The Will of Fire: Kindling the Flame

by Star of the West

Narumi Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Saburo Haruno have just graduated from the academy. They have now taken the first step on the path that will lead them into the adventure of a lifetime. The journey of team seven and their comrades has begun.

15. Godaime

Narumi surged up into a sitting position, chest heaving as she gasped for air, eyes flicking frantically around her. Before she could panic, she saw Jiraya get up from where he'd been squatting on the other side of the fire. The older shinobi walked over, threading his fingers through her hair, his big hand entirely covering the top of her head as kind black eyes fixed on her.

"Relax, you're fine."

Narumi stared mutely back at him, eyes wide. The last thing she remembered was intense pain accompanied by a sense of coldness spreading through her gut, Itachi standing over her with a blade that dripped strange white liquid, and the sound of Sasuke screaming.

Still uneasy, she looked down at herself. The bottom of her shirt hung in ragged shreds, revealing a swath of crisp white bandages wrapped snuggly around her torso. Her hands were similarly bandaged, though much more lightly. Drawing in a shuddering breath, she fixed her eyes on Jiraya.

"Where's Sasuke? Is he alright?"

Jiraya's eyes softened and he held out a roasted fish on a wooden skewer. Withdrawing his hand, he sat back and watched her as she hesitantly took the food.

"Eat, it'll make you feel better."

Scratching the back of his head with a sigh, the white haired sannin sat back on his heels.

"Sasuke's safe. I sent him back to Konoha."

Narumi's eyes widened, chest tightening as she stared at the older shinobi in dawning horror.

"By himself? But Itachi-!"

Jiraya shook his head, voice gentle.

"Easy kiddo. Not by himself. He's with Maito Gai. And I sent Itachi and his fish friend running. They won't trouble him on his way back to the village."

Sighing, the blonde relaxed and took a bite of the fish, chewing slowly, eyes fixed on the ground. She was relieved Sasuke was safe, but she couldn't repress a shudder as her thoughts shifted to his brother.

Jiraya saw the motion, and cocked his head questioningly at her. But he let her be, and turned to smother the fire and set about breaking camp. By the time she'd finished her fish, he was done.

Standing, he jerked his chin at her beckoningly. Blinking, Narumi scrambled to her feet, snatching up her travel pack from where it lay beside her, and tossing it over her shoulder. When Jiraya walked off, she followed him quietly, eyes on the ground.

As they walked, she thought. Will she, nill she, the flash of a dark sword, red eyes, and the milky spray of her own blood flooded her mind and refused to leave her. Another shudder ran down her spine, and her hand went to her stomach, alternately clenching and smoothing the shredded remains of her shirt.

Sasuke's screams of protest still rang in her ears, and ghost pain occasionally lanced through her, a faint shadow of the white hot agony that had accompanied the blade that had buried itself in her midsection so many times in the dark world of tsukiyomi.

Scowling suddenly, Narumi snatched her jacket closed and zipped it up. She hardly ever wore it that way because the off the shoulder collar felt odd when it was snug, but she wanted to hide the bandages that served as a reminder of the akatsuki members.

"Ero-sennin?"

The big man looked over his shoulder at her as they walked, expression inquisitive.

"Will Sasuke be alright?"

Jiraya ran a hand through his wild hair with a sigh, eyes troubled.

"Physically? Yes, he'll be fine. But only the two of you know what happened inside tsukiyomi, so I don't know about his mind."

Dark eyes flickered over her uncertainly, and his voice was careful.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Narumi hesitated, biting her lip. She didn't really want to tell him about it, but she was worried about Sasuke. She thought he was probably worse off than her. She had been terrified, and the pain had been so bad she'd wished for the first time she were the sort of girl to faint.

But while she was sure that she'd have nightmares for ages, she had also never forgotten that none of it was real. Narumi was nothing if not stubborn, and she had been quite determined not to give Itachi whatever it was he wanted. That had kept her firmly grounded throughout the pain.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was different. Maybe it was because Itachi had showed them the massacre of his clan first. And Narumi knew in her gut that that was what the nuke-nin had been doing. But whatever the reason, Sasuke's desperation and panic had been far and away beyond her own.

"I...we..."

Swallowing hard, Narumi forced herself to start over.

"Itachi...he showed us the Uchiha massacre. And..."

Abruptly, she decided that the details could be edited out.

"...he used me to upset Sasuke. Attacked me while Sasuke was immobilized."

Jiraya's eyes were sharp, but he didn't question her too much farther.

"So then, how did the boy seem while you were inside the genjutsu?"

Narumi shrugged, wrapping her hands around the straps of her travel pack and readjusting it between her shoulder blades. At least Jiraya wasn't questioning her too deeply about the events of the genjutsu.

"He was screaming."

And that was the crux of the matter. What had her really worried. She'd never, not once, seen Sasuke really lose his cool. Even when he got angry or upset, he still remained reserved and somewhat aloof, in control of himself. The perfect example of a shinobi according to the rules pounded into them by the academy teachers.

Jiraya gave her a long, hard look. Then he smiled slightly, waving a hand at her as if to dismiss her concerns. Somehow, the movement was reassuring. Chuckling slightly, he spoke to her in a light tone.

"Don't worry about it. He'll be fine. Kakashi'll set him straight."

Narumi blinked at him, and then relaxed entirely. Of course. Kakashi-sensei would make sure that Sasuke would be alright. She should have realized that from the moment that Ero-sennin said he'd sent Sasuke back to the village.

Jiraya shrugged and turned back to face the road ahead as they walked, still speaking to her cheerfully.

"Plus, the person we're going to get is a medical specialist. If Sasuke really needs some sort of special attention, there'll be no one better to take care of him than Tsunade. I should know, seeing as she was my teammate when we were genin."

Narumi grinned in relief and pleasure, knowing that a medical specialist would do all her comrades a lot of good right now. She felt her grin spread, thinking excitedly of Lee's reaction if she could bring back someone who would help heal his leg and arm.

But now that that worry was dispelled, another thought that had been lurking in the back of her head was suddenly able to take the forefront. Her brows drew together and she frowned slightly. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became.

"Ne, Ero-sennin? Why did they come after me?"

Jiraya looked back at her again, seeming slightly surprised. Then his expression turned grave and serious. Stopping in his tracks, he turned to her, a breeze tossing the wild spikes of his white hair as he moved.

"They're not really after you. They're after what you carry."

Narumi blinked, eyes widening. Her hand lifted to fist in her jacket, fingers twisting through the bright orange fabric covering her abdomen as she glanced downward. The gesture dimly reminded her of the way she'd seen pregnant women in the village caress their swollen bellies, her own touch a twisted and grotesque seeming parody.

"But Ero-sennin...Kyuubi is the monster that the yondaime died to defeat right? He's dangerous and everyone is afraid of him, even now. Why would they want it?"

Even as she asked the question, her mind raced with possible answers. Maybe they wanted to use Kyuubi, the way Suna had wanted to use Gaara as a weapon. It wasn't such a far-fetched idea really. A stupid one as far as she was concerned, but if Suna could come up with it, why not someone else?

Jiraya regarded her, dark eyes intent and serious.

"I'm not exactly sure what they're planning to do with the Kyuubi. But they probably want to control it's power for themselves."

Ice flooded her belly, and she swallowed hard. So she was right then. They wanted her to be like Gaara. Staring down at her own hand, she thought about Gaara, about how desperate he'd been when she'd fought him.

Jiraya's voice came to her as she stared down at her hand, feeling something beginning to spread through her chest, leaving hot tightness in its wake.

"It's cruel that you have to deal with it so young, but this is the fate of jinchuriki. Still! I'll protect you so-"

Ignoring him, she looked up and released her jacket, propping her hands cheerfully on her hips and grinning broadly up at him.

"Then I need to become stronger!"

Jiraya blinked down at her, obviously surprised. Pumping one fist in the air, she squinted her eyes closed, her grin spreading so wide it actually hurt her cheeks.

"Alright, let's find this Tsunade person, and start training!"

Jiraya chuckled, shook his head slightly and continued on down the road. Grinning brightly, Narumi hurried after him. Things would be alright. Next time she encountered Itachi, or his fishy friend Kisame, she'd be ready.

---

Sasuke tightened his grip, hands clamping down hard on Saburo's shoulder and wrist as he pivoted, slamming the other boy back first into the ground. The rosette choked, the yelp in his throat dying soundlessly as the breath was pushed forcefully from his lungs, leaving him struggling for breath.

Not missing a beat, Sasuke released Saburo's shoulder, whipped out a kunai, and brought it to rest gently at his teammates throat, the razor sharp edge pressing against the skin, but not breaking it. Saburo went cross-eyed, straining to catch a glimpse of the weapon under his chin without moving his head.

Carefully, he tapped his free hand against the ground, obviously not wanting to speak for feat the movement of his throat would draw blood against the blade. Sasuke huffed, blowing a stray strand of black hair out of his eyes, and smirked, withdrawing the blade, and stepping back.

Saburo glared halfheartedly up at him, grumbling under his breath as he rolled to his feet. Sasuke ignored him, settling back into a combat stance as he tucked his shuriken away into his weapons holster. Saburo stared at him in stunned dismay, mouth hanging slightly open.

"You can't be serious."

Sasuke frowned slightly, voice purposefully taunting.

"What's the matter, Haruno? Tired already?"

Saburo's jade eyes widened as he spluttered indignantly, waving his arms wildly above his head.

"Of course I'm tired! We've been sparring all afternoon! Any normal person would be tired by now!"

Sasuke straightened, and wished that it was as easy to rile Saburo as it was with Narumi. If he could only manage to provoke the other boy into another spar, they could continue with training. Just as he opened his mouth to deliver another hopeful jibe, Kakashi's voice rang out smoothly.

"Alright you two. That's enough for today."

Sasuke looked up in surprise even as Saburo whooped and pumped his fists in relieved victory. Kakashi slouched forward, hands tucked casually into his pockets, the orange book absent from his hands.

Kakashi regarded both boys for a moment, before smiling brightly.

"Saburo-kun, why don't you go on home. We'll meet back here tomorrow."

Saburo blinked in surprise, then nodded cheerfully, and sprinted back towards the village proper, bypassing the main road to bound through the trees of the deserted training grounds designated for genin use.

Sasuke didn't glance at the receding figure of the rosette, instead keeping his eyes warily fixed on the silver-haired jounin watching him quietly. Uncertainly the Uchiha shifted. Kakashi had woken up a day and a half after Maito Gai had brought Sasuke back to the village. So far, Sasuke had refused all counseling, and point blank refused to give details of the events that had taken place within tsukiyomi.

As frustrating as it might be for the jounin and iryo-nin who had questioned him, by village law only his jounin-sensei, the jounin commander, or the hokage himself could order Sasuke to speak about something as trivial as the details of a genjutsu. Since Shikaku Nara was loathe to involve himself in such a troublesome matter, and the hokage hadn't summoned Sasuke, he'd gotten away with his silence.

However, he had a feeling Kakashi was going to put an end to that. While he'd left Sasuke to his own devices for the past couple of days, the Uchiha had an ever increasing sense of tension, as if the man were only waiting for the proper time to begin interrogating him.

For several moments, the two of them just stood there, twin obsidian gazes locked as student and master regarded one another. Then Kakashi tilted his head slightly to the side, the gesture intentionally disarming as he offered Sasuke a concession.

"We need to talk, Sasuke. Would you like to go somewhere a little less public?"

Sasuke recognized the gift for what it was. Kakashi would not ask him to talk about an obviously difficult and possibly painful topic in a location where he felt vulnerable or exposed. He was letting Sasuke at least choose the environment. Home ground advantage.

Gratefully, Sasuke nodded. When Kakashi waved his hand lazily in encouragement, the young Uchiha leapt away, closely followed by his jounin-sensei. Skirting the edge of the village, he came to the lands held by the Uchiha compound, and headed for his favorite spot. The dock where his father had taught him his first Katon jutsu.

Kakashi followed him silently, pausing as they reached the dock. Sasuke looked back, and watched him in confusion as the man's lone dark eye flickered over the still waters of the lake and the aged wood of the dock, his expression odd.

"Kakashi-sensei? Are you alright?"

Kakashi blinked and shook himself, the strange loneliness of his expression melting away as he strode past Sasuke and perched himself on the end of the dock.

"Aa, sorry about that. I'm fine."

Sasuke slowly followed after him, pulling off his sandals to dangle his feet in the cool, dark water and eyeing Kakashi suspiciously.

"Are you sure, Sensei?"

The jounin chuckled, leaning back on his hands in an utterly relaxed pose.

"Yes, I'm sure."

He hesitated, as if thinking about something, and then spoke in the same light tone as before.

"This place just happens to have...a lot of memories for me."

Sasuke blinked, confused by the statement. This was Uchiha land. How could it have memories for Kakashi-sensei? Even before the massacre, when the clan was still large and thriving, few people had ever come here. It had always been Sasuke's sanctuary.

"Memories?"

Kakashi nodded, his lone eye distant despite the levity of his tone.

"One of my genin teammates, my best friend, was an Uchiha. He liked it here. Whenever we had to be on time for something, I'd have to come and find him, and he was usually here."

Sasuke blinked, thrown for a moment by the idea of Kakashi-sensei helping someone else be on time. Disconcertedly, he wondered just how bad this teammate of his sensei was, and briefly wondered how they ever got any missions done. The Uchiha allowed himself a wave of sympathy for the poor soul condemned to such teammates.

