Haseo returned to Konoha and met Sansho for the final time.
In that quiet little courtyard, she sat on her chair just as before, basking in the sunlight.
Wrapped in layers of thick clothing so only her face was visible, she wore the same familiar smile as always.
Her spirits were high, and her rounded belly showed she was carrying new life within her.
But at that moment, Haseo found himself completely unable to break the silence first.
So it was Sansho who spoke first. "Haseo... do you know my real name?"
"Your name?"
Haseo blinked, then shook his head. The name "Sansho" was merely a code; her surname was naturally Senju, but he had never heard anyone mention her given name.
"That's right, there's no way you could know—I've never told you before.
My name is Senju Miyuki... Well, not anymore—I'm just Miyuki now.
'Flowers bloom by the roadside'—that's the meaning behind 'saki.' So 'Miyuki' means 'flowers blooming by the road, promising a bright future.' This name was chosen for me by the First Hokage even before I was born. Tell me, can you feel the gentle hope a father holds for his daughter?
Sansho herself was like a vast and flourishing forest. She was the greatest ninja in history, the one who pacified the warring era and established Konoha. Therefore, as someone born into Konoha, I didn't need to be especially strong; all I had to do was become a flower sheltered by the trees, displaying my most beautiful color at the right moment... But who could have imagined, even this much, I'd fail to accomplish?
This weakness I was born with—there's never been a cure for it."
As Sansho, Hashirama Senju's daughter, whether she possessed great strength or none at all hardly mattered to the First Hokage—no matter how strong she became, she could never surpass her predecessors. The true issue was that her battle strength was zero.
As the daughter of the Ninja God who wasn't even a ninja herself—it was difficult for people to come to terms with that. Perhaps Miyuki took a long time to accept this reality herself and adjust to the gazes others gave her.
"Haseo, as you can see, from birth until death, I inherited my ancestors' bloodline, yet failed to inherit their strength. Miyuki... My very name reflects an entirely opposite meaning from my father's hope—I remain forever unbloomed. That version… suits me far more accurately than the original meaning ever did."
Haseo listened silently to Miyuki's words, finding himself unable to offer any comfort—he knew superficial reassurances were shallow and disrespectful toward her experiences, and such things were precisely what Miyuki did not need.
"The most important decision I've ever made, the single most significant act of my entire life, was sealing away the Senju clan. One could say it was me who destroyed the Senju clan with my own hands—but also it was me who ensured its eternal continuation."
Therefore, although erasing the Senju name was a tragic thing, it's not something I would ever regret... Even if I said this directly to Father, I wouldn't take it back.
Even though I can rationally accept this truth, emotionally, it's still hard to forgive myself.
The great achievements of the First and Second Hokage weren't about making the Senju clan flourish—they were about building the village we stand on today... The Senju may have vanished, but Konoha will endure forever.
A person's 'existence' includes their own life, plus the memories held by others across three generations before and after them—lasting no more than a hundred years. Yet the works of the First and Second will last forever.
In any case, I've always greatly admired Father."
Haseo understood why anyone would admire someone like that—having such a legendary father was enough to make anyone feel proud.
"The First Hokage is like the sun itself, while I'm not even worth the light of a candle."
From the perspective of 'ninja', Sanho's analogy here wasn't exaggerated at all.
"No matter what my reasons were, concealing the Senju name was still an act of destruction. The guilt I carried from that was unbearable... Yet if one's entire life consists only of destruction without creation, how pitiful would that existence be? So before I die, there's another thing I must accomplish."
"War, loss of loved ones, birth of children—my time in this world was actually limited. But with everything I've been through, it already feels like a thousand lifetimes.
Mother and Father gave me my soul and flesh. The legendary reputation of the Forest Senju made me feel proud and independent. My husband became my soulmate, and my children are my blood legacy. And you... Perhaps this sounds arrogant, but if I've created anything in my life worth calling a creation, it's you, Haseo.
The predecessors' Konoha was Konoha, while my Konoha is you, Haseo."
This was something Sanho decided shortly after meeting Haseo.
As she put it, she wasn't a ninja like the First and Second, so naturally she couldn't build a village like Konoha either. But no one wants to live a life that leaves nothing behind. Therefore, Sanho created a tiny "village"—one composed solely and uniquely of just one single person.
At this moment, the way Sanho looked toward Haseo seemed both completely natural and tranquil, yet simultaneously incredibly intense. For a brief instant, Haseo felt utterly immersed within her gaze, even holding his breath involuntarily.
It was a crushing statement—one he'd never thought possible.
Sanho's thoughts burned like a scorching star, crashing down upon him from above, threatening simultaneously to melt him entirely while also crushing his whole being into the earth beneath.
