"Augh." Orochimaru winced, his eyes fluttering open as he slowly regained consciousness. His throat felt dry and his head throbbed as he slowly sat up. He realized with surprise that he was in his futon and it was his room. The cottony sheets fell to his waist as he moved them and looked around, trying to remember what happened. A sour expression crossed his face when he remembered that Tsunade Senju had knocked him out. Did she and the First Hokage bring him back home? It would be easy enough to find his information from the school after all. "Evening," he murmured, looking over at the light of the sunset piercing through his room, which was only partially blocked by his Shoji doors.

Warily, his eyes moved over his room, hating the fact that they might have entered it. It was relatively small, but he kept it extremely tidy. The tatami mats were free of dust, the Shoji doors regularly cleaned. In the middle of the room was his table, a kotatsu. He liked the blanket covering his legs when he studied there. On the right wall was his bookshelf, holding a variety of scrolls that he had carefully sorted out. His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw that one of them had been moved. Checking the table that was pushed up against the wall, he knew that they hadn't touched that one at least.

His eyes softened at the framed picture of him and his parents on it. Beside it, were some snake sculptures his dad had bought him and next to it, were his parents earrings. They were made of delicate azurite, in the shape of a tomoe. During their funeral, he had taken them as a keepsake and something to remember them by. He closed his eyes, remembering how they each wore one on their ear and told him that it's when they were together, that the earrings would be reunited and be a pair. They had even promised to pass it on to him, as he was the fruit of their love. The memory made his heart tighten painfully in his chest.

They had promised that they would come back and had left him in the care of their kindly old neighbor. They promised that they'd only be gone for a week at most. He waited day in and day out... days turned into a week. Then he received news that they were missing. Weeks turned into months. He celebrated his birthday alone without them for the first time. Finally... half a year later, they brought his parents back. He couldn't understand the mangled corpses the adults were trying to hide from him as he snaked past their grasping hands. These weren't his parents; they couldn't possibly be his parents. His mother was beautiful and radiant like the sun. She had a lovely voice and he loved it when she would sing him to sleep. His father was elegant, graceful and clever, with the clearest golden eyes. Why in the world were these adults calling these pieces of body parts, blood and spilled guts by his parent's name?

He felt his body shake as the images came to his mind. Pressing his knees to his chest, he hugged them and grinded on his teeth. A whole and complete human being... reduced to nothing more than bones, blood and pieces of rotting meat. Was that the true essence of being human? He let out a guttural sound, his golden eyes burning with unshed tears. "Mom... dad," he whimpered. He hated sounding so weak but being reminded for the first time in a long while, of how lonely he was compared to the other kids who have loving families waiting for them at home, was crushing. When school was done, all that waited for him was silence and emptiness.

Tsunade slid open the Shoji door quietly, wearing an expression of concern as she watched Orochimaru hugged his knees and buried his face into the crook of his arms. She had heard him call for his parents and whimper and had come to check. Seeing this, she felt her heart clench up for the first time in her life, and she realized how lucky she was in comparison to him. He had so little... and she... had everything handed to her on a silver platter every single day.

She leaned forward hesitantly, wondering if she should say something to cheer him up. To live here all by himself must be hard. Even in his own home, he was trying to suppress and hide away his emotions. After awhile, she decided to let him cry in private. She closed his door, stepped back and headed for the kitchen, her lips pressed down and her eyes glazed.

It was then that her grandfather returned with the salve and groceries. He had healed the injuries on Orochimaru but he wanted to make sure that if he had any headaches, the salve would help. They had also both noticed that food was low in his fridge, so her grandfather decided to buy some as a way of apologizing on her behalf as well.

"Tsuna!" He said loudly, wearing a big grin on his face. "I'm back!"

"Shush!" She put a finger to her lips but she was sure that Orochimaru must have heard from his bedroom. Frowning at him, she said, "Please keep it down grandfather."

Hashirama went into depressed mode and sulked. "You didn't miss your grandfather..."

