Chapter 237 Disciple? Me?
During the Second Shinobi World War, Haruko Hayama was sent to fight against the Sand Village ninja. After discovering that her opponent was Chiyo's son, she gave up fighting him, but little did she expect...
Haruko suppressed her sorrow, not wanting the atmosphere to become heavy, and pointed to the baby in her arms, asking, "Is this child Chiyo's grandson?"
“His name is Scorpion, and he’s very handsome, isn’t he?” Chiyo stroked the red-haired figure in the photo with her rough hands, her eyes full of affection. “He should be an adult by now.”
Sensing something amiss in her melancholy tone, Kakashi Hatake frowned. "Has he not come to see you in a long time?"
“He left Sunagakure five years ago and never came back.”
Chiyo's aged voice spoke softly, silencing the three listeners. Glancing at the complex expression on Haruko's face, she suddenly smiled, "Alright, hurry up and cook. Do you expect an old woman like me to cook for you?"
Knowing that this was her personality, Haruko smiled helplessly, "I'll go, I'll make your favorite potato stew with meat."
"Stewed potatoes with meat, I'm really looking forward to it."
Chiyo smiled and led her to the kitchen with her hands behind her back, leaving behind the two of them, one big and one small, who couldn't stand each other.
Kakashi Hatake turned his head and saw Tsunade sitting unceremoniously on the sofa. After meeting his gaze, she casually waved for him to go out and get some sun.
"..."
*
According to information gathered from the village, Fengying's wife is still pregnant and the baby is still some time away from being born.
After learning that there was no rush, Haruko relaxed and spent every day with Chiyo.
After Sasori left, Chiyo held the nominal position of advisor to Sunagakure, but she no longer participated in political affairs and chose to live in seclusion, spending her days fishing.
"What?! You were the one who suggested sealing Shukaku inside the Kazekage's son?!"
Unexpectedly, she was the culprit. Haruko's almond-shaped eyes widened, and her gaze toward Chiyo seemed to be condemning her as a traitor.
Chiyo snorted, "What do you know, little girl? This is a strategic necessity."
It's really not appropriate to comment on other countries' political affairs, so Haruko pressed on urgently, "Is it too late to withdraw this proposal now?"
"It's too late. The higher-ups have already approved the proposal." Chiyo glanced at her and stated the fact unhurriedly.
The executioner's blade finally fell, and Haruko radiated a sense of utter despair. Although she hadn't held out much hope for this, the final outcome was still disheartening, especially seeing the culprit sitting right next to her, fishing with an air of self-righteousness.
Seeing her utterly dejected expression, Chiyo shook the fishing rod in her hand. "She said she was coming to observe the recovery of Sunagakure to help build new relationships, but it was just a pretext."
Knowing she couldn't fool her, and besides needing to rely on her connections, Haruko explained to her in a gentle and kind manner.
"It can't be called a pretext. Several months have passed since the war ended, and Konoha and Sunagakure do need further peaceful exchanges."
"However, I did have my own reasons for taking on this mission. When I came to Sunagakure last time, I received help from Karura. I didn't expect to hear that she later became the Kazekage's wife. Now that she's pregnant, I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help."
"After all, this is her third child, and the risks of childbirth must be very high."
In fact, Haruko didn't know Karura at all. The only time she had seen her was in Gaara's memory world, and even her name was something Kakashi Hatake found out.
In order to give a convincing reason, Haruko could only make up a vague lie.
"You still know her?" Chiyo asked skeptically. "Then why don't you go directly to her instead of coming to an old woman like me?"
Faced with her relentless questioning, Haruko paused for a few seconds before sincerely replying, "I missed you."
"..."
Chiyo snorted, not bothering to investigate further, but instead becoming interested in her childlike appearance. "Speaking of which, with your appearance, could it be that you've mastered some kind of secret technique to reverse aging?"
When Chiyo received the message and went to pick up the person, she was still wondering who Haruko Hayama was. She didn't recognize her until she saw her face at the village gate, but she just assumed that she had a bad memory.
More than forgetting about her, she was shocked to see her completely ageless appearance.
“I can’t tell you that, but…” Haruko suppressed a laugh as she caught sight of Tsunade leaning closer, “but Tsunade has a way to maintain her youthful appearance, you can go ask her.”
Chiyo, who had been full of enthusiasm, suddenly looked disappointed and sat back down. "What's so respectable about asking a junior for advice?"
This time, Haruko couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing.
Chiyo caught a glimpse of Haruko's smiling face and her lips curled up slightly. She could sense that Haruko had been keeping her company these past few days because she knew about her son's death and her grandson's passing, and didn't want to leave this proud old woman feeling lonely.
The brief period of close interaction reminded Chiyo of the past.
When Chiyo learned that a young girl had traveled a great distance from Konoha to Sunagakure to learn from her, she was surprised, though she didn't show it on her face.
To discourage her, Chiyo made her do chores and catch insects in the desert.
To everyone's surprise, the little girl persevered through it all. Not only was she a good cook and skilled at fishing, but she also gritted her teeth and endured the insects even when her face turned pale.
Now, Chiyo is somewhat glad that she was allowed to stay.
"If Ebizo saw you, he would definitely praise me for teaching such a good apprentice." Chiyo's tone revealed a hint of pride.
Haruko pointed to herself curiously and asked in confusion, "Disciple? Me?"
The atmosphere was ruined by her words, and Chiyo was furious. "If you're not my apprentice, then who is!"
"But I only came here to ask about puppetry..."
Chiyo interrupted her directly, acting like a brat online, "I'm already so old, and you still want to argue with me back and forth, you really don't care about the elderly!"
Seeing that the anger on her face was genuine, Haruko chuckled and readily accepted the title of apprentice.
Since Gaara's fate as a Jinchūriki cannot be changed, she must at least ensure that Gaara's mother survives so that Gaara will not be alone.
"We've caught enough fish, let's reel in the line and head home."
Seeing that the fishing rod hadn't moved, Chiyo stood up and announced the end of today's fishing activity.
Haruko watched her familiar figure reeling in the line and suddenly said, "My brother, Hiruzen Sarutobi, you two might get along very well."
Chiyo paused, then blushed as if she had thought of something, and scolded, "What are you thinking about all day, you little girl!"
Startled by her words, Haruko quickly realized that Haruko had misunderstood and was both amused and exasperated. "I meant fishing techniques."
"..."
Chiyo left in a huff, stomping her feet with each step.
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