Chapter 13: Immortality stinks! Part 2

Tsunade and Hidan had left the hotel behind and were walking down the empty road. Tsunade had never been so far north, Hidan told her that they were near the hidden cloud village. The terrain was rugged and mountains peeked out from behind the fog like flinger's. They crossed hundreds of bridges, closing gaps from one peek to the next. It was like walking to stepping stones on a milky white lake across strips of dried reeds.

Hidan told her that they were looking for a jinchuuriki, Tsunade knew only too well what that was. Her grandfather told her stories of the tailed beasts, tales of the nine tailed fox made her six year old self have nightmares. After that her heard no more stories about demons sealed inside people.

Their seemingly endless walking gave Tsunade plenty of time to think. She thought a lot about Dan and her brother. Everything she was start to get down about them Kakuzu's words flashed through her head. She didn't know if she wanted forget.

She remembered something long ago, something from when she was still an apprentice under her master.

"Tsunade, what are you doing?" Masters stern voice called out. Tsunade ignored her. They were in Amegakure looking for some new clothes for Tsunade, her old ones torn and dirty. Ame was a much cleaner and nicer town back then, everyone was friendly and hopeful.

"That girl." Tsunade stared a young girl sitting by herself. "Who is she?"

"Her?" Master frowned. "We don't know, she suddenly showed up one day, can't remember her name or a thing about her past."


"Amnesia?" Tsunade guessed.


"Yes."

"Can't we do something?" Tsunade asked, remembering her doctors training. She couldn't turn away someone in need.

"No, we cant."

"Why not?" Tsunade demanded. Master was the greatest doctor in the world. She could easily cure the girl.


"Because, her memory loss is not due to an outside force. She locked away her memories herself. And that... I have no power against." Master tugged on Tsunade's arm but she would not move.

"I still want to help her..."

"She can help herself." Master tugged harder on Tsunade's arm.


"I have to do something!" She protested. "I'm a doctor and doctors never leave those in need! You taugt me that!"


"Enough!" Master barked, whacking Tsunade across the head. " If you must do something then learn from her mistake. Never forget who you are, even if it more painful than you can bear. Everything that happens to us, everything we go through. Everything we've done or have been done on us influence who we will be. Never forget anything you've gone through. If you do... you'll lose sight of who you are."

Tsunade hung her head, taking her masters words to heart. Master lead her away and she took one last glance at the girl.


She was crying.

"Hey" Hidan said. "We're almost to where the jinchuuriki is."

"Okay." Tsunade shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She focused on the road before her.

Weeks past and they were on the few days of their mission. They never found the jinchuuriki and Hidan was mad as hell. By the end of the month he was constantly complaining. There were no enemies he could sacrifice. The food was horrible. The altitude gave him headaches. The list was endless.

"Hidan will you shut up!" Tsunade raged, messaging her throbbing head.

"But-"

"Hidan...." Tsunade said darkly. "If you say one more word I will break every bone in your body."

Hidan didn't complain once for the rest of the day.

Night fell and they spied a town in the distance. They hurried into the town and settled for the first in they came across. The inn smelled of old onions and mold grew in every crevice but to them it was perfect. They ordered their room and got into their room. Dinner came and as they started to dig in Tsunade paused.

"Hidan..." She played around with her food.

"What?" Hidan said through mouthfuls of noodles.

"You said... that immortality stinks... why?"

"Because." Hidan said, unsettled by the serious conversation. "I've got my head cut off so many times Kakuzu wants to start charging me. And not to mention all the times my heart stopped or when my lungs filled with water and I couldn't breath but was still alive. But I live for the pain of it. Pain means I'm suffering and my suffering is proof of my loyalty to jashin-sama."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, how many times had she heard that name mentioned. Try almost every minuet for a whole month.

"I will achieve immortality." She suddenly said, catching Hidan off guard. The man chocked on his noodles and spilled the bowl on his lap. "I will be immortal and I will survive." She set her dinner aside and before Hidan could say a words she walked out the door.

Tsunade left their hotel and walked out of the town, she didn't care where she went. She wanted to be alone. She walked through the woods, abandoning the road and traveled the winding animal trails. After hours of walking in circled she stopped next to a tall aged tree.

Without thinking she jumped up into its welcoming branches. She nested herself between two branches along the trunk. She had a tree like this once. When she was really young her grandfather made a tree for her. It was the perfect tree for siting and resting in.

