Tsunade's face flushed bright red at Nawaki's loud shout, but even so, she never once let go of his hand. She was afraid that if she let go, Shin would run off, so she dragged him straight toward the backyard.
It wasn't until they were in front of Mito that she finally released his hand, though by then, her face was already completely red with embarrassment. Only then did it dawn on her: she had just pulled this guy by the hand all the way across half of Konoha.
How was she supposed to face people after this? Worse still, the two of them hadn't even officially established a relationship. If things went back to how they were tomorrow, who knew what kind of gossip would spread?
Someone might even say they broke up the very next day.
"You're Shin, right?" Mito, who had been watering flowers, put down the watering can and looked at him with a warm smile.
At this moment, she looked like a kind and gentle old lady, which genuinely surprised him.
After all, in her youth, her temper had been even worse than Kushina's. You could say that being fierce was a common trait among the women of the Uzumaki clan.
But time changes many things, even a person's temperament.
"Hello, Mito-sama. And yes, I'm Shin," he greeted respectfully.
"Tsunade talks about you often. Come, sit. Make yourself at home, no need to be formal."
Once everyone was seated, Nawaki peeked his head out from under the table and curiously studied Shin. There was no denying it, Shin was very handsome, with a unique presence about him.
You could say there simply weren't any ugly members of the Uchiha clan. No matter who you picked, they were all good-looking. The strength of their genes was that terrifying.
Shin also curiously observed him and even made a funny face at him, which made the little boy giggle. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N0velFire.ɴet
Nawaki was only four years old at the time, chubby-cheeked and absolutely adorable. You could say Tsunade's parents were very committed, it wasn't common in the shinobi world for siblings to be thirteen years apart, since there were no restrictions on childbirth.
Unfortunately, their parents had died on a mission two years ago.
That traumatic event was what pushed Tsunade to pour herself into the study of medical ninjutsu, which in turn drove Shin into a desperate situation.
"Bringing him home so suddenly, did something happen?" Mito asked directly.
"Obaachan… please, save Shin. He… he might not have much time left…"
"You two are among the top medical-nin. Do you really need my help?" Mito asked in confusion.
"It's not that kind of 'not much time'..."
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Tsunade quickly explained how the higher-ups once tried to eliminate Shin, how he showed his worth in order to survive, and how she herself, step by step, pushed him into a corner until the higher-ups decided to try eliminating him again.
After hearing the story, Mito was at a loss for words. What kind of mess was this?
"Tsunade, take Nawaki and step outside for a bit. I want to talk to Shin alone."
Mito hadn't yet decided whether or not to help him, she wanted to test him first.
She was the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. And the Nine-Tails had a special ability, it could sense a person's true intentions, whether they were good or evil. However, she didn't have a great relationship with the Nine-Tails. It was a forced seal, a relationship of suppression and control.
So getting the Nine-Tails to help came at a high price, but for the sake of her granddaughter's happiness, she had no choice.
After sending them out, she once again looked Shin over.
Unlike Tobirama, she held little resentment toward the Uchiha clan, so she had never interfered with Tsunade's feelings for Shin.
"Do you hate Tobirama?" After a while, once she finally received a response from Kurama, Mito ignored the tailed beast's usual sarcasm and asked calmly.
"Yes. I do." Shin replied without hesitation.
How could he not hate him? Just for being glanced at once in a crowd, he had been put through hell for the past seven years. Living every day in fear, walking on eggshells, while constantly being harassed by that bitter old crone Koharu, how could anyone stay calm through that?
"Sigh…" Mito let out a heavy breath and asked again, "Then do you hate Konoha?"
"No," Shin shook his head gently.
He had more or less guessed what method she had used to test him, so he answered honestly. As for Konoha, he truly bore no hatred. He had indeed resorted to many tactics to survive, but that didn't mean he was mentally twisted.
Just because a few individuals had wronged him didn't mean he blamed the entire village. Besides, over the years, he had healed countless people, and every one of them treated him with immense respect.
The guilty ones had names; the debts had owners. Only four or five people truly deserved to die.
Next, she asked him many questions, bringing up several names. All the while, she continued receiving feedback on his emotional responses from Kurama.
After talking for over an hour, she finally said, "Wait outside for a bit. I want to speak with Tsunade alone."
"I'll go call her," Shin nodded obediently and turned to leave.
Soon, Tsunade entered the courtyard, her face full of worry as she looked at Mito.
"Obaachan, what were you two talking about for so long?"
"Just an old woman sharing a bit of experience," Mito replied calmly. "Do you really want to help him?"
"Why are you asking me that?" Tsunade replied, clearly unhappy. "The situation he's in now, it all started because Tobirama-ojisan destroyed his future over a single smile. Then sensei decided he wasn't worth watching but still wouldn't let him go, insisting on killing him. And after that, I kept making things worse and pushed him right to the edge of the cliff. We're the ones who did wrong. He's always been the victim. So why wouldn't I help him?"
"Ahh…" Mito sighed deeply. "What a tangled mess of fate this is."
"Just now, I used a special method to feel his inner emotions, it's a mix of good and bad."
"The good news is: he doesn't harbor any ill will toward you. The bad news: he doesn't feel any goodwill either."
Tsunade looked a bit disheartened and said, "I thought he would hate me."
"Earlier today, he told me he wanted to cut ties for good, to have nothing more to do with me. I thought he despised me. If there's no goodwill… maybe it's because he's completely given up on me."
"If you can understand that, then good," Mito said with resignation.
"But he does seem to have goodwill toward me and Nawaki. I think it's because of you, even if he doesn't want to deal with you right now, there's still that lingering affection that extends to those around you…"
"Obaachan, don't say things like that!" Tsunade quickly interrupted, blushing.
She didn't get her hopes up anymore. She just wanted to get through this crisis and then find a way to repair her relationship with Shin.
"Haha!" Seeing her granddaughter so flustered made Mito laugh with delight.
Tsunade really was incredibly pure. But soon, her expression became worried again.