Chapter 18: Mito Uzumaki II
"Bring them here. I want to see them."
Tsunade was heading back to Yujin's apartment. For some reason, Mito wanted to see the man who had been with her for the past few months, as well as her future great-granddaughter.
On the way, Tsunade walked slowly, lost in thought.
At that moment, she felt powerless. It was as if she was about to faint. She felt her strength rapidly draining with every step she took, as if she was walking towards an abyss.
It wasn't just Mito's imminent death, but how her entire life had been up to that point – a constant stream of deaths of people she loved. It was as if, no matter what she did, just by existing, she cursed the people she loved to death.
This filled her with fear.
She felt the urge to run away, to do what Yujin did – isolate herself on some mountain and live alone, without forming bonds with anyone, and consequently, not getting hurt when those bonds were severed by the reaper.
It was so much pain, and she felt like she was on an irreversible path. The heart of the most powerful woman in the village was closing, on the verge of preventing anyone from entering it for the rest of her life.
It was under these conditions that she arrived at Yujin's apartment. She tried to compose herself as much as possible before entering, but anyone could feel how desolate she was.
When she opened the door, a sight that finally considerably calmed her greeted her.
It was late in the night, and Yujin was sitting on the floor with Shizune sleeping peacefully on his lap.
The sight of him smiling while gently stroking the girl's head was the most wonderful thing Tsunade had ever seen. For a few moments, it was as if all the emotional fatigue she was feeling disappeared.
She approached him, which finally caught Yujin's attention. When she saw his smile quickly fade, Tsunade started crying without even realizing it. She knelt beside Yujin and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt.
Yujin's expressions slowly transitioned. From a smile to confusion, and then he finally realized the gravity of the situation. When he felt his sleeve being pulled by her, he held his breath upon realizing how fragile she was.
Without saying anything, he pulled her into a tight hug, and Tsunade couldn't take it anymore and started crying quietly.
Yujin didn't say anything; he just held her tightly, wanting to convey that he was there for her.
***
The two stayed embraced for hours. Yujin said nothing, and neither did Tsunade. Even after the tears dried up, she continued hugging him.
When she finally felt she regained some of her strength, Tsunade pulled away from Yujin and wiped her face.
Yujin saw Tsunade's swollen eyes and sighed, feeling the pain in her heart. Seeing her in this state was painful for him. He preferred to see her smiling, something that rarely happened in the past few days. Although she smiled all the time, the genuine smiles were rare. Dan's death still lingered in her mind, constantly draining her energy.
Whatever happened, it was equally painful, and it was causing Tsunade to almost collapse.
Yujin didn't know how to approach the subject or comfort her. He spent the entire time he was hugging her searching for words to say, but couldn't find the right ones.
Tsunade remained silent for some time. She was preparing to speak, but it was so painful that even talking was difficult.
"My grandmother... she's going to die soon. She's very old, can't carry the burden of the fox anymore."
Yujin knew about Tsunade's grandmother; she came up quite often in their conversations about when she was younger. She mentioned a few times how Mito became an important support for her after her parents' death. No wonder she was so fragile at the moment – Mito meant a lot to Tsunade. Yujin didn't know what the "fox" was about, but he ignored it for now.
"That's just..."
...
...
Tsunade didn't know what else to say.
"She means a lot to you; I can see the pain you're feeling. It's a big blow for you."
Tsunade made a crying face, but no tears fell; she had none left.
"It's so unfair. As if the world conspires to take away people I love from me. If she dies... I won't have anyone left."
Tsunade's frustration was building up; she wanted to cry but couldn't – there were no more tears. Seeing her in this state, Yujin approached slowly and touched his forehead to hers. They stayed like that for some time.
"My mother used to do this when I cried a lot. She said I calmed down immediately."
Tsunade did calm down when she heard Yujin's words. She took several deep breaths.
"You're right; it's unfair what's happening to you, but I want to remind you that you're not alone."
Yujin then pulled away and pointed with his eyes to the angel sleeping on his lap. Tsunade watched Shizune sleeping and remembered that she promised to become her mother. This made her want to cry again, but this time for a different reason.
"No more tears; you have none left to shed."
Yujin smiled at her, trying to comfort her as much as possible, and Tsunade remained silent, watching the girl sleeping.
***
It was late at dawn, and Yujin put Shizune in the bed.
He then took out alcohol, and the two began to drink a little. Yujin managed to control it so that they wouldn't get drunk. While they drank, Tsunade began to tell about Mito.
About her life story, her marriage to the First Hokage, her abilities, about the Nine-Tailed Fox. At one point in the story, Yujin asked about how Mito was feeling. It couldn't be easy knowing she was about to die. The question silenced Tsunade.
"... I didn't even think to ask. Of course, it must be difficult knowing you're about to die, but I was so caught up in my despair that I didn't even think about it."
Tsunade was lost in thought. She then looked at Yujin and said.
"You opened my eyes now. She's also suffering a lot, and she comforted me. I should have been there for her, to comfort her, but in the end, I was the one who was comforted."
"It's normal to prioritize our feelings first. Empathy is the ability to feel and understand what the other person is feeling. But to understand what the other person is feeling, we need to understand our own feelings first. Mito is your grandmother; she will always see you as a little girl. She must have had plenty of time to sort out her feelings about her own death. Not that it makes everything easier."
Tsunade nodded slowly, agreeing with his words.
"But I should have realized this earlier. I feel horrible now."
"The important thing is that you realized it, and you can fix it. You still have time."
Tsunade nodded, thanking Yujin.
"Thank you, Yujin. You noticed, and that's important."
"And about the girl who will become the new host of the fox? It must be difficult for a child to suddenly find out she'll have a monster inside her."
Again, Tsunade was caught off guard. She looked at Yujin silently, wondering how she didn't realize this before.
"... I envy your wisdom, Yujin. You really are..."
Tsunade never even thought about Kushina, even when she found out she was going to be the Jinchuriki for the first time. Although she felt sorry for the girl, in her head, Mito would live for many more years, and so she would only have to bear the burden of the Nine-Tailed Fox when she grew up.
With the news of Mito's imminent death, she was so desperate that she not only didn't notice Mito's feelings but also didn't realize what a cruel fate the twelve-year-old girl was about to face. Especially when she remembered how sad and desolate Kushina seemed to feel about Mito's imminent death. She had been crying the whole time during the meeting and even afterward.
"You help me realize things I never noticed..."
"According to what you told me, the fox can go out of control at any time, and it only doesn't happen with Mito because she is powerful. Isn't it dangerous for a child to carry such a heavy burden?"
"Yes, but there's no way around it; Kushina is the most suitable for it. Not just anyone can carry the Nine-Tailed Fox. It took many years of searching before they finally discovered that she could be the host."
Yujin nodded, feeling sorry for Kushina.
"If it weren't for you, I probably would never realize that Kushina is going through such a difficult time. In fact, if it weren't for you, I would have left the village a long time ago, and probably wouldn't witness all this. I wouldn't be here to see my grandmother one last time or to be with her in this difficult time. Thank you, Yujin."
Yujin smiled upon hearing that. Tsunade is finally feeling better. And it's not because the pain is less, but because she momentarily stopped thinking about her own pain and is thinking about others' pain.
She realized that it's not just her who is suffering and that she needs to be strong to be a support for Mito and Kushina in this difficult time.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone