Tsunade smiled, dreaming that she was wrapped in a really warm and poofy white cloud. It felt so comfortable and safe. She pulled on the cloud and snuggled down deeper into it, feeling its softness rub across her skin. The scent of fresh wind and... Wait, clouds don't smell like herbal soap and rosewood oil. Her eyes snapped open and she felt all the blood rush to her head as she looked up into Orochimaru's sleeping face. His arms were wrapped around her and she was sitting between his legs as he dozed on. His light breaths danced across her cheek and his long hair mingled with her own golden locks. She blushed as she continued resting against his solid and firm chest, one of her hand still pressing against his heart and the other one around his waist. This was nice, she thought as she slowly relaxed. The soft light of a dawn colored sky filtered in through the glass window to color the room in gentle pink, light purple and soft blue.

Lifting up her hand, she gently traced the purple outline around his eyes before moving it down his sculpted cheekbones, and then to his jawline, loving this moment of seeing him so unguarded and relaxed. Smiling, she closed her eyes and snuggled against him. Her heart soared when he unconsciously tightened his grip around her and she couldn't think of a single place she'd rather be than here. Thinking about it... she pretty much confessed that she loved him last night. He had to get it now right? There was no other way she could be more blunt about her feelings than that.

"Sister! It's breakfast timeeeeeeeeeeee! Where are you?"

Nawaki! She straightened up in a panic, resulting in her head banging up on Orochimaru's chin. "Owww!"

"Argh!" He snapped awake and winced at his red chin.

"Sister! Are you in the library?"

Orochimaru and Tsunade looked at each other at the same time as they hastily pulled away and hurriedly smoothed down their clothes. In the next second, the door opened to reveal Tsunade's little brother, still dressed in his green pajamas and clutching a teddy bear. His big brown eyes sparkled with delight and he jumped up and down. "Orochimaru!"

"Nawaki," Orochimaru greeted as the young boy ran over to him. "You're back from your sleepover?"

Nawaki grinned and nodded. "If I knew you were visiting, I wouldn't have gone." He tugged on Orochimaru's sleeve. "Tell me more heroic shinobi stories! Pleaseeeeee!"

Tsunade smiled. Orochimaru was definitely Nawaki's favorite person. She had been surprised to learn that Orochimaru sometimes told her kid brother bedtime stories on the history of great shinobis. Not only was he smart about math, science and knowledgeable about techniques, he was also well versed in history, politics, poetry, music, and herbalism. She made sure to emphasize to Nawaki how it was thanks to Orochimaru teaching her what herbs she should give to their mother when she was pregnant, that made Nawaki such a strong and healthy baby.

Orochimaru shushed him quietly. "Nawaki, your sister told me that you will be entering the Academy this year. It's time we move from stories and legends to something more practical."

Nawaki nodded eagerly. "Sister said you knew hundreds of techniques. How about you tell me about those instead?

"Do not try to climb a mountain until you've at least attempted a hill," he replied stoically. Nawaki immediately calmed down and stayed respectfully quiet. Pleased, he continued. "If you are good and work hard, I'll get you something very useful to prepare yourself for the Academy. After all, your birthday is coming up."

Nawaki rubbed at his cute pink cheeks and pouted. "I'm turning seven and I'm finally able to go. It's so not fair. Sis and you got to go when you were five and you both graduated at six."

Tsunade rubbed her brother on the head. "It's different now since we're at peace, Nawaki."

"Back during our time," Orochimaru said solemnly, "There was still plenty of fighting and a war going on. Children were even sent to the battlefield when things got desperate. Do not complain and be ungrateful, Nawaki. Instead, value this time of peace and enjoy your studies."

"Orochimaru," Tsunade scolded him.

"Don't be mad at him," Nawaki defended, putting himself in front of his idol. He stuck his tongue out at her. "Orochimaru is the only one who doesn't treat me like a kid and speaks honestly."

"Nawaki," Orochimaru lectured. "Your sister is only worried about you." He jerked his head towards her. "Apologize and then go brush your teeth. I will see you at breakfast. No doubt you'll have more questions for me about the Academy and your studies."

Nawaki was ecstatic. He loved it when Orochimaru ate with his family and answered his questions. He was like a walking encyclopedia and he never held back any information. Sometimes he could be scary but Nawaki quickly learned that if he was attentive and obedient, he had nothing to fear. Orochimaru was nothing but fair even if he was strict. "Sorry sister," said Nawaki, hugging her around the waist.

Tsunade sighed and rubbed him on the head. "Fine fine. Go on now." When her kid brother left the library, she turned to her friend and pouted. "He listens to you more than me."

Orochimaru smirked. "I think you're just jealous he likes me more than you, hime." He chuckled when she pouted even more. "I believe it's rightly deserved. The amount of my hair he yanked out when I babysat him on your behalf..." He unconsciously touched his hair and scowled slightly, remembering how much her brother loved to play with his hair when he was a baby.

"He's not the only one who loves your hair," she said coyly. Instead of flirting back like he usually did, his pale cheeks colored and he remained quiet. She briefly wondered if it was because of what happened last night. Coming to his side, she asked hesitantly, "Orochimaru, about last night..."

He said curtly, "Thank you for listening to me and for your support, Tsunade."

She froze as he quickly made to move past her. "Wa-wait!" When he paused with his hand on the doorknob, she asked, "That's... it?"

"What do you want me to say?" he asked solemnly.

Tsunade turned red and she lowered her eyes. "I... I want to know how you feel when I said I..." Her lips felt dry and her mouth doesn't seem to be working properly as she tried to enunciate simple words. Swallowing, she said, "How do you feel about me after what happened last night?"

"I can't answer a question I don't understand," he answered, looking over his shoulder at her. He pressed his lips together, suddenly feeling a strange aching pain in his chest to see her looking so sad at what he just said. "Tsunade, I-"

"It's ok." She lifted up her head. "I never loved you because you were perfect, right? Things were never easy with you, Orochimaru. But I can wait for you to sort out your feelings and give me an answer."

Orochimaru said, "When you said you love me, it's more than just friends then?"

She forced a smile on her face. "For someone so smart, you were strangely stupid when it came to things like this." It suddenly felt hard to breathe for some reason. The way he was looking at her, made it even worse. Grinding on her teeth, she said thickly, "I've had a crush on you since we were kids. That's right. In some way, I was extremely selfish. I knew you didn't care to spend time with anyone else besides me and Jiraiya. Jiraiya was always disappearing off to Mount Myoboku to train and I was actually happy about that since I could have you to myself. When he disappeared for a whole week to search for the stupid Oonba thing for our summer research, I was ecstatic while you were actually worried and trying to hide that you'd miss him." When he seemed uncomfortably, she wiped at her eyes and laughed. "I know you just as you know me. You bet that he'd win and find an Oonba and you even tried to hide your blush. You care about him but you'd never openly admit it."

"I... I was just unsure of how long he'd be gone for," Orochimaru said awkwardly. "He's a good source of entertainment." After a long pause, he said, "You really pay such close attention to my words and actions, Tsunade?"

"I can't exactly help it since I liked you so much," she answered, rubbing her arm and averting her eyes. She touched her loose long hair and said, "Even this."

His eyes widened as he remembered.

They were thirteen and hanging by the training grounds to watch the sunset after they had finished their sparring practices. He was reading one of his scrolls, Tsunade was splashing her face with water by the river and Jiraiya was digging something green stuck from his teeth. Ignoring his friend's grossness, he focused on his scroll. All of a sudden, Jiraiya piped up, "Hey Oro, what kind of girls do you like?"

"Hmph."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "That's not an answer." When he continued to bug him, he held up the finger with the leftover spinach from his lunch. "I'll smear this onto your back if you don't answer."

"I'll break your finger," Orochimaru replied, still reading his scroll.

"It'll be smeared on before you break my finger," Jiraiya said in a sing song voice.

Sighing heavily, he closed his scroll. "Jiraiya, I have no interest in girls. I'm only thirteen."

"I liked girls when I was like five."

"When I was five, I've already read half of my father's books," Orochimaru replied monotonously.

Jiraiya tapped on his chin thoughtfully. "Ok... so how about this then. What types of girls look the prettiest to you?"

He blinked and said slowly, "I never gave that much thought. But..." Touching his long hair, he said, "I think long hair is lovely."

"Is that because your mother has long hair?" Tsunade walked over to them and smiled. "I noticed she was very beautiful in your family picture."

Slowly, Orochimaru smiled and nodded. "Yes, I suppose you're right, hime." Wistfully, he said, "She had beautiful long raven locks. Whenever I look into the mirror and see my own hair, it's like seeing her."

Jiraiya whipped out a notebook and began scribbling down notes. "Ok, anything else?"

"Why are you taking notes?" Tsunade and Orochimaru asked at the same time.

"It's for research." Jiraiya asked, "Anything else?"

"If you're talking about physical beauty, that's it really." But then Orochimaru shrugged and turned his eyes back to the sunset. "It doesn't matter though. I don't see meaning in pursuing something that isn't eternal."

Jiraiya was dumbfounded. "Huh?"

Emotionlessly, Orochimaru said, "Why do you care about how pretty a girl is when you know that her physical looks would fade away eventually?" He held his hand out to catch a falling leaf. Studying it, he murmured, "The only things with any meaning, are those that lasts forever. So I guess... the only girl who would truly be pretty to me, is someone who's eternally beautiful."

Jiraiya snorted. "You're asking for the impossible. Everyone ages."

"Says the hypocrite who's constantly pointing out who's pretty and who's not when we're walking down the street," Orochimaru replied, flicking away the leaf.

Jiraiya laughed and shrugged. They stayed like that for some time, just looking at the sunset. Somehow, Jiraiya managed to fall asleep. The hard training, warm air, chirping of crickets and pleasant atmosphere certainly helped created the perfect environment for napping. When the sun was almost out of sight, Tsunade said, "Orochi."

"What is it hime?"

"Isn't it a bit vain or unreasonable to ask someone to be beautiful forever?" she asked hesitantly.

Orochimaru nodded. "It is."

"But then why-"

"I hate loss. It's as simple as that." He crossed his legs and gestured to the darkening skies. "It's always sad when beautiful things have to end. Like this sunset for example." When she seemed uncertain on how to respond, he said, "You remember what I said when you first fought me to become my friend? I don't have the heart or time to invest my feelings in anyone who I know will be dead within a year or so."

Tsunade nodded. "I remember."

"If I never care, I won't be hurt when things ends. It's a reason why I have very few people I'm close to, and the reason why I simply can't think of something as valuable or worthwhile when I can only think of its inevitable decay."

"They say... true love is always beautiful, no matter how old the couple may get," Tsunade said timidly.

Orochimaru shrugged. "In your romance books perhaps."

"Meanie," Tsunade said with a pout.

Orochimaru looked at her with surprise. "What did I do?"

"You're an idiot sometimes," she said with a scowl, resting her chin in her hand, watching the last sliver of sunlight disappear.

"You grew your hair long because of what I said?" Orochimaru asked, stunned by what he was hearing.

She wiped at her eyes. "That's not the only thing. I've also been trying to research ways on how to always look young because of you."

His expression grew pained. "You're only sixteen and yet you..." A rare look of regret crossed his face. "I never wanted you to go to so much trouble for me."

She huffed angrily, trying not to cry. "And yet you never noticed. You suck. What kind of guy makes a girl confess outright that she likes him for him to get it? You're so stupid! I hate you sometimes! Why do I always have to take the first step?" His shadow moved closer back to her as she continued staring at the ground. His slender fingers placed themselves under her chin and he tilted her head up, her eyes meeting his golden orbs.

"You also took the first step when we were kids," he said quietly. He seemed to struggle with some kind of dilemma before finally speaking. "I don't know how to feel about this. I am confused and to be honest, half terrified."

Half terrified? Did Orochimaru really just said that? She tilted her head, not quite understanding.

He lowered his hand, regretting that he had let on too much. "Never mind. I do not wish to discuss this any further." When she made to protest, he interrupted. "Your family is waiting for us to have breakfast. We can talk later, Tsunade."

"One thing before we end the conversation, if you say you'll discuss this with me later." Tsunade crossed her arms and asked, "How do we go about things with each other now?"

He sighed, "I almost envy how Jiraiya can manage asking you out every second day and still act like the same lovesick loveable fool that he is." Putting a hand on his hip, he said, "Know this, Tsunade. You are still important to me. You've always been important to me. That hasn't changed. How we act from now on, let it be honest even if it will be awkward. Otherwise, I can put up a good act if that is what you wish."

Tsunade said firmly, "I don't want you to lie to me."

He nodded. "Very well then."

"One thing."

He watched her carefully and asked, "Yes?"

"Can we still flirt? I enjoy the witty banter, even if it's not serious," Tsunade said, trying to lighten the mood. Secretively, she also hoped that the flirting would help tilt his feelings in her direction, even if he was confused for now.

