"I'm not sure."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Tsunade herself froze.
What did she mean, she wasn't sure?
She was wearing it. Either she'd bought it herself or someone had given it to her. How could she not know?
Kushina blinked, waiting for her to continue.
Tsunade's brows knitted together, as if she'd choked on her own answer and had no choice but to try to explain it away.
"...I guess you could say that."
She was only making it worse.
Irritably, she let go of the necklace, picked up the teacup on the table, and gulped down a mouthful, trying to suppress her discomfort.
Kushina's eyes lit up at once, and she leaned forward with her cushion.
"Oh? Lady Tsunade has someone she likes? Who is it? When did this happen?"
"No."
"You're blushing."
"It's hot!"
Tsunade set her teacup down with a thump, splashing a few drops onto the table.
"Your teapot's too hot!"
Kushina glanced down at the teapot on the table.
The tea had been steeping for almost half an hour.
She looked up, rested her chin on her hand, and smiled with a knowing glint in her blue eyes.
A long silence followed.
Tsunade stared at the tea stains on the table. Her lips pressed together, then relaxed.
Then she picked up her cup, took another sip, and set it down.
"Let me ask you something."
"Hmm?"
"I have a friend—"
Kushina's mouth twitched.
"She told me she had a dream. A very long dream."
Tsunade spoke more slowly, as if weighing each word before saying it.
"In the dream, she grew up with someone. They went to school together and went on missions together. She remembered what they ate, what they said, and where they'd been injured—everything. She hadn't forgotten a