Worship

But even so, he still had to respond.

If for no other reason, he wanted to avoid feeling the chill of autumn winds when he came to the office tomorrow.

"The three of them have already been sent to the Anbu, and their positions have been revoked."

Tsunade said nothing, the anger on her face not easing in the slightest.

"Tomorrow, I'll have the Anbu hand them over to the Police Department. Qingguang was the one who uncovered and dealt with this, so the Anbu won't take credit for his work."

Tsunade's expression softened slightly, but Chakra was already gathering in her right hand.

The familiar feeling reminded Hiruzen Sarutobi of a winter two years ago, when his office wall had been smashed through in exactly the same way.

"Utatane Koharu."

"I'll also remove her from her position as head of the Medical Department. From now on, I'll leave the Medical Department in your hands."

At his words, Tsunade slowly let the Chakra in her arm dissipate. She had been ready to punch a hole through the wall with her monstrous strength.

But she hadn't expected the old man to be so willing to hand the position over to her.

She wasn't interested in the job—in fact, she considered it a burden that would only make her work overtime. But remembering that her reforms for Medical Ninjas were nearing completion, she nodded and accepted.

She withdrew her hand and glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Aren't you worried your old classmate will resent you?"

"I already gave her a chance. Unfortunately, she made the wrong choice. This concerns the village, and as Hokage, I can't let personal feelings get in the way."

"Hmph. At least you know what you're doing."

"In a few days, I'll bring you a proposal. Remember to arrange a meeting with the jōnin." With that, Tsunade turned and left.

Only after Tsunade had gone did Hiruzen Sarutobi finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Tsunade had long proposed a number of reforms for the Medical Department, but he had rejected them all. This time, he had no reason to keep putting them off.

Still, this was probably for the best. The Medical Department had grown somewhat disorderly, and it was time to let Tsunade take charge and make the changes she wanted.

The next day, the Police Department took custody of the three "masterminds" from the Utatane Clan from the Anbu.

The process went incredibly quickly. In less than three hours, they had been transferred from the Anbu to the Police Department and then to Konoha's prison, where they were assigned new jobs.

All they had to do was swing a pickaxe in the mines for twelve hours a day. In return, they got three free meals and even eight hours of rest. What a generous deal!

Naturally, this good news was posted on the bulletin board. The villagers were delighted, especially the victims themselves and their relatives.

Before people had even recovered from the joy of the first piece of good news on the bulletin board, a second announcement appeared.

Tsunade's appointment as head of the Medical Department finally put at ease those who had worried that the same problems might crop up again.

After all, she was the granddaughter of the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage. There wasn't a person in the village who didn't know Tsunade's name.

She was a genius Medical Ninja who had developed several Medical Ninjutsu while still young.

While the villagers celebrated the news, Qingguang went alone to the cemetery with a bouquet of white chrysanthemums.

He stopped in front of his father Kagami Uchiha's gravestone, brushed the dust off it with his hand, and placed the chrysanthemums before it. Then he laid out some fruit and opened a bottle of sake.

"Father, it's a shame I'm not old enough to have a drink with you."

Just as he was about to pour the sake onto the ground, a coquettish woman's voice sounded behind him.

"Let me do that."

He turned and saw a beautiful woman in a black kimono embroidered with colorful clouds walking slowly toward him.

Her brown hair fell loosely down her back, and a beauty mark at the corner of her eye adorned her striking face. Her hime cut gave her an air of restraint.

She looked like a queen, lofty and untouchable.

"Aunt Saiyun, what brings you here?"

Qingguang was surprised to see her, though it wasn't entirely unexpected.

After he awakened his Sharingan, Hiruzen Sarutobi had asked Ryuu to teach him Genjutsu.

His proficiency in Genjutsu had improved rapidly during that time, and then he had put all his points into the Sharingan.

Though his Genjutsu proficiency had dropped, the power of his Sharingan still let him cast extremely effective illusions.

In other words, overwhelming force made up for a lack of skill.

Ryuu had only stopped teaching him after he awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Saiyun walked over to Qingguang and gently raised a hand to caress his cheek. Her beautiful eyes reflected his face.

"How many times have I told you, child? Just call me Auntie."

Qingguang could see the complicated emotions in her gaze.

A third longing, a third jealousy, a third regret, and a trace of acceptance.

Qingguang said nothing and silently lowered his head.

Saiyun only gave a bitter smile.

She went to Kagami's grave and laid down a bouquet of multicolored chrysanthemums. She had grown the flowers herself.

Every year, she picked the most beautiful ones and placed them in front of Kagami's gravestone.

She gazed silently at the photograph of Kagami in his youth for a long while. At last, she slowly stood and took the sake bottle from Qingguang's hand.

She poured half of it in front of the gravestone and drank the other half herself.

The sake trickled down her slender neck, and tears followed.

A moment later, she stood and asked, "Has the marriage between the young woman from the Inuzuka Family and Yashiro been arranged?"

Qingguang's eyes darted away. He gave a quiet nod.

"That's good. At least a tragedy like mine won't happen again."

Saiyun's gaze turned distant. She then turned toward the cemetery gate. At the entrance, she stopped and spoke with her back to Qingguang. "The Kurama Clan's Genjutsu isn't suitable for Haruga to learn. In a few days, could you..."

"Could you find her a teacher within the Uchiha?"

Qingguang nodded. "Don't worry. There are plenty of skilled Genjutsu users among the Uchiha. I'll find her the best teacher."

"Mm."

Their conversation ended there, and Saiyun headed back toward her clan.

Watching Saiyun walk away, Qingguang couldn't help feeling sorry for what she had been through.

Back in their student days, she had been his father's childhood sweetheart. Even after they graduated, they remained more than friends but less than lovers.

Just when they thought everything was going well, the Battle of the Underworld turned all their happiness into bubbles, leaving nothing behind.

After that, his father had been arranged to marry someone—his mother.

The same had happened to Saiyun.

According to the diary his father Kagami had left behind, Kagami had always regarded Saiyun as a younger sister. But Saiyun's feelings had troubled him.

That was why he had accepted the arrangement made by his clan, hoping to put an end to her feelings.

But Saiyun didn't know that. She had mistakenly believed that the clan's affairs had kept them from being together.

Qingguang looked at Kagami's gravestone and shook his head regretfully.

"Damn it, Dad. You should've just told her the truth back then. Poor Saiyun... Auntie..."