"I don't know."
The Third Hokage shook his head and answered honestly.
That answer clearly made Tsunade think he was brushing her off. She frowned. "Tch, why act so mysterious? If you don't want to tell me, fine. I don't care anyway."
"Heh, I'm telling you the truth."
The Third wasn't surprised by Tsunade's reaction.
He rose with a smile, his back slightly hunched, looking every bit the aging man.
Tsunade rolled her eyes at the sight.
You're the Hokage, for crying out loud. Who are you trying to fool with this frail old man act?
Despite her inward grumbling, Tsunade still went over to support her teacher.
"Come on, I'll take you there. You can catch up with this old man on the way... Oh, right, most of them are in the Interrogation Department now. I wonder if you still remember the way. Quite a few places in the village have been renovated recently..."
But before the Third could ramble on for long, Tsunade, pulling her luggage with One hand and supporting him with the other, froze mid-step at the mention of that place.
The Third, still playing the elderly man, was startled when Tsunade instinctively tightened her grip on his arm. Then he noticed her expression and remembered. "You're still..."
Afraid of blood.
As one of the Konoha Sannin who had once been active on the battlefield, Tsunade naturally knew what kind of place the Interrogation Department was.
Losing the people she treasured one after another on the battlefield had left her with severe hemophobia, all but ending her career as a ninja and prompting her to leave both the shinobi world and her village behind.
"...Don't force yourself. I'll send someone to have a few of them temporarily transferred to the hospital."
The Third understood his Disciple's