"Lady Tsunade… don't you think that was a bit much?" Shizune asked, readjusting her hold on Ton-Ton, Tsunade's pet pig.
Tsunade popped another mochi in her mouth, looking around the crowded streets with interest. "With a number like this? There's no way I can lose on it! I can already feel my luck turning around. I'm gonna win it big!" She flourished the piece of paper under Shizune's nose, showing off her lottery number for the umpteenth time: 777.
Shizune sighed. "The odds of getting that number are small… but wouldn't the odds of it being selected be even smaller?"
"Statistics, Shizune. If you understand statistics, you'll understand gambling. You're just as likely to draw a hand in a perfect sequence of a royal flush as any other combination. It's just the luck of the draw!" She grinned. "And if you want more luck, put more money on it!"
"My Lady, I don't think-"
"Come on. Was I more likely to win when I didn't buy more entries for my number?" Tsunade gave her the most reproachful look she could muster, while still being in such a wonderful mood.
"But look around us! There are probably thousands of people buying numbers and chances… and if ten of them buy a hundred each..."
"As I said, you can try to push luck your way, but in the end, the dice will fall where they fall." Tsunade reached over to feed Ton-Ton one of her mochi; the pig gave a little squeal of delight.
"Not only that," Shizune said, the anxiety creeping her voice upward. "But with so much money… Did you know, they said not only Tanzaku's Mayor but also the Daimyo's Wife put money toward the prize?"
"And fifteen others! Hah!" Tsunade laughed jubilantly. "That's the kind of prize I want! I wouldn't even know what to do with it all!"
"But that's my point!" Shizune said, looking around quickly. She lowered her voice, "With that kind of money on the line… isn't it very likely to be rigged? It's probably just a way to draw in the crowd… they only announced this festival five days ago, and look at all the people..."
Tsunade clucked her tongue impatiently. "Sometimes I wonder if you listen to a single word I say. What kind of apprentice doesn't know the gambling structure of a city like this? The City of Festivals?"
"Structures..?"
She ate another mochi with relish. "That's right, structures. This town's famous, Shizune. They can't afford to cheat; they'd be faced with the rage of every gambler from here to Snow Country." She tossed her empty mochi basket in the bin, walking up to admire the designs displayed in front of a face-painting stall. "Listen, nobody cheats in Tanzaku Gai. Least of all the guys in charge. The stakes are always fair. Ooh," she pointed at one design. "Let's both get this one?"
Shizune absorbed her words slowly and was about to reply when she saw what the Lady was pointing at. She muffled a shocked giggle. "You can't be serious?"
"You know I always like trying a new look!"
"Well, it may help with those kids..."
Tsunade grinned. "Heh, you sensed them too?"
Shizune tried to look stern and failed miserably. "It's your fault for trying to look like a teenager! You always manage to pick up a little fan club."
"They probably think you're my Auntie," Tsunade grinned. "Come on. It'll be fun."
"Oh, alright. I'm sure Ton-Ton would like to get prettied up too. Wouldn't you Ton-Ton?"
"Uiee!"
They emerged from the stall twenty minutes later, their faces completely covered with spades and clubs. Tsunade appraised herself in a mirror. "Hmm, should have figured the seal would show through."
Shizune laughed, admiring the red hearts on Ton-Ton's cheeks. "If you're not going to henge into anything else, those kids are probably still going to follow you, even with that look..."
Tsunade closed her eyes. "Hmm. Those chakra signatures are pretty strong, even for kids. Definitely shinobi. Their sensei should have taught them better! It's impolite for ninja to trail ninja."
Shizune glanced around, but couldn't quite pinpoint where the children were. "Well, they're doing a good job blending in, at least." She followed Tsunade through the crowd. "I'm just surprised they haven't tried to talk to you yet… Perhaps they recognise you?"
Tsunade snorted. "If they were thirty, maybe. Trust me, they're not after an ancient relic, just a pretty face. They are starting to get on my nerves a little… want to work a little harder to shake them?"
Shizune hummed. "We could probably fool them with a simple henge… Where's a good place to transform?" She gazed around the street thoughtfully.
"There!" Tsunade pointed, delight making her voice bright. "It's perfect!"
After following the direction she was pointing in, Shizune let out a surprised laugh. "But what if they're girls? It won't work!"
