Chapter 4:
Busty but Brutal: Tsunade's Training
Jiraiya sat in his apartment, cross-legged on the floor. The back of his brush was in his mouth as he sat musing. In front of him lay his upcoming novel, unfinished. He was in the middle of a particularly juicy scene but couldn't quite get everything in order to make sense, and his goal was artful rather than smut. He was just putting his brush back to paper when he was startled by a tap at the window. He glanced up and the roguish grin he saw identified the visitor as Yahiko. Chuckling, he unfastened the window. Yahiko hopped down from the sill.
"Hey Sensei! Whatcha writing there?"
"Oh, ah, nothing,nothing, haha." Jiraiya waved his former student off with an awkward laugh. "You tell me, what brings you here?"
"Well, our team got appointed a Sensei. She seems pretty scary though."
Jiraiya was surprised by Yahiko's voice, its usual enthusiasm seeming somewhat dampened. "Oh? What's her name?"
"Well, she called herself Tsunade, and.." he stopped abruptly as Jiraiya let out a loud, bark-like laugh.
"TSUNADE IS YOUR TEACHER?!" he guffawed and laughed, unable to contain himself. "Oh, this is rich!"
"Yeah, what's so funny?" The boy frowned.
"Haha! A vixen if I ever saw one! Smoking hot, and a smoking temper to match! Trust me, kid, you do NOT want to be on Tsunade's bad side. She's got such monstrous strength if she ever punches you you'll be knocked into next week, never mind what she does in anger."
Yahiko's eyes widened. "Is she really that powerful?"
Jiraiya chuckled again. "Let me put it this way kid. There has been only one time that I have ever truly feared for my life. From that encounter, I suffered two cracked ribs, significant internal bleeding, a broken jaw and a concussion. That was because I got on Tsunade's bad side."
Yahiko gulped.
"I suppose that would have disheartened a lesser man from his research. But, well, I've never known when to give up."
"Sensei… you're a perv." Sniggered Yahiko.
"Whaaa? Where'd you get that idea?"
"Oh please, I've read your novel. Makeout Paradise right? "
"Hey, that's adult-rated! Where'd a punk like you get a hand on a copy anyway?"
"Oh not a copy, we got the original."
"We?"
"Yeah, me Nagato and Konan snuck a peek.." Jiraiya reddened. "..I've never seen Konan quite so mad and embarrassed before."
Ah, she probably hates me! I'll have to go tomorrow and make it up to her.
Jiraiya looked out the window. The sun was setting. "It's getting late kid, you'd better run along home. Trust me, you do not want to be late or tired for a session with Tsunade."
"In a moment. First, I wanted to ask, Sensei. How do you know her?"
"Oh, well, we were in the same three-man squad together back when we were just young genin. Us and Orochimaru have always been a team."
"Orochimaru… Is he that snakelike dude who was with you when we first met you in the Rain?"
"Yeah, Tsunade had gone off to heal some another Leaf ninja squad- she's one of the best medical ninja around, so there was a big demand for her during the war. The three Legendary Sannin, they called us, after that war."
"The Sannin, huh? I've heard stories about them, I mean you, but I'd never picture Tsunade-sensei as one of them.."
"Haha, looks can be deceiving, kid! We were all taught by the Third Hokage, after all, and he's supposed to be one of the most powerful Shinobi this world has ever seen."
"Really?" Yahiko looked round in surprise. "Lord Third is that powerful?"
"You should have seen him in his prime, that guy was something else. He's grown older now, but he's still on a whole other level."
"Wow.. I'd never have guessed…" Yahiko trailed off. Leaf Shinobi are a lot stronger than they seem at first glance.
"Well, I've answered all your questions, now scram! I need to get back to work, and you need to prepare for tomorrow."
"I guess you're right.." Jiraiya could tell by Yahiko's voice and the lack of his usual quip that the young genin was nervous.
"Oh, and Yahiko?"
Yahiko paused at the window and looked back.
"Good luck."
The next day, Yahiko met up with Kushina and Pinako, and en route to the training field told them of the whole conversation he'd had with Jiraiya the previous night.
"Wow, our Sensei is scary! I hope we don't piss her off.. We'd really be in trouble.." Kushina said.