Hopping over the clean floor towards him, she pouted at him. "Don't be silly, grandpa." She motioned for him to bend down to her height. Wearing a slightly miserable expression, she mumbled, "I think I just saw Orochimaru crying..." She put a hand on her heart, remembering the first time she saw the sadness in his eyes. "It hurts. But why? I don't even really know him. Is it because I... feel sorry for him?"

"Tsuna," Hashirama said, lowering his voice. He patted her on the cheek and said solemnly, "You shouldn't pity, but instead empathize.

"Eh?"

"You live surrounded by alot of good things, Tsunade. You don't see suffering or understand the pain that some people in this world are going through. Think for a moment, if you lost me and your parents, how do you want people to treat you?" Her eyes grew round and Hashirama nodded. "You want someone who would understand, not just pity you. Pity makes the person seem less than who they are. You must see yourself in their shoes, and heal them through understanding."

She made a puzzled sound as she tilted her head. "I see myself?" Putting a hand on her chin in thought, she pondered about Orochimaru. After a minute, she sulked. "I don't see it."

He chuckled. "When you see yourself, you will understand what you'll need to do. It's not pity that people need, Tsuna. Sometimes, it's simple acknowledgment. Other times, it's just being friends to help someone who's lonely." He leaned in close to her and went into lecture mode. "Like how there are many poisons in this world that require a specific cure, there are many types of sorrows. If you feel bad for a sick person, it's not going to help. Fetching water when they're thirsty, fluffing their pillows so they can be comfortable, all the way to finding the cure, comes from understanding."

"Grandpa," she said slowly, trying hard to absorb all of this information. "You're confusing. I don't really know what do do anymore."

He chuckled. "Here's something that may help. The Will of Fire."

She stared at him. "What?"

"The Will of Fire, the very foundation of this village." He stood up and smiled. "We are a family. There is no clan or individual who is more important than another. If one person hurts, we all hurt. By making the right choice, empathizing and understanding our family, we can preserve the Will of Fire and see to a future of peace."

She made a delighted sound in the back of her throat. "I think I am doing the right thing by trying to be friends with Orochimaru after all! He seems so lonely and sad." Angrily, she said, "No one should have to feel that way. I'm going to heal him, just like how you heal others too, grandpa."

"Good girl." He pinched her cheeks lovingly. "For today let's help by eating with your friend. I will cook."

"Uhhhh... shouldn't we ask first?"

Hashirama shrugged nonchalantly and he raised his hands up in a 'Well I am the Hokage so it's not like he can say no' gesture. "I'm sure your friend won't mind. Once he gets a taste of my soba salad, he'll be begging us to come over every night!"

Her eyes widened for a moment before they sparkled in delight. "I didn't know that you could cook grandpa! Wow!"

Hashirama inwardly cried tears of joy from his granddaughter's praise. Rubbing her head, he gave her thumbs up. "Your grandfather can do many things, Tsuna. Now I may not be as good at cooking as your grandmother, but I guarantee that it will still knock your socks off." He rolled up the sleeves of his long yellow robe. "Go tell your friend to take it easy while we cook. It'll be an hour or so." When she seemed reluctant to do so, he grabbed onto one of the grocery bags and began rummaging inside. "Here Tsuna, give this to him as a token of apology. And to make things less awkward."

Tsunade held out her hands and looked down at the item her grandfather plopped into her hands. Her eyes sparkled as she held a giant blue and white slug stuffie. "Wow!"

Hashirama grinned. "I found it while I was grocery shopping. I figure that since you like slugs, he'll like it too."

The assumption was rather outlandish, but Tsunade was too young to really grasp how ridiculous the suggestion was. She hurried towards Orochimaru's room, eager to give him such a 'great' gift. In the background, her grandfather was busy putting on an apron to start cooking. As she stood in front of Orochimaru's door, clutching the giant watermelon-sized stuffie, she took in a deep breath and knocked. Due to feeling extremely tense/nervous to talk to the boy whose head she punched in, and whose house they were sort of invading, she accidentally put too much force into the knock and busted down the flimsy paper door. As the door fell down with a clack, Orochimaru stared at her with a deadpanned expression, sitting straight up in his futon. She froze immediately, her facing turning red like a tomato.