Curiosity rising, Sasuke glanced at his teacher, watching as the jounin tilted his head back to look up at the sky. Then bitterness chased after the curiosity in a wave. Kakashi-sensei's best friend was an Uchiha. Clearly, he hadn't survived Itachi's murder of the clan. Yet another blood debt that could be laid at his elder brothers feet.

Clearing his throat, voice halting, Sasuke stared hard at the dark water before him, doing his best not to look at his teacher as he spoke.

"The massacre...Itachi, he..."

To his surprise, Kakashi's voice was quiet and even. The sober tone belied the apparent calm that seemed to suffuse the jounin's aura as he replied to the unspoken question and accusation in Sasuke's halting attempt at speech.

"No. No, he died a long time before the massacre. You hadn't even been born yet then."

Sasuke started, obsidian eyes flying to his teacher in surprise. He wasn't sure why, but somehow he felt relieved that his brother was responsible for his Sensei's grief. Kakashi must have sensed his confusion, because he continued speaking matter-of-factly.

"Obito was killed on a mission during the Third Great Shinobi War. I was only a little older then than you are now."

Reaching up, he tapped two fingers lightly against the worn metal plate of his hitae-ate where it rested over his eye.

"Bit of a black sheep for your clan, but he was a fine shinobi and a better friend. I'd lost my eye during the mission, and he'd activated his sharingan. He died protecting me, and he gave me his sharingan."

Sasuke started, eyes wide as he hung from every word. Uncertain, feeling both a little horrified, and a little awed, he gestured awkwardly towards the jounin, wishing desperately that Saburo were still here. The rosette was so much better at public relations work than he was.

"So then, that's..."

Kakashi nodded slightly, apparently unperturbed by the conversation.

"Obito's eye? Yes. I like to think he's watching the world with me through this eye."

Sasuke stared openly, struggling to process that. How was he supposed to react? He'd known perfectly well that Kakashi's sharingan was not naturally occurring of course. After all, sharingan only manifested in those of Uchiha blood, and always in both eyes, so Kakashi's was clearly not a matter of heritage. But this was beyond anything he'd ever imagined.

Suddenly it wasn't hard at all to imagine a young Kakashi fighting alongside a faceless boy with black hair like his own. He thought about what it would be like to lose a teammate, and sickness roiled through him.

Part of the reason he trained so hard recently was because it was all to easy for his thoughts to be drawn back to the world of the tsukiyomi when his mind was still and idle. It was frighteningly easy for him to picture Narumi or Saburo dying during a mission, leaving him behind.

Perhaps that was the reason why this new revelation seemed like such a shocking discovery. Like finding out that his ties to Kakashi ran deeper than he'd ever imagined. Layers building on layers as the years passed, events from before he was ever brought into the world shaping his connection with the people around him.

Swallowing, he hitched one shoulder up awkwardly. It suddenly feels wrong for him to be keeping his secret from Kakashi-sensei. After all, this all affects Narumi as well. If no one else has the right to know, surely their other teammates do.

And besides, Kakashi has just exposed what Sasuke can sense is a deep wound. He doesn't fully understand the import of this revelation, but he knows it must have cost something for Kakashi to tell him. The expression flickering over the older shinobi's face is to similar to his own when he thinks about the massacre for him to delude himself otherwise.

So he gathered up his courage in both hands, forced his face into the most reserved mask he could manage, and hoped that his self control would hold for this conversation. Tilting his head forward slightly so that his bangs swung forward to shield his face as he began to speak.

"He beat me there you know. Itachi."

Kakashi's listening silence was soothing as the two of them sat side by side, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes, determined to get this over with.

"After I heard that he was after Narumi, I tried to get to her first. But when I finally caught up with her, Itachi and his partner were already there. I tried to get her away from them, but we got caught."

His eyes drifted out of focus, the world in front of him going slightly blurry as his attention turned inward, his voice a shade too calm.

"Itachi somehow pulled us both into tsukiyomi at the same time. It was just like when I was little, the massacre happening all over again. Narumi tried to help me, tried to remind me it wasn't real."

Frowning slightly, he remarked on something that had been bothering him for a good while, ever since he had first calmed down from the initial flush of panic and adrenaline accompanying the hours after his release from the genjutsu.

"She was smaller than I remembered. I didn't realize she was so small when we were in the academy."

Shrugging uncomfortably, he pushed on.

"She must have upset him, because after that Itachi..."

This was the hard part, the part that he could barely choke out. It felt as if speaking the words aloud would call back the nightmare visions of the genjutsu, and he'd be helplessly watching his brother commit atrocities against his teammate once again.

The dark waters of the lake suddenly looked far too familiar, a ghostly overlay of an ever-spreading pool of white atop the surface causing a shudder to run down his spine as he lifted his eyes quickly to the trees on the opposite shore.

"He killed her, Sensei. I-I watched him kill her... over and over. I couldn't make him stop"

His voice broke and he dropped his chin to his chest, a familiar toxic brew of fear, guilt, and anger spreading through him as he tried to banish the memory of the bloody black sword.

"I'm so sorry, Sensei! I...I didn't mean...!"

A strong arm wound around his shoulders, squeezing faintly in a gruffly comforting gesture. He went still and quiet as Kakashi's voice filled his ears. The jounin's voice was strong and steady, though there was a deadly undercurrent beneath it that reminded Sasuke how dangerous his teacher could be to his enemies.

"Enough, Sasuke. It's not your fault."

Uncertain, the boy hunched one shoulder.

"But-"

Kakashi's firm voice cut him off decisively.

"Do you think I am weak for being unable to escape tsukiyomi?"

Shocked, the Uchiha whipped around to stare wide eyed at his Sensei. There were certain things that were fixed and unchangeable as far as Sasuke was concerned. Saburo would always be a walking encyclopedia, Narumi would always be up for a good spar, and Kakashi-sensei was definitely one of the strongest jounin in the village.

"Of course not!"

Kakashi chuckled at the indignant tone of his students voice, his obsidian eye curving upwards with the width of the affectionate smile hidden beneath his mask.

"Then why are you being so hard on yourself?"

Sasuke blinked, mouth going slack in confusion as he stared at the jounin, brow wrinkling as he attempted to make sense of the sudden change in the conversation. Kakashi seemed amused by his speechlessness, though his voice remained relaxed and unchanged.

"Sasuke, you are a genin. You were caught in a genjutsu by an S-rank nuke-nin while attempting to protect your comrade. Not only did you pull through as well as, or better than, could be expected, you retained your consciousness and continued to cover your teammate."

After a short moment, Kakashi ruffled the Uchiha's hair gently, taking pleasure in the indignant scowl that flashed across the boys face. As Sasuke batted away his hand and attempted to smooth his hair back out, Kakashi leaned back, resting his weight on his arms.

"You're not weak, Sasuke. No matter what you think. You're just young. You'll get stronger, all three of you."

Sasuke muttered something incomprehensible, brightening slightly at the praise. Merriment laced Kakashi's voice as he spoke again, repressed laughter bubbling through his words.

"But please, try not to run Saburo to death. He's going to snap and poison your food or something soon."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and huffed, but made no other acknowledgment. Then he glanced uncertainly at the jounin, tentatively trying one last question.

"Kakashi-sensei? What about Narumi and Itachi?"

The older shinobi shot him another smile, though this one had a bit of an edge to it.

"Leave that to me."

Rising to his feet smoothly, Kakashi looked at Sasuke, and then glanced back over his shoulder to where the tops of the Uchiha compound walls were just visible over the trees. After a moment, he turned back and extended his hand to his student.

Sasuke took his teachers hand, scowling suspiciously as Kakashi hauled him up. The jounin jerked his chin towards the road, voice calm.

"Well, let's go then."

Sasuke cocked his head, snatching up his combat sandals and hopping from foot to foot as he shoved his feet back into them. After a moment, he hurried after his teacher as the man headed back up to the road.

"Where are we going?"

Kakashi waved a hand lazily without turning to look at him.

"To get some of your things. You'll be staying with me until Narumi get's back to the village."

Sasuke stared at the older shinobi, mouth working silently for a long moment before he managed to force sound from his mouth.

"Why?"

Kakashi lifted an eyebrow at him, looking amused and firm at the same time.

"Sasuke, you've just suffered a severe psychological attack, and have spent the last few days doing your best to turn Saburo into a shinobi punching bag with pink hair. It's not healthy for you to be on your own right now."

Sasuke stopped moving, watching as Kakashi continued smoothly on towards the empty Uchiha compound. He groaned as exactly what was happening dawned on him.

'Since Narumi's not here, I'm going to get two peoples worth of mother-hen treatment.'

Suddenly thinking that he really was in desperate need of another spar, he sighed heavily and shuffled after his teacher. And he did not feel at all happy that someone cared enough to worry about where he was staying, and what was best for him. Nope. Not at all. Definitely not.

---

Narumi frowned down at the tiny leaf symbol painted on the palm of her hand, gathering her chakra into a powerfully swirling maelstrom. As the wind stirred and whipped around her, tugging insistently at her clothing and hair, she tried to form and hold a wall of chakra around the destructive jutsu cradled in her hand.

It wasn't long before her concentration slipped, and the ball of chakra burst outwards with a blast of wind that made her eyes water. Muttering irately, she glared mutinously at her now empty palm. Before she could summon her chakra in another attempt, she found herself walking straight into Jiraya's back.

Startled, she bounced back, dropping her hands to her sides and squinting up at the back of his shaggy white head.

"Oi, what's up with you, Ero-sennin?"

Without turning to face her, Jiraya spoke almost as if to himself, his voice low and serious.

"There should be a castle..."

With a quick flexing of muscles, he sprang up atop one of the stone walls that lined the roads near the castle, standing firmly atop the apex of the small roof, back straight and shoulders stiff. Alarmed, Narumi sprang up after him, landing lightly beside him without so much as a whisper of noise, wobbling for a moment before she found her balance.

When she lifted lifted her eyes, she saw what had caught his gaze and held his attention. The crumbling ruin of a half destroyed castle, the very one they'd been headed for in their search. People were running through the walled streets, faces pale as they cast anxious glances over their shoulders or towards the patch of empty sky where the great bulk of the castle should have risen.

Confused and alert for trouble, Narumi stared. She could still see the haze of settling dust clouds, thick and heavy with crushed wood and stone, hovering above the ruin. This couldn't have happened long ago.

"What happened here...?"

Jiraya hummed deep in his throat, black eyes dropping to lock onto a man scrambling along the road on the other side of the wall the stood atop.

"I intend to find out."

Drawing in a deep breath, he shouted down at the civilian man, voice commanding and authoritative.

"Hey, you there! What's going on here?"

The civilian in question stumbled to a halt, spinning to stare up at them, chest heaving. His eyes flickered over the flashing metal plates of their hitae-ate, before he opened his mouth. Panicked, the man shouted back his answer, wild-eyed with terror.

"There's a demon beast up there! It crushed the castle like it was nothing! You should run too, if you know what's good for you!"

Jiraya frowned slightly, cocking his head as he interrogated the shuddering civilian.

"This demon beast...what exactly is it?"

The man shivered violently, sweat dripping down the sides of his face as he regained his breath.

"A huge s-snake!"

Apparently this last bit of information exhausted his courage, because he whirled and charged blindly on down the street. Narumi blinked, and called sharply after him, her mind racing as she suppressed a shiver of her own at the thought of snakes. When the man didn't turn back, she faced Jiraya urgently.

"Ero-sennin, during the invasion there was a snake-beast attacking the village that-!"

The man turned grimly away from her, setting himself to race across the tops of the walls in the direction of the destruction. He answered her briskly, obviously unhappy about something.

"Narumi. This snake...it's definitely the same snake you met before."

Narumi started, blue eyes widening, and then narrowing. That...was not good. She swallowed hard, and then gritted her teeth and set her jaw. If this was the same snake, that meant that Orochimaru had something to do with whatever had happened here. And that set her on edge.

Taking a deep breath, she followed after her master, catching up to him quickly as they headed back into the city, away from the site of the attack. Narumi frowned, and thought about questioning their direction, before realizing that by now Orochimaru would no longer be at the site of the attack. Added to that, they were supposed to be finding that medical specialist.

Readjusting her pack, she sighed. There was no way she could train the third stage of the technique Jiraya had been teaching her while they were traveling this way. She'd miss her footing on the first leap.

---

Narumi followed Jiraya wearily down the street, mournfully wishing she were back at Ichiraku's with a large, steaming bowl of ramen sitting in front of her. She could almost taste the savor of the miso in her mouth. Jiraya glanced back at her, then looked around before changing course and heading towards a nearby pub.

"Oh well. Looks like we won't be finding Tsunade today, so we might as well just have dinner."

Narumi blinked, and looked back and forth between the white-haired shinobi and the establishment they were aproaching, voice uncertain and more than a little suspicious.

"What? But isn't this place a pub?"

Jiraya shrugged, rummaging through a pocket as they neared the shop in question, his tone distracted.

"Aa. What's your point?"

Spluttering, the blonde swept an arm expansively through the air in a wild gesture.

"I can't go in there! I'm a kid! And I'm a girl! What's wrong with you, Ero-sennin?"

Jiraya turned slightly red, looking over at her as if seeing her for the first time. Then he shook his head firmly, and snorted derisively.

"Fool, places like this are the best source of information."

As he stepped up to the entrance, he moved a little closer, and rested a large hand atop her head in a protective gesture, the scent of oil, ink, and steel flooding her nostrils. When he spoke, his voice was soothing.

"Don't worry, I won't let you get into trouble."

He turned away from her as they entered the bar, muttering under his breath in such a low tone of voice that only her exceptionally sharp hearing allowed her to decipher the words she was doubtless not meant to hear.

