A/N: Wow, finally up to 60!! I can't believe I still have people reading after all this, it means a lot that you haven't got bored! Finally, we get to the interesting parts soon! Some people have asked if Sasuke is leaving, are their going to be love triangles such as NaruKariSasu or SasuKariNeji, but I'm not answering anything incase I spoil asurprise or change my mind XD So, do you want me to write out the Sannin fight (even though I really suck at fight scenes...) or would you prefer to skip it? Let me know! I'm sorry it took a while to get it out, I have another maths exam tomorrow, which I really should be studying for because its the worst parts of the subject. I only have two days left of school then I'm on study leave only coming in for exams! I'll try and write more then. I don't like this chapter, there's not much fluff! I love writing NaruKari fluff! Yosh, I'm in a really good mood because I watched the Exorcist until half two this morning, horrors are my addiction and I've been needing a fix.
Disclaimer: Kishimoto-kun made me very happy with the last manga XD I would send him a love letter full of gratitude but I don't know his address :( But yesh, all rights regarding Naru to Masashi Kishimoto.
Claimer: All things missing from the original Naruto manga and anime are property of me. Including Kari-chan.
Tsunade-hime
"Konoha no Sato in all its wisdom has decided to name you the Godaime,
The fifth Hokage."
-----x-----
"What happened here dattebayou?" Naruto asked, looking at the wreckage that had once been the castle. It was mere wreckage now, and had a foul scent lingering over it causing Kari to scowl slightly in disgust. Her ears pricked at the sound of screams heading towards them. A crowd of villagers ran past them with various shouts of 'Help!'
"Hi there!" Jiraiya called, managing to get one man out of the frantic dozen to stop. "What happened?"
"You should run too!" the man cried. "There's a monster up there!"
"Bakemono?" Naruto repeated.
"What kind of monster?" Jiraiya asked.
"A huge snake! It destroyed the castle instantly!" the man cried. Kari's eyes narrowed. Hebi… The man decided he had jeopardised his safety enough by talking to them and ran after everyone else.
"Na! How big is this snake? I… I was attacked by a huge snake in my village a while back too!" Naruto cried, but the man ignored him and just kept running.
"We're going to hurry, Naruto, Kari, Kita," Jiraiya informed them, his voice strangely serious. "It's probably the same snake you saw." He didn't miss Kari's face darkening by the second, her eyes turning cold and deadly. She rushed off in the direction Jiraiya had been turning, ignoring his whine for her to slow down.
-----x-----
"Looks like we were a bit late," Jiraiya said, jumping down from the roof and in front of a pile of rubble that had once been part of the wall.
"Did the snake do this too?" Naruto asked, looking at the loose rock.
"Let's keep moving you three," Jiraiya said, beginning to walk off. "Tsunade is no longer here."
"You've been telling us to move a lot…" Naruto grumbled. Kari wrinkled her nose in disgust at the smell.
'No doubt about it…'
-----x-----
"She isn't anywhere!" Naruto announced, irritated from walking around all day to find nothing. Kari was still on edge after earlier but felt so exhausted she just wanted to crash to the floor in a dead faint. Kita was snoozing contentedly in her arms; the little wolf had been training a lot more than usual lately. "And you dragged us around all over the place and we still haven't found a clue eitheeer," Naruto complained.
"Mm, let's have dinner for now," Jiraiya said deciding to ignore Naruto. At the suggestion of food, Kari's stomach lurched uncomfortably. 'Uhhhh…'
"Huh? AAH! This is a bar!" Naruto shouted. 'Oh… maybe a drink instead, that sake had been good…' Kari thought and her stomach seemed to agree.
"So?" Jiraiya asked.
"I've told you a million times I'm still a kid!" Naruto said pointing to himself.
"Baaaka. I'm not telling you to drink. Just munch on the appetizers." With that, Jiraiya walked promptly inside.
"We don't have to eat here then!" Naruto complained as he, Kari and Kita followed Jiraiya inside. "Let's go to a ramen shop instead!"
"You really are stupid! You get information from places like this… TSUNADE!!!" Jiraiya shrieked (causing Naruto to also scream and Kita to jump awake) pointing directly ahead of them.
"JIRAIYA?!" one of the two women sitting where Jiraiya was pointing shouted, jumping to her feet. "Why are you here?" Kari blinked in surprise. Jiraiya didn't lie when he said she was beautiful. She looked to be in her mid to late twenties, had fair skin, honey brown eyes, pale blonde hair and… ah that's why Jiraiya liked her. She had a nicely toned body and an alarmingly large bust.
"I finally found you! Boy, am I tired," Jiraiya said, walking over to their booth and taking a seat. Naruto huffed, grabbed Kari's hand and dragged her along behind him. He took a seat next to Jiraiya and pulled Kari closely next to him. Kari looked at the other woman. She looked to be in her early twenties, she was pale and slender with short dark hair and dark eyes she had a young and friendly look about her. Sat on the other side of her, to Kita's amazement, was a small pig in a red waistcoat with purple beads around its neck.
