Tsunade sat beside the bed, holding Mito's hand for a long time.
That hand had gone completely cold.
The last traces of warmth faded from her fingertips, bit by bit, like an empty shell left behind by the receding tide.
Tsunade did not let go.
She sat motionless with her head lowered, her long golden hair falling over her face and hiding her expression.
The room was so quiet that she could hear only her own breathing.
She knew this day would come sooner or later.
Mito had long since made arrangements for after her death, and the transfer of the Nine-Tails had been inevitable.
From the moment she decided to take in the Nine-Tails, she had foreseen this moment.
But when it came, it still felt like a stone pressing against her chest. It would not kill her, but its weight made it hard to breathe.
Tsunade briefly closed her eyes. She did not cry.
Grief was one thing. Tears were another.
She gently laid the hand that had lost all its warmth back at Mito's side and pulled the blanket over her.
"Grandma, rest well."
Her voice was very soft, as though she feared waking Mito.
She rose, walked to the cabinet, and took out a specially made Sealing Scroll.
She unrolled it and spread it over the tatami.
She crouched and formed hand seals, Chakra flowing from her palms like mercury across the scroll's surface as the sealing formula glowed pale gold.
Carefully, meticulously, she sealed Mito's entire body inside the scroll.
There was no damage, nothing left out. Even the hem of her clothes had been neatly straightened.
"There may yet be a chance to see you again someday."
She straightened and spoke those words softly.
Then she raised a hand and gently touched her eyes.