"What happened to O-Tama's parents?" As he spoke, Madara reined in his killing intent again.
"Well... that's..."
Watching Tenguyama Hitetsu stammer and keep glancing at the two little ones over there, Madara understood.
He turned to O-Tama and Shō and said, "You two go inside first. Don't come out until I call you!"
Hearing this, O-Tama and Shō obediently nodded and replied, "Oh, yes, sir!"
After what had just happened, neither O-Tama nor Shō dared to disobey Madara.
They hurried into the manor, making sure to close the gate behind them.
Only after confirming that both had entered the manor did Madara turn back and say to Tenguyama Hitetsu, "Now you can talk."
Tenguyama Hitetsu hesitated, but ultimately decided to tell Madara the truth. "O-Tama's and Shō's fathers were both brave men who dared to resist Kaido. They joined other samurai in an attempt to assassinate Kaido and restore Wano Country. Unfortunately, they failed. In fact, none of those involved in the assassination made it out of Onigashima alive."
After saying this, grief showed in Tenguyama Hitetsu's eyes.
"What about her mother?" Madara asked.
"Her mother was just an ordinary woman. Once, while I was out, I happened upon a woman being attacked by a wild beast. I drove the beast away, but it was already too late. The woman was badly wounded, beyond what her body's natural healing could repair," Tenguyama Hitetsu replied.
"What happened next?" Madara pressed.
"If I'd had enough medicine, I could still have saved her. But never mind medicine-we didn't even have enough food to fill our stomachs," Tenguyama Hitetsu said helplessly.
"So... she just died like that?" Madara's tone was somewhat heavy.
"Yes. In her final moments, that woman told me about her daughter, O-Tama, and asked me to help look after the child.