Tsunade smiled despite her shivering frame and starting circulating her chakra, making herself warmer. A slight thud sounded from about her but she didn't mind it, probably a squirrel or something. She closed her eyes and started to doze lightly when another Thud came from below her. A third thud, landing right beside her head. She turned to look and saw a glimmer of cold metal.

She jumped and the air behind ignited, throwing her down into the ground. She jumped on her feet and cried out. Her tree was on fire. There was another explosion as the flames licked higher up the trunk. She cursed loudly and took her fighting stance.

Kunai with paper bombs, that was the thudding sound she hear. How stupid she was. Letting her guard down like that, she gritted her teeth and looked around her.

Left, right, above behind. She saw nothing. Enraged she gathered her chakra and punched the ground. Rocks flew everywhere as the surrounding area was laid to waste. Trees where uprooted and the ground was broken and torn.

'There!' Tsunade saw gleam of a sword and rushed her opponent. A ninja in black garments lunged into the air, their sword fully drawn. Tsunade reached down and threw the nearest rock at him. He could avoid it and the rock hit him square in the jaw, knocking him dead. Tsunade turned around, looking for any more opponents.

Nothing moved and in the distance she could hear a owl hooting.

"What happened to you?" Hidan asked the next morning, seeing Tsunade's charred cloak and bleeding arms.

"I was attacked." She huffed. Healing her arms.

"By what?" He stared at the numerous cuts. "A bush?"

"Close, a tree. Well there was also a ninja but he couldn't touch me."

"What!?!" Hidan's face dropped. "You got to fight and I didn't??? Dammit! I'm the one that needs to fight!"

"Get over it." Tsunade said irritably. "Our mission is over, lets get back to base."

"Finally." Hidan whined, breaking the seal covering the underground entrance to their hidden base. "You go ahead, I need to vent or I'll explode."

"I'm not piecing you back together." Tsunade said flatly, jumping down through the entrance. Hidan nodded and ran off. The base empty when Tsunade entered the main room,she plopped herself down on the nearest couch and sighed.

"What happened?"A stern voice said. Tsunade shifted in her seat.

"What do you want Kakuzu?"

"I want to know what happened during your mission." He gruffed

"I'm too tired, ask me again some other time."she turned over her back facing him.

"Tell me." He demanded.

"We never found the jinchuuriki. And Hidan is a whiny brat."

"You don't have to tell me that, he's my partner... He didn't do... anything to you did he?" Kakuzu assessed her condition, looking for any wrong.

"Nah," Tsunade dismissed his worry. "he ignored me for most of the trip, and when his whining was giving me a headache I threatened him and he shut up, for the most part."

"I see.... where is Hidan?"

"Out venting somewhere."

"Joy." Kakuzu though of the blood bath Hidan was going to inflict, and he was the one to clean up after Hidan. He wondered when he went from feared S-rank criminal to baby sitter."

"So what's been happening here?" Tsunade turned over again, so she could stare up at the ceiling.

"Nothing, other members coming and going. By the way, Itachi wants to you look at his eyes. He said that his eyes are grow more worse."

"I'll check that out later." Tsunade said, making the mental note, already thinking of numerous useful eye jutsus and what she knew of the sharringan.

Tsunade counted the black spots covering the ceiling, Kakuzu had situated himself at the end of another couch and was brooding over something when Zetsu slowly crept up from the floor.

"Leader wants to see you." He said to Tsunade. She nodded and jumped up. Zetsu offered to lead her to leaders office but she knew the way.

While walking the long winding halls Tsunade noticed slight differences. Some rooms were placed further down than they were before or there would be a wall where there wasn't one before and a new hallway from where a wall once stood. She now knew why Zetsu offered her to guide her. The Akatsuki much be changing the layout of the base.

Tsunade soon found Pein's office room and walked in, bowing slightly to Pein who stood by a group of tall arching windows.

"You called for me?"

"Yes, I did." Pein beckoned her closer. "I have called you here because I someone I want you to meet."

Tsunade stepped forward and out from the shadows stepped someone she never expected to see again.

"Hello... Tsunade." Valencia smiled. Tsunade froze, struck speechless by her master's sudden appearance. "I've come Tsunade, to teach you the immortality jutsu."

Me: Hehe, wonder whats going happen next? Who knows. Man my chapters are becoming really short.

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