"Is… Is Lord Third really that powerful?" Pinako asked in awe.
"Apparently. He's supposed to be on a whole other level, that's what Jiraiya-sensei said. And trust me, I've trained under Jiraiya-sensei, that guy is no pushover himself."
"Wow… I guess Tsunade must be really powerful. She'd have to be, if she was a war hero in the Second Ninja World War. She's a medical ninja, you say?" Kushina asked.
"Yeah, one of the best there is."
Tsunade was already waiting for them when they arrived at the field. She stood squarely in the middle of the field, hands on hips.
"'bout time you kids showed up! Let's get one thing straight shall we? I was trained under the toughest and harshest conditions and I will train you the same way. I asked for no quarter, and was given no quarter. You, too, shall be given no quarter. The Shinobi world is a dangerous place, where only the fittest and best conditioned ninja survive. I have no place on my team for weaklings."
"She's a real hardass, isn't she" muttered Kushina to Yahiko, who nodded with a smile. This did not go unnoticed by Tsunade.
"Oh, you think it's funny, do ya? Well, we'll see how wide that smirk is after your training is over. Now, before we get down to any actual training, theres generally a test to see the full extent of your abilities. I can train you from the ground up, but I wouldn't want to waste my time and energy. So, you're going to have a challenge. Follow me."
They began to walk. Yahiko wondered what she had in mind. Was it another bell test? Jiraiya had said that their sensei had taught them with the bell test, since she was on that team, she would have undergone it as well.
They ended up by the river. Tsunade pointed. "See that small island?"
Yahiko shielded his eyes from the sun and looked out over the water. "Yeah, we see it."
Tsunade reached into her pocket and drew a largue blue marble, roughly the size of Pinako's fist, her having the smallest hands on the team.
"Your mission is to retrieve this marble-" she drew back her hand and flung the marble-"from that island."
Team 5 stared, dumbfounded, mouths hanging open, as the marble sailed in a perfect arc, across the water, travelling a good 700 metres before landing somewhere on the island.
That thing must weigh at least 5 or 10 kilograms.. I'd be lucky to throw it maybe 10 metres. I'd really hate to be hit by her, with all that strength.
And Yahiko could tell by the looks on Kushina and Pinako's faces, they were thinking the same.
"You can use this boat," Tsunade gestured to a small rowboat lying on the bank of the river, "to get to that island. You will have exactly 24 hours to retrieve that marble and bring it back here. Your time begins now. I will be here at exactly this time tomorrow to meet you. Don't be late."
"24 hours… what do we do for food an stuff?" Kushina asked. Tsunade smiled evilly. "It's an island full of wild animals. Hunt for food, scrounge some berries, do whatever. There's enough for you there that you won't go hungry, besides, you won't starve just by going a day without eating."
Yahiko's eyes bulged. "Speak for yourself! I'm a growing boy, I gotta eat."
Tsunade placed her hands on her hips and bent down to look him straight in the eye. "What'd I just say, pipsqueak? Find your food!"
"Its now 12 noon. If you three aren't back by three o'clock tomorrow afternoon, I will come down to rescue you myself. However, you should note that if that happens, you will automatically fail and be sent back to the Academy. If you're not dead, of course." She smiled cheerfully. Team 5 collectively gulped.
"Well, you better get started. Time's a-wastin' "
The three genin scrambled down the hill to the bank where the boat waited, rocking serenely. There was only one oar.
"Who's gonna row this thing?"
The girls looked at each other. And handed the oar to Yahiko.
"Hey, no fair!" he complained
"Oh please, you're the guy, grow a pair." Kushina retorted
Yahiko grumbled, before brightening. "I have an idea! Everybody, get in the boat."
They all clambered in the boat. Yahiko turned around, and faced the bank. "Here's a useful little technique I learned when I was studying under Jiraiya-sensei."
He weaved the handsigns.
"Water Style: Raging Waves!" He cried, and released a jet of water from his mouth. The water hit the bank and propelled the boat forward. He continued to perform the jutsu, only breaking for air, while the girls cheered him on. They reached the island in a matter of minutes; however, Yahiko had all but exhausted all of his chakra.
