Flashback....
(23 years ago.....)
Tsunade speedily made her way toward the borders of the territory that bounded Amegakure. Running at each side of her, were her teammates, Orochimaru and Jiraiya. They were just returning from a confrontation with Ame's fearful leader, Hanzo the Salamander.
They were the only survivors of what could be described as a complete onslaught. Out of all of the Konoha forces that were sent there, only Team 3 remained. Because they were the only survivors that managed to fight through anything he had thrown at them, Hanzo nicknamed them Konoha's Sannin in reward of their accomplishment. In exchange for their lives, he told them that they were to refer to themselves by that title. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but in order to return to the people they cared about, they conceded.
Each of them had mixed feelings about the incident. While Orochimaru was rather thrilled about fighting such a formidable opponent, he couldn't help feel a sense of defeat and even mockery at taking on their given title. To him, the situation was bittersweet. For Jiraiya, it was disturbing, yet fulfilling at the same time.
While it gave him a gauge of his skill and growth a ninja, he lost many comrades today and he was unable to protect the innocent villagers of their leader's wrath. He especially thought about the three orphans he had came across during his time there. They inspired him and he was inspired by their dream, one that was much like its own. He knew that whatever happened to them, despite of the circumstances, they would go far and that was the thought that kept a small smile on his face.
Tsunade was just relieved to be head home. This war has been hard on everybody and she had a certain someone that was waiting on her. Today had been filled with hardships and plenty of bloodshed and she wished to see her lover's gentle smile once more. A smile that seemed to make all her fears and troubles go away.
The group came to a halt when Jiraiya stumbled onto the ground. He groaned as he held his leg. Blood seeped through his bandages and the water around him began to turn blood red.
"Dammit, Jiraiya." Tsunade hissed as she kneel beside him.
Orochimaru looked down at Jiraiya before he began to look around, checking for enemies.
"Hehe, sorry about that, hime. Probably should have been more careful." Jiraiya said sheepishly before hissing in pain.
"You think? I swear I don't know where your head is half of the time." Tsunade said as she grabbed Jiraiya's and pushed a bone back together, earning a loud groan from Jiraiya. The pain began to gradually dissipate as Tsunade's hands began to glow green.
"In the gutter as always." Orochimaru said as he glanced down to see Jiraiya subtly trying to peak under Tsunade's armor to see her chest.
Jiraiya shot a glare at the man. "You are just mad you simply don't have my awesome imagination, teme." he scowled.
"I wouldn't call you sexual deviancy imagination, Jiraiya." Orochimaru commented.
"Appreciating the gifts of a woman is not sexual deviancy. It's delightful regard." Jiraiya retorted. "Something I'm sure you wouldn't know anything about, given your record."
Orochimaru felt his eye twitch at that remark. "Just because I don't gallivanting around whores all day and peep into the hot springs, does not mean I am without interest of the fairer sex." he said. "Unlike you, I have some dignity about myself. Besides, we are at war. We don't have time for romance and other insignificant things. You should be focusing on getting stronger to protect the village."
Before Jiraiya could retort, Tsunade punched him in the head while glaring at Orochimaru who was ignoring her, standing guard.
"Enough you two. Now is not the time for one of your petty arguments." she said as she continued to heal Jiraiya's wound. When she was finished, her hands stopped glowing and she wrapped a fresh bandage around it. The bone fracture was deep so he was going to have to take it easy for a moment.
"Thanks, hime." Jiraiya said with a grin as the woman helped her to her feet. His cheeks tinged pink a little as she held his body close to her, supporting some of his weight.
"We should be going guys." Orochimaru said. "We are still in enemy territory and we don't know who's watching us. We still have to make it back to the western post before returning to the village."
Tsunade nodded and Jiraiya only grunted in response. Orochimaru walked up to the duo and took Jiraiya's free side, taking the other half of his weight. Once they both had a firm grip on their teammate, the three shinobi took off, heading toward their destination.
It took the newly named Sannin half a day to make it to the Konohan post between the Fire/River border. When they arrived, medic tents had already been placed and sleeping quarters arranged. The place was fortified with walls of earth and Shinobi left and entered the post by the hour. After dropping Jiraiya off at the makeshift medic ward, Tsunade and Orochimaru headed toward the commander's tent where two chunin stood guard at the entrance.
