After leaving the Third Hokage's office, Haseo had barely reached the bottom of the stairs when he ran into Tsunade coming from the opposite direction.
"Hold on, let me go check on the old man."
Saying that, Tsunade strode past Haseo and hurriedly rushed into the Hokage's office building.
The Third wasn't actually that old—Tsunade was just using "old man" as a teasing term of endearment.
Since Tsunade had returned to Konoha, it made sense both emotionally and logically for her to visit the Third Hokage. After all, he was their elder, their teacher… no matter what else happened, the three of them truly cared about him.
So visiting him wasn't an obligation—it was more about respect, tradition, and how they all felt about him.
Just as Haseo began thinking how mature Tsunade had become, he saw her walking back down the stairs again. His thoughts of admiration came to an abrupt stop… saying she'd take a quick look meant *literally* one glance?
Haseo could already picture the Third giving that forlorn little look.
Was this the legendary phenomenon of "out of sight, out of mind"? Wait, something didn't feel quite right here… and yet, in a way, it did?
"Let's go."
Haseo nodded slightly and began walking side by side with Tsunade.
As for whatever mood the Third Hokage was in at that moment—Haseo couldn't care less.
"From twenty years ago to now, thirty-two years… Nawaki must be twelve years old now," Haseo muttered silently while calculating Nawaki's age.
"Yes, feels like just yesterday, yet ten years have already passed."
For someone as young as Tsunade, sounding so nostalgic about time passing should have felt misplaced—but she truly could say it, because she had already lived through countless hardships in her short life, especially painful partings and losses.
Haseo still remembered the sound of her weeping at the Cemetery.
"Twelve years old…"
If Haseo hadn't misremembered, twelve was originally supposed to be the age when Nawaki "tragedically died"—killed on the battlefield by an Explosive Tag, then his body desecrated by enemies afterward.
For a ninja, dying was normal, but dying so brutally multiplied the horror for his loved ones.
Now though, Nawaki probably wouldn't suffer such a fate. First, the curse originally meant for Duy had been transferred onto Haseo instead, effectively shielding Nawaki from that disaster. Second, given the current state of war, there was no need to forcibly conscript ninja at that age to the battlefield.
Konoha's military situation wasn't exactly ideal at the moment, but troop availability was at least sufficient.
This was actually thanks to Haseo—he ended the war between Konoha and Mist quickly before it could turn into a prolonged stalemate. Otherwise, Konoha would now face triple-front warfare, and if each front couldn't be resolved swiftly, even students from the Ninja Academy might have been sent to fight.
"What about turning twelve?"
"Ahh, not much. I just thought since it's his benming year—the traditional Chinese zodiac year associated with bad luck—we should get him some red clothes to ward off misfortune. Otherwise, it might bring him bad luck."
"?"
Do people in the ninja world even believe in benming years?
Since when did Haseo start sounding like a fortune-telling fraud?
Tsunade shook her head, secretly hoping Nawaki would appreciate Haseo's "humor"… Well, that was quite a difficult wish to fulfill. Other than Haseo himself, it seemed no one else enjoyed his jokes.
Chatting casually along the way, the two soon reached the entrance of a small courtyard Haseo hadn't visited in over a decade.
The exterior of the building remained largely unchanged, but there was no way the interior could still match Haseo's memory… After so many years, it would be unnatural if everything had stayed exactly the same.
Even so, standing at the courtyard's gate, Haseo still felt as though he'd stepped into a different time.
"Haseo?"
Tsunade called out to him when he suddenly froze at the entrance, gently prompting him to walk in.
Haseo took a deep breath and followed behind Tsunade, stepping into the courtyard once again after all these years.
"It's been a long time."
He silently thought those words to himself.
Yet now, no one could hear his inner voice.
Their footsteps immediately alerted someone inside, who hurriedly came out—though… this wasn't Nawaki.
After being in this world for so many years, many of Haseo's less important memories had become hazy. He couldn't clearly recall what Nawaki looked like, but he was certain the person walking out wasn't him—because this was a woman.
And she seemed somewhat familiar.
Then Haseo remembered—it was that particularly polite "white-clad woman" he had met after returning from the Front Line, right after reporting to the Third Hokage. Back then, he had found her vaguely familiar, yet couldn't place where he had seen her before.
Now, with those memories resurfacing, things became clearer.
Earlier, when Tsunade injured her leg, Haseo had carried her to the outside of this courtyard. During that fleeting glance, he thought he might have seen this very person.
Under such circumstances, it was no wonder Haseo found her face recognizable without recalling her identity—he had never truly known it. The only reason he remembered her outline at all was because she had once existed within this courtyard.
"Haseo, let me introduce," Tsunade said. "This is Aruo. She's the caretaker I hired to look after Nawaki's daily life—and also his personal ninjutsu instructor. I think I mentioned someone like her before."
Haseo nodded, indicating he remembered.
Tsunade was a ninja, so she frequently had to carry out missions, especially once the war began. Thus, she specially hired someone to take care of her younger brother… This kind of arrangement actually started ever since their father passed away.
Haseo quietly focused on the word "personal tutor" Tsunade had just spoken. Judging from this woman named Aruo's attire, she shouldn't be an official ninja registered in Konoha.
She wore no Forehead Protector and carried none of the standard Ninja Tools.
Yet if she could serve as his personal tutor, that meant she possessed ninja abilities. So then… who exactly was she?
As soon as Tsunade finished her introduction, a storm of thoughts erupted in Haseo's mind. Before Aruo could even speak, another excited voice called out from inside the house.
"Big Sister, you're back!"
Moments later, he came dashing out of the house. His age, physical features, and appearance all matched perfectly—he had to be Nawaki.
When Nawaki saw his long-absent sister, a bright smile lit up his face. He nearly lunged toward Tsunade, but then his gaze swept past her and landed on Haseo, who stood slightly behind.
At once, his smile vanished like early snow melted by boiling water.
Haseo caught that fleeting expression change and instantly understood a few things:
First, this kid recognized him—knew who he was and remembered his face.
Second, he clearly didn't like him, which wasn't how someone should act toward a complete stranger.
The difference between mere unfamiliarity and actual dislike was crystal clear.
Haseo had a feeling—he wouldn't be getting the pleasant outcome Tsunade had imagined when she arranged this meeting with Nawaki.
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