"Anyway, Kakashi'd kill me if I let something happen to you..."

Suddenly his slanted black eyes widened, fixing on something at the bar. His expression went slack, a dopey grin slithering across his face as his cheeks flushed bright red. Narumi frowned and followed his gaze. A very beautiful woman wearing a very, very short dress sat at the bar. She glanced over, met Jiraya's eyes, and smiled coyly, brushing a lock of short red hair behind her ear and trailing her fingertips lightly down the line of her jaw.

In an instant, the big shinobi was across the room and leaning on the bar beside her, a flirtatious smile on his face as he leaned over and spoke to her in a smooth, deep voice.

"Why hello there. What might your name be, miss?"

Narumi's jaw dropped and she stared, round-eyed as the woman giggled slightly, leaning forward onto her arms so that her breasts were pressed together and up in a very provocative fashion. When she spoke, her voice was light and breathy.

"Hey, handsome. They call me Yume."

Jiraya's eyes got a starry look to them, and his smile broadened.

"Yume, that's a beautiful name. It fits you wonderfully. Did you know it means 'dream'?"

The woman fluttered her lashes at him, leaning a little closer, one manicured hand landing lightly on his shoulder.

"Really? I can tell you're a man of the world. That's very..."

Squeezing his shoulder lightly, she let her eyes fall to half-mast.

"...impressive."

Jiraya threw back his head and laughed a little too loudly. Narumi snapped, a vein pulsing dangerously in her temple as she stormed over to the embarrassing scene. Snatching the back of Jiraya's belt with both hands, she planted her feet and threw her weight backwards, heaving ineffectually at his back.

"ERO-SENNIN! What's wrong with you?"

The woman shot her an annoyed glance that quickly turned coy, tossing her head and laughing lightly as she shot Jiraya a knowing look.

"What a cute little girl. She's absolutely charming. Your sister?"

Jiraya laughed loudly again, looking pleased at the implication that he didn't look old enough to be the father of a thirteen year old. Narumi glared up at the woman, vaguely recalling one of the kunoichi instructors at the academy warning the girls to never dress in clothing that was too skimpy, lest they be seen as a hussy rather than an attractive kunoichi of Konohagakure. The term seemed to apply here, seeing as the woman was draping herself quite shamelessly over a man she'd never met. She turned beet red as the woman leaned forward a little more, her dress riding up to reveal a flash of black lace underwear.

"I'm NOT cute, and I'm not a little girl either! Ero-sennin, come on!"

When the man waved distractedly at her, she despairingly wished that Kakashi-sensei were here. No matter how perverted those books of his were, she couldn't picture him ever bringing team seven to a place like this. An idea struck her at the thought of her sensei, and she reared back, sucking in a deep breath before shouting at the top of her lungs.

"ERO-SENNIN! I'M TELLING KAKASHI-SENSEI ON YOU!"

The bellow was so loud that the woman flinched away, scowling and pressing a hand to her ears, and Jiraya jumped, looking faintly alarmed. Before he could answer, a surprised voice came from behind them.

"Jiraya?"

Both of them froze and looked over their shoulders.

The voice belonged to a blonde woman sitting far back at a booth alongside a darker haired woman looked up at the call, her brown eyes a little unfocused looking as she frowned over at them, her attention drawn by the volume of Narumi's displeasure.

Jiraya's eyes widened, and he called back in a startled voice, face still slightly red as he stepped away from the very disgruntled looking woman he'd previously been speaking with.

"Ah! Tsunade!"

Clearing his throat and straightening his jacket, the big shinobi waved a hand beckoningly at Narumi, before he turned to face the newly identified Tsunade. Ignoring the way Narumi rolled her eyes at him, Jiraya walked over towards the booth where the two women sat, Yume apparently forgotten. Narumi sighed heavily and trailed after him.

When they reached the table, he addressed Tsunade, his voice gruff but relaxed as he slid into the seat opposite the pair sitting side by side, and Narumi scrambled into the seat beside him.

"How have you been Tsunade?"

The blonde woman blinked slowly at him, looking more than a little confused as she eyed him.

"Fine. You're still womanizing I see."

Furrowing her brow, she leaned forward onto the table.

"Why are you here?"

Jiraya shrugged slightly and flashed her a mysterious smile.

"To find you of course. We need to talk."

Narumi's eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them, confused and exasperated, her irritation over the incident with 'Yume' fading. She specifically remembered Jiraya saying that he and Tsunade had been on the same genin team, which ought to mean she was an old woman. But the person sitting at the booth was young and beautiful.

Tsunade didn't look older than twenty-five, her long hair was pulled back into a girlish style of low twin-tails, and was a shade of pale ash-blonde that was less pure than Inori's, but far paler and duller than Narumi's own. The bangs that framed her face were parted in the center, revealing a blue diamond in the center of her forehead.

She wore bright red lipstick like Kurenai-sensei that contrasted sharply with her pale hair. Large, long-lashed brown eyes stared blearily at the pair of them from a flushed face that showed just how much sake the woman had been drinking before they arrived.

And just looking at her voluptuous figure made Narumi want to hunch her shoulders and hope the bagginess of her jacket hid her own undeveloped figure. The younger kunoichi had always been proud of her strength and lean, athletic body that allowed her to keep up with the boys. But being in Tsunade's presence made her wish she were older with curves.

Hastily, she shifted her gaze to the other woman, who was much less intimidating. Dark hair that was barely past her chin hung jaggedly around her face, flopping down into black eyes, and she wore a long black and white yukata. A fat pig wearing a vest and necklace was held in her arms, its eyes squinted closed.

Narumi blinked and looked over her, before realizing why she looked familiar. If Sasuke had a sister, this would probably be what she looked like. Pale skinned, dark, and serious looking. Though, Sasuke's sister would look more aloof, and definitely wouldn't carry around a pig.

A waiter came up to the table, and Jiraya nodded to him once.

"Two plates of pork buns, a beer, and a glass of milk for the kid."

Narumi yelped indignantly, staring up at Jiraya. But before she could say anything, he smacked her gently over the back of her head, voice scolding and slightly outrageous.

"Milk is good for you! Kids should drink milk!"

She scowled slightly, but she was interrupted once again, this time by Tsunade. She lifted a finger, blinking slowly up at the young civilian standing beside their table.

"Make that t-"

A violent hiccup interrupted her, forcing her to speak again.

"...two beers."

Narumi lost her train of thought, trailing off as she looked uncertainly at the busty blonde. This was the great medical specialist that was supposed to be such a great asset to the village? She looked up at Jiraya, but he shook his head at her.

So she just slipped her travel pack over her arms, and slid it down between her feet, rolling her shoulders to loosen them. Beside her, Jiraya leaned forward, bracing his arms on the table and nodding to the two women across from them.

"Tsunade. Shizune. Good to see you again."

Tsunade chuckled hoarsely, folding her hands in front of her face and dropping her gaze to the empty sake cup in front of her. Shizune glanced at the inebriated woman, and then nodded back to the big man across the table.

"Jiraya-sama. Who is this?"

The white-haired man smiled widely at the two of them, dark eyes knowing as he tilted his head towards the genin beside him.

"This? Her name's Narumi Uzumaki."

Both women looked up at him, and Shizune's eyes sharpened slightly as their gaze flickered briefly to her. Narumi stared back at them, confused. Jiraya ignored the odd moment, continuing on and drawing their attention back to him.

"She's Kakashi's student."

The waiter came back with a platter of food and drinks, and they fell silent for a long moment while he sat everything down in front of them. When he left, Narumi picked up her glass and took a drink. Milk might not be what she'd wanted, but she was hungry and thirsty, so it didn't bother her all that much.

Picking up a bun, she bit into it, watching the adults as she munched on the savory chunk. Jiraya took a long swig of his beer, matching Tsunade as she tilted her head back and chugged. Jiraya set his down first, watching Tsunade's throat work as he spoke.

"So, how have the two of you been?"

Tsunade chuckled, dropping her glass to the table, and looking at the table with morose amusement. Narumi blinked and polished off her bun, gulping down another swallow of milk, and reaching for another bun.

"Today...I met someone. Someone who brings up bad memories."

Jiraya breathed out slowly, black eyes hard and brow furrowed. His voice was caught partway between concern and something that Narumi couldn't identify.

"Orochimaru? Did anything happen?"

Tsunade and Shizune exchanged a glance, and then Tsunade dropped her eyes again, her voice oddly mild and level for someone who still had the flushed, glassy-eyed countenance of the somewhat drunk.

"Just a little greeting. Nothing to worry about."

The big man merely looked at her, not replying to her statement. Unnerved by the tense atmosphere smothering the booth, Narumi watched them with wide-eyes, unconsciously eating faster and with larger bites.

Tsunade leaned against the table, her expression and voice oddly subdued. She didn't bother to meet her old teammates eyes as she spoke, a slight slur entering her voice.

"You too...why did you come to see me?"

Narumi took another large bite of a bun, listening intently as she ate. Jiraya leaned forward a bit more, his dark eyes serious.

"I brought you a message. Konohagakure...has issued a request for you to be the fifth Hokage."

Narumi's eyes bulged and choked on her bite, desperately snatching at her glass of milk and trying to force the obstruction down her throat with that. Shizune and Tsunade didn't look any less surprised, both of them fixing wide eyes on Jiraya. As Narumi worked to clear her throat, Jiraya continued, his voice grave.

"As you know, Sandaime-sama..."

His voice trailed away and both women dropped their gazes. Shizune looked upset, but Tsunade merely stared blankly into her drink, watching the slow swirl of the golden-brown liquid as she replied quietly.

"It was Orochimaru's work, right? He told me."

Narumi stared at the woman hard, brow furrowed. It had been hard enough to picture the buxom drunk as the expert medical specialist that was supposed to be capable of healing even Lee's extensive injuries. But no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't see this woman in Jiji's robes and hat. It would be...disrespectful.

Jiraya was apparently immune to the growing tension hovering around them, or the strange atmosphere that enveloped the table, because he merely continued on calmly, his eyes never leaving Tsunade's face.

"So, your answer? Are you willing to accept?"

Tsunade's face contorted strangely, her brows drawing together and her lips tightening unhappily. She looked almost as if she were pained. Her hands clenched tightly around her arms, and she refused to look up and meet the steady obsidian gaze fixed on her.

"Impossible. I decline."

Narumi's eyes widened, and she stared at the other woman in shock, unable to process what she'd just said. The shock snapped her out of her daze, and she stared indignantly at Jiraya.

"Hold on a second, Ero-sennin! You said we were coming to get her so she could take a look at Sasuke-teme and Lee! You never said anything about asking her to be our Hokage!"

Jiraya waved a hand lazily at her in a manner that was probably supposed to be reassuring. With a slow drawl, he addressed her, his eyes finally leaving Tsunade.

"Don't worry so much. This person here is the only one who can become the Godaime. She assured Konoha's victory in many battles during the Second Great Shinobi War, and her medical techniques are unmatched. Also, she's the granddaughter of the Shodaime, Hashirama Senju. She's definitely the person most appropriate to be the Godaime."

Smiling slightly, Jiraya inclined his head forward a little as he looked at her, his voice teasing.

"And if she becomes Hokage, she'll have to come back to the village. Which means she'll be taking a look at those two."

Lifting his eyes to the ceiling of the little establishment as if in great thought, Jiraya rubbed the back of his head and mused aloud.

"Probably Kakashi too, now that I think of it. After all, he got caught in tsukiyomi too."

Tsunade chuckled, brown eyes fixing on Narumi for an uncomfortable moment.

"A girl this time, Jiraya? What on earth possessed you to take a girl as an apprentice? She really can't be compared to your last student."

Narumi bristled indignantly, lips curling back in a snarl. Before she could say anything, Jiraya interrupted with a friendly grin.

"Well, it's tough for anyone to be compared to the Yondaime. After all, he had the talent, the brains, hell even the looks!"

Narumi's indignation melted away, wide eyes flickering back and forth between the two of them. Yondaime-sama? Ero-sennin's last student was Yondaime-sama? It was one thing for the big man to know the Yondaime's technique, even if it was one that no one else could use. But to have been his teacher...

Tsunade scoffed slightly, her tone sharp and abrasive.

"But even that Yondaime died quickly. Giving up his life for the village so soon after becoming Hokage..."

Narumi turned back to the older woman, her face twisting into a dark scowl. Tsunade was really beginning to make her angry. She had always admired the Yondaime, and she didn't like the way Tsunade was talking about him.

The drunk woman chuckled, her eyes scornful as she looked up at the two ninja sitting on the opposite side of the table, her voice going derogatory.

"Life is different from money. It can't be gambled with that easily. Whoever puts it at risk so easily is definitely a fool."

Shrugging carelessly, she smirked over the table at the big, white haired shinobi.

"Grandfather and Nidaime-sama both focused on bringing peace to our home more than anything else. But as a result, the just died in the middle of their dreams, like losers."

Narumi ground her teeth sharply together, blue eyes narrowing as her body tensed. White-hot anger coursed through her veins as thickly as blood, and her world narrowed down to the cocky, self-absorbed woman across the table. She didn't care what the village elders or Jiraya said, this person had no right to be called the Hokage.

Jiraya's voice remained light as he replied to her, though the humor had left it at Tsunade's bold statement.

"You've changed a lot, Tsunade. Is everything you just said what you really think?"

Tsunade shrugged, that same cocky smirk still quirking at the corners of her lips as she eyed the other Sanin.

"Well, I'm already in my fifties. Age changes people."

