"How can I begin anything new with all of yesterday in me? " - Leonard Cohen

In retrospect, she knew she should have expected something like this to happen. War was ruthless and didn't care who it took or how its effects would weigh down on thousands of people, shinobi and civilians alike. Nobody knew that better than her. Losing Nawaki pushed her to start a revolution in the medical field, made her hope and trust that will somehow be enough to fight death. It hadn't been. Did their success rate increase? Of course. Did corpses stop gracing her eyesight? Never.

Losing Dan, Tsunade reflected, had been the last straw. There was nothing left for her in Konoha. The village was full of painful reminders, of crushed happiness and lost innocence, of loved ones who no longer walked the Earth but were buried beneath instead. She had outlived her entire family and couldn't help but think the Senju name was worth far more than the failure she had become.

So, she was leaving, taking with her nobody but Shizune because the girl showed potential and not because of the way she smiled, resembling a lavender-haired man with broken, unfulfilled dreams and a heart too kind for the world they lived in. She was leaving, taking with her nothing but her research because she refused to let go of the one thing standing between her and insanity. She was taking money because it was the damn rational thing to do and she was taking the cursed necklace because for all the heartache it brought her, it was still her grandfather's. Besides, who else would be capable of wearing the dreaded thing without dying afterwards?

She was leaving...or she was supposed to because the universe was just as twisted as mankind. Jiraya and Orochimaru have asked for her help one last time. The Three-Way-Deadlock deserved a final stand and Konoha deserved to have one more enemy face the fury of her fists.

She left. Left behind a mourning village, a powerful legacy and one more name to be carved on The Memorial Stone.

Senju Tsunade never made it back.

.

.

She was falling. Of that, she was aware of and fuck if she didn't have a bad feeling about it. She didn't have time for messing around, not when Jiraiya and Orochimaru were counting on her and the enemy was waiting to get his ass handed to him. The sensation was unpleasant and she wished there would be an end to it already. It was pitch black everywhere she looked and cold. Yet it was an unusual kind of cold because her body wasn't shivering, rather her mind was. Tsunade closed her eyes since it didn't make any difference, having them open. Her hands formed the sign for dispelling genjutsu.

It didn't work.

She was still falling and she was still pissed off. What was Orochimaru doing?She gritted her teeth. Did he got caught in a difficult battle? Or was the genjutsu cast on her out of his expertise even? Both options were terrifying to consider.

And you, Jiraiya? You two better look after each other and not give me a handful of injures to heal!

Tsunade knew yelling was useless while trapped in a genjutsu. Unless she ended up scaring the shit out of its caster...which was highly unlikely. She dropped the sign with a sigh of defeat, opening her eyes and pushing a little chakra towards her irises. It was a new trick she had discovered that could improve night vision. It was tedious but she had to give it a shot if she hoped to find a way out. It seems like I have to break through the old-fashioned way.

And how fun was that going to be.

Tsunade concentrated, noticing a slight improvement but other than a black two shades lighter...it was nothing useful. A growl of frustration promising pain was released from her throat. "Instead of acting like a pussy, how about you drop this game for children and fight me directly?!"

Suffice to say, the person behind the curtain got offended quickly and for a moment Tsunade wished she could have kept her mouth shut and lived on with the illusion of being under a genjutsu. Finding out she died, heroically or not, sucked whichever way you chose to look at it. "Listen here and listen good you piece of shit. Don't fuck with me. Tell me the truth otherwise I will personally make sure your family has no remains to retrieve after I'm through with you."

The denial is strong within this one. The kami thought, shaking his head in dismay. Well, not that it matters. She isn't the first one to throw a tantrum.

"Aa, language first hime."

That was the wrong thing to say.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" she barked.

Dead or not, the privilege of addressing her in such a way and not get punched was reserved solely for the members of Team Sarutobi.

"I'm sorry if I hit a nerve. Anyway, Tsunade..." he grimaced, raising an eyebrow. "May I call you that or it's also forbidden?" he quickly added.

"Screw you." was her response.

"I will take that as an 'why yes you can kami-sama!' " he exclaimed cheerfully, searching through a stack of papers.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes dangerously. "You better be looking for my life in there." she threatened him.

He sweatdropped. By far, she was the worst example of how to react after dying.

"Do you know what limbo is, Tsunade-chan?"

Is she even a woman? He wondered, utterly appalled after having to dodge a punch that, he was sure, would have hurt receiving, even as a god. He hated the rules of this place since more often than not spirits had free reign to attack him even and nee-sama had forbade him from burning them into a crisp...

Tsunade decided to humour him...for now. "No, but I bet you are going to tell me."

He hadn't rolled his eyes in a century and a half since having this job. "Limbo is the state between life and death where people wait for judgement."

