Haseo had remained in Shikkotsu Forest, continuing his training in ninjutsu while researching the kinjutsu for which he had already finalized the conceptual framework.
The power of the forbidden technique was self-evident, but figuring out how to reduce its harmful effects on the user's body had always been a difficult question to answer. Haseo too had struggled with this issue.
Until one day, a tiny individual slug climbed onto his shoulder and whispered into his ear, "Lord Haseo, it's time."
Haseo hesitated for a moment, then put down the documents in his hand... Nawaki's expected birth date should have been about a month ago, so what "time has come" meant in Katsuyu's words was obvious enough.
"Then, I should return to Konoha now."
Following his agreement with Sansho, since their last meeting, Haseo hadn't visited her again... Letting someone worthy of respect keep their most respectable appearance at all times. Although this arrangement seemed somewhat self-deceptive to both parties involved, Haseo was willing to accept it.
And now... This was something he had mentally prepared for long ago, so Haseo felt no particular emotional upheaval at this moment. Death comes to us all—that's the harshest truth we have to face.
Then, Haseo performed the summoning jutsu, recalling one of the Katsuyu Clones he had left behind in Konoha... Previously, he had left two Katsuyu Clones in Konoha, and as long as one returned to Shikkotsu Forest, the other would use this as a signal to perform the reverse summoning jutsu and bring Haseo back to Konoha.
It was a bit of a hassle, but there was no other way around it. Although Summoning Jutsu was also a Space–Time Ninjutsu, after all, it wasn't the Flying Thunder God technique.
In just the blink of an eye, Haseo returned from Shikkotsu Forest to his room in Konoha. He instinctively stretched his arms and legs and looked outside through the window, finding that the scenery hadn't changed much from when he had last left for Shikkotsu Forest.
If there was any difference, perhaps it was that there were more bustling pedestrians on the streets, giving a slight impression of "prosperity"... The war had essentially ended, lifting the oppressive atmosphere, making the village livelier than before.
Haseo simply stood there gazing outside, not even realizing how much time had passed until he suddenly seemed to remember something, pushed open the door, and left home.
When he stepped out of his house, he realized that compared to viewing from above, the evening streets felt even more lively up close.
Still, all that hustle and bustle had little to do with him. Haseo continued walking along the street beside the Hot Spring River, only slightly pausing when passing by a flower shop.
Outside the florist's shop stood various flowers whose names Haseo didn't recognize. Looking inside, he saw a girl of about sixteen or seventeen—her hair wrapped in a pink headscarf—as she gently watered the bouquets.
Being stared at by a complete stranger like that, the young shopkeeper quickly took notice. When she saw Haseo and started to step forward to greet him, he simply smiled at her, gently shook his head, then continued walking past the flower shop.
The shopkeeper didn't mind. She didn't feel like she had wasted her affection either, so she smiled back at Haseo before turning down again to continue her work.
Haseo made his way around the crowded districts packed with people and buildings. By the time he reached the most tranquil part of Konoha, the sky had grown very dark.
There was a large cemetery in Hidden Leaf Village. Especially now, just after the war had ended, even at this late hour there were still many people coming here to mourn.
Despite the presence of many figures, everything remained unusually quiet. As Haseo walked through the graveyard, he stopped after a short while.
He didn't need to search for anything actively. Before long, in an unremarkable corner, he spotted a small, familiar figure standing there.
Tsunade stood motionless. Step by step, Haseo approached from behind her. Two steps beyond Tsunade stood a plain gravestone...
"Miyuki"—the tombstone bore no additional explanation or photograph, only these two words.
After a long while, Tsunade finally turned her head and noticed Haseo quietly standing behind her.
"Haseo..."
Except for the black clothes she wore, Tsunade looked as she always had. But if you looked closely, you could see a faint daze in her eyes. At her age, she already understood well what death truly meant. Yet when it actually happened—when it struck someone close—it was something altogether harder to accept, even with understanding.
It was one thing for ninjas to take lives on the battlefield and witness countless deaths. This, however, was an entirely different matter.
Someone who had always been beside you suddenly disappears. Right now, all Tsunade felt was emptiness. The distance between a living soul and a mound of soil was just too vast—so immense that reality itself seemed far away, leaving her only with this sense of loss.
"Mm," Haseo softly replied.
"Haseo, I... What should I do?" Tsunade asked again, her voice carrying a tone of complete helplessness.
She should have been overwhelmed with emotion right now, yet she couldn't express them at all—because she didn't know how.
