Chapter 79: The Day After Haruko's Death

xxThe second day after Haruko passed away.

Tsunade slowly opened her eyes, and the strange feeling coming from her eyes made her raise her hand and rub them.

When she stood up and stood in front of the makeup mirror, she found that her eyes were swollen.

"Why are you crying like this..."

Tsunade accidentally glanced at the necklace around her neck, and raised her left hand to pick it up in a daze.

"Strange, didn't I give this necklace to Sheng Shu?"

Boom boom boom!

Tsunade subconsciously looked towards the knock on the door, and heard the energetic voice of Nawaki from the other side.

"Sister! Breakfast is ready, hurry up and get up!"

"Got it~"

After replying, Tsunade quickly cleaned up. Ever since she and Kato Dan had a mutual understanding, Kato Dan often came home to take care of her and her brother. Especially in the past two days when she was in a bad mood, he was the one who cleaned up almost all the things at home.

Why am I in a bad mood?

Before she could continue thinking, Tsunade heard the urging voice of Nawaki outside and hurried out of the room.

Kato Dan came over and handed her a cup of hot milk, and asked worriedly, "Did you sleep well last night?"

Tsunade took a sip of milk while sitting in her seat, then answered, "It's just so-so, but my eyes are a little tired from crying."

Kato Dan sighed, his tone becoming depressed, "After all, it is the death of a teammate, it is still difficult to accept."

"A teammate passed away?" Tsunade frowned slightly, "Which teammate?"

Kato was stunned. "Have you forgotten? It's... uh..."

Kato Dan thought hard for a while and found that he couldn't remember the name of his teammate. Maybe it was because they didn't have much contact.

The quiet Sheng Shu on the side said helplessly: "You two really have a bad memory, it's that sister!"

Tsunade felt as if she had grasped some thoughts, and quickly asked: "Nawaki, which sister?"

Sheng Shu shook his head and said, "You are so weird, sister. I don't know her. I only remember her when I ran into her during the previous mission."

"Yeah……"

Tsunade's vague memory told her that it was just as Nawaki said, but why did she always feel something was wrong?

A female, a jonin like myself, and a teammate who had been through thick and thin with me...it stands to reason that I would not have forgotten her name.

Tsunade couldn't help but hold the necklace around her neck again.

Necklace...Promise...

Haruko! It's Haruko!

Tsunade stood up suddenly, and the chair behind her made a harsh sound due to her movement.

Under the surprised expressions of Kato Dan and Nawaki, Tsunade shouted in panic: "Haruko! It's Haruko who died! Don't you remember?"

Facing her gaze that was eagerly seeking approval, Kato Dan and Nawaki looked at each other in confusion, and then Kato Dan spoke.

"Tsunade, who are you talking about?"

Tsunade's eyes widened, her lips trembled slightly, as if she didn't know what to say, then she raised her hand to cover her mouth, and her right hand tightly grasped the corner of the table.

"You... don't you remember?" Tsunade forced herself to calm down, "You almost died during the previous mission, and it was Haruko who saved you!"

Kato Dan was even more confused, "Tsunade, what are you talking about? It was you who saved me, have you forgotten? Fortunately, I was accompanied by you, a medical ninja, so I survived."

Tsunade looked at Nawaki in panic, "Nawaki, you accidentally fell into the trap, and it was Haruko who saved you!"

Sheng Shu looked at her worriedly, "Sister...are you okay? You were the one who saved me."

While they were at a loss as to how to comfort her, Tsunade turned around and rushed out the door.

She ignored the shouts of her loved ones behind her and kept running.

Haruko! Haruko!

When she finally arrived at her destination, she was breathing heavily, tears already running down her face, and she searched among the tombstones with hope.

When Tsunade finally found the tombstone that was supposed to be Haruko's in her chaotic memory, she discovered something incredible.

"how come……!"

Tsunade stared in disbelief at the blankness on the tombstone - no name, no gender, nothing.

She collapsed on the ground, muttering "Haruko" over and over again, and finally burst into tears.

*

Jiraiya got up from the ground and touched his head which was aching from the hangover. When he found several empty bottles scattered around, he couldn't help but wonder in a cold sweat how much he had drunk last night.

Myoboku Mountain was as peaceful and tranquil as usual. After greeting a few toads he met on the road, Jiraiya came to the place where Fukasaku was meditating.

He didn't know why he came here, he just felt that he should meet Fukasaku.

Fukasaku was still sitting on the toad statue with his eyes closed. After sensing Jiraiya's presence, he simply said, "You're here."

Jiraiya scratched his head in annoyance, "I think I drank too much yesterday, and I can't remember what I was going to do."

"It's fate, just go with the flow." Fukasaku began to say some incomprehensible words again.

Every time Jiraiya couldn't understand its mysterious language, and he didn't know how that guy developed a revolutionary friendship with Fukasaku.

That guy? Who?

Jiraiya was stunned for a moment. Who was he thinking of just now?

Jiraiya was a heartless person to begin with, but for some reason, he intuitively felt that he must figure out the answer this time.

Fukasaku opened his eyes at some point, and seeing his distressed expression, he said with a hint of regret, "Go see her one last time. It'll be a long time before we meet again."

"Huh? Who are you talking about?" Jiraiya really wanted to pry open its mouth and make it speak plainly.

Fukasaku was quite speechless, "Go to the tombstone by yourself."

After saying this, Fukasaku expelled Jiraiya from Myoboku Mountain without worrying about him.

tombstone?

Jiraiya walked towards that direction in confusion.

When he arrived at the entrance, he saw Orochimaru standing in the distance and Tsunade sitting next to him.

Jiraiya walked in curiously and stood next to them. He wanted to ask them why they were here, but he found that the tombstone in front of Tsunade was actually an unknown tombstone.

"This is..." Jiraiya couldn't help but reach out and touch the tombstone.

Such a familiar feeling, what have I forgotten...?

The gloomy and cold Orochimaru said, "Maybe by tomorrow, even we won't remember her."

Jiraiya was really annoyed by them, "Who are you talking about, Orochimaru?"

Tsunade, who had been crying, looked up at him in shock, then stood up angrily and grabbed his collar, "You bastard, don't tell me you forgot about Haruko?!"

"Haruko..." Jiraiya muttered.

It's Haruko! It's Haruko I forgot!!!

Seeing Jiraiya's horrified expression, Orochimaru sneered, "It seems that no one really remembers her."

Upon hearing his words, Tsunade looked at Orochimaru with fierce eyes again, "You cold-blooded guy! Haruko cares about you so much, and this is how you treat her?!"

Orochimaru remained unmoved, but his shrunken golden snake pupils revealed his inner unrest.

Jiraiya clenched his hands and pursed his lips, "How could this happen... I actually forgot about her..."

The rapidly fading vitality, the corpse that dissipated into smoke, the erased memory...

Orochimaru's expression was solemn, and he stared fixedly at the nameless monument in front of him.

Who are you?