"Here you go!" the bar owner said, setting some sardines down in front of Naruto. Just the smell made her queasy and ignoring everyone else, she swiped Jiraiya's dish filled with sake and downed it.
"What a day… seeing old acquaintances everywhere…" Tsunade said after downing her sake. She seemed tipsy, on the border of being drunk. From the amount of bottles she had she held her liquor quite well.
"Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked and jumped slightly when he heard his old dish being smashed. He sighed and asked for two more. The dark haired woman looked surprised. "What happened?" Tsunade shot a glance at her apprentice that was staring at her intently.
"Nothing much," Tsunade said simply. "We just said hello." She pulled a deck of cards out of her grey sleeveless yukata and shuffled them, she then placed the deck in the middle of the table.
'This chick is the female who can cure any wound? Hontou?' Naruto thought sceptically.
"What do you want from me?" Tsunade asked as Jiraiya reached out and picked up the deck and began to shuffle them himself.
"I'll get straight to the point," Jiraiya said, placing the reshuffled cards back down. "Tsunade, the village has requested that you become the Godaime Hokage."
The table froze, eyes widened, Naruto violently choked and the pig gave a quiet oink of surprise. Kari quickly started thumping Naruto's back, trying to clear his airway. Getting over her shock, Tsunade began dealing out cards to her and Jiraiya.
'Godaime Hokage? That's sudden! What's going on here dattebayou?' Naruto thought after he had managed to swallow the small fish much to Kari's relief.
"Have you heard about the Sandaime?" Jiraiya asked, lifting his five cards and holding them so he could see them all. The dark haired woman's face fell, clearly she was upset by the news. A former Konoha citizen perhaps?
"Orochimaru killed him right?" Tsunade asked. "I heard from him directly."
'Orochimaru killed him?' Naruto thought in shock.
"Orochimaru killed Sandaime-ojiisan?!" Naruto cried. "Who is this Orochimaru dattebayou?"
"The other Sannin," Jiraiya said.
"Nande?! Sannin are Konoha shinobi right? So nande?!" Naruto cried.
"Who is this kid?" Tsunade asked with an irritated look.
"Heh, Uzumaki Naruto," Jiraiya said.
"Chotto matte!" Naruto cried jumping to his feet and banging his fist on the table. "You haven't answered my question! Who is this Orochimaru guy who killed Hokage-ojiisan?! Na! He's one of the legendary Sannin right?! Then why aren't you doing anything about him Ero-sennin?! Also!" he thrust a finger in Tsunade's direction, "What do you mean about this person becoming the Godaime Hokage?!"
"Naruto, be quiet for a while," Jiraiya said.
"Demo!"
"Just be quiet," Jiraiya said seriously. Kari grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him down next to her. Jiraiya took three cards out of his hand and then grabbed three from the top of the deck. He smirked when he saw what he had picked up. "I'll say it again. The village has requested that you become the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade. So, what is your reply?" All eyes turned to her. "Will you accept the job? What's your answer Tsunade?"
"Uhhh! I don't know what's going on dattebayou?!" Naruto cried holding his head in frustration. Tsunade threw her cards on the table.
"Not possible. I refuse."
"I remember that line," Jiraiya said with a smile. "I asked you to date me a long time ago. You said the same thing when you turned me down."
"Aaah! What are you saying dattebayou?!" Naruto cried confused. "Ero-sennin you told me that we were gonna take this person to the village and have her heal Kari-chan, Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei right?! But you're asking her to become Hokage? What the hell?! She even declined!" Naruto let out a frustrated scream.
"Don't panic, only Tsunade is capable of becoming the fifth. During the fierce war, she contributed greatly to Konoha's victory. Her combat and medical skills are still unrivalled. Also, Tsunade is the first Hokage's granddaughter. Combine that to her abilities and she is most suited to becoming the Godaime Hokage," Jiraiya explained. "If she does become Hokage, she will have to go back to the village and there she can heal Kari and the two you mentioned. Also, this is a decision made by Konoha's highest decision makers the advisors. It's not something a Genin like you should comment on." Naruto huffed and folded his arms grumpily. Kari held her hand out, motioning for a sake dish.
"Is the girl a ninja? She looks far too fragile," Tsunade asked glancing at Kari.
"Kari-chan? Ha! She's far from fragile," Jiraiya said with a chuckle. "Doesn't she remind you of anyone?"
"No," Tsunade said after looking her over. Jiraiya sighed and with a tug, pulled the white ribbon off her head, setting her ears free. Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "A Tasukaru?"
"Warmer," Jiraiya said with a grin. "Who else does she remind you of?" Kari was starting to get irritated with the stares and felt her cheeks began to warm. "It helps well you smile Kari!" Jiraiya said, trying to get the irritated look off her face. He handed her a sake dish and she smiled lightly.
"Impossible…" Tsunade said, her cards sliding slightly in her hand. "Kitome?"
"Yep," Jiraiya said grinning wider. "Kari, say hello to your great aunt."
Kari choked on her sake.
"What the hell Ero-sennin?! Kari-chan can't be related to her!" Naruto cried.