"Hah! Even girls of that age avoid a place like this. Come on!"
Co-conspirators, the women walked into the lingerie shop.
"Hello, Ladies!" An elderly woman at the counter waved merrily. "My, what a sweet little pet you have there. Let me know if you'd like any help finding anything!"
"Thanks, Obaasama." Shizune bowed politely. She smiled, perusing a rack of swimsuits. "You know, I had my doubts about coming to this festival… but since you're focused on just the lottery, I suppose we did get to do a lot of sightseeing. It's been very enjoyable."
"I didn't even spend all my cash! I've got a great feeling about the entries I bought, I'm putting all of my luck there. That gives us the rest of the week for your sightseeing. You wanted to see the castle, right?"
Shizune shook her head. "Yes, yes… But you only kept some of your money because I begged and because you don't want your pockets too empty to afford your nightcap."
"Hah, you caught me," Tsunade said. "I guess I-"
She had been so distracted with her conversation and tracking the chakra signatures of the children lurking outside, that she ran straight into someone.
A very tall and broad someone. Someone with familiar chakra that she'd never have missed on any other day. And yes, now that she turned to see his face, it was unmistakable.
Her mouth dropped. "What are you doing here?!"
"Hey, long time no see," Jiraiya said with a grin. "What's a pretty lady like you doing in a place like this? Do you need help picking something out?" He leered.
Tsunade cracked her knuckles and was just deciding where to punch when Shizune ran forward. "Oh! Jiraiya-sama! You also came for the festival?"
"That's right," he grinned. "I just got sidetracked by some, heh-heh, research opportunities." He rubbed his hands together. "But hey, what luck to run into you here! You should join me and the kids for drinks tonight!"
"Kids?" Tsunade asked suspiciously. "What the hell have you been up to? You finally get some after all this time?"
Jiraiya pressed a hand to his heart, his face a mask of shock. "You wound me. I get more than some." His grin returned. "But no, not my kids. Just kids." He waved his hand airily. "I was visiting Konohagakure, you know. Found a few stray genin, decided to take them and their sensei out on a little adventure. Just as a treat."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes further. "You? Treating someone? Just who are these kids?"
Jiraiya winked. "Kids you'd definitely be interested in meeting. Trust me."
Suspicious but thoroughly intrigued, Tsunade followed him out the door, Shizune in tow. She was met with two surprises: the children he ushered toward him out of the crowd were the same chakra signals that were tailing her earlier. The second surprise…
Whew. Tsunade thought. Yeah, I can see why he was interested in dragging these kids along. Blondie over there looks just like the guy. And maybe, just a little bit like… Her heart sank into her stomach, as it always did when she remembered her little brother. He would have been around the same age, too.
She gathered herself and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "So these are the little bratlings? I would have thought you'd teach them stealth a little better, Jiraiya." She leaned down until she was eye-level with the boys. "You know it's impolite to stalk a lady… and it's dangerous to stalk a shinobi."
The dark-haired kid put a palm to his face and the blond kid scratched his head sheepishly. It was the blond who spoke first: "Ne, Obaachan, we didn't mean anything bad by it!"
Her eyes widened in outrage. "Who are you calling Granny you little brat?!" Her jutsu still had her appearance matching her age at seventeen. No way this kid can see through it. A little snot-nose like that?
The dark-haired kid sighed. "Jiraiya-sama was telling us stories about working with his team… he mentioned a teammate who sounded similar to you. We thought you might be related. Don't listen to Naruto, he's an idiot."
"Ha, that's where you're wrong, kid. This is Tsunade in the flesh. She looks good for her age, doesn't she?" He waggled his eyebrows.
Naruto squinted at her. "Why're you trying to look so young? That's so weird!"
Jiraiya thumped a fist over his head. "Be polite to the lady! She just agreed to meet us for drinks later. If you're lucky, she might tell you even better stories."
Once they had agreed on a meeting place, the women left to visit the castle on their own. Tsunade was lost in memory when Shizune spoke up quietly, "This has been a strange day, hasn't it?"
"Hmm?" Tsunade hummed, pulled from her reverie.
"Running into Jiraiya, and those children tailing us being his travelling companions… Your lottery numbers… There have been a lot of coincidences today. I feel like we're in a storybook." She shook her head.
