Kushina Uzumaki
A month wasn't long, but it wasn't short either.
For Tsunade, it was enough time to get used to her body.
In the backyard of the Senju residence.
Three people wore matching, specially made training clothes designed to keep them cool.
"Nawaki! Turn your waist when you punch! Drive the power up from your feet, not just your arms!"
"Okay!"
Nawaki yelled, pushed off the ground with his little legs, and swung his fist with his hips and waist behind it.
Thud.
It struck Tsunade's palm. Not bad. He hit harder than he had a month ago.
"Good." Tsunade nodded. "Rest for two minutes, then do ten more sets."
"Ten sets?! Sis, are you a monster?" Nawaki wailed and collapsed onto the ground.
Tsunade ignored him and looked toward the other side of the yard.
Mikoto was practicing her punches against a wooden post.
Her form was textbook, her breathing steady, and every punch landed with precise force.
A month ago, the girl hadn't even known how to make a proper fist.
Now she could execute a complete chain of attacks.
The Uchiha's ability to learn really was frightening.
"Mikoto, stop there."
"Yes, Master."
Mikoto lowered her fists. A fine sheen of sweat covered her forehead, but she stood perfectly straight.
Tsunade walked over and patted her shoulder.
"You did well today. Tomorrow, we'll start Chakra reinforcement training."
Mikoto's eyes lit up, and she nodded hard.
"Tch. Playing favorites," Nawaki muttered from where he lay on the ground.
"Build up your basic stamina first," Tsunade said without looking back.
"I'm only nine!"
"So what if you're nine? When I was nine—"
"Tsunade."
A gentle voice came from beneath the veranda.
All three turned at once.
Mito stood at the end of the corridor, holding a pot of freshly brewed tea.
She was smiling.
But Tsunade noticed that she wore a formal kimono today, and her hair had been carefully arranged.
She didn't look as relaxed as she usually did at home.
"Grandma? What is it?"
"Stop for now." Mito set the teapot on a low table by the veranda. "We're having a guest today."
Tsunade wiped the sweat from her hands.
"What guest?"
At the word "guest," Mikoto immediately took off her gloves.
For Mito Uzumaki to make such a point of it, the guest had to be someone important.
She bowed to Tsunade.
"Master, I'll take my leave, then."
Tsunade gave a slight nod.
She didn't ask her to stay. "Be here on time tomorrow morning," she told Uchiha Mikoto.
Mikoto nodded and obediently gathered her things to leave.
Tsunade turned back to Mito.
"Grandma, who's coming? Why all the formality?"
Mito smiled.
"Someone from my family is coming."
Someone from her family.
Tsunade's expression froze.
Her family?
The Uzumaki!
One thought flashed through her mind.
The Uzumaki were sending someone to Konoha.
Someone to see Mito.
There could be only one reason.
The handover of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
Which meant the person coming was...
Kushina Uzumaki!
Tsunade's pupils contracted slightly.
By her reckoning, this was about when Kushina would arrive in Konoha.
And roughly a year after Kushina's arrival...
The Uzumaki would be massacred!
But neither Kushina's arrival nor the future destruction of the Uzumaki was what made Tsunade's heart sink.
It was what this meant.
Mito Uzumaki was beginning to put her affairs in order.
Transferring the Nine-Tails couldn't be done overnight.
It required a long period of preparation, adjustment, and adaptation.
And the day the transfer was complete...
Would be the day Mito Uzumaki's life ended.
Under normal circumstances, Mito Uzumaki's body could have held on for another seven or eight years without a problem.
Perhaps even ten.
But she couldn't wait until the very end of her life to hand it over.
She would certainly do it before then.
While she still had strength left, before she was utterly spent.
Perhaps three years.
Perhaps five.
No longer than that.
Mito Uzumaki would die.
Tsunade stood in the middle of the yard without a word.
"Tsunade?"
Mito's voice brought her back.
Tsunade looked up.
Mito was watching her, her gaze gentle and tinged with understanding.
