Sarutobi smoked on his pipe and stared as his three students came in. "Jiraiya... where are your pants?"

"Tsunade threw them into to the river cuz I stuck a dirty poster on Oro's bathroom door."

"Ok..." Deciding that he really didn't want to dig into the matter any deeper, he said, "I have good news for you three. From all your accomplishments, that promotion to Jonin is in reach. In about a month, you should all be promoted. So keep working hard and keep an eye out for a very important mission, my dear students." Sarutobi smiled as Tsunade and Jiraiya cheered, and even Orochimaru seemed pleased. They've all accomplished many important missions for the village and their abilities could not be questioned. They absolutely deserved this.

"Sensei," Orochimaru said politely. "Is that everything you've called us for?" For some strange reason, an uneasy expression crossed his teacher's face.

"Not quite, Orochimaru. I have an important A rank mission for you three. Failure could mean war between the Land of Grapes and Land of Oranges."

Jiraiya was alittle taken back by the severity of the mission. "A war? Really? What are we supposed to do?" Thought of delivery of secret messages, being bodyguards for peace talks, and other scenarios ran through his mind.

"Umm..." Sarutobi's cheeks turned pink and he held out a scroll.

Jiraiya took it in curiosity and rolled it open. Immediately, he burst out laughing. "Hahahahha! What the heck is this sensei!?" He pulled away from Orochimaru and Tsunade when they tried to look. Clutching his stomach, he coughed and rasped, "Oh no, I think I'm dying from laughter." Indeed, drops of tears was actually shining from the corner of his eyes as he howled with laughter.

Orochimaru was confused. How could a mission that might result in war between two lands be funny? "Sensei, what are we supposed to be doing?"

Sarutobi leaned back in his purple sofa chair and said hesitantly, "The two lands decided to marry off their respective prince and princess for peace. It's a very shaky decision, since the Land of Oranges doesn't actually really want this choice. The Land of Grapes has a princess who... isn't quite marriage material. There will be an arranged meeting between the two and the Land of Grapes wanted the prince to be head over heels for their princess to secure the wedding. I heard that the mother of the prince is very critical, and if she doesn't like the princess, this won't work either."

Tsunade raised up her hands in question. "So where do we come in? Do we protect this princess and try to teach her how to be perfect or something?"

"Not quite," Sarutobi said, tugging uncomfortably at his collar.

Jiraiya now revealed the scroll, which was actually a portrait. "This is the Princess from the Land of Grapes! HAHAHAHHAHHAHHAHA!"

Tsunade's jaw dropped, unable to believe what she was seeing. It was Orochimaru... in a very rich and flamboyant kimono and delicate pink make-up. No, it was actually a female version of him! The only difference was that the pupils weren't slit-shaped and there was no purple outline, just heavy purple eyeshadow. Beside her, Orochimaru said flatly, "I refuse."

Sarutobi tried to console his student. "If it makes you feel any better, Jiraiya will have to dress up as one of your close female attendants."

At this, Jiraiya raged. "What the hell! I refuse too then! Get Sakumo Hatake to do it!"

"How come both of them have to dress up as girls when the real girl is here!" Tsunade protested. "Where do I come in for this mission?"

Sarutobi rubbed at his temples as the three continued loudly yelling.

Outside of Tsunade's bedroom...

"If it wasn't for the fact that this is one of the mission being evaluated to be Jonin... not in a million years."

Jiraiya laughed as he leaned on the door on the outside with Tsunade, waiting for Orochimaru to change. "Quit whining and hurry up with it. I want to see." When Orochimaru grumbled some more, he cackled and turned to Tsunade. "Sooooo, aren't you worried he would peek at your underwear or something?"

"Peh." Tsunade crossed her arms. "Unlike you, Orochimaru is a gentleman. I've already laid out the outfit on the bed and he just has to change into it. There's no reason for him to dig around in my drawers."

"Ack!"

