What I Couldn't Do

"A little monster like you actually managed to pop out of some corner."

"Those old geezers really do things in the most outrageous ways."

They crossed the long street side by side.

Tsunade held a bottle of rice wine she had just bought from a roadside stall in one hand and carried a jug of Togu liquor in the other. Seemingly casually, she glanced sideways at the youth beside her, who kept his eyes straight ahead.

"Lord Tsunade has already investigated me."

"May I ask what advice you have for me today?"

Sahara Mizu merely smiled shyly. His azure eyes could see everything within a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree range without needing to glance sideways. He seemed completely unconcerned by Tsunade's scrutiny.

"No rush. My house is nearby."

Tsunade had an astonishingly high tolerance for alcohol, or perhaps the rice wine was simply rather weak. She drank more than half the bottle by herself without blushing or losing her composure, though the faint gardenia scent in her hair had become mixed with the smell of alcohol.

Sahara Mizu did not pay much attention to it. When they passed a pastry shop, he casually bought two sticks of three-color dango.

He handed one to Tsunade, only for this woman nearing thirty to sneer:

"Kid stuff."

"Indeed."

Sahara Mizu bit into one himself, chewing the sweet water chestnut filling. "I nearly forgot because of your appearance. Lord Tsunade is getting on in years too."

The moment the words left his mouth, the other dango stick vanished from his hand.

Tsunade held the dango between her lips. She clearly felt she ought to have been offended, yet the first half of his sentence sounded like praise. She was left in an awkward position.

All she could do was curse irritably:

"You sharp-tongued little brat!"

Sahara Mizu turned and smiled at her without saying anything.

Before long, the two arrived before a building with an utterly outrageous footprint.

The tall square courtyard walls of gray brick and dark tiles alone stretched across most of the street. The red-lacquered wooden gates were broad and heavy, their door knockers carved with the double-headed halberd-like Senju House crest.

Yet fine moss grew between the cracks of the stone steps.

Probably because hardly anyone had entered or left this place for a long time.

This was the Senju Clan Compound.

Tsunade led Sahara Mizu through the gate. Just as she was about to head inside, the youth abruptly stopped beside the wall.

"Lord Tsunade."

"If there is anything, please settle it here quickly."

"I still need to go home and cook for my sister."

Yet the instant his words fell, a bamboo skewer shot toward him with lightning speed, cutting through the air with a sharp whoosh.

Sahara Mizu did not move.

The skewer brushed past his cheek and buried itself deeply in the gray brick wall behind him.

Tsunade pressed her palm against his cheek and slammed it into the wall.

As her fair palm pushed the skewer fully into the wall, her voluptuous body suddenly pressed close to him. Though she was slightly shorter, her presence did not lose in the slightest. Her forehead was nearly touching his nose, and he could clearly feel her warm breath against his skin.

An extremely forceful wall slam.

Their eyes met.

Yet Sahara Mizu seemed to have expected this all along and simply waited in silence.

"Sahara Mizu, fifteen years old. Both parents deceased. Younger sister, Sahara Yukie."

"Great-grandfather Sahara Masahide came from the Land of Rainbows. His grandfather's generation moved to Konoha. Both parents were chunin and died in the First Great Ninja War. Neither had any outstanding achievements. The only rogue ninja in this family was the great-grandfather. Both parents graduated from the Ninja Academy. No inherited secret techniques, no Kekkei Genkai, no special mentor instruction."

Tsunade stared fixedly into his azure eyes, seemingly trying to detect every trace of psychological change in his gaze.

"Is there anything you would like to explain?"

After several days of adjustment and rest, she had clearly emerged from the shock of losing her lover and comrade. Reason had once again taken the high ground. She was no longer as fragile and helpless as when she had first met Sahara Mizu.

At this moment, this calm and domineering woman was the Tsunade everyone in Konoha knew best.

"Holy shit! It's over!"

"This damned woman is so impossibly beautiful, and she has seen through every one of your flaws! She even dares threaten you—she has earned herself a death sentence!"

"At a time like this, the only option is to use your peerless big ○ to make her submit on the spot!"

"You've been strengthened, Mizu! Take her!"

"Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!"

At that moment, System Sister sounded exactly like some frantic king, loudly clamoring in his ear with unmistakable glee in her voice.

The inside and outside of his mind seemed to have been split into two separate worlds by her voice.

Sahara Mizu ignored the noise by his ear. He lowered his head to look at Tsunade and put on a slightly surprised expression, though his voice remained unchanged.

"Impressive."

"You only returned to the village yesterday, yet you have already uncovered so much information."

"Should I say that you truly are Lord Tsunade?"

Tsunade had no intention of letting him muddle through with that. She remained cold and stern. "If you refuse to answer, then I'll ask directly."

"What exactly is this 'Soul Secret Technique' you mentioned?"

Sahara Mizu smiled at her, perfectly composed. "There is a great deal of confidential information that would be fatal to a family, information you people cannot uncover."

"For example, an excessively powerful Kekkei Genkai possessed by some weak ninja."

Tsunade's brows furrowed at his words.

Before she could say anything further, Sahara Mizu suddenly lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.

That provocative gesture immediately stirred some anger within Tsunade.

However, before she could step back, her vision suddenly froze.

