Holding in a laugh, Sakura said, "It was a pleasure doing business with you, ma'am."

Head high, she swept out of the room. A second later, head even higher, she swept back in, snatched up the money and was gone again.

Tsunade blinked. "Did I just lose to a ten year old girl with pink hair?"

"You lose to everyone, Tsunade-sama," Shizune responded automatically, preoccupied with feeding Tonton.

Tsunade quietly seethed while nursing her third bottle of sake. She finished it quickly and stood, intent on finding the girl and her money, fair win or not. She stalked down the street in pursuit, figuring the little brat would be easy to spot with her horrendous hair. After a few false starts, she finally saw her next to a fountain in the middle of town. The girl was talking excitedly to two boys her age while an older shinobi with grey hair looked on indulgently over the pages of a very familiar orange book.

Tsunade stomped in their direction. She heard Shizune behind her, calling out. "Tsunade-sama! Wait up!"

The older man of her targeted group looked up in alarm when he heard her name and she grinned to herself. Good, he knows trouble's comin'.

"Oi, brat!" She pointed with emphasis. None of the children looked up at her words, still seriously listening to the girl tell her story. She could make out the last few words as she came to a stop in front of the fountain.

"… and now we can finally pay off the damages done to the training ground! I knew a this town was the right place to stop for the night."

The blonde boy was ecstatic at her tale while the darker haired one just crossed his arms and smirked. "It's mostly your fault the training ground was wrecked anyway, Sakura."

"Ah yes, I am the one who is known for their clan specific katon jutsus, aren't I?" The boy's smirk disappeared under a deep blush and petulant pout and he looked away. The blonde smacked his arm hard and laughed heartily at his expense, to which he reacted by flicking the other boy's forehead painfully. This eventually devolved into a shoving match that landed both of them in the fountain. Sakura just stood by and watched, a resigned look on her young face.

Tsunade was still annoyed, but also vaguely entertained. The grey haired shinobi approached her warily. "Tsunade-sama? Can we help you with something?"

"I was here to get my money back, but now I find myself more interested in this." She waved her hand toward the fountain, where the dark haired boy was now forcing the other's face into the spouting mouth of the fish sculpture.

Sakura had retreated to a bench nearby to avoid the splashing, calling out calm reprimands. "No drowning each other! I don't have time to train another couple of idiots!"

The man just shrugged. "My team is unique. What money?"

"That girl took my money!"

"Maa, Sakura-chan is a good girl, a nice girl. She wouldn't steal from anyone." An unholy gleam had entered the man's one visible eye as he lied directly to her face.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune had finally caught up to her, Tonton in tow. She scowled at her mentor and bowed slightly to the man. "I'm sorry, nin-san. Your student challenged Tsunade-sama to a double or nothing bet and won. There was no stealing involved."

"Oh? What was the bet?"

Sakura piped up from her bench, having been eavesdropping. "I bet her that I could drink a whole bottle of sake in one minute!"

The boys in the fountain paused in their roughhousing and the older man just closed his eye and sighed heavily. "You know we're in the middle of a mission, Sakura-chan. That is not to mention that you are ten."

The girl waved away his concerns. "Pft, I technically became an adult when they gave me this." She knocked lightly on the metal of her hitai-ate tied around her forehead. "Plus, I just metabolized it after I took her money." She grinned cheekily at Tsunade, who felt her ire rise again.

Shizune spoke before she could get too riled up. "Metabolize the alcohol? You can do that?"

The girl looked confused. "Yeah, it's not hard. Otherwise I definitely would be suffering from alcohol poisoning now, since, you know, ten."

"I'm not surprised it's possible, I'm surprised you can do it." Shizune had made an excellent point and Tsunade allowed her curiosity to override her sake-fueled anger.

"Sakura-chan knows how to do anything!" The blonde had given up fighting the other boy and was dragging himself out of the fountain, dripping everywhere. "She's way better than some drunk with a pet pig!" Both Sakura and the man were trying to shush him now, but he would have none of it. "When I'm Hokage she's going to be my head medic and my advisor, so you shut up!"

Tsunade wanted to laugh and cry all at once. This kid was just like Nawaki, filled with unrealistic ideals. "You, Hokage? The title is a fool's dream." The boy's eyes widened in outrage and his teammate and teacher had to bodily restrain him from charging at her. Sakura whispered something in his ear and he stopped resisting, shooting an annoyed glance at Tsunade.

"You're wrong." This was said by the dark-haired boy, who was now sitting on the edge of the fountain. He somehow managed to drip disdainfully. "Naruto might be an idiot, but he's not a fool. He'll become Hokage." The blonde gave her a annoying grin and then muttered, "I'm not an idiot, you jerk."

"Oh? Has Konoha fallen so far that they would allow a brat like you to take charge?"

In a flash, Naruto was up and charging at her, hands already forming the tiger seal. He was stopped by the older man's hand on the back of his shirt collar, lifting him up in the air. "Maa, Naruto. You can't be so reactive when people insult you. This is why Sakura-chan has to keep bailing you out of situations like this."