They nodded to Tsunade and Orochimaru as they approached them, allowing them access to the quarters. The two jonin entered the tent and were greeted with the sight of the commander standing at a large table with a map and a few pieces on it. Surrounding him, were a few jonin who seemed to be discussing something concerning the different pieces on the board. When he saw Tsunade and Orochimaru entered, he halted to conversation around him and gave them his undivided attention.
"Report." he ordered.
"The capture of Ame was a failure." Orochimaru began. "Half of our troops were wiped out within the hour and rest lasted only an hour afterwards. The only ones that survived from our company was myself, Tsunade, and Jiraiya."
"During the invasion, we were confronted by Hanzō." Tsunade announced, earning shocked looks from several of the ninja in the room. "After being responsible for more than half of our forces being wiped out, my team and I were forced to fight him personally. We confronted the man for three hours until we came to some what of a stalemate. The only reason we are here is because he spared us at the cost of us calling ourselves Sannin."
"After our confrontation, we reported here as instructed. Jiraiya is currently in the medic ward resting his injury which is why he is not hear to give his verbal report." Orochimaru finished.
The tent went eerily silent for a while. Different emotions crossed the commander's face before returned stoic. He looked at Orochimaru and Tsunade who looked at him expectantly.
"I must say that to be able to survive a battle with the Salamander, something that not even our ANBU could do, is feat all in itself. I commend you." he started, earning nods from Tsunade and Orochimaru. "I want a full written report on everything that happened by the morning. Afterwards, I want you all to return to Konoha and deliver a report for me to the Hokage."
"Hai." they said simultaneously.
"Good. You are dismissed." he said before returning his attentions to the map.
With a bow, Tsunade and Orochimaru turned to leave. When they got outside the tent, they looked around and that it was still raining. Tsunade groaned in disapproval. It enough they had to deal with the rain of Ame. Was it really necessary to have to deal with it here, too? As they walked, Tsunade had to turned to Orochimaru who was allowing his eyes to wander the camp. Sometimes she wondered what he was thinking about.
"Hey, Orochimaru." she said, catching his attention.
"Yes, Tsunade?" Orochimaru answered.
"You mind doing the report? I wanted to go check on the medic ward to see they needed any help and to make sure everything was alright." Tsunade said.
Orochimaru groaned but nodded his head anyway, knowing his teammates had a tendency to leave him with all of the paperwork. Tsunade grinned at him and gave him a playful punch to the arm, that caused the man to wince. 'Even when she's playing, she's rough.' he said to himself as he rubbed his lightly throbbing arm. He wandered when that woman was going to get some control over her damn strength. It's a wonder she hadn't hurt her boyfriend yet.
"Thanks Orochimaru. I promise I'll make it up to you." she said as she made her way to the medic tents.
"Yeah right." Orochimaru muttered to himself. He knew that she'd probably forget about later. Sometimes she was as bad as Jiraiya.
Morning came quick for the Sannin and the endless rain continued. Orochimaru was heading toward the commander's tent when he heard commotion at the front gate. When he turned around, badly beaten chunin was heading toward his direction. He ran passed him hurriedly and tried to enter the commander's tent only to be stopped by the chunin guards.
"You have to let me in please." he heard the man say. "I have a message for the commander from Squad 5. It's very urgent."
After a small exchange, the haggard man was allowed into the tent. Drawn by curiosity, Orochimaru quickened his pace toward the tent. He nodded to the guards who nodded back in response. As Orochimaru entered the room with a scroll in his hand, the commander was in deep conversation with the chunin. He was so focused on what the Chunin was saying that he hadn't even realized the Sannin had entered the tent. Orochimaru eventually cleared his throat, catching both men's attention.
"I've brought the written report to you as ordered. I hope the information is to your satisfaction." he said as he handed the commander the scroll.
"Thank you." the commander said before turning one of the jonin that was standing in the corner of the room. "I want all jonin to report here within the next 10 minutes. The injured can stay but the physically able have no excuse. You have your orders."
The jonin stood up straight at his addressal. "Hai." he said before leaving the tent.
Orochimaru looked at the commander with a raised brow. "What's going on, if I may ask?" he inquired.
"All will be revealed in a moment." the commander said, before turning back to the chunin.
The two conversed until all the jonin filed in the tent. When Tsunade arrived, she made her way to Orochimaru and stood beside him. His eyes never left the commander's table as they waited patiently for the commander to speak.
"What's going on?" Tsunade whispered to her teammate.
Orochimaru glanced down at the woman before returning his gaze to the commander. "A chunin came rushing through the gates this morning, looking for the commander." he said lowly. "He mentioned something about a message from Squad 5 that was rather urgent. The commander hasn't said anything further about the message."
