A/N: Hello all, this is my first Naruto fic. If you follow me and are waiting for an update on Beating the Odds I've hit a bit of writers block on that one. There are a few main differences from the anime, without giving too much away, age (not too big of a difference) is one. How that affects different characters and the story line will be found out in multiple chapter. I have ideas for pairings, but don't want to spoil anything. Feel free to give ideas of things you would like to happen, and please leave review(s) or pm me if you have something you want to comment on or say. (HAS BEEN UPDATED TO REMOVE INCONSISTENCIES)

Tsunade had been on the move for what seemed like an eternity: Days, weeks, months, years… they all began to blur together after a while. Whether or not that was because of the amount of sake the woman drank, well… she wasn't going to stop anytime soon so that didn't matter Her and her apprentice, they had no where to return to. Konoha had once been their home, but that notion seemed to slowly disintegrate with Dan's death. He was the only man Tsunade had ever come to love, and was not only Shizune's uncle but also her guardian.

Shizune would never forget the day she found out about Dan's death.

It was the final day of Shizune's training at the academy. She had just received her headband and ran home, eager to show her uncle the emblem that proved she was finally a ninja- like him.

Not only was the day special because of that, but Dan was coming home after a fortnight long mission. It was turning into the perfect day. He had even said that he would bring her a graduation gift as a congratulations. Shizune just knew it would be great, her uncle never let her down. After her parents died Dan took her under his wing. That was the greatest gift she could have ever received from him and required nothing else, but he insisted.

Headband in hand the girl quickly opened the door and ran around in search of her uncle. She didn't find him but did find his girlfriend, Tsunade. Shizune was just as excited to see her though, until she took note of the sullen expression on her face.

"Tsunade-chan, what's wrong? Where's Oji-san?" She implored while looking around expectantly.

The second Tsunade heard Shizune's excited yet careful voice she was brought out of her inner musings. She had been contemplating how she would tell the nine year old girl that her only remaining blood relative had been killed in battle. She stood up and took the few steps that were necessary to close the distance between her and Shizune and bent down so they were close to eye level. She may not have been able to save Dan, something she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life, but she would be strong for his niece.

Shizune looked down when Tsunade took her small hands and held them in her own.

"T-Tsunade-chan?" Her light voice now had a waver in it. The girl could feel her heartbeat begin to pick up. When she looked into the woman's brown eyes she recognized the look and tried to pull away.

"No," was all she said as she began to shake her head with tears springing in her eyes.

Tsunade did not loosen her grip but instead pulled Shizune into a tight embrace. She needed it just as much as the girl did.

From that day Tsunade and Shizune were much closer. Tsunade took care of Shizune and eventually took her on as an apprentice.

Their travels had lead them all around the world. They were currently residing in a decent sized town around the border between the land of fire and the land of rivers. It was one they hadn't been to yet but Tsunade's reputation as the legendary sucker had reached them without their presence having been there.

Tsunade had an expensive bottle of sake grasped in her hand while she was looking for a casino for her to waste away her money at. Shizune had given up on trying to persuade her not to do such things a long time ago, finding it waste of energy. Tsunade would do what she wanted, but that didn't stop the younger of the two from keeping an eye on her and making sure she remained safe.

The legendary sucker seemed to have a knack for finding establishments that would eagerly take her money. A familiar chuckle that signaled Tsunade found a place caused Shizune to sigh. She walked behind the blonde while carrying a pampered Tonton in her arms. There were some places that attempted to stop them from bringing the pig inside but a single glare from the s-class ninja stopped any further arguments from happening.

She decided to head towards the slot machines first, thinking she'd try a card game next. There were two rows of five that were facing each other. None of them were occupied, the casino in general didn't have many people in it. Everyone seemed to be at the bar connected to it instead. Tsunade stuck a coin in each of the ten and pulled the levers one at a time.

The woman wasn't surprised when she lost each time. She knew she had awful luck when it came to gambling, yet she couldn't bring herself to quit the compulsive pastime. When she got to the seventh one she could faintly hear someone asking about ramen and peeked in between two machines only to have her eyes widen.