"Kitome's great-grandmother was Tsunade's grandmother and—"
"Jiraiya… Your new apprentice seems to be ruder, stupider and uglier than the previous one," Tsunade said cutting off Jiraiya and looking at Naruto with a smirk.
"What did you say?!" Naruto cried, while Kari's eyes hardened to a glare.
"It's hard for anyone to beat the Yondaime in those fields. His capabilities as a ninja were unrivalled in history. He was talented with techniques, incredibly smart and popular. He was also handsome like me," Jiraiya finished with a grin.
"But even the Yondaime died young. He threw his life away for the village. Life isn't like money. Only a baka bets his life so easily."
'Baka?' Naruto thought his chopsticks breaking in his hand.
"Ojiisan and the Nidaime wished to end the war, but they wasted their lives before they could accomplish that," Tsunade said simply.
"You've changed Tsunade," Jiraiya said grimly.
"I'm in my fifties, even if I look like this," Tsunade said with a chuckle. "Time changes people. Sarutobi-sensei is the same. If an old man tries to act brave of course he'll die. The title of Hokage is a piece of crap, only a baka becomes one."
"YOU!" Naruto shouted jumping on the table and going to attack Tsunade, but Kari moved quickly, her arms threading underneath his holding her tight to her chest, his working legs not moving him an inch in her grip. "Let me go Kari-chan!"
"Stop, this is a bar," Jiraiya said.
"Urusai dattebayou!"
"Tsunade-sama," the woman said at Tsunade's scoff.
"Anyone who makes fun of the Yondaime or Ojiisan, I don't care if the person is a girl, they deserve a punch in the face!" Naruto shouted.
"You've got guts to say that to me. Step outside, gaki," Tsunade said, stepping up to Naruto.
"Tsunade-sama…"
-----x-----
"Even though I look like this, I was one of the Sannin. There's no reason for me to get serious with a genin," Tsunade said. They had stepped out of the bar ad into the dimly lit street.
"What did you say?!" Naruto cried. Tsunade held up her index finger.
"A K.O notice?" Jiraiya asked.
"This doesn't mean one minute," Tsunade corrected. "One finger. One finger will do against you. Come on little boy," Tsunade mocked.
"Don't play with me dattebayou!" Naruto shouted, charging forward and flinging three Shuriken at her. She moved her head to the side, dodging effortlessly. When he went to attack with his kunai she leaned forward threading her finger through the loop at the end of the weapon, she span it around her finger and then quickly sliced up, knocking his hitai-ate off. He began to fell back but caught himself, only to be flicked in the forehead and sent flying back. Kari shot out and caught him, slowing his fall.
"A finger flick?" Naruto asked. "Temee…" He was about to move when his kunai landed in front of him, his hitai-ate falling a foot in front of it. 'She's strong…'
"Oi, gaki!" Tsunade said. "Let me ask you one thing before you pass out. Why do you care so much about the name of Hokage?"
"Unlike you I'm going to take the title of Hokage for sure. Hokage wa… Being Hokage is my dream." Naruto said with a smirk. Tsunade looked down. 'What the? She let her guard down! I can't beat her head on… I'll have to use that jutsu.' Kari immediately backed away, landing back next to Jiraiya. Chakra swirled in Naruto's palm, into a neat ball.
"Shimatta! Wha… that jutsu!" As Naruto was about to strike she slammed her finger into the ground causing a huge crack to form and Naruto's foot to fall straight through it, his attack smashed into the ground and he fell back falling into the crack and getting stuck. It took the combined efforts of Kari, Tsunade's apprentice and encouragement from Kita to free the squirming Naruto.
'Even after all this time, Tsunade still has that monstrous strength… I remember the time she punched me and I flew about 100 metres backwards… But still, Naruto's move wasn't impressive…' Jiraiya thought.
"Daijoubu?" Tsunade's apprentice asked as Naruto coughed.
"Jiraiya are you the one who taught him the Rasengan?" Tsunade demanded.
'Rasengan?'
"I'm their teacher after all," Jiraiya replied.
"Only you and the Yondaime can use that technique. Are you acting like a teacher and teaching him something he can't master? That's why this kid likes to daydream that he's going to be Hokage one day. Don't give him any ideas!"
"I'm not daydreaming! Baka! Baka! I can master this move in three days!" Naruto cried.
"You said it, gaki. A man never takes back his words," Tsunade said with a smirk.
"I'm not going to take back my words. That's my way of the ninja." Naruto said confidently.
"Then lets make a bet," Tsunade said.
"A bet?" Naruto repeated.
"I'll give you one week. If you can master the move within that time then I'll acknowledge that you can become Hokage. I'll even give you this necklace," she said pointing at the green stone.
"Tsunade-sama! That's an important--!" Tsunade's apprentice began.
"I don't need a crappy necklace like that, Kari-chan can have it," Naruto said simply.
"Don't say that Naruto. That's a unique crystal that could buy about three mountains if you sold it. It used to belong to the first Hokage," Jiraiya explained. Naruto's jaw dropped at the thought of all that money.
"Well I guess that's fine," Naruto said after regaining his cool.
"Yosh, but if you can't master the move in a week, you lose. And I'll take all your money," Tsunade said, holding up Naruto's frog wallet.
