#and nawaki if he's alive

[sannin-three]

AU where all three Sannin rebel and run away to form their own village together, anyone?

[wyrdle]

The baby sannin and the Senju. OK IDEAS UNDER THE CUT

I’ve read it a few times (not often enough) in fic that because of Tsunade’s lineage/family, it’s possible that the baby sannin got to know Hashirama, Tobirama, Mito etc. Basically the esteemed, almost royal, Senju family. By virtue of just being Tsunade’s teammates, I’m sure both Orochimaru and Jiraiya would’ve been kids the family wanted to get to know, and might’ve even come under intense scrutiny and/or affection lmao.

I know the warring era timeline is fuzzy, but it seems like Tsunade knew her grandpa for a while. It’s unlikely for the sannin to be a trio until they’re genin (would be cute tho), but I think would still warrant Tobirama knowing who they are. I’m assuming Sarutobi was already teaching the three, during the Nidaime’s rule, before he takes up the hat. Mito is still alive in Kushina’s time, so she’d definitely see the other two often.

Regardless, I like the thought of this being possible lmao. Tsunade roping her two buddies into her family compound and stuff. (Orochimaru is orphaned at some point and it squeezes my heart at the thought that the Tsunade tries her best to help) ((There’s probably something about the clan not taking orphans, because favouritism and all that but eugh PRETEND))

In any case, I think any students linked to the Hokage or the Hokage’s students are always a big deal as they’re likely to be the next candidates, so the sannin were a very special team from the get go. It then makes sense then for Nawaki, Tsunade’s brother, to be entrusted to Orochimaru (not at all canonically proven to be a sensei-student relation, but still entrusted because it’s Orochimaru, Tsunade’s teammate). This is probably a death that was a rather big deal for the Senju family tbh, and it’d be news in Konoha at the very least, tied to Oro’s name possibly? Fast forward to when Oro’s the only Sannin left in Konoha and the small and dwindling Senju clan, he’s quite terribly alone, leading to Danzo, Root, etc. He made the choice to be a horrible human, but quite a lot leads up to it/molds him into it. Anyway, lmao how awkward it’d be to reincarnate Tsunade’s grandpa and granduncle with Edo Tensei sldkfjngsdg. The god of shinobi going “Omg you’ve grown so tall now, you used to be so kawaii” XD

[team7-headquarter]

There must be an au where Tsunade stays in the village after Sakumo suicides, because they were friends and she doesn't want Kakashi to grow up alone. She thinks about how all her family is dead and her heart aches in understanding.

Then Obito dies. The one that was like a brother to Kakashi. And Tsunade thinks about seeing the broken body of Nawaki and she panics about it but not enough she can't hug Kakashi until he stops trembling.

And then Kakashi kills Rin. And it is too much to bear to know Rin died with Kakashi's hand deep in her chest, just like Dan died on Tsunade. It's too much but Tsunade stays, she stays and she stays and Kakashi doesn't know why but he can't find it in him to push her away.

And when Minato dies, when Kushina dies, the only reason they don't break is Naruto. Kushina was more like a cousin to Tsunade. It was Mito how made both of them promise they would keep alive the Senjuz and Uzumakis friendship. Minato was the last teammate Kakashi had, the second time he lost a father figure.

I like the idea that Tsunade ends up being a aunt figure for both Kakashi and Naruto, while Kakashi grows to be like an awesome older brother to our favorite ramen lover. She teaches them both how to better control their chakra and allows them to be creative with their skills, but sets boundaries about what thing are off-limits. She won't allow them to died stupidly. She owns it to their parents after all.

[izumaki-naruto]

tsunade's arc

When we're introduced to Tsunade, she's at rock bottom. She's a medical ninja who's afraid of blood. She's broke and constantly on the run from loan sharks. She hasn't been back to the village in years—in fact, she's completely uninvolved with the shinobi world. She's rude and she engages in self-destructive behavior by gambling and drinking all the time. It's easy to dismiss her, like Naruto does, as a shallow, unlikeable old woman.

But then we learn that all this is because she's running from her past. Her brother and partner are both dead, and the reason she's so callous towards Naruto in particular is because he reminds her of them to the point that's it's painful.

(chapter 159)

Tsunade's most prized possession is her necklace: in particular, it's the necklace that's brought bad luck to the only other people who have worn it, her brother and her partner.

(chapter 160) (He died the literal day after she gave it to him? Jesus Christ.)

Obviously, the necklace represents the dream to be Hokage—to love and protect the village. She first gave it to Nawaki as an acknowledgement of his dream, and to prove her belief in him. She reclaimed the necklace after he died, then met Dan sometime afterward.

(chapter 160)

Nawaki's death was initially what drove her to, if not become a medical ninja, then push for greater medical access. She knew what loss felt like and wanted to prevent anyone else from experiencing that tragedy. And she wanted Nawaki's death to mean something; even if she couldn't be Hokage, she could bring a small piece of his dream to fruition by protecting the people of Konoha via healing.

Though the Hokage disagreed with her proposal, she met Dan, another person who knew the loss of a younger sibling and agreed with her ideals. He, like Nawaki, hoped to protect the village, and he envisioned a brighter future without the heavy spectre of violent, premature death.

(chapter 160)

Tsunade saw herself in Dan because of their similar trauma and the desire they both had to improve the village. But more importantly, she saw Nawaki in Dan—his kindness, his drive, his optimism. Her belief in Dan was so strong that she, once again, gave away her necklace, entrusting him with the protection of the village and its future...

... but, once again, to tragic results.

This was the moment she truly lost everything. Her loved ones, both current and the echoes of the one long gone. Her hope for a brighter future. Her belief in the village. And, most importantly, her belief in herself. If even she, the greatest medical ninja alive, couldn't save the one she loved most, then what was the point anymore? Significant change was impossible. She was destined to fail from the start.

And that's what led her to her situation at the beginning of the arc. She was consumed by grief, blaming herself and running away, burying Nawaki and Dan's (and her!) dreams along with their memory.

Then Naruto comes along and inspires her with his endless determination, as he does.

(chapter 163)

(chapter 166) (what a cool panel)

(chapter 167) (it's always the left hand!)

(chapter 167)

She sees history replay: another young man risks his life for the title "Hokage," but this time he manages two impossible achievements. Not only does he block the fatal attack, he counterattacks with the justsu she bet he couldn't master. Naruto lives, and it's like Nawaki and Dan live on through him. By saving him, she is saving them. And thus, a third impossible thing happens. Tsunade feels hope for the first time in years.

(chapter 168)

Naruto proves that the ideal Hokage that Nawaki and Dan wanted to achieve—the Hokage that protects and improves the village—is possible. Tsunade entrusts her necklace to him with the belief that he can fulfill that role, having defied all the cards stacked against him through sheer determination.

(chapter 169)

But Nawaki and Dan weren't the only ones who imagined a better future for the village. Tsunade had her own dreams once: a world where children don't have to pointlessly die. When Tsunade saves Naruto's life, first with medical jutsu and then by blocking Orochimaru with her own body, she remembers her aspirations and regains the confidence that she can make a difference. She loses her fear of blood along with her self-blame and defeatism. And thus, Konoha's fifth Hokage is born.

(chapter 169)

Bonus:

Tsunade also has the superior thematic forehead-related gesture of affection

[cielorinrin]

Why I like Sakumo x Orochimaru

I just looked up Sakumo x Orochimaru for the first time here on Tumblr despite me reading every single SakuOro fic there ever was, and apparently people don’t like it? I mean, I suppose at first, I was skeptical as well, like? How would that even happen? They didn’t even interact with one another. But then I eventually fell in love with the ship, probably because I like Orochimaru lol.

