"Old man…"
Tsunade looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's pale face, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks.
An indescribable pain filled her chest.
"I'm not even married yet…"
"If you…"
Her voice trembled, hoarse and choked.
The woman who once stood proudly on the battlefield now looked, in Hiruzen's eyes, like nothing more than a little girl.
"Heh… these old bones of mine can still hold on a bit longer."
"This version of you… isn't the Tsunade I know…"
Hiruzen looked at her with gentle affection, comforting her softly.
—
Watching Jiraiya and Orochimaru with their heavy expressions, Kyūsei felt a complicated mix of emotions.
Hiruzen's collapse had come too suddenly.
So sudden that no one had time to react.
Even Kyūsei himself was completely caught off guard.
In his understanding, Hiruzen should at least live to sixty-nine.
Not to mention—just recently, the old man had been incredibly fierce.
He had personally led Jiraiya in an assault on Kumogakure.
No matter how you thought about it, Hiruzen shouldn't have collapsed at this point.
He wasn't even sixty yet.
How could he fall now…?
"Kyūsei …"
Kaoru tightened her grip on his hand, worry evident in her voice.
She knew the relationship between Kyūsei and the Third Hokage.
It wasn't just Hokage and Jinchūriki.
It was more like a stubborn elder who couldn't handle his troublesome junior.
Throughout Kyūsei 's life, Hiruzen had been indispensable.
Kyūsei had made many mistakes over the years—but Hiruzen had always handled them.
And this old man had treated him like his own son.
Without Hiruzen, there would be no Kyūsei today.
His influence was even greater than Hatake Sakumo's.
And now—
In less than half a month—
His teacher had died.
And now Hiruzen…
"I'm fine…"
Kyūsei forced a smile at Kaoru .
But even he didn't realize how terrible that smile looked.
Kaoru didn't know how to comfort him.
She was an orphan.
She didn't know what parents or grandparents felt like.
Sometimes she would see other children with their families—and feel a quiet envy.
All she could do now was hold his hand.
Normally warm—
But now, it felt cold.
This was her way of telling him—
She was still here.
Still by his side.
—
Time passed.
Tsunade pushed open the door, her eyes red.
Seeing everyone still gathered outside, her brows shot up in anger.
"What are you all doing here?!"
"Don't you have anything better to do?!"
"He's not dead yet!"
No one responded.
Her pain wasn't less than theirs—
If anything, it was greater.
Unlike the others, Tsunade had known what it meant to have family.
She had loved, lost, and regained.
And now…
"Kaoru . The old man wants to see you."
Tsunade wiped her eyes and spoke.
"I understand…"
Kaoru released Kyūsei 's hand and walked into the room.
"And you three—what are you still doing here?!"
"Get lost!"
She snapped again.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru left silently.
Then her gaze fell on Kyūsei .
"Uh… I'll wait for Kaoru …"
"…Hmph."
She snorted and sat beside him.
An awkward silence followed.
After a long time, Tsunade spoke again, her voice hoarse.
"…Sorry."
"I was too emotional…"
"It's fine," Kyūsei replied quietly.
"No one wants to see the old man like this."
Silence returned.
They had never shared a moment like this before.
Just as Kyūsei began to feel uneasy—
Rapid footsteps echoed down the hallway.
A tall man with pale hair approached.
Handsome, composed.
He stopped before Tsunade, his eyes full of concern.
"Tsunade…"
Katō Dan hesitated.
"Dan… let's get married…"
Tsunade held his hand, tears in her eyes.
"…Alright."
No hesitation.
No surprise.
Just a quiet answer.
He had already heard everything from Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
And he truly loved her.
After the two left, Kyūsei watched silently.
Marriage…
Lost in thought—
A hand tapped his shoulder.
"Kyūsei . Go in."
Kaoru looked at him, her expression heavy.
Hiruzen's words earlier had made her uneasy.
Like… a farewell.
"…Yeah."
Kyūsei nodded and entered.
—
Inside the room—
He saw the old man who had devoted his entire life to Konoha.
"Old man…"
Kyūsei sat beside him.
"Kyūsei …"
Hiruzen spoke weakly.
Kyūsei took his hand.
"Kyūsei … I've always felt guilty toward you…"
Kyūsei already knew what he meant.
"It's okay… it's not your fault…"
But Hiruzen continued.
"During the Second Shinobi War…"
"Under my decision… Konoha abandoned its ally…"
"And Uzushiogakure was destroyed…"
"Thousands died… only a few survived…"
Kyūsei listened silently.
"I couldn't do it…"
"Konoha was surrounded by enemies…"
"Worse than the Third War…"
"Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure…"
"We had no strength left…"
"I failed you…"
"I made you an orphan…"
Kyūsei tightened his grip, his voice slightly hoarse.
"It's not your fault…"
In chaotic times—
Only strength ensures survival.
He couldn't fully understand Uzushiogakure's choices either.
They built a nation on the strength of a single clan—
And underestimated the world's greed.
Sealing techniques were too valuable.
If they had joined Konoha earlier—
They could have survived.
"Later… I could only make it up to you…"
Hiruzen's eyes were filled with emotion.
"For me personally…"
"I've never hated you."
"Even during those four years inside the barrier…"
"I understood."
"My seal wasn't stable."
"If I left, I might hurt others."
"That's not something I wanted either."
Kyūsei spoke calmly.
He wasn't a saint.
But he wasn't cruel either.
He protected those he cared about.
And destroyed those who threatened them.
But he never abused his power.
Right and wrong—
He judged for himself.
—
After being urged out by the nurse, Kyūsei returned to Training Ground No. 3 with Kaoru .
Kaoru had already completed Paper Release.
Next came integrating Wind and Fire—
Then Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.
To speed things up, she even created two shadow clones to train.
Now that Hiruzen had collapsed—
Village affairs were temporarily handled by Koharu and Homura.
Hiruzen had intended for Tsunade to act as Hokage until Kaoru came of age.
But with Tsunade pregnant—
That plan was no longer possible.
As for Orochimaru—
Hiruzen wasn't foolish.
He had already begun noticing something off about him.
—
Bang—bang—
Two shadow clones dispersed.
Kaoru collapsed into Kyūsei 's arms.
Three hours of accumulated training flooded her mind all at once.
Too much to handle.
Kyūsei sat beneath a tree, holding her gently, lost in thought.
Even now—
Despite his strength rivaling Hashirama and Madara—
He still didn't understand Shadow Clones.
A technique that should break with a single hit—
Yet in Naruto's hands—
It became absurd.
Hundreds, thousands of clones—
No visible chakra drain.
Destroyed endlessly—
Yet he remained fine.
Even surviving attacks like Chidori—
Even fighting Limbo clones.
Ridiculous…
"…I'm out of chakra…"
Kaoru mumbled softly.
Then, familiar and natural, she loosened Kyūsei 's collar and leaned toward his shoulder.
A faint bite mark was already there.
She licked her lips lightly—
Then gently bit down.
Kyūsei didn't mind at all.
It wasn't painful—
More like a kitten's bite.
And the chakra she needed was insignificant to him.
More than necessity—
It was a small, intimate habit between them.
Feeling the soft warmth at his shoulder, Kyūsei gently stroked her golden hair.
At times like this—
She felt like a child.
After a while, her chakra recovered.
"…Maybe I should learn the Yin Seal from Tsunade…"
Her reserves were still a problem.
If she had the Yin Seal—
She could store excess chakra over time.
Or…
Kyūsei could just fill it for her.
That would massively improve her endurance.
And the Yin Seal's other effect…
Maintaining youth.
…Heh.
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