Chapter 3

I stood across from Jiraiya. It had been a week. Jiraiya was still wearing the threadbare shorts along with a mostly clean plain black t-Shirt. His shoes looked like they had seen better days and I had to wonder how well the orphanage that he lived at was being funded.

I had been doing mostly the same thing. Go to the academy. Train when I get home. Help my mother cook. Day in and day out but now it was time to start sparring. I was stronger in every category that mattered. I had yet to level up and so before the sparring match I dumped all 21 stat points I had gained through my daily quest directly into strength. It jumped from 20 to 41. I could feel as though my muscles bulged. My novice chakra enhancement boosted it even further. To 45.1. I was the strongest person in the class. The only one who was close was Orochimaru himself.

"Step into the ring with your partner for this week."

I strode into the ring, eyes locked on Jiraiya. A part of me felt bad but there was another part of me that refused to lose to a child. I couldn't lose not when there was the chance this life could be taken from me and replaced with another if I wasn't entertaining enough.

"Good luck Tsunade may the best ninja win." Jiraiya nodded towards me. I nodded back. His smile made me feel even worse.

He jabbed at me with his fists. I caught them on my guard as I moved in. Hands up with my eyes peeking over my fists. I blocked all his strikes, but not as smoothly as I would have liked. It hurt but my strength allowed me to push past that. The moment I was close enough I grabbed him. I lifted him over my head and slammed him into the ground.

"Ahhh."

I stepped back to let him go worried that I had hurt something unintentionally. Oh god what if I had broken his bones, he was only four. He was supposed to become Jiraiya of the sannin oh god what had I done.

He struck me in the face with his foot and I fell on my back. He jumped at me landing with a thud on top of me as I laid there stunned. He headbutted me with a ridiculous grin on his face. I could hear the crack of my nose and suddenly all I could hear was the throbbing of the vein in my neck as I bared my teeth.

I gripped him by the lapels of his collar smashing my head into his face with a vengeance. I did it again. And again. And one more time for good measure. I rolled him over and pulled my fist back only for the teacher to catch it. I was yanked bodily away by the teacher.

"Winner. Tsunade Senju. Medic see to them."

A green glow covered my face and I could feel my nose pop back into place. I heaved over my hands, my heart pumping. The rage I had felt melted back into normalness as I took deep breaths.

"Heh. Didn't expect you to be that strong I'll beat you next time."

I looked up and there was Jiraiya grinning like a loon at her. His face had a mass of blood that was absolutely pouring from his nose. Seemingly unbothered by his quick defeat. The medic had moved over and was passing a glowing green hand over him. He had brown hair and blue eyes.

"Hah. You can try."

A part of me still felt bad. Guilty. And I know it must seem stupid but this was a kid. Can you imagine that you're an adult and picking on a child? I felt like a bully. You know the type. The ones who pick on people way smaller than them to feel tough. Now I may not be doing this to feel tough but Jiraiya was still a child and my normal morality disliked it. I hadn't just lost my morality even if I was in a world that would most likely grind such things to dust eventually.

It just felt wrong. So, I decided then and there to take Jiraiya to get some fried bananas both because they tasted nice and to soothe my guilty mind. I nodded.

(Jiraiya)

A white-haired child with fang -like markings on his face sat on the swing that was tied to the only tree in the park. He stared longingly at the kids going home with their parents as he swung on the swing. He wondered what it was like to have a parent. To have someone who loved you unconditionally. To go home and have a nice warm cooked meal. To be able to stay up and not have a curfew.

It was not that he disliked the orphanage but it wasn't the same as having a parent. He swore that when he grew up and was an awesome ninja, he would make his own family and give them all the things he had never had.

He looked up just as Tsunade Senju popped into view walking through the underbrush like she wasn't a girl. But he supposed she was a ninja and she couldn't be worried about getting mud on herself if she was going to be one of those.

"Uh hey." She sounded awkward like she had no idea what to do when talking to new people. Moving from one foot to the other as she spoke. She had made no friends in class but apparently that freaky dude who sat next to her most of the time.

She opened her mouth and then closed it. Before she squared herself up. "We're going to get fried bananas. You're my friend now."

"What if I don't want to be friends. "He felt the need to point it out. Tsunade looked away for a moment.

She shrugged. "Well, I'm not going to bother you if you don't want to be friends." She turned to begin walking away and it was the fact he had been unsure if he had made friends at the academy that had him reaching out to grab her by the arm.

"It's okay, I want to be friends." Tsunade looked at him, her arm sliding around his shoulder. She began to steer him in a general direction. Towards where he had noticed the stalls had been in the morning.

"Tsunade-Chan. Tsunade-Chan. Where are you Tsunade-Chan."

A red-haired woman walked around the corner giving them both a smile. "Oh, what's this? Did you make a friend, Tsunade-Chan?"

Tsunade nodded. Imperiously. "Yes. Now we're going to get fried bananas. Can I have some money to buy them please?"

"Tsunade-Chan, the lady who works the stand only does so in the mornings. But I guess I could take you to one of the Akimichi sponsored BBQ shops if you wanted."