At first she thought she was staring at Minato, but knew that couldn't be true. The last time her and Shizune had stayed in Konoha was after the kyuubi's attack. They attended the fourth hokage's funeral, she had seen his body- he was dead. She looked at the sake in her hand, she hadn't even finished the bottle yet. She looked again and the blond had disappeared.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune questioned, seeing the bewildered look on the other woman's face.

The only response Tsunade gave was a single shake of her head while taking a few generous sips from the bottle. She then continued onto the remaining three slot machines. Nothing.. Nothing.. Jackpot.. She stared at it for a second before coins began shooting out of their slot. She'd be excited if she wasn't cautious. The only time she won was when something bad was about to happen.

Shizune did a double take when she heard the machine give of the rewarding sound and let out an excited shout. Tonton even gave off a surprised squeal. Tsunade had the same expression she did when she lost. She knew that the blonde thought something bad would happen. The dark haired woman would admit that Tsunade had terrible luck but believed everything that happened after gambling was just a coincidence. Tsunade was too stubborn to listen to her.

Tsunade finished off the remaining quarter of the bottle, figuring she would need it for whatever was about to happen.

They headed to the bar next. Tsunade had a new bottle in hand while Shizune nursed a lighter drink. When Tsunade's movements began to become sluggish Shizune suggested, "We should head back to the hotel."

"What," Tsunade slurred, "but I'm just getting started." She punctuated the sentence by gulping down more of the alcohol.

Shizune had an idea and smirked, knowing Tsunade's habit wouldn't allow her to turn it down. "How about a bet then?"

Tsunade perked up at that. She had already won a jackpot, maybe she'd win this too. Nothing bad had happened yet either. In her mind luck seemed to be on her side. "Go on.."

"If you can make it to the hotel without assistance, no trouble trouble at all, then I'll buy you five bottles of whatever kind of alcohol you want."

Tsunade hummed for a second. Alcohol wasn't very expensive but five bottles would last her at the least a couple of days. "D-deal," she tried to say in an even voice, but even she could hear the unsteadiness of it.

Their hotel was an estimated ten minute walk from the casino/bar. Tsunade was determined to win the bet. She had stumbled slightly when she got off the bar stool too eagerly but her apprentice luckily did not catch the movement. She didn't think so at least.

One step then another, that's all the blonde was focusing on. She started to wonder if she was thinking too much about it, telling herself that she hadn't even drank that much. When they were about a block away a loud voice startled her out of her concentration, causing her to trip over her own feet. She caught herself and looked in the direction of the sound.

"You're a long way from home, kid," a man said. Tsunade could hear chuckling from other people after it was said. She had to guess that there were four people in total, including the loud one.

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" Something about the voice was familiar to Tsunade.

Tsunade looked at her apprentice before quietly ordering, "Stay here."

Shizune of course didn't listen and stealthily followed after the other woman. She had heard the beginning of the fight too but figured Tsunade would just leave it be as she did with the rest of the late night fights.

Tsunade peered around the edge of a building into an alley just in time to see the same blond from the casino yell, "Shadow clone jutsu!" That jutsu had been made forbidden after the death of her grand uncle, the second hokage. How this young person knew it Tsunade wasn't sure of, but she didn't have time to dwell on the matter. She stepped out from behind her corner just in time to see the boy and his clones rushing the three men.

"Is there a problem here?" Tsunade asked with her arms crossed under her chest. Her voice didn't come off as slurred this time, she wouldn't allow it to be. The four people froze and looked at her.

Big boobs, check. Most likely drunk, check. Looks young, check. Casino and bar nearby, check. Naruto had finally found her. He had been looking for three weeks and he finally found the sannin. Jiraiya had told him what to look for and the best areas to search in an effort to cut down on his travel time.

Jiraiya had told him that they were going to train. Naruto had picked up on a weird vibe from the man, different from the pervy one that he always gave off. He seemed.. desperate.

Naruto agreed of course, eager to get stronger and followed Jiraiya. They didn't go to the training grounds but instead outside of the village's gates.

When they got a decent distance away the sage pulled Naruto off the worn path and behind a tree.

"What-" Jiraiya stopped him from talking by placing a hand over his mouth. Naruto glared at him but stayed quiet none the less.

