Tsunade's Change

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, news of Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's death in battle and Hiruzen Sarutobi succeeding him as the Third Hokage spread throughout the village.

Outside the window, rain began pouring down.

Dressed in black, Rinto sat in the corridor, watching raindrops patter against the rockery in the courtyard, watching ripples spread across the small lake, watching the shishi-odoshi sway rhythmically.

"The Senju Clan has officially stepped off the stage of history!"

The two Senju Clan Hokage who came afterward had merely served as weapons of war.

At that thought, Rinto suddenly felt strangely lost.

He did not know why. Perhaps the grief hanging over the village had affected him.

Or perhaps he felt an indescribable admiration for Tobirama Senju, the man who had spared his life twice.

He was a transmigrator, one who knew how the future would unfold, one who was neither brainless nor lacking in a little cleverness.

Even with such an enormous advantage, he still found every step difficult before Tobirama Senju, as though walking on thin ice.

No one else had ever made him feel that way since his transmigration.

"What an incredible man." Rinto smiled and shook his head.

Rinto had never met Hashirama Senju, nor had he met Madara Uchiha, but instinctively, he believed neither of them measured up to Tobirama Senju.

Madara Uchiha had nothing but dreams and hatred. Like a puppet on strings, he was controlled by Black Zetsu, reduced to a puppet without even realizing it.

Hashirama Senju might have been immensely powerful and firm in his convictions, but he was always too simple-minded. On that point, Madara Uchiha, who could not even see himself clearly, had been surprisingly right.

And Tobirama Senju.

Most of the named institutions in Konoha had been created by him alone.

Konoha's overwhelming overall strength had been built by his own hands.

The twenty years of peace after the First Shinobi World War rested precisely upon Konoha's powerful foundation.

He had dreams, the patience to press onward for them, and the drive to see them through. Those qualities alone made him extraordinary.

At that thought, Rinto could not help laughing self-mockingly. He muttered, "Enough of this pointless thinking. It should be about time."

With that, he slowly rose and pushed open the bedroom door.

Inside, Rie, who was changing clothes, immediately screamed.

"Brother! Why did you come in?! Get out, hurry!"

Rinto glanced at Aunt Kyoko, who was holding a black short-sleeved shirt, then looked at Rie and curled his lip disdainfully.

"You brat, did you forget? I was the one who changed your clothes yesterday. Now you're acting all disgusted by me!"

Rie stubbornly refused to back down.

"That was yesterday. Today, I'm a grown-up girl! Brother can't look!"

Hearing that, Rinto slapped his forehead, his face darkening.

"Damn it, I never should have let you hang around Meiko and the others. What kind of nonsense are they teaching you?!

Forget calling me your brother. People would believe it even if you said I was your dad!"

Rie immediately hid behind Kyoko and stuck out her tongue at Rinto.

"Bleh, bleh, bleh~"

"My mom wouldn't even look twice at you!"

"You little—!" Rinto instantly flew into a rage, rolling up his sleeves to give her today's share of "fatherly affection."

Aunt Kyoko knelt on the tatami, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Still, Rie was not wrong. Rinto was far too mature for his age, and sometimes people instinctively forgot how young he really was.

In the end, Rinto still left the bedroom with a dark expression.

In the corridor, Kato Ippongi and Dan Katō were also dressed in black.

Soon, Kyoko led Rie out of the room.

The five of them held umbrellas as they stepped onto the street, joining the river of black-clad mourners.

Konoha Ninja Cemetery was where countless Konoha heroes had been buried. Deep within it, beside Hashirama Senju's grave, a new tombstone had been erected.

By the time Rinto and the others arrived, a massive crowd had already gathered.

At the very front, Tobirama Senju's family, disciples, and subordinate ninja stood in a row.

Rinto was not near the front. He could only watch from afar as people with solemn or grief-stricken expressions stepped forward one after another to offer flowers, placing small white blossoms before the tombstone.

The rain continued to fall. After an unknown amount of time, the funeral ended, and the sky gradually darkened.

The people who had come of their own accord silently dispersed in a bustling stream.

Holding his umbrella, Rinto set Rie, whom he had been carrying in his arms, down on the ground.

"Aunt Kyoko, could I trouble you to take Rie home? I suddenly remembered I have something to do."

Kyoko, her face still shadowed by grief, gave a slight nod and took Rie's hand.

After nodding to the Kato family and watching their retreating figures huddled together, Rinto fell silent once more.

The sky had gone completely dark.