Tsunade turned towards him with a grin that lit up her face. "Well, you want to come too Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade. Her smile was so bright. He didn't want to be the one that made it dim even if he felt a little nervous. What if his friend's mom didn't like him? "Umm. Ok."

(Sometime later.)

There had been a line out front but they had been waved in and past others who had looked displeased. He guessed it was the perks of being related to the first Hokage. Inside a smoky smell assaulted his nose.

People were grouped together around large tables. They were directed past them all to a small table fit for 4 people in the corner of the shop. It was a wooden table and had the symbol for the Senju upon it.

Big chunks of rib were brought out rather quickly followed by a plate of pulled pork smothered in bbq sauce.

They hadn't even ordered. How were they so fast? Uzaki grinned at them. "I ordered for us while we were on our way. I had a clone do it."

He had never had food so good in his life. There was so much and he didn't have to fight for seconds like normally happened. Although Tsunade had grabbed the plate of pulled pork over onto her side and had glared at her smiling mother while she took some.

The spices. The succulent meat. Tsunade, who was next to him, dug in and made it all possible.

"So how did you become friends?" Uzaki asked while placing her hands on the table. Her eyes were locked on him and Jiraiya looked down at his hands.

"She just decided we were friends just before you walked around the corner. I don't think she knows how to make friends properly." Jiraiya tried to smile but it was more of a grimace.

Tsunade blinked at him. She tilted her head to the side. A bit of BBQ sauce covered the left side of her face near her mouth. "There's a proper way to make friends?"

"Yeah, normally you talk to them. You can't just decide to be friends with somebody."

"Why not?" She looked perplexed like he had just told her the sun was purple instead of yellow.

"Because it just isn't done. If it was that easy to make friends then I could have…"

He trailed off, unable to say that he had been too shy to talk to others unless there was work involved. That he had been unsure that he even had friends.

Tsunade smiled at him, clasping him on the shoulder. Pulling him in for a one-armed hug. "Don't worry, you're my friend now."

He hoped that was true. And even if it wasn't this was one of the best days he'd had in a long time. He would remember her for that even if she didn't.

"You got a little something on your face. Right there."

"Where's the napkins?"

"Here sweetie." Uzaki tossed a napkin over the table and Tsunade caught it with a flourish before wiping her face.

(Sometime Later)

"You don't have to walk me back. I can get home by myself." Nobody knew that he was in the orphanage at the academy, it's not that he was ashamed of it, he just didn't want to be picked on. He didn't want to be bullied for being different. Even Tsunade, as nice as she was, had a mother. Who was to say she wouldn't pick on him like those others in the orphanage had mentioned? The thought bounced around his mind that Tsunade wouldn't want to associate with him if she found out he was from the orphanage.

"Nonsense we took you out and while we had no intention of harming you your mother is probably worried. Uh sorry. I was just excited that Tsunade had made a friend." Uzaki rubbed the back of her head as she spoke.

She seemed nice but everyone seemed nice until they found something that they disliked. He supposed it was easier to get it over with.

"I'm from Senja orphanage. If you could just drop me off it would be appreciated, the matrons probably worried. I was supposed to be back 30 minutes ago." He looked down unwilling to see whether their happiness turned to disgust.

There was silence for a moment. Jiraiya kept his eyes locked on his feet as he walked.

"Does it really bother you? Being from an orphanage?" He looked up to see Tsunade with a furrowed brow. It wasn't the disgust that he had feared so bad. She looked genuinely confused.

"Not if it doesn't bother you, no."

"Why would it bother me?" The more she spoke the more confident he was that she would still be his friend.

"You're from a well-respected clan. You have a mother. We're two very different people."

"So we're both still human. Both are still people regardless of our differences. Plus we're all the people of Konoha."

"That's a very wise way of thinking Tsunade-Chan. I'm proud of you." Uzaki smiled as she placed a hand on Tsunade's head to ruffle her hair.

"Hahaha". Tsunade rubbed the back of her neck as she walked. Her cheeks had turned red. Jiraiya felt a smile curl its way onto his lips. life seemed like it would be ok.

(Uzaki Uzumaki)

She watched the boy her daughter had befriended walk into the orphanage with his head higher than he had been at dinner. It had been obvious to her as a kunoichi that he had been very nervous but had enjoyed himself nevertheless.

It pleased her to see her daughter wasn't pretentious about her status. It gave her hope for the future that she would become a strong kunoichi. Those who didn't have the ability to look beyond what they were granted at birth didn't make it anywhere.

No one had to believe in themselves and not blame others for their own failings. Always improve no matter what.

"Come take my hand Tsunade. I'll take us home faster and you can go do the meditation you always seem to do."

Tsunade blinked up at her. She held out her hand. "You know about that."

"But of course. I can feel your chakra and whenever you meditate it takes on a rather still, almost peaceful feeling. Normally it flows like water. Anyway, let's go home."

She gripped it gently. Always gently. Her chakra rushed through her body and she accelerated a part of her chakra forming a small barrier around her daughter as she sped through the village covering the mile home in less than a second.