After the man seemed to finish checking his surroundings he looked at Naruto and spoke in hushed tones. "I have a mission for you."

Naruto immediately got excited and was about to say something but was once again hushed.

"Your mission is to find the last of the sannin, Tsunade." Before Naruto could try to question him, Jiraiya quickly continued. "As you know, a new hokage is needed. Most of the council and I want her, but there are others that want the title. Danzo Shimura, he rivaled the third hokage. If he is put in control of Konoha then.. well that would take too long to explain. A lot of people would be less safe- especially you."

A million question were racing through Naruto's mind. He wanted to say something but Jiraiya spoke some more.

"I have to remain here to keep the council at bay. I spoke to the ones that support Tsunade and they said I have a month to find Tsunade. However, they often choose to take easy routes out in times of need like this. With Orochimaru and Akatsuki scheming I can't take the chance of leaving and having Danzo take the chance to persuade them to his side while I'm gone."

Naruto now looked determined and nodded his head once.

Jiraiya took a breath before continuing. "She is not the easiest person to find if you don't know how to. Her nickname is the legendary sucker, walk up to any casino and mention that name- they'll be able to tell you if she was there recently. The later it is in the day the more likely she'll be drunk. She has an apprentice, Shizune, she will most likely be with her. She is my age but uses a jutsu to keep her appearance young. And finally the most important thing, he boobs, they're ginormous- like nothing you've every seen. You can't miss them."

Naruto finally found a break in between Jiraiya talking to say a few words of his own. "How am I supposed to convince her to come?"

Jiraiya smirked, not many people knew this trick. "Make a bet with her, she never wins."

Naruto was remembering all of this now. His guard had momentarily been let down however and he regretted it the moment he felt the blade of a kunai enter his waist from behind. He let out a struggled cry at the feeling of his flesh being ripped apart to allow an entrance fore the blade.

At the same time a different kunai was thrown at Tsunade who easily evaded it and caught the ring at the end of the handle around her index finger before hurling it at the same person who had thrown it at her. The particular man, of course, had no time to move out of the way and it hit him between the eyes.

Shizune quickly dispersed senbon and took down the remaining two men.

Tsunade heard something clatter to the ground, when she looked down there was a bloodied kunai knife. The sight of the liquid made her halt in all of her movements. Her head felt fuzzy, stomach nauseous, and breathing was accompanied with difficulty.

Shizune rushed forward to help, knowing about Tsunade's fear of blood. After so any years it still hadn't gone away, it was one of the reasons she usually avoided fights like the one that just happened.

"No," Tsunade ordered softly. She forced herself forwards until she was beside the blond and knelt down. Carefully, the woman turned him over so the injury would not be further aggravated. His back had more blood than the front of his torso. Another wave of nausea hit the medic-nin but she further suppressed it.

Shizune looked on worriedly. "Tsunade-sama, I can-"

"I've g-got it," Tsunade replied with a slight stutter. She didn't know what it was but something made her want to help the blond. Her hands glowed a soft green as she began pouring medical chakra into Naruto's body. The kunai had gone all the way through his body but it was a clean cut and hadn't missed any vital spots so it wasn't extremely difficult to heal.

After a few minutes the wound had been reduced to a thin pink scar, it was the best Tsunade could do. She turned him back over at the perfect moment to see his eyes squeeze together tightly before squinting open.

Shizune looked at him from behind Tsunade. Something felt familiar to her but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Suddenly Naruto shot to his feet and said, "Come on we gotta go."

Shizune looked at Naruto through narrowed eyes while Tsunade quirked a brow at him before replying, "I just saved your ass, the least you could give me is a thank you, brat."

Naruto glared at the slug princess. "First of all, I didn't need you to heal me." After a scoff from Tsunade he muttered, "Baka Ero-sennin, didn't tell me you'd be so stubborn."

Pervy sage, Tsunade thought to herself before a sudden realization hit her. There was only one person he could be talking about. "Jiraiya?" She hadn't seen him since.. since the kyuubi attacked the hidden leaf villiage, and that had been what.. almost fourteen years ago now. She was too drunk to think about him and whatever he wanted at the moment, though she wouldn't admit that out loud. "Listen.. brat-"

Naruto growled very much so annoyed. "My name isn't brat. It's Uzumaki Naruto."

