Chapter 14
Ling Yu decided not to expose her misunderstanding and quickly changed the subject.
"How do you like the clover necklace I gave you? Does it look good?"
"Phew…"
Mikoto let out a small sigh of relief, thinking she'd successfully brushed past the awkward moment.
She pulled a small mirror from her bag, checked her reflection from every angle, then clutched the clover pendant against her chest with a bright, happy smile.
"It's beautiful, Ling Yu. Thank you!"
"No need to thank me between us. I picked this one out specially for you. I heard it can bring the wearer a bit of good luck—once a week, apparently!"
He carefully avoided mentioning the system, framing it as a normal lucky charm.
"Ah! Then it must be really expensive… No, I can't accept it!"
Mikoto's eyes widened. Hearing it was carefully chosen made her feel it was precious. She reached up to take it off and return it.
"It's nothing expensive! Besides, this is the first gift I've ever given you. You'd really refuse me?"
Ling Yu gently caught her hands, stopping her, and looked at her with pleading eyes.
Mikoto hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.
"…Okay. I'll keep it."
After the gift, their relationship grew even closer. Mikoto began to see herself in the role of Ling Yu's girlfriend.
A few peaceful days passed.
Life in Konoha remained calm with no major incidents. After the barbecue restaurant duel, the Uchiha clan didn't seek revenge. On the contrary, the clan elder—Mad's grandfather—personally approached Ling Yu to apologize.
Seeing their sincerity, Ling Yu let the matter drop.
As for Mad himself, he never returned to school after that day. No one saw another Uchiha Mad in the academy again.
On Saturday, Ling Yu chose to stay home instead of going out.
Normally, he'd spend Saturdays having fun—eating with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and Minato, or strolling around town with Mikoto. Life had been carefree.
But today he stayed inside, diligently practicing swordsmanship in the underground training ground.
Not because he didn't want to go out—but because today was the day Tsunade's team was scheduled to return from their mission.
It had been nearly a week since he last saw her. The moment he heard she was coming back, he couldn't wait to see her again.
Click.
He sheathed the blade.
After a light training session, Ling Yu felt the time was right. He stored Kyōka Suigetsu in the system space, showered, changed clothes, and headed toward Konoha's main gate.
…
Meanwhile, dozens of kilometers outside the village—
Tsunade's team advanced in a triangular formation, rushing toward Konoha. The shinobi on the edges stayed vigilant, protecting the center.
Tsunade walked in the middle, looking utterly drained.
Her brows were furrowed, eyes dull and distant, dark circles ringed beneath them. She kept her head lowered, lost in thought, as if she'd suffered a heavy blow.
The reason for her state was simple: the mission had failed.
She couldn't save the Uzumaki clan. Just like in the original story, an unknown major power had wiped them out.
By the time the Third Hokage received their distress letter, it was already a day too late. He immediately dispatched Tsunade's team along with over a dozen reinforcements.
But when they arrived, it was already over.
The once-prosperous Uzumaki streets were deserted, buildings half-burned and in ruins.
As team leader, Tsunade had no choice but to swallow her grief for the greater good and focus on searching for survivors. After a full day and night, they finally found two Uzumaki children.
No other survivors were located—they might have fled elsewhere.
The extinction of the Uzumaki clan hit her hard. Throughout the return journey, she remained in this broken state.
The Senju and Uzumaki had been close allies for generations. Her own grandmother was Uzumaki. Yet now the clan was gone, destroyed by unknown shinobi, with no trace of the perpetrators. Her guilt was overwhelming.
"Only these two survivors left… I wonder if Granny Mito can accept this…"
Tsunade glanced back at the two small Uzumaki children trailing behind her, unsure how to explain it to Suishitsu. The self-blame deepened.
The children had been found in a hidden underground chamber, unconscious from starvation.
After reviving them, Tsunade offered to bring them to Konoha under Mito's protection. With nowhere else to go, they agreed.
They were only five or six years old—yet they'd watched their family and clan slaughtered. The trauma was unimaginable for children so young.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya walked behind them, exchanging worried glances at Tsunade's condition. No amount of comfort seemed to reach her.
"Hm?"
Orochimaru glanced at the familiar surroundings—Konoha wasn't far now. Tsunade couldn't return in this state.
After a moment of thought, he found the perfect angle.
"Tsunade, we're almost at the village. We couldn't save the Uzumaki, but the fact is done. No amount of self-blame will change it."
"And if you go back looking like this… Ling Yu will worry when he sees you."
Orochimaru struck directly at her weakness—her little brother.
He knew mentioning Ling Yu would pull her back.
"Right! Tsunade, you don't want Ling Yu seeing you like this, do you?"
Jiraiya inwardly cursed himself for not thinking of it first, then quickly chimed in.
"Ling… Yu…"
The name sparked a flicker of light in Tsunade's dull eyes.
She unconsciously touched the hexagonal pendant hanging at her chest, feeling the familiar chakra sealed within. Her gaze softened with warmth.
That's right… I have to pull myself together. I'm not alone—Ling Yu is waiting for me. No matter what happened, I need to recover quickly. I can't show him my weak side!
She took several deep breaths, silently encouraging herself.
The hexagonal pendant was one of Hashirama's most precious gifts to her—she always wore it.
When Ling Yu first awakened chakra, Tsunade had sealed a portion of that initial chakra into the pendant as a celebration. Now she could feel him with her at all times.
"Thank you."
Tsunade managed a small, confident smile and thanked them both.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya exchanged a knowing glance.
Ling Yu really is something.
Tsunade turned, gently pulling the two Uzumaki girls into her arms.
"Come on, both of you—cheer up a little. Don't be too sad. From now on, Konoha is your home."
She felt deep sympathy for the girls' tragedy. Surviving a clan massacre at such a young age—how could anyone bear it?
She could only do her best to help them recover in the days ahead.
The two girls, still overwhelmed by grief, simply looked up at her and nodded silently.
"Sigh…"
Tsunade had no better solution for now. She decided to bring them to Granny Mito—perhaps her grandmother could help them find strength again.
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