Boulders

Limestone

This isn't beta'd, so if you see any mistakes, just tell me and I'll fix it.

Thanks!

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Tsunade Senju liked to think of herself as a force of nature. She was strong, smart, and with just a simple Genjutsu, she was forever beautiful, too.

However, she felt like a lot less than she usually did right now.

Why?

Because while she was fierce and stern, she wasn't nearly as utterly savage as Tsume Inuzuka was. 

Usually, Tsume was tall, upright, and liked to throw her weight around. She didn't care about her physical appearance, letting her hair rise in stiff, untamed spikes, and often wore wrinkled, bloodstained clothing. The only things she seemed to care about were her dog, her clan, and her weapons, in that order.

Tsume's personality reflected in her home. It was an old house, the walls gouged by nicks and dents and scratches, the myriad of kids who had grown up in that house leaving their mark. There was almost nothing delicate and breakable in view; the exceptions being the pictures hanging along the walls and the scroll taking up most of this room's wall. Careful calligraphy listed out the Inuzuka values: Pack, Loyalty, and Fighting Spirit the three written in the biggest strokes.

Even the chair Tsunade sat in was well-used. There were several rents in the leather, all of them stitched back together with bright red thread. The armchair didn't match any of the furniture, either. There was a grey-ish couch, a sturdy-looking rocking chair tucked in a corner, and a shelf full of books that looked almost new.

Tsume sat on the crouch, her arms wrapped around Hiroto, fingers carding through his shorter black hair. When Tsunade had knocked on the door of her compound a few minutes ago, the woman had been somewhat calm, even grinning as she welcomed her Hokage into her house.

Then Tsunade had forced Hiroto to unmask, calling again on her powers of Hokage (it seemed this was going to be a pattern with this particular individual).

And now... 

Now, the clan head's face was downright feral as she clutched the young man, the ROOT agent to her chest and growled, her throat rumbling like thunder, or an earthquake. Her dog did the same, angry if not angrier than his human counterpart, all fangs and ruffled fur.

Now they were absolutely furious.

"I take it you knew him?" Tsunade asked, trying not to let her awkwardness at interrupting their reunion bleed into her voice. She pulled herself up a little straighter when Tsume's black eyes glared a hole into her.

"My brother's first son," she growled. "My nephew. He and Hana were practically siblings until he disappeared and all we ever found..."

All they ever found was the body of his ninken, still a puppy but burnt, charred and dead.

"He was the only one I found," Tsunade admitted. "I hope there are more, but I don't know. His tongue is sealed, so I can't learn anything from that."

"His name," Tsume snarled. "You know the name of the one who did this?"

Tsunade inclined her head briefly. "I have my suspicions, but no concrete evidence as of yet."

The Inuzuka's face twisted in an undiscernible emotion. It seemed she had reached the limits of human wrath and had transcended into godly realms of fury. She was so mad she'd come back around again and was calm.

"I want their head," Tsume told Tsunade in a bland monotone. It was scarier than her previous anger, cold and patient like a crocodile rather than a rabid dog. "They will die for this."