"Gama-chan! When did she…!?" Naruto cried searching his pockets and patting himself over, searching for his wallet.
"Tsunade-sama, why? That necklace is…" Tsunade apprentice cried, trying to reason with her.
"He can't do it anyway, let's go Shizune," Tsunade said as she walked away.
-----x-----
Naruto and Kari returned to their hotel after that, Jiraiya saying he was going to wander the town some more. Kari had kissed his forehead seeing the bruise that was starting to show and he then put his hitai-ate back on. Kita was dozing, the excitement of today taking its toll on her young self. They were surprised when there was a knock at the door later that night.
"Who's that this late at night?" Naruto grumbled heading over to the door. "Hai, hai, hai, coming." He went to open the door but it was opened from the outside. Kari blinked realising it was Shizune.
"I'm sorry for the late night visit. Naruto-kun, Kari-chan, I need to speak with you."
"I need to get plenty of rest today and train tomorrow," Naruto grumbled.
"Naru," Kari scolded.
"Gomen, but I don't want you to get the wrong image of Tsunade-sama," Shizune said. "Also, I need to tell you about the necklace."
"Come in, Shizune-san," Kari offered while Naruto grumbled.
"Like I care about that old hag," Naruto scoffed.
"Tsunade-sama isn't the type of person you think she is!" Shizune cried. "Please don't talk about her like that when you know nothing about her!" Shizune's face saddened. "Gomen I shouted… A long time ago, she wasn't like that. She was a kind person who loved her village. But she has changed… Ever since that day.
"Ano hi?" Naruto repeated. "What do you mean?"
"The day she lost her love, her dream, and her hope. The only thing that's left is that necklace which is filled with many memories. To Tsunade-sama that thing is as important as her life. It's not something she should use in a bet," Shizune explained.
"I don't care dattebayou, she's the one who brought it up," Naruto said simply while Kari shot him a disapproving look.
"Also, that necklace isn't just a normal necklace you can wear," Shizune said grimly. "It only accepts Tsunade-sama. If another person tries to wear that necklace, that person will… die. She lost her little brother and the man she loved because of it. You understand now Naruto-kun? Ever since that day Tsunade-sama has lived in a state of confusion…" Naruto didn't answer, but Kari felt his fingers wrap around her hand and pull her past Shizune as he opened the door. "Naruto-kun?"
"We're going to train," he muttered. Kita got up and trotted after them, not wanting to be left alone.
"Go on ahead Naru, I'll catch up," Kari said softly as she disappeared into the wind disappearing elsewhere.
"Kari-chan…" Naruto said softly as Kita leapt onto his shoulder. "We have to win the bet Kita-chan and take that old lady back to the village…"
"Hai Naruto-kun," Kita replied.
"I don't want to see her hurting anymore."
-----x-----
"You'll get cold if you stay here."
Tsunade jumped violently looking up to see Jiraiya's female apprentice sitting before her on the entrance gate to the city.
"You…" she said quickly rubbing her eyes to hide her tears.
"Naru's a little hot-headed at times, and a little oblivious at others," Kari said with a small smile. "But he doesn't mean any harm, he just fights for what he believes in. His dream is very important to him."
"What do you want?" Tsunade asked, putting her defences back up.
"For you not to trust whatever Orochimaru told you," Kari said, her face turning serious. Tsunade showed no outer sign of surprise.
"Did Jiraiya send you?" she asked, folding her arms over her large bust.
"No, my instinct did," Kari replied leaning back slightly. "If that snake can kill his own sensei without any remorse, what makes you think he'll stay loyal to you? He'll take what he wants and then will dispose of you."
"What would you know about him kid?" Tsunade asked sceptically. Kari smirked bitterly, her temper always becoming short when that snake was brought up.
"Enough not to trust him."
"And what has this got to do with me?" Tsunade asked. Kari tilted her head slightly.
"Absolutely nothing," Kari replied. "Just letting you know in case."
"I have no obligation to heal you if that's what you're after," Tsunade said sternly. She hadn't missed the strange angle of her left wrist, her pale feverish complexion, or the signs of extreme exhaustion.
"I can't be healed, foreign Chakra is rejected," Kari said with a soft smile. "And this is nothing after a Raikiri through the chest."
"Raikiri?" Tsunade repeated. Kari shrugged slightly and then stood and smiled and the female Sannin.
"Gomenasai, but I have a stubborn best friend and a young wolf cub to look after. I'll see you in a week Tsunade-sama."
"Matte," Tsunade said looking at her. "What's your dream kid?"
"To become a strong enough ninja so that I can protect those precious to me," Kari said simply. "And to help Naruto achieve his dream. That's my dream." With that, she disappeared into the wind.
Tsunade watched the patterns of wind fade away until the night air stilled.
"Kitome and Kaizo's child no doubt."
-----x-----
Naruto panted as the sun blazed high in the sky. His Rasengan had still only left a swirl and not drilled into the tree like he had expected. Kari seemed to be making more progress than him, except the force of her attack caused the bark to violently splinter and embed itself into her sensitive skin, leaving her to drag to splinters out.