So first, let me talk about what I like about Orochimaru, or at least the Orochimaru that exists in my mind. I am under the impression, from the flashbacks, that Orochimaru wasn’t all that bad back when the Sannin was still complete. Jiraiya and Tsunade were there for him and made sure to keep him in the light. As we see during the time when he offered to kill off the three orphans. To me, that shows that Orochimaru was morally gray even before, but I don’t think he was malicious during that scenario. Think of it this way, they were orphans in a war-stricken place in a shinobi world, they would steal for food and they’d be able to survive, but time will come where they’d be caught and killed or taken and sold. Either way, had Jiraiya not stayed with them, they were going to suffer regardless. So, in my eyes, Orochimaru believed he was being helpful. (Or maybe I try to look too much for a good side in people lol I’m working on it I swear)

Then Jiraiya stayed behind with the orphans. Then Tsunade left. Then Sarutobi was busy with his Hokage duties, and we all know Orochimaru wouldn’t run to him for help anyway. And suddenly, Orochimaru was all alone in a village that barely tolerated him. Because the villagers didn’t really like Orochimaru like how they adored his two other teammates – who left the village in wartime might I add! Furthermore, he was also grieving because I assume that Nawaki was his student since he was with him on the mission that eventually killed him and his teammates. 

He was isolated and grieving without his two anchors. He was already morally gray even before all of this happened, so I see why he had ended up doing those horrible experiments. He started becoming obsessed with eternal life back when his parents died, now with his genin team dead and his teammates leaving him, I can see how he’d end up the way he did. And I bet my entire arm that Danzo had a hand in how Orochimaru eventually started with the experiments. Who else would provide him with orphans to experiment in but that ugly, slimy, disgusting, war-hawk bastard? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not excusing Orochimaru’s experiments because those are horrible and he deserves death at least 100x, but also, what if he wasn’t alone and he had someone to keep him afloat before he even went down that road? That’s where Sakumo comes in.

We are all suckers for aloof morally gray men with golden retriever boyfriends! Admit it!! Okay maybe not all of us, but I bet a lot of us like that pairing! I adore those pairings aaaaa

I’m not incredibly certain regarding the timeline of when Sakumo died and when Orochimaru left, but let’s pretend that after Tsunade left Sakumo was still alive. What if Sakumo was there for Orochimaru when his teammates left him and his genin died? What if, in return, Orochimaru was there for him when the villagers were being stupid and hating on him for saving his team? What if they were there for each other before everything went bad? It’s all of those “what ifs” that makes the Sakumo x Orochimaru ship really attractive to me personally.

Side note: I also like how good of a parent Orochimaru is to Mitsuki and I want Kashi to have a nice childhood that’s all.

I’m not saying everyone should ship SakuOro because that’s silly, we all have different tastes and I know a lot of Naruto fans aren’t fond of Oro and that’s perfectly fine! I just wanted to give insight on why I, personally, like the ship. <3

[thousandseal]

Tsunades reaction on hearing about or seeing the damage the nine tails did to him after he saved Kushina from fully transforming though 👀👀👀👀

👀 👀 hey google show me some angst yea?

With tsunade's bad luck she was out of the village when it happened. Thankfully she wasn't to far out ( either on her way to a mission or coming back from one undecided ). She could sense something bad was happening. having been around mito since she was a baby, she was more adapt than most at picking up on things related to kyuubi / jinchuriki so she's worried before she even knew what's going on. shizune met her at the village gate before anyone else, jira is already there dealing with everything. she doesn’t wait around for a full run down before she's taking off again. she only registered two things shizune said; that kushina slipped in her control of kyuubi and minato got hurt. you’ve never seen her move so fast. fear, panic, anger. whether she's there or not, why does everyone she care's about keep getting hurt? she's worked herself into a wild panic by the time she gets to the hospital.

okay now hear me out— when she gets there, she physically can't go in the room. she's frozen in the doorway. it's crushing like when she lost dan but its flash backs of nawaki that hits her harder in the moment. minato just looks so young and small and broken too her. the rush and the panic in the room, has her wanting to turn around and run but jira snaps her back into the moment. she's never really been there for him, never been able to do anything for him, now she can and she's ashamed in herself. she wanted to run and she's to scared to take the lead in healing him she's a failure .

she hesitates but takes action, helping with healing but she flat out refuses to take lead, too scared. once he's safe she stays in the room and doesn't go home till he wakes up. while she's watching over him all she can think is that dan would be proud of him, that her family would have been proud of him, its a relief that his okay and alive but her shame and guilt only grows and she leave for a couple of month long missions after he's awake.

[eighthmelody]

@lilirien

I’m thrilled at your response! Orochimaru becoming a death god is icing on the cake. I loved hearing you unpack the story behind that art-piece.

I hadn’t considered the possibility of basing his dream on an earlier part of his life. Now that I think about the likes of Tsunade, who dreamt of Dan being Hokage, Nawaki being alive, and her team back together, I think your take on his dream is a breath of fresh air.

A friend of mine suggested once that he wanted to learn Edo Tensei so that he could ultimately see his parents again. I would have loved to seen something like that, especially since he seemed so interested in the thought of seeing them again as a child.

As far as his dramatic change in attitude, I’d assumed fear played a massive role in his deteriorating state-of-mind. He started his career as a shinobi incredibly young. He loses his parents around this time. It hurts, but he weathers through because he wants to live to see them again. One day, he wakes up a little older, a teenager, but that’s fine. He’s stronger than he was before, faster, better. Tsunade loses her brother, then Dan not long after. It’s another punch to his gut, so he starts to think about the what-ifs. Then he wakes up, and he’s much older. He’s in his late 30s. He’s still powerful, but he’s not as quick as he used to be. Jiraiya and Tsunade are older, and Sarutobi-sensei’s hair is graying. His skin is pruning. I think Orochimaru just started panicking. All the memories of his dead parents and acquaintances started ganging-up on him.

I wish desperately we could have seen more of the Blank Period and time skips. A lot of his development got passed-over, and you’re right; it makes his growth feel awkward.

[theunrealinsomniac]

Is Nawaki alive in your au ?

Yes. He's not in the story because that would take some long leaps away from relevancy but yes, he's alive and well.

The Wedding!AU is one of my 'Everybody Lives!' stories you see.

[darkclouud9]

THERE ARE TEARS IN MY EYES SOMEONE FUCKING END ME

^ just found out that Jiraiya wouldn't have been in the village when Sakumo killed himself because he still would've been in Ame with the orphans.......................

I'm gonna fucking

putting my interpretation here bc :3

Nawaki dies a few days after his birthday, so around the date of august 5th. Tsunade is 24 at his death but turns 25 shortly after. Jiraiya and Orochimaru are still 24, and Sakumo is around their age (I presonally think he IS their age, so also 24)

Chibi (I think that's Yahiko's dog??) wanders too close to the battle between the SANNIN and HANZO in AME. I didn't know this happened BEFORE Dan's death........ Dan dies the same year as Nawaki, so some of them (and Sakumo) may be 25 already, or still 24 (Jiraiya) BUT the thing is, I'm certain it's stated that the sannin are LATE 20s for the battle against Hanzo. that is mid 20s...

after the battle, Tsunade and Orochimaru go home, leaving Jiraiya with the Ame orphans, so he would also miss Dan's death.

