Tsunade (綱手, Tsunade) is the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure. She is a descendant of the Senju and Uzumaki Clan, and was famed for being the world's strongest kunoichi and its greatest medical-nin. Together with Orochimaru and Jiraiya, she is one of the Legendary Sannin.
Background[]
Early life[]
Tsunade was the eldest of two siblings, the sister of Nawaki and the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Mito Uzumaki. Because of this, Tsunade was often referred to as "Princess" (姫, Hime). Due to being Hashirama's first grandchild, she was spoiled and quickly picked up his gambling habit[1]. After her grandfather's passing, she inherited his necklace. When Tsunade graduated from the Academy, she was placed in a team with Orochimaru and Jiraiya with Hiruzen Sarutobi as their instructor. Their first task as a team was the bell test and when Jiraiya failed, he teased her about her flat chest[2]. However, Jiraiya became interested in Tsunade, especially after her breasts grew in size, which almost killed him after trying to peek on Tsunade in the hot springs[3][4].
Tsunade's brother, Nawaki, dreamed to be Hokage to protect his loved ones, and on the day of his twelfth birthday, she kissed his forehead and gifted him with the necklace from their grandfather in the hopes that it would help him achieve his goal. However, Nawaki died the next day as a victim of the Second Shinobi World War due to the low number of medical-nin. Tsunade advocated for the training of one medical-nin for each four-man team, but Hiruzen refused the idea because they lacked the time and resources to train them in the midst of war[5]. Dan Katō agreed with her idea, and the both of them started to get closer and developed after he told Tsunade of his dream of becoming Hokage to protect the village and his loved ones. Tsunade kissed his forehead and gave him Hashirama's necklace in the hopes it would help him achieve his goal.
Tsunade, Orochimaru and Jiraiya continue fighting together in the war, and they were the only team that survived a fight against Hanzō, who gave them the name of Konohagakure's "Legendary Sannin"[6]. She was also well-known for finding an antidote against Chiyo's poisons during the war, and her actions contributed to the victory of Konoha[7]. However, Tsunade was unable to save Dan's life, and her failure to heal his damaged organs caused her to develop hemophobia.
After Dan's death, Tsunade started to believe that the necklace was cursed to kill anybody that wore it, and it came back to her possession and believed that becoming Hokage was a fool's dream[8]. She later left Konoha with Dan's niece, Shizune, as her apprentice, and retired from medical duty, instead relying on her disciple to complete any procedure.
Many years later, Tsunade met Naruto Uzumaki and saw in him the dreams of Nawaki and Dan, and returned to Konoha to become the next Hokage with the promise to protect the village with her life[9][10]. She also took Sakura Haruno as a disciple, who later became her sole successor[11]. After the Fourth Shinobi World War, Tsunade passed down her title to Kakashi Hatake[12].
Personality[]
Tsunade's most notable trait is her blunt and short-tempered attitude, never afraid to point out the flaws in people with rather sharp manners. This is incremented by her brute force, which she uses to intimidate people she sees herself arguing with, and her habit of being a heavy drinker. Inherited from her grandfather, Tsunade has a vice for gambling but notoriously terrible at it, and her bad luck has earned her the title of "The Legendary Sucker" (伝説のカモ, Densetsu no Kamo). Despite his, Tsunade is very aware of her bad luck, and often turns in to her favor by betting on events she doesn't want to happen so her unluckiness will prevent them from coming to fruition. When Hashirama learns that Tsunade is the Fifth Hokage, he instantly worries about what misfortunes she might have brought upon village[13].
When Nawaki and Dan passed away, she lost motivation and the idea of achieving her goals turned to be an empty dream, especially despising the role of Hokage. But after meeting Naruto Uzumaki, Tsunade reconsiders her ideals and learns that only because a dream seems impossible to achieve, it doesn't mean it's actually impossible, and it continues to live on even if the dreamer dies. She puts her faith in Naruto, who is a shadow of Dan and Nawaki, and overcomes her fear of blood to protect his life. The dream continues to live inside Tsunade, who becomes Konohagakure's Fifth Hokage and makes her goal to protect the village with her life, just as Nawaki and Dan desired. She also decided to pave the way for Naruto when he achieves his own goal.
Tsunade shared the Will of Fire with Konoha's villagers and continued to encourage the dreams of those who had a purpose, like Rock Lee's desire to become a ninja despite his injuries[14], or congratulating Shikamaru Nara after returning safely to the village with her teammates after a gruesome mission to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha[15]. She also sees a glimpse of herself in Sakura Haruno, who asks her to be her apprentice to protect what mattered the most for her[11].
Despite Jiraiya's advances over the years, Tsunade is still faithful to Dan even decades after his death. Even if Tsunade never reciprocated Jiraiya's feelings, it only motivated him to keep trying, and often served him as material to write Icha Icha Paradise. Jiraiya concluded that he wasn't one for happy endings, but Tsunade found it difficult to trust his words and told him that he didn't need to put on a brave face when he returned from his mission in Amegakure. When he died in that mission, Tsunade silently wept for his loss. During the war, she despised the idea to have Dan and Nawaki reincarnated because she understood that it would contradict everything they stood for.