"Good job, Yahiko!" Pinako patted him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, I gotta hand it to you, you did well. Now, all we have to do is find the marble and get the hell outta here!" Kushina exclaimed.
Yahiko merely nodded, trying to catch his breath.
The girls tied the boat to a pier while Yahiko lay on the sand, trying to recover as much of his chakra as he could. If the island was as dangerous as Tsunade said, he'd need every last ounce.
"All done!" Pinako called to Yahiko as they walked up where he lay.
Yahiko got to his feet. "Alright! Now lets get going!"
Pinako, the level-headed one out of the three, barely managed to stop the excitable Kushina and Yahiko before they scampered off. "Wait! First we should establish a camp, you know, as a sort of headquarters to return to. We don't know how long we'll be here, and if we get separated, we can just meet back here."
"Good idea!" Kushina and Yahiko said together, and they set about clearing a small space at the edge of the central forest. Yahiko marked a tree with a large PKY, one letter above the other. "This was a system we had with Jiraiya-sensei back in the Rain. When we're leaving, we'll put a vertical line, like so," he demonstrated by putting a vertical line next to the letter Y. "When one of us returns here, he or she can cross out the line next to the letter.. That way, the others will know if he or she is in danger and had to run in a hurry, or worse, was injured."
"Okay, good idea. Now the next thing we have to do is gather up some food. Its nearly lunchtime, and I know how much you like to eat, Yahiko." Pinako said. Yahiko's stomach growled in agreement. He rubbed the back of head sheepishly.
"Okay, well, me and Kushina will go look around to find some berries or hunt some animals. Pinako, try to catch some fish if you can, and get a fire going. Let's go, Kushina."
"Right!" Kushina snapped to attention.
Pinako called out to their backs, "Be careful!" But as she watched the flame-coloured hair walk away from her, she couldn't help but be reassured. No way would Yahiko let anything happen to them. He was very protective of his two teammates, almost like a big brother. Kushina and Yahiko both did not have real families, as Kushina was an only child whose parents had sent her to the Leaf from the Hidden Rice Paddy village due to danger to the family there. The Hidden Leaf and the Uzumaki clan had a good history of allegiance and so Kushina was welcomed into the village by the people. However, she was often teased by school bullies, and though she fought back tenaciously, sometimes even she was overwhelmed. She found a fast supporter in Yahiko, however, and their explosive personalities instantly clicked. They grew close, and Yahiko, Nagato and Konan all accepted Kushina as a part of their family, as a sister. Initially, Pinako had had a crush on Nagato in the Academy, but each time she tried to approach him, was scared off by Kushina or Yahiko's misadventures. Konan, however, always noticed her and was kind to her, and befriended her. When she was placed on Yahiko's team, Konan warned Yahiko to be nice to her, or else. While Pinako was shy with him at first, she too was won over by his charisma, and began to respect, admire, and love him like an older brother she did not have. While she now felt she had familial ties to the whole group, including Minato, Konan and Kushina, her feelings toward Nagato remained romantic. She looked up to the sky. Nagato had been so awesome yesterday. She wished he could be watching her now, she had really wanted to impress him as much as he had impressed her. Oh well.
Yahiko and Kushina jumped cautiously from tree to tree, keeping a keen eye out for the marble, or any wild animals. The marble was a deep blue, and so it would be tough to find once it had gotten dark. They had been searching for about an hour before they grew tired. They landed on the ground.
"My feet hurt." complained Kushina. "Let's just find some food and head back to camp."
Yahiko was about to agree, when he heard a rustle. His ears twitched. He drew his kunai and took a defensive stance. Kushina, although she had not heard, took the hint from him and did the same. There came another rustle, louder this time.
"What do you think that is?" murmured Yahiko to Kushina.
"Probably a wild animal," replied Kushina. Yahiko saw a bush move, and flung his kunai at it. In an instant a wild boar charged them, from a completely different direction. Kushina barely had enough time to jump onto Yahiko, pushing herself and him out of harm's way.
The boar turned to face them. It was a massive beast, as big as the genin were, with long tusks and a heavy body. It prepared to charge them once again.