Orochimaru felt a vein throbbed on his forehead as they looked at each other. He couldn't be sure if he was feeling angry, exasperated, or slightly horrified by the situation. The first Hokage was apparently cooking in his kitchen and making a racket and his granddaughter had busted down his bedroom door. He glowered at her as she hastily ran over to him, avoided his eyes, and then proceeded to dump a giant slug stuffed animal on his head. "Here's a token of apology! We're having dinner in an hour! See you!"

That had to be the worst way of apologizing he's ever heard in his life. "My door-" he started.

She dashed right back out before he could finish his sentence. Holding onto the giant slug animal, he stared after her, wondering if he was in some kind of nightmare. He... Orochimaru, was having dinner with the Hokage and his violently ill-tempered granddaughter? He laid back down and pulled the blanket over his head, tossing the plush animal to the side and half hoped he was just dreaming.

Half an hour later...

The throbbing vein on his head only grew more intense as he listened to the racket they were making in his kitchen. Crossing his arms, he closed his eyes and heard things such as 'Don't stir too hard! You're spilling it all over the place Tsuna!' and 'Grandpa! It's on fire!'

Out of a mild sense of morbid curiosity, he got up and slowly walked out of his dark room to peek into the open kitchen. Entering the dining room, he stared as the two wrecked havoc. Green seaweed and broken eggs were sliding down on the sand colored walls, and somehow the first Lord Hokage had decided that stoves were dumb and instead opted to make a campfire right in the middle of the kitchen to cook some fish on a stick. How his house wasn't catching on fire, he wasn't sure. The amount of smoke billowing from the fishes were making his eyes water though. He noticed then that Tsunade's head was caked in flour and she giggled as she threw a tomato at her grandfather. He laughed in return and tossed whipping cream in her direction. Right before his eyes, he watched as they started a food fight while the fishes burned.

"Take this grandpa!" Tsuna cried, grinning wildly as she held up three eggs in each hand and threw them.

Orochimaru looked over to see an expensive landscape scroll painting hanging on the wall. If Hashirama dodged, the eggs would hit it. Blood pumped to his legs as he ran forward to protect it. If he needed to pawn the thing in the future, having it damaged by egg yolk was not going to help the price value.

"Nice try!" Hashirama quickly ducked and the eggs sailed right over his head. Standing up, he pointed at her and laughed boisterously. "You'll have to do better than that Tsuna!"

But Tsunade stared in shock. Raising a trembling hand, she pointed behind him. "Oro-Orochimaru..." When her grandfather turned around, he gasped and stepped back towards her. The two stared as Orochimaru stood there, with egg yolk dripping down his black hair and white robe. Even with his excellent reflexes, he only managed to catch four of the eggs. His right eye was twitching and she gulped as the yolk trailed down his pale cheek. Immediately, she pointed at her grandfather. "It's all his fault!"

"What?!" Hashirama immediately went into depressed mode. "How could you... Tsuna?"

On the inside, Orochimaru sighed and hoped that they wouldn't leave before they cleaned up the mess they had made. Oh, and fix his door. He glanced over at Tsunade's, his lips thin. But then he noticed the awkward way she was holding a wooden spoon. She didn't know how to stir properly. The tips of her fingers were red and she held her wrist awkwardly.

Tsunade swallowed nervously, as his piercing golden eyes stayed on her for what felt like an eternity. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, he was unreadable. All of a sudden, she noticed the slit-shaped corneas relaxing. Slowly walking over to them with his hands folded behind his back, he bowed. "Lord Hokage, Tsunade-hime..." Straightening up, he gestured to the fishes and said politely, "Thank you for making dinner."

Tsunade smiled brightly while her grandfather grinned sheepishly. Even if he still seemed emotionless, she had seen in the truth in his eyes; he was happy.

"Itadakimasu!" Sitting at his gleaming oak dining table, he, Tsunade and Lord Hokage began digging into their fishes on a stick. Despite the fact that it was slightly burnt, it didn't taste half bad. He nibbled lightly on his, savoring the taste. Across from him though, Tsunade was eating like a barbarian. Bits of meat was falling on his place-mats and her fingers were covered in grease. Her cup shined with oil as she chugged down her milk and some of it dribbled down her chin and onto her green outfit. Finished, she slammed the cup down happily and he briefly wondered if he could ever even think of her as the village's princess again.