Leaning forward so that her sizable chest was pressed into the table, she chuckled harshly.

"It's the same for Sandaime and Yondaime, you know. No wonder they died. One too old to live his dreams, and the other young and stupid enough to throw away his life for them."

Jiraya's expression suddenly took on a dangerous edge, but Narumi was too angry to notice. Her entire body trembled with the desire to shut up the mouthy woman who sat across from her. She'd never wanted so badly to just hit someone. She'd wanted to fight people before certainly, but right now she just wanted to shove her fist down Tsunade's throat.

"Being Hokage is a bunch of bull. No one but a fool would do it!"

Narumi snapped. Enraged, she slammed her hand down into the table, and made to vault over it, lunging for Tsunade. In midair, a large hand grabbed her by the back of her jacket, and yanked her back, holding her in her seat by force.

Struggling to get at the seemingly impassive women, Narumi growled in frustration. Throwing herself forward, she fought to reach Tsunade, never bothering to shift her eyes from the bland face of the ash-blonde.

"Let go of me, Ero-sennin! She can't talk about Yondaime-sama and Jiji like that! She can't talk about our Hokage! I absolutely can't forgive her for that! Just you watch, I'll make her regret mouthing off about them!"

Jiraya's voice was low and even, though it had lost all trace of levity, and his fingers tightened in her jacket, pulling it a little tighter across her shoulders.

"Calm down. You do realize we're at a bar, right?"

Tsunade scoffed, brown eyes satisfied as she smirked at the younger blonde who was practically foaming at the mouth to get at her.

"Please. I'm one of the legendary Sanin. I wouldn't even have to use more than one finger to beat up a little girl like you."

Narumi wasn't even aware of Shizune hissing at her mistress, or Jiraya's stern gaze. Her whole world narrowed down to an intense need to force this person to take back her insults and admit that she was wrong.

"I don't care how legendary you are, I'll still kick your butt! I won't forgive anyone who insults the Hokage's, especially the fourth!"

There was a long moment of silence, wherein Narumi glared at Tsunade, and the adults eyed her with varying expressions. Then Tsunade stood up, and leaned over the table, lips curling up into an unkind smile, eyes flashing as she went eye to eye with the younger blonde.

"You've got a lot of guts to say such things to me, little girl. Let's see if you can back it up."

Narumi bared her teeth defiantly at the woman, cracking her knuckles in anticipation. If it was a fight Tsunade wanted, it was a fight she was gonna get. Shizune scrambled up from her seat, moving out of the way as Tsunade swept out of the booth, dropping some money on the table before striding out the door.

Jiraya sighed gustily, but released Narumi's jacket, allowing her to follow the older kunoichi out of the bar. He and Shizune grabbed the travel packs, and trailed after the two of them as they wound through the streets until they reached one that was wide and deserted.

When Tsunade was satisfied with the location, she turned to face Narumi, lifting one finger with an inelegant snort.

"Well, I said I'd beat you with only one finger, so I will. After all, it would be silly for someone like me to fight seriously against a green genin like you."

Snarling, Narumi plunged a hand into into her weapons pouch, snatching up four shuriken.

"Shut up!"

Launching two of the shuriken at Tsunade, she forced the older woman to dodge to the side. While Tsunade was preoccupied with that, she created a Kage Bunshin and used henge to transform into a shuriken.

The clone snatched her up along with an ordinary shuriken in one hand, hiding the second in the other hand which dove back into her weapons holster, concealing the replacement of the real shuriken by drawing out a kunai.

In that split second, Tsunade charged towards the clone, brown eyes intent. The clone flung both Narumi and the shuriken towards her, and Narumi felt the brush of long strands of hair over her sleek surface as Tsunade dropped below the path of her flight.

Dodging beneath what she thought was a weak attack, Tsunade surged into arms reach of the clone. In an apparently wild attempt to trap her, the clone flung the Kunai over her head, and then brought her leg up in a vicious kick that swept up in an attempt to hit Tsunade from below.

The sanin easily twisted out of the path of the kick, and shot her hand forward, the single extended finger strengthened with chakra so that it threw the clone backwards and into the air as easily as Kakashi had during the bell test.

As the clone flew in the air, Narumi hurriedly released the henge, spinning through the air and landing in a sliding crouch, hand shooting out to grab the kunai from the air. As soon as she had a good grip on the weapon, she spun it in her grip, and shot towards Tsunade's back, blade raised.

The clone hit the ground, plowing painfully across it at the same moment that Narumi began to move. When it dispersed in a cloud of smoke, Tsunade's eyes widened, and she whipped around with a glare.

Swearing to herself, Narumi slashed at her with the kunai. Tsunade avoided the blow, and spread her stance wider, dropping her center of gravity. The same finger she'd used to throw the clone struck out and upwards with the speed of a snake, slipping through the ring of the kunai that lay flush against Narumi's wrist, and stabbing into the flesh.

Pain flashed up Narumi's arm, and her hand spasmed as she bit out a yelp. As her rebellious fingers loosed the kunai, Tsunade spun it around into her own grip and lunged upwards, standing straight and forcing her arm up.

The hilt of the kunai slammed into the bottom edge of the protective metal plate of her hitae-ate. The force of the blow threw her head sharply and painfully backwards as the knotted cloth at the back of her head came undone a moment after the force transferred to her skull.

The familiar weight and warmth of the hitae-ate left her forehead, baring it to the cool night breeze as the object was hurled upwards. Instinctively moving with the momentum of the strike to lessen the strain on her body, Narumi threw herself into a back handspring, swearing as she righted herself.

"Kuso!"

Her eyes widened slightly as she found herself looking right at Tsunade's hand, her pointer finger curled back against her thumb. Before she could react, the finger snapped out, striking her in the center of her forehead. The force of the blow snapped her head back again, and threw her body back threw the air in an arc that mirrored her clones earlier flight.

As she hurtled through the air, Narumi dazedly wondered if the other blonde was trying to give her whiplash. When she hit the ground, she forced herself to roll to her feet, and glared furiously at Tsunade, one hand pressed tightly against her forehead.

She knew that the skin wasn't broken, or the blood would have already been dripping into her eyes, but her body was not so sure. The sensation of phantom blood sliding wetly over her skin was irritating.

The most infuriating thing though, was that she could tell Tsunade was holding back. After all, anyone who could throw someone into the air with a finger flick to the forehead would surely be able to give you a concussion with the same attack. And yet, Narumi's skin wasn't even broken.

And right now, in this fight, to not take Narumi seriously at all was the same thing as continuing to dismiss and scorn the memories of the four Hokages. The men whose honor Narumi was so desperately trying to defend.

Beside her, her hitae-ate clanged sharply to the ground, leaf symbol gleaming softly in the flickering light of the lanterns that lined the street. Narumi stared at it, appalled. She hadn't had her hitae-ate ripped from her like that since the battle with Zabuza, and he was nuke-nin. She did her best to ignite the cocky woman across from her with the pure anger in her gaze. Was nothing sacred with this hag?

Tsunade watched her with an odd expression. After a moment, she called out to Narumi in an odd tone of voice, her cocky smirk absent for once.

"Hey kid. Before you pass out, I want to ask you something. Why do you get so worked up just over the word 'Hokage'?"

Narumi lifted her chin and squared her shoulders, a fierce grin spreading across her face as she met glazed brown eyes with her own strong blue gaze.

"Because I'm not like you. I will succeed the Hokage name, and I will protect my comrades and my village, 'ttebayo! Because that's my dream."

Disregarding the strange expression on Tsunade's face, she lifted her hand in front of her face, fingers curved in an almost claw-like fashion. Her other hand shot forward, snatching at the air around her other hand as she summoned up the maelstrom of her chakra.

Tsunade fell back a step, eyes widening in shock as she stared down at the genin in front of her. Narumi shot forward, cocking back the arm that held the whirling storm of her chakra. Tsunade lifted her arm, and before Narumi could figure out what she was going to try, she was already moving.

The woman struck the earth, and for a moment Narumi couldn't understand what she was trying to do. But then, to Narumi's shock, the earth beneath her split open. She stumbled as she fell into the deep, ragged ditch that had been created beneath her, pitching forward and slamming her technique into the ground at Tsunade's feet.

Curving chakra blades swirled out, slicing and carving the rock and earth where she'd struck the ground with her hand into the winding spiral pattern that she was still working on moving beyond. Bitter disappointment flooded her, but she had to ignore that and focus on catching herself in her fall.

Throwing her other arm out, she spread her limbs and wedged herself against the walls of the gap, and hauled herself out onto the solid ground beside it. Shizune hurried forward and knelt beside her as she coughed for air, rubbing her back soothingly, voice worried.

"Are you alright?"

Narumi sucked in a breath and made as if to answer, but was interrupted by Tsunade. Her cocky, scornful smirk was back in place, and she was half turned towards the big man, one hand braced on her hip.

"Jiraya! Was it you? The one who's teaching her rasengan?"

Jiraya shrugged slightly, voice cool and calm.

"I'm her master in principle."

Tsunade snorted, her opinion on that made startlingly clear even before she spoke. At this point she'd completely dismissed Narumi, her attention focused solely on Jiraya.

"The only people that can use that jutsu are the Yondaime and you...even if other people could do it, she's a kunoichi. Her chakra reserves and battle potential are lower than a boys would be."

Scoffing, the curvaceous woman shook her head, eyes mocking.

"Teaching her something she cannot do and encouraging her like that just because you believe you're her master. It's better if you don't let her think that way, so the silly child doesn't joke about foolish dreams like becoming Hokage."

Narumi ignored the concerned figure of Shizune beside her, teeth grinding together so hard that it was painful. Frustrated anger roared through her, feeding into her determination and the whirling gears of her mind.

"Idiot! It's not a joke!"

As Tsunade turned an irate sneer on the younger blonde, Narumi hit on the one thing that would definitely wipe that cocky, condescending look off of her face. She'd prove Tsunade wrong, wrong about everything she'd said tonight.

"All I need is three days, and I can master that technique 'ttebayo! Just you watch me!"

Tsunade stared at her, expression sure and confident, completely unaffected by the younger kunoichi's declaration.

"Those are some words, little girl. Ninja shouldn't take back their words, you know."

Narumi met her gaze determinedly, voice steady and determined.

"I don't take back my word, ever! That's my nindo!"

Tsunade's smirk became almost predatory, and she reached up to finger the cord of the strange necklace she wore, the long green crystal that depended from it flashing in the orange light of the lanterns.

"Well, is that so..."

Something about her tone gave Narumi pause, and she frowned up at the woman in confusion, not understanding why she was playing with her necklace at a time like this.

"I'll give you one week. If you can master that jutsu in that time, I'll acknowledge you could become the Hokage, and I'll give you this necklace."

Shizune started, shouting in surprise.

"Tsunade-sama!"

Narumi blinked at her, thoroughly confused now. Did she really come across so girly that Tsunade thought she'd have to be bribed with jewelry to finish training with a technique. She couldn't decide if she were more confused or insulted.

"I don't want it..."

Jiraya's dry voice broke into the conversation.

"Don't say that Narumi. It's a very special necklace that belonged to the Shodaime."

Tsunade smirked, and lifted the heavy, round form of Narumi's wallet.

"But if you lose, I get to take all your money."

Narumi yelped in horror, thrusting a finger accusingly at the confident woman, now sure that Tsunade was some sort of incarnation of evil.

"Gama-chan! You pickpocket, you kidnapped Gama-chan!"

Shizune scrambled to her feet, heading over to Tsunade and speaking in an urgent voice.

"Tsunade-sama, your necklace..!"

Tsunade shrugged, tucking Narumi's wallet away with a small smile.

"Heh. It doesn't matter. It's not like she can win anyway."

Turning on her heel, she beckoned to the dark haired woman, her voice free of slurring despite the bright flush of alcohol that still remained on her cheeks.

"Let's go."

Jiraya called out to his old teammate, halting both women in their tracks.

"Tsunade, can we have a drink together? It's been awhile..."

Tsunade looked over her shoulder at him without saying anything, and the big man turned to the other two kunoichi present with a light, reassuring grin.

"Shizune, you and Narumi go find a hotel to stay at for the night, okay?"

Shizune hesitated, and then dropped her head with a defeated expression, muttering her assent. Jiraya walked over towards them, pausing to bend over and scoop something up from the ground. When he reached them, he dropped one hand lightly on Narumi's head for a moment, and pressed her gleaming hitae-ate into her hand with the other.

"Be good and go to bed quick, kiddo."

Then he turned and walked over to fall in stride beside Tsunade, who had turned away and continued down the street. Narumi frowned after them, flaring her nostrils and taking in a deep breath, trying to catch their scent. Her face twisted with disgust when the only thing she caught was the strong scent of different alcohols mixed together. The sharpness of sake, and the heavy, rank odor of beer.

Tsunade's liquor habits provided an effective mask for blinding her nose, and Narumi suddenly realized why the Inuzuka never publicly made clear just how strong their sense of smell was. A trick like this would be hard to counter, and probably often played if your enemies knew you were relying on their scent to follow them and figure them out.

She watched the two of them walk away until Shizune brushed her arm lightly. When she looked up at the dark eyed woman, she found her looking tired and worn, the pig she'd held before still enfolded in her arms as she met the younger girls eyes.

"Narumi-chan, wasn't it? We should find that hotel."

Narumi nodded quietly, scooping up her travel pack where Jiraya had dropped it, and slinging it back over her shoulders. Adjusting it briefly, she followed in the steps of the older woman. She'd have to leave this entirely to Shizune, since her wallet was currently being held captive.

