XxTsunadeHimeXx

Jiraiya carefully held Tsunade as they entered the village. Her bloody, tattered hands clutching his vest as she shook lightly; her eyes squeezed shut in a futile attempt to push back the pain. He tried to ignore the stares and the crowds of people surrounding them. So many whispers flying through the air and into his ears, and Jiraiya could only hope that Tsunade couldn't hear them. Another one dead. How tragic. Even the best in the world couldn't save him. I heard he bled out beneath her fingers. Well he must have, just look at her! Ignoring them, Jiraiya pressed on; anxious to get away from the attention. He knew the rumors were tru

The air in the village was bleak; stagnant with the smell of rain. Lightning streaked through the sky with a ferocious intensity, illuminating the earth beneath it. Everything seemed to be frozen in time, as if the earth was holding its breath. Everyone could feel it. On the windowsill sat a young Shizune, eyes lighting up with each stroke of lightning. She loved watching storms. They reminded her of how the most spectacular things could come from nothing; she really admired the idea. On the days her uncle Dan was on missions, Shizune would play with his Shogi set or go to the park to play with the other children; but today she preferred to

     The twelfth day after Tsunade and Dan embarked on their mission seemed different than the rest. The group seemed out of synch, constantly leaving weak spots that simple chuunin would recognize. Tsunade was dumbfounded that Sarutobi would send them out with such rookies; She knew it wouldn't be long before they were ambushed. Her suspicions were confirmed when one of the shinobi traveling with them was cut down in the blink of an eye. The Iwa nin came so quickly that the sensory type that was with them had not noticed, which in itself was peculiar. The fact that so many were able to sneak up on them was definitely not right. Before she co