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chapter three.

may our battles bring us honour,
may our victories bring us strength.

- - -

Though my little outburst had put him a bit on edge, Orochimaru had excitedly agreed to a race to the sandpit. 

We were on our way to becoming friends, and though he hadn't vocalized it yet, I assumed from his actions Orochimaru thought we already were. I wasn't exactly sure how felt about it, being friends with Orochimaru that is. I knew he was innocent at this time but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth, like I was doing something terribly wrong. It was why I was hesitant to call him a friend. It felt like I was about to admit to some sort of crime to myself, maybe later on when the revelation that I was playing with Orochimaru like I was his school mate wasn't so fresh and shocking I would be able to dwell more about the label I would put on our relationship; friends was a scary term but acquaintance didn't feel right.

The sandpit, though incredibly crowded on the side the Senju trio was located, was surprisingly fun to play in. I had long jumped into it, beating Orochimaru by doing so and grinning wickedly at the boy who looked shocked that he'd lost.

Playing in the sandpit brought back memories; the feeling of burning hot sand beneath my feet as I rushed to the cool water, making sandcastles and burying my uncle's body under the sand. 

"What do you two think you're doing?"

Tsunade's voice was a bossy sort of thing, the voice you'd expect Dolores Umbridge to have had when she was a child.

Entitled, and prissy, and rude.

"Do you have eyes?" I hummed, ushering Orochimaru to continue his sand castle making with a wave of my hand.

"What kind of question is that?" Tsunade snapped unhappily, hands on her hips as she scowled down at me, "Of course I have eyes!"

"Then use them," I snapped back, narrowing my eyes slightly and waving my hand, "We're playing because you don't own the sand." 

"Yes, I do!"

"No, you don't."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"My Ojiisan is the Hokage!" Tsunade screamed with her hands balled into fists, "You have to listen to me, I own this sandbox so you need to leave!"

"What are you gonna do," I scoffed, standing to my feet, my own fists balled in righteous, toddler emotional range fueled anger, "Make me?"

Orochimaru had shifted to try and stand between us, hands up as he tried to diffuse the fight budding between us. Hashirama and Tobirama were intensely watching at this point, Hashirama lips were drawn in disappointment, not expecting Tsunade's behaviour to be so out of hand.

Tsunade, to the toddler's credit, hesitated for a moment before she rose her fists in a way that was probably mimicking the way she saw people train in the Senju compound; "I'm a Senju, you're just some dumb civvie, you're gonna get out of my sandbox or I'm gonna make you."