Hearing Orochimaru cry out, Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged a look before he hit the door. "Hey Oro, you ok?" When no one answered, Jiraiya moved Tsunade behind him before shoulder rushing the door. Orochimaru scowled as he struggled to his feet. "These are the most ridiculous footwear I've ever seen. Who invented this?" He lifted up the hem of his purple and pink kimono, with delicate gold flowers embroidered across it. On his bare feet were really tall geta shoes, nearly twenty centimetres in length. It increased his height by so much, he was now as tall as Jiraiya. Looking up, he was baffled by what he was seeing. "Why are you drooling?"

Jiraiya slowly wiped away the drool. The pink and purple kimono emphasized how slender he was and the big purple ribbon styled obi added a lovely decorative touch to his slim waist. He also never really noticed before how silky and long his friend's hair was, as it fell down like a gorgeous waterfall. "I can't believe I'm saying this but... you're actually really hot." He choked when Orochimaru lashed out his long tongue to strangle him.

"Co ark you alling hawt!"

"But you're fugly on the inside," Jiraiya rasped as his face turned purple.

After Tsunade managed to pull the two boys away from each other, she sighed and put her hands on her hips. "This is going to be such a pain."

Orochimaru crossed his arms and huffed as he sat on her golden bed, his head brushing against the translucent yellow canopy. "This is absolutely ridiculous. Just because I have domestic skills and can play a flute, I don't see why I have to be assigned such a mission."

"Hey Oro, you gotta sit with your legs closed together," Jiraiya sniggered. "That's how girls sit."

Golden eyes narrowed in his direction. "I am a man. I can't sit with my legs pressed together. It's too uncomfortable."

"Well now you're going to be Princess from the Land of Grapes." Jiraiya wagged a finger. "So close those hairy legs Oro."

"I will murder you in your sleep," Orochimaru threatened.

Tsunade turned and said, "Jiraiya, you're going to have to dress up as a female attendant too. So you're going to have to close your legs when you sit." She pointed to the other outfits laying on the bed. "I'm closer to Orochimaru's size so he can borrow my clothes. But you're too tall, so I had to grab some of my grandmother's and mom's clothes."

Jiraiya groaned, not happy that he was going to have to practice on having to act girly with Orochimaru for a few day before they head out for the mission. But then he perked up and said, "Hey Tsunade! If I'm a better girl than Orochimaru, will you go out with me?"

Tsunade's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Sureeeee. But you'll have to go on a date with me in a dress."

Jiraiya slumped over. "You're so cruel woman."

Ten minutes later...

Orochimaru hugged himself uncomfortably as he stood outside the bedroom door with Tsunade. If her parents, grandmother, or worse, her brother Nawaki saw him looking like this, he would never live it down. "You're family is out for hot pot right?" he whispered. "And none of the servants are anywhere near this room right?"

Tsunade grinned, knowing that he was afraid they'd see him cross dressing. "If they see you, they'll see Jiraiya dressed up as well." Being caught in a silly situation with someone who held the title of 'The Village's Madness' was not a very comforting thing to say, and Orochimaru conveyed that thought with the expression he was wearing. She giggled and nudged him. "Nawaki misses you. I'm sure he'd like to see you, even if you're wearing my clothes."

"I highly doubt he wants to see me while I'm wearing this." Orochimaru held out his arms and the long sleeves of his kimono rustled with the movement.

She giggled again and said, "Hey, his birthday is coming up. You're coming to his birthday party right?"

"If I miss it, you will kill me so I believe that answers your question." He brushed back his long black hair and said, "He is going to be attending the Academy this year, correct? I'll keep that in mind when I'm buying him a gift." He tilted his head and asked, "When are we having our joint birthday this year anyways, hime?" He, Tsunade and Jiraiya now tried to hold their birthdays together. He could still remember the first time they did this. He had been so choked up with emotions that he was actually lost for words. They had done it out of consideration for him, since he never found much reason for celebrating it after his parents died. Old habits die hard, and even after he became close to them and Sarutobi-sensei, he disliked celebrating since he was reminded of how those who gave him life and created him, were gone. That, and he was too awkward to know how to plan one. So now, all three of them had it together. Now that his friend's birthdays was celebrated with him, he found that he could enjoy it. After all, if Tsunade and Jiraiya was never born, his life would be alot more depressing.