It wasn't long until they reached an inn set a bit back form the main part of town, slightly out of the way. It had reasonable prices, and Shizune readily paid for both rooms. Narumi was quietly relieved that she had, seeing as there was no way of knowing when Ero-sennin would return.

As the two of them trudged up the stairs towards the second floor, Shizune glanced at her, and then softly put forth a question.

"Narumi-chan, would you care to have a bath with me? The innkeepers wife told me that the sento is on the third floor."

Narumi yawned, but nodded gratefully. She'd love a bath, one nice long soak in hot water would be heaven.

"I'll meet you there, Shizune-nee-chan."

Scampering over to the room assigned to her and Ero-sennin, she unlocked the door and slipped inside. Flicking on the light, she pulled the curtains across the window, and dropped her pack on one of the beds.

Quickly, she shed her clothing, folded it, and placed both her clothes and gear neatly on the bed alongside her pack. Wrapping herself in the yukata provided by the inn, she stepped into a pair of slippers meant for wear around the inn, and tucked the key into her sash.

Stepping out into the hall, she headed back to the stairs, unbraiding her hair and shaking it loose as she went. When she reached the third floor, she stuck her head out into the hall and looked around. Lighting up when she saw the doors at the end of the hall, she moved out into the corridor. One was curtained with a cloth bearing the character for 'woman', and the other for 'man'.

Heading into the women's section, she slipped out of the yukata, storing it in an empty basket along the wall, and heading into the actual bath. She sighed in contentment when she saw the large soaking pool.

Scrubbing down as quickly as she could, she dove straight into the pool, surfacing and shaking her head vigorously. Her wet hair slapped against her shoulders and cheeks as she slicked her hair back with one hand.

Settling down into the water, she looked up as the door to the dressing area slid open and Shizune walked in. She was wrapped in a towel, and smiled tiredly at Narumi. Narumi lifted a hand and waved cheerfully at the older kunoichi.

"Hurry up, Shizune-nee-chan! It's great in here."

Shizune laughed a little, and cleaned off quickly before joining Narumi in the water with a deep sigh. Leaning back against the wall of the pool, she watched as Narumi swam in slow circles.

Looking over her shoulder at Shizune, she grinned cheerfully.

"You know, Shizune-nee-chan, you look just like my teammate...only he's a guy, and a bastard."

Shizune blinked at her, cocking her head curiously.

"Really? And who is that?"

Narumi snorted, lifting a fist above the water.

"His name's Sasuke Uchiha, and he's my rival, 'ttebayo!"

Shizune lifted a hand to cover her mouth, giggling slightly.

"An Uchiha, huh? Me?"

Narumi nodded emphatically.

"Yep."

Shizune shook her head, still smiling softly.

"You're a strange child, Narumi-chan."

Narumi shrugged, and brushed a lock of hair back over her shoulder where it had swirled forward to caress her collarbone. Shizune's smile faded away, and she hunched her shoulders slightly before speaking in a tentative voice.

"Narumi-chan? There's something I want to talk to you about."

Narumi blinked and settled into the water, turning to face Shizune fully, eyes attentive.

"Alright, what is it?"

Shizune looked down at the water, looking uncomfortable and tense, like whatever it was she wanted to talk about was bothering her.

"I just don't want you to misunderstand Tsunade-sama. Also, that necklace is..."

Looking away, Narumi set her shoulders, the tension that had washed away in the hot water of the bath charging her spine once more.

"Feh! What do I care about that old hag?"

Shizune's head snapped up, and her voice was tight and angry as she barked at the younger kunoichi.

"Tsunade-sama isn't like that! Don't talk as if you know her!"

Narumi bristled, eyes narrowing slightly.

"She's the one who shouldn't be talking! I don't care how she is, she can't talk about our Hokages like that!"

Shizune's jaw tightened, and for a long moment they stared hard at each other. Then all the steel went out of Shizune's spine, and she slumped lower into the water until only her neck and head were above the slightly steaming surface of the pool.

"...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper with you."

Narumi huffed, but relaxed as well, indicating that she would keep listening to whatever it was that Shizune wanted to say. It took the older woman a moment to collect her thoughts and start speaking again, and when she did, she didn't look up from the surface of the water.

"Before, she wasn't like this. She loved the village. But...things changed."

Narumi frowned slightly, inhaling deeply. Shizune's scent was twisted with grief, longing, and sorrow. She must be feeling awful.

"What happened?"

Shizune narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression hardening slightly.

"She lost everything she ever held dear. All of it."

Before Narumi could ask her to elaborate on that statement, she lifted her black eyes to transfix her audience of one, voice firm and authoritative.

"Also, about that necklace. To Tsunade-sama, that necklace is as important as her own life. It's not something that should be carelessly bet on..."

Narumi stiffened at the veiled accusation, and her voice was even despite the heat of her tone.

"Then she shouldn't have wagered it. Anyway, isn't she the one who said the Hokage's were foolish for giving up their lives for the village? The very least she can do is back that up with something important."

Shizune looked a little desperate, her voice rising slightly as she leaned forward in the water.

"It's not something you should have! That necklace is cursed! It doesn't acknowledge anyone but Tsunade-sama. Anyone else who wears it will die."

Narumi stared at her, and Shizune looked away.

"Tsunade-sama gave it to her little brother on his birthday. He was killed in battle on his very next mission. After that, she gave it to the man she loved. He was also killed in his next battle."

Shizune looked more distressed as they continued to speak, and Narumi seriously doubted that the bath was helping her relax at all, given the conversation she insisted on having.

"Tsunade-sama's fiancé was my uncle, so I know. That necklace steals the life of anyone but Tsunade-sama."

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her eyes grimly to the genin's face.

"Can you understand now. Ever since the death of my uncle, Tsunade-sama has been struggling."

Narumi eyed her levelly, and then stood up, back straight as she left the pool and snatched up her towel, wrapping it around her body and tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she went. Shizune watched her, bewildered.

"Narumi-chan...?"

Narumi cast a cool glance back at her, one hand resting on the door to the dressing room.

"I have to go to sleep now, or I won't be able to get up early for training tomorrow."

With a civil nod to her senior kunoichi, she opened the door and left the bathing room, closing the door behind her and shivering as the cool, dry air of the dressing room crashed over her, a stark contrast with the hot, damp atmosphere she'd just left.

Shaking her head, she began drying herself, mind already turning to the problem of her training. She had one week to master the rasengan. One week to pound some sense into Tsunade's head so that she could return to the village. It had already been far too long since she had left her home.

---

Tsunade leaned against the stone wall, eyes fixed on the tumbled stone of the crumbled section across from her where she'd smashed her fist through it last week. So much had happened since that encounter with the darkest of her old genin team.

Her mind flashed back to the exhausted figure of a small girl laying in bed, body battered and exhausted from overly intensive training, golden hair splayed wildly across the crisp white pillow.

Inwardly she scolded herself. She'd pushed to hard, been to harsh with the girl. Demanding the impossible from her, knowing she couldn't do it, intentionally trying to wrench her away from her fixation on becoming Hokage. It was far too easy for her to see Dan and Nowaki in the child, despite her gender. The bright, strong spirit was far too similar for her to be unaffected.

She sighed, leaning her head back against the wall, eyes sliding closed, stilling her mind and spirit. Even without opening her eyes, she sensed the approach of a familiar chakra signature. So achingly familiar, one of three that had been her constant companions throughout her childhood and genin days.

But that signature was tainted now. Dark, cold, and frightening, it echoed menacingly across her senses, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up, and her chakra coils to shiver. It called out to her, like a festering wound or an illness, but she could not heal her old friend of this.

Orochimaru's strained voice called out to her, quiet and laced with pain. She could practically hear the exertion in his oily tone, knowing how difficult it must be for him to be out and about in such a condition. Somewhere, in the very back of her consciousness, the naive genin she used to be cried out for him. Tsunade stomped that voice out.

"...the answer is?"

Pushing away from the wall, Tsunade turned to face him, keeping her face turned towards the ground, she forced her voice to work, the pain of the betrayal she was about to commit ripping through her, twisting cruelly through her center.

"I will heal your arms. In exchange, leave your hands off the village..."

There was a moment of silence, and then Orochimaru's rough, cocky chuckle echoed across the space between them, his usual mask of overconfidence covering the tightness of his voice.

"Heh heh...alright then..."

Lifting his trembling arms towards her, Orochimaru ground out in a state of excited anticipation.

"Now...quickly..."

Tsunade could see them so clearly in her mind. A tall, handsome figure with impossibly smooth silver hair that glittered in the sun, and a small boy with eternally flushed cheeks and a cheerful grin. They were right there. Right there waiting for her.

Tears welled up in her eyes, burning hot as they slipped down her cheeks, leaving dark trails of running mascara that arced down her cheeks in a mocking parody of Jiraya's markings. Slowly, so slowly, she lifted her dull brown eyes to the yellow-green gaze of her crazed ex-comrade.

The two of them walked towards each other, steps measured and even. When they stood right in front of each other, Tsunade searched the depths of his eyes for any trace, any spark or remnant of the kind, reserved, pale boy she remembered. But there was nothing.

Orochimaru extended violently shaking arms towards her, the white of the bandages even paler than his own skin. She looked down at the weak limbs that barely obeyed his commands, and detachedly noted that Sarutobi-sensei had done a hell of a job on him.

Lifting her hands, she summoned her chakra, the green glow that covered her hands throwing an eery light across her features, reflecting in her dark eyes as a cold fire. She never hesitated, reaching out towards him.

In the instant before she touched his hands, a kunai sailed between the two of them, causing her to let go of the chakra she'd been gathering, and leap backwards to distance herself from both the attack, and the man towards whom she'd been reaching.

Throwing a glance to the side and up, she spotted the gray haired shinobi who seemed to be Orochimaru's underling perched on the wall watching them with grim, hard eyes. Leaping down behind his master, the teen braced himself. The three of them stood in a rigid, brittle silence. Orochimaru's voice crashed through the quiet, shattering it irreparably.

"What is this... To have come this far and betrayed me, Tsunade!"

She glared coldly across at him, bitterly wishing that she'd had a moment more. A moment more and she could have ended his pathetic excuse of an existence. Easily holding his gaze, she refused to give ground or be intimidated by him. She'd known him far too long for that.

Orochimaru snorted, his eyes both livid and betrayed as he stared her down. His voice trembled, and his expression was oddly vulnerable. She stared at him, wondering about the oddness of his reaction. Then it hit her. Of all their team, she was the only one who had yet to confront him since his betrayal of the village. The last to make an attempt on his life.

"How could you come to an answer like this, Tsunade-hime? To try to kill me..."

Shaking his head, his expression returned to the arrogantly dark smirk that seemed to have become his standard state of being. His voice lost that odd tremor, and he returned completely to normal.

"Tsunade...I really intended to revive those two...and I even promised not to destroy Konoha..."

Tsunade snorted, eyes pained despite the careless tone of her voice.

"You don't really think I can't tell when you're lying, do you? Not after how long we've known each other."

Her shoulders slumped wearily, and for a moment, she was brutally honest with both herself and him.

"But I loved them. I'd do anything to see their smiling faces. That's what I thought until I met that kid. But because of her, I remember now. Those two's dreams."

In her minds eye she could see their determined faces, all three of them. Each of them so radically different outwardly, but so alike in every way that was important. It was why the girl made her so uncomfortable.

That fire in her eyes was heartbreakingly familiar. And Tsunade knew that while such fire would never burn one who held the bearers affection, it's loss would leave you cold in your bones and blood, and frozen in your soul. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself against the memory of that fire, new and old.

"The dream that those two bet their lives on. Having those dreams come true was also my wish."

Drawing in a shuddering breath, she blinked the salty tears from her eyes, droplets clinging to her lashes as a pained smile pulled at her lips.

"You said that everything decays with time. But I remember now. Only these feelings of mine, and the feelings that were entrusted to me. They will never decay."

Scrubbing the back of her hand across her face, she wiped away the marks of her tears, ignoring the sakki swelling up around the dark form in front of her. Orochimaru's voice was low and menacing when he spoke to her.

"So, the deal is off...no choice then, I'll have to force you."

Sliding her eyes open, Tsunade gathered her chakra and her concentration. It was time for her to fight seriously. Launching herself into the air, she threw herself into a massive drop kick, her heel flashing down through the air towards Orochimaru's skull.

He narrowed his eyes, and sprang away onto a wall, leaving her to shatter the greater part of the street, leaving behind an enormous crater. Both he and Kabuto perched side by side atop a stand section of wall, before dashing off across the landscape.

Leaping after them, Tsunade snarled. She intended to kill that damn snake. Shedding her green coat, she let it flutter free of her hand, increasing her speed as she chased after them.

"I won't let you escape, Orochimaru!"

She chased them all the way out of town, and into the surrounding flatlands. When they finally turned to face her, they were standing among scattered boulders, both parties breathing hard with the speed of the chase.

The underling faced her, slipping out a soldier pill, and popping it into his mouth. She eyed him carefully as he began flashing through hand seals. It seemed that Orochimaru intended to have the adolescent shinobi fight in his stead.

With a last seal, the boy summoned chakra to flow around his hands in the style of attack favored by iryou-nin like herself. Tsunade's eyes narrowed, and smirk tugged at her lips. So this child was an iryou-nin too. But he did not have her experience or skill. She knew she far outclassed him.

Suddenly the boys hand exploded from the ground beneath her, snatching for her ankle. She yanked her knees up to her chest, bringing her feet high above his reach and twisting around with a snarl. Pulling her fist back, she sank a punching into the earth where the boy was buried, throwing in enough strength to shatter the rock beneath her.