Both Tsunade and Shizune's eyes widened when they finally realized why the boy looked so familiar. The golden blonde hair, bright blue eyes, short temper- it all made sense. He was the son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina- the legacy of the fourth hokage.

Hearing about Jiraiya trying to find her for whatever reason made her head spin, and having Naruto in front of her just made Tsunade feel like too much was happening too fast.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune exclaimed at the same time as Naruto let out an oof against the wall of the building closest to them. Tsunade had pushed Naruto away from her and turned the opposite direction in time to avoid puking on him. Her being not so sober caused her to use too much force and she ended up flinging him into said wall.

Naruto was left gasping for air. When he finally regained his breath he stopped himself from muttering out an eww. Jiraiya had left out how strong the woman was and didn't want to be flung into another wall.

After she was done, Tsunade turned back around and stared at Naruto for a moment, trying to figure out what to do with him. She ended up deciding that she was too tired to make any decisions right now and would do so in the morning.

"Help me up, brat," she said while holding out her hand.

Naruto rolled his eyes and glared at the blonde. "I already told you, Na-ru-to, my name is-"

"Uzumaki Na-ru-to, yes I know. Now help me up, brat," the woman ordered again.

Shizune watched the two interact in a somewhat amused manor before moving to pick up Tonton.

"Fine," Naruto ground out while rolling his eyes. "Baa-chan.." He couldn't help but think to himself, two people could play the nickname game. A triumphant smirk graced his face as he reached out to help Tsunade up, but it dropped the moment she grabbed his hand in a vice like grip.

Tsunade pulled herself up, knowing full well of how strong her hold on his hand was.

Shizune now looked at the two with wide eyes instead of amused ones. She had witnessed Tsunade throwing grown men through walls for less.

Tsunade had her arm around Naruto. She had already lost the bet with her apprentice so there was no point, in her mind, to struggle with her feet the rest of the way back to the hotel.

"Just so you know, I'm not going anywhere tonight," Tsunade mumbled with a slur.

Naruto quickly turned his head to her. They only had a week left to get back to Konoha and he hadn't even convinced her to go yet. "But!"

Shizune just shook her head. "She's not going to budge, Naruto."

The boy just threw his head back and groaned. On the positive side at least one of the women was calling him by his actual name.

Tsunade was half awake when they reached her and Shizune's hotel room. It was a decent size with two beds pushed up against the wall, a small loveseat in the corner, and had a connected bathroom. After putting Tonton on the chair Shizune gestured at the bed closest to the restroom. "You can just put her there."

The second Tsunade hit the bed she was out cold. Shizune took her sandals off, both her and Naruto had already taken theirs off when they entered the room, and placed them by the door. She then threw the half off the blanket that Tsunade wasn't laying on over her so she wouldn't get cold. The last thing Shizune did was grabbing a rag from the bathroom and wetting it so she could wipe off the leftover blood from Tsunade's hands. When she turned around she saw Naruto standing awkwardly by the door.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Shizune asked. From what she heard, the dark haired woman was able to put two and two together and assumed the boy had been searching for them for at least a short while now. She wouldn't be surprised if he had nowhere to sleep.

Naruto laughed awkwardly before scratching the back of his neck. "Not really."

Shizune thought about it for a second. "You can stay here. I don't take up much room, you can share my bed if you want." She chuckled when she saw an immediate blush creep onto Naruto's cheeks. "Don't worry, I'm not trying to seduce you or anything. I prefer my men a bit older."

Naruto cleared his throat before nodding shyly. He hadn't been thinking that at all. It was that he just never shared a bed with anyone before. Anytime he went on a mission with team seven they always had their own sleeping bags, and any time he travelled with Jiraiya they always had separate rooms- which he was honestly glad about.

Shizune threw the rag away, not wanting to take the chance of Tsunade seeing the blood on it, even if it wasn't much, before laying down on the side closest to Tsunade. Naruto slid onto the other side and was practically hugging the edge of the bed.

"Do you think she'll remember all of this," Naruto asked.