Mito dies, passing the 9 tails onto Kushina, probably one of the final characters alive from the warring states period

Sasori's parents are killed, leaving an angry Chiyo wanting Sakumo dead at her hands. Chiyo and Sakumo would have a rough 20 year gap between them btw. in which 20 years also passes until Chiyo tries to kill Kakashi, mistaking him for the White Fang of the Leaf, until her brother stops her

and then Sakumo fucks a mission up, gets vilified, and kills himself, leaving his 4-8 year old son depending on how you look at it (which the older Kakashi is, the less of a chance Sakumo died in the 2nd war, which this states he does. I personally believe Kakashi is 4 when Sakumo dies, and that event is between the 2nd and 3rd war. Kakashi is very much alive and raised while the 2nd war is going on though, but is maybe around 3 or 4 when it ends)

which Jiraiya is probably still in Ame by the time Sakumo dies, missing both Dan and his deaths :/

I wonder how Jiraiya felt.

[imaginarianisms]

⭐

o em my friend. u already Know. litcherally all of our& founders era muses @ your three darlings ofc ! they've litcherally grown sm im& proud of them. for the sake of my& sanity, i'm& likely gonna be putting your three muses in separate categories so i can think of specific plotlines for em & a general one 4 all three.

general: ik we definitely had plots between your three senju-uzumaki siblings & my& uchiha-senju siblings considering they're third cousins iirc & likely would've grown up together back in the ol' days that i dont think we ever rly got to see sadly but its definitely never too late ! mito ( & perhaps kurama by extension ) with her three babies & toka being a good aunt to them is a given w/o question. toka is the last pureblooded senju woman considering in our& lore the senju clan died out in the male line by the second shinobi world war started & it was entirely ran by women since & toka lives for a very long time & long outlives her cousins (who may as well be her brothers) & mito as well & in her main verse she's still alive by sorcery & not to mention the senju having naturally long lifespans. madara interacting with them would be intriguing for sure, especially considering in our& lore, madara & mito were once madly in love so seeing mito move on with hashirama & how that would be bittersweet for him looking at their children would be very intriguing. i& also have sarutobi sasuke, hiruzen's father who i& barely got to portray sadly, he's a rly iconic character i made from the ground up ! ik you mentioned your babeys wanting to meet other shinobi from other nations & we have the original first generation of the nine jinchuriki fūsa arashi, nii tora, yuki shiro, terumī akane, goemon ishimaru, homatsu mizuto, tamamushi takiko, otenki b & uzumaki mito — all ocs save for mito ofc lmao for that, most of whom are either the biological or adopted children or relative of a kage but not all of them, some are close confidants of other kage. kaguya comes to mind, too, although i think she would manifest in another form. in our& lore, what's also worthy of note is that hashirama, mito & madara left the mainland to hunt & capture the nine bijuu not long after the alliance was sealed & before konoha was founded so that may be an interesting plot point. i& also have muses from other fandoms w/ narutoverse au's like misa amane (death note) & many others & i& also offer my present day era muses which likely would only apply to maeko ! danma: first thing that comes to mind are sarutobi sasuke, hiruzen's father & uchiha kimiko, hikaku & toka's youngest daighter (in our& lore, she's tsunade & nawaki's mother — completely optional w/ this one tho!) & madara. ik you mentioned danma being envious of hiruzen at some point so idk maybe he asks sasuke or maybe even madara to train him. who knows maybe one of my jinchuriki munchkins ended up killing him in war. maeko: ik we mentioned ages ago that aiko & maeko were supposed to have plots together at some point, same thing w/ momoka, takehiko & kimiko. it's been a while tho so we'd def have to check that out. i THIIIIIINK i may have had sasuke have the eight gates technique iirc so idk that may be of interest to you w/ your newer revamped verses. iirc if maeko's the last surviving sibling of the three, toka will definitely grow uber protective of her for sure. kichiroh: first thing that comes to mind is haruka, actually. iirc she ends up joining anbu at some point & she ends up being one of the greatest swordswomen & assassins of her era. who knows they might've been comrades in arms. also, ik you mentioned kiki ends up being assassinated after the destruction of uzushio. in our& lore, yuki shiro, the first jinchuriki of isobu, with the assistance of homatsu mizuto, the first jinchuriki of saiken end up destroying uzushio at the end of the second world shinobi war so idk maybe they played a role in kichi's death. i& also offer kurama by proxy of mito bc i& can definitely see that being a really interesting dynamic to see being portrayed.

Send a " ⭐ " and I will list muses I would be interested in throwing at yours, or potential muse combinations if you are also a multi. If you like any of the suggested combinations, you are welcome to come plot or start interactions with them. || @woodblxssomcrowned || OPEN; ACCEPTING.

[team7-headquarter]

More fics where the moral struggle of the medic nins are the main conflict of the story.

You are a medic. You know death intimately. Not like the rest knows it, at it most violent, in the heat of a fight, in the assassin's shade and cold. No, you know death in every way. You speak it's name when a patient's heart has beaten for the last time. You hold death's hands sometimes, as you see it lay in the bed where a person once was, now being as one with the final destination of everything that's alive. You know death at its silence, you know death as you swim in mud and blood to take care of a fallen shinobi, you know death and you battle it and you deliver it sometimes.

War or peace, even in a world with no more shinobis and hidden villages, you'd know it. Your job is to make death retreat another day or at least make sure once it comes, it does with the kiss of a friend and not the dagger of an enemy.

So what does it mean to you to see the dead be manipulated as weapons by a jutsu? What does it mean to hear the dead are back and there's an army of them coming against you? What does it mean to be a medic in a world were people can change bodies and cheat death and make puppets out of corpses and manipulate people's minds and actions even after death? What does it mean to want to heal and preserve life when your profession requires you to kill? When there are jutsus that allow you to give your life to another?

When Orochimaru offers to bring back Dan and Nawaki to Tsunade, but she'd have to kill other two people to take the place of their bodies, that's what I'm talking about. She's the most legendary medic nin and has to face the dilema of when does the medic nin job ends.

Medic nins are constantly stealing from death, so where's the limit? Who dictates what the limit is, anyway? In a world where violence is the rule, what can you expect the medic nin moral code to be? If you have the power, what are you required to do? What is expected of you? Are medic nins a liability or a commodity? A treasure or a risk? Can they be scared of a medic nin ability? What do you have to do to qualified as a medic nin?

Shinobis like Tobirama and Orochimaru and Danzo experimented on people, so they are scientists but not medic nins. Is that right? Hashirama had one of the best regenerating techniques, but was he considered a medic nin for that? Sasori was a poison specialist or could he be called a medic nin too? Are they medic mins only if they have morally good intentions? What does it mean in a world like the one in Naruto?

So many interesting plots and points of view and concepts...

[rayshippouuchiha]

I can't stop thinking about an AU idea where a grandson of Mito volunteers to become the next jinchuuriki after the fall of Uzushio because Kushina is a child and doesn't deserve to be condemned to a life of living as a weapon (a weapon for a village that failed theirs, at that), and like I can't stop thinking about this Uzumaki dude and about pairing him off with Orochimaru and maybe even Sakumo too and it's very ???

A couple things about this... thing:

• The Uzumaki clan will be represented in the council because by fucking Kami this dude is not gonna let the village silence and slide the Uzumaki under the rug. (I headcanon that Konoha used Kushina's young age [and thus ignorance] to not give her clan representation in the council, if that makes sense. That's why “Uzumaki” isn't recognized as a clan, and why the name pretty much... faded into obscurity in canon. In Konoha at least. And this guy, at least like, 24 when this goes down and a grandson of Hashirama and Mito, is not ignorant enough to let this happen. Maybe he even teams up with his grandma before Kurama gets extracted, using her political power to harangue the council. Something like that.)

• He greatly resents Konoha in secret. Why shouldn't he? They didn't hesitate to kill his grandmother to have a weapon. And they wanted to make Kushina, a nine-year-old, into the next jinchuuriki.

3. My memory of the timeline is wonky af, I don't know if Dan is dead by the time Uzushio fell, or if he's still alive, if Nawaki's still alive, so the relationship between Tsunade and her cousin is very much ??? at this point.