Haseo stayed silent for a moment before speaking. "Tsunade, whether someone is great or insignificant, noble or humble, strong or weak, whether you love or hate them, respect or despise them, be close or distant—before you explore any of those differences, there's always one underlying question you must first resolve: is that person 'there' or 'not'?
Only when a person 'exists' does anything you think about them carry meaning.
But once they're gone, they're gone. Everything vanishes.
Sansho-sensei... has ceased to exist.
Do you understand now, child?"
Life and death were opposing concepts, yet now Tsunade had somehow disassociated them. She could understand that Sansho was dead, but she couldn't accept that Sansho had truly lost her life—how could she realize someone whose presence, voice, and expressions remained as vividly as ever had already vanished?
There was something Tsunade hadn't yet figured out, but now Haseo clearly explained it to her.
After hearing Haseo's words, Tsunade turned her head, stunned. After standing motionless for quite a while, she finally murmured slowly, as if her comprehension lagged behind by half a beat, "So...that's how it is?"
Her voice barely faded when she no longer had any questions for Haseo. Without another word, she stepped forward, walked past Haseo, and proceeded toward the cemetery exit.
Gradually, she raised her hand to cover her eyes. At first, she wept softly, then with every step forward, she began sobbing loudly—that seemed ready to tear her heart and lungs out, echoing throughout the cemetery.
Accompanying her sobs, tears streamed from her eyes, impossible to wipe away no matter how many times she tried with both hands... It was simple — all Tsunade needed to do was cry.
Under the night sky filled with chirping insects, Haseo silently watched her retreating figure fade into distance.
Crying Tsunade and emotionless Haseo stood beneath the same moonlit sky, seeing the same scenery—one of pure, deep darkness, dotted by stars too tangled to sort out.
As her cries grew fainter and more distant, quiet whispers emerged from the backdrop of night.
"Does Haseo have some kind of brain damage? Why would he make her cry?"
After spending so much time around Haseo, Jiraiya occasionally found himself adopting similar speech patterns.
"If there's one among us three who's mentally handicapped, it'd be you, Jiraiya," Orochimaru responded. For once, he stood firmly on Haseo's side.
Privately, Orochimaru thought: Was it really Haseo who made her cry? Did Jiraiya lose his sight or something? Even supposing Tsunade did cry because of Haseo, what hope did you, Jiraiya—who couldn't even bring yourself to make her cry—have at all?
Orochimaru understood what just happened here. It wasn't because he was particularly profound or perceptive, but rather... truthfully speaking, the dynamic between him and Jiraiya resembled that of Sasuke and Naruto who would come later.
Jiraiya had been an orphan since childhood, whereas Orochimaru recently experienced what Tsunade was going through right now—he could truly understand, more than anyone else at that moment.
Haseo had long sensed the presence of these two little ones, but what were they even babbling about now? Who gets distracted halfway through protecting someone like that?
Thus, Haseo raised his thumb and jerked his wrist toward the direction Tsunade had taken, signaling them to follow immediately. Upon seeing this gesture, Jiraiya and Orochimaru suddenly remembered they almost forgot their main task, so they hurried after Tsunade immediately.
After everyone had left, Haseo still remained where he was. Staring at the name "Miyuki" carved onto the gravestone, he felt an undeniable difficulty accepting it—it was certain Sansho yearned to become a true Senju, yet she failed. Not only did she fail, but she ended up "ruining" the Senju instead.
In the end, her gravestone bore only the simple inscription "Miyuki."
This was hard to accept.
Late at night, the Third Hokage silently appeared beside Haseo. After a long silence, he sighed and spoke up, "Haseo, do you still want to stay in the village for now, or perhaps go out... on some sort of mission?"
He had originally meant to say something like "go out and get some fresh air," but realizing such casual words from the Hokage would seem rather odd, he adjusted his phrasing accordingly.
"Well, staying cooped up at home all the time is pretty boring," Haseo replied, not turning his head, eyes fixed straight ahead.
...
The next morning, Tsunade—her eyes red and swollen—once again arrived at the Cemetery. Then, even from a distance, she noticed something was wrong with the stone, so she hurried over.
Indeed, the place had been vandalized—but upon taking a closer look, Tsunade found herself wondering: Could this even be considered vandalism?
Before the characters "Miyuki" on the gravestone were two newly added characters: "Senju"—completing Sansho's full name.
Tsunade recognized the handwriting instantly. The carving's freshness was clearly visible; each stroke revealed the emotional state of the one who had carved it.
She placed one hand gently against the stone, slowly closing her eyes.
And when Tsunade opened her eyes once more, she found an enormous Scroll had inexplicably appeared right beneath her feet.
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