His Blood, Her Conscience, or The Alcohol?

He rapped his knuckles against her door listening to the sound of the wood vibrating. The brass screeched as the oak slid open, no one answered except the hinges. He hesitated for a minute before he stuck his foot through the wooden frame. The echoes of his footsteps awoke her from the desk. Empty bottles lay beside her ample frame. One of her hands was gripping a bottle, the other, that picture. "I'm sorry," Naruto heard Tsunade mutter as he approached the desk. Two feet of stained oak was all that separated the two. "Hi Granny," Naruto said, his feet now against the front of the desk. He lowered himself into the green cloth seat.

"Granny," he said, nudging the drowsy woman. The bottle rolled off the desk as she lifted her head. "Hi Naruto," she whispered in a hazy breath, "Are you here for Sakura, yawn?" She hoped she was wrong, she knew it was. He couldn't believe that, she wouldn't allow it. "No, I'm here for you," said a slightly red Naruto. The pinkish hue began to spread as Tsunade spoke up. "For me?" she asked, of course he was. She knew that; the cherry blossoms had just started to bloom, no one else was working today. "I was wondering, if-" Naruto began. Time froze around Tsunade, Naruto's words popped the cork blocking memories in the bottle. For one short moment, her hangover disappeared, and the oceans of sake that drowned her memories dried.

That kiss on his forehead, the way she believed in him, maybe the necklace, one of these awakened something in Naruto. She thought she picked up on it before he did, maybe she did, but she couldn't talk about it. It was just an infatuation, a young boy's fantasy. Naruto would change, grow up. She would remain his first dream and nothing else. A boy so young can only dream.

"If you'd like to go to the flower blossom festival with me?" Those words were hard to say, but they rolled off the tongue. That may have been the hardest thing Naruto's ever done. It was a moment years in the making, ever since he first laid eyes on her. Maybe it was Pervy Sage's influence, but to him, Tsunade was everything he could have hoped for. He was heartbroken when she refused to be Hokage, even more so when she called him a brat.

"I'll make you eat those words!" Naruto shouted, charging at the future Hokage. "Should I even try, kiddo?" she teased. Naruto threw a barrage of shuriken, but it was rebuffed by the Sannin. In Tsunade's distraction, Naruto attempted to stab her with a kunai, but she casually disarmed him. "Dumb brat," she muttered before she flicked him away. He did prove her wrong, "I'll learn the Rasengan in a week!" he challenged. "Alright, kid," she answered, "If you learn the Rasengan in a week I'll give you this necklace. It belonged to the first Hokage!"

That first Rasengan, he was glad she could see it. He'd saved her from herself, even defeated Kabuto. Still, he knew it didn't win her heart. Even when she kissed his forehead, he knew. The difference in age was far too much. Even Naruto understood that. He decided then he would wait until he was old enough. Only then could he profess.

He had waited five whole years to get to this point. He'd just asked for a date, a moment he doubted would ever happen. He had shot his shot, taken a chance, would she accept? His heart beat faster than it's ever pounded. The sound of bass drums emanated from the now mature Uzumaki's chest. His eyes were still, focused only on the Senju and how she reacted.

Tsunade thought back, through all those years she'd known him. He'd always been sincere with every word he said. Naruto never kid with something so serious, she knew that. And, this didn't come out of nowhere. She'd heard from Kakashi nearly two years ago that Naruto would mutter her name in his sleep. Even Sakura returned the story. "He's sleeping there, looking perverted and saying your name," Sakura would tell her, "What do you want me to do about it?" Her student's words fell on deaf ears, Tsunade was blushing too much for Sakura's liking. "Master, are you ok?" Sakura would ask. "Yes...I'm fine," Tsunade answered. She pushed the empty bottle off her desk taking, some papers with them. "What should I do about Naruto?" "Just ignore him. He'll, hiccup, give up in time," Tsunade summarized. 'I hope he does,' Tsunade thought, 'any longer and I might fall for him. When he's older of course.' Sakura left and Tsunade fell asleep drunk on her desk, "Naruto," she muttered in her sleep. His name would remain on her drunken tongue.