"Kari-chan daijoubu dattebayou?" Naruto asked. Kari pulled out a large splinter with her teeth and then spat it out and with an angry huff burnt it to ashes.
"Hai." Kita was happily practicing on the surface of the river beside them, becoming somewhat of an expert of walking, running, jumping and other movements on water.
-----x-----
"Oh, drinking eh?"
"What do you want?" Tsunade asked looking around as Jiraiya lifted the flap and poked his head in.
"That's cold," Jiraiya said smile still in place. "Don't say that." Tsunade scoffed and turned away while she took another gulp of her drink.
"Jiraiya-sama," Shizune greeted.
"Shizune, Sumimasen but can you let us be alone? I want to drink with her." Shizune immediately gave up her seat and left the two alone. "Oyaji, sake. White radish too."
"Coming right up!"
"Oh this looks good!" Jiraiya said happily. He then spoke in a more serious manner. "I didn't know you still treasured that necklace. I thought that you'd have given it away in a bet. It's those two's keepsake right? Does it bother you?"
"Does what?" Tsunade replied.
"Naruto and Kari."
"Not really," Tsunade said simply.
"You acted too childishly towards a child for that to be true," Jiraiya said. "There's no way he can master that technique in a week. Kari might though, she mastered Chidori in less than a month."
"Chidori?" Tsunade asked, remembering the girl mentioning Raikiri.
"Yeah she's Kakashi's student, the guy adores her," Jiraiya said with a chuckle. "But she won't be able to do this in a week in the condition she's in, and there's no way Naruto can in a week it's not even a bet."
"Tch."
"Why are you frustrated?" Jiraiya asked.
"I'm not frustrated," Tsunade huffed.
"Are you meeting Orochimaru again? I could tell from the look on Shizune's face. I don't know what kind of deal he offered, but don't rush your answer," Jiraiya said.
"Your apprentice came and told me the same thing," Tsunade said simply.
"Also, let me tell you one thing. The previous Hokage's protected Konohagakure and the people living there. They dedicated their lives to the dream and ideal of ending the wars and making the village prosper. You should know what ideals the previous Hokage's held. If you dare to betray Konoha, I will kill you." Jiraiya said with the utmost certainty.
"That has nothing to do with me anymore," Tsunade said.
"Only a mass murderer feels nothing when someone close to them dies. You are different. You were most concerned for the safety of the villagers. Even that time when…"
"Stop lecturing me!" Tsunade interrupted. "Why did you bring those kids along?"
"They're similar aren't they, he's about the same age your brother was," Jiraiya said.
"That's not the only similarity..." Tsunade said. 'His dream… and his cheekiness too…'
-----
x-----"It's not working… k'so, k'so…" Naruto hissed. He was laying flat on his back, sweat drenching his face. Spirals had been carved into most of the trees, a few to each bark. Kari had collapsed a minute or so before he did in a dead faint and he'd only just managed to crawl over to her. "We'll get it right tomorrow Kari-chan," Naruto promised before passing out, his head lulling to the side to rest against hers.
-----x-----
"My head hurts!" Jiraiya whined through his yawn. "I feel sick because of her …eh?" he looked to his right to see the bed folded neatly, untouched. "They didn't come back last night either… Kari's only going to get sicker at this rate…" He walked over to the window and opened it, breathing in the fresh air. "They're such baka's."
-----x-----
"What are you doing here?" Tsunade asked, looking at the small creature before her. Kita blinked and tilted her head, her tail wagging to show she was friendly. "Aren't you Kari's?"
"Hai!" Kita cried, her tail wagging again. Tsunade shook herself out of shock, she hadn't expected the little wolf to reply. "Why are you sad?"
"How would you know if I'm sad or not?"
"Okaasan can tell how people are feeling," Kita replied. "And she said that your sad."
"Shouldn't that kid be worrying about herself instead of someone she doesn't even know?" Tsunade asked, breathing heavily through her nose.
"Anou… I don't think Okaasan knows how," Kita said sheepishly. "She has to worry about Naruto-kun, Kita-chan, Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-ojisan, Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan and everybody else."
"I see," Tsunade said as Kita shuffled slightly closer. "And why are you here?"
"Okaasan is worried about you because of that nasty Orochichimamaru," Kita replied, still getting tongue tied over the Sannin's name. "He's a bad man. He hurts lots of people."
"Hai," Tsunade said, looking over the town.
"They'll master Rasengan, Okaasan and Naruto-kun don't like letting people down," Kita said confidently. "Just wait and see."
-----x-----
"It's not working… k'so, k'so… I'll get it right next…" Naruto didn't even finish his sentence before he passed out. Kari watched him through half lidded eyes, her breaths coming out in short pants. She shuffled closer her body straining until she was against his side, so she could share her warmth with him as the night got cold. Her eyes closed wearily and she lost consciousness.
Tsunade watched a safe distance away where they wouldn't be able to see her. Kit's head lowered sadly.
"The jutsu hurts," Kita said in a soft whisper before rushing over to them and burying close to them, managing to find her place under Kari's arm. As the cloud passed over the moon, Tsunade left, plagued with her thoughts and a decision she must make.