Orochimaru smiled. "I can agree to that so long as you understand yourself that we are doing this for pure amusement. Until I figure out this strange feeling you invoked inside me after your confession, we are still the best of friends, hime." When her eyes widened, he nodded. "Yes Tsunade. I do feel something strange and unfamiliar when you told me you loved me. With time, I hope it will be clearer. I... simply don't want to hurt you, which is why I'm hesitant about the matter. That, and I'm not quite sure if I'm the right person for you to be with. I can be quite cold and insensitive. Callous even. And compared to you, I have little money and I'm from no distinguished clan. You're a Senju, the princess of the village. You'd be with someone who's very beneath you." Realizing that his nervousness was making him blabber, he quickly clammed up. "That was... quite a mouthful. Ignore that."

She couldn't help but think this part of him was rather cute. "You know," she said softly. "I always liked to gamble even when I have very little chance of winning."

He raised an eyebrow. "I feel like you just implied that I'm a poor bet to put your stakes on."

"Your words, not mine," she said with a wink.

He proffered his arm and when she hesitantly hooked arms with him, he said pleasantly, "I cannot deny hime, I admire your strength. You have always been fearless and ignored the hardships you'd have to endure to get what you want. It is something that inspires."

"You know that complimenting me isn't going to get me to bend down on one knee and buy you a ring," Tsunade said mischievously.

Orochimaru smirked at the flirting attempt. "Considering your growing debt from your terrible luck at the gambling dens, I'd have to wait a thousand years before you can afford to put a ring on my finger." When she smiled, he felt his heart grow warm and the strange and unfamiliar feeling he experienced last night returned, alittle stronger than before.

It was with a heavy atmosphere when they were summoned to the Hokage's office. In the past two weeks, there was a huge increase in missions. But they were all B, A and S rank missions. Not only that, most of them involved stealth and data gathering. As they walked down the hallway towards their teacher's office, Tsunade shook her head, sending rainwater flying everywhere. Even the weather mirrored the village's mood, she thought dismally. Addressing Jiraiya, she said, "How'd you guys do on your last mission?"

Jiraiya gave her a grin that only contained half of his usual enthusiasm. "Managed to scavenge and restore some documents when that outpost we have situated in the Land of Earth blew up. Me and Orochimaru and Sakumo Hatake had to sift through so many dead bodies, we smelled like road kill for a week. I scouted around the area and stumbled on some unknown ninjas talking. There is heavy foul play involved and the second Tsuchikage, or someone close to him may be responsible."

Orochimaru shook his head. "They all killed themselves before Jiraiya could capture them for interrogation."

"Surely you could still send the bodies back," said Tsunade. "I and the other medical ninjas could have tried to analyze them for evidence." When he didn't say anything, her eyes widened. "Their bodies..."

"Blew themselves up," he said in irritation. He fumed silently. "Things are stirring. But our enemies should realize that if you drive a dog into a corner, sooner or later it will bite back."

Tsunade felt her chest grow heavy. "You suspect it's the other villages."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and said, "Don't be so grim and fatalistic, Oro. It could be a few rebels or dissenting groups."

"I am being realistic. I've already talked about this before, right? Waters are being tested. These attacks aren't exactly on the high-scale side of damage, but they're testing pokes. Many of the missions where our ninjas were supposed to act as bodyguards to protect delivery and shipments have been attacked. Those useless nobles are getting scared." explained Orochimaru. He had a very poor opinion of lords and nobles. They were all fat, lazy and all they were good for were their coins. Their own fire daimyo,while good-natured, was stupid and only cared about the latest court fashion.

Tsunade bit her lips. "If those who we usually perform missions for are being targeted, our village may lose business because they'll grow afraid and look somewhere else." She huffed. If only things weren't so busy at the hospital, she could come along with them and be out on the field to contribute as well. Their forces were stretched thin and Orochimaru even had to go solo twice. This was extremely rare for a Chunin, even if he was exceptionally talented.

Jiraiya moped, frowning about the entire situation they were in. "I can't believe I'm saying this but I hope Sensei will give us a D rank mission to catch a cat or something."

When they entered the Hokage's office, Sarutobi folded his hands together and said, "Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru... I have a very important mission for you three. This will also be the mission that will determine your evaluation to be Jonin."

Jiraiya groaned. "See? Tsunade, you should have bet that we would get an important mission. With your sucky luck, we could have gotten a D rank."

Tsunade punched him on the arm before asking, "What are we to be doing, Sarutobi-sensei?" She pouted. "If it's another dress up mission, Orochi might just bite someone."

"Hmph."

Jiraiya snickered quietly at his friend's look of annoyance and Sarutobi cracked a smile. "No. You three are to head off to the Land of Whirlpools and visit Uzushiogakure, Village Hidden by Whirling Tides."