Tsunade simply nodded her head and she waited for the commander to speak. When all conversation ceased and the commander turned to face the jonin, all eyes were trained on him.
"It seems that we have come across some disturbing news." the commander started. "Post 19 has been compromised by Iwanese shinobi with suspected assistance from Kumo. The whole encampment has been destroyed."
Several jonin gasped at the news while others tensed. It meant that Iwa was closing in on Fire Country territory.
"According to the message from Captain Katō, this happened 4 hours ago." he continued.
Tsunade perked up at the mention of the captain and soon became worried at the situation. Sensing her unease, Orochimaru subtly placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. Tsunade looked up at her teammate who was still facing ahead. Looking closely, she could see the faint smile of reassurance on his face. She faintly nodded, letting him know that he was appreciated. At her vague gesture, Orochimaru allowed his hand to drop at his side, sensing her panic abate a little.
"I'm sending a squad of shinobi to assist and bring back Squad 5 or whatever is left of them. I'm going to need to three jonin to lead this retrieval mission." the commander said.
"I volunteer!" Tsunade blurted, catching everyone's attention.
The other jonin cleared a space for her so she could present herself before the commander. Shaking her nervousness away, Tsunade walked down the cleared path confidently before stopping at the commander's table. The commander looked at Tsunade for a second before he spoke again.
"Alright, Tsunade." the commander said before he turned to the rest of the jonin. "I need two more."
A man with short brown hair took a step forward. He had dark brown eyes and fair skin. He wore the traditional Konoha uniform and had his hitai-ate tied on his upper arm. He looked at the commander and gave him a light bow of respect.
"I, Jonin Shimura Toru, volunteer to help lead Squad 11." he spoke formally.
The commander nodded and waited for anyone else to come. Orochimaru was about to volunteer when someone beat him to the punch, much to his annoyance.
"I volunteer, sir." someone yelled from the back. Once again, the jonin cleared a path for their comrade. When he reached the commander's table, he gave the commander a salute across the chest with a bow.
"Jonin Yuudai reporting for duty, sir!" he said.
A few jonin chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm while Orochimaru simply rolled his eyes. The boy reminded him of Jiraiya. The volunteer was a fairly young man who looked around 19 years old. He shared the same uniform as the other jonin and wore his hitai-ate as a bandanna. He had bright green eyes and had a light tan to his skin. He had a rather wiry frame and stood at an average height.
With a small smile, the commander nodded to the boy. "Very well, Yuudai." he said before turning to the rest of the jonin. "The rest of you are dismissed. Tsunade, Toru, and Yuudai, remain please. There is something I must tell you before I send you off."
At his command, everyone left the tent, leaving the three jonin standing with the commander. He looked at them all in the eye before finally speaking again.
"Post 19 has been completely destroyed." the commander informed, causing their eyes to widen a little. "Out of Squad 5, the only remaining teams are Captain Katō's and Captain Utatane's. The rest have been reported dead. From Katō's report, they are near the Grass Country."
"When you retrieve them, I want you to take out an Iwanese encampment near the western border." he said.
Tsunade frowned at this. "If I may speak, sir." the commander nodded. "Shouldn't they rest before pursuing to take down a camp. From what you tell us, they barely escaped Post 19 with an inch of their lives. I don't doubt that they are injured."
"I know that." the commander said. "That is why you are here, Tsunade. You are a medic who is can also assault and infiltrate. That is why you will be leading Squad 11."
"But their injuries. They may not be able to handle that type of job. This isn't some simple bandit camp." she retorted.
"They are soldiers, Tsunade. It is their duty to their nation as well as themselves to get job done." the commander raised his voice. "Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment Tsunade. This is war and you have a job to do. If you don't want to see more people sacrifice themselves, help us end it!"
Tsunade clenched her jaw and fists. She wanted to yell at the commander. Beg him to see the danger in allowing those shinobi continue to fight when they had not long ago finished fighting for their lives. She looked away, not saying a word. The commander looked at the others who remained silent during the exchange.
"You all have your orders. Gather your men and head out before noon. I want a full report when you return." he stated.
"Hai." the two jonin said together while Tsunade remained silent.
"Dismissed!" he said.
All three jonin left the tent with Tsunade in the lead. After they gathered their troops and things they would need, Squad 11 was dispatched from the post, heading northwest toward the Grass Country. They didn't have to worry about traveling through the River Country since it was neutral territory and Suna's military was thinly stretched. It was late noon when they finally arrived in the Grass Country. It was here that things became really rough.