-----x-----
'I know it in my head, but I can't retain 100 percent of my power into a perfect sphere' Naruto thought in frustration after another failed attempt. He prepared another one but fell to one knee. As Tsunade's doubts in him coursed through his head he forced himself up while Kari fell back down to her knees.
-----x-----
"I can't… nande? I'm short on time… I won't make it in time like this… Kari-chan… are you still awake?" Naruto asked, reaching out and touching her hand. She managed to curl her hand around one of his fingers. "Are you hurt?" His eyes began to close ad he was aware he received no reply. "Gomen… Kari-chan…"
"Shizune-chan!" Kita cried, sensing the woman's presence. Kita ran over as she was about to come past the rock.
"What happened?!" Shizune gasped seeing the wreckage of the trees and the furrows along the ground. She ran over to Naruto and Kari, Kita hot on her heels. "Daijoubu?" she cried as she rushed over to them.
-----x-----
Tsunade was lost in her memories when she got a knock at her hotel door. She answered it to see Jiraiya grinning.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"The moons out," he said happily. "Want to go get some drinks?"
-----x-----
"Tomorrow is the end of the week you gave Naruto and Kari," Jiraiya said once they were settled at the Oden shop. She ignored him and drank some of her sake. "I wonder what happened to them."
"I don't know," Tsunade grumbled, refilling her sake dish.
"I think I'll have something to eat, white radish please," Jiraiya asked the owner. He drank his sake, Tsunade quickly slipping something inside the bottle before offering it to him. He smiled and accepted drinking it without suspicion.
-----x-----
Tsunade walked back to her room after that. She was surprised to see Shizune outside the door.
"How are they?" Shizune asked as Tsunade looked them over.
"They've grown weak because of severe exhaustion and their right hands were burnt by Chakra. The girls got a fractured left wrist and broken ribs on top of that, and she's reaching the peak of a fever. In his condition he won't wake until the day after tomorrow, and she might not wake for days… It's just as Jiraiya said… I don't know why I made this ludicrous bet. Why did someone like me get so heated up? I feel stupid."
"Ashita… Please don't go tomorrow," Shizune said. Tsunade glanced at her. "Why won't you say anything? Tsunade-sama, please don't stay quiet like that, say something! If you are going to go…"
"What are you going to do?" Tsunade asked.
"I'll stop you, even if it costs me my life!"
"Shizune… do you know who you're talking to?!" Tsunade snapped. She strolled past Shizune, giving her a sharp hit to the stomach, knocking her out cold. Kita watched her go, the pig sitting beside her. They shared a sad look before Kita squeezed between Kari and Naruto, to await morning to come.
-----x-----
"Sir, it's already morning, please go home," the shop owner asked. "Geez…" He walked over to Jiraiya and began shaking his shoulder. "Come on wake up!" The shaking pushed Jiraiya off his stall causing him to fall hard to the ground. "Oi! Doushita na?!"
-----x-----
"It would be troublesome if we were interrupted during out negotiations," Orochimaru said as he and Kabuto ran through the trees. "Kill Tsunade's attendant."
-----x-----
"Oi… Oi…" Shizune's eyes fluttered open, the blurry image of Naruto, Kari and kita coming into view.
"Kari-chan? Naruto-kun? Shimatta! What time is it now?! No, what day of the week is it?"
"Monday," Naruto said simply. Kari blushed slightly when she realised she didn't actually know.
"Your bodies are feeling okay already? You should've been asleep for two days and Kari-chan most of the week." Shizune said surprised.
"I recover from most injuries after a nights sleep, it's been like that ever since I was young and Kari-chan is tough dattebayou," Naruto said, unwrapping his hand.
'Sou ka… This child is the Kyuubi, and Tsunade-sama said something once about how Kitome's child had the Torai-Kenshi sealed inside it but died in the womb…' Shizune thought.
"More importantly, where is that old hag? Today's the deadline for the bet dattebayou!" Naruto cried.
"Then you were successful with the technique?" Shizune asked.
"Eh, it's not complete yet, but I can still hope I get it right in front of her!" Naruto said causing Kari to grin and ruffle his hair. Tsunade giggled slightly and then winced holding her side.
"Naruto-kun, Kari-chan you stay here!" Shizune cried, opening the window and preparing to jump out but was stopped by a kunai. "Nani?" Naruto and Kari quickly rushed over to the window, only to see an exhausted looking Jiraiya.
"Matte Shizune…" he croaked out. "Damn that Tsunade, she put something in my sake. I can't mould Chakra correctly, on top of that my body is numb and I can't throw kunai correctly." Shizune glanced at the kunai thrown at her.
"Totally uncool!" Naruto shouted. "You're always bragging about how great a ninja you are, did she deceive you with some sort of perverted trick you Ero-sennin?!"
"Urusai!!" Jiraiya shouted back. Kari sighed and shifted Kita in her lap. "She's still a medical specialist regardless of her current state. Only she can make a tasteless odourless drug that works against ninjas. I didn't expect her to find an opportunity to poison me, even if I was slightly drunk." Shizune got him some water, which he gulped down as if he had been living in a desert.