Tsunade clapped her hands together and chirped, "This year, it's going to be on Jiraiya's birthday. November 11."

"I'm done!"

The two jumped back when Jiraiya threw the doors opened and posed. He had don on a bright red and green kimono with falling leaves, tying it together with a large orange obi. But he had gone even further and added padding to achieve D cups size breasts. Thrusting his chest out, he patted them and said, "I have to say, I think I look quite fabulous."

"What the hell did you stuff in there?" Tsunade asked as she poked his fake boobs.

"Lots of tissue paper." He wiggled them and said, "I think I did a pretty good job with what I have. I couldn't find a bra bigger than B-"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" An aura of rage exploded around Tsunade and cracks ran through the hallway. Not only did he rummage through her unmentionables, but he pretty much told Orochimaru what bra size she was. Jumping on his back, she shoved two fingers up his nose. "Eat this pervy no brain!"

"Hey! Watch-" Orochimaru tried to get away as Jiraiya stumbled backwards in his direction, blood gushing from his nose. But thanks to the ridiculous shoes he was wearing, he nearly sprained his ankle as he tried to get away. In the end, he fell over and got crushed underneath Jiraiya's fake boobs and all the air in his lungs was knocked out as Tsunade fell on top of his stomach. Squirming under them, he said in a muffled voice, "Forget it. I quit!" He'd rather take on fifty more missions than this one to be Jonin.

A few days later...

Orochimaru wiped at his eyes blearily as he continued his readings at the Senju's private library. There was a good reason why he loved studying here. The library was absolutely gorgeous and serenely quiet, literally heaven for any scholar. Tall bookcases was built into the earthly red walls, with candlestick holders on the wall to light up the large room. During the cold winters, large braziers were used to keep the room warm and as he got cold easily, he frequently visited during the snowy months. Three large windows with dark blue curtains showed a beautiful view of the Senju's courtyard, with their cherry blossom trees, flowers, elegant walkways, and a sparkling starry night sky. Near the windows were two recliners with soft vanilla colored pillows and a thin blanket if one wanted to be more comfortable while reading. Otherwise, in the center of the room was a large and long table, something that one would use for large meetings. A large vase with white lilies and red roses served as a beautiful centerpiece and also added a pleasant fragrance to the air.

The door slowly opened and Tsunade peeked her head in. Many opened scrolls and papers laid scattered across the table. But the writer himself at the moment, was lounging back on the recliner, his golden eyes focused on the scroll he was reading. The light from the candles on the walls lit up his handsome features, emphasized by the silky obsidian black hair sweeping across sculpted cheekbones.

"Hey Orochi, it's getting pretty late. You should go to bed already."

Hearing her voice, he glanced over lazily and smiled. "Shouldn't you be in bed as well, hime? You're already in your nightwear." Indeed, her sunny blonde hair was down and she wore a comfortable looking night dress with long sleeves and it reached down to her knees. A thin gold ribbon wrapped around her waist, adding an elegant final touch to the outfit.

Tsunade walked over to him and peered down at what he was reading. Tilting her head, she said, "Why are you reading up on deciphering codes?"

"I read up on a great deal of things that interests me," he answered evasively, placing the scroll over on the window ledge. Stretching his arm over to the table, he picked another scroll up and unrolled it once his arm returned to its normal length. "Take a look and tell me what you think."

She sat down on the recliner with him, her back resting against his bent leg and began reading. When she finished, she looked over at him and said, "Ninja Art: Death Wail?"

"A long lost and forbidden technique," he replied with a shrug.