4. He would've preferred to be something like an academy teacher (maybe he was one back in Uzushio) but alas, he's a jinchuuriki now and he has to live with that. Doesn't help that he actually hates combat and war (even more so after the Uzushio trauma).

• Dunno how that would happen but Kurama and the dude bond via basically “oh mood” at each other's woes.

A couple ways this AU could go:

1. His existence and influence prevents Oro from leaving and Sakumo from dying. Any one of those three could become the Hokage and overhaul a lot of shit to make Konoha a better place.

2. Oro doesn't leave and Sakumo doesn't die, but they just settle in the outskirts of the village going on with their merry lives and generally kinda detached from Konoha proper... maybe except Sakumo because man's got a huge heart.

3. The three of them plus Kakashi and Kushina fuck off to make their own Hidden Village (hello Otogakure?? Uzushio rebuilt??) Would Minato also be snatched?? Or enemies-to-lovers MinaKushi?????

So um, have this thing. I hope you and your lovelies enjoy it! *hastily scurries away like a skittish mouse*

Oh this is absolutely magnificient and I hands down think you should write it because it'd be great!!

[captnjacksparrow]

hi! what is you favourite naruto female character and why?

It's definitely Senju Tsunade!!

Tsunade is the only female character in Narutoverse to have a separate Arc dedicated to her. She had a real dream which could change the life of countless Shinobis who were pointlessly dying on the Battlefield, that is... to assign a Medical Ninja to every team which reduces the death rate by a wide margin.

And that dream was not motivated by the man she was romantically interested in but instead it came out of the loss of her beloved person, her Brother Nawaki.

Unlike many horny biashhhhes in this series, her romance was totally relatable. She found a man who suffered the same pain of losing a sibling, a sister

“He’s just like me”

Dan seems to support that noble dream as hers' and then she started to develop a natural bond with him. I mean, it’s not a love that came out of reasonless attraction and shit.

It’s a typical Work Place romance. Healthy, Organic and Cute at the same time.

Even though she lost Dan, after Naruto’s persistence she found it in herself to keep Dan’s dream alive by becoming the Hokage of Konoha. 

Is there any other woman character in Narutoverse to have some realistic dream and achieved them successfully?? Or is there any other woman who carried her beloved person’s dream to keep it alive??

I really don’t think so. But Tsunade did both. She revolutionized the Medical System of the Shinobi world and carried Dan’s dream to become Hokage.!!!

And Finally

She had a good Closure!!!!! I loved this moment.

Who said Kishimoto can’t write Romance??? Well, this relationship seems so genuine and realistic in my opinion. 

She is the Second Best Hokage who took over Konoha right after the destruction made by Orochimaru, excellently handled the aftermath by making friendly relations with Suna (Sand village), provided her best medical support to Konoha in the Pain Arc and successfully handled the fourth Shinobi world war.

She is such a badass who developed her own original jutsu called Byakugou no Jutsu, 100 healings Jutsu which can enable to heal herself.

She is just way too amazing and it’s a pity that we got very less scenes of her in Shippuden.

Best Moments:

Took 25+ stabs from Madara’s Susanoo like a piece of cake (Man, I simply couldn’t describe that scene. All the other Kages were shocked and even Madara too)

Lifted her advisors like a cabbage sack (Those fucking old hags deserved it. Those shits should’ve died)

Her index finger flick assault on Naruto (Aww, Naruto was definitely bratty in his first meeting and Tsunade didn’t hold back at all... Tbh, Naruto deserved it!!!)

Played Orochimaru like a basketball (In that same arc, she fought Orochimaru mercilessly like a devil left and right. Someone who claimed to have surpassed Tsunade never even dared to fight Orochimaru’s student and crying for his attention after just receiving one stab from Madara. Just saying)

Please don’t compare this strong woman with some other 3rd rated scum characters in Narutoverse.

[honoraryplebeian]

I was recently consumed by this idea of Tobirama raising Tsunade and Nawaki in an au where they are the only members left of the Senju Clan. A lot of this was inspired by Never Love an Anchor by the Crane Wives (100% @rockingthegraveyard 's fault I was listening to them. They also talked at length with me about this au, so you can thank them for that as well). The song inspired many of my thoughts about why Tobirama distanced himself from his family prior to having to adopt them (many feelings about being unfit as a "parent" (caretaker in this case) and the belief that his influence would be more detrimental to them than any love he could provide them. He truly believes his absence will give them a better life, so the best thing he can do is love them from afar).

In this au Hashirama would have died around the time Tsunade was about 6, so she had some time to get to know him. Tobirama is very distant in this story and only really interacted with Hashirama and Mito. Although he does like children, he doesn't really know what to do with them. If not for Hashirama's insistence he probably would not have even interacted much with his nieces or nephews. This mostly comes from his own upbringing. The only model he had for a parent was Butsuma, and he knows he was not a great example for how to treat children. He can see some of the same harshness and militaristic mindset his father had in himself, so there is a lingering concern he has that were he to interact with children he would harm them in the same way his father harmed him and his brothers. Not only that, but he sees himself as a relic of a dying generation who could not truly know peace the new generation will, and he doesn't want to pass on those ideas. There is also fear, though he would never admit it to himself, of growing attached only for those children to die. Yes, they now live in a time of "peace" and children don't have to fight on the battlefield, but he has a lifetime of experience (his own brothers) telling him otherwise.

Due to this, the only interactions he has with Tsunade is when she happens to be there when he is visiting Hashirama. He is polite to her and greets her formally, and aside from asking her if she has learned anything interesting as she gets older, he doesn't really talk with her. The only memory she had of him where he is not neutrally speaking with her is one time when he was leaving and she and Hashirama started playing a game of chase she could have swore she saw him smile sadly before leaving. It was only a moment though, so she was never sure.

When Hashirama does die, Tobirama throws himself into work. His nieces and nephews (people he never took the chance to be truly close to) remark on how unaffected he seems by his brother's death. The brother who seemed to be the only person he cared about. They comment that there must be some merit to those old war monikers that labeled him a cold and uncaring monster. Adults always talk around children, so Tsunade of course hears all of this. She also had no memory or experience to dispute it.

Two years pass and Tsunade is now 8 and Nawaki is 1 (the Naruto timeline is an abomination, so I am altering it as I please). Tobirama became Hokage not long after Hashirama's death, and with the war going on people are constantly leaving and not coming back. If she saw little of Tobirama when Hashirama was alive, she now only sees him in the fleeting moments he is working around the village or coming and going from the battlefield. She doesn't think much of him outside moments he is mentioned. They are basically strangers.

The war does a number on the Senju Clan, and there are not many members left. Tobirama survives the fight with the Kinkaku Force, but is left severely injured. He cannot go back into combat. He passes on the title of Hokage and he is forced to basically retire from shinobi life since he is unfit for combat. He still advices on issues, but it still leaves him with more time than he knows what to do with. He becomes even more of a recluse and dedicates what time he isn't working to research.

At some point here a series of unfortunate missions kills off the few other remaining members of the Senju Clan (I know the Second War probablydid this, but again alteringfor my purposes), leaving only Tobirama, Tsunade, and Nawaki. (I don't know what happened to Mito. I don't want to kill her, but if she was still alive then she would obviously get custody. Maybe she's in Uzushiogakure, and for some reason was never informed? Still a rough spot (though it might be nice to have her eventually visit and see how having to raise children eventually softens Tobirama some. Much to think about. I've only had the idea for two days, so I am permitted not to know everything.))