Tsunade smiled. "It's not like you to flutter away into sensibility… You're usually more pragmatic."
Shizune smiled. "Well, it's been an unusual day."
Without much more thought on the matter, the women continued about their day into the evening, unaware of just how many eyes were tracking their every move.
They were the first to arrive at the bar, unsurprisingly. They found a booth and ordered plenty of food and drinks. At Shizune's nagging, Tsunade even arranged for something non-alcoholic for the kids.
"Well, Jiraiya doesn't know it yet, but he's footing the bill," Tsunade said smugly. "May as well get all the fixings."
Shizune sipped absently at her tea, having also forgone the sake. Tsunade smiled against her cup. Well, I guess it's better she only picked up on my skill, not my habits… They had travelled together since she left Konoha all those years ago; Shizune as her apprentice in the medical arts. I can't cut it as a healer anymore, and I don't think I could have picked anyone better to pass it along to. She's as unlike me as they can come.
"Hey, Obaachan!" a chipper voice rang out across the bar. She craned her head around to glower at the blond kid. He was with his little dark-haired friend again, Jiraiya beside them, and- oh, Kakashi Hatake, she thought. He must be the kids' sensei. Wow, speaking of kids looking just like their fathers… He's almost a mirror image of the White Fang. There was something deeply unsettling at seeing the two together; tiny echoes of Konoha's past…
Ah, and another one. I knew that dark-haired kid looked familiar. He must be an Uchiha.
"Well, don't just stand around." She gestured them over her shoulder, and turned back to the table, lifting the bottle of sake out of its warming bowl to pour extra cups.
The boys were quickly offered tea by Shizune as they took their places around the table; Jiraiya and Kakashi accepted their sake cups with nods of varying enthusiasm.
She sipped her sake slowly, focusing on the light burn as it reached her stomach. Shizune was right… now that I'm looking at them all at once, it really has been a day for coincidences.
"So how'd you decide to take these brats out gambling?" she asked, feeling her cheeks begin to warm as the drink took hold of her. She poured another cup; the damn things were always too small…
"Not for the gambling, you think I'd let genin fall into any of the Shinobi's Vices?" Jiraiya asked. "No, we're just here for the festival, a few history lessons… And I was interested to hear how Konoha's training has changed over the years. They're pretty good."
"What are shinobi's vices?" the blond asked.
"Oh, Naruto. So young. The three vices," he counted them off his fingers. "Drinking, women, and money. Any of them can lead to your downfall."
The Uchiha glared at the adults. "… Right."
Hah, Tsunade thought. Perceptive kid.
"Can't deny it's good advice," she raised her cup and clicked it against Jiraiya's.
Naruto began to fidget. "So~!" he drew out the word, staring at the older men. They ignored him. He frowned at them.
"What's up, kid? Something on your mind?" Tsunade asked. The kid seemed to be waiting for something.
"It's just that… you're a healer, right?" His gaze flicked over to the men, who continued ignoring him. When he was not stopped, he continued slowly. "Like, a really good one?"
Tsunade frowned. She didn't like where this was going. "… Used to be. I'm retired." She clapped a hand on Shizune's shoulder. "If you need advice or something, ask this one. Shizune's my apprentice."
The boy, Naruto, frowned. "Can she… can she help people who are really, really sick?"
Oh. She definitely didn't like where this was going.
She narrowed her eyes at the boy. "… What are you asking, kid?" She looked at the men, who were steadfastly looking away. Not even subtle.
Shizune shifted uncomfortably beside her. "Why don't you tell us what's wrong? Is it a family member, or a friend?"
"Our teammate," the black-haired boy broke in. "She has some kind of… poisoned chakra."
Tsunade froze. Her lips felt numb when she spoke. "Poisoned chakra." Hopefully, the boy was just explaining the problem incorrectly. There were very few things that could result in chakra that was said to be poisonous…
Her eyes moved to the blond unwillingly. Uzumaki Naruto. Was she hurt by your chakra? If she was… she would be dead long before you made it this far. Her eyes strayed over to Jiraiya.
All at once, the illusion of the accidental meeting was shattered.
"You..." she said. "You knew I'd be somewhere like here, didn't you?" she asked pointlessly. "Jiraiya… you know I'm retired. I can't."