The younger shinobi erupted from beneath her feet, dodging among the airborne rocks as she twisted to lash out at him with her foot. As she twisted through the air, he dodged, using shunshin to vanish and reappear behind her.

Alarmed at the unexpected turn of speed, she tried to twist around in midair. As she did, the boys arms struck out at her, slamming hard into her left arm and lower midsection. She grimaced as the lancing pain of a chakra attack on her muscles sliced into her arm and leg.

Planting her good leg, she slammed her shoulder into his chest, tossing him away from her as she stumbled to her knees. Alarmed, she glanced at her arm, the weakness in the attacked areas of her body startling her.

The boys voice came to her from where he stood a few yards away from her, his posture relaxed and sure. His voice was was a smooth, pleased echo of Orochimaru's cocky manner.

"I've cut your biceps and abdominal muscles. You won't be able to use that monstrous strength of yours."

Muttering under her breath, she eyed the boy warily.

"Chakra scalpels. Why aren't you aiming at my arteries?"

The boy shrugged, smirking at her.

"Unfortunately, during a fight I am unable to maintain a scalpel long enough and with precise enough control to penetrate all the way to your arteries and heart muscles. Well, as long as I aim for your neck, I should be able to manage."

Darting towards her, he lunged with an outstretched arm, hand glowing with the chakra scalpel. Snarling, Tsunade yanked her arm up in a block, guarding her vulnerable throat. Her eyes widened in alarm as the boys palm struck her chest dead center rather than trying for her neck.

Gasping, she fought for air, pain ripping through her as her chest heaved weakly. Choking out a curse, she spluttered.

"Kuso! You aimed for...the muscles around my respiratory area..."

Pressing a hand supportively to her chest, she wheezed for air, trying to use the pressure of her hand to help pump air in and out of her lungs. The boy shrugged, adjusting his glasses with one hand.

"Of course. It would be troublesome if you were to die now, when Orochimaru-sama needs you. But like this, you won't be able to move around."

Tsunade glared, shoving herself off the ground as he allowed his eyes to slide closed. With all the power she could shove into her legs, she flew towards him, good arm lashing out in a strike that connected hard with the back of his neck. She'd teach that insolent pup not to take her lightly.

The boy was thrown forward, skidding painfully across the ground. Her legs trembled and then collapsed under her as she fought the pain of her damaged muscles. The boy tried to stand, but her attack on his nervous system kicked in, scrambling the signals his brain was sending, and causing his body to twitch randomly when he tried to move.

Clenching her jaw, she forced herself to her feet again, and moved grimly forward, slamming her fist into his jaw, along with a burst of chakra that reinforced her earlier attack.

As the boy was thrown away, she pressed a hand to her chest, healing the muscles in her chest enough that she could breathe easily again. Grimacing, she realized that a complete healing would consume far too much chakra.

Meanwhile, the boy had moved to his knees, and was twitching again, dark eyes intent on her as he snapped coldly, the suave tone of his voice momentarily absent.

"Don't think that level of technique will defeat me!"

With that declaration, he yanked a kunai from his pouch. Tsunade's eyes widened, and she swore violently. He'd already figured out how to move a good bit of his body. The boy lunged towards her, and she flinched back. But with an explosion of smoke, Shizune, Jiraya, and Jiraya's young pupil Narumi appeared in front of her.

Kabuto halted his attack, and Tsunade stared wide-eyed at the backs arrayed in front of her. Orochimaru tucked his chin in slightly, a low chuckle flowing out in an oily spill of sound.

"Long time no see...Jiraya..."

Narumi spoke up, her voice growling, caught between confusion, and realization.

"Kabuto-san...?"

The grey haired boy Tsunade had been fighting slid his dark gaze to the slight blonde figure, his face expressionless.

"Narumi-chan..."

Tsunade's brown eyes widened in alarm. It was all too easy for her to picture the small, strong-willed girl going down under the chakra scalpels of the ruthless boy who'd sworn himself to her old comrade.

Suddenly desperate to finish the boy off as quickly as possible, she lunged past Jiraya, knocking him out of her way as she surged into an attack. Behind her she heard Jiraya cry out indignantly. But she had no time for that. There was a flash of metal as Kabuto moved to defend himself.

Sticky red liquid, coppery and bright splashed down over her, gushing from a cut in the boys wrist. She froze, her eyes widening as she brought trembling hands up in front of her eyes to stare at the flecks of color painting her fingers.

She stood there numbly, not regaining any awareness until something smashed into her chin, throwing her backwards. She stared hazily off to the side, vaguely aware of Shizune helping her sit up, draping her coat over her shoulders and wiping blood from her face.

Not long afterward, Shizune left her side, and she could hear the commotion of battle going on around her, but she couldn't seem to tear her senses away from the memory of that horribly bright red substance, and the way it had splashed across her skin.

Jiraya's firm voice brushed across her awareness. She didn't focus on it until her own name caught her attention.

"Tsunade...heal yourself."

Slowly, still trembling, she lifted a hand to her injured arm, her chakra coming to hover around her fingers in a soft, soothing green glow that had once been familiar, a source of pride.

She was still focusing on that sensation, and the need to repair the damaged tissues in her bicep when someone snatched her around the waist, dragging her through the air. Her concentration was interrupted, and she felt rocks pelting against her skin. Blinking, she distantly thought that perhaps she should care more about that.

When the hail of rocks stopped, she was deposited gently on the ground, legs folding beneath her as she almost mindlessly lifted her hand back to her arm. While she was focused on that, a warm drop of liquid splattered onto her cheek, jerking her back to awareness.

She stared as Shizune collapsed to her side in front of her, body limp and heavy with unconsciousness. Just across Shizune's still form stood Kabuto. Dan's niece. The sweet, serious girl who had no family other than Tsunade was heaving for breath, even after losing her awareness.

Not far beyond her, sprawled the small figure of Narumi, gold braid curling limply across the ground, strands still gleaming brightly in the sun, a sharp contrast to the dull brown of the dirt. She stared at the two limp figures.

It felt like she'd only charged a moment ago, but the trembling of her body, and the beaten state of the other two kunoichi told her that it had been longer than that. She'd lost to her fear. Again.

Staring at the two of them, she felt water well up and blur her vision. It was like Nowaki and Dan all over again. When Kabuto reached out towards her, his pale hand was clean, but all she could see was the dripping blood of those she held dear. Horrified, she struck his hand away, crying out in fear.

Kabuto curled his lip contemptuously, and slammed a kick into her ribs. A moment later, his hand crashed into her head. Dizzy, numb, and unable to make her body obey her, Tsunade clumsily lifted her arms to protect her head as the blows rained down on her.

Grunting irately, Kabuto pulled his fist back, and brought it whistling forward. Tsunade stared up at him, knowing this one would connect. Then, an orange clad figure stumbled between the two of them, turning and catching the blow squarely on the metal plate of her hitae-ate.

Tsunade blinked, and stared. Narumi had tilted her head forward to meet the older boys fist, negating some of the force. The girls snarl was rough and almost animalistic as she glared up at the surprised looking shinobi.

"I'll put an end to this, you bastard!"

Snatching at the air above one hand with the other, she summoned the Rasengan, a technique that Tsunade associated with Jiraya, and his brilliant, tragic young student Minato. The girl ignored the effect she was having on the woman she protected, lunging forward with a challenging roar.

Kabuto cursed, throwing himself to the side and lashing out with a chakra scalpel as he passed. Narumi's face twisted and she cried out as his hand connected with the outside of her thigh. She lost her concentration, the deadly ball of chakra above her hand dissipating as she crashed face first to the ground.

Tsunade's heart jumped into her throat as the girl sprawled across the ground, and then resumed beating as she braced a hand on her injured thigh and struggled to her knees. The younger blonde was panting, teeth clenched to hold back the muffled cries of pain that struggled to fight their way out of her throat.

Kabuto smirked at the struggling genin, his eyes cruel and hard as he eyed her.

"I put a crack in your femur bone by combining my snake strike with my chakra scalpel. Even after that you're still moving though...still you can't stand, and therefore you can't win."

The girl squinted one eye shut, baring her teeth defiantly at him as she dragged herself up into a crouch, muscles trembling from the pain that was undoubtedly burning through her thigh. Kabuto chuckled slightly.

"Afraid of me? Feeling like running away, Narumi-chan?"

Whipping out a card, he held it up, his smirk widening as he fixed his eyes on the bright haired genin. Tsunade watched in horror as his voice took on an exceptionally smooth, convincing tone.

"This is your card from the exams, isn't it Narumi-chan?"

The girl flinched, eyes confused as she stared at him silently. He continued without pause, apparently not requiring a response.

"You're nothing special, do you understand? It's a fluke you ever made genin. Despite that, with your exceptional spirit and willpower, it would be fitting for you to become Hokage. However..."

His voice trailed off for a moment, his eyes cool and threatening as he tempted the girl.

"...do you really think you can do that? To be a Hokage, is to be the best. And for that you need brains."

The gray haired genin tilted his head, his words oily smooth, dripping with sincerity and reason. Tsunade shivered. It would be so, so easy for the girl to listen to what he was saying. To give in to him. She herself had nearly done the same when Orochimaru had come knocking. And if Narumi gave in, Tsunade would be lost.

"If you want to grow up to be a true champion, to be a true Hokage, it'd be best if you ran."

Narumi's eyes slitted dangerously, her whole attention focused on the enemy before her. Kabuto chuckled again, lifting his hands in an expansive gesture.

"What's with those eyes of yours? That'll get you killed. And if you die here, you'll never attain your dreams, or anything else. That's why I'm telling you, if you were really Hokage material, you'd run now..."

Tsunade stared, eyes blank as a memory flashed through her mind. Her own voice telling Nawaki it would be best if he ran, for his own safety. Nowaki shouting indignantly back that she could not expect him to ever be so cowardly as to run from his enemy.

Reaching up, she wrapped her fingers tightly around the crystal of her pendant, the sharp edges biting almost painfully into her fingers. The girl snarled up at the older shinobi, eyes sparking dangerously as she shook her head.

Kabuto smirked, flashing across the distance to slam a foot hard into her ribs, knocking her onto her side. Tsunade sucked in a sharp breath, trying not to whimper as he spoke in a cold voice.

"Then die."

Rolling slightly away, Narumi forced herself to her feet, still placing herself between Tsunade and the enemy. When she looked up, her eyes were wild and defiant despite the state of her body.

"Not yet. I'm still on my feet...I'm not dead yet...!"

Kabuto stared dispassionately down at her, before backhanding her with a chakra scalpel, causing her to plow painfully backwards across the ground towards Tsunade. The sannin stared at her in horror, trying to speak. But her voice wouldn't work. All she could do was watch as the younger blonde struggled determinedly back to her feet.

A part of her wondered dimly if this was how Nowaki had died. Spitting fire and defiance even in the face of insurmountable odds, refusing to stay down or run away. She would like to think so, no matter how much the image tore at her heart.

Forcing away the overlapping ghost image of a small boy with messy brown hair, she focused on the bright girl in front of her, standing on trembling legs, entire body shaking as she fought to remain on her feet.

"Why? Why are you..."

Tsunade didn't notice that her own trembling had stopped as the girl addressed her in a halting voice, hands lifting into a cross shaped seal as she faced down an irritated looking Kabuto.

"Hey, old lady Tsunade...remember the terms of that bet? Now you'll have to give me that bad luck amulet of yours..."

A kage bunshin exploded into being beside her, and Tsunade started. Horror choked her as she looked on, feeling sick with dread. A kage bunshin at a time like this was a disaster. It would only give Kabuto an opening.

Forcing her voice to function, she cried out as Kabuto snatched a kunai and went on the attack.

"Not for my sake...! Narumi! Stop it!"

Kabuto ignored her scream, lunging forward with a mad look in his eyes as he hissed poisonously at the small genin in his path.

"For your insolence, I'll have you repent with your life!"

Tsunade's body seized up, tensing horribly even as she screamed desperately at the girls back, her thoughts racing frantically.

'YOU'LL NEVER BE HOKAGE IF YOU DIE HERE!'

"That's enough Narumi! Get out of the way! Run!"

Then Kabuto was on her, and blood flew into the air. Tsunade stared. Narumi had reached out and thrown her hand on the blade of the kunai, impaling her own hand and shoving it all the way down the weapon. Her fingers curled tightly around Kabuto's fist, holding him in place.

Both of their arms trembled and shook as the two strained against one another, testing their strength. Narumi's blood dripped from their fists in thick stream, but she was grinning fearlessly at Kabuto, her voice firm and decisive.

"Until I become Hokage, I refuse to die!"

Both the older ninja stared at the blue-eyed girl as she stretched out one hand to the clone, her eyes slitted and dangerous. Her growl was low and threatening as a storm of chakra blades whirled to life in her hand.

"You won't be able to escape from this one, traitor."

The clone dispersed as Narumi brought her arm up and shoved the technique towards Kabuto with a howl of victory, throwing all her weight into the blow as she shoved it into his gut.

Tsunade stared, stunned.

'Thats...impossible...'

And yet, she was looking at it with her own two eyes. Kabuto reached out and slammed his free palm into Narumi's chest, fingers twisting into her jacket as he was thrown violently backwards. The force of her attack ripped him away from her almost as soon as he struck, throwing him back into a boulder set about twenty feet away.

The force of the blow caused the rock to crack and crumble around Kabuto's body, and Tsunade stared. That was no half-formed technique. It was the full rasengan, as no Kunoichi should ever be able to produce. As no one but Minato or Jiraya ever had produced. Great masters of the wind element had tried and failed to learn this technique.

