"Leave Niyu Haseo here. She's my daughter.
It's good for her to stay by Yayoi's side.
Tsunade, I should head back now... What about you?"
After keeping watch by the ward and spending some time near Uzumaki Shikou, Haseo eventually left that place. After finding Tsunade, he said to her.
"You're not staying here?" Tsunade asked.
"It's already 'within arm's reach.' Whether I stay or not makes no difference. More importantly, there will certainly be many people coming and going from now on. As a former Hokage, it's inappropriate for me to remain here...
It's not good for me to be too visible."
Even if he stayed in this courtyard, Haseo couldn't possibly remain constantly inside Shikou's ward, accompanying her all the time.
What was his identity? And what was Shikou's identity?
To put it harshly, their previous interaction had essentially been a final farewell.
Moreover, since Haseo had previously treated the Hokage position as something disposable, correspondingly, he should now have the awareness to step away from centers of power... Retired political figures should maintain "transparency," which is beneficial both for themselves and for the current authorities.
"I understand. I'll stay here a bit longer, but... Is it alright to leave Niyu here permanently? She's still so young."
"It's fine. She'll understand. If she were a ninja, at her age she'd already be a genin and eligible for the battlefield."
"..."
Tsunade felt battlefield life-and-death situations differed fundamentally from this kind of situation. The brutal nature of ninja combat was nothing like watching someone slowly slip away like this.
Tsunade was worried about her daughter's psychological resilience.
As Haseo conversed with Tsunade, he observed Ka-jin and Kushina welcoming visitors who came to check on Shikou in the courtyard... Interestingly, they positioned themselves with Kushina in front and Ka-jin behind.
Uzumaki Shikou was a core figure within Konoha Ninja Village. For many years, the village had functioned under her leadership. So even though her influence lacked the overwhelming pressure Haseo once carried—the kind that felt like mountains crushing down—it had accumulated day by day until it became substantial.
Fortunately, whether visitors or hosts, everyone understood the need to speak softly and maintain quietness. Therefore, Haseo didn't feel particularly disturbed... There's no rest for the weary — that's the true tragedy of being human. Perhaps only death would forever eliminate disturbances.
Oh, wait, in the Ninjutsu World, even death rarely brings peace.
Haseo went home first, and it wasn't until late that night that Tsunade finally managed to leave... Indeed, they really had left Niyu behind.
The cat remained there too.
"She doesn't have much time left. The fact that she's lasted this long might simply be because she still has unfinished wishes..." Saying this, Tsunade intentionally glanced at Haseo. It was obvious these words weren't guesses or generalizations—but specifically directed at him.
"Niyu told me everything you said to Shikou, Haseo... You either never had a heart or you've become completely cold-hearted. Either way, you're definitely not a good person."
Tsunade wasn't trying to vent, but hearing those words still made her feel uneasy.
"Spy-in-training, huh... Of course it's your daughter."
That was kind of obvious. Blood is thicker than water.
"Well, under the circumstances, I thought what I said at the time was perfectly reasonable... Tsunade, you're not actually upset about this, are you?"
"Well, it's not that serious, really.
But still… When my time comes, I expect something more heartfelt from you."
Haseo couldn't help but smile bitterly. What was this all of a sudden? Were you eighteen again?
"I'm too lazy for wordplay.
No matter what happens...
Not while I'm around."
His attitude remained unchanged.
...
In the story of one little munchkin's adventure, there was a line like this:
"Even without eyes, you can still cry—as long as you're still human."
In a person's long or short life, they must go through countless sorrows.
On the third day after Haseo returned to Konoha, Uzumaki Shikou passed away.
At the time, Haseo was still present at the scene.
The sound of weeping quietly spread out.
Then, watching with his own eyes as Kushina Uzumaki began directing the clan members in preparing Shikou's funeral arrangements, he watched for a moment before stopping them.
"Lord Haseo, is there any problem?"
Kushina seemed somewhat confused.
Haseo simply looked at her calmly… Right, it had been nearly twenty years since he left Konoha. That was just how human hearts were.
"Kushina, you've truly grown up. That's good news, but still… It looks a bit too unseemly.
Those descendants who shed no tears have no right to meddle here."
Uzumaki Shikou was the clan leader of the Uzumaki clan, and since the time of the Fourth Hokage, she had held considerable authority which should have belonged to the Hokage.
As for Kushina, she not only came from the Uzumaki clan but was also the wife of the Hokage… wasn't that quite interesting.
"Ka-jin, am I still respected around here?"
Ka-jin immediately stepped forward, finally positioning himself directly in front of Kushina Uzumaki.
"Of course, Lord Haseo."
"Now remove everyone unrelated. Shikou's remains shall be handled by Uzumaki Yayoi.
I don't know how exactly you Uzumakis choose your leaders, but if it's appointed from the upper echelons of the clan, then appoint Yayoi; if it's elected from the lower ranks of the clan, then elect Yayoi.
Equal opportunity across the board. That should be fair, shouldn't it?"
By now, Kushina Uzumaki's face had already turned awkward and flushed.
After all, she was thirty years old. What Haseo said sounded inappropriate, but it wasn't hard to understand why he gave her absolutely no face—she cared deeply about something Haseo didn't care about at all, and even though she felt she had been subtle, Haseo found her actions somewhat overly eager.
Why did Haseo find it unseemly? Because in truth, it was genuinely unseemly.
Correspondingly, for Ka-jin, words like "your Uzumaki" instantly made his breath catch—he knew immediately that Haseo was losing patience quickly.
"Understood, Lord Haseo. I'll make the arrangements right away."
"Due to her grief, Yayoi's condition was also in a terrible state at this moment. However, following Lord Haseo's orders, all the subsequent arrangements fell entirely upon her... effectively confirming her status as heir.
Although Shikou had never discussed this child with Lord Haseo throughout their entire relationship, one of the reasons she insisted on forcing Haseo to return to Konoha probably related to exactly this matter.
If there was anything Shikou truly cared about regarding matters after her death, it would only be Yayoi.
Shikou herself had no way of making these arrangements personally, and even at his worst, Lord Haseo wouldn't possibly neglect something so fundamental.
After giving these instructions, Lord Haseo stepped aside with Tsunade while Ka-jin departed to make the necessary arrangements. Soon enough, he returned to Lord Haseo's side—not to report completion but instead to hand him a letter.
'Lord Haseo…this is Lady Shikou's letter. If you couldn't return in time, this letter was prepared to be given to you afterward. Therefore…even though such a "precautionary scenario" didn't come to pass, I believe this letter should still be delivered to you.'
Ka-jin was quite perceptive—he knew that delivering this letter must be done in Tsunade's presence.
'…Hn.'
Haseo took the letter, hesitated briefly, then opened it at once.
'Dear Lord Haseo,
May it feel as though we are face to face when you read these words…'
The phrase 'May it feel as though we are face to face' caused Haseo's thumb gripping the letter to momentarily weaken. In an instant, he crushed the thin sheet into a crumpled mess.
At that moment, tears began unconsciously streaming down Tsunade's face. Then, to her dismay, no matter how hard she tried wiping them, more tears kept flowing without stop.
Such a scene naturally evoked feelings of sorrow—but not enough to bring someone to this extent. Neither Haseo nor Tsunade herself could understand why she had suddenly broken down this way.
Perhaps…
there were also those who could never be seen again."
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