His gaze returned to Tsunade at the Barbecue Shop.
The shop was a mess. The customers had already slipped away, and even the owner was hiding behind the counter, afraid to make a sound.
Tsunade sat there alone, staring blankly at the table covered with empty bottles and cooling coals.
The cold wind stirred up by Shinichi's departure had long since faded, leaving behind only deeper silence and the lingering smell of alcohol in the air.
The conflict just now—especially the boy's final, resounding words—was like a boulder dropped into a tranquil lake, churning up the muddy memories she had buried deep inside.
In a daze, she seemed to return to her childhood, playing beneath Grandfather's broad palms and listening to Second Grandfather's stern yet caring admonitions...
Back then, the Hokage was the family's highest honor, protecting others was an unquestionable duty, and Konoha was the warmest home beneath the sun.
Her younger brother Nawaki had called out with a brilliant smile, "I'm going to become a great Hokage like Grandfather and Second Grandfather!" Dan had spoken gently yet firmly of his dream to protect his comrades...
Those convictions and faces that had once supported her and defined her had now been blurred and pierced by alcohol and years of accumulated pain.
Just as she sank into the whirlpool of her memories, nearly swallowed by that heavy feeling of suffocation, a small voice filled with worry and a hint of exasperation sounded from the doorway:
"Lady Tsunade!"
Tsunade turned her head sluggishly. Shizune's small figure stood in the doorway, wrapped in a thick scarf. Her little face was reddened by the cold wind, and she looked at Tsunade with pursed lips, both angry and helpless.
That boy... After he left, did he go find Shizune?
The thought flashed through Tsunade's