Shizune sleepily replied, "She is not the forgetful kind of drunk. She'll remember. Goodnight, Naruto."

"G'night," was all the blond said- feeling quite tired himself.

When Tsunade woke up the next morning she was gifted with a raging headache and thought that all of the events that occurred the night before were just apart of some crazy dream. That was until she saw Naruto sitting on the loveseat, sipping on a cup of tea while Shizune did the same on the other bed.

"Oh fuck.." Tsunade groaned. It was real, she thought while massaging the side of her temples.

Shizune chuckled softly. Like she told Naruto, Tsunade wouldn't forget but she did wonder if the woman would believe it really happened.

"Well good morning to you too, Baa-chan." He made sure to stretch out the baa-chan, knowing it got on Tsunade's nerves.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "You have five minutes to try to convince me before I kick your ass out." She sat against the headboard with her arms crossed, waiting for whatever he had to say.

"Language.." Shizune groaned.

"If I'm going to possibly be traveling with him then he better get used to it," Tsunade responded, eyes never leaving the blond. "Clock is ticking.."

"We need you to become hokage," Naruto blurted out. Shizune looked at him with wide eyes, Tonton squealed, and Tsunade- she just looked at him with an indifferent expression.

"No," was all the legendary ninja replied with. "Only a fool who wants to die would become hokage."

That hit a spot deep inside Naruto. "Shut up!" He began with a raised tone. "A drunk like you would be lucky to become hokage!" He ignored the deadly glare Tsunade sent his way and continued. "To be hokage, that is my dream, and I'll accomplish that dream- you better believe it! I never go back on my word, that's my ninja way, so you know I'll get it done.

Dan.. Nawaki.. If the village wanted her then that must mean the old man died as well. Images of these people sprung up inside of Tsunade's head, some were good- most of them were haunting. Her lover and brother had dreamed of becoming hokage, her sensei had been the third. Tsunade thought Naruto would understand, having his father die for Konoha. Then a sudden flashback hit her.

"What's going to happen to the boy?" Tsunade asked her former teammate. They were still dressed all in black, having just finished Minato's funeral.

"The third promised Kushina that he would keep an eye on him," Jiraiya answered quietly.

Tsunade considered the response. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but what about you. Aren't you his godfather?" When she looked at Jiraiya he had a sad look on his face.

"I can't for the same reason I can't be hokage. You know they already asked me? The fourth hasn't even been dead for four days yet." When he saw that his attempt to change the subject didn't work he sighed and continued. "I don't deserve either.. My life has been full of failures, I can't risk to fail in raising him too."

The two found a bench and sat down. Silence passed between them until the sage spoke again.

"I spoke to the third. We decided it would be safest to keep Naruto's birth on the down low. The old man is ordering everyone to keep quiet about his lineage."

Tsunade nodded, it made sense, but there seemed to be something that he was leaving out. Enough people wanted to kill the yellow flash himself, and now that he was dead they would want to kill his legacy as well. She however did not expect the next thing that the man said.

"He will not know of his lineage until his fifteenth birthday. If he were to tell anyone beyond the village word could spread and Minato's enemies could plan an attack."

Tsunade wondered what would happen if he knew. Would he still want to become hokage? Probably, he seemed like a fool.

"How old are you?" She quizzed non-nonchalantly.

Naruto groaned loudly. Even Shizune was looking at Tsunade with confused eyes. "What's that have to do with-"

"Just.. answer the question," Tsunade requested, because of the reason behind the question she wouldn't demand anything, but it would be a good idea to know.

Naruto threw his head back before quickly pulling it back up. "A month away from fifteen, happy now?" When he received a single nod he continued. The longer he spoke the quicker his words became. "Listen, some guy named uh uh.." Naruto face palmed, this was the worst time to forget. "Oh yeah, Danzo! He is trying to become the fifth hokage, but no one wants him to be one. If that was enough to put Ero-sennin on edge then it's enough to put me on edge." He took a breath before continuing. "I don't know anything about him but I'm guessing he's an.." Naruto paused, looking for the right word.

"An ass? Yes, he is, go on," Tsunade said with the wave of her hand. For once she could agree with Jiraiya, Danzo as hokage.. well.. long story short he did not agree with the third- too much would change, and she didn't think it would be for the better.