Appearance[]
Tsunade's full appearance.
She is a fair-skinned woman with caramel brown eyes and straight blonde hair that parts above her forehead. Her hair has shoulder-length bangs that frame her face and the rest reaches her lower-back in two loose ponytails. The Strength of a Hundred Seal, in the shape of a purple rhombus, is visible in the enter of her forehead. She is known to be the most beautiful kunoichi in the world[16].
Despite being a woman in her late 60s, Tsunade maintains her youthful appearance using a unique Transformation Technique that is maintained by chakra from her Strength of a Hundred Seal. However, if the seal is drained, Tsunade looks very worn-out, with heavy wrinkles covering her body and a pale skin color.
She is also a very curvaceous woman with noticeably large breasts, which Jiraiya has noted to be 106 centimeters[17].
Tsunade often wears a grass-green haori with the kanji for "gamble" (賭, kake) on the back, inside a red circle. Underneath she wears a grey, kimono-style blouse with no sleeves, held closed by a broad, dark bluish-grey obi that matches her pants. Her blouse is closed quite low, revealing her large cleavage. She wears open-toed and black high-heeled sandals with straps. She has red nail polish on both her fingernails and toenails and uses a soft pink lipstick.
Abilities[]
Tsunade, like the other students of the Third Hokage, is a highly talented shinobi. After the Second Shinobi World War, Hanzō designated her as a Sannin alongside Jiraiya and Orochimaru, and she quickly gained fame for her abilities. According to Jiraiya, Tsunade's abilities were the key to Konoha's triumph in that conflict, and in the years that followed, he rose to prominence as the strongest kunoichi in the entire world[16]. Tsunade counts with outstanding chakra control, which allowed her to become the world's best medical-nin and, in turn, use that control in taijutsu. Although she had retired from battle after the war, Tsunade easily outmatched Kabuto Yakushi in their fight, forcing him to rely on a Military Rations Pills and exploit her horror of blood in an effort to gain the upper hand. After conquering this, she faced off against Orochimaru and nearly defeated him by herself. She later became Konoha's Fifth Hokage, and when Pain destroyed the village in Part II, she was in charge of saving many civilians. Even those like Madara Uchiha, who initially thought of her as a weak woman whose abilities were below those of Hashirama Senju, acknowledge that Tsunade was deserving of the title of Kage[18].
Chakra and Physical Prowess[]
As a descendant of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans, Tsunade inherited life force and physical energy, which allowed her to fight Madara Uchiha for more than half a day without becoming exhausted and even survive being bisected while maintaining consciousness long enough to heal others before being healed herself[19]. She also has excellent chakra control, being regarded as the worlds best medical-nin during her prime. After the Second Shinobi World War, this control allowed Tsunade to concentrate her chakra in the center of her forehead to complete the Strength of a Hundred Seal, granting her easy access to all the accumulated chakra[20]. The enormous chakra reserve she keeps inside allowed her to heal a great number of shinobi during the last confrontation agains Obito Uchiha[21]. She can share this chakra with others using a transference technique, for medical ninjutsu or to amplify her own skills in battle[22].
Tsunade using her chakra enhanced strength.
Tsunade is very skilled in hand-to-hand combat, able to use chakra enhanced strength to cause severe damage to the enemy. This is achieved by rapidly concentrating chakra one part of the body and releasing it all at once, a feat that requires very advanced chakra control than that of medical ninjutsu. She teaches this ability to her disciple, Sakura Haruno. It's also possible to lift heavy weights using this enhanced strength, such as when Tsunade lifted Gamabunta's sword[23].
Although Tsunade created the rules of medical ninjutsu, which abide that no medical-nin shall ever stand on the front lines, she is one of the few medical-nin that can participate in fights due to Creation Rebirth, a technique created by herself that allows her to regenerate and survive any injury that she receives in battle.
Ninjutsu[]
Tsunade can use Summoning Technique to invoke Katsuyu, the giant slug of the Shikkotsu Forest. By having Katsuyu split apart and attach itself to others, Tsunade could remotely monitor many allies at once, healing them and replenishing their chakra as needed using the chakra of the Strength of a Hundred Seal. Despite being in her late 60s, Tsunade uses a permanent Transformation Technique that allows her to maintain a youthful appearance by using the chakra in the seal. She used this jutsu to gamble with strangers to avoid the debts she owed when she lost[24]. If the chakra is consumed, the transformation reverts to her usual appereance.
Tsunade's chakra affinities include Fire, Earth, Water, Lightning and Yang Release[25]. Although she doesn't use elemental ninjutsu, her technique Body Pathway Derangement injects electricity into the enemy to alter their body's electric signals[26].
Medical Ninjutsu[]
Tsunade was a pioneer in setting the modern laws of medical-nin[27]. Before being surpassed by her disciple, Tsunade was hailed as the world's best medical-nin, whose skills resulted in the victory of Konoha in the Second Shinobi World War. Her abilities with medical ninjutsu were trusted worldwide, prompting Orochimaru to seek her help to reverse the effects of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal that Hiruzen had placed on him. She can also perform surgeries that only she can do, like Rock Lee's back surgery even if it had a low chance of succeed[28], concoct antidotes using medical manuals[29] or even heal the effects of a Tsukuyomi, a feat only she's been seen to do[30].