"But Kakashi-sensei~" He whined piteously, obviously unaware of how close to serious injury he could have been by attacking her.

The dark haired boy spoke again. "That woman would have flattened you, moron." Tsunade was inwardly pleased to hear someone had some respect, even if it was a snooty little kid. Shizune shifted closer to her, clearly trying to convey her desire to leave.

"Sasuke! I thought we were friends!"

He scoffed. "Does anything ever penetrate that skull of yours when it's not literally beaten into it?" He started trying to wring out his shirts, plainly done with the conversation.

Kakashi sighed, still holding onto the boy. He lifted him to eye level and said, "Do you remember what I said to Sakura after the bell test? Who her skills reminded me of?" She could see understanding dawn on the boy's scarred face and he looked at Sakura for confirmation. The pink haired girl just nodded and Kakashi let Naruto go.

Skills? So far all Sakura had done was annoy Tsunade out of her money and claim to perform a minor medical jutsu. She was not impressed.

"This girl looks like a strong wind could knock her over. I think I might actually be offended." Kakashi just looked at her balefully and Shizune heaved a great sigh, knowing her chances of persuading Tsunade to leave were as good as buried now that she had scented a challenge.

Now both boys were eying her with dislike, clearly unhappy with her assessment of their teammate's strength. At least they always have teamwork to fall back on.

"I'm sure Kakashi-sensei didn't mean to compare the two of us equally, Tsunade-sama." Sakura was staring at her intensely with an alarming grin her face. "After all, you've had years and years of experience."

Tsunade clenched her fists. "Are you calling me old, you little-!" Shizune grabbed her arm and pulled her back before she did something foolish, like beat up a certain irritating child. Sakura had retreated behind her sensei, giggling quietly while he just looked up toward the sky in supplication.

"Tsunade-sama, I apologize for these children. Clearly they're all terrible people. I'll make sure they're adequately punished when we return to Konoha." The way he emphasized the word made the boys blanch and Sakura had stopped laughing, but she still peeked around his waist and stuck her tongue out at Tsunade.

She couldn't help but snort in amusement, pulling her arm out of Shizune's grasp gently. This was turning out to be one of the more entertaining encounters in her journey. "What sort of punishment did you deserve to get these three brats assigned to you?"

Naruto answered before he could respond. "I bet it's 'cause he's late to everything!" to which Sakura and Sasuke sagely agreed with, even though it indicated that their team was punishment after all.

He just cheerfully said, "Better late than never, I always say! You have no idea how many old ladies I've helped cross streets …"

Clearly this entire team is deranged. What has happened to Konoha since I left?

"This is ridiculous. What are you doing here, anyway? This is a long way from the village for three little genin."

Said genin eyed her warily, but said nothing, looking toward their team leader. He affected a put-upon expression and said, "We're here because you're here, Tsunade-sama."

She took a step back. "W-what? What do you want?"

"Hokage-sama would like to retire." Kakashi paused, awaiting her reaction. She said nothing and Shizune shifted uneasily next to her. "He wants you to take his place."

"Impossible!"

"That's right, it's impossible! Kakashi-sensei, I can't believe you didn't tell us why we were lookin' for this old lady when we left!" Naruto was working himself up into a fine temper again, annoyed that Tsunade would just be handed the position he was gunning for.

"Be quiet, Naruto." At Sakura's low demand, he whined a bit, but fell into an uneasy silence.

Tsunade looked the group over and asked, "Why you? I'm surprised he didn't send Jiraiya to ask." Silently, Shizune was amazed that she hadn't already said no outright. Maybe they would get to go home after all these years …

Kakashi lifted a shoulder. "Who knows? Maybe he thought we could annoy you into it." He placed a large hand on Naruto's blonde head and ruffled his hair. "It was worth a shot."

"I should do it just to save the village from your idiots." He looked hopeful at her words. "But the position is not something I want."

"Ah, well. Hokage-sama will be very disappointed in us."

Tsunade flapped her hand at him. "That's not my problem."

Sakura peeked around Kakashi again. "Tsunade-sama, if it helps … our medical field is in terrible shape since you left."

She had turned to leave, but the girl's words stopped her. "Oh? And how do you know that?"

Sakura had the nerve to huff at her. "Because I have eyes? We got the bare minimum of basic first aid in the Academy and I had to supplement my reading by ordering scrolls from Suna, of all places. Every time I have been to the hospital, it seems short-staffed and under-maintained. What passes for a field medic in Konoha is still outnumbered forty to one. You could change that if you come back."

It was a blatant play, but one that Tsunade could appreciate. She had been a champion of field medicine since her baby brother had died and it was a well-known fact.

She looked at the girl suspiciously. "What do you know about medicine? You're just a kid."

Sakura poked at Kakashi's side and then motioned to the two boys. "I can never convince any of these idiots to go unless they're unconscious, which can always be arranged," she said, in a dangerous tone. Tsunade was starting to like this girl, despite herself. "So I learned and it turns out I'm pretty good at it. All knowledge is worth having."