"T-the next reason isn't one Jiraiya sent me for." At this point the boy was fiddling with his thumbs. "I may not be very smart, but I have heard about you- mainly from Jiraiya, and note everything was pervy." After receiving a dry chuckle he continued. "I know you're a medical ninja, and supposedly a really good one." He still ignored the fact that she had healed him the night before. "There's two people in the hospital that no one knows how to heal. They're both my friends. One of them got hurt during the chuunin exam and the other was injured while fighting an Akatsuki member."

Tsunade contemplated what to do. For whatever reason she wanted to help Naruto, but she still didn't want to become hokage. She had heard whispers of the group, but didn't know what they would want with a couple of young gennin.

Naruto recalled what Jiraiya said, about the trick to getting Tsunade to do whatever he wanted. "Tell you what, how about a bet."

Shizune smirked and shook her head, lightly enough so that the other two wouldn't notice. She rubbed her mouth in an effort to hide the grin that it held. 'Jiraiya must've told him the key to Tsunade', she thought.

"If I win then you have to become the fifth hokage, if you win.. I don't know, you tell me," Naruto proposed.

The clock had stopped ticking the moment he suggested a bet and everyone knew it. Tsunade thought about what she would ask for, there was nothing she wanted- but there were things she was curious about.

"Alright, we have a deal, but-"

"Yes," Naruto yelled with an arm pump.

"BUT," Tsunade continued. "You have to answer a question first."

Naruto scratched his head. "Fine, what is it?"

Since the previous night, Tsunade had been making connections with the boy, even though she wasn't sober the entire time. She just wanted her hunch to be confirmed. "Are you the nine tails jinchuriki?"

Naruto looked at her, clearly confused. Everyone from the village seemed to know, that's why they all hated him- and why growing up was hell. Now he had to tell two people who would probably hate him just as much as everyone else when they found out. He placed his elbows on his knees and bet over so he could put his head on his hands.

Tsunade couldn't figure out what caused the sudden change in the boy's mood. She remembered when her grandmother was the jinchuriki, it was viewed as a sacrifice made to protect the village. She was proud to be able to help people.

"Yes." He could feel himself shaking but couldn't manage to stop himself. He was just waiting for them to do whatever would be done since they found out the truth about him. Some people had thrown rocks, others had pushed him around- which after a while began to start a fair amount of fights, and others just completely acted as if he didn't exist.

Shizune moved closer to him and sat on the arm of the chair while putting a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Naruto, are you OK?"

The boy in question looked up cautiously. "Don't you hate me now?"

Both of the women's eyes pushed together in a confused way. Shizune's head tilted to the side while Tsunade stood up and went to sit on the edge of the bed that was closer to Naruto.

"Why would we hate you?" Tsunade asked while leaning forward in anticipation.

His voice was barely audible but with strained ears he could be heard. "Because everyone else does.." After a shuddered breath he added, "Especially the adults, they hate me the most. According to Ero-sennin, Danzo is the worst. Jiraiya couldn't really get into it, there wasn't a lot of time." A long sigh followed. "He said the council gave him a month. He thought it was too risky to leave the council alone with Danzo, so I was sent alone instead."

Tsunade was fuming inwardly. She couldn't help but think that she should've probed further when she sensed that her former teammate was hiding something all those years ago. The legendary ninja had half the mind to go to Konoha just so she could kick Jiraiya's ass. She didn't know what she would've done if she had known, but thought that she could have at least done something. If anyone had the slightest chance of understanding what Naruto would have to live with it would be her since she was directly related to a former nine tales holder.

"How much time do you have left to get back to the village?" Tsunade asked through tight lips, having to use some effort to force her anger down so Naruto wouldn't think it was being directed at him.

"Including today, six days," Naruto replied with a stronger voice than before.

Tsunade carefully considered what she would say next. "I'll go with you." He immediately perked up at that.

"Really?!" He practically yelled while jumping out of the chair.

"But-"

"Oh cooome on.." Naruto groaned.

Tsunade shook her head with a small smile. "A bet is a bet. The bet is for you to do something impossible. Make me believe that you can become hokage. I will travel with you to Konoha in case you actually manage to pull it off. If you don't by the time we reach the gates then I will tell you what I want."