"Yes Tsuna!" Hashirama chugged down his sake. "That's how you're supposed to drink."

He inwardly sweatdropped. Even if the Hokage was a great man, he was teaching his granddaughter how to gamble and behave in a rather unladylike manner. Then again... he rubbed at the back of his head. Her terrible temper and brashness were probably a big factor in her personality as well.

"So! What do you kids think?" Hashirama asked eagerly, swallowing a mouthful of fish.

"It's very good, Lord Hokage" Orochimaru replied.

Tsunade put a hand over her grandfather's shoulder, staining the cloth. "We made it together." Putting her fish stick down, she ran over to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of green looking salad with noodles in it and some chopsticks. "And this! We sort of ran out of ingredients so you can have this one, Orochimaru."

Staring down at the questionable dish, he asked, "What is it?"

"Soba salad, made by your one and only Hokage." She grinned and held it out towards him. "Try it."

He quirked an eyebrow. From what he could see, there were soba noodles, sliced green onions, bits of red pepper, and they were covered in soy sauce and honey. It was cold though... he hated cold food. Moving his head slightly, he sweatdropped when he saw Hashirama clasping his hands together, looking as though he was praying to win the jackpot for the lottery. He glanced upward and blanched when Tsunade stared down at him with a -if you don't try my grandfather's cooking I'll punch you again- look. Letting out a long breath, he picked some up with his chopsticks opened his mouth.

Tsunade gaped when his cheeks bulged out and his face turned green. With seemingly great difficulty, he swallowed and tried to hold in a gagging sound. Without another word, she grabbed his chopsticks and tried some herself. Unlike Orochimaru, who had at least made a valiant attempt to hide his disgust, she was as blunt as a rock. She spat it back in the bowl, totally forgetting that she had just given Orochimaru a death glare in case he hurt her grandpa's feelings. "Grandpa! It's gross!"

"Tsuna..." Hashirama's head dropped onto the table and he moped.

Tsunade ignored him, slapping Orochimaru hard on the back and shouting, "Spit it out Orochimaru!" Her attempts seemed to have the opposite effect as he choked and clutched onto his throat. Pulling on her cheeks, she screamed, "Grandpa! I think it's stuck in his throat!"

"Move aside Tsuna! I'll save him!"

As Orochimaru struggled to breathe, he vowed to never let Hashirama and Tsunade cook for him again.

Once they finished eating (and he stopped suffocating from a blocked windpipe), Hashirama shooed them outside so he could clean. Sitting on the front porch of his house, he looked up at the starry night sky solemnly. The cool wind gently playing with his hair and clothes as he sat there.

"Hey," Tsunade said, sitting beside him. "Sorry again for making a mess of your kitchen."

"It's alright," he replied tonelessly, still keeping his gaze upwards.

"O-Ok." She whistled awkwardly before saying, "So, school tomorrow and all... want to sit with me?" He didn't reply and she gulped. Twiddling her fingers, she wondered if he was still mad at her for punching him in the head and making him choke.

After awhile, he finally turned towards her. "Tsunade."

She peeked up at him, still alittle nervous for everything that's happened between them in the course of a few hours. "Yea?"

"Are you sure you want to be friends?" he asked solemnly.

"Hey!" She grinned and stuck her tongue out at him. "How often do you think the Hokage's granddaughter asks someone to be friends with? Course I want us to be friends."

"After only meeting me twice, and only being with me for no more than five hours?" he asked, his expression unreadable.

She stared at him, realizing that he was probably suspicious of her motives. "I... just feel-"

His eyes sharpened like daggers. "I warn you, if you're pitying me, then end this conversation right now. I've had enough of that. I don't want yours or this village's sympathy."

