Chapter 323: Safe Return
"Ginji, why are you crying again?"
"Don't you like your great-grandmother anymore?"
Mito held Ginji in her arms, gently rocking him back and forth. The baby had just finished breastfeeding, but his cries filled the room once more.
The sound was heart-wrenching. Perhaps it was the milk—preserved and not as flavorful as fresh—or the unfamiliar texture of the pacifier.
"Maybe he misses Tsunade," Nayuki suggested, her voice tinged with exhaustion. She stood nearby, her eyes reflecting a quiet sadness. Despite her best efforts to soothe the baby, nothing seemed to work.
Ginji, far from calming down, wailed even louder, his tiny fists flailing in distress.
"It's been half a day, and she's still not back," Mito murmured, her gaze shifting toward the door. Her heart clenched with worry. She hadn't stopped Tsunade from chasing her dream, but as an elder, her concern lingered.
"I brought my little brother a pinwheel!"
Kakashi's voice broke through the tension as he ran up, holding a small, colorful toy. Though still young himself, Kakashi had already outgrown such trinkets and now regarded them with a mix of amusement and disdain.
"Childish," he muttered under his breath but handed over the pinwheel nonetheless.
"Kakashi is really good to his little brother, let's see if little Ginji likes it."