Haseo gently closed the door and padded quietly into another room.
He dropped the tiny piece of clothing he was holding into a laundry basket meant for dirty clothes, planning to wash it later.
In his hands were the shoes his daughter had worn today. When he placed them on his palm, the size contrast between his hand and the shoes was striking… Whether it's clothing or utensils, everything related to children is always one size smaller.
Whenever moments like this happened, Haseo's eyes would soften noticeably. But how should one describe it… when someone like him showed such an expression,
it just came off as kind of unsettling.
After tidying up those little things, Haseo somehow felt a bit better. He returned to the bedroom, pretentiously sat down at the desk, then pulled out a notebook from the bookshelf in front of him.
"It's ultimately a joyful thing to reunite with someone familiar again. I plan to write today's encounter into my journal. On one hand to record something beautiful, and on the other hand… well, if it's written well, it might even sell for quite a bit someday."
Tsunade, half-sitting on the bed leaning against the window as usual with a book in her hand, looked up after hearing Haseo speak and said, "What do you think Orochimaru will do now that he's left Konoha?"
"Who knows? He'll do whatever he wants. There's nothing wrong with being free like that. You don't have to worry about someone like Orochimaru—he'll definitely survive just fine… Seems like you're not surprised by Orochimaru leaving Konoha?"
Haseo held the pen for quite some time, but finally put it aside again. He might not have been the most ethical guy, but even he had limits—right now, he just couldn't bring himself to write a thing.
"Not really. That's just who Orochimaru is. He's always been immersed in his own world since childhood."
After all, they had grown up together from young age—Tsunade understood Orochimaru somewhat.
"Has Niyu fallen asleep?"
"Mm, already asleep."
"I'll go take a look…"
"No way. I finally managed to lull her to sleep. If you go now, you'll just wake her up again… And bedtime stories aren't easy to tell."
And just like that, a mother's quiet wish to peek at her adorable little girl sleeping was cruelly denied.
Haseo came over, flipped himself onto the bed, adjusted his position slightly, and comfortably laid his head on her lap.
Spending the morning doing some work as a doctor, just for fun, then making reasonable investments at suitable locations, returning home in the afternoon, reading books and chatting… Tsunade's life now that she'd stepped away from everything was surprisingly pleasant.
"From now on, stop filling Niyu's head with your weird stories and calling them life lessons. Because of you, she barely looks at me anymore."
There's no way that could happen—it's not like they weren't mother and daughter by birth. However, comparison breeds disappointment. Compared to Haseo, Niyu Haseo did seem somewhat "distant" toward her own mother.
"Cuddles, kisses, being lifted into the air and having faces rubbed — all that stopped after the little girl's birthday this year. She was 'growing up.'"
Tsunade couldn't do those things with her daughter anymore. But Haseo could still do them to Tsunade herself — not that it did any good. It didn't make up for anything.
"So, this is an important part of raising a kid. Parents need to play different roles — one strict, one affectionate — so they can guide their child better and help her build a healthy worldview."
It wasn't like he was wrong. The problem, though, was that Haseo hadn't given Tsunade any chance to choose. By the time she realized it, she found herself stuck in the role of the "strict mother"… True to Haseo's style, this move was indeed sharp.
"The root of the issue goes back to when you asked her last time whether she wanted a younger sibling. Then, when the child expressed unhappiness, you shifted the blame onto me, claiming I had some plan to have enough kids to form a soccer team... How could you act so irresponsibly?
She's just scared that younger siblings might steal some of the attention we give her."
"Correction — my daughter is worried about losing *my* affection."
"…"
What should I do? I really feel like hitting him.
"I was just testing the waters with that question, never expecting such an answer. Under normal circumstances, children this age should show welcoming attitudes toward having younger siblings, as young kids tend to see smaller ones merely as fun new toys.
Yet Niyu Haseo's reaction resembled something more typical of a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old's perspective… Isn't this objectively proof of my parenting success since her mental development has surpassed her actual age?
Anyway, she looked on the verge of tears at the time. My heart softened, and I thought I couldn't be the bad guy here, so I passed the blame to you. After all, you weren't there back then."
"…"
The 'Baby Production Plan' of the Haseo family was temporarily shelved due to the first child's response. But they didn't really have a choice — they had to respect her opinion, especially when it came to stuff like this.
"It doesn't matter. There will be chances in the future. A child's attitude changes as she grows older.
Besides, I think your body's still in great shape — even thirty years from now, you'd still be able to have another baby."
"… You're full of crap."
Well, yes, that *was* utter nonsense — it also involved social ethical issues.
Haseo smiled slightly. He raised his left hand to pinch Tsunade's chin.
As expected, he succeeded in achieving his goal through such small gestures, though the process was slightly prolonged… because his hand encountered constant pushback over that short distance.
"Don't move around."
Tsunade appeared calm and indifferent outwardly, but both her body and the trailing tone of her voice carried a barely perceptible tremor.
Haseo pinched her chin again before using his thumb pad to gently press against her soft lips.
"Tsunade… have you gained weight lately? You seem a bit rounder overall."
And so, those gentle lips pressed into gleaming teeth.
"Crunch."
"...Did I break a bone?"
Was it broken? Or was it not?
"No, I didn't. Don't jump to conclusions."
Even Tsunade could deliver the triple denial—but oddly enough, it seemed like a sign of nervousness.
"Erm, what I'm saying is, living too comfortably isn't great either. If you don't move enough, your thighs'll start growing back like they used to. Look at me—I get plenty of exercise under the same conditions and my figure stays in top shape. So you should take more initiative and work out more often."
"..."
Haseo had a gift for turning logic into poetry—his words were sharp, simple, and cut straight to the heart.
"I think your fingers aren't broken yet... but they're about to be."
"Fingers...
Honestly, I don't really mind, but suddenly I remembered a small detail."
"What detail?"
"I just played with Niyu Haseo's shoes... and didn't wash my hands after."
The atmosphere shifted into a brief, quiet pause.
Then...
Came the answer to that unspoken question.
Since she felt like hitting him anyway, why not just hit him?
"Thud"—the thick book in Tsunade's hand snapped shut, then with a bang, the entire thing slammed straight into Haseo's face.
In the end, Tsunade being Tsunade, she went for the cover—not the spine. Gentle soul, she really is.
......
This was how the Haseo family had always been: hurting yet happy.
One undeniable truth remained: Niyu Haseo's presence had greatly filled the void in Tsunade's heart. By now, she rarely showed fear or worry over her long-lost younger brother. Of course, those feelings hadn't truly vanished—they'd simply been buried deep within.
Tsunade wished for her younger brother to live peacefully somewhere unknown to the world. What a pure and beautiful hope it was—and nothing more.
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