That was her grandmother's old village! Tsunade smiled in delight, ecstatic at the chance to visit the place. Orochimaru took note of her sudden lift in demeanor and quickly figured out the reason why.

Sarutobi leaned back in his purple sofa-like chair and tapped on his crystal ball. "From the looks on your face, Orochimaru, Tsunade, you've both realized it. That is where the legendary Uzumaki clan hails."

"We are in need of their fuinjutsu?" asked Orochimaru. He knew that there was no clan alive more skilled at it than the Uzumakis. Were things getting so desperate that their village had to ask for their help?

Sarutobi said, "We might. But they have been our allies ever since Lord First and Lady Mito were married, so it would be easy to ask. Not only that, their clan and the Senju clan have had a long and close history since they're distantly related. This means, our village and theirs are quite friendly with each other."

Jiraiya exclaimed, "Oh! Is that why we have their symbol on our flak jackets?"

Chuckling, Sarutobi nodded. "That's right Jiraiya. It's a way to portray our friendship between the clans." He held out a scroll and said, "This is a request message to their village head. If we need their aid, we hope they'll come to assist us."

"A delivery message then?" asked Jiraiya as he took the scroll.

Sarutobi opened his drawers and drew out a gleaming red crystal. "Not quite. Take this with you and find a little baby girl in the village named Kushina Uzumaki. Place this in her hand and then give me a full and detailed report on what happens."

Tsunade took the crystal and asked warily, "What does this crystal do?"

"That is top secret. Don't ask," Sarutobi said.

Before Tsunade could protest or whine, Orochimaru held his arm out in front of her. "There's more, isn't there, sensei?" He could tell from the look and lines on his teacher's face that it would be grim news that they'd be hearing.

"You three are to stay there for awhile and help the village with whatever tasks they'll need of you until they let you go. Not only that..." Resting his chin on his folded hands, Sarutobi said, "If you find anyone following after you, kill them."

Jiraiya outburst came in the next second. "What?! Why?"

"This is to protect Uzushiogakure," replied Sarutobi. "We are asking them to risk a great deal for us and we have to ensure their safety to the best of our abilities." He unrolled a map and pointed. "Uzushiogakure sealed off most of the paths to its location and lives in tranquil isolation. Few know how to get to their village and it must stay that way. Many in this world seeks or fears their powers and would do them harm. So this trip must be as secretive as possible."

Orochimaru gave a half bow. "Understood."

Jiraiya sighed. "Fine fine."

"Ok," said Tsunade. She fiddled with her fingers before saying, "Can we go two days later? Nawaki... has his birthday tomorrow."

At that, Sarutobi nodded and smiled. "That is absolutely fine, Tsunade. I'll be coming with my wife. We bought him a little something to prepare for the Academy. He'll be enrolling in September, correct?"

Tsunade laughed and poked Orochimaru. "Yep! Make sure you don't get the same thing as Orochi, sensei. He also wants to get my brother something to prepare for the Academy."

Jiraiya dismissed them and said, "Peh, he's a seven-year-old boy. He deserves something fun for his birthday."

Tsunade gave him a suspicious look. "If you get him something inappropriate... I'll kill you."

Sarutobi laughed as Jiraiya gulped and Orochimaru smirked on the side. After all these years, it's like his adorable students never grew up.

Kids... so many kids. Orochimaru carefully navigated around the loud urchins to head out to the courtyard. The air was heavy with the smell of barbecuing meat and people were chatting in large groups. Large tables decked out with food were practically groaning under the weight. After filling his plate with a large Dashimaki-Tamago (Japanese rolled omelet) and some spicy cooked oysters, he went over to where Jiraiya was sitting and saving him a spot; a garden seat under one of the many cherry blossom trees and near the large bubbling pond.

Jiraiya shoveled some Kaarage-fried chicken (deep fried chicken) into his mouth before pointing. "Her koi fishes are huge! Last time I was here, they were a bunch of babies."

Orochimaru scooped some omelet into his mouth and glanced over at the pond. Wait... those koi fishes were huge! What the heck has Tsunade's family been feeding them with? He stared as one of the white and orange fish swam close and looked up at him, its mouth opening and closing in a strangely cute manner. Slowly turning back in his seat, he swallowed his food. "Must be some very good fish food," he commented. He continued eating and took count of how many kids were running around the place. There was about six or seven kids grabbing food, tugging on their parents' clothes, or playing tag with each other. On the inside of the mansion, who knows how many more of them were there. Though he supposed since this was a Senju birthday party, it was not unexpected to see so many families from all the clans here. After all, the Senjus were the elite of the elite. If you were a somebody, you'd better be here.