Now Tsunade has to deal with the loss of her parents and is being told that she is being placed in the care of her Great Uncle, a person she barely knows. Tobirama himself is not pleased with the situation for many reasons. He is obviously devastated at what has happened to his clan and berates himself for allowing it to get to this point and not being able to fight and possibly prevent it (even if he didn't really have control over it). He is worried about his capabilities of raising children both physically (haven't decided on the exact nature and severity of his wounds, but enough so that he is unfit for combat) and ability wise (again concerns about being like his father and too harsh/cruel (everything people say about him) to raise children the way they deserve). He is ever a man of duty though, so he accepts the responsibility of raising them.

At this point in her life, Tsunade has heard what almost everyone has said about her Great Uncle. He is a very distant and cold man who dedicated his life to the village. He demands perfection in all he does and is renowned for his fighting prowess (before the injury) and intelligence. Despite his dedication to the village, he is not known to have any close relationships and is generally considered to hold no affection for anyone except perhaps his late brother (which is disputed based on his reaction to his brother's death). Overall, it is not a comforting idea to have such a man raise her and her infant brother.

When they first move in with him it would be painfully awkward. Neither side knows what to make of each other. Tobirama falls back on being very formal since it's all he can think to do, and Tsunade, despite her usual bold and confident nature, is very reserved at first and doesn't say much (she is also still dealing with the loss of her parents). Tobirama hasn't lived with someone since before Hashirama was married, and he hasn't truly been around children since he was one himself helping raise his younger brothers. He doesn't know if he is expected to be the one mostly taking care of Nawaki either since Tsunade is constantly carrying him around and has made no move to hand him over yet.

He would show Tsunade to her new room and tell her to let him know if she needed anything. He would leave them to adjust until it was time to eat. Once they were seated he would offer to hold Nawaki so Tsunade had her hands free, and she cannot find a reason to say know. With a gentleness she did not know he was capable of, Tobirama would carefully hold Nawaki close to him and feed him. Since she had never seen him taking care of a child, Tsunade would be confused as to how he looked so experienced doing so and how he didn't even seem bothered by the mess Nawaki was making as he ate, as infants often do. It would by no means erase all her concerns, but it would allow her to start trying to adjust.

That's not to say there wouldn't be problems though. Both Tobirama and Tsunade have short tempers and can be very stubborn. Despite his best efforts there will probably be something within the first two or three weeks that starts an argument. Whether it's Tsunade picking a fight as she is still trying to work through her grief or Tobirama misinterpreting some action as willful defiance or something, there will come a point where he yells at her. Tsunade would be shocked because she had started to think that Tobirama wasn't as bad as the rumors said and had on some level started trusting him. And I don't care how confident and strong you are, but when you are 8 and an adult you don't know well but you know is stronger than you and has power over you starts yelling at you, that's scary (especially when she is already at a vulnerable point in her life). It is shocking since he has been nothing but polite and distantly gentle so far. When tears start forming in her eyes Tobirama realizes what he's done and hates himself for it. In his mind it proves his concerns right. Even though he tried not to, he ended up like his father. He didn't even have the children for a month and he already managed to hurt one. Instantly stopping his yelling the moment he realizes he lost his temper, he would leave the room without another word. He needs the distance to think and calm down. This would also confuse Tsunade more because she doesn't know what to expect next time she sees him. When he does come back later and knocks on the door to her room, she doesn't answer. He obviously knows she's there, but doesn't open the door. Talking loud enough so that she could hear him, he would apologize for yelling at her and promise to take steps to not do so in the future. It's not a long or detailed apology, but it is an acknowledgment that he was wrong. Tsunade would undoubtedly still be hesitant for some time, but it would help show that he was not cruel intentionally.

Things would go on like this for some time, and Tsunade would slowly start becoming bolder and bolder until her full personality was back. Over time she would realize that some of the observations about her great uncle were true, but he is not as cold and emotionless as many people think. Distanced and reserved, yes, but not intentionally cruel (he does have a bad temper sometimes) nor uncaring. And, strangely, the more confident and outgoing she became, the more it seemed he would make a small, fond smile. She wouldn't realize just how much she reminded him of Hashirama in those moments.

Time would go on and things would never be perfect because nothing in life is, but the years have built a trust and love among them. There would always be problem of course. Like when Tsunade could not help the bit of jealousy she felt that Tobirama was so dedicated in taking care of Nawaki when he barely showed any interest in her when she was his age (she would be old enough to understand it was because they were now in his care and as an infant Nawaki needed more attention, but that does not stop the feeling from developing), or the times Tobirama would become frustrated that he could not train them the way he wanted due to the limits of his injury. Overall though, they would become a family together.

If I wanted to be cruel though (and in writing I so often want to be), I could drag it out to the Second Shinobi World War. Both Tsunade and Nawaki would be old enough to be in it. Going in Tsunade would be confident, and how could she not be? She has excellent chakra reserves, amazing strength, refined chakra control, and can use healing ninjutsu better than anyone. She is aware and knows of the horrors of war (has on rare occasions managed to get Tobirama to tell her some tales, reluctantly so on his part), but she was not born into it like her grandfather's generation. She is strong and can handle it though, she tells herself, she will be able to come through like the generations that came before her. And then she realizes the true horror of war isn't dying. She was right. She is strong and can protect herself. It's everyone else she cares about whose at risk. Even with all her strength and all her talent, she can only do so much. Even if she can heal, there's a point where it's too late and she can't heal the dead.

The war goes on and younger and younger soldiers are thrown on the field, and she starts to understand her grandfather and great uncle more. Why sometimes certain things would set them off. Why they would get that distant, pained look in their eyes. Why they both worked so tirelessly to stop the fighting. Why her great uncle spent all his time on the battlefield trying to stop the war and fight battles that would surely kill others. And she starts doing the same thing. Realizes the burden of power was to push yourself to your limit and then keep pushing because if you're not on the battlefield someone else will be, and they're not as strong as you. They might not make it. You didn't kill them, sure, but they might have lived if you went instead. She would be so tired. At times she would compare herself to Tobirama and Hashirama and wonder if she was adding up to their legacy. All those things she was proud of now become a burden, but she can't just stop.

So she pushes herself more and more, and Nawaki is out there fighting as well until one day he and his team don't come home. There is at least a body to bury. Tsunade would be beside herself in grief. She pushed herself beyond what was reasonable to expect to keep others alive, and for what? Her brother still died. What kind of sister is she? She couldn't even keep her own brother alive. And she would be home before she even know how she got there and ask for Tobirama to find a way to fix it. Nawaki couldn't be dead. Isn't Tobirama a genius? Surely he can find a way to make this right again. She couldn't be alone. And Tobirama would understand her pain far more than it would ever be fair to. He would know there are no words or condolences that would make this better. At least, if there were, he never found them. He would simply embrace her and let her cry until she fell asleep.

Not that Tobirama would be handling the situation well either. He raised Nawaki from an infant, he was basically his son. It would be another time he was not there when a person he loved was in danger. He would hate his wound more than ever before and think to himself that he should have found a way to fight anyways. There were still ways he could fight. Still ways he could be useful. Maybe if he had been in the war things would have been different.

It would be so hard for him to be strong for Tsunade when he himself was breaking, but he has a lifetime of repressing and prioritizing his thoughts to help push him through. But once she had a moment to think, Tsunade would see Tobirama falling into the same pattern he did after Hashirama died and she would realize how he pushes himself to work past all his limits when he grieves. (And she would remember what everyone said about him in the past and realize he had probably heard them. His own family saying he didn't love his brother when he was just doing anything he could to keep himself from stopping. To not give himself room to think) It would remind him so much of his brother when she forced him to stop. And she would do the same thing, just try to hug him and tell him he didn't have to do this alone and that he is allowed to mourn. And he would realize how she's grown without him noticing, and, despite all their differences, she has the same loving heart Hashirama did. And probably for the first time since Hashirama finally forced him to confront his grief over losing their brothers, he cries in front of someone.

