Chapter 318: A Change of Heart
Tsunade desperately combed through her memories, trying to remember when Kitahara Kaede had ever worn an expression like the one Nawaki described.
Very quickly, a scene came sharply into focus.
It was that day, when they had given each other the cold shoulder over the matter of those memories. He had stood in front of her and explained everything that had happened between illusion and reality.
Yes.
That was it!
Tsunade’s entire body trembled.
Only now did she realize that the expression Kaede had worn back then was almost exactly the same as the one Nawaki had just described.
That exhaustion of someone who had weathered countless storms. That world-weary look of wanting to draw closer, yet not daring to…
A terrifying possibility began growing wildly in her mind.
In the timeline Nawaki had seen… the future Kitahara Kaede might never have ended up with her.
That was why the future him had looked like that.
The instant the thought appeared, Tsunade felt as though an invisible hand had seized her heart.
That man had succeeded in changing Nawaki’s fate and saving her from the agony of losing her closest family.
But what about him?
He had lost her.
He could only wander alone through the cruel Shinobi World like a homeless ghost, silently watching her from somewhere far away.
Just imagining that this might have been how they ended up made it hard for Tsunade to breathe.
If the future really became like that…
Then it would be far too cruel to him.
And in that instant, when the ache in her chest reached its peak, Tsunade suddenly understood.
Terumi Mei, Pakura…
None of that mattered anymore.
She absolutely could not bear to see him become the lonely, pitiful man Nawaki had described.
Compared to losing him forever, sharing his love with someone else…
Maybe it wasn’t so impossible to accept after all.
“Future you… how long did you keep carrying everything alone?”
Tsunade murmured softly. Her eyes burned, quickly misting over.
At that moment, every trace of irritation and conflict she had felt toward the other two women vanished completely.
She abruptly turned around and strode toward the door.
“Sis! Where are you going in such a hurry?!”
Nawaki’s shout came from behind her.
The only answer he received was the heavy bang of the door slamming shut.
Tsunade never looked back.
Right now, she only wanted to see Kitahara Kaede immediately.
…
In another hospital room, Terumi Mei rested quietly against the headboard.
The afternoon sunlight fell across her face, lending a fragile softness to her complexion now that some color had returned.
Pakura sat in a chair beside the bed, slowly peeling an apple with a small knife. The strip of peel remained unbroken, curling down in one long spiral.
The two women, who by all rights should have been romantic rivals, were strangely harmonious at the moment. A rare postwar tranquility filled the room.
Mei lowered her eyes to the spotless white blanket, her gaze unfocused.
The battle was over, but the battle in her heart was not.
What if… she forced that man to choose right now?
Who would he choose?
The thought had barely appeared when she remembered the last time they had all met outside his apartment, and how panicked he had looked with three women standing in front of him, as if his only instinct was to flee.
A self-mocking curve appeared at the corner of Mei’s lips.
Force him?
That would only make him suffer and push him farther away.
Then… should she preserve her dignity and walk away with her head held high?
Her mind returned to that life-or-death instant on the battlefield.
The moment she saw that black rod stabbing toward him, her mind had gone completely blank. Her body had moved before she could even think.
At that moment, her ambitions as Mizukage, her plans for the future—she had thrown all of it aside.
She only wanted him to live.
If she could give her life for him without hesitation, how could she possibly turn around and leave now for the sake of some ridiculous pride?
If she truly left, the emptiness of losing everything would hurt worse than death.
If she couldn’t leave, and she couldn’t have him all to herself…
Mei took a deep breath.
The answer had actually been in front of her all along, hadn’t it?
She slowly turned her head toward the woman beside her, who was still focused on peeling the apple.
Pakura seemed to sense her gaze. Her hands paused, and she looked up as well.
Their eyes met in midair.
Neither spoke, yet something subtle shifted in the atmosphere between them.
…
It wasn’t long before Kitahara Kaede arrived at Konoha Hospital from the Hokage Building.
Watching the medical ninja hurry back and forth through the corridor, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
Truthfully, he was a little afraid.
The dinner at his apartment last time had been nothing short of a hell-level experience. He had absolutely no desire to go through another scene like that in a hospital.
Still, fear was fear. What had to be faced would eventually have to be faced.
Kaede stopped in the lobby and quickly planned out his route.
First, he would visit Mei and Pakura to make sure they were both alright.
Then he would find Tsunade and get the full-body examination he had promised her.
Yes. That order was definitely the safest.
Having made up his mind, he headed upstairs to the third floor and stopped outside the room.
He stood at the door for a second, composed his expression, and pushed it open.
The two women inside turned toward him at the same time.
The instant Mei saw him, her eyes lit up with undisguised delight.
“You’re here.”
Kaede walked over to the bed and carefully studied her complexion. Only after seeing how much better she looked did the weight in his chest finally ease.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m already fine.” Mei shook her head gently, smiling. “Besides, Pakura has been here with me the whole time.”
At that, Kaede naturally looked toward Pakura.
Pakura merely gave him a faint nod without saying anything. Her expression was almost suspiciously calm.
Seeing the two of them getting along so peacefully made Kaede’s heart skip instead of putting him at ease.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The atmosphere in this room was downright strange.
There was none of the tense, explosive battlefield he had imagined. He couldn’t smell even the slightest hint of gunpowder.
Whenever something was this abnormal, there had to be a catch.