She nodded, a lot calmer than before, as if the planets and starts just aligned and everything started to make sense. "Should have said so from the beginning. Lead the way to my eternal damnation baka, I've been ready since diapers."

The idiot gave her a strange, freaked out look. Not that she could blame him. People having that reaction was fairly common whenever she acted like a drunken nutcase. It was a persona she had created for Team Sarutobi's undercover missions which hit close to home whenever she had too much sake or when her rationality simply refused to function as it should. If you asked her, the fool had it coming.

"Can't do that."

The Slug Princess stroked own her chin, cocking an eyebrow. "Pray tell, oh mighty fool of the fools...where will I be going then?" she questioned, her words slurred as if she had really gotten drunk. Then, she clenched a fist, eyes a clear honey hue, promising pain. "Also, dare say my ass belongs to the good side and I will punch you so hard they will have to replace you."

Can gods even sweat? Is that possible? He asked himself, thinking that maybe, if he had to avoid getting hit, sweating was possible too in limbo. "Neither. It's better than death yet worse than life."

Tsunade gave him a perplexed look in return for his trouble. "How would you prefer if I riddle you a new head? Both meanings of the word included, keep that in mind." she patted his chest roughly, enough that the stack of papers fell from his grasp. Amazingly enough, it remained floating through the limbo, just like they were currently doing. She liked to feel solid ground beneath her feet, just for future reference.

Taking hold of the papers, she began fishing through them, completely indifferent to what the kami before her thought. Truth be told, Tsunade didn't know why he wasn't doing anything to stop her or handing her some sort of divine punishment for her rowdy behaviour. She didn't dwell on that once a particular file caught her attention. She read quietly under her breath. "Cycle of life. New possibilities...okay baka, what's this?"

One snap of fingers later and he was holding the paper. "Oh, that? Just the details of your new life." he answered simply, as if he was talking about the weather and not her fate.

Fighting the urge to do something drastic, Tsunade took a deep breath to calm herself. Upon discovering that wasn't working, she proceeded to chase him with a kunai, telling herself lodging a blade into his eye socket would be far less painful than one uppercut to damage his lungs...if he even had them to begin with.

"Funny how you are able to give me a damn new life but not return my old one!" she screamed, feeling utterly hopeless as she stopped. Placing her head in her hands, she complained: "Why me though?"

"Because you are the only one who can stop what's coming." he replied, pitying her after all. That seemed to soothe her anguish for the time being. Having a purpose does that to people.

"What's coming?"

He lowered his head, hold tightening against the papers he was carrying. "I can't tell you that. You must have faith hime."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

He sighed. What he wouldn't do to be deaf for the time being.

"I will need your signature." he added flatly after the silence dragged on and on.

Tsunade nodded absently before a sudden thought occurred to her. "So, how much do I get paid?"

"Paid...to what?"

"Paid to live a shitty life again, of course." she clarified, staring him down. Never mind the fact that he was taller than her, he still felt as if he was the one at disadvantage here.

"Well considering the reputation you had in your past life as The Legendary Sucker..."

She arched a perfect brow. "What's that supposed to mean?" Her time spent in limbo was beginning to sound like a hostage negotiation gone wrong but this was her second existence they were talking about. There better be lots of money involved!

"Nothing, nothing! Just, we can't give you money. There are quite a few debts we have to pay in your stead so..."

Tsunade waved a dismissive hand. "Leave them in the hands of my capable team."

He winced, correcting her. "Former team and I don't think you ever sat down and calculated just how much there is to pay back. So, we will cover it."

"Add 'former' near the words 'my team' again..."

"And you will punch me so hard that they will have to replace me. I know, I know, you have said that already." he cut her off, looking bored.

Tsunade smiled sweetly. "Actually, I was thinking something more along the lines of limbo chasing round number two. How does that sound?"

He actually paled at that. "We really cannot give you money but picture this, you will have your memories intact after your rebirth as well as some of your monstrous strength. Of course, with the potential of reaching your current healing abilities in the future."

She looked at him straight in the eye and then laughed. It was strained and it spoke of despair mixed with sorrow. "At least that since I suppose I won't see sensei or my teammates again."

Ah crap, she is making me feel bad for doing my job. He thought, trying to offer some comfort. "You will, their older versions though."

"How long do I have to wait here until it's time?"

He smiled for the first time since their encounter. "One minute. Time passes differently in limbo. It's much slower."

She nodded, bracing herself for what was expecting her. "Any word of advice?"

"Quit chasing people with a kunai."

She laughed, but it didn't sound bitter this time. Then a white light appeared, signalling the end of one life and the beginning of another.

Senju Tsunade died on March 28th.

Twenty years later, Haruno Sakura is born on the same day.