She knew.
The woman had lived most of a lifetime and seen through far too much.
She couldn't have missed the fleeting change in Tsunade's eyes.
"Come inside for a moment."
Mito turned and walked into the house.
Tsunade followed.
Nawaki and Mikoto exchanged a glance. Sensing the change in the air, neither spoke.
In the inner room.
The door closed.
Tsunade stood before Mito, lips pressed tight, unable to say anything for a long while.
Mito looked at her and sighed softly.
"You figured it out?"
"...Yeah."
"I thought I'd have to spend ages explaining it to you." Mito smiled. "You really have grown up over these past few years."
Tsunade didn't smile.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
I can find a way.
Maybe there's another path.
Let me research an alternative.
But in the end, she couldn't get a single word out.
Because she knew.
There was no alternative.
Someone had to serve as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to keep the Nine-Tails contained.
Mito had reached her limit. The transfer was inevitable.
Tsunade couldn't change it.
She lowered her eyes and stared at the grain of the wooden floor.
She had been in this world for less than half a year.
But Mito Uzumaki had treated her with genuine kindness.
And little by little, Tsunade had come to love this woman who had held nothing back from her.
Now that she knew Mito's life was counting down, she couldn't pretend it didn't hurt.
As Tsunade stood in silence, a warm hand touched her cheek.
Mito's palm was dry and warm.
"Don't dwell on it."
Mito's voice was soft.
"This is my responsibility. And it's my choice."
"From the day I became a Jinchuriki, the end of this road was already set."
"I don't resent it, and I'm not afraid."
Tsunade looked up.
Mito smiled at her.
There was no fear in her eyes, no bitterness.
Only peace.
And a deep love that needed no words.
"The only thing I worry about is you and Nawaki."
Mito gently pinched her cheek.
"But you've turned out to be far more dependable than I imagined."
Tsunade drew a breath. Her nose stung.
She blinked hard twice.
"...Grandma."
"Yes?"
"I'll take good care of Nawaki."
"I know."
"I'll learn every Sealing Jutsu. I won't miss a single one."
"I believe you."
"And..."
Tsunade paused, then lowered her voice.
"I'll never let anyone from the Uzumaki suffer."
Relief flashed in Mito's eyes.
There was one other thing she had feared.
That Tsunade would blame the Uzumaki for her death.
But seeing Tsunade now, Mito could finally set her mind at ease.
She let go, stepped back, and smiled at Tsunade.
"That's my good granddaughter."
Tsunade nodded firmly.
She said nothing more.
Some things lost their meaning if you said them too often.
Tsunade wasn't the sort of person to say them. Neither was Mito.
Nawaki called from the yard, "Grandma! Someone's at the door!"
Mito straightened the collar of her kimono and gave Tsunade a slight nod.
"Go answer it."
Tsunade turned and strode out of the inner room.
She crossed the corridor and passed through the yard.
Nawaki and Mikoto stood to one side, watching the front gate curiously.
Tsunade took a deep breath.
She pushed every feeling she didn't need deep down inside her.
Then she pulled the gate open.
Outside,
four people stood waiting.
Three adults: one woman and two men.
And a little girl who looked slightly younger than Nawaki.
All four had long, fiery red hair.
In the afternoon sun, it looked like a blazing bonfire.
At the front stood a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties.
Her features were soft, her manner gentle.
She wore a plain white Uzumaki clan robe with an indigo sash.
Kushina Uzumaki.
The woman's eyes lit up when she saw Tsunade.
She held out a hand to Tsunade and smiled, her eyes narrowing.
"Hello. You must be Tsunade?"
Her voice was like a stream thawing in spring, calm and unhurried.
"My name is Kushina Uzumaki."
Tsunade nodded slightly and held out her hand.
"Hello. I'm Tsunade."
Kushina Uzumaki smiled faintly and drew the little girl from behind her.
"Let me introduce my daughter."
"Kushina Uzumaki."