Tsunade releases her Strength of a Hundred Seal.
Her biggest achievement is the development of "the pinnacle of medical ninjutsu", the Creation Rebirth, a technique that allows the user to regenerate organs and regrow limbs by using the vast amount of chakra from the Strength of a Hundred Seal and without performing any hand seals. She took inspiration from her grandfather, whose regeneration skills were remarkably outstanding according to Madara Uchiha[31]. Orochimaru describes it as some form on immortality that he's envious of. However, this technique is considered as kinjutsu due to shortening the lifespan of the person that uses it, since the body's cells can only divide and be created a set amount of times, so Tsunade uses this ability as a last resort and only in emergencies[20].
Moreover, Tsunade's skills go beyond the knowledge of medical ninjutsu. She is a poison expert, well-known for concocting antidotes against Chiyo's poisons during the Second Shinobi World War[32] and make sleeping potions undetectable for skilled shinobi[33]. Tsunade can also make medical diagnosis by performing autopsies and studying body tissues. After the war, she creates prosthetic arms for Naruto and Sasuke using the knowledge she acquired from the White Zetsu.
New Era[]
After the Fourth Shinobi World War, Tsunade supported Sakura's Therapy Center and prided herself to be her teacher. After Naruto became Hokage, Tsunade enjoys her days as a retired kunoichi but, at the same time, stays close to Konoha and aids the current leader when necessary. She's seen at the Five Kage Summit celebrated in Konoha alongside the retired Kage of her generation[34]. She's also known to snap at Boruto when he misbehaves[35].
Mitsuki's Disappearance Arc[]
Tsunade joins the investigation.
In the anime, while Tsunade is travelling, she hears that Konoha was being attacked and decided to return to the village. Naruto tells her that two chūnin guards had been taken down in battle and decided to join the investigation when Ino probed one of the guard's mind that had been treated in the Medical Department and learns that Mitsuki had left willingly with the attackers. When Tsunade asked about the boy, she was told that Mitsuki is Orochimaru's son, and got furious at the fact that Naruto would allow the son of the man that killed the Third Hokage to live in Konoha. Naruto reasoned that Orochimaru had changed from that time and was currently collaborating in the investigation of the Ōtsutsuki Clan. However, knowing the unpredictable nature of Orochimaru, Tsunade considered Mitsuki as a threat for Konoha and, after the council finished discussing how to continue with the situation, Tsunade deemed it as a waste of time to allow the boy in the village and focused on dealing with the current issue.
Naruto and Shikamaru thought that it didn't make sense for Mitsuki to betray Konoha and started wondering if the enemy's goal was Mitsuki because of his background. When they received words that Sakura had stabilized the guard and would soon awaken, they spoke with him. When learnt form Shikadai from Shikadai of Iwagakure, Kakashi and Tsunade were sent to meet with the other villages to get their support about the situation.
Kara Actuation Arc[]
In the anime, after Victor's defeat and his attempt to recreate when God Tree, Tsunade asked if he could be the head of Kara but was deemed unlikely. After an investigation of the company, they discovered Kara had spies all over the world and decided whether or not to close the gates of the village.
Ao Arc[]
In the anime, Tsunade attended the memorial service for the fallen people of the Fourth Shinobi World War and gave a speech to honor the victims and her condolences to their families.
Kawaki Arc[]
In the anime, Tsunade helped Shikamaru to coordinate the village in preparation for Isshiki's invasion.
References[]
- ↑ Naruto chapter 619, page 4
- ↑ Naruto chapter 139, pages 11-12
- ↑ Naruto chapter 405, page 17
- ↑ Naruto chapter 291, page 9
- ↑ Naruto chapter 160
- ↑ Naruto chapter 369, pages 11-12
- ↑ Naruto chapter 158, page 4
- ↑ Naruto chapter 158, page 8
- ↑ Naruto chapter 171
- ↑ Naruto chapter 172
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Naruto chapter 236
- ↑ Naruto chapter 699
- ↑ Naruto chapter 619
- ↑ Naruto chapter 173
- ↑ Naruto chapter 235, page 19
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Naruto chapter 172, page 7
- ↑ Naruto chapter 406, page 9
- ↑ Naruto chapter 588, page 20
- ↑ Naruto chapter 601
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Naruto chapter 169
- ↑ Naruto chapter 650
- ↑ Naruto chapter 588
- ↑ Naruto chapter 170, pages 15-16
- ↑ Naruto chapter 149, pages 14-17
- ↑ Fourth Databook, pages 176-177
- ↑ Naruto chapter 164, page 15
- ↑ Naruto chapter 577
- ↑ Naruto chapter 210, page 9
- ↑ Naruto chapter 235, page 17
- ↑ Naruto chapter 172, page 15
- ↑ Naruto chapter 578
- ↑ Naruto chapter 253
- ↑ Naruto chapter 162
- ↑ Naruto chapter 700
- ↑ Boruto episode 72