And the genin in front of her had mastered it in a week.

Narumi was still struggling for breath, when to Tsunade's amazement, Kabuto struggled up from the debris he had created with the force of his impact. His torso was a bloody mess, but it was steaming oddly, and she could sense the chakra racing through it, healing it unnaturally quickly.

Even as she watched the enemy heal, Narumi suddenly stumbled, coughing up a burst of dark blood, and pitching backwards, sprawling across the hard ground. Tsunade suddenly found herself capable of movement, surging to her feet and springing to the side of the prone girl.

Looking down at the barely conscious genin, she realized something. Whipping around, she stared with wide eyes at Kabuto, her tone accusatory.

"You...you took that attack..."

Kabuto stepped forward, his torso sizzling as new skin began to form and spread across the raw wound carved into his torso.

"I collected my chakra in my abdomen when I saw her attack coming, and began recovering immediately by forcing all my cells to activate and create new cells to replace the damaged ones."

Drawing in a deep breath, he hunched slightly as the pink of new skin faded away to the natural pale shade of the rest of his body.

"This technique...looks like it's Narumi-chan's last gamble..."

He was cut off suddenly when a racking cough brought blood splattering out of his mouth to dribble over his chin in a slow, steady drip. His body trembled and he collapsed forward, his form wracked with shudders and coughs as more blood splattered across the stones beneath his mouth.

Tsunade ignored him as a weak cough brought her attention back to the young Konoha-nin before her. Leaning over hurriedly, she pressed an ear to the girls chest above her heart. The uneven thumping that she found was alarmingly weak and unsteady.

'Kuso! The muscles of his heart are in bad shape! The heartbeat has already become weak and erratic...was that last move of Kabuto's an attack?'

Shedding her coat, she shoved the loose edges of the orange jacket away, and coated her fingers lightly with a chakra scalpel, sliding them down the black shirt that Narumi wore beneath her jacket.

As she cut the fabric away to reveal the bandages wrapped around the genins chest, she pressed her palms tightly against the bare tan skin and crisp white of the bandages, healing chakra flaring up around her hands.

Kabuto laughed weakly from where he lay, his voice malevolent as he spoke to her.

"Heh...it's already too late for the wench. I've sapped the chakra in the coils running through her heart, and stopped the blood flow to her heart. You can't save her..."

Shoving away this manifestation of her own fears and doubts, Tsunade yelled desperately, her eyes intent on the helpless figure before her.

"SHUT UP!"

Staring down, she looked at the trails of blood running from the corners of Narumi's mouth, and the scratches, bruises, and cuts that littered her skin. Her eyes were closed, and Tsunade could all too clearly see Dan and Nowaki laid out on either side of her. Would Narumi become another person she'd failed to save?

Shoving more and more chakra into the healing, she worked frantically, chanting with singleminded desperation under her breath.

"Don't die...don't die...don't die!"

Slowly, a slender hand reached up, brushing against the flashing green crystal that hung from her neck. Tsunade froze, brown eyes almost disbelieving as the body beneath her hands came to life, and the fearfully still face turned to smile weakly up at her.

Unaware of the terrible relief flooding Tsunade's frozen body, Narumi croaked up at her.

"The..the bet...I won..."

Her golden head fell back, and her breathing evened out as her heartbeat steadied, and her body got on with the business of continuing to live. Slowly, ever so slowly, Tsunade's stunned expression relaxed, a single tear slipping from the corner of her eye.

Taking the child's impaled hand in both of hers, Tsunade let her chakra flow strongly into the wound, causing it to steam closed far more quickly than Kabuto's had. When she spoke, her voice was soft and gentle.

"It's your dream to become Hokage, so...just one more time..."

Gently, she laid the now uninjured hand beside the unconscious girl. Reaching up with one hand, she slipped the necklace over her head. With the other, she lifted the golden head, and slipped the necklace quickly around the slender tanned throat.

Drawing back, she carefully lowered the girls head back to the ground, caressing her cheek softly with one hand, and smoothing the green crystal against her skin with the other. When Tsunade spoke, her voice was fragile and hopeful, the smile on her face gentle.

"Now, I want to see you wear this..."

A loud crash and an explosion of rock nearby caused her to look up. Orochimaru was flying towards them, his crazed green-gold eyes fixed on the still form of the girl behind her. His jaw was open impossibly wide, and a sword was extended out of it.

Tsunade realized who his target was, and her face twisted into an enraged snarl. With a quick movement, she twisted around and threw herself into a protective crouch in front of Narumi. With a feeling that was both sharp and incredibly cold, she felt the blade plunge through chest, and emerge from her back in bloody glory.

Her body shook, and she coughed hard, blood oozing over her tongue and teeth. Strangely, it didn't bother her anymore. Pain began to sear through her, and she wondered how it could feel both hot as fire and cold as ice at once.

Orochimaru drew back, eyes wide as he stared at her, voice oddly tight, a slight tremor in his tone as he addressed her in a grave, almost scolding voice.

"Tsunade...I didn't mean...I wasn't trying to kill you... If that brat survives, she'll cause a great deal of trouble for me later on. Don't get in my way..."

Tsunade leaned forward slightly, voice rough and strong as she spoke.

"No. This child...I'm going to protect her, no matter what."

Orochimaru's brows furrowed, and he pulled back, pulling the sword free with slick sucking sound. He stood up, staring down at her as he swallowed the sword back down, his eyes hard as he furrowed his brow.

"Why, of all the shinobi. Tsunade, one of the legendary sanin of Konohagakure...why are you risking your life to protect a worthless genin bratling?"

Glaring ferociously at up at him, Tsunade leaned over, ignoring the sticky warmth seeping down across her chest and back. Stabbing pain lanced her chest, and she choked as blood gurgled in her throat. The bastard must have nicked one of her lungs.

"To protect the leaf."

Orochimaru glared at her, looking more confused than anything else, limp strands of dull black hair sliding across his face as he cocked his head. Tsunade ignored him, looking back over her shoulder at the limp girl behind her, smiling slightly in spite of the dried blood on her chin.

"You want to know why? This kid...she's the future Hokage of Konoha."

Orochimaru scoffed, his expression scornful and amused.

"What are you babbling about? Besides, Hokage is a worthless and empty title. Only a fool would want it. Don't you already know that, Tsunade?"

Tsunade's brows snapped down and she stared at him, eyes wide as the echo of her own words crashed against her. Shizune's sharp scolding reply that had been delivered later that night rang through her mind rebukingly.

"Have you forgotten their hopes. More importantly...have you forgotten your dreams?"

The child who was so like her own little brother flashed in minds eye, the fire in impossibly blue eyes that were so like her fathers as she snarled defensively in response to those same words. Taking her determination in both hands, she lifted her eyes to her enemy with a dangerous smirk.

"From now on, I too shall bet my life!"

Sounding frustrated and cold, Orochimaru snorted, tossing his head back as the sword extended from his mouth again.

"Feh! If you're going to throw you life away for a worthless brat like her, then die like the worthless trash you're protecting!"

Slashing down sharply he tore the blade across her chest. Tsunade cursed violently, her body still shivering slightly and sluggish in its response to her commands. As the searing pain tore across her body, she pitched backwards. Orochimaru turned his gaze to the vulnerable form behind her and stepped forward.

"Now...as for Narumi-chan..."

Stepping forward he slashed downwards in a powerful stroke intended to tear the adolescent girls delicate torso open. Forcing herself to roll over, Tsunade threw herself forward, shielding the girl with her own body. The blade bit deeply into her back and side, sending a warm spray of blood splattering across the genin's unfeeling form.

Trembling, she slowly looked around and met Orochimaru's astonished gaze with her own.

"Didn't I tell you? I said I'd bet my life."

Hissing, Orochimaru kicked her hard in the side, causing her to pitch forward onto her side, staring at the vulnerable child beside her as her old teammate loomed threateningly over them both.

"Why? Why do you insist on acting so foolishly and throwing your life away?"

Staring at her hands, Tsuande took a long breath. The nebulous purpose that she had taken on, the formless determination that had been driving her actions until now, suddenly resolved and solidified into a crystal clear, ringing declaration of being that provided her all the answer she needed.

The trembling of her limbs stopped as heat bloomed and swelled through her body, as warm and strong and real as the familiar flow of her chakra roiling through her coils. Narrowing her eyes, she called upon the yin seal on her forehead. She could feel the mark open into a curling seal that wound across her forehead and down the sides of her face even as chakra boiled through her.

Drawing on the immense flood of strength, she shoved herself up, and flashed towards Orochimaru, slamming her fist into his jaw in a powerful uppercut that flung him sharply away from her and the youngling behind her.

"Why am I doing this?"

She repeated his question in a low voice, watching as he stumbled back to his feet, eyes somewhat alarmed. That same dangerous smirk spread across her face, and she voiced the revelation that resonated through her bones, integrating itself with her very being.

"Because now, I am the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure!"

Spitting blood out to the side, she brought her hands together, taking hold of her chakra and twisting it into the shape she desired, sending it coursing through her body with a sizzle of healing wounds.

"Ninpou-souzousaise!"

Her body was soon whole and strong again, and the markings of the seal faded away from her face. Orochimaru stared at her, his voice cocky though his eyes looked wary and envious.

"Seems like I'm not the only one developing new jutsu...care to tell me what it is?"

Chuckling, Tsunade whiped the blood from her chin, eyes hard as she spread her legs and settled into a combat stance.

"I've been storing chakra in that seal for quite a long time. I used that chakra to stimulate production of various enzymes that accelerated my cell duplication rate for rapid reformation. Allowing me to reconstruct any damaged parts of my body. It's not just healing, its total regeneration."

Smearing the blood from her thumb across the back of her hand, she smirked at the alarmed expression on her enemies face.

"In other words...I'll never die in battle. Ever!"

Flashing through a series of seals, she slammed her hand down into the ground, mentally calling out to Katsuyu, her principle summon.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

As she rushed into the air atop Katsuyu's broad head, she reached back with one hand to steady Narumi until the movement stopped and she found herself standing firmly astride her summon-partners head.

Gamabunta puffed on his pipe, blowing out a long stream of smoke and rumbling deep in his throat.

"Ho...what's this? Manda and Orochimaru, Katsuyu and Tsunade...long time no see. What, is this some kind of reunion Jiraya?"

Jiraya chuckled roughly, his voice both amused and serious at the same time. Tsunade felt a wash of affection for the familiar gruff cheer and loyalty of her ebullient teammate.

"Fool! Don't crack stupid jokes when I call you for a tough job! It's time for us to esttle an old grudge...we're taking Orochimaru down."

Meanwhile, Manda was hissing threateningly at a thoroughly unmoved Orochimaru. She heard him demand a hundred sacrifices in return for his aid, but ignored the conversation between the two, speaking firmly to her own summon.

"Katsuyu! Take this kid to Shizune..."

Katsuyu's gentle voice echoed smoothly up to her, calm and dignified as always.

"Understood."

The section of flesh beneath the genin writhed and then rose and split off, turning into a separate form of the great slug. Turning, the smaller version of her summon slid off her larger selfs back, and headed for Shizune.

Tsunade relaxed slightly, focusing all her attention on the battle about to take place. Shizune was strong. She'd care for and protect the genin. Cracking her neck, she narrowed her eyes and faced her old teammates. It looked like her first task as the Godaime of Konoha would be to wipe her ex-comrade from the face of the earth. She smiled tightly. It was an acceptable proposal.

---

Narumi skipped ahead of the group as they walked along the road heading back to the village. The green crystal of the necklace Tsunade-baa-chan had given her chimed cheerfully as it bounced against her shirt. Crowing cheerfully, she spun around and grinned broadly at the group.

Jiraya quirked an eyebrow good-naturedly at her, his voice dryly amused.

"What are you so happy about?"

She pumped a fist excitedly in the air, practically bubbling over with glee.

"We're going back to the village, AND we're bringing someone who can help Sasuke and Lee, AND she's the new Hokage! It's awesome, 'ttebayo!"

Suddenly pausing, she furrowed her brows slightly.

"But...I don't know...if you compare Baa-chan to Sandaime...she's rough and easy to tick off, and loose with money and sake...will it really be alright?"

Tsundae huffed indignantly at her uneasy tone.

"Oi! I'm not that bad gaki!"

Narumi rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the older blonde, unimpressed by the bluster.

"Yeah you are! Wasn't your nickname 'the legendary sucker'?"

Growling lightly, Tsunade waved a hand at her, beckoning over her.

"Get over here, brat!"

Narumi ran right up to her, fearless and unintimidated by the possible ramifications of her actions. The little group came to a stop

"Don't call me a brat!"

Chuckling, Tsunade leaned over and reached behind her head, untying her hitae-ate and slipping it out from under her bangs. Blinking in disoriented surprise, Narumi saw the older kunoichi's hand come up, and flinched, clenching her eyes tightly shut at the memory of a finger flick to the forehead that had sent her flying.

To her surprise, warm fingers curled around her chin, and lips brushed gently against her forehead. Her eyes slid open in surprise, and she saw Tsunade's hair and throat as the older kunoichi pressed the gentle, affectionate kiss to her forehead.

As Tsunade pulled back and smiled gently down at her, Narumi stared up at her with wide, astonished eyes. Even Ikyue-sensei had never gone further than occasionally brushing her hair. Looking up at the warm brown eyes above her, she wondered if this was what it felt like to have a mother.