"N-no!" she said angrily. "That's not it!" When he narrowed his eyes and waited for an answer, she looked down at her knees, remembering her grandfather's words. To do the right thing... and value everyone in the village like they were family, that was the Will of Fire. To see Orochimaru be happy, to see that horribly empty darkness and sadness in his eyes gone, was something that just seemed right. It simply wasn't fair how much he had to suffer, even though he was the same age as her. Slowly, she met eyes with him and said, "I just want to see you smile."

Her words stunned him. He gazed upon her open face, detecting sincerity but unable to grasp nor comprehend why. "That makes no sense," he finally answered.

"It's the Will of Fire."

Orochimaru scoffed. "Will of Fire?"

"This village is my home. The people in it are family," she replied seriously. "Seeing you so alone is wrong. Konohagakure should never be a place where anyone is hurting. That is the Will of Fire."

He inhaled sharply, his eyes widening at the weight of her words. Unable to meet her gaze, he looked down at his knees. He didn't understand why she'd feel that way about the village; it would only magnify her suffering if something happened. Stiffly, he said, "If you don't care for someone, it won't hurt you if you lose them. I can bear the pain of being alone. I can't bear it if I lost another person."

Her eyes widened, finally understanding the words he had repeated to her. It wasn't because he has trust issues. He was just afraid of losing the happiness he could have with someone, since his parents died. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she noticed that he immediately stiffened up and she withdrew her hand. "Orochimaru..." She said firmly, "I'm not going to leave you unless you're being a meanie, bully or out-right jerk or... or pervert!" At this, he raised an eyebrow and she said, "We'll always be friends if you aren't any of those things."

"What if something or someone takes you from me? Or takes me?" he asked listlessly.

Tsunade raised up a fist. "I'll sock them in the eye."

Orochimaru tilted his head, regarding her with some amusement. "Stay here."

She watched as he re-entered the house and closed the door. Sitting on the porch, she twiddled with her fingers, wondering what he was doing. When the door re-opened, he was carrying the big slug stuffie she had given him earlier. "Orochimaru, what-" She looked at the soft stuffed animal as he placed it into her hands.

"I don't much care for slugs," he said quietly. "You don't understand me, Tsunade. You don't know what you're asking for. I'm content with being alone."

She froze at his words. You don't understand me. Looking into his deep golden eyes, she saw the darkness that she had glimpsed earlier. Deep like a cave, and cold like ice. His pupil was shaped like slits, sharp like daggers. But at the same time, she was awed by how colorful and warm the gold in his eyes were. Something in her guts told her that she may not truly know him, but she knew that he didn't want to be alone like this. She had seen how polished his family's picture was and heard his pained sounds. He had loved his parents deeply and was sad to be alone. She stood up and glared at him. "Stop lying. You were really happy when I and grandpa had dinner with you."

"I was," he admitted. "But when I think of the many nights that are to come, it only makes me sadder to know that I will be eating alone."

Her breath caught in her throat.

Orochimaru slowly folded his hands behind his back, his voice growing cold. "All you've done was reminded me of what it was like when I could eat dinner with my parents. Something I'll never have again. That, and what we have today is temporary, Tsunade. Even if we become friends, you can never eliminate the chances that we may one day part from each other. If I never grow to care for you, my heart won't hurt for you."

He lowered his head, letting his long black hair hide his face. "I don't want to feel like this anymore. Don't talk to me again."

Before he could leave, she shouted, "Your parents wouldn't want to see you be alone like this, Orochimaru!"

His hand hesitated on the door before he glared at her with the eyes of a snake. "Don't talk about my parents. You don't have that right."

She froze at the words and at those eyes. They were so heavy with both hate and love, she was rooted to the spot. At the same time, she felt extremely sorry for him. In the backdrop of her head, she could see him walking... without anyone by his side. Always wanting to look back but knowing it was meaningless. Wanting to look forward but was too scared to take the risk.

Before he closed the door, he added, "You only carry out this Will of Fire at no personal loss. You risk nothing. I have my heart at stake, Tsunade-hime." With that, he slammed the door shut.

A few minutes later, her grandfather came out with a worried look on his face. Closing the door, he bent down and asked softly, "Tsunade, did something go wrong dear?"

Sobbing, she rushed into his arms. "Grandpa..."

