 Don't dare underestimate the will of fire. Dreams are delicate and fragile. Those who have dreams are important, but those who preserve the dreams of others need to be commended. Tsunade is one of my favorite characters in the Naruto series. She's always brought a sense of realism and is one of the more relatable characters. Through loss she's become a cynical, bitter woman. She lost everything. She lost herself, all of her dreams, and for a moment she almost threw it all away for a chance to see the people she lost. Finding your way back to the light can often be the hardest part. Tsunade was the granddaughter of the first Hokage, god of shinobi, Hashirama Senju. With that bloodline, she was destined to become an amazing shinobi, alongside her teammates, Jiraiya and Orochimaru, the two alongside her who would make up the three legendary Sani, a title they would receive in the second ninja war after surviving a battle with the legendary Hanzo of the Salamander. Tsunade and her teammates were instrumental in ending the war, but she alone revolutionized medical ninjutsu, implementing the idea of four men's squads with healers in each squad, also creating rules that medical nin must abide by. This came after the casualties of the second ninja war, notably Tsunade's little brother, Noaki, dying in battle. Shortly after this implementation, her lover, Don, would die in her arms. The grieving shinobi retired and left the leaf, accompanied with gambling habits she took from her grandfather, and began only to bet on herself. Don and Noaki both had dreams of becoming Hokage, dreams of making a difference in the shinobi world, but their deaths turned her away from it all. Loss had turned Tsunade bitter and quite the cynic, believing that dreams and especially dreams that included the title of Hokage were for fools, as it could only end in death and not change. It was only after seeing Naruto, his potential and his dedication towards goodness, dreaming the same dream that both Don and Noaki had, was she reinvigorated, once again believing in the village, her grandfather, and protecting the leaf's future. Naruto's stubbornness and dedication to the leaf rekindled her will of fire, and she would later take the mantle of Fifth Hokage as only she and Jiraiya who was unwilling were truly fit for the position. Tsunade was a motherly figure to Naruto, and while he gave the fifth hope, Tsunade returned the favor, placing an unprecedented amount of faith and confidence in Naruto. I've seen many people in the series itself give Tsunade flak for being reckless, sending Naruto out on missions while the Akatsuki was after the young Jinshiriki. But in Tsunade's defense, before anything else, she is incredibly compassionate. The fifth was one of the very few who treated Naruto with a real sense of humanity. With that compassion leading her, she was able to deeply appreciate Naruto's dreams and how far he was willing to go for them. Tsunade witnessed first hand Naruto's potential in combat, but she truly felt his ability to inspire people, and his unwavering heart, to the point where she fiercely defended her faith in him against many people, including the Konoha Council. Here's in Iruka, Kakashi, and Jiraiya treated Naruto well, of course. But as Hokage, Tsunade gave Naruto real opportunities to improve. Those without Naruto having been battle tested and being as strong as he was, being as experienced as he was, he wouldn't have been strong enough to save the leaf from pain, and even worse, from Madara. And on a personal level, he wouldn't have been strong enough to bring Sasuke back. And Tsunade understood how he felt towards his rival, but she also understood how important he was to the village as a whole. When thinking about Tsunade, it's important to highlight her link to the Will of Fire. The Will of Fire, as stated by the third, is simply the burning desire to protect the village. Moreover, it's protecting the dreams and hopes for those who will one day protect the village. This philosophy is something that gets passed down from generation to generation, from its creator the first, Hashirama down to his granddaughter the fifth. This innate desire to protect the leaf run through Tsunade's blood, and this dream was passed on to Don and Nawaaki, who died believing in the village. And so it's Tsunade's mission to protect whoever else will uphold the Will of Fire. And that's Naruto. During their fight, she tells Madara that he should not underestimate the Will of Fire. That her true strength, her heart, and willingness to fight for the village comes from all of the wisdom and knowledge that has been passed down to her. Through her ancestors, she is strong, but through them, she is also wise, always having the village's best interests at heart. Tsunade is willing to die for the leaf, to not only protect her ancestors dreams, but to protect