She narrowed her eyes as she read out loud, "Amplifying the sound waves will cause all those within the desired radius to suffer internal damage as well as ruptured eardrums that will overload the auditory senses. Performed correctly, instant death is achieved in the same way a wine glass will shatter at high frequency. But the user themselves will lose their voice in exchange from such a technique. A wielder who can't control their chakra well enough, may also risk backlash and die." Unraveling the scroll abit further, she saw Orochimaru's neat handwriting as he wrote down the biggest radius achieved was nearly ten kilometer, with five hundred dead. Closing the scroll, she tilted her head, "That's why it's forbidden. To lose your own voice, never to speak or sing again, is a very heavy price to pay for it. Worst, you might even die."

"It is a very risky move," Orochimaru agreed, looking up at her. "Have you noticed, hime? All forbidden techniques are forbidden because they exact a heavy price on the wielder. Even your shadow clone technique that was created by your granduncle, is banned because it drains an abhorrent amount of chakra."

"But those with a huge chakra reserve have no problem using it," pointed out Tsunade.

At this, a pleased smile crossed his lips. "Exactly." He sat up and said eagerly, "There is always a loophole somewhere. Forbidden techniques grant the most power, allowing someone with less skill to be able to take down someone much stronger than them. If we can cut out the sacrifice a wielder must adhere to, we can use the technique without fear."

Tsunade's amber eyes flickered from his eager face to the scroll and she said, "If we were to find a way to save the user's voice..." She bit on her thumb and said, "I'll dig around and see if it's possible to heal someone who's lost their voice."

"I knew I could count on you," Orochimaru said, pleased by how quickly she caught on.

To hear him say that made her flush with pride. Laying down on the recliner, she reopened the scroll and said, "Orochi, I have a question."

He turned his body, his back now resting against the window ledge so that he could face her. "What is it?"

"I've noticed your growing interest in kinjutsu. Why? Is it because you've learned almost every other normal technique that is out there?"

Orochimaru smiled as he turned to the window, the light of the moon highlighting the golden slit-shaped eyes. "You could say it's something of a wish of mine." He reached out and gently opened the window, letting the cool night wind in to ruffle his long ebony hair. A few pink petals dropped onto the windowsill and he played with one as he replied, "It's from pain that one grows stronger. It's from death that rebirth is achieved. You can't know happiness unless you've known sadness. You can't wish for immortality until you understand how fleeting life can be." He held his hand out and remembered the day he discovered the white snake skin when he visited his parents' grave. "We'll never grow and achieve true happiness if we don't try and grasp for things that are out of our reach."

Tsunade tilted her head, her untied hair sweeping to the side from the gesture, not quite understanding.

He continued smiling as he looked up at the night sky. "Take for example, hime, I'm a mere orphan from no distinguished clan. Yet I've rose up to be the number one rookie in the Academy for our year. None of the children from the elite clans could compare to my success. A little nobody who doesn't even have a family to come back home to, beat them all in sparring and ninjutsu practices because he reached for it. No matter how impossible or laughable it may seem, I worked hard and reached."

"You're saying that if we blindly obey and give up on kinjutsu, we might be passing up something great," she said, understanding what he was saying.

His fist tightened over the small pink petal, crushing it to dust with his force and chakra. "Forbidden techniques should not be discarded and thrown away. Fearing them is to fear great potential. Fearing them because they require a price and labeled dangerous, is cowardly." He opened the palm of his hand, letting the dust fly off into the air.

"But where will this thirst for greater and more obscure power end?" Tsunade sat up and leaned in with a worried expression. She knew that ever since he was little, he wanted to learn every technique that was out there. But... to learn even kinjutsu was a very dangerous path to take.

He shrugged. "A silly question, hime. It is human nature to desire growth. It never ends." He turned his golden eyes on her. "Kinjutsu allows us to remove our limits. We can be faster, stronger, and deadlier. We can accomplish things far beyond our capabilities. I believe, it is the key to incredible power we can only dream of. The thought of how many lost kinjutsus that are out there, brings about limitless possibilities, Tsunade."

