Speaking of this, Tsunade paused, then smiled knowingly.
Her memories seemed to return to those days long ago.
The three of them weren't yet the famous Konoha Sannin. They were just ordinary jōnin.
They completed missions together, ate barbecue together, and drank together.
They'd bicker now and then, but it only brought them closer.
Then the Second Shinobi World War began.
The fighting on the front lines intensified, and Nawaki, who had graduated from the Ninja Academy, volunteered for duty. He went to the battlefield alongside Orochimaru.
A trace of bitterness crossed Tsunade's face.
"I really thought that with Orochimaru protecting him, nothing would happen to Nawaki. I still remember that day. Nawaki swore to me that he'd distinguish himself on the battlefield, become a powerful shinobi, and become a Hokage everyone would acknowledge."
"I never imagined that would be the last time I saw him. I didn't even get to see his body."
"According to Orochimaru, Nawaki became a member of the Scout Unit. While scouting a stretch of terrain, he was ambushed, and an Explosive Tag went off right there. Everything was gone... As his sister, I didn't even get to see him one last time, whole."
"All that remained were a few scraps of clothing. I buried them here along with some spare clothes I'd prepared for him, and made this cenotaph."
Tsunade closed her eyes and laid bare her painful memories, telling Ye Ning everything.
Just listening to her, Ye Ning could feel the helplessness and grief Tsunade must have felt back then.
The last time they'd met, her younger brother, who loved to laugh, had promised he'd become Hokage.
And that meeting had become their last, preserved forever in her memory.
Tsunade took several deep breaths, slowly getting her emotions under control and trying to