The ninja cemetery was empty, save for a small figure before one of the graves.

Tsunade wore a black short-sleeved shirt and black skirt. Her young face was numb as she stared blankly at Tobirama Senju's photograph on the tombstone. What dripped from her chin, no one could tell whether it was rainwater or tears.

Rinto's gaze passed over Tsunade's back, but he said nothing.

His identity as an undercover agent destined him to stay far away from Tsunade, from Konoha's Princess Tsunade.

Passing Tsunade, Rinto slowly walked up to the tombstone and looked at Tobirama Senju's calm, handsome face.

Expressionless, Rinto took a pure white flower from his chest and placed it atop the tombstone.

Then he slowly bent down and sat cross-legged before Tobirama Senju's grave.

"Lord Tobirama, you won this round. You should be satisfied now, right?

Honestly, I really had no idea what to do back then.

Playing dumb felt like an insult to your intelligence.

But if I had told the truth, the two of us might be lying together right now!

Still, you really were incredible. You backed me into a corner."

As he spoke, Rinto's voice grew quieter and quieter. Finally, a smile suddenly appeared on his calm face as he murmured in a voice only he could hear.

"This time, you won. I'll count it as owing you a life.

If you ever need my help, come visit me in a dream."

After saying that, he braced a hand against the ground, slowly rose, and turned to leave.

At that moment, Tsunade saw Rinto's handsome face, and a spark of hatred suddenly flared in her hollow eyes.

She rushed forward, grabbed his collar, and glared at him with fire in her eyes as she roared hoarsely.

"You! Amegakure's Dark Child! Was it you who leaked Second Grandfather's whereabouts and got him killed?!"

Tsunade's hoarse voice echoed through the deserted cemetery.

Rinto did not speak. His icy eyes casually swept over Tsunade.

Tsunade was instantly enraged by that look. What little reason she had left vanished completely.

Bang! Tsunade's fist smashed heavily into Rinto's cheek.

Unfortunately, her fist was weak and limp now.

Rinto's head tilted to one side from the blow as he looked diagonally at the ground. He felt no hatred, only sorrow for the girl before him and sorrow for himself.

Tsunade did not stop. Gripping Rinto's collar, she punched his face again and again.

Tears mixed with rainwater streamed down her face as she cried, "Why?! Why do you all think about war every day, about enemies, about destroying other people's families?! Why?!"

After screaming with all her strength, Tsunade slowly released Rinto's collar and collapsed helplessly to her knees. Covering her face, she burst into tears.

Rinto still did not say a word. He knew that countless pairs of Anbu eyes were watching him from all around.

And pathetic as he was, he could not even offer a word of comfort to the helpless girl kneeling before him.

He laughed at himself, wiped away the blood flowing from his nose, and turned to leave in large strides.

He understood now why Tobirama Senju had told Tsunade about his identity as an undercover agent.

Perhaps at that moment, he had not been the Hokage. He had merely been a grandfather.

After all, someone like him truly was not suited to getting close to Tsunade.

"Tobirama Senju really was a worrywart," Rinto muttered as he left the ninja cemetery.

The rain continued to fall. Tsunade remained kneeling before Tobirama Senju's grave, her hoarse throat no longer able to produce a sound.

At that moment, the rain above Tsunade's head suddenly stopped.

Tsunade raised her numb face and saw who had come.

Hiruzen Sarutobi held a black umbrella over Tsunade's head.

Tsunade's delicate brows furrowed again.

"Why? Uncle Hiruzen, why did you keep Sakuta Rinto, that despicable Dark Child, in the village?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared resolutely at his teacher's photograph on the tombstone and slowly sighed.

"Before Teacher Tobirama left, he told me not to tell you about Sakuta Rinto."

As he spoke, his eyes gradually dimmed.

"I understood what Teacher meant. He did not want you to have too much contact with Sakuta Rinto.

So I asked him then, 'Why don't we, our generation, start by accepting him?'

Afterward, Teacher was silent for a long time. He patted my head, just as he had when I was a child.

Then Teacher told me to make the decision myself."

After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Tsunade with gentle eyes.

"Now, I'm giving that decision to you. Are you willing to let the village accept Sakuta Rinto?"

Tsunade abruptly rose to her feet, head held high, flames blazing in her eyes as she roared, "No! I will never accept someone like him, someone who only destroys peace!"

Hearing that, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes darkened. He slowly nodded. "Very well. Then you do not need to know why the village is keeping Sakuta Rinto."

Tsunade froze.