She reminded him worriedly, "Orochimaru, but remember. Most if not all of them, requires some kind of sacrifice. Some of them much heavier than just draining alot of chakra, like the Shadow Clone technique."

He disregarded her comment. "The end result is all that matters in the long run. Besides, all techniques have a flaw.."

"Some kinjutsu twist the laws of nature. Like my granduncle's Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation," she added.

At this, his eyes flashed. "What are the laws of nature? No one truly knows but sadly, this ignorant world pretends it does by coloring things in black and white, trying to preserve some kind of order they have no understanding in. Why should I heed it?"

"You don't understand it either right? Why not take precaution instead of just rebelling?" Tsunade asked.

He could nearly fume at her. "You know what, Tsunade? That forbidden technique of your granduncle also won us a great deal of victories and saved many from our village during the war. If kinjutsu can be used to protect those we care about, or bring back-" At this, he immediately stopped himself and went quiet. Tsunade watched him carefully and he forced a weary smile on his face. "I apologize for my outburst. It's getting late and I'm tired. I shouldn't have discussed such a grim subject with you."

"Don't give me such a fake smile or speak to me like you can't trust me to even listen to you." She glared at him as he visibly grimaced. "I want to understand you, Orochimaru. Don't you ever dare think that there isn't something you can't discuss with me, ok?"

"You..." He lowered his head, letting his hair hide part of his face. Her warm hand touched upon his own and he swallowed the lump in his throat. "A shinobi must never show any weakness. I... can't."

"A shinobi who can't or won't show his pain, can never heal," Tsunade replied back, moving closer to him.

His hair still hid most of his face as he replied emotionlessly, "That is not a real Shinobi rule, Tsunade."

"It is a truth learned from my few years as a healer." Her hand tightened over his. "Tell me, Orochimaru. I don't want whatever it is you're hiding to fester. I care about you." He didn't reply or made any indication that he had even heard her say that. Seconds ticked by as she waited for a response. It was the longest he had ever been silent to her during a conversation. Under the light from the candles in their holders, she could see that not even a muscle moved on his face as he remained still. If not for the warmth from his hand that she was gripping, she would have thought that he had turned into a statue. But finally, his lips parted.

"My parents died as ninjas. I knew that if I followed and tried to become one, I might not live very long either. And yet... I wanted to change things. I didn't want to be powerless. I wanted to become strong and confront my fears. Most of all, I..." His voice cracked. "Is it so wrong to want power to protect and obtain happiness?"

"Orochimaru." Tsunade felt her heart go out to him and she reached forward for him.

"I don't want to be a snake forever," he said bitterly as she moved closer to him on the recliner. "If a snake doesn't reach for the sky, there is no chance to become a dragon. No chance to be free... Crawling on the ground, he has to hide and flee as people scream in fright at him. Death is always present near him. Up there as a dragon, he can be safe and powerful." Her hand threaded through his long hair to cup his face and murmured, "When I found that white snakeskin at my parents grave... and Sarutobi-sensei said that perhaps in the distant future, I could see my parents again once they are reincarnated, I was so happy. I've always thought I'd never see them again now that they were dead. But now, those words and that snakeskin gave me hope and inspired me." He touched his earrings, thinking about how his teacher saw him as a son. "I believe with all my heart their love for me was reborn. I believe in the impossible, hime."

"Orochimaru," she said, her throat starting to constrict by what he was telling her. He was giving her a look that dared her to laugh at him. But she couldn't think of anything more unfunny and beautiful than what he was telling her. Her sincerity must have shown on her face because he visibly relaxed.

"Good luck and rebirth... that was what that white snakeskin symbolized and that was what I wanted. I wanted to be happy. I wanted to have a family again. I wanted the impossible... the forbidden." Slowly, he lifted his head, his expression pained. "That's why I want to study kinjutsu. I want power, Tsunade. I don't want to suffer anymore."