"Look out!" called Kushina, as she drew her shuriken and flung it at the boar. Though some pierced its skin, it bellowed but was not slowed, and only seemed to grow angrier. Yahiko drew another kunai and took a step forward, but his foot caught in a vine and he tumbled forward. In any other situation, Kushina would have laughed at the klutz. But now, all she felt was fear. "Get up!" she cried, as Yahiko fought to untangle himself. The boar came charging in. Kushina jumped in front of Yahiko to shield him.
"No!" he cried, and shoved her roughly out of the way. He jumped sideways, but the vine became taut, and yanked him back with great force, so he fell to the ground. The kunai went spinning out of his hand. The boar was coming straight at him now. An idea formed in his head. He stood, wobbling. His ;leg was hurt from the harsh pull it had received. He stood and faced the boar.
"What are you doing, are you crazy!" Kushina cried, scrambling to her feet.
"Stay back! I have an idea!" Yahiko shouted. The boar charged.
At the last second Yahiko dived sideways. The line became taut again, and the boar tripped and fell, cracking its head against the tree behind. Kushina rushed up to it to check if it was dead. It was unconscious but still breathing. Remembering what she had been taught in class about vital organs, she quickly found its jugular vein and sliced it, killing it. She fell back and relaxed. She looked around for Yahiko, but when she saw him, her face drained of colour, and she felt ice in her stomach.
Yahiko lay on the ground, clutching his leg. He writhed around in agony, groaning. Kushina rushed up to himan cut the vine off his leg. It was then that she saw his mangled leg.
His knee bone was poking out from a position it wasn't supposed to be, and his leg was bent at an awkward angle.
"Are you okay?" she asked in a hushed whisper.
"My leg… " was all Yahiko could manage.
Pinako got the fright of her life when she saw Kushina walking toward her, Yahiko's arm over her shoulder, supporting him, tears sliding down her face. She rushed up to Yahiko and laid him down.
"What happened?"
Riddled with fright and worry, Kushina nonetheless managed to keep her voice relatively calm as she told Pinako the whole story. Pinako looked over Yahiko's leg.
"He's dislocated his knee." Yahiko was out like a light, whether he passed out from the pain or exhaustion was unclear. Kushina stood.
"The boar is still in forest and we need to eat. I'll go bring it back."
Pinako instantly stood. "No, you rest, I'll go."
Kushina firmly refused. "You haven't the strength to bring that thing back here. You just look after Yahiko." And she took off.
Pinako had got a fire going and had managed to catch a couple of fish, and now she sat by Yahiko's side, looking at him anxiously. His face looked very pale. Pinako hoped Kushina would be okay.
Finally Kushina emerged, huffing and puffing, dragging an enormous boar behind her. She was sweating and had real trouble, so Pinako ran to help her. They had only managed to drag the boar to Yahiko, when Pinako looked up to see Kushina gazing transfixed, eyes wide with terror, looking behind Pinako. Pinako turned.
A leopard was slinking toward them. It's intimidating eyes were fixed on the boar, its lean muscles rippled as it walked, padfooted, to where the three genin were. Emotionally drained and worried sick for Yahiko, Pinako began to burn with anger. She would let no more harm come to her team. Her eyes began to burn, before fading to a small ache, before subsiding. Something had changed. She could see clearly, more than she ever could before. Every detail, the tiniest movement, all were picked up by her eyes. She could see a blue aura emanating from the leopard. She could see the minutest detail, and her fast mind predicted the result, so that she could see the leopard's next step just before it took it. She raised her kunai. She felt no fear.
"Pinako… " Kushina said in a low voice. Pinako stepped forward.
The leopard charged.
In one fluid motion, Pinako turned and shoved Kushina out of the way. She whirled around, knowing exactly where the leopard would be, and side-stepped it easily. It leaped at her again, and she saw everything around her, working in her favour, and reacted faster than she would have believed. She fell onto her back, using her legs to kick the leopard around its stomach, propelling it upward and back, flipping it behind her. The leopard landed on its feet, and, roaring, raised its paws and attacked her. Swinging her legs around, Pinako flipped onto her knees, slipped through its paws and stabbed the side of its neck. The leopard roared in pain, as blood flowed. Pinako scrambled away from it, breathing heavily. The leopard stumbled around, kunai still lodged in its throat, before falling to the ground with a final thud.
