"Grandma, Sis brought her boyfriend home!"
Tsunade's face flushed at Nawaki's shout, but she never let go of his hand.
She was afraid Uchiha Dan would run off the moment she let go, so she dragged him toward the backyard.
Only when they reached Uzumaki Mito did Tsunade release his hand, but her face was already crimson.
That was when it hit her: she'd just walked halfway across Konoha holding this guy's hand. How was she supposed to show her face in public after this?
Most importantly, the two of them hadn't even made their relationship official.
If things went back to the way they were tomorrow, who knew what people would say?
They might even say the two of them had broken up the very next day.
"You must be Dan?" Uzumaki Mito asked with a smile, setting down her watering can.
At that moment, Uzumaki Mito seemed like nothing but a kind old woman, which rather surprised Uchiha Dan.
After all, when Uzumaki Mito had been young, her temper had been even worse than Uzumaki Kushina's.
The women of the Uzumaki Clan certainly had a fierce streak in common.
But time could change many things, including a person's temperament.
"Hello, Lady Mito. I'm Uchiha Dan!" Uchiha Dan greeted her respectfully.
"I've heard Tsunade mention you often. Come, sit down. Make yourself at home."
Once they were seated, Nawaki poked half his head out from under the table and curiously studied Uchiha Dan.
There was no denying that Uchiha Dan was handsome, and he had a very distinctive air about him.
You could say there wasn't an ugly person in the Uchiha Clan. Pick anyone at random and they'd be a handsome man or a beautiful woman.
The strength of their genes was downright terrifying.
And even among the Uchiha, Uchiha Dan was strikingly good-looking.
He just never paid much attention to his appearance.
He was practically about to die. What good was being handsome?
Seeing Nawaki staring at him curiously, Uchiha Dan looked him over too, then forced a somewhat awkward smile.
Nawaki was only four, all chubby cheeks and youthful energy, and especially adorable.
You had to admire Tsunade's parents for their persistence.
A thirteen-year age gap between siblings was rare in the Shinobi World, since having children wasn't restricted.
Sadly, Tsunade and Nawaki's parents had died on a mission two years earlier.
That tragedy was exactly what drove Tsunade to study Medical Ninjutsu even harder, eventually pushing Uchiha Dan to the brink.
"Tsunade, you brought Dan home so suddenly. Did something happen?" Uzumaki Mito asked directly.
"Grandma, please save Dan. He... he might not have much longer to live..."
"You're both top Medical Ninjas. Why would you need my help?" Uzumaki Mito asked, puzzled.
"It's not that kind of 'not much longer to live'..."
After taking a deep breath to steady herself, Tsunade quickly explained how the higher-ups had once wanted to eliminate Uchiha Dan, how he'd demonstrated his value in order to survive, and how she'd gradually driven him to the brink, prompting the higher-ups to consider getting rid of him again.
After hearing Tsunade's account, Uzumaki Mito didn't know what to say.
What a mess they'd made of things.
"Tsunade, take Nawaki outside for a while. I want to talk with Dan alone."
Uzumaki Mito hadn't decided whether to help Uchiha Dan. She wanted to test him first.
Uzumaki Mito was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
The Nine-Tails had a special ability: it could sense a person's goodwill or ill will.
But Uzumaki Mito and the Nine-Tails didn't have a good relationship. The beast had been forcibly sealed and exploited, so getting it to help would come at a considerable cost. Still, for the sake of her granddaughter's happiness, she had no choice.
After sending Tsunade and Nawaki away, Uzumaki Mito studied Uchiha Dan once more.
There was no denying that Uchiha Dan had a fine appearance and bearing. No wonder he'd bewitched her granddaughter.
Unlike Tobirama Senju, Uzumaki Mito was Hashirama Senju's wife, and she didn't harbor much ill will toward the Uchiha Clan. So she'd never tried to stop Tsunade from caring for Uchiha Dan.
"Dan, do you hate Tobirama?" After a while, she finally got Kurama's response. Ignoring its constant sarcasm, Uzumaki Mito asked him.
"Hate him!" Uchiha Dan replied without hesitation.
How could he not hate him?
All because Tobirama had glanced at him once in a crowd, Dan had spent the past seven years living like this.
He'd been on edge every day, walking on eggshells, and had to put up with Utatane Koharu's constant, sharp-tongued harassment. What kind of person could stay calm through all that?
"Ah." Uzumaki Mito sighed, then asked again, "Do you hate Konoha?"
"No." Uchiha Dan shook his head gently.
He had a pretty good idea of how Uzumaki Mito had tested him, so he answered honestly.
He didn't really hate Konoha. Unlike Uzumaki Naruto, who was constantly mistreated, Dan had been treated very well by his adoptive parents, and he'd always been respected in Konoha.
Aside from the threats from the higher-ups, things hadn't been nearly as miserable for him as he'd made them out to be.
Only a handful of people had ever truly made him suffer.
He'd used plenty of tricks to survive, but he was no psychopath.
There were only four or five people who deserved to die. He had no reason to blame the whole village.
Uzumaki Mito went on to ask Uchiha Dan many questions, bringing up plenty of names.
At the same time, she kept receiving feedback from Kurama about Uchiha Dan's feelings.
After talking for an hour, Uzumaki Mito said, "Dan, wait in the outer courtyard for a while. I'd like to talk with Tsunade."
"I'll go get her." Uchiha Dan nodded obediently and turned to leave.
Soon, Tsunade came into the courtyard, looking anxiously at Uzumaki Mito.
"Grandma, what did you two talk about for so long?"
"Just a few things I've learned over the years," Uzumaki Mito said. "Tsunade, are you really going to help Uchiha Dan?"
"Grandma, why are you asking me that?" Tsunade protested. "First, Second Grandfather ruined his life just because someone laughed at him."
"Then my teacher decided he wasn't worth keeping under surveillance, but still wouldn't let him go and insisted on killing him."
"After that, I kept making a mess of things and pushed him to the edge."
"We're the ones who made mistakes. He's the one who suffered. What reason do I have not to help him?"
"Ah!" Uzumaki Mito sighed deeply. "What a tangled mess of fate."
"I used a special method to sense what was in his heart. There was both good and bad."
"The good news is that he doesn't bear you any ill will."
"The bad news is that he doesn't feel any goodwill toward you, either."
Tsunade looked a little dejected. "I thought he hated me."
"Today, he told me he wanted to cut ties with me and never have anything to do with me again. I thought he couldn't stand me."
"Maybe he feels no goodwill because he's completely given up on me."
"It's good that you understand," Uzumaki Mito said helplessly.
"But he does feel a lot of goodwill toward me and Nawaki. I imagine it's because of you. Even if he doesn't want to deal with you right now, he still cares about the people you care about..."
"Grandma, don't say things like that!" Tsunade hurriedly interrupted, her face flushing.
She didn't dare get her hopes up anymore. She just wanted this whole thing to be over, then she could think of a way to repair her relationship with Uchiha Dan.
"Haha!" Uzumaki Mito was delighted to see her granddaughter get flustered.
Her granddaughter really was far too innocent.
But soon, Uzumaki Mito grew worried again.
Before you continue