Chapter 101 The Day After Haruko's Death
The second day after Haruko's death.
Tsunade slowly opened her eyes, and the strange sight made her rub them. When she stood up and stood in front of the vanity mirror, she realized that her eyes were swollen.
"Why are you crying like this..."
Tsunade caught a glimpse of the necklace around her neck and, in a moment of surprise, raised her left hand to hold it up.
"That's strange, didn't I give this necklace to Rope Tree?"
Knock knock knock!
Tsunade subconsciously looked toward the knocking sound, and heard Nawaki's energetic voice coming from outside.
"Sister! Brother Duan has made breakfast, get up quickly!"
"knew."
After replying, Tsunade quickly tidied up. Ever since she and Kato Dan became friends, Kato Dan had often come to her house to take care of her and her younger brother. Especially in the last two days, when she was in a bad mood, he had been taking care of almost everything at home.
Hmm... why am I in a bad mood?
Before she could continue thinking, Tsunade heard Nawaki urging her from outside and hurriedly left the room.
Kato Dan walked over and handed her a glass of hot milk, asking with some concern, "Did you sleep well last night?"
Tsunade took a sip of milk while sitting down, and then replied, "It's alright, but my eyes are a bit tired from crying."
Kato Dan sighed, his tone becoming somber. "After all, it's the death of a teammate; it's still hard to accept."
"A teammate passed away?" Tsunade frowned slightly. "Which teammate?"
Kato Dan was taken aback. "You forgot? It's... uh..."
Kato thought hard for a while, but found that he couldn't remember the teammate's name either, perhaps because they hadn't had much contact.
The usually quiet Nawaki spoke up helplessly, "You two really have bad memories. It's that older sister!"
Tsunade felt like she had grasped something and quickly asked, "Nawaki, which older sister?"
Rope Tree shook her head. "You're so strange, sister. I don't know her. I only remembered her because I ran into her during a mission."
"Yeah……"
Tsunade's hazy memories told her that it was just as Nawaki had described, but why did she always feel that something was off?
A woman, a Jonin just like him, and a teammate he'd risked his life with... Logically, it's impossible for him to forget her name.
Tsunade couldn't help but clutch the necklace around her neck again.
Necklace... promise...
Haruko! It's Haruko!
Tsunade suddenly stood up, the chair behind her scraping loudly as she moved.
Amidst the astonished expressions of Kato Dan and Nawaki, Tsunade cried out in a panic, "Haruko! It was Haruko who passed away! Don't you remember?"
Under her gaze, which was urgently seeking approval, Kato Dan and Nawaki exchanged a puzzled look, and then Kato Dan spoke.
"Tsunade, who are you talking about?"
Tsunade's eyes widened, her lips trembled slightly, as if she didn't know what to say. Then she raised her hand to cover her mouth, her right hand gripping the corner of the table tightly.
"You...you don't remember?" Tsunade forced herself to calm down. "You almost died during a mission before, and Haruko saved you!"
Kato Danka was confused. "Tsunade, what are you talking about? You were the one who saved me, didn't you? I survived because you were there with me, a medical ninja."
Tsunade looked at Nawaki in a panic, "Nawaki, you accidentally fell into the trap, and it was Haruko who saved you!"
Rope Tree looked at her with concern, "Sister... are you alright? You're the one who saved me."
While they were at a loss as to how to comfort her, Tsunade turned around and rushed out the door.
She ignored the shouts of her loved ones behind her and kept running.
Haruko! Haruko!
When she finally arrived at her destination, she was panting heavily, tears streaming down her face. She searched among the tombstones with hope in her heart.
When Tsunade finally found what should have been Haruko's gravestone in her chaotic memories, she discovered something incredible.
"How could this be...!"
Tsunade stared in disbelief at the blank space on the tombstone—no name, no gender, nothing at all.
She collapsed to the ground, muttering "Haruko" over and over, before finally bursting into tears.
＊
Jiraiya got up from the ground, rubbing his aching head from the hangover. When he noticed several empty bottles scattered around him, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, wondering just how much he had drunk the night before.
Mount Myōboku remained peaceful and tranquil as usual. After greeting the toads he encountered along the way, Jiraiya arrived at the place where Fukasaku was meditating.
He didn't know why he had come here; he just felt he should come and see Fukasaku.
Fukasaku remained seated with his eyes closed atop the toad statue. Upon sensing Jiraiya's presence, he simply said, "You've arrived."
Jiraiya scratched his head in frustration. "I think I drank too much yesterday. I can't remember what I was supposed to do."
"It's fate, so just go with the flow." Fukasaku started spouting some nonsensical words again.
Jiraiya could never understand its mysterious language, nor did he know how that guy had developed a revolutionary friendship with Fukasaku.
That guy? Who?
Jiraiya paused for a moment. Who had he just thought of?
Jiraiya was originally a carefree person, but for some reason, he had a strong feeling this time that he had to figure out the answer.
Fukasaku opened his eyes at some point, saw his troubled expression, and said with a hint of regret, "Go see her one last time, it will be a long time before we meet again."
"Huh? Who are you talking about?" Jiraiya really wanted to pry its mouth open and make it speak plainly.
Fukasaku was somewhat speechless. "Go and take a look at the tombstones yourself."
Having said that, Fukasaku, wanting to avoid seeing or bothering Jiraiya, banished him from Mount Myōboku.
tombstone?
Jiraiya walked in that direction, puzzled.
When he arrived at the entrance, he saw Orochimaru standing there and Tsunade sitting next to him in the distance.
Jiraiya walked in curiously and stood next to them. He was about to ask them what they were doing here when he noticed that the tombstone in front of Tsunade was an unmarked one.
“This is…” Jiraiya couldn’t help but reach out and touch the tombstone.
This feels so familiar... what have I forgotten...?
Orochimaru, who was standing to the side with a gloomy and cold expression, said, "Perhaps by tomorrow, even we won't remember her."
Jiraiya was getting really impatient with them. "Orochimaru, who exactly are you talking about?"
Tsunade, who had been sobbing with her head down, looked up at him in astonishment, then stood up angrily and grabbed his collar, "You bastard, don't tell me you actually forgot about Haruko?!"
“Haruko…” Jiraiya murmured.
It's Haruko! Haruko is the one I forgot about!
Seeing Jiraiya's horrified expression as he finally realized what was happening, Orochimaru chuckled, "It seems no one really remembers her."
Upon hearing his words, Tsunade glared fiercely at Orochimaru, "You cold-blooded bastard! Haruko cares about you so much, and this is how you treat her!"
Orochimaru remained unmoved, but the slight contraction of his golden snake eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.
Jiraiya clenched his fists, his lips pressed together. "How could this happen... I actually forgot about her..."
The rapidly fading vitality, the corpses dissipating into smoke, the erased memories...
Orochimaru's expression was solemn as he stared intently at the nameless monument before him.
Who exactly are you...?
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