Pinako stared. Kushina stared.
Yahiko snored.
At the loud snore, both girls looked at him worriedly, before the sound registered. They were so relieved, they burst out laughing. Kushina went up to Pinako to check if she was okay. She gasped when she looked at her.
"Pinako! Your… your eyes!"
"What about them?" Pinako asked, growing worried again.
"They're red! And they've got this black ring with this… sort of dot in it."
Pinako looked at her in puzzlement, before she understood. The Sharingan. Could it be? Had she finally awakened it? Her family had been waiting for her to awaken her Sharingan and unlock her true power. The kekkei genkai of the powerful Uchiha clan, whose blood ran through Pinako's veins, had never manifested itself before.
It was some hours later, when the sun had already set, that Yahiko awoke. The first thing he saw was the tree bark. Someone had crossed off the lines next to K and Y. So everybody was here. He tried to move, and pain shot through his leg, white-hot and raw. He cried out.
Pinako, who had been dozing near the nearly-extinct fire, awoke with a start. "Yahiko! Are you okay?"
"Yeah.. " he groaned, before remembering what had happened. He sat up with a shock. "Kushina! Is she okay?"
"I'm right here." Kushina replied, walking up from behind. She knelt down and hugged him. "Don't you dare ever scare me like that again, got it, knucklehead?" she threatened, but there was a smile on her lips.
Yahiko gave his signature mischievous grin. "We'll see."
Pinako felt her eyes grow wet again. In agony, but still smiling away, encouraging his sisters. Same old Yahiko. He was alright.
"Let's all try to get some sleep, okay? We have to get up tomorrow to find that marble."
Yahiko slept fitfully, repeatedly awakening at night in pain. However, unwilling to worry his sisters any more than he already had, he was careful not to make a sound, and had found a twig to bite down on, hard. When morning finally came, he had been up for a while. As Kushina began to rouse, he quickly spit the twig out of his mouth.
"Rise and shine, tomatohead! Wake Pinako up, we've got some hard work ahead."
"No need, I'm up." Pinako muttered sleepily, eyes closed.
Yahiko smiled brightly. "Great then!" He looked over at the fire. Last night's dinner, the wild boar roasted on a spit over the fire, lay half eaten on the spit. "Some breakfast and then…"
He had tried to get up. It was a bad move. The howl of pain came from him by instinct, before he could stop it. He instantly regretted it, as the girls pushed him down and looked at him, wide-eyed.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, alright? We need to get that marble.." He tried to get up again but was again pushed down. He looked up at them, his face etched with lines of defiance. "Look, we can't fail this mission. Not after Nagato's team succeeded.. I can't let you two go back to the Academy because of me. Nobody's going to fail because of me."
The girls stood resolutely. "Yahiko, we know how you feel, but there is no way in hell you'll ever be able to do anything on that leg." Kushina said.
Yahiko looked down. "I'm not useless, alright? I'm going to get that marble, and we are going to pass." His voice was low with anger.
"Please, Yahiko, think logically. There's no way we'll be able to do anything while we're worried about you. This doesn't make you weak or useless, you got hurt doing something noble." Pinako pleaded with him.
"Yeah.. you saved my life, remember? There ain't no shame in wearing a few battle scars to be proud of, but you've got your future to think about here. The last thing any of uswant is for you to get killed because of your injury." Kushina said.
"Let's go back to Tsunade-sensei.." Pinako said reassuringly.
"No! We are not going back empty-handed! And that's final!" Yahiko shouted.
A vein popped.
"Listen here, you little twerp! We're not asking your opinion. We'll drag you back to shore, even if I have to knock you out!" Kushina raised her fist threateningly.
Yahiko looked directly at her. "Do it, then. Because I'm not going there without that damn marble."
Kushina took a step toward him. Yahiko did not falter. She took another step. His eyes were hard. She took a final step. She was right on top of him.
She dropped her fist on his head. It bounced off weakly.
Yahiko was surprised. He knew Kushina could hit much harder than that. He looked up at her and was startled to see her eyes shining, brimming with tears.