Jiraiya nudged his friend. "Look at all the hotties this year!"

Sucking on his spicy oyster, Orochimaru replied blankly, "They are all seven-year-olds."

Jiraiya nearly swallowed a chicken bone at the comment. Spluttering, he shouted, "No smartass! Since when did I like little girls!"

Everyone around them stared when they heard the loud outburst. A few mothers even drew their little girls to their sides protectively and they all created a wide berth around the two teenagers. "N-no, it is not what you think!" Jiraiya tried in vain to reassure them but his grimacing smile just made him look creepy. He glared at his friend who was still sucking on his oysters. "Thanks a lot."

"I did nothing. You manage perfectly well on your own in looking like a fool, chosen of the frogs," Orochimaru replied, moving onto another oyster. "Hey!" The oyster shot out of his hand when Jiraiya elbowed him. The two watched as it soared high through the air and landed smack dab into Biwako's hair, who was Sarutobi's wife. Although their sensei was usually good humored, his wife was a whole different story. She was usually very solemn, strict, rigid, and had little patience for anything. Why Sarutobi-sensei married her, they could only guess because it was due to her very good looks. Her long brown hair (without an oyster shell in it) was worn high into a silky ponytail and under the white and blue kimono, she was what one would consider a slender beauty. Her face was refined and her dark eyes clever. The only feature that gave a hint of her personality was her thin lips.

"Who's oyster is this?!" Biwako cried as she touched her hair that was now sticky with oyster juice and hot sauce.

"Uhhhh… wanna head back inside, Oro?" asked Jiraiya.

"No duh." He licked his fingers and hurriedly wiped it on a napkin as they got off the garden seat to head back inside. As they walked in, they ran into Tsunade who was carrying a giant white and green cake in her arms to put on the table outside. Instead of her usual outfit, she was now in a traditional cherry blossom kimono that was tied back with a large purple ribbon obi. A hair clasp of soft flowers was clipped to her hair that was stylishly tied and held back by a decorative emerald comb.

Giving the two boys a suspicious look, she asked "What did you guys do?"

"Nothing," Jiraiya replied, plastering a wide grin on his face. "We just wanted to see what our third member of Team Hiruzen is doing."

On the outside, they heard Biwako yelled, "Hiruzen Sarutobi! Look at what your kids did to my hair!"

Jiraiya swore. "One of the little brats must have tattled."

"What did you do to her hair?" Tsunade asked, slightly amused at the racket outside. As she was not very fond of the woman for always being so hard on her during medical ninja training, she was pleased about what was happening.

"Does it really matter? Hide us Tsunade!" Jiraiya panicked as he saw her head in their general direction.

Tsunade giggled before jerking her head up. "Go fetch Nawaki for me. He should have been dressed up by now to take pictures."

Orochimaru ran the schedule through his head before saying, "So we had lunch, then we will embarrass your little brother by gawking at him taking pictures, then we will socialize and wander around while he plays with urchins his age… and then dinner, and then blowing out the candles and presents. Then we go through the awkward phase of wondering when to go home."

"It is the same as every year," Jiraiya said with a nod.

Tsunade glowered at them. "Are you guys complaining?"

"Only if I have to watch another boring horror movie like the past six ears," Orochimaru replied. As he didn't care for socializing and pointless chitchat, Tsunade always stuck him and Jiraiya into a room to watch movies together to pass the time. It was usually a horror movie so that little kids would not dare to come bother them. Jiraiya didn't much care for horror movies and would periodically ditch him to hit on girls. He would only sneak back in for safety if the girls he had been hitting on were trying to kill him for groping them or something.

"This year, I think Oro needs to stop being a wimp and go out to socialize." Jiraiya crossed his arms and pretended to stroke some imaginary wisdom beard. "He is sixteen, not sixty for heaven sake. He needs to live life alittle."

Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "Hmph. I am not a wimp. I just don't care to talk to people I have no interest in knowing."

Jiraiya wagged a finger at him. "If you are to become Hokage one day, that is one of your duties. Best to start now." He slapped his friend on the back when he scowled. "Annnnnnd if you are to ever find yourself a girlfriend one day, you gotta get out there Oro. No girl is going to randomly stumble in on you watching a black and white horror movie."