the dreams of those to come. She as much as anyone else understands the Will of Fire. The fifth might not be as flashy as her predecessors, but for her stability and adherence to the Will of Fire, the fifth Hokage deserves praise. Tsunade entered into her position during a time where the leaf was severely wounded. After Orochimaru and the sand village's attack, Tsunade was able to mend the relationship between the two villages, which later included her pivotal role in saving the Kaze Kage Gaara, as she sent off a number of troops to retrieve him. Tsunade was also active in trying to destroy the Akatsuki, with Leaf Shinobi being responsible for the deaths of Hidan, Sasseri, Kakazu, and Pain himself. During the pain arc, not only did she call Naruto back, who ended up defeating Pain, but Tsunade protected a large portion of the village from Pain's attack, who would have all died had it not been for her. And finally, against Madara, she showed the true extent of her ability, surviving being cut in half, and landing powerful attacks on the Uchiha. While her resolve shook once, Tsunade proved her dedication to the village time and time again. But she has also had her share of failures as well, notably when Jiraiya insisted he go and confirm the intel of Pain's hiding spot, alone. In her defense, Jiraiya was one of the Leaf's best stealth ninja, one of the legendary Sani, and someone she saw in battle countless times. But nonetheless, it was a mistake that would live with her forever, a mistake that makes her human. After losing Dawn and Nawaaki, she had now lost what was her teammate and probably her best friend. The loss of Jiraiya made her ready to lay her life down when need be, and she proved that against Pain and later Madara, honoring her late friend. Tsunade is one of the most human characters in Naruto. When we first meet her, she is at her lowest point. She drinks and gambles all of her pain and emotion away, not to mention being notoriously bad at it. The legendary Sucker has ran away from her dreams and her desires, and what those closest to her would have wished for her. She's selfish, short-tempered, and lost has forced her to gamble only on herself. And no one can blame her for it. The will of fire hadn't done the Hokage any favors in her life, instead surrounding her with death and despair. So why should she become the Leafs leader? The will of fire left her hands and her mind tainted with the blood of her lover and her brother, blood that the legendary healer developed a debilitating fear of. The scene of Tsunade developing this phobia, all while being so desperate to save Don is hard to watch. So again, I don't blame her in the slightest for choosing to turn her back on the village. But Tsunade turned her back on herself. I want to reiterate the fact that Tsunade has dedicated her entire Shinobi life to saving lives, healing, and protecting them. Granddaughter of Hashirama Senju who could heal wounds without weaving hand signs. Healing is in her DNA. Healing helped her win Konoha a war. Healing made her a sani. But even with all of these accomplishments, even having dedicated her life to protecting, she still couldn't protect the two that mattered the most to her. Tsunade was sinking in an ocean of guilt and grief. There weren't any dreams for her left to dream. And she came so close to healing the very man that killed her teacher. The man who threatens her village. Yet Tsunade represents resilience. And she has as much inner strength as she does through her fists. She acknowledges her weaknesses. She knows to what lengths she almost went to to bring her world back. But in that acknowledgement it makes her strong. She understands the importance of the will of fire and how necessary it is to protect those who believe in it. Even this is a woman who cares tremendously for those who have dreams and goals. Not only Naruto, Tsunade studied and focused on something other than gambling in order to heal Rock Lee, a boy with a dream. Tsunade knew what Sasuke meant to both Naruto and Sakura and gave her the opportunity to pursue him. Further she gave Sakura the opportunity to make a difference, to catch up to her teammates, molding her into a great healer. Tsunade deeply understands the people that she's around and it's what gives her the ability to trust them. Her ability to empathize with the motivations and the needs of her shinobi is remarkable. To reiterate one final time, Tsunade cares a lot. And that care makes her an equal amongst all of the Hokage before her. Dreams are delicate and fragile. Through loss, Tsunade has learned how precious they are and how quickly they can slip out of one's fingers. The fifth knows that dreams need to be preserved with a sense of urgency in order to protect one's past and their future. The future of the leaf. And the fifth Hokage, Tsunade, is the protector of those dreams.