"Jiraiya-sama, how are you feeling?" Shizune asked.
"Better than I was at dawn. But then again I've only recovered about thirty percent do far." Kari's ears twitched at her eyes shot around looking for the origin of the sound. "Oi Shizune!" Jiraiya said having seen Kari's disturbance and seen the shadow that retreated. "You're going to tell me what you guys talked about with Orochimaru now."
"Orochimaru?" Naruto asked as Kari let out a low hiss. Shizune lowered her head.
"I wanted to believe in Tsunade-sama, so I couldn't say it before now. Demo… We're short on time, please follow me! I'll explain while we move!"
"Yosh!"
-----x-----
"Your answer?" Orochimaru asked as he approached Tsunade.
-----One week previously-----
"It's been a very long time, Orochimaru," Tsunade stated, never taking her eyes off her former comrade and his companion. Shizune shifted next to her as their pig, TonTon stood warily.
"I've looked for you everywhere," Orochimaru said with a smirk.
"What do you want with me?" Tsunade asked, her expression uncaring, blank almost. "Don't tell me you want to talk about old times."
"Well, I have a small request for you," Orochimaru said.
'His heartbeat is quick. Judging from his face he has a high fever. He's been fatigued for quite some time. Also, his arms…' Tsunade analysed.
"Tsunade-sama, by now you should have realised—"
"Ask someone else. I quit medicine a long time ago," Tsunade said bluntly, interrupting Kabuto.
"We can't do that. You should be able to tell how serious this wound is. No one else can cure these arms. The legendary Sannin who won her fame as the medical specialist; Tsunade-hime, only you can cure this," Kabuto said.
"The wound affecting your arms isn't an ordinary one, is it?" Tsunade asked watching his arms that were shaking slightly. 'Is it some sort of special curse technique?' she wondered. "What did you do?"
"Nothing much. I got wounded when I killed the Sandaime," Orochimaru stated. Tsunade eyes widened and Shizune let out a gasp.
"You… Did you really?" Tsunade hissed.
"You don't need to look that scary," Orochimaru said, his smirk seeming to mock her. "All things with form will eventually perish. That goes for people too." Tsunade's glare seemed to harden. "You should know what I'm talking about. Since you let two of your loved ones die." Orochimaru chucked darkly. "Yes… Their deaths were gruesome."
"Scum!!" Shizune cried, pulling up her sleeve in preparation to attack. The gun like device was loaded with five senbon, and like an archer, Shizune pulled back a string before letting go, the senbon shooting towards Orochimaru. Kabuto shot in front of his master, deflecting the thin pieces of metal with his curved ended kunai.
"Doku… A hidden weapon I see…" Kabuto said, having caught one of the needles between his fingers. Shizune shot forwards. 'She's fast!'
"Get out of the way!" Shizune shouted.
"I won't let you!" Kabuto cried.
"Calm down, Shizune." At Tsunade's words Shizune froze, a scalpel against the main vein in Kabuto's neck.
'This attendants good…' Kabuto thought. Both jumped back to their master's sides.
"Orochimaru…" Tsunade said smirking. "You've been like that since the old days." Her smirk changed into a rather sweet smile. "You know what my personality's like right? Stop joking around." Her sweet smile turned sour and her fist slammed into the stone wall behind her, cracking and becoming dust from the huge impact.
'Sugoii…' Kabuto thought in amazement. '…And scary. I bet she's single.'
"We did not come here to fight," Kabuto said, never relaxing his stance. "We came to negotiate."
"Negotiate?" Tsunade repeated. "Don't make me laugh! I told you before, get out of my sight."
"We can't do that," Kabuto said, dropping his stance.
"Get lost."
"Only you can cure Orochimaru-sama's arms," Kabuto cried.
"Get lost," she repeated.
"We're not asking that you do this for free, we'll make a trade," Kabuto said.
"I'm going to count to five. Be gone before I'm done," she said, a clear threat in her words. "Otherwise, I'll get rid of you."
"Please calm down. This isn't a bad deal for you," Kabuto tried to reason.
"Go… yon... san… ni… ichi," Tsunade finished and Shizune immediately prepared to attack, but before she could, Orochimaru spoke up.
"I'll revive your beloved and your otouto." Shizune froze and Kabuto smirked, Tsunade's eyes widening. "With a forbidden jutsu I developed." It was silent, the wind kicking up the dust at their feet, causing Orochimaru to smirk. "You haven't gotten rid of us yet, which means… you're thinking it over?" Tsunade was silent. "You don't want to see those two, Tsunade?"
'Nawaki… Dan…' Tsunade's eyes dropped to the ground as their faces filled her mind. She looked back up warily.
"What will you do if I cure your arms?" she asked.
"I don't like to lie, so I'll tell you honestly. I'm going to take what I want and this time I'll crush Konoha for sure."
"Crush Konoha?" Shizune repeated angrily. She looked from the two smirking enemies to her depressed master.
"What is your answer?" Kabuto asked.