Minutes after crossing the border, they were attacked by Ame ninja. They didn't lose to many soldiers during their skirmish. While the Ame ninja was well-trained, they weren't strong enough to break the formation of Squad 11 and were forced to retreat with a few of their shinobi. They continued to make their way through the country until they arrived at the meeting point.
Tsunade frowned as she looked down at the mission scroll. The coordinates on the scroll were correct so she was confused about why they weren't here. She turned to look at her other two captains who seemed to be looking around as well.
"Can any of you sense them?" she asked her squad.
"No, Captain." one of the chunin answered. "For some reason the range is distorting."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes at this. She shared a look with Captain Shimura and they nodded to each other. She turned to the rest of her squad who was already on the defense.
"Split up into teams and spread out. This may be a trap." she ordered. "Eliminate any nin that isn't Konoha. Stay close and alert."
"Hai!" they chorused before disappearing from the clearing.
Tsunade herself was accompanied by two chunin. With a nod, they disappeared from the clearing as well and headed north. A few minutes later, they heard a large explosion that was a few miles east of their location. Tsunade quickly changed their path and they began running towards the blast. When they got their, several teams from Squad 11 was in battle with Iwa nin. Tsunade's team quickly jumped in.
The clangs of metal striking metal resounded through the battlefield as battle intensified. Iwa and Konoha shinobi were going head to head in a race to gain the advantage and eliminate the other. When Tsunade felt a few nin surround her, she sent a chakra infused punch to the ground, knocking the shinobi off their feet. They were instantly slaughtered by her team as they continued to fight their way through the opposing forces. Tsunade had just killed a Iwanese chunin, fracturing his skull, when someone yelled her name.
"Lady Tsunade!" someone yelled, catching her attention.
It was a chunin from her village that was running toward her. He had evaded at projectile that was aimed at him before continuing his course to get to the woman. When he got closer, Tsunade could finally see how bloodied his clothes were and the worried look in his eye made her tense.
"Lady Tsunade!" he panted as he got close to her. "I need you to come quick. It's Captain Katō!"
Tsunade didn't need to hear anymore. She nodded at the chunin and he lead her away from the battle, into the forests. When they finally arrived to their destination, Tsunade gasped at the sight. Lying on the ground, was Captain Katō, bleeding profusely from his stomach. The water around him was deep sea of red and the man looked barely awake. The chunin that was squatting beside him was instantly on the defense with a kunai in reverse grip. When he saw who the newcomers were, he relaxed and returned his attention to his bleeding captain.
Tsunade sprinted towards him, landing right in front of the captain. Her eyes watered as she looked down at her lover who was bleeding to death in front of her. His fair skin lost it's glow and those beautiful dark green eyes were hidden under pale eye lids. His body was cold and his light blue hair was wet and dirty, clinging onto his face.
"Dan...." she whimpered.
At the sound of her voice, Dan slowly opened his eyes. He looked up to see Tsunade above him with her hands glowing brightly over the wounds in his stomach and chest. He coughed a little catching everyone's attention.
"Dan!" she said as her eye met his own. Her hands continued to grow and she wept at the condition of her long-term lover.
"Tsunade....." Dan rasped out. "I don't want to die yet....." he struggled to say.
"There are.....so many thing left to do..." he managed to get out before groaning in pain.
"Don't try to talk!" she said as she pushed more chakra into his wound.
He had lost a lot of blood and his cells weren't rejuvenating quick enough. The woman gritted her teeth. She couldn't let him die. She wouldn't. The chunin looked at their captain worried as he continued to lose blood. He had gotten caught in the explosion and took a kunai to the chest. They had managed to remove the kunai, but they later realized that it struck a vessel below the heart.
"All those things....we used to talk about." Dan said lowly. "Having a wife, starting a family, becoming Hokage......I can't die here...not this way. Not yet..." he said with a tear rolling down his eye.
Tears continued to stream down Tsunade's face as she focused on trying to heal him. She closed her eyes cried a stifled cry.
"Don't worry, Dan. I'll stop the bleeding." she tried to comfort, but had a hard time believing in her own words. "So save your strength. You're going to be alright."
Dan coughed up blood, streams of it falling to the sides of his mouth. Tsunade knew that blood was threatening to fill his lungs and she tried hard to stop it. The rain seemed to grow heavier and Dan struggled to keep his eyes open.
"That's enough...." he whispered, knowing that he was going to die, despite of his will to live.