She did not understand. She did not understand the difference between keeping him and accepting him, nor why she could not know the reason the village was keeping Sakuta Rinto.

At that thought, Tsunade stubbornly shook her head.

"Uncle Hiruzen, I want to know!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing. He raised his head toward the dark clouds overhead and spoke in an exceptionally distant tone.

"Sakuta Rinto, Dark Child of Amegakure, direct disciple of the leader Hanzo of the Salamander.

He was sent to Konoha to carry out an undercover mission, with the objective of stealing Konoha's intelligence.

His cover identity was one of only two survivors from a slaughtered village in the Land of Hot Water, a war orphan.

His personality is vile, cunning, and extremely greedy.

His strength is assessed at Jonin level. His taijutsu is extremely strong. He possesses the Magnetic Release Kekkei Genkai.

He is exceptionally intelligent. After we exposed his disguise, he immediately agreed to cooperate with the village, using false information to deceive Hanzo of the Salamander. He also has the ability to influence Hanzo of the Salamander's actions and movements."

At that point, Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, then added one more sentence.

"Is that enough?"

Tsunade, who had been grinding her teeth in fury, froze.

What did he mean, enough? How could that possibly be enough?!

I have to learn everything about this man, then drive him out of the village!

Grinding her teeth resentfully, Tsunade resolutely shook her head.

Seeing that, Hiruzen Sarutobi showed no reaction and continued speaking, his tone still distant.

"Sakuta Rinto was originally born into the Jashin Cult. As a child intended for sacrifice, he suffered every form of abuse.

Later, he found an opportunity to escape, infiltrated Amegakure, and killed the Jashin Cult Messenger who had pursued him.

That was why Hanzo of the Salamander took an interest in him and accepted him as a disciple.

Later, because his talent was poor, he was sidelined."

Hearing this version, which was completely different from the previous one, Tsunade looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in disbelief.

Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi continued looking toward the horizon.

"After that, Sakuta Rinto met his benefactor, Sakuta Mizuguma, and inherited his surname!"

Tsunade's beautiful eyes widened round at those words.

She understood very clearly what inheriting a surname meant.

Only if Rinto had recognized Sakuta Mizuguma beyond measure would he have inherited his surname.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not stop speaking because of Tsunade's shock.

"Later, Hanzo of the Salamander, ever suspicious, noticed those Bonds. To protect Sakuta Mizuguma, Sakuta Rinto accepted orders and became a Dark Child.

He was sent to Konoha.

Later, while transferring through the Land of Hot Water, he happened upon Amegakure ninja slaughtering a village there. He boldly intervened and killed ninja from his own village.

Rinto's younger sister, Rie, was the one he saved at that time.

Later, Rinto accepted Rie's mother's dying request: to raise the child and give her the surname Sakuta."

By then, Tsunade was too stunned to speak.

She had not known that so many compromises and grievances lay hidden behind those events.

Sakuta Rinto... he was just a child himself!

Tsunade asked herself whether she could have done all of that at his age.

Though she did not want to admit it, a voice deep in her heart still gave her the answer.

No.

Whether it was Genius Orochimaru, whom she knew, the older genius Dan Katō, or Ryota of the Uchiha, none of them could have borne such a heavy past.

At that thought, Tsunade could not help remembering Rinto's grinning face back at the Ninja School.

How could he still smile?

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued.

"Later, Sakuta Rinto disguised himself as an orphan and infiltrated Konoha with his younger sister, Sakuta Rie;

Because we had extensive intelligence on Amegakure, we saw through his disguise the moment he entered the village."

"Then why didn't you kill him?" Tsunade asked anxiously.

At this, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a faint sigh.

"He said, 'Take good care of my sister. Tell the outside world that I never betrayed Amegakure—that my disguise was simply exposed.'"

Hearing this, Tsunade's body, trembling slightly from the icy rain, went still.

This guy... even at death's door, he still refused to cast aside his Bonds and responsibilities?!

Seeing Tsunade's pupils dilate to their limit, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly placed the umbrella in her hand and voiced his opinion of Sakuta Rinto.

"Sakuta Rinto, born into an age of chaos, at such a young age, protected his sister and protected his teacher in Amegakure; he maneuvered through all manner of schemes and plots just to safeguard those pitiful little Bonds of his; in the end, he was merely a pitiful fellow!"

After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi clasped his hands behind his back and slowly walked away.

In the pitch-black night, beneath the fine rain, in the desolate cemetery, Tsunade was left alone in confusion.