"Please, Yahiko. There's no way you can continue like this, and we don't want to see you hurt any more. Please, just come back with us to Tsunade-sensei. She's a medic, she can heal you."
Yahiko looked at her. He sighed, softening. He raised his arms, and pulled himself up to one leg. He enveloped her in a hug.
"Alright."
Pinako and Kushina carried him to the boat. They untied the rope and clambered in, and pushed off. They each grabbed an oar. Yahiko raised an eyebrow.
"Damned if I'm going to let you two row! I'll get us to shore, I can at least do that much. Think of it as an apology for being the reason for failing you guys."
He propped himself up to a sitting postion. "Water Style: Raging Waves!"
On shore, Tsunade sat comfortably in a beach chair. She watched the boat making its way toward the village.
"I wonder if those brats managed to find the marble."
When they had arrived, one look told her that they had failed.
She stood with her hands on her hips. "Well? What's your excuse?"
"Tsunade-sensei, Yahiko got injured.. He couldn't continue. We had to bring him to shore. Please, could you heal him?"
Tsunade looked down at Yahiko condescendingly. "Pitiful. I gave you one simple task, and you couldn't follow through. Not only that, but you got one little injury and you came crying home to me. You don't have the stones to make it as shinobi. You're all just children."
Pinako and Kushina hung their heads in shame and anger. But Yahiko's rage, which had been bubbling, burst through.
"Where do you get off on calling us children, you hag! We're tougher than you could imagine, and I never ran home to you. Hell, I could get my ass up and swim back to the island to look for that marble, just to stick it to your smug face."
"Oh yeah?" Tsunade's smirk was infuriating. "Why dontcha then, tough guy?"
Yahiko gritted his teeth and looked away.
"Because… we asked him not to, Sensei." Pinako piped up
"Huh?" Tsunade asked.
"Yahiko's badly injured, he can't survive, let alone fight on that leg. He didn't wanna come back, the only reason he's here is because we dragged him here, got it? Yahiko's got the stones, hes got bigger stones than anyone, but you're too blind to see it. Don't you dare blame him. Blame us, if you really get off on it that much." Kushina said fiercely.
Tsunade inwardly smiled. This kid's got a hell of a mouth on her.
Yahiko was looking away in shame and disgust. Tsunade looked to each member of her rookie team. Her façade of anger crumbled away. She gave a wide grin.
"Congratulations! You all pass."
The three looked at her in shock.
"The mission is important, yes. But selfishness has no place on my team. You two abandoned the mission because you wanted to save your friend, and Yahiko, you agreed despite your better judgement because you didn't want to worry your team. That's true camaraderie, something that can never be taught. If you were missing that, well, then you wouldn't be on my team."
Team 5 looked at each other, dumbfounded. They passed?
Tsunade walked over to Yahiko and placed a hand on his knee. Her hand grew bright green for a moment, and then subsided. Yahiko felt no more pain.
"Hey, I'm healed! That's awesome! Howd you do that?"
Tsunade smiled. "Medical ninjutsu."
"Congratulations!" a female voice came. They looked around to see blue-haired Konan rushing up to them, Nagato calmly following suit. Konan grabbed Kushina and Yahiko around the necks in a tight hug, but Pinako had eyes for no one but Nagato.
She lit up as Nagato walked up to her. "Great job, Pinako. I overheard the whole thing. You really were excellent. I love how much you care."
"Really?" Pinako's eyes shone brightly.
"Yeah, no doubt. And since you gave me such a great gift when I passed, the least I could do is return the favour,"
Pinako could hardly believe her ears. "What?" she said dumbly.
Nagato laughed. He raised a hand to her face. He brushed her hair behind her ear. He held her chin, turned her face to one side, and kissed her on the cheek.
Pinako's heart began to race. Heat rose to her cheeks. She forgot all else, nothing else mattered, except now, this moment, Nagato up close to her, his soft lips on her cheek. A voice in her head was going "eeeeeeep!" Pinako had never felt so girly, but dammit, she had never felt so special. Nagato placed a hand on her head. "Don't forget that one, okay?"
She smiled up at him. "Never"