"Why not?" the dark-haired boy asked sharply.
"Sasuke..." Kakashi warned.
Tsunade held up her hand. "I know how you must feel, but I can't help you. You can ask Shizune if she'd like to look for you, but chakra poisoning is very serious. It may be better to prepare yourselves." It was harsh, but it was life. There was a reason she had abandoned her path as a shinobi.
The boy rose to his feet. "Then stop being retired. Come back to Konoha."
"Sasuke!" Kakashi's voice was sharp now.
"No." The boy shook his head. "What's stopping you? Someone could die. You just said it yourself! You could save so many people. What kind of shinobi are you?" He glared.
She glared right back. "You're a bit young to try telling me what I am, kid." She slugged another cup of liquor down. "Shinobi die. That's who they are, that's what they do. It doesn't have anything to do with me."
"Sannin?" The boy sneered. "You're no legendary sannin. We must have gotten the wrong person. This is just some common coward."
She rose to her feet as well, her height towering over the boy. "It's better to be a coward than dead. All shinobi would be better off if they just gave it up." She pointed a finger at his face. "Look at you! You're still young. You've still got a chance. Your teammate is dying? Let that be a lesson to you!"
He clenched his fists. "Is that what Konoha means to you? You'll just abandon them to die? Your friends, comrades, everyone?!" His voice had climbed until half the patrons in the bar were staring.
Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. "Shut up, you brat! Who do you think you're talking to?"
He continued as though she hadn't spoken. "You can help them! Protect them! How can that mean nothing to you? How can you be such a coward? How can you leave them to die?!"
"Shut up!"
The memory played back in her mind, as it always did; a broken record. I want to protect them… that's why I want to be their Hokage…
In front of her, the boy's eyes had changed to red. Of course, this boy is an Uchiha. The nerve, to try to threaten me with his sharingan.
No… There was something wrong; that was no ordinary sharingan. The irises held black shapes like pinwheels and were almost painful to look upon. Tsunade lowered her head to stare at her hands. For a moment they appeared to be covered in blood. Tsunade blinked and rubbed at her eyes, hands trembling. "Just… Shut up!"
She pushed away from the table and stormed away, out into the cool night air.
"I'm not done with you!"
To her shock, the genin had followed her. Close behind him were the rest, faces varying masks of shock.
"Sasuke, don't you think you're being a little harsh?" Naruto asked hesitantly. "I mean, I want her to help Sakura too, but..."
"This is about more than Sakura," Sasuke said.
Tsunade turned to face him. She didn't speak, only looked him over critically. Her tipsy mind continued helpfully playing back her memories, on repeat.
I'll protect it! Because I am the grandson of the founder of Konoha, the First Hokage!
She rubbed her forehead, unwittingly smearing the facepaint from earlier in the day. Nawaki…
"I don't know how you can bear to look at her," Sasuke mocked, looking toward Jiraiya. "If one of my teammates had ever become so pathetic, had given up completely like this… I'd drag them back to Konoha if I had to break every bone in their body."
Naruto shuddered theatrically.
Tsunade looked up slowly to stare down the Uchiha. "You want to give it a try, you brat?" She lifted a finger. "I wouldn't even need to fight with my whole body… one finger would do."
Sasuke fell into a fighting stance, a smirk tugging at his lips. And then he was charging forward, eyes blazing, whirling around in a kick-
Tsunade blocked it with one finger, twisting out of the way of the shuriken that had been hidden in his turning movement. Her finger snapped up to break the wire that had been attached to the shuriken, and then she was leaping into the air as the boy let out a Great Fireball.
Oh, definitely an Uchiha.
Without her noticing, a slow smile had begun to spread over her lips.
She landed with a crash, slamming her index finger onto the ground. The force of the chakra she fed into the blow caused a fissure to open in the ground, snaking up to under the boy's feet. He'd only barely managed to jump aside in time, before running forward again.
She smirked, and raising her finger back up, poked it square in his forehead.
There was a pause as the force absorbed and transferred; she saw his eyes widen and fade back to black.
She paused in the follow-up flick she was going to smack the boy with. There was something wrong in the look in the boy's eyes, and he had frozen in place as though stunned.
She raised her hand… and pressed it over his hair, ruffling it gently. She looked away from him, from everyone, off into the distance. "Look… kid. I'll… I'll think about what you said."