For some reason, both Tsunade and Orochimaru's face flushed pink. Before he could comment on it, he howled when Biwako yanked on his ear. During their talk, they had completely forgotten about her. "Jiraiya! Did you really think you could get away with throwing an oyster on my head?"

"Wa-wait! Orochimaru had a hand in it too!" Jiraiya protested. He made to grab his friend but all he grabbed was thin air as Orochimaru disappeared. "Damn you snake eyes! Get back here Oro!"

Walking up the elegant and gleaming dark staircase, Orochimaru walked down the hallway that had a long velvet red carpet laid down in the middle. Scrolls of great artistic beauty hung on the walls and pots of bamboo and plants served as addition decoration, a vibrant and colorful contrast against the walls. Nawaki's bedroom was right across from Tsunade's, and right beside the guest bedroom he usually occupied when he slept over. Knocking on the door, he said, "Nawaki, are you in there? Your sister is looking for you."

The door opened up to reveal the birthday boy, his hair brown unruly hair now tame and perfectly combed. Wearing a white and green yukata with decorative leaf patterns, he beamed. "Orochimaru! How do you think I look?"

Orochimaru blinked. "You're dressed up; it is kind of a given that you should look good."

Nawaki inwardly sighed. "Now I get what sister meant when she said you kinda sucked at compliments." He whispered, "Did you really say 'Happy Valentine Tsunade. You're only half as ugly as all the other girls."

He nearly snorted. "Jiraiya made that up when we were seven. I never gave anyone, including your sister, a Valentine's card."

"Why?" Nawaki blinked his round eyes in an owlish manner.

"Because I could never afford one in the first place," he replied simply.

Rubbing his cute pink cheeks, Nawaki sniffed. "Oh."

His eyes flickered down the hallway briefly before he pushed him on the back. "Go before your impatient sister comes looking for you and nags me for being slow, Nawaki. Hurry."

"Ok..." Nawaki perked up when he heard Orochimaru make a sound of approval in his throat. Skipping, he headed downstairs.

When Tsunade's brother was gone, Orochimaru crossed his arm and glanced down the hallway. He made one hand seal to condense the air, controlling the area so that no sound waves could reach unwanted ears. "Welcome to the party. Shall we celebrate your demise along with the birthday cake this evening?" The air rippled as the genjutsu was dispelled and a tall young man with short dark blue hair that was held back by a Leaf protector, piercing red eyes that marked him as an Uchiha, wearing a short sleeved dark grey shirt and long black pants appeared. Tilting his head, Orochimaru smirked as he realized who the intruder was. "Well if it isn't Akano Uchiha." His golden eyes glinted as he smiled, showing sharp white teeth. "Eating cake might just be much more delicious this year."

Darkwings13:

-Akano Uchiha is that boy whose arm and leg Orochimaru broke in chapter 8.

-I half based Oro's preference for long hair as a reflection of that rumor that Sasuke likes girls with long hair, which was why Ino and Sakura grew their hair long lol. Especially since Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are supposed to be the Sannin reborn xD

-Aging is pointless, as stated by Orochimaru in episode 72 of Naruto. He scoffs and dislikes at strength and beauty being wasted away. 'Even the carved Hokage's face will wither and decay'. Orochimaru holds little to no interest in things that won't be there forever, which stems from his hate at loss and human fragility.

-I can't remember where but I saw a fanart once of Orochimaru giving Tsunade a Valentine card and saying what I just said. I thought it was hilarious and decided to use it here. If anyone knows that fanart, let me know so I can give the artist a message about using it for my fic as a sign of respect.

-Biwaka always struck me as a more serious and strict character from her interaction with Kushina and Minato.

-Random: I am super amused that Mitsuki's hobbies are databook reading and card games xD *wink wink*

（*´▽`*) Firstly, thanks and much appreciation to the new readers who have added this to their favorite list. Yay, we've reached 42 favorites. Celebrating for the Orotsu ship! Wheeeee. So thanks to Felikowy, SandyLS, MasterRaceW, Foxtrony, bumalum, tdgfan555, Samantha Weiss, Trickbaby69, Nicholas Dreamer, LuckyLefty77 and EliadS! I'll keep doing my best for you all!

（●＞ω＜●）I know how you felt when looking for Orotsu fictions hxshigaki76. It's because there was so little that I decided to take action and write this. In a way, it's to satisfy my own cravings as well as support the ship teehee. Oh noes. Sorry for making you teary for the last chapter! Are you alright my friend?

(=^_^=) thank you sagar hussain! I'll keep doing my best for you all.