The idea of them growing together and learning to be a family in a world that is cruel and often takes all one loves consumes me. And then once that love is there, to have the reality of what it means to be a shinobi thrust back into their lives to the point of almost breaking them. Just a family trying to pick up the pieces and somehow make it through without losing everything. It's all I've been able to think about. If you made it to the end of this long post, thank you for humoring me and my little au.

[phoenixyfriend]

Sasuke Time-Travels, Proceeds to Ask For Help Because It’s Convenient

And then becomes Tsunade’s attack chihuahua. Kinda.

19yo-ish Sasuke shows up on his parents' doorstep. Local-time Sasuke is three, and quite possibly thinks late-teens Sasuke is homeless. This is mostly because older Sasuke dresses like he stole a poncho from a landfill, and also has been living on the road for a few years, so he technically is homeless?

Mikoto is very embarrassed that her toddler is saying these things, but older Sasuke is just like ‘yeah, no, I don’t care.’

He explains The Basics to Mikoto, that he is here because shit went Very Wrong a few years post-canon, that his primary concern is (always) Itachi, that the Uchiha are going to be wiped out in a few years if they keep up the current tack, that Madara only died a few years earlier and was pulling strings the whole time.

Sasuke: I'm here to be the protagonist and solve problems Mikoto: Like hell you are, you look like you haven't eaten a vegetable in a year or slept in weeks, go lay down

Overall, the opening is a great build-up of drama and intrigue and she asks him what he's going to do about Danzo, then. And Sasuke just goes "Oh, I took care of that already."

Mikoto: You killed him?! Future Sasuke: No. I'm shit at noticing cameras and security seals, someone would have realized it was me and banned me from ever seeing Itachi again. Mikoto: So... Future Sasuke: I got Tsunade to do it.

FLASHBACK to Sasuke hunting down Tsunade, explaining that Dan and Nawaki and Sakumo all died because of Danzo, and also that Danzo was behind the Orochimaru situation, to a degree. Does Sasuke know all this 100% for sure? No. Is he pretty confident? Yeah. Is he willing to steal paperwork to prove it if that’s what it takes? As long as Tsunade pardons him afterwards, sure.

And HEY there just so happens to be a kid with Mokuton in ROOT right now that probably needs to be saved, wink wink.

Tsunade: What's in it for you, Uchiha? Sasuke: He's planning to kill my clan off for power and spreading rumors than we were behind the Kyuubi attack.

Tsunade: I can't do this without proof. Sasuke: Good thing there's a master spy that loves you more than anyone else in the world that's probably willing to do a favor or five for you if you phrase it right. Tsunade: I can't just go up to sensei and tell him I need to fight Danzo. Sasuke: So become Godaime. What're they going to do, stop you?

Sasuke just... comes back in time and decides the best way to handle his problems is to Sic Tsunade On Them with inconvenient truths

(He's met Tsunade and he's very aware of how fucked someone would be to have her gunning for their head)

Sasuke: I would kill Danzo myself, but I don't want to go S-rank missing nin again. Tsunade: Again? Sasuke: I made bad decisions as a teenager and I'd like to avoid making them while my brother is alive. Tsunade: Great. Any other amazing conditions you want to add to this ridiculous situation? Sasuke: Nothing too big-- Tsunade: That was a rhetorical question. Sasuke: --make sure Kushina's kid--you know, technically your last living relative in the country, and also a Jinchuuriki like your grandma--gets put in a loving home, get Hatake Kakashi put in some kind of therapy, put a minimum age on ANBU entry, and I have a suggestion for an apprentice you could take ten years down the line. Tsunade: I hate everything about you. Sasuke: That's fine. Most people do. I'm also planning on kidnapping an Uzumaki from Grass, so maybe be ready to make noise in defense of keeping her when I do that.

(Most of Sasuke's conditions are admittedly things Tsunade was planning on doing anyway.)

Sasuke does not hunt down Zetsu first thing, or Obito, or Orochimaru, or anything. He just handles Make Sure Itachi Stays Happy.

I think what I like about this concept overall is that Sasuke is just very open about how he's just being selfish and including her because it's convenient. He's doing the Altruistic Correct Thing for the benefit of Everyone, he's just doing it exclusively for Selfish Reasons.

Also because the tiny voice in his head that sounds like Naruto and Sakura won't stop yelling at him. Like he's doing the Justice Way, the Good Guy Way, but absolutely not for Morality Reasons, or at least not his morality reasons.

He could absolutely kill Danzo himself. He will even back up whomever she sends! But he wants to not be a criminal this time, because Itachi deserves more hugs.

He already went nukenin once, and all he got was this ugly eye.

Tsunade: Your solution to all this [waves hand around to indicate the Danzo situation] is to stage a coup. Sasuke: Is it really a coup if Sarutobi's been trying to convince you to take the hat anyway?

Tsunade: So, if you were to do this without my help, what would the collateral damage be? Sasuke: Probably... [flashback to the bullshit he pulled at age sixteen] Well, at least three historic buildings would go up in flames. I don't know what Danzo's willing to do within city limits, I only ever fought him in the middle of nowhere. Tsunade: You're sure you can beat him? Sasuke, shrugging: I've fought gods on less.

A summary so far Sasuke: I will point Tsunade at my political problem because she's got the clout. Tsunade: Congrats, I'm making you my tiny yappy attack dog.

Sasuke and Tsunade just having this weird seesaw of pointing each other at problems. “I’m using you.” “Well, I’m using you.” “Great, that means I get to use your clout.” “Well, I’m sending you into the middle of enemy territory to cause an international incident we can blame on Kumo.” “I love causing international incidents.” “Of course you do.”

The first problem she wants to point him at is His Own PTSD. Go have a Family and Get Therapy for like, at least a year.

Unfortunately, she'd have to stop him from "I got bored and went and hunted down Uchiha Obito for you, you're welcome" first. Sasuke is approximately Kakashi’s age now and has decided the best way to speedrun a friendship the way Naruto does is to bring back Obito. Sasuke wants Kakashi to spar with him, and teach him more lightning techniques. Friendship is how he gets access to such things, yes?

Sasuke disappears sometimes and everyone wonders why Tsunade isn't worried and then he just shows up like

Sasuke: Hey, this guy was presumed dead for five or six years, can your Toad Idiot get the slave seal off his heart? Also, I think he needs therapy more than I do. Tsunade: Who put the slave seal there? Sasuke: A guy called Zetsu, older than the bijuu themselves. Tsunade: And where is this 'guy,' if he's so dangerous? [flashback to Sasuke trapping Zetsu in Susanoo and using Amaterasu on him like it was going out of style, possibly pulling out his Manic Laughter] Sasuke: I took care of it.

Sasuke is exactly as unrepentant and shameless as Jiraiya but in completely different ways and Tsunade hates it. He reminds her of Orochimaru, except Sasuke has minimal science interest and mostly just goes around preaching anarchy.

Seriously, so much anarchy. Partly in the sense of ‘the system is broken and must be rebuilt in a way that prevents the horrors I lived through as a child, and that most shinobi recall in their own childhoods’ and partly in the sense of ‘powerful old people get so grumpy when I tell people to ignore them, especially when I show off my Rinnegan and they remember I can supposedly kill them with my brain.’

Tsunade: You literally are the main reason I took the hat, stop telling people to commit treason! Sasuke: No.

He's like a fusion of Jiraiya and Orochimaru. "How are you the most annoying traits of my Biggest Headaches in one person."