"Orochimaru." She pressed her face into his chest, feeling utterly heartbroken for him. The first time she met him and looked deep into those glowing golden orbs, she knew that his pain ran deep. In some way, he was her inspiration to become a healer. She wanted to mend him, to take away his suffering and make him better. After all these years, all she had done was heal the surface. On the inside, he was still bleeding. Pressing herself into his chest, she suppressed a sob and could only nod.

He closed his eyes and asked softly, "What do you think of me now, Tsunade Senju? I must seem so very weak..."

"I think you are the truest image of what it means to be human," she replied. The answer surprised him. She could tell from the way he held his breath and from his heartbeat.

Orochimaru blinked and said solemnly, "To be human is to be imperfect. You know that right?"

"I never loved you because you were perfect." She looked up at him with glimmering hazel eyes. "I wanted to be with you, no matter how much you pushed me away, because what you are is real. I don't need fake perfection."

He said sorrowfully, "You were always strange. You gamble even though you know you always lose. You reached out to someone who you knew would be difficult."

"The bigger the risk, the better the payout," she said with a smile. She laid her head against the crook of his neck. "Besides, I don't always lose. You're my lucky white snake remember?"

He couldn't help but smile slightly at her words. "I always knew you were meant to be a healer," he whispered as she placed her hand on his heart.

Quietly, she said, "Let me stay with you like this tonight, Orochimaru."

He hesitated at her request. Even though he slept with her and Jiraiya beside him many times during missions and sleepovers since he was six years old, he was confused on why he was suddenly feeling reluctant and shy about this. There was something... strange about this physical closeness with her. It was different from all the other times. Hesitantly, he said, "Tsunade, I'm not sure if now and in this position would be appropriate."

Her hand tightened over the fabric of his shirt. "I don't want you to be alone tonight."

He paused for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her in silent gratitude. Making one hand seal, he strengthened the wind to blow out all of the candles in the room. The only source of light left was the moonlight shining down on them as they sat there in each other's company. As minutes pass, he could feel her body relaxing as she soundly fell asleep in his arms. Quietly, he thought back on what she said to him.

I never loved you because you were perfect. I wanted to be with you, no matter how much you pushed me away, because what you are is real.

He looked down at the girl he's known for more than a decade and was confused as to why she suddenly seemed so different to him. Gently, he brushed back some strands of her sunny blonde hair and stared at her, fixated on her serene face and this unfamiliar feeling in his chest. With unknown feelings in his heart, he found himself unable to sleep as he mulled it over while holding her in his embrace.

I never loved you because you were perfect.

Darkwings13:

-the first part was inspired by that one filler episode where Ino had to act as princess fuku' double since she looks exactly like her. And the naruto universe had some really weird names for lands so I just randomly went for the Lands of Oranges and Grapes lol

-slight reference to what Sasuke said to Orochimaru in episode 114 of naruto shippuden when he said Orochimaru tried to reach for the sky as a snake. Also when kabuto mentions in the future that he was no longer a snake but a dragon when he achieved Sage Mode.

-also a nod towards the mitsuki one shot where Orochimaru said he wanted a family in the future.

-good fortune, rebirth and immortality... a monster born from a twisted wish. Reference to Naruto chapter 344 pg 16 as to why Orochimaru desired to learn kinjutsu because of the white snakeskin he found at his parents grave. His wish wasn't wrong, but it just got twisted along the way, after all the deaths and second shinobi war. :(

(=￣.￣=) So... fanfiction isn't working properly. I literally can't see any reviews on my last chapter and can't reply. I'm soooooo mad! Dx I keep clicking on reviews link but it doesn't show. My email haven't gotten them either.

So to my dear readers who reviewed, I'm so sorry. No I would never ignore you guys. T.T but I'll have to reply to last chapter and this chapter reviews next time. This site should hopefully fix it by then. I also made this chapter abit shorter than the others since it just felt right to end the chapter at where it is. Anyways till next time my dear readers! =)