Tsunade began to panic when his eyes closed and his breathing began to drop drastically. "Dan! Stay awake!" she yelled as she began to push more chakra into his wound.
"No please." she wailed. "Please! Don't go! Please, don't go. Don't leave me!" she repeatedly begged.
The chunin beside her looked at her with sadness knowing they had lost their captain. They pitied the crying woman how was desperately trying to heal him. They eventually had to look away at such a sad sight. It was well-known in the village of the relationship between their captain and the Senju Princess. They had been dating for a while now. There were actually bets being made of when the couple would get married, but seeing the lifeless body of their captain, now, it seemed that it would never be happening.
"That's enough, he's dead." one of the chunin finally said. No matter what she did, he was already dead. There was no wasting her chakra, especially when they were in enemy territory in the midst of battle.
Tsunade paused at those words and her hands stayed resting on his chest. Her pupils dilated and her body began to shake. She finally sat up and brought her hands to her face. Her body continued to tremble as she stared at the blood on her hands. As she continued to stare at it, she felt something in her snapped and the woman began to scream, startling the chunin beside her.
Minutes later, the surviving members of Squad 11 entered the clearing with captains Yuudai and Shimura in the lead. Toru was about to say something when he saw Tsunade kneel over a body. Upon further obsersation, the newcomers could now see that it was Captain Katō, dead in cold blood. Some of the soldiers turned away, giving the woman her privacy while others just watched with blank expressions on their first. After a few minutes, Shimura became a bit annoyed and walked toward her.
Tsunade didn't even flinch as Shimura placed a hand on shoulder. Her body continued to shake and she stared at her trembling, blood covered hands. Shimura sighed. That's why women shouldn't lead squads. They were simply too emotional to effectively lead a group of soldiers in battle.
"It's time to go Tsunade." Shimura said without emotion. He wasn't going to pity the woman. This was war and soldiers died. That was how it was. There was no use of crying.
Tsunade said nothing, her mind frozen in horror and agony. Shimura sighed again before chopping the woman in the neck, making her body go limp. No one said anything as the captain turned to the two chunin that was sitting beside Katō's dead body. They did not have time to wait for the woman to mourn. They had a mission to complete and there was no telling if Iwa was going to send more forces. They had to move.
"You two." he said, capturing their attention. "I want you to take Tsunade back to Post #12. Tell the commander there that she was indisposed in battle and is no longer able to lead the raid."
Two chunin stood at attention. "Hai." they replied.
Shimura nodded to them before he turned his attention to the rest of Squad 11. "Let's go." he said.
They all nodded to their captain before disappearing from the clearing and heading toward their destination. The two chunin picked up the unconscious woman and began to head back to their assigned post. Tsunade was immediately taken to the medic bay before the chunin left to the report to the commander. The only survivors of Squad 11 that returned to the post was a team lead by Yuudai. The rest had died in a cross battle between Iwa, Suna, and Konoha nin. Orochimaru and Jiraiya worried for their teammate who had been brought in unconscious. All that they knew was that when she woke up, the woman was never the same again.
Flashback ends......
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tsunade gasped as she woke up. Her body was drenched in sweat and her eyes were wet. She clenched the sheets as she tried to calm her racing heart. She shook her head as she struggled to get out of bed. As she stood, she quickly had to grab a hold to the wall to support her self. Her head began to pound and she groaned at the feeling.
She managed to find a bathroom and flicked on the lights, causing her to wince. Turning the sink knob, the woman splashed water onto her face. After a few rinses to the face, she finally turned to the water off and looked in the mirror. She had dark bags under her eyes and her face had paled. Her eyes were puffy and wet and her hair was matted against her skin. She looked disheveled, and overall, was disgusted at her appearance.
The Sannin suddenly grabbed her head again and moaned. Hangover were the absolute worst. She mustered the strength the form hand seal before applying her detoxification jutsu. She instantly felt the effects of the jutsu, feeling the throb in her head become lighter and lighter until it disappeared. She sighed as she leaned over the sink with her hands gripping the sides.
She had that dream again. That dream about him. Tsunade gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on the sides of the sink. She couldn't even stop the involuntary tears that spilled from her eyes. Even after all these years, her heart still longed for him. He was her lover. Her unofficial fiance. And the man that held her heart in his hands. When he died in her arms that her, she felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart. The only life source that kept her going after she lost her brother had been snatched away from her. She had never felt so alone. So helpless. So weak.