{*≧∀≦) Ahhhh you always have such a keen eye and so much to say about my chapters, BlackLady777. Thank you. I'm glad you like my effort at explaining the prelude to the Second Shinobi war. I too love Orochi's earrings. It's such a big part of his look that I had to write about it. Yay I'm glad you agree that Orochimaru would not only be bored, but probably be annoyed if he was with someone who didn't catch on to things quickly. The perverted poster on the bathroom door was actually inspired by a real-life event of mine. Yes, I have a really pervy friend who's like Jiraiya haha. Anyways yea, the way Jiraiya is, I thought he'd find some way to make crossdressing fun. Lastly, thank you very much for your input on Tsunade my friend. The wordings 'Tsunade develops her own kinjutsu Ninja Art Creation Rebirth — Strength of a Hundred Technique because she recognizes the value of sacrifice for the greater good' is spot on and inspirational. It's food for this writer to add in a future chapter so I'm very grateful. I tried to showcase her hesitations and understandings mixed together when listening to Orochimaru's dreams and I'm happy you think I managed to match her canon character. Also, it fascinated me slightly to analyze and write about Orochimaru and how confused he'd feel once he moved towards romantic territory. I'm glad you liked that part Blacklady.

(･ω･` ) I know what you mean JigokuShoujosRevenge. I feel squeamish thinking about the future heartbreak I'll have to write about in the future. And your comment was fascinating! It's so true how his attitude is being enabled. Sarutobi admitted in the future he tried to be optimistic and even pretended not to notice the growing darkness Orochimaru possessed. Tsunade and Jiraiya I think, in a way, aren't sure if they should try too hard to change him, as he is super efficient. He's good at being a Shinobi and by being ruthless, he gets things done. To soften him would be like dulling a blade that's meant to kill, especially during an era of war. But yes, because of the circumstances and it's exactly like what Jiraiya said in one episode, people like Orochimaru become who they are in the end because they're shaped by the world. From his parents' death to war... :(

(o´・ω・｀)ﾉ hi lumichan! Lovely to hear from you again friend. I'm glad I made your day! You made mine by letting me know you enjoyed my story. Hahaha, Jiraiya is certainly loveable. The Sannin are just so great.

(〃￣ω￣〃) oh! Greetings LuckyLefty77! A new reader, so fabulous, much yay. I know! I wish there is more Orotsu stories out there too. It's such a fascinating and deep ship and very similar to Sakura x Sasuke. Though I always thought Tsunade was 10x better than Sakura haha. I'll always update at least once a week my friend. Usually Thursdays lol. Thanks again for reading and your comment is so very kind.

v(^∀^*) Thank you Carolina! You and many others give me much strength and support to write. I still remember you as being one of the first to read and review. It's lovely to hear you're still enjoying this story.

(´∀｀•) Oh yea I remember that episode of Naruto SD. Haha Orochimaru is absolutely hilarious in it. And I'm glad you were also amused by the apron and perverted poster in that last last chapter friend. With a friend like Jiraiya, life is certainly never dull haha. Their outfits are based off the ones they wore when they were young teenagers (the ones they wore at Nawaki's death). I kinda liked Jiraiya's best personally. Thank you for the compliment on my picture! I was thinking of doing another Orotsu fanart and including Mitsuki in it. It really amuses me that Mitsuki and his brother are clones, sort of like Katsuyu and that Mitsuki has a hobby for card games. Wonder who taught him that one xD Oh and I just saw Konoha Gakuen Den! Hahaha the hairy legs is stuck in my mind too now! I think as Orochimaru has snake traits, he's probably very hairless but Jiraiya said that just to make fun of him. And I definitely intend to have them go through more bookworm studying sessions together on 'unsexy' research as Jiraiya would call it lmao. XD after so many chapters, it's about time Oro stops being so romantically challenged and have some inkling on how Tsu is feeling even if he's confused about it. I'm glad you like that my friend! Thanks again for all your input.

(^-^*)ノ Lord creator! Here here, you forgot your drink. I'll pour ya a glass. *pours glass of Johnnie Walker Blue* You're too kind my friend. I kinda wondered if I was going to slow with the romance development but it's good to hear that you appreciate all the slow buildup and little moments between the two. Ah don't be too sad my friend. People can change, or they'll die before they do ;D Course he'll have to go through hell and back, but in the end he turns over a new leaf. Gah I really wish I can see Oro and Tsu meet up in the future Boruto manga. He's caring again like how he loves his dead parents :D And Tsu obviously missed and wants him again according to her infinite tsukiyomi.