage for her that would be based on status and gain instead of love? Would she be forced into Temari's position? Doomed to marry someone that she did not love because it was what was expected of her while her lover was forced to watch? It was wrong and suddenly, Sakura felt like she finally understood Temari.

"Maybe…we can arrange something." Said Sakura suddenly speaking up.

Naruto and Shikamaru glanced up at her. Shikamaru's face was weary and Naruto had his hand on Shikamaru's back, like it was the only comfort he could offer. "Like what?" Shikamaru asked sullenly.

"Maybe…" Said Sakura quickly thinking. "We can arrange for you to meet, every once and a while in secret."

"An affair?!" Said Naruto incredulously.

Sakura waved her hand at him so he would shut up. "It would be the least we can do and if you do truly love each other…"

"Yeah," Said Naruto, warming to the idea, "It won't be that bad. And we don't have to call it an affair. We could call it…a liaison…or…or a rendezvous or – "

"No." Said Shikamaru cutting them both off. "Do you really think Temari is going to agree to have an affair with me? Even if she agreed, I can't. It's better to just cut my losses…" Said Shikamaru. "I'll journey back to the desert. Pretty soon I'm sure I'll forget about her…"

"You didn't forget about her for two years…" Said Naruto softly.

"That's because I thought I still had a chance." Said Shikamaru. "But it's different now."

A tear slipped from under Sakura's mask. As a shinobi, Sakura knew all about how life didn't always go as planned and that sometimes, fate played cruel jokes on them. But sometimes, it just really made her heart ache.

"I think it will be harder to meet with Sasuke-hou now that he is married." Explained Kimimaro.

He and Orochimaru were taking a walk through the forested pathways of Peking under Orochimaru's suggestion. Orochimaru was dressed elegantly in an outfit of dark green embroidered silk. He had a supportive hand on Kimimaro's back to help him keep an upright position.

"That is unfortunate to hear." Orochimaru said, putting an ounce of disappointment into his voice. "But I trust you could find a way around that, right Kimimaro?"

Kimimaro bowed his head, which proved difficult. "Of course, Sifu."

Orochimaru smiled. Hidden under his long sleeves, Orochimaru held a cloth in his hand. He lightly pressed his thumb to it, pleased to find that it was still moist.

"Oh, Kimimaro, look." Said Orochimaru pointing high up into the trees with interest. "A rare song bird. Oh how rare it is to see those here in Peking."

As Kimimaro glanced up into the trees, Orochimaru quickly subdued the taller man, pressing the cloth against his face.

Kimimaro let out a yelp and fell, the cause being a combination of his weakening spine and the force with which Orochimaru was pushing against him.

"There, there, Kimimaro," Soothed Orochimaru as he pressed the cloth harder against Kimimaro's nose. "Just breathe. Everything will be ok now."

Kimimaro's eyelids fluttered. He tried to push Orochimaru's hand away, but at this point he was too weak. In a last ditch effort, he lifted his arm to Orochimaru's neck, a long bone protruding from his forearm. As his heartbeat slowly faded away, Kimimaro scratched along the length of Orochimaru's neck, his arm finally dropping as his eyes closed for good.

Orochimaru laughed as he picked himself up off the ground. He felt along his neck with his white hand, his fingers stained with blood as he brought them back. He laughed again, louder this time. "Ah, I congratulate you, Kimimaro. Out of a lifetime of predictability, you finally managed to surprise me."

Glossary:
Hou - rank below lord
Sifu - Master

Kabuto stood among the crowd waiting for the procession to take the bride back to the groom's home. Kabuto rubbed his hands together and shoved them deeper into his pockets to keep them from freezing.

"It's been a while, Kabuto."

Kabuto jerked a little from the sound of the voice, but did not turn to face the speaker. He scanned the area, but the crowd was too dense and too lively for anyone to notice two men talking. "It has." He finally replied. "But as you know, I am a busy man."

"Indeed." Murmured the speaker. "And the traitor?"

"He's out…disposing of an asset." Explained Kabuto lightly. "He will be of no consequence to us today."

The speaker didn't respond for a moment. "So then what do you have for me?"

"Well…" Said Kabuto starting out, "He has abandoned his attempt to take control of Feng Temari. Her marriage to Uchiha Sasuke has put a damper in his plans." Kabuto neglected to say that he had also been discovered by Temari and ousted from the Feng household.

"He still plans on stealing the Tian Tang Jian, as it is here in the city," Continued Kabuto, "But that too has been placed on the back burner as other more serious acquisitions have come to light."

"Such as…?" The man murmured.

"The groom," Said Kabuto, "Uchiha Sasuke. Orochimaru hopes to acquire him as a host. He possesses the Kekkei Genkai the Sharingan."

"The Sharingan." Said the man amused. "How interesting. I'm sure Itachi-gong would be most interested to hear the parasite plans on taking his brother's body."

Kabuto stiffened. He wasn't aware that his boss knew of the Uchiha's, lest personally knew Sasuke's older brother. It reminded him of how insignificant he was in the entire scheme of things.

"Is that all?" Asked the man.

Kabuto nodded his head. "Uchiha Sasuke is on Orochimaru's mind first and foremost."

"Good then." Said the man. "When Orochimaru can be of further use, I'll contact you. You'll be in charge of necessary manipulations. Until then, Kabuto."

Kabuto whipped around. "Wait, Pein-gexia …"

But the man was nowhere in sight.

Glossary:
Gexia – Important person

Character Corner

Name: Tsunade
Shinobi Name: Kuo Gong Zhu
Age: 59
Height: 5'-6''
Specializes: Medical Ninjutsu, Taijutsu
Tsunade was the daughter of Konoha's First Hokage and the niece of the Second Hokage. At the age of 7, she was taught by the soon to be Third Hokage along with her teammates Orochimaru and Jiraiya. During the war with Amegakure, she and her teammates were dubbed the Legendary Trio. It was during the war that she lost her lover Dan. A few years after the war, Tsunade defected from Konoha. She traveled the world only to be known as the Legendary Sucker because of her losing skills in gambling. It was through this that she was tricked into the role of politician.

Tsunade had a brother Nawaki, whom she loved dearly, but he was killed in a bomb during the Second Great Shinobi War. Propelled by the loss of her brother, Tsunade pursued the field of Medical Ninjutsu where she found her calling. She brought about many innovations to the field. Tsunade was a bright student and excelled in all subjects. She was best at using her precise chakra was often picked on by Jiraiya during their childhood years and because of her quick temper she often beat him up. She also trained Kakashi's student Sakura in the ways of Medical Ninjutsu. She still has close ties with Konoha despite living in Peking. Her shinobi name means Slug Princess.