Naruto had a new sense of determination fill him. "Deal! Let's go!" When he turned around to head towards the door Tsunade shook her head with a smile, making her believe anything would be very difficult. The smile on her face dropped however when she saw the back of his still bloodied clothes. She felt nauseous as well as a sense of anxiety, but it was more bearable than the what she dealt with the night before.

"Before I go anywhere with you, you've got to get a new pair of clothes." On that she would not budge.

"Whaat," Naruto whined before looking at the parts of his jacket that was in tatters. "Oh." He laughed awkwardly while rubbing his head. "I don't really have any money on me. I kinda used it on a bowl of ramen yesterday."

Tsunade had plenty, even if she was gambling almost constantly, it was one of the perks of having the entire Senju fortune left to her. "I'll pay for them. I just can't look at those anymore."

"Oh what," Naruto asked mockingly, "You scared of blood?" He regretted it the moment he said it, having missed Shizune's gesturing to stop talking. When he felt the temperature around him drop several degrees he gulped heavily. "Point taken.. I-I think I saw a place on the way out of the village."

Tsunade smiled and in a chirpy tone replied, "Great," as she lead the way out.

Naruto looked at Shizune and whispered, "That was the scariest two seconds of my life."

She chuckled before replying in a more serious tone, "Everyone has their problems. Bring hers up and she won't hesitate to flick you across town."

Naruto couldn't help but shiver at the image Shizune's words put in his head. Tsunade flung him into a wall the previous night without the intention of even doing so. He didn't know how far he'd go if she actually tried. He opted to remain at the tail of the group so Tsunade would not be able to see the left over blood.

When they entered the small clothing shop Tsunade asked the man behind the front corner if the had anything for ninjas and he directed them to the back of the building.

"Got anything orange?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Nice try, but no- you need something that will provide better stealth. Orange is too bright of a color and too easy to spot." She rolled her eyes when she saw him stick his bottom lip out in a pout.

While Naruto browsed the clothing Shizune leaned towards Tsunade and quietly asked, "What will you ask for if he looses?"

Tsunade looked at Naruto, he was busy looking through different items of clothing and was convinced he wasn't paying either of them any attention. In an equally quiet tone she replied, "It's more a matter of what happens when we reach the village. If Danzo is already hokage then I will tell Naruto he is to come with us and that will fulfill his end of the bet."

Shizune looked at Tsunade with a bewildered expression. She could tell Naruto was stubborn, with him and Tsunade together constantly they'd be sure to butt heads. On top of that, the woman had never wanted anyone else to travel with them, let alone a fourteen year old boy. However, Shizune did think that he could do some good for her elder- maybe his upbeat energetic attitude could bring back a light long lost to Tsunade. She felt like she could already see a difference, considering the blonde hadn't drank even a single sip of alcohol that day and it was close to noon.

"How about a compromise?" Naruto asked after a few minutes. He held up a black jacket and a matching pair of pants, both more fitted than what he currently had on but enough space remained to still be able to move around freely. The last thing was an orange tank top.

Tsunade looked at the three items with a quirk of her head. As long as his jacket was at least partially zipped he'd be decently hidden- more so than his almost completely orange jumpsuit. She nodded, causing Shizune to head to the counter to pay and Naruto to a dressing room to change. If the legendary sucker was not gambling then her apprentice held onto whatever money they had in an effort to dissuade her from doing so, or so she thought.

Just before she was about to leave a certain symbol caught Tsunade's eye. It wasn't widely known, but her eyes managed to recognize it anyway.

"Give me a second, I'll be out in a moment," Tsunade said. Her apprentice pulled the blond boy away before he had the chance to argue. She picked up the item and took it to the cashier and then took out some emergency money that was always kept hidden away safely in her bra, usually reserved for gambling. Even Shizune didn't know it was there. After she purchased it Tsunade put the item in the bag that was currently slung over her shoulder.

She exited the shop to see an antsy looking Naruto and slightly amuse Shizune.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Let's go!" Naruto replied, while throwing his fist in the air excitedly, and led the trio out of town.