Within those already azure and crystalline eyes, dazzling radiance suddenly appeared, as brilliant as a river of stars.

Almost unconsciously, Tsunade's gaze was drawn into those eyes.

"Th-this is...?"

Even Sahara Mizu's voice seemed somewhat ethereal and detached at that moment.

"Beautiful, isn't it? These eyes."

"These are the eyes that appear once every five hundred years in the Sahara family. They are called the Six Eyes."

"They possess investigative abilities surpassing the Byakugan, as well as chakra analysis and tracking abilities comparable to the Sharingan. Seeing souls is merely one of their many functions."

"Beyond that, they also possess a peculiar innate technique."

As he spoke, he reached out, took Tsunade's slender wrist, and held it before them. He spread his fingers.

Their palms faced one another, as though they were about to touch.

Yet Tsunade saw it clearly.

Between their palms, there was clearly a stretch of "space" that she could not approach no matter how hard she tried.

"Its name is the Limitless Technique."

"It grants control over space."

"Because of these eyes, the Sahara family once produced an unparalleled powerhouse five hundred years ago."

"But unfortunately, it was only a fleeting bloom."

"The pursuit that followed lasted for an unknown number of years."

"After that, the Sahara Clan's Kekkei Genkai became nothing more than a legend passed down by word of mouth. The previous generations passed down Hand Seals and techniques only to sons, never daughters, until my generation."

After hearing his story, Tsunade's expression turned to understanding.

Sahara Mizu smiled calmly, dispelling the invisible space. He interlocked his fingers with the woman before him, allowing her to once again feel the warmth of being able to touch him, and softly asked:

"Do you have any other questions now?"

Feeling her hand tightly held in his large one, Tsunade froze for a moment before suddenly coming back to herself. She shook off Sahara Mizu's hand, though her brows remained tightly furrowed.

No wonder there were no relevant records anywhere in the village.

And no wonder this brat had mastered such bizarre power at such a young age.

If it was a Kekkei Genkai, then everything made sense.

But...

Tsunade looked at him suspiciously. "Do you know how the Hyuga and Uchiha would react if word of this Kekkei Genkai got out?"

Sahara Mizu spread his hands. "That is why I only told Lord Tsunade."

"Please keep it secret."

"..."

After a period of silence, Tsunade finally sneered softly.

"You really trust me."

"Because you are Lord Tsunade."

Sahara Mizu's smile was utterly composed, as though this enormous secret had nothing whatsoever to do with him.

She stared at the youth before her for a while before finally promising, "From today onward, if Danzo comes looking for trouble with you, come find me."

This was the first condition.

Sahara Mizu did not answer immediately.

Tsunade seemed to have expected his reaction. She took two steps back, drew a scroll from her sleeve, and tossed it into his arms. "This is the catalog of the Senju Clan's secret teachings. You can choose three things from it."

Sahara Mizu caught the scroll and opened it immediately, casually asking, "Can I choose the Yin Seal too?"

Tsunade sneered. "If you can learn it, you can choose the Flying Thunder God too."

This was the second condition.

Yet Sahara Mizu still said nothing, merely quietly scanning the catalog.

Tsunade continued, "Our family may have declined considerably, but we still have some connections. If you need people later, you can come to me again."

This was the third condition.

After saying that, Tsunade finally did not continue.

Sahara Mizu closed the catalog scroll and asked:

"Lord Tsunade."

"The dead are gone. Using such generous terms as the price to let yourself meet a fragment of memory... won't you regret it?"

Sahara Mizu had clearly known from the very beginning why Tsunade had called him here.

These three conditions were the price she was willing to pay in exchange for seeing those false memories in the necklace.

Faced with that pointed question, Tsunade merely turned her head away and said quietly:

"I'll worry about that when the day comes that I regret it."

"I understand."

Sahara Mizu was quick to catch on. "However, I should warn you in advance—souls and memories are both chakra existing in special forms. The more often they are used, the more they wear away."

"Until, in the end, they too will disappear completely."

"..."

After a long silence, Tsunade said, "I understand."

Only then did Sahara Mizu smile. He handed the catalog back to her and said calmly, "Then I'll choose this first... Basic Uzumaki Sealing Technique. Please wait until I finish learning it before discussing the remaining two."

"As you wish."

"If I don't have a mission in the future, I'll come here every Saturday."

With that, Sahara Mizu prepared to turn and leave.

Yet before he had gone far, Tsunade, still facing away from him, suddenly spoke.

"Thank you for what happened before."

Sahara Mizu stopped.

Tsunade folded her arms and continued with her back to him. "I mean you saving me that day, and helping me return the necklace."

"I don't like owing people favors."

Only then did Sahara Mizu turn around. He smiled at the awkward woman and said:

"I look forward to working with you."

Tsunade did not answer and remained facing away from him.

However, a notification appeared on the panel before Sahara Mizu.

"Sahara's Book of Friends: Character 'Tsunade' added"

"Bond Level increased ↑"

"Tsunade Bond Level: Zero → One"

Almost at the same time, information also appeared above the faint white halo over Tsunade's head.

"Tsunade's Knot in Her Heart (Shallow)"

"Details: In this blood-colored world, my parents, brothers, and lover have died one after another. In the end, will I be the only one left?"

"I couldn't do anything."

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