Hugging his granddaughter, he stroked her head. "There there, tell your grandfather what's wrong."

"Orochimaru," she hiccoughed. "I... I made it worse. I didn't understand him at all."

Hashirama listened intently as she cried into his ears on what happened. Stroking her cheek, he murmured, "Even if our time may end with each other one day, it's the memories and love we shared that keeps us together forever, Tsuna. Although we may experience the greatest of pains when forming relationships, we also experience the greatest of joys." Thinking about his best friend who was now dead by his own hands, he said, "Always do what is right, and try to save your friends. Keep the Will of Fire alive, Tsunade." Picking her up, he said affectionately, "Let's go home." When she wiped at her eyes and nodded, he began walking.

"Wait." She tugged on his long brown hair. "Did you fix his door?"

"What door?"

"I broke his door when I accidentally knocked too hard on it. I told you, remember?"

"Uhhhhhhhh..."

She straightened up in his arms. "Grandpa!" But at the same time, she couldn't help but giggle. Snuggling against his neck, she closed her eyes slightly, thinking about her conversation with Orochimaru. He didn't want to risk his heart again... what could she risk to match his convictions?

Two weeks later...

"Orochimaru!"

Without looking away from the window, he raised his hand. Even without looking, he could feel her gaze when his name was recalled. He sighed inwardly, wondering when she would focus her attention somewhere else. She was stubborn, he had to give her that. Tiredly, he opened his bag, pulling up a scroll to study. The classes were dull as everything that was being taught was something he's already learned. Sometimes, he wished he could just turn off his alarm and stay in bed to read.

Tsunade rested her chin in her hand and continued watching Orochimaru study and take notes. He was always so hard working, she thought to herself. She blinked and tilted her head when she noticed him intently staring out the window. Straightening up, she squinted to see what he was looking at. When she saw a father cheerfully piggybacking his son who was late to school, she understood why. Just as she expected, a beautifully sad expression crossed his face and her heart ached at the sight. Enough was enough. Today was the day she reached back out for him.

Lunch time...

At the back of the school, he rummaged in his side bag for his boiled eggs. Taking one out, he bit into it and neatly sat down, unrolling the current scroll he had been studying. As he chewed, he reached inside his bag again for the salt, thinking that it tasted rather bland today.

"Heeeeeeeeeey, Orochimaru!"

He choked on his food and some of the salt went flying, making him sneeze. Looking up, his golden eyes widened when he saw who it was. She didn't talk to him for two weeks. Why now?

Tsunade grinned as she hopped down from the roof. "Found you!"

"Hmph." He ignored her, resuming his reading.

"Hmph!" She stuck her tongue out at him. "Meanie!"

"I thought I told you not to speak to me, Tsunade," he said, taking another slow bite out of his egg.

"I've been thinking about what you said to me the last time we talked. About why I wanted to be your friend, and why I wanted to see you smile," she pushed on, her hands on her hips.

"What about it?" he said dryly.

Her expression grew sad. "I wanted to let you know... I finally understand your pain."

"How dare you," he said icily. "You have a family, and an entire village looking after you."

"There will be a war soon. My grandpa will be leading."

He stopped. Her lips were trembling and he could see her eyes grow moist.

Tsunade sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "Even if I am the granddaughter of the Hokage, have a family, lots of friends and am loved by everyone, I still... I still..." She burst into tears. "I can still lose the people I love. Just the thought alone hurts. I can't sleep and I can't eat. But even though I'm hurt, you're hurting more." Her tears dripped down her cheeks in rivers. "I understand you now, Orochimaru."

He watched as she continued to cry, her small hands curled into fists as she pressed them to her eyes. She was always so cheery, loud and radiant in school. Now, she looked almost broken. As he stayed silent and continued letting her cry, his eyes widened when he saw himself, doing the same thing as he cried about his parents' death. Pressing his nails into the palm of his hand, he willed himself to shove his emotions back down again. "We can't fight back against death, Tsunade," he said emotionlessly.

