The Sannin are Naruto's three most legendary Shinobi, a fan favorite team consisting of Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. Their tale is a tragic one that heavily influences the story and progression of the three main characters but a new cosplay finally gives Tsunade and Jiraiya a moment to be happy together.
In Naruto, the three ninjas start out as childhood friends training under the third Hokage right before the second shinobi war. Jiraiya shows feelings towards Tsunade, but they are never openly reciprocated. The triad serves in the war and eventually go their separate ways shortly after its conclusion. Orochimaru is banished after conducting atrocious experiments, Tsunade gives up the ninja life and leaves the village, and Jiraiya raises orphans found during the war. Years later, tragedy strikes when Jiraiya is killed by the now grown-up orphans he raised and mentored after the war.
However, a cosplay shows them in their happier days. The cosplay shows Instagram users mmmaniaaa and kbt_ta1 as young Tsunade and Jiraiya, respectively, in an embrace in a field of sunflowers. Photo credit is given to a user known as mian; perhaps this could be Orochimaru taking a picture of his two best friends and forever capturing the moment. Both Tsunade and Jiraiya are smiling, something that is very seldom seen from the former. Overall, it is a very happy cosplay, and it makes one wonder what could have been for the characters.
Gone in this photo is the somber tone that usually accompanies any one of the three Sannin. As mentioned above, Tsunade and Jiraiya are both smiling, but Jiraiya's smile is noticeably larger. This makes sense since it is he who first had feelings for Tsunade, after all, and now he's silently relishing the fact that he was able to get her. If the actual story of Naruto followed what this cosplay portrays, then the whole thing might have ended up differently. For example, the combined efforts of Tsunade and Jiraiya could have prevented Orochimaru's turn to evil, or the orphans might have had a greater fight on their hands, having to fight not one, but two of the legendary Sannin. The different potential outcomes are a discussion for another time but for now, it's best to relish in the happy moment just like the Sannin cosplayers are.
Jiraiya and Tsunade deserve better than what they had to go through in Naruto and this cosplay proves that. The details of the characters' youthful designs are accurate and kbt_ta1 does a great job of replicating Jiraiya's mischievous grin. This cosplay gives Tsunade, Jiraiya, and arguably Orochimaru, the happy ending they all deserved.