"Tsunade-sama! You mustn't trust them!" Shizune shouted, breaking Tsunade out of her thoughts. "Your otouto and my uncle do not wish for that!" She took a step towards her. "Their wish… More importantly your wish… Did you forget them?!" Seeing no response, Shizune tried a gentler approach. "I know how you feel… You're like this now, but you still… Please wake up!!"
"Be quiet Shizune!" Tsunade snapped harshly. Shizune fell silent, looking away.
"You do not have to give us an answer now, but we would like one within the week," Kabuto said. "Also the forbidden technique requires sacrifices. Please have two ready on your side."
"Tsunade-sama, let's kill them both right here!" Shizune cried, reaching for her weapon. "It's a good chance; we can take them out in their current condition." She looked at her master and felt her courage fade at Tsunade's lost expression. Orochimaru slowly lifted one of his heavily damaged arms to bring his hand to his mouth. He bit down on one of his fingers and a blossoming red stain appeared, a drop of the crimson liquid hitting the ground. Tsunade's body began to shake violently, her eyes glue to the ground and her hands clasped together held close to her chest.
"It's true that I am weak right now, but…" Orochimaru paused to chuckle. "We know Tsunade's weakness."
'I forgot, he's a Sannin like Tsunade-sama… So he must know about 'it'' Shizune thought.
"You still carry that fear… The fear of blood," Orochimaru mocked.
'Haemophobia?' Kabuto thought surprised.
"Let's get going now Kabuto," Orochimaru said simply. "Tsunade, I expect a nice answer from you." With that both he and Kabuto left.
-----x-----
"Nani?!" Naruto cried. "Of course the answers going to be no dattebayou!" Naruto cried as they all headed as fast as they could towards the ruins of the castle. Jiraiya was struggling to keep up, but the pig amazingly seemed to have no trouble at all.
'This may be bad. She still thinks of those two everyday… I may really have to kill Tsunade depending on the situation…' Jiraiya thought grimly.
-----x-----
"I will cure your arms, but don't lay one finger on the village," Tsunade said.
"Very well. Saa," Orochimaru agreed. They walked towards one another, a tear running down Tsunade's face as Orochimaru's smirk widened.
-----x-----
"Once his arms are cured, he plans to renew his attack on Konoha," Shizune cried.
"We need to stop him now or things will take a turn for the worst," Jiraiya said. "Kari! Slow down, I know you're anxious but stay with us. You can't fight them alone."
"I can slow them down," Kari said though slowed her pace. She and Naruto shared a look and then glared ahead, desperate to arrive in time.
-----x-----
Orochimaru lifted his arms as they twitched with pain. Tsunade created a glowing blue ball of Chakra and reached for his hands. Before they could touch, a kunai flew between them, sending them jumping apart. They looked up to see Kabuto. He flipped back and landed behind Orochimaru.
"What is the meaning of this?" Orochimaru asked with an angry hiss. "You've betrayed me at the very last minute… Tsunade!" She remained silent. "Tell me, how did you come up with your answer Tsunade-hime? You tried to kill me. And, Kabuto, I trust you deep down inside. Your loyalty and insight that saw through Tsunade's action impresses me."
"I do come from the medical squad like her after all," Kabuto said as he walked to stand not beside Orochimaru, but slightly behind being beside him. "Her Chakra was filled with the intent to kill."
"Tsunade, I really intended to revive those two," Orochimaru said with a disappointed sigh. "And I even made a promise not to crush Konoha."
"Orochimaru, I knew you were lying when you said you wouldn't touch the village. I knew yet I… wanted to see them again… Just once more I wanted to see them… Just once more I wanted to touch them… Just once more I wanted to see their smiles… Demo, when I felt that I could see Nawaki and Dan again, I realized something. I realized that I was a fool" Just remembering their faces, blinded my sight. I loved them… I really loved them, so I wanted to see them and hug them but I couldn't… Because of those two kids, I remembered what their dreams were. I tried to forget but…"
"This village is Ojiichan's treasure. And I'm going to protect it! After all I'm the Grandson of the Shodaime who built Konohagakure no sato!"
"I love the village and villagers, that's why I want to protect them…"
"I'm going to be like Ojiichan one day and take the name of Hokage!" Nawaki…
"Unlike you, I'm going to take the name of Hokage for sure!" Naruto…
"When my imouto died that feeling alone helped me, that's why I'm going to become Hokage. The one who protects everyone…" Dan…
"It was an important dream they both dedicated their lives to. It was also my wish for their dream to come true," Tsunade said as more tears slid down her face.
"To become a strong enough ninja so that I can protect those precious to me, and to help Naruto achieve his dream. That's my dream." Kari…
"All things with a form eventually perish. That's what you said. Demo… This feeling won't perish..."
"The negotiations have broken down then. I have no other choice. I will have to ask you by force now," Orochimaru said. Tsunade wiped her eyes and then looked up with a glare. She charged towards them jumping into the air and swinging her leg down, they quickly jumped out the way as the ground beneath them crumbled. They landed on the roof and looked down at her. She glared up at them, her brown eyes filled with intensity.
"Bring it on, Orochimaru!!"