As she spoke of being pinned to the altar, her voice trembled slightly.
Mito listened quietly without interrupting, her hand resting on Tsunade's head as she gently stroked her hair.
"And then?" she asked.
"Then... Uncle Kumoi came."
Tsunade looked up. "He and Sensei killed that monster together."
Mito nodded, her gaze drifting toward the moonlight beyond the window as she fell silent for a moment.
"Did you get a good look at the runes on that altar?"
Tsunade froze, then thought back.
"I did... but I couldn't understand them.
They were very complicated. They didn't look much like our clan's Sealing Jutsu."
"They really didn't."
Mito spoke softly. "They were something far more ancient."
She withdrew her gaze from the window and looked at Tsunade.
"Let me see the mark on your forehead."
Tsunade instinctively raised a hand to touch her forehead.
The Yin Seal mark seemed to have changed somewhat after the battle—it was faintly warm, as though something were stirring within it.
Mito reached out and lightly touched the mark with her fingertips. A moment later, she withdrew her hand, her expression calm.
"It's nothing serious."
She said, "It was merely stimulated by an external force. It needs time to settle."
Tsunade let out a breath of relief.
Mito looked at her, then suddenly smiled.
"Still, you only made it back alive this time thanks to that mark, didn't you?"
Tsunade paused, then remembered the power that had surged from the mark at the time and nodded.
"Yeah... If it hadn't been for that, I might not have lasted until Orochimaru arrived."
Mito nodded, her eyes carrying a hint of gratification.
Tsunade lowered her head and said nothing.
After a long while, she suddenly spoke. "Grandma... that little boy was fake."
Mito looked at her.
"He had