"… How good are you?"

"What?"

"Keep up, girl! What is your current skill level with medical ninjutsu and chakra control?"

Sakura was looking at her strangely, but said, "I know a fair bit. I've been studying myself for nearly three years."

"Fine, that's fine." Shizune made a concerned noise and Tonton oinked with displeasure. "I'll make another bet with you. If you win, I'll come back to Konoha."

"And if I lose?"

"You give me back the money you took, brat."

Sakura pouted, clearly irritated with the idea of losing the money. The boys had watched the entire exchange in silence, something she could see was a habit. This girl had them wrapped around her finger. "What's the bet?"

"Fight me."

The girl's jaw dropped open in shock and the boys immediately jumped to her defense. "That's not even a fair bet, you cheat!"

"Tsunade-sama, if you don't intend to return with us, I'm not going to allow my student to be beaten for the journey home …"

Tsunade ignored them and focused on Sakura. "If you can touch my forehead," she motioned to the rhombus seal, "then I'll call it a win for you."

Sakura was slightly more content with the modified rules, but she was still pretty sure she was going to lose badly. In all her years of working with the woman in the past, she had never once been able to beat her in a spar. Sakura's efforts, which would have decimated lesser shinobi, had barely made her shishou exert herself. But she wasn't going to come back to Konoha otherwise, right? Might as well try.

"I accept." At her words, the boys eyes had nearly bulged out of their heads and they turned their arguments to her, with Kakashi adding in his two cents. Sasuke didn't say much, but he radiated intense disapproval. She ignored them and looked over Naruto's head at Tsunade. "Where should we go?"

The woman's eyes lit up, already seeing the future where she spent her winnings. "I know a place."

Tsunade's "place" turned out to be a massive open field a mile outside the village they were currently in. Sakura hopped in place, strangely anxious about fighting her old mentor. She knew one sure fire way to stop Tsunade in her tracks at this point in time, but she didn't consider it a viable option yet. It would not do to slit open her wrists and traumatize their new Hokage into coming back to the village, even if it did work.

Still, Sakura was a professional. She'd do what was necessary for the sake of her (personal) mission. She fiddled with the ties of her weights, taking them off and tossing them to Sasuke, who grunted at their mass. Kakashi and Naruto looked on with concern, but she smiled at them. "Cheer up, boys! I'm not about to be executed."

Tsunade stood twenty feet from her, as relaxed as if she was still in the bar. Almost one hundred percent likely she'll wait for me to make the first move. This particular game of "keep away" was one that Sakura was familiar with in her old training and Tsunade had always let her attack, rather than defend.

How should I approach this? My speed is better now than it was when I trained under her, but will that be enough?

"Well? Come on, then!" Tsunade crooked a finger at her with a smirk on her face. Sakura grit her teeth and threw several kunai, all but one with explosive tags attached. Tsunade leisurely dodged them, moving in the direction that Sakura was hoping she would go. In the ensuing smoke from the explosions, Sakura formed the seals for a replacement jutsu. She switched spots with the single kunai she had tossed in a secondary direction, appearing directly behind Tsunade. Sakura tried to jump on the woman's back like a wild animal, but she was evaded with infuriating ease. Tsunade hadn't even turned around to see her.

Sakura growled in frustration. Okay, so that element of surprise is gone. What's next, Sakura? Remember, deep breath in, deep breath out. You can do this.

"Is that all you got, kid?"

She replied in a sickly sweet voice. "Of course not, Tsunade-sama. I was just making sure you were ready for me." The woman raised one fine blonde eyebrow in disbelief.

"Such a mouth on you."

Sakura quickly formed the seals for a doton jutsu, sliding underground. She moved in Tsunade's direction and gathered chakra in her fingertips, punching upwards toward the surface to create painfully hard earth projectiles to shoot in all directions. Sakura was hoping to distract the woman from her real attack, but knew that that was likely to be a fruitless endeavor. She heard Tsunade's foot crack down on the ground. Ah, finally. She's taking me a little seriously now. Good and bad news.

Sakura erupted from the ground and made a grab for Tsunade's ankle to drag her down, but she was again handily evaded. Sakura used her left hand to pound at the earth, creating a large crevice that threw the older woman off balance for a split-second, time that she used to throw herself bodily at Tsunade. If I had been any further away, this never would have worked

Sakura made impact with a grunt and climbed her old mentor like spider monkey, intent only on getting to that damn seal. She flailed against Tsunade's monstrously strong arms and slapped a palm directly on her face. "HAH!"

She slid to the ground triumphantly and then sat, arms and legs feeling like rubber. She wasn't really physically tired, but battling against a woman she knew to significantly overpower herself was draining nonetheless. Sakura squinted up at Tsunade. "I won, Tsunade-sama. You know what that means."

She scowled. "I can't believe I lost to a ten year old girl with pink hair. Again."