No one should have to carry the full weight of another person's world—yet she had forced Haseo to shoulder exactly that burden, and forcefully made him accept it.
A long time ago, Sansho had already shown Haseo extraordinary kindness. Yet none of that kindness, no matter how much there was, could match the power of these few simple words... At this moment, Haseo felt breathless, and didn't even know where to begin.
"Sansho-sensei... you're being too selfish."
"I know this will be the last time I ever act selfishly, and no matter what I do, I'll definitely be forgiven."
Yes, she always earned forgiveness.
Haseo paused in thought, took a deep breath, then spoke. "Sansho-sensei, I've always been someone who acts quickly yet speaks sparingly, but you should understand that I also have my own thoughts. These thoughts may be difficult for me to precisely describe, but they are deeply rooted within me...
I'm merely an outsider in Konoha. Even if Sansho-sensei holds special expectations for me, the future remains unpredictable. Perhaps one day, I might destroy this village entirely."
At first glance, Haseo's words might have sounded overly conceited, but Sansho understood his meaning. Therefore, she responded, "By that logic, one day Sarutobi might also destroy Konoha...
Haseo, believe in yourself more. Who's to say what the future holds?
Besides, I am someone whose time is forever fixed in the present. The future... it's simply too distant.
Moreover, if one day you decide to destroy this village, that would mean in your judgment, this place no longer deserves protection. Then perhaps it truly deserves destruction.
And if you end up destroying something that should indeed be destroyed, wouldn't that finally mean I've surpassed Father once? I might actually be happy about it."
The last sentence from Sansho was clearly said as a joke. Setting aside ability for a moment, she herself didn't believe Haseo needed to carry out such destruction... Of course, her words also left room for quiet sorrow—regardless of what Haseo might do in the future, she wouldn't be there to witness it anyway. So why worry?
Haseo didn't particularly object to Sansho referring to him as a 'work' earlier. Sansho was his teacher in Ninjutsu; in reality, for Haseo, rather than considering himself her 'work,' it would be more accurate to see himself as the blade she wielded, because his thoughts were beyond her control.
Sansho's knowledge turned into Haseo's weapon, yet it remained firmly under his own control. Hence, Sansho's description wasn't completely accurate.
However, only Haseo himself would carefully distinguish such nuances. For Sansho, there was no need to delve so deeply.
Influencing an adult's thinking was never easy, and Haseo had always strived to maintain independence of mind. Yet regardless of how much he denied it, he had now been deeply influenced by Sansho... No matter how much he tried to deny it, no matter how firm his convictions were, Haseo was still, at his core, a man with feelings. And as long as he possessed humanity, he could never remain indifferent toward Sansho.
This lifetime, Haseo had always been alone. Yet he had never felt lonely. However, for some unknown reason, he now found himself descending into an even heavier sorrow. If not for Sansho's final words, his emotions wouldn't have been so intense.
"Haseo, go now. I've said everything I needed to say... Especially you shouldn't have to bear the sadness of my final moments."
Sansho finished her instructions and urged Haseo to leave.
At this moment, when she spoke, she could barely control the trembling in her voice. Though the smile on her face remained bright and radiant, it was easy to imagine how her frail body was enduring unbearable pain.
But because she was Haseo's teacher, especially at this crucial moment, she wanted to maintain every bit of a teacher's dignity and composure. She didn't want to expose her weakest, most helpless side to her only disciple.
Haseo nodded and turned around. But after taking two steps forward, he turned his head back again, saying, "Sansho-sensei, I heard that the most famous artists often remain unrecognized during their lifetimes, while the greatest value of an artist's work is only recognized after their death... Do you think this kind of belated recognition is something good or bad?"
"If you have to say whether it's good or bad, I'd still say it's better late than never, Haseo."
Sansho replied firmly, and Haseo nodded with understanding before continuing, "Sansho-sensei, whether someone lives thirty years or sixty, compared to the endless flow of time, it's merely a fleeting instant.
After time passes, there will only be even more eternal time.
Therefore, Sansho-sensei, may you be granted the gentle passage of infinite and endless time."
"Haseo, those don't sound like the words of someone who acts swiftly yet speaks sparingly. Still… I understand. No matter what expectations you carry, from now on I'll follow your wishes exactly. That is the unchanging promise between us.
Even through all the years to come, that promise will never change.
So go now, Haseo, and rest assured."
Haseo turned his head forward again, saying no more, and stepped out of Sansho's courtyard.
Time is infinite — but must human grief truly endure forever?
Shouldn't it endure forever?
In Konoha year nineteen, The First Great Ninja World War—spurred implicitly by the passing of the First Hokage—had ended.
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