She gently landed on the ground before the gates for the clan compound, releasing Tsunade as she went. The guard, a chunin who seemed to enjoy the job, waved at her.

"Hey Ryu, how's your day been? Is the wife well?" She asked as she strolled past them.

Ryu shrugged his shoulders. A small smile alight upon his lips. "You know how she is. What with the hormones."

"That I do. Well, this is my daughter Tsunade." She turned to the side watching as her daughter seemed to read something only, she could see. It was kind of obvious with the way her eyes moved. Still, she trusted her to tell her when she was ready. Probably a bloodline that came about because of the differences of her clan heritage. Something new she couldn't wait to see.

Ryu smiled at Tsunade as she finally turned to look him in the eye. "You have pretty hair, can I feel it?"

Ryu burst into laughter slamming his hand into the reinforced wood as he went. "This one's a riot. I like her. No hesitating at all. Alright but only once."

Ryu bent down and allowed Tsunade to place her hand on his head. "Soft. I hope my hair will be like that someday."

"I'm sure it will be. Now off with you I have a job to do."

"Bye Ryu."

They passed through the gate the seals on the wood registering the blood that they possessed and letting them through without incident. An Uzumaki special.

Kids were playing outside under the watchful eye of their mothers. The main house rose up bigger than the rest of the houses but not by much. Rumour had it that Tobirama had to bully his brother to make it bigger.

"Hey, Uzaki." She turned watching as Hikari waved at her from a stand that was filled with all manner of odds and ends. Her brown hair tied up in a bun and her green eyes crinkled at the corners with a wide smile on her face. There was a kunai in her hands as she chiselled her way into the wood. There was a wooden bust that depicted her perfectly. It was intriguing. Not perfect but it was very close.

"You like it? I'm trying to get better with the faces." Tsunade gripped her kimono. Tugging slightly. "May I go to the house?"

"Sure, your father will be in. Tell him it's his turn to cook tonight. I'll be catching up with Hikari." She watched Tsunade for a few moments, before turning to Hikari.

"How's the off time suiting you, Hikari?" With a grin Hikari hands sped up blurring around the block of wood until it was chiselled into the rough shape of a pig. She placed it down on the stand before flicking her eyebrows up and down.

"It took me a while but it's really relaxing and easy once you get the hang of it. You should give it a go."

She raised her eyebrow thinking about it. Sure, it looked kind of fun. "Hand me a block of wood. Let's see how I do." Hikari flashed her a grin. Grabbing two pieces of wood and tossing one to her before looking at the one herself.

(Tsunade Senju)

It was fun. I pushed open the wooden door to the living room only to see, my father and Tobirama Senju. He wore a black kimono with the Senju fan on the back. His white hair stuck up in strange ways like it had been regularly struck by electricity.

They were playing shogi. I knew this because the small pieces were covered in large kanji and they were using what looked like a chessboard.

I slumped onto the sofa. It was a fluffy thing with white feathers sticking up. I turned towards my father who was in shorts. His upper torso was bare to the world. A large scar made its way from his left pectoral to below where I could see on his right side. Such an attack should have split him in two. There were other small scars but none as large as that one.

"Mom wants me to let you know that it's your turn to cook tonight. She's catching up with Hikari." Okaro Senju nodded his head. "Everything is prepped and the meat is slow cooking. Dinner will be ready in about an hour. Wanna stay watch your old man cream your granduncle."

"You wis. She's just going to watch you get beat, boy." Tobirama grinned and it was so strange to see a person who was supposed to be such a serious individual. But then we only saw him when he was reanimated with the rest of the Hokage in the midst of a war. Expecting him to be serious all the time, every second of every day. That would be the height of stupidity.

I shook my head. "No thanks, I had a good day and I just want to get to meditating."

"You remind me of my brother, you know. He always took the time out of the day to do at least an hour of meditation." Tobirama leaned forward holding his hands, a slight wringing of his hand before he seemed to notice me looking and pulled them back to rub the back of his neck.

"He did?" I asked leaning forward. Tobirama looked away and to the side.

"Yeah. You know where training ground 44 is. He spent a lot of time meditating there. His chakra just seeped into the nature around him whenever he did it. Never saw anything like it. The way the plants would just bloom around him when he meditated."

"Sounds cool. It was good to see you but I have a routine. I'll see you later." Tobirama nodded and I got up from the sofa turning to make my way up the stairs. My chakra control wasn't going to work on itself now was it. Today was a good day.

AN. To those who read this. I'm going to post often once every two weeks. Sometimes I may get chapters out earlier; it depends on how much time I can devote to writing. Hope you enjoyed it.

Stats for end of chapter 3

Level:1 (11,500/25,000xp)

Name: Tsunade Senju

Class: Ninja +10 STR END DEX per level.

Title: Heiress of the Senju Clan.

Age:4

HP:429 (HP10min = 42.9)

CP:643.5 (CP10min= 64.35)

Power Level: 2.2

STR:41(45.1)

END:20(22)

DEX:20(22)

INT:10(11)

WIS:10(11)

CHA:10(11)

HP= ENDx10

CP=END+INTx10

CP Recovery=WIS.

Stat points: 0