After she had woken up in the medic tent at Post #12, she felt numb. She didn't speak the anyone and her body wouldn't stop trembling. At the first sight of blood, she freaked out and damn near had a mental breakdown. Once they returned her to the village, she placed in a special ward in the hospital, alone. She refused let anyone into her head and she refused to see anyone. They had to literally force her to eat and placed chakra suppressing seals on her body so she wouldn't hurt the nurses that were trying to help her.
After months of confinement, she was released from the hospital once they were sure she was stable. She avoided everyone like a plague and was rarely seen about the village. When she was, she would hear the gossiping whispers and catch the looks of pity people sent her way. Tsunade hated it. After a while, the woman had finally had enough and went to talk to her sensei. After begging and pleading with him, he finally allowed her to leave the village under the condition that she came back to report every 6 months.
Of course, as soon she outside the walls of the village, she never came back. In her time of confinement and isolation, she had grew to resent Konoha and the ninja world in general. Taking Dan's niece, Shizune, she traveled the Elemental Nations, continuing her practice in the medic arts and eventually taking Shizune as an apprentice.
For years, she's wondered about the world, drinking, gambling, and sleeping her problems away. Call it cowardice, but she just couldn't handle the pressure. She couldn't handle the stress. She couldn't handle the hurt. Every time she thought of them, she felt pain. Being in the village that they both died for felt suffocating and she avoided going back at all costs. She continued to perfect her craft and the medic arts and made a living off of healing people. It wasn't always high-paying but beggars can't be choosers.
When Tsunade was finally able to regain her composure, she dried her eyes and walked out of the bathroom, cutting the light off. The hotel room she was in was faintly lit by the sun rays peeking through the window. On the other bed of the room, she saw Shizune sleeping soundlessly with her pig sleeping at the bottom of the bed.
She lightly smiled as she walked over to her. She didn't remember much of anything that happened last night, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who had brought her here. She brushed a strand of black hair from her face before giving her a soft kiss on the forehead. The girl shifted a little in sleep before mumbling something about Tsunade under her breath, much to the Sannin's amusement.
She knew she annoyed her apprentice with her shenanigans and she sometimes wondered why the woman still stuck with her. When she became of age, she had told her that she was free to go wherever she wanted, but the woman told her that she wanted to stay with her. She didn't question her refusal to leave although she was curious. Most people her alone with her bad habits.
Shrugging her shoulders, Tsunade made her way toward the door. On her way there, something sitting on the desk caught her eye. On top of a tablet Shizune was carrying, was a bag of ryo and a large roll of yen. Tsunade grabbed the bag was surprised at how heavy it was. She looked at Shizune with a raised brow as she grabbed the roll of yen. Where in the hell did her apprentice manage to get this type of money? She stared at the sleeping ravenette for a while before she placed the roll of yen back on the table and took the bag of ryo.
She didn't know how she did it, but she sure wasn't complaining. After she left the room, she made her way downstairs to the entrance of the hotel. Deciding that she needed freshen herself up, the Sannin went to the nearest bathhouse. Her time there was very relaxing and helped ease some of the tension in her muscles. However, her dream still plagued her and woman felt that she needed something much stronger to easy the muscles of her mind.
"I need some sake." Tsunade said as she made her way to a bar nearby.
As she walked down the lightly populated street, the woman couldn't help but look at the place again. Tanzaku Gai reminded her a lot of Uke Machi, a town filled with casinos, high class hotels, fancy and classy restuarants, theaters, party joints, establishments featuring showgirls and call-girls for men looking for an erotic experience, and much more. It was a town located in the unclaimed territory not far from Takigakure. Many traveled there business, but it was mostly attraction for entertainment and pleasure. Uke Machi was one of the few places that could actually rival this place in both scenery and action.
When she arrived to the bar, she could already see a few people there having a morning drink. Several people sat at the tables alone or with a friend or two while few sat at the sit-in bar. Taking a seat at the bar, the bartender greeted her and asked what she want.
"Sake please." Tsunade said. "A whole bottle of it."
The barkeep nodded and went to get what she requested. He came back with a room temperature bottle of rice wine and a drinking dish. Tsunade popped open the bottle of sake and began to fill her cup with the liquid. When it was near full, she put the bottle down and picked up her drink.
"Cheers to forgetting." she said to herself before downing the drink.
She spent the rest of her morning drowning herself in sake. By the time she left, she was only half sober and making her way back to the hotel. On the way there, she had to make one more stop. Good thing about being the Hokage's granddaughter was that you were never without money or good graces.