Tsunade rested a hand gently above her heart, and her smile took on a sisterly edge of mischief, like a co-conspirator sharing a great secret.

"Become a strong woman, Narumi."

Narumi stared up at her, and then returned the smile with her own foxy grin, her eyes squinting closed with the width of the expression as Tsunade tied her Hitae-ate back over her forehead.

"Of course, 'ttebayo!"

---

Tenma walked slowly along the streets of Konoha, trailing after a chuunin stationed in the bureaucratic offices in the Hokage tower. They were just coming to an intersection when an odd group of shinobi passed in front of them, following the street that crossed theirs.

A beautiful woman, A large, loud man, A dark-haired woman holding a pig, and Narumi Uzumaki, the girl he'd fought during the finals of the Chuunin Exams. He blinked, catching a bit of conversation as they moved out into the middle of the intersection.

"...Tsunade-baa-chan has things to take care of before that!"

Narumi's bright voice was indignant and insistent, and the beautiful woman Tenma had noticed before smiled sheepishly, turning soft brown eyes on the only male in the group.

"Right...so Jiraya...who are they again?"

The man shot her an exasperated look, his voice patient.

"I already told you during the trip home several times! That brat Kakashi, the Uchiha kid, and Gai's clone. Lee."

Tenma stared at the group, eyebrows drawing together as he fixed his eyes on the familiar figure standing closest to him.

"Narumi-san? What are you doing here? I thought you were out on a mission?"

The blonde girl looked around at him, apparently only just really registering his presence, and she waved cheerfully before furrowing her brow in confusion.

"Me? What about you, Tenma-kun? The only buildings around here are ninja administration..."

Tenma shifted, flushing in embarrassment, but was saved from having to answer in front of the strange ninja Narumi was accompanying by the chuunin who was escorting him.

"Are you Narumi Uzumaki?"

The blonde nodded in puzzlement, and the man cleared his throat importantly.

"Would you please follow me? This business includes you as well."

Narumi looked startled, but the woman behind her clapped her on the shoulder with a wide, knowing grin.

"Go on, gaki! I'll look after those friends of yours, never fear."

Eyeing the woman for a moment, Narumi shifted her eyes to the large man on her other side. He snorted and made a small shooing motion with his hands, looking completely disinterested. After a moment, she nodded and then fell in step beside Tenma as the other group continued in the direction of the hospital while she and Tenma followed the chuunin to the administrational affairs building.

Eager to strike up a conversation to relieve his nerves, Tenma turned to the younger girl beside him, voice curious.

"Hey, who was that woman? She sure has a big attitude for being so young."

With a grin and a friendly nudge of an elbow, Narumi whispered softly to him as if passing on a huge secret.

"She's the new Hokage! Oh, and guess what? Even though she looks young and beautiful, she's really fifty!"

Tenma's jaw dropped slightly, and he stared at her in near disbelief.

"Are you sure?"

Narumi blinked uncertainly.

"About which?"

He waved his arms expansively above his head, trying to express physically what he couldn't think of words for.

"...both!"

That wide, foxy grin spread back across Narumi's face and she nodded hard.

"Yep! Very, very sure! She's great!"

Before either of them could say anything else, the chuunin shot them a look over his shoulder, frowning slightly as he rested his hand on the door handle of the administration building

"We're here. Please behave yourselves accordingly."

Tenma dropped his gaze, thoroughly chastened. Narumi merely waited for the man to turn his back before sticking her tongue out and waggling it impudently at his back. Tenma choked, lifting a hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter. This girl was very like Lee in some ways.

As they moved into the building, the chuunin showed them over to a wide desk where another chuunin sat. Clearing his throat, he caught the seated mans attention and gestured to the two teens behind him.

"Narumi Uzumaki and Tenma."

With that short declaration, he turned and vanished into the depths of the building. The man behind the desk smiled tiredly at the two ninja standing in front of him.

"Well, normally the Hokage would do this, but under the present circumstances, we'll have to break with tradition over this."

Tenma cut his eyes towards Narumi and met her confused blue gaze, both of them bewildered. Shrugging at each other they turned back to the man in front of them, who was currently rummaging through piles of papers in a drawer, and Tenma hesitantly spoke up.

"Sir? What are we doing here?"

The man waved a hand at them in a vague gesture, muttering to himself under his breath before triumphantly yanking two sheets of paper from the piles he'd been searching.

"Aha!"

Turning, he extended a paper to each of them, along with a brush. A moment later he set an ink stone on the desk just in front of them.

"If you would just review the information to make sure it's all correct and sign these forms?"

Sighing, Tenma scanned over the paper. He blinked. It was a basic overview of his missions, training, and medical history, along with some other pertinent information. A public record meant to give some general information about the ninja in question without releasing any harmful or sensitive information that could get you killed if an enemy got hold of the file.

Dipping his brush into the ink, he wrote his name down quickly at the bottom of the page, blowing gently on the ink strokes to dry them. As the wet gleam faded, he glanced over at Narumi's paper, and was slightly surprised at the smooth, flowing strokes of her characters.

A moment later, they both turned the papers back over to the chuunin, who set them aside carefully before reaching into a box at his side. It wasn't long before he pulled out two flak jackets, one slightly larger than the other. Tenma's eyes widened as the man held out the two jackets, the larger one towards him.

"Congratulations. Tenma, Narumi Uzumaki, you two are officially recognized for your skill and instated as Chuunin of Konohagakure."

Stunned, Tenma accepted the jacket, staring down at the stiff green fabric. It was a little heavier than he would have expected, and he fingered the collar in a daze. When he looked at the girl beside him, she seemed to be just as surprised, but was far more vocal about it than he was.

"W-wait a second!"

Pointing at Tenma, she frowned.

"We fought each other in the finals! How can we both have been promoted?"

Smiling slightly, the older man leaned back in satisfaction.

"Wether you win or lose doesn't really affect your chances at promotion all that much. It's all about demonstrating your skill, your abilities, and..."

Here he raised a finger.

"...your personality. The way you think is just as important as how deadly you are. You, Uzumaki-san, were promoted because during your match you demonstrated both strength, and an exceptional tactical sense, as well as determination and field wisdom."

Turning his eyes back to the boy, he continued in the same tone Ikuye-sensei sometimes slipped into during a lecture.

"Tenma, what you lacked in brute strength, you made up for in skill. You also demonstrated a remarkable ability to remain cool under pressure, and the wisdom to know when it's best to withdraw from a fight where one is outmatched. Both of you demonstrated qualities that we look for in Chuunin, therefore you were both promoted."

Tenma flushed a little with pride and lifted his chin. It felt good to be praised, particularly since he came from a civilian family. To have been promoted over the heirs of long-standing and much honored ninja clans was an incredibly victory for him.

Next to him, Narumi shook out the jacket and held it up, eyeing it skeptically.

"One more question?"

The man nodded again, and she grimaced at him pleadingly.

"We don't have to wear these do we?"

The man laughed, his eyes crinkling up with merriment, laugh lines spreading from the corners of his eyes in friendly web.

"No, it's not a requirement. While most chuunin, especially newly promoted, do wear them, you can continue with personal ninja dress if you find that more comfortable. But you must keep your flak jacket battle-ready, as there are times both in and out of the field where you are required to wear it."

Nodding gratefully, the girl folded the thing in half and tucked it under her arm. Tenma shook his head and slipped his own over his shoulders, zipping it closed and smoothing the long sleeves of the tunic he'd chosen today.

Narumi grinned at him and then headed for the door, waving enthusiastically back at him as she left.

"See ya around, Tenma-kun!"

As she vanished through the door, Tenma shook his head ruefully, following her out at a more sedate pace. He couldn't wait to show Nobuye-chan.

---

A/N: Hello all! I'm so sorry for the delay in this chapter's posting. Long story short, there were power cord issues with my computer, combined with a very busy week and a tangle with a stomach virus. So yeah. Got this done as quickly as possible.

Many many thanks to those who reviewed!
To Black-Rose-Angle, glad you like the story and enjoy the length of the chapters. I do my best (^-^).
To ChaosIdeals, always nice to hear from someone who enjoys Kakashi! Hope you continue to enjoy the new developments.
To firehottie, thank you for taking the time to review. It always makes me happy to hear from you guys, no matter how brief the message.
To Zelga Lim Li, glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I do try to go for really long chapters, mainly because that's what I like to read in other peoples stories, particularly when I'm following them update by update. I'm a little nuts that way I'm afraid (-/-).
To Hugo0974, thank you very much! I appreciate the review.
To Ceralyn, Yes, I agree that Itachi is a very sad character. Still, I intend to use his inanity from the genin days to the fullest extent. Don't worry though, I'm not going to beat up on him unduly, I promise!
To 10-iz4, yep, Saburo's going to be fun to work with. Sorry again about the delay, promise I'll do better with the next chapter.
To lzlye, This'll be my first attempt at a story including romance, so I'll be under everyones guidance. I'll do my best, so please let me know if you feel I'm losing it, kay?
To jayley, Narumi fell unconscious partly because of the mental strain like Kakashi because she took the greatest physical strain from the attack. After all, despite the enormous emotional trauma to Sasuke, Narumi's the one who's brain is convinced she's been repeatedly stabbed to death. However, her reaction was also partly due to the wound she got from Kisame's sword, which tore her up pretty good. The Tsunade events kept pretty close to cannon because I really adore that relationship...so yeah...however! I shall be changing things up hugely in the next chapter, so it works. I hope.
To Zandamh, This really is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. You make me blush. I shall do my best to continue to improve!

Explanations!

First off, Narumi bounces back rather more quickly from tsukiyomi than Kakashi. But on the other hand, she's dealt with Kyuubi and the results of being his jailer either consciously or unconsciously all her life, so she's pretty mentally resilient. She ends up being more worried about Sasuke because she understands how mental or emotional hurts can be worse than physical ones. Since she'd rather take the pain herself than watch Sasuke get stabbed, she's aware that it was probably worse in a way for him.
Next, just like in cannon, Sasuke is currently dealing with feelings of inferiority and frustration with his own weakness. However, instead of resenting his teammates, he's worried that Itachi is going to come back to hurt them and he won't be able to stop him. He's dealing with this by, naturally, pounding on Saburo mercilessly. Saburo was pretty excited to train with his hero at first, but around the third hour of being beaten until he had technicolor skin...not so much. He doesn't actually start trying to quit until about a week and a half to two weeks in, which is when the scene in the fic takes place. (I used time skips liberally. Narumi was gone around a month. Kakashi woke up after the first two weeks, but he's still unsteady on his feet and recovering.) Whenever Saburo starts trying to back out, Sasuke tries to rile him up the way he would Narumi. Unfortunately, it doesn't work so well, which confuses the heck out of our dear, brooding Uchiha. Kakashi eventually steps in both because he needs to talk to Sasuke, and because he feels much pity for poor Saburo, who has been thoroughly tenderized.
During his talk with Sasuke, Kakashi opens up to him a little bit in an effort to show the boy that he can be trusted because he is willing to trust Sasuke first. Give to get kind of a thing. And it works very well. Sasuke ends up apologizing almost mindlessly to Kakashi because he feels like he not only let down his teammates, but that he betrayed the very first lesson Kakashi gave them. Mainly, NEVER ABANDON YOUR TEAMMATES. Never mind that he didn't actually abandon her, she got hurt while he was present, he left her right after while she was still passed out and vulnerable, and rhyme and reason be damned, he feels guilty. After calming him down, and reassuring Sasuke through implication that should Itachi attempt to harm a member of team seven again fire and brimstone will rain down, Kakashi moves on to his last concern. He intends to have Sasuke stay at his apartment for a while, for two reasons. A) He is papa bear Kakashi, and wants to keep an eye on his students as much as possible after such an attack. If Narumi were present, he'd probably move her in temporarily too. And B) he really does not think it's a good idea for Sasuke to be tuck in a ghost town that reminds him constantly of Itachi and the horrible things he's done while he's still unsteady from the mental attack of Tsukiyomi. Because dude, that CANNOT be helping any with mental stability.

I think the events with Tsunade and Narumi largely speak for themselves, but one important to thing to note Tsunade does not only see Dan and Nowaki in Narumi. She also sees a younger version of herself as she wishes she had been. She wishes that she had been more like Dan and Nowaki, and she sees that potential and spirit in Narumi. However, her affection for Narumi is based on Narumi's own personality, not on her lingering feelings for her brother or her guilt over what she feels she's not. Narumi just happens to resonate deeply with Tsunade's experiences and past. In the end, Tsunade becomes Hokage largely in part to a desire to protect Konoha for Narumi, and to see the girl grow up into the Hokage Tsunade is sure she will one day be. In a way, for Tsunade Narumi becomes the physical embodiment and manifestation of all that is best and brightest in Konoha, which makes her doubly precious and valuable.

Lastly, Tenma and Narumi are made Chuunin! Did I manage to surprise anyone with that? I hope so! I think I explained the qualities they exhibited that proved them ready for promotion pretty well within the actual fic, but if you'd like clarification about something let me know. Basically, when I looked back at the finals of the exams, I realized that it would be silly to make Shika a chuunin, seeing as she didn't even get to fight and exhibit her abilities. But I didn't want it to be a no-pass situation. So I thought really hard about the fights. And when I looked at what was going on, I decided that I could see leadership potential in both Narumi and Tenma. And Narumi being a chuunin opened up a whole string of ideas that I'm really excited to develop...so yeah! I think that about covers it.

P.S. Should Kakashi find out about the Yume incident, things shall most likely get painful for a certain toad sage we all know and love. Heh heh. Because I'm just wicked that way.

Please to read and review!