"What?" The boy's voice came out soft and somewhat strangled.
She crossed her arms. "Meet me back here in a week. Let me see if I won my lotto and we'll… We'll see." She strode away from him, nodding at Shizune. The woman's eyes were like saucers. "Come along, Shizune. We should get some rest. Plenty more sightseeing to do tomorrow." She cast a look at Jiraiya, who looked equally stunned. "That's the closest thing to a date you're getting from me, so you're paying."
She smirked as the man slumped.
"Tsunade..." Shizune said quietly, as they made their way down the streets. The group had made no move to follow them.
"Go ahead, spit it out."
"I'm… glad."
Tsunade looked over. Even Ton-Ton was giving her a strange face.
"Look, I haven't promised anything. Don't get ahead of yourself."
The women walked in companionable silence all the way back to their hotel room. Both women froze as Shizune flicked on the light.
"Sorry to intrude again, Tsunade..."
"Jiraiya..." her voice came out in a low growl. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?! I've had enough of you for one night!"
He held up his hands. "I'm being serious right now. It's important this time. Why don't you sit down?"
"Awfully bold of you to invite me to sit in my own hotel room!" she shouted, slamming the door behind her.
"Ah, but consider… I brought wine and scratch-off tickets..."
Tsunade stared at him silently before sighing and slumping into the chair next to him at the little table. Shizune gave them both a worried glance, folding herself down beside her.
"Jiraiya-sama… Is it very serious?" Shizune asked tentatively.
He nodded soberly, pouring out the wine into three cups. "It's about the girl… the teammate of those kids. The one with the chakra problem." He stared at her seriously.
Tsunade took the offered cup, and swallowed half in one gulp. "… Was it from the jinchuriki's biju?" she asked. "Is the seal weakening?"
"No, and yes."
She stared at him. "What?"
Jiraiya sighed. "It's faint, but… I can just barely detect the chakra of the biju, trying to come alive in the boy..." He shook his head. "But that is my problem. The problem I wanted to share with you, if you'd let me, is about that girl's chakra… It's familiar."
Tsunade's hand tightened around her cup. "No… not him." She shook her head. "She'd just be a genin. A kid. What could he want with her? Why not Naruto, or the Uchiha?"
Jiraiya studied the top of the table. "That's not all… This chakra, her sensei said he could sense the barest flickers of it within her for weeks." He looked back up at her, his eyes cold. "He said she'd been the victim of some sort of attack… something that destroyed her memories and laid a false identity overtop. Something like a dream, like a completely different world."
Tsunade downed the rest of her wine in one gulp. "Shit."
Jiraiya nodded. "Yes. Furthermore..."
"There's more?!"
He looked her square in the eye. "I've heard rumours of her developing her own strength technique. Controlling the chakra in her muscles to the extent of the Hyuuga. Healing trees without even trying to..."
Her jaw dropped. "Who… is she?"
Jiraiya smiled, an expression between gentle and pained. "I'm sure the boys would be delighted if you came with us to find out..."
Tsunade put her head in her hands. "… You wanted to cover all your bases with the guilt, didn't you?" She muttered. "I think I'm starting to see that kid's perspective on his teammates." Her lips curled. "Even after years, you still feel somehow responsible for them… don't you?"
Three days later, she agreed to join them.
The boys all admitted to being on a mission to retrieve her. To working with the Lady Fire and the Mayor of the city, specifically to track her and convince her to come back.
When Tsunade won the lottery, it was sworn up and down that it hadn't been rigged.
Shizune hugged her enthusiastically, exclaiming her joy, saying she'd be able to pay off all of her debts. The relief at the reprieve from financial worries, and delight at Tsunade agreeing to at least try at her profession again, had raised the young woman to a level delight she had never seen in her.
Tsunade's stomach clenched.
The Legendary Sucker won it big.
She focused on keeping her breathing even, trying to choke back the dread that rose in her.
Nothing good ever happens when I win.
Luck may be in statistics… but the universe always brings me into balance.
It was with a heavy heart that Tsunade followed them back toward Konoha, wondering whether there would be more deaths following her attempt than lives saved.
All along her journey, she thought of turning away. Running.
But when she looked at the Uchiha and the Uzumaki… she couldn't.