"But we can fight back against loneliness," she replied, sucking in a deep breath, sitting down across from him. She gripped the fabric of her green robe. "Please, Orochimaru. You don't have to bear this pain alone. I can't even imagine how much horrible it is for you, especially since you have no one else to lean on." Her hazel eyes shimmered. There was currently no one she admired more than him. He was so hard working and so resilient, despite his situation. It moved her completely to see how hard he tries and how independent and how strong he was. She had no doubt in her heart that she wanted to be friends with such a person like him.

Casting his golden eyes on her, he considered her words carefully. Her determination and sincerity were admirable, he had to give her that. The fact that she had a good enough heart to reach out towards him, even though he kept rejecting her, was strangely comforting. To think that there was someone in this world like her made it feel like a less sad and dark place. "If you truly want it," he said slowly, still very unsure about the whole thing, "You must prove it to me."

"What should I do?"

He held up a finger. "In one week, meet me after school for a spar. If you can make the efforts and have the strength to defeat me, I will give this a chance. If you fail, never approach me again."

"I'll add on to that." She took off her necklace and held it out towards him. It was a beautiful necklace with a shimmering viridian stone and she smiled. "It's worth three mountains full of gold." His eyes widened and Tsunade added, "It also belonged to my grandfather."

"Fool," Orochimaru said angrily. "Why would you bet that-"

She glared at him and retorted, "I remembered what you said two weeks ago. While you risk your heart, I will risk my own." The necklace trembled slightly. "I'm going to gamble on this with everything I've got, Orochimaru."

He grinded on his teeth. Adjusting his bag, he stood up and his golden eyes flashed. "You're a fool."

She stuck her tongue out childishly at him. "If I win, you're not only going to have to be my friend, you're going to have to do extra because I added my necklace into the gamble."

He shot her an irritated look. "What do you want?"

She grinned. "Don't know. It'll just be something extra, that's all."

"Hmph." With that, he turned on his heel and walked off.

She smiled as he headed back early for class. Although he refused to admit it, he was hesitant and doubtful of the path he had chosen. She knew that when he had looked back two weeks ago. It was the reason why she chased after him to ask for his name. Even now, when he realized how much the necklace was worth, money-wise and personally wise, he showed emotions at the chance that she would lose it. She was sure that he had a good heart and didn't deserve to be in so much pain. Holding up the necklace, she said firmly, "I won't disappoint you, grandpa."

Darkwings13:

-Will of Fire, an ideal focused on selflessness and seeing the village as a family, was the foundation of The Village Hidden in the Leaf and what Hashirama believed in with all his heart. There's no way he wouldn't have taught it to Tsunade. Also, by having her to do something like this, to be the very first person to reach out to him after he's lost his parents, makes her incredibly important to him. He's only ever shown being terribly sad and concerned for her, in episode 114 of Naruto Shippuden. Like when he rushed to her location when he caught news that her team may have fallen and shed a tear. Perhaps when she gave up on the village and left, he gave up as well.

-In episode 92, Tsunade was seen cooking for her brother, who looked like he wanted to puke up her food. I just went for having her inheriting Hashirama's poor cooking skill along with his gambling habit. The idea that the God of Shinobi, being accomplished at almost everything, except for things like cooking amuses me.

-The idea of betting her necklace with Oro, is similar to how she's betting it with Naruto, except right now it's in Orochimaru favor. It's such an important item. She's a woman who goes all out and has a good heart despite her flaws, and I hope I'm portraying that well enough lol.

Greetings to Carolina from Mexico. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the story friend. Hello ileangie23, I hope this will become a well written story. I still have much to improve and thank you for bearing with me. I'm super intrigued by this pairing and I loved bad guys given a chance for redemption in situations like these two. And yes, the Sannin were so cute as kid! Last but not least, thank you guest for your kind compliment.

-Appreciation towards those who have favorited and followed. It's only been one chapter too! I'm honored :)

-IF ANYONE HAS SUGGESTIONS, EVIDENCE AND KNOWS ANY AND ALL SCENES RELATING TO THE TWO'S RELATIONSHIP IN BOTH MANGA ANE ANIME, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. This is an incredibly long series and I will be eternally grateful for all the help I can get. For the Orotsu ship! :D