"Do you know why they're kidnapping children?" she asked.
The boy shook his head. "I didn't hear the details.
I only heard something about adults, a ritual, and needing pure bloodlines... Also, they said things had been tense lately, so they needed to grab a few extra to keep in reserve.
And it sounded like they were going to do it tonight..."
Tsunade fell silent.
This was no longer just "someone else's problem."
But she wasn't from the Land of Hot Water, and this wasn't a Konoha mission. Logically, she could ignore it.
Going back to tell her teacher and letting him handle it—that was the safest option.
But...
She looked at the boy before her.
He was a year younger than her, his face bruised, yet there was no fear in his eyes—only stubbornness and... a faint trace of hope.
Hope that someone could help him, that someone could save the children like him.
Tsunade suddenly remembered what Uncle Kumoi had said at the school's opening ceremony.
"A ninja's strength isn't meant only for completing missions.
When you see injustice, when you see someone who needs help, I hope you'll ask yourselves one question: Can I do something?"
At the time, she had only half-listened, thinking it was just another grand lesson adults liked to preach.
But now...
"Do you know where they're hiding?" she asked.
The boy's eyes lit up. "I do!"
"Lead the way."
The boy froze for a moment, then nodded vigorously. "Okay!"
The two headed out of town along a small path.
Sunlight fell across them, casting two long shadows over the ground.
Tsunade walked in front. Her pace was unhurried, but there was an unquestionable certainty in every step.
So this was what the local culture of the Land of Hot Water was like.