When Haseo entered the courtyard that had remained in his memory for many years, he no longer felt the same sense of familiarity and ease as before.
In truth, this could be considered a rather formal visit.
Although the person being visited was merely a child of about ten years old, for Haseo, there were various reasons why he took this meeting quite seriously.
Since Nawaki's birth, Haseo had never met him despite having always been nearby. Meeting hadn't been particularly difficult, but... Honestly, even Haseo himself couldn't clearly describe exactly what kind of psychology this was—it was just rather complicated.
Sansho's death was actually a form of "release." The misfortunes she personally experienced and the torment brought by her later judgment on the Senju clan's fate made her unresistant to death, so it had little special connection with Nawaki's birth.
However, analysis based on rationality and decisions based on emotion inevitably contradicted each other. "Understanding" and "acceptance" were ultimately not the same concept. Perhaps due to such contradictions, Haseo chose to "keep his distance."
Of course, this choice was influenced purely by Eastern cultural habits. From a ninja's perspective regarding interpersonal relationships, such behavior could even be considered normal—Sansho was someone Haseo deeply respected, yet there was no reason for that feeling to naturally extend toward Nawaki.
This situation also differed from Tsunade's case. Haseo and Nawaki were simply strangers to each other.
...…
Years later, Haseo shared a simple meal at this courtyard. However, because the child acted somewhat awkwardly, and Haseo wasn't good at communicating with kids, the atmosphere during this meal turned out slightly strange.
"It seems like you recognize me... but maybe you don't really like me?"
Finally, after thinking for a while, Haseo decided to ask this question... Well, you can't expect too much from a kid. He needed to take initiative and attempt communication.
Whether Nawaki liked or disliked Haseo wasn't particularly important; anyway, Haseo wasn't here to perform a family drama, nor did he think Nawaki's dislike would interfere with his relationship with Tsunade.
But why Nawaki might "dislike" Haseo—that seemed worth figuring out. And since Haseo had never interacted with Nawaki before, how did he even recognize him?
Only three people were present: Haseo, Tsunade, and Nawaki. Aruo had already left earlier, as this current meeting leaned more towards being familial and private; there was no reason for her to stay.
Facing Haseo's question, Nawaki appeared somewhat nervous. First, he secretly glanced sideways at Tsunade, then slowly shifted his gaze back to Haseo, murmuring softly, "My older sister told me about you. You... are the one who will take her away from me."
Haseo blinked his eyes and thought silently, well, that could indeed count as a reasonable reason.
"Dependence on one another"—although such a description wasn't entirely accurate, roughly speaking, something along those lines applied. Tsunade was Nawaki's only close relative, and apparently, Tsunade cherished him deeply... Kids can be pretty protective of the people they love.
This has nothing to do with sibling complexes—it's probably a pretty normal kind of affection. Familial bonds are irreplaceable; for Nawaki, it's the only thing he has.
"Then your dislike toward me likely won't improve for many years—and might even worsen—because taking away your sister is an inevitable process," Haseo actually adopted a rather "equal" conversational attitude: what's mine is mine… Wait, no, his point was that kids shouldn't be spoiled.
Honestly, though people may be connected with each other, fundamentally everyone remains independent. One person's life belongs solely to that person. The feelings Tsunade expressed toward her younger brother shouldn't become shackles binding her.
Nawaki's current situation is certainly different from what Haseo remembered, yet one thing remained the same—Tsunade still appeared overly indulgent toward her brother.
In Haseo's memory, Nawaki had always appeared as a very positive, optimistic, and ambitious person, someone who believed in his own ability to achieve greatness. Then he went to the Battleground and died shortly afterward. In nicer words, his behavior could be described as courageous—like a young bull unafraid of tigers.
It's understandable for young ninja to act this way. Both Tsunade and Jiraiya had tried hard to stand out when they first headed to the Battleground. Yet their difference from Nawaki was simply that they survived while Nawaki perished.
So far, the only young ninja Haseo had personally witnessed possessing remarkable maturity at such an early age was Sakumo Hatake. However, the man later developed a severe phobia of starvation, leaving quite a regrettable flaw in his otherwise perfect ninja career.
Nawaki seemed about to refute something Haseo said, yet after opening and closing his mouth a few times, he couldn't find where to start.
"Just shut up for a second."
Tsunade lightly kicked Haseo, signaling him not to upset her younger brother further.
Yet she didn't deny his words either. If analyzed carefully, perhaps this meant silent approval.
Tsunade hadn't anticipated things would develop like this. To put it bluntly, saying Haseo is a "heroic" ninja is no exaggeration. Kids who heard his stories should naturally admire him. In fact, when telling Nawaki about Haseo, Tsunade had probably exaggerated his image fivefold.
Moreover, from what she remembered, whenever Nawaki used to mention Haseo, he'd always sound excited and full of anticipation. So why had things changed so drastically now? When exactly had his attitude shifted? Was it puberty?
"Alright then, but there's a simple truth I feel obliged to clarify clearly.
Nawaki, well, I'll just call you by your name directly.
Concerning your sister, you have your rightful part, and I have mine—we aren't really competing.
Maybe once you're a bit older, you'll understand."
The statement sounded somewhat like dividing a cake, seemingly disrespectful toward Tsunade's personal wishes. But strangely enough, Tsunade found it oddly agreeable.
It was similar to that earlier kick she'd given Haseo—it turned out to be something that genuinely pleased her.
Maybe it was precisely because Haseo had never said anything like this before.
As Tsunade was caught up in her messy thoughts, Haseo stood up and said, "We've already met, and we might be seeing each other often in the future, so today's probably enough. I should head out now... I have other things to take care of."
Tsunade blinked in surprise, but she quickly caught on. There was no point dragging things out after their first meeting. Given the current atmosphere, if Haseo stayed any longer, it would just get awkward...
Once they got to know each other better, things would improve—that's what Tsunade believed.
"I'll walk you out."
Tsunade accompanied Haseo to the door, but then he gently pushed her back.
"Go back inside. Don't underestimate a little boy's jealousy, or else my impression will only get worse."
"Haseo..."
"I understand. I won't take it to heart..."
Truth be told, Haseo didn't even slightly care about Nawaki's opinion of him—good or bad, it made no difference.
Still...
The moment Haseo turned away, the smile on his face vanished completely.
Was Nawaki really just jealous—or could the First Hokage's grandson actually be that petty?
"Nawaki... Tsunade... Senju..."
Maybe he should have someone check out Nawaki's connections—Aruo in particular.
But before Haseo had taken even a few steps forward, he froze again.
Like hell there is. Where the hell would Kagenami even get an intel division?
Guess I'll just have to do it myself.
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