A random elder: You are the Senju's attack dog! Sasuke: Excuse you. Sasuke: I'm a snake. Or a hawk. Arguably a cat. Not a dog. Mikoto: That's what you take issue with? Sasuke: She's the Hokage now. Also, I have plans. Fugaku: ...plans. Sasuke: Don't worry about it. Mikoto: Every time you say that, we all just worry more. Sasuke: But you don't have to?

Every conversation Tsunade has with this kid:

[gravityunforgiven]

Right Where You Left Me (Kakashi x OC)

Pairings: Kakashi x OC, Jiraiya x Tsunade

Synopsis:

She was the daughter of a Legendary Sannin, He, a son of a disgraced shinobi. Fate brought them together but life tore them apart. Will they be able to take control of their destinies and find their way back to each other?

...Or will they be another victim of the cruel shinobi world they are both a part of?

Feel free to reblog!

Chapter Five

When Tsunade stepped outside the casino, she was frozen in her steps. She knew almost instantly that Akira was close by. She could still feel the faint but lingering presence of her chakra.

Akira’s here. She’s here.

There was no way Tsunade could have possibly mistaken Akira’s chakra for someone else’s. She may not have have seen her for a decade but Tsunade could never forget the familiarity of Akira’s presence. She knew it like the back of her hand. 

Akira’s chakra has always been a little different than of a normal shinobi largely due to the fact that wasn’t like the rest of them either. The uniqueness of her chakra was hidden in plain sight and would have been very obvious if one knows what to look for. 

By each passing second, Tsunade could feel herself sobering up. The sudden realization that her daughter was in such a close vicinity caught her off guard. She was suddenly overwhelmed by the emotions she had been trying to ignore for the past ten years. 

She wanted to see her. 

She had been meaning meaning to see Akira so many times in the last years that she had lost count of them. She had even gone as far as to reach the outskirts of their village only to turn back around and run for the hills. Tsunade just couldn’t face Akira. She was scared of what awaits her once she returned home, afraid of what Akira would say after she left her so many years ago.

She was terrified to be a burden for her daughter. It was never her intention to leave as long as she did, she only wanted to grieve properly and move on from Dan and Nawaki’s death but for some reason, a decade later, she was still grieving.

Tsunade didn’t exactly know what she was doing but she somehow found herself roaming around the unfamiliar village for the last person keeping her alive.

Just a glimpse. Just a glimpse then I’ll be gone. Tsunade kept repeating the words to herself. She had continously kept tabs on Akira through Jiraiya but there was nothing like seeing her in the flesh. 

Tsunade was well aware of the fact that she had hurt her daughter and she knew that her sudden return would cause her only more pain. She just couldn’t do that again. She just wasn’t ready to put Akira through all of that all over again. 

Though Tsunade could easily discern Akira’s chakra from a specific distance, she was certain that it was not the case for her daughter. Though it was clear that Akira was blessed with a remarkable skill in chakra control like her mother, Akira was just too young to remember Tsunade’s chakra. She was just so young.

It wasn’t long until Tsunade found her sitting on the bar of a sushi shop. Tsuande’s breath was caught in her throat. For a moment, the world around her disappeared and all she could see was her daughter. She was sitting on her own, her back faced Tsunade but there was no doubt in Tsunade’s mind that it was Akira. 

She knew it was her.

Her hair that used to reach her waist as a child now fell just a little past over her shoulder in waves of light blonde, a familiar Konoha issued cloak hung neatly on the back of her chair but Akira’s gaze was worlds away. She spun a chopstick in between her fingers as she stared at practically nothing.

Tsunade realized Akira was here on a mission. Tsunade almost scoffed at herself for thinking otherwise. Of course, she’s here on a mission. What was I expecting?

She would never admit it even to herself but a part of her still hoped that her worst fears hasn’t become a reality. Throughout the years, Jiraiya had relentlessly assured Tsunade that there was no reason for her to believe that Akira loathed her. He had told her that Akira understood why her mother left but she knew deep down that Akira must have hated her for leaving. She hated herself for leaving.

 What she did was cruel and selfish. But it was better than dragging Akira down with her to a pit of endless grieving and what ifs.

She had her glimpse of Akira. She had with her own two eyes how Akira had grown into an astonishing young woman. Tsunade knew she should leave. It was obvious that Akira was better off without her but she couldn’t bring herself to move. She knew she was being selfish yet again. Akira deserved so much better than her, she deserved a mother who can take care of her and not someone who needed taking care of.

Tsunade knew that the right thing to do was to keep her distance and she wasn’t sure if it was the  alcohol or just her but she found herself weaving hand signs and masking her appearance before closing the gap that separated her from her daughter. 

She had absolutely no idea what she was going to do when she sat on the stool next to Akira but the words came out of her mouth without her permission.

“You’re a long way from home.” Akira stopped mid-sip from her drink and looked at her right where the voice came from and found a woman clearly in her late 50s with graying hair and a smirk. 

For the second time that night,Tsunade’s breath was caught in her throat. When Akira’s eyes pierced into her own, for a split second, she saw Dan’s face instead. Even when Akira was young, people had told her how much they looked similar but seeing at her now, Tsunade thought how wrong all of them were. Akira had always been so much like Dan than she was of her. They just didn’t know him enough to see. 

Akira blinked a couple of times in confusion, unsure if she was the one being talked to by the unfamiliar woman. “I’m sorry?”

Instincts were suddenly taking over Akira’s entire body. She discreetly checked the shuriken holster on her left leg just in case the woman attacked.

“You’re Tsunade’s daughter.” She said as a matter of fact then casually orders a dish from the menu.

“Oh, no.” A defeated sigh escaped Akira’s lips. I know where this is going. She had encountered this conversation too many times than she wanted to remember. The resemblance between her and her mother kept giving away their relationship to the people Tsunade had a debt to.

“She owes you money doesn’t she?”

The woman chuckled, the lines on her face becoming more visible as she did so. “ She does actually.”

Akira shrugged nonchalantly, “I’m not paying for her.” Akira was definitely curious about the woman now. She seemed familiar, like they’ve met somewhere before though Akira was absolutely certain this was the first time she had ever seen the lady.

“Do I know you?” Akira’s eyes narrowed amd Tsunade’s heart skipped a beat.

“I used to know when you were younger.” That wasn’t exactly a lie in Tsunade’s part. She did know Akira as a child. Not anymore. The person sitting right next to her was completely different from the child who bid her goodbye on the village gates. That child was oblivious, unaware, still free from the gravity of her duties. This girl, no, this woman she was seeing bled of confidence and grace in ever action. Tsunade could see from her face how she had embraced her responsibilities wholeheartedly despite its burden. She had grown into someone Tsunade could only dream of becoming.

“Really?” Akira’s right eyebrow arched this time, still suspicious. So, Tsunade, still enamoured by the presence of her daughter, continued her cover story. She told her stories, facts only someone from the village would know and things no one would have known if they didn’t see Akira grow up. And true enough, Akira was convinced of her identity.

For what seemed like only a few minutes for Tsunade but hours in reality, the two exchanged stories with each other. It was much easier this way. To Akira, she was just a retired shinobi traveling the world, not someone living a life full of regrets. She told her stories of her time as a shinobi, the adventures, the missions, something she never had the chance to do when Akira was younger as she did not fully understood yet what it takes to become a shinobi. Still, she was careful to keep her cover on and noticed that Akira never mentioned any names. But still, it didn’t took long for Akira to succumb into the familiarity of the elder lady.

She didn’t have a lot of women in her life growing up. She had her friends for sure but Rin was gone, Kurenai was just only a few years older than her and even Kushina was not much older either. They were like her older sisters and Biwako Sarutobi became her honorary grandmother. The fact that the two most important women in her life died at the same night didn’t help at all. She didn’t have anyone to buy clothes with or talk to when her budding romance with Kakashi at the time became all too confusing. She went through all of these alone. Of course, she had Jiraiya but despite being the writer the Make Out Series, there were things only a fellow woman can understand.

As the older lady continued to speak next to her, Akira wondered if this is what it felt like to have a mother. The shinobi in her told her to shut up, pack her things and leave the woman who literally showed up from nowhere. She reminded herself that genjutsu was not exactly her strong suit but the other part of her was a little too assured that this woman was harmless and she was technically part of her old life. She was just so kind and she listened and laughed with her.

 They talked about the village and how much it has changed over the last few years. Tsunade told her abour her travels and the places she had visited and it came to her knowledge that Akira had dreamt to travel sthe world as well. Not for missions, but for herself. When Tsunade asked asked what was stopping her, Akira’s answer was short but it was more than enough for her to see the dedication that she has for the village. Like her father. 

“I guess I want to protext my people more than anything.” She answered with a shrug and a smile. Tsunade knew she meant each word from the look in her eyes alone. Akira told her how protecting the village was what she wants to do the most not because she needs to,but because she wants to. There was nothing else she would rather be than be a protector of her home.

“So you want to become Hokage, then? Is that what you want too?” Do you have his dream too?

Akira’s laugh filled the air. “No.” she chuckled. “I don’t really like paperwork.” This made Tsunade laugh herself. She guess that Akira had seen the mountains of paperwork from the Third Hokage and it did not look appealing to her either.

“ I prefer protecting the village from the outside. Besides, I’m better off at field work anyway.”

“Captain?” Their converstaion was interrupted by two seemingly normal shinobis to the normal eye but their all too familiar black cloaks immediately gave away their identities to Tsunade.

ANBU.

Akira quickly excused herself from their conversation and headed out. Tsunade was well aware of the fact that Akira had joined the ANBU at an age younger than what everyone was accustomed to but she was never informed that Akira had become a team captain. Both she and Jiraiya had been against the idea of Akira being an ANBU knowing how dangerous the missions they were sent to are but there was really nothing anyone could do when Akira sets her mind to something. All they could do was to watch and pray that she would come home every time.

The three talked in hushed tones but Tsunade heard enough to perceive that whatever their mission is, it was not going as planned. 

There was a moment of silence between the three as Akira contemplated what their next move would be.

“Tell the others we’re moving out on the first light.” Her command was curt but spoken with absolute finality. 

When Akira returned to her seat, there was a noticeable change in her mood. “Mission’s not going well, huh?” Tsunade asked though the answer was more than obvious by the look in Akira’s face.

Akira let out a deep and frustrated sigh. “I don’t really like long-term missions.”

“Someone waiting for you back home?” Tsunade took her chances and asked. She wondered if Akira had had the chance to fall in love yet. She hoped that Akira hadn’t yet as she wanted to be there for her daughter when she starts dating but the deep flush of red quickly spreading across Akira’s cheeks told her otherwise.

Oh.

Akira contemplated for a second wether she would divulge that information to the still annamed woman but before she could tell herself to stop, s smile was already forming on her lips.

“There is, actually.”

Man, I really should shut-up now.

Tsunade could see a gleam in Akira’s eyes as she told her how much this man means to her. All her worries from her mission seemed to disappear with the mention of the man. She looked incredibly happy and for that, Tsunade was beyond grateful. 

If you ever find yourself in the Land of Fire, You should come by to the village. I think he would love to meet you.” Akira says as she gestured for the bill.

Tsunade would love to meet him as well knowing that she is forever indebted to this person for bringing joy into her daughter’s life. 

The two women reached for the bill at the same time, and for a split second, their skins touched. All Tsunade could think about was heat.

Akira’s skin was abnormally hot against her. The medic ninja in her was sure that Akira had a fever of at least a hundred at the bare minimum. 

“I got this. It’s the least I could do for my mother.” Akira says, pulling out a couple of bills from her wallet.

“You’re sick.” Tsunade placed a hand on Akira’s forehead and confirmed that she was warmer than usual. 

Akira looked at her in confusion before dismissing her with a laugh. “I’m always warm.” She grinned. “That’s just me.” 

Tsunade knew it must have been an effect of being the Okami’s reincarnation she had developed while growing up. It wasn’t like this when Akira was a child or she would have instantly noticed it. 

Questions as to what else Akira may have developed plague Tsunade’s mind but she never had the chance to ask Akira because she was once again caught off guard when Akira placed her own Konoha issued cloak around Tsunade’s shoulders.

“Here. Looks like you need it more than I do.” Akira adjusted the cloak on Tsunade’s shoulder and zipped it into place. 

“But it’s cold out-“

“I’m always warm remember?” Akira held the entrance curtains of the shop out of the way for Tsunade.

The two of them stood outside the shop where the moon was already shining bright and the streets were lit with street lights. 

“You know between the two of us, you have more chances in seeing my mother more than I do.” Akira started. She knew that it was incredibly inappropriate to ask a favor from someone she had just met and whom she refuses to grace with her name but she was desperate. She had to see her mother even for a moment.

Akira had made it a point to not talk about Tsunade whenever Jiraiya was around knowing ythat the man was also having a hard time dealing with his own feelings and juggling his time between fulfilling his destiny and fathering Akira as much as he possibly can.

This woman was her last chance in order to talk to her mother and sparing Jiraiya.

“So if you ever see her, can you do me a favor and tell her to come home?” Akira looked straight into the eyes of her mother and Tsunade saw right through her and into the sadness Akira was trying so hard to conceal.

“Tell her that I understand that she doesn’t owe anything to me but I need to know-“ Akira’s voice broke.

“Tell her I need to know if it was me.” Akira forced a smile in her face. “I deserve at least that.”

I need to know if she left because I was different. Because I wasn’t like the others.

“Okay?”

“Of course.” There was nothing else Tsunade could say before Akira gave her one last smile - a smile that would haunt Tsunade for the rest of her days- before disappearing into the night with the hopes of seeing the kind woman once again 

Tsunade was left on the street on her own ince again with only her thoughts to accompany her. Of all the possible scenarios that had ran through her head, never did she once imagine that Akira woulld blame herself for the decisions she made.

It was never Akira, It was always her who had the problem.

She had always been perfect to Tsunade’s eyes from the moment she was born. She was the one good thing that happened in Tsunade’s life. She was her miracle.

Tsunade promised herself that she would tell Akira that herself.

—————

Tsunade found herself standing outside the window of her daughter’s rented room, her eyes brimmed with tears as the gravity of what she had done all those years ago finally sinked in.  

Akira blamed herself for something she had nothing to do with.

Just a few feet away from her, her daughter laid fast asleep on the futon. She was curled into a tight ball, the duvet only covering her lower body and the pillow that her head was supposed to be resting on, lay discarded on the floor. 

Tsunade couldn’t help but smile. The familiarity of the scene she was witnessing felt right. It felt like home. She had done this thousands of times before, back when the woman in front of her was nothing but a baby that can fit right into her arms, then a young child whose abilities were one of a kind she posed a danger to her own, and now, a fine kunoichi who had already surpassed her predecessors in every aspect. 

Yet despite that, Tsunade can still see the child she loved more than anyone or anything in the world. She can still see Dan in her. Akira may indeed inherited her mother’s looks but there was so much of Dan that lives in her.

She knew deep inside what she had to do. She needed to stop this nonsense. Dan may have been gone but he left her the most precious gift anyone could ask for and she was so busy tending to her own grief that she didn’t see who needed her the most. 

Tsunade knew she needed to come home.

She needed to come home to Akira.

But she was a little too late.

Way too late.

—————

A/N: Thank you for all the support! I really appreciate them more than you can imagine.