When Arima carried the little girl, Yakushi Nono, back home, it was just about lunchtime.
Lately, Tsunade and her teammates had been out on missions, tracking down the Otsutsuki Isso's agents hidden across the shinobi world. They often returned home late at night.
Nawaki usually ate at the academy, so for now, only Arima's mother, Naomi, was at home.
Seeing her son walk in holding a cute little girl, Naomi immediately rose to greet them.
"Mother, this is Yakushi Nono. From now on, she'll be moving here from the orphanage and living with us," Arima introduced warmly.
Then he lowered his head, speaking gently to the child in his arms. "This is my mother. You can call her Grandma."
Nono's eyes lit up, and in a sweet little voice she greeted, "Hello, Grandma!"
Naomi's face softened. "Hello, little Nono! May I hold you?"
The child wasn't shy at all, she already liked this kind and gentle woman. She stretched out her arms eagerly.
Naomi took her from Arima's embrace and, full of warmth, led her around to show her the house.
Before long, the three of them were seated at the table, enjoying a hearty lunch.
At first, Nono was a little stiff, but once she tasted Naomi's cooking, she began eating with growing enthusiasm.
She especially loved one tofu dish, savoring it with visible joy. Its flavor carried the familiar warmth of a mother's cooking, something she thought she had lost forever.
Halfway through her meal, her eyes blurred. Silent tears spilled down her cheeks and fell into her bowl.
Naomi's heart ached for the girl. She set her chopsticks aside, gathered Nono into her arms, and murmured soft words of comfort.
Arima, watching, felt a stab of guilt.
'If only I were stronger… If only I had seen through their schemes earlier, that tragedy wouldn't have happened. And children like Nono wouldn't be left without a home…'
His gaze hardened as he thought of the few hundred thousand merit points he still needed.
'Perhaps fate is still on my side. Isso, by this time next year, I'll see to it that your sins are paid for in full!'
After a while, exhausted from crying, Nono drifted to sleep in Naomi's arms.
Arima quietly rose and helped prepare a room just for her.
When Naomi unpacked the girl's small bag, she unexpectedly discovered a photo album. Curiosity piqued, she opened it, and froze at a face she recognized.
Arima walked over just then. Pointing at the woman in the photo, he said, "That's Nono's mother. You should remember her, right?
Back when we took refuge at the safe house… she was that little girl we first met, the one who was crying."
It took Naomi a moment, but then her eyes widened.
"So it was her! That girl from back then… Son, it seems once again, without meaning to, you've let down someone who cared deeply for you."
Arima gave a helpless smile. "I really am innocent in this. I only remember running into her a few times. Her name, her past, I never knew any of it.
Back then in the village, and now here in Kyoto, I know far too many people."
Naomi sighed. "Her name was Erina. She often came by to help me with chores. That tofu dish you like? She's the one who taught me how to make it. Ah… life is unpredictable."
Arima frowned slightly. "Then why have I never seen her here at home?"
Naomi shot him a look. "I have plenty of friends. How many of them do you really know?"
Arima chuckled wryly. The truth was, he'd been too caught up in the Alliance's affairs, rarely having time for family.
He realized just how much less attention he had given them these past years.
That thought reminded him of little Yuna. She had once complained that he never spent enough time with her and her brother.
Quietly, Arima made a vow: he would find more time for his family.
"Mother, do you know anything about Erina's family?" he asked.
Naomi's expression darkened as she recalled.
"Her father died in the war between Kumo and Konoha. Her mother, heartbroken, followed him a few years later. She lived alone ever since. I had no idea she even had a child."
"She never married?" Arima asked.
Naomi thought carefully. "I don't believe so. As for Nono… perhaps she was adopted."
Arima felt a strange pull toward this woman he had never truly known. He wanted to learn more about her, but then shook his head.
'No. Better to let her keep that air of mystery. Erina… though I never knew you, I'll take care of your daughter.'
That afternoon, Arima went to the Hokage's office. Nono stayed home, keeping Naomi company. Her presence brought fresh joy into the older woman's quiet days.
That night, Tsunade dragged her weary body back home from a mission.
The moment she entered, she noticed an unfamiliar little girl sprawled on the tatami with Kushina, both engrossed in picture books.
Naomi called them over with a smile. "Dinner's ready. Once Arima gets back, we'll eat. But first, let me officially introduce our new family member!"
She picked Nono up and set her in her lap. "This is Yakushi Nono. She'll be living with us from now on. Nono, say the words: 'Please take care of me, family!'"
Nono bowed politely, her soft childish voice piping up, "Please take care of me, family!"
Her earnest little act melted both Tsunade's heart.
Tsunade swept Nono into her arms, asking curiously, "Nono, do you know Yakushi Erina?"
"She's my mother!" Nono answered without hesitation.
Tsunade opened her mouth to ask more, but Naomi quickly cut in, urging her to help carry food from the kitchen.
Realizing at once, Tsunade handed Nono to Natsuka and followed Naomi inside.
There, Naomi explained everything to her.
Tsunade sighed. "So the one Erina always loved was big Arima… Back when she was interning at the hospital, she'd often talk to me about him.
I thought she was just another admirer. I never imagined…"
"Best not to bring up her mother around the child anymore," Naomi advised. "She's resilient and quick to adapt. Erina must have raised her well."
Looking back at the cheerful girl playing in the living room, Tsunade murmured, "If not for Arima stepping in now, who knows what path she would've ended up on."
Naomi's tone grew firm. "Children like her would only have become tools. Arima has worked so hard to improve relations between people, but old ways of thinking don't disappear so easily.
To many, orphans are rootless drifters, their worth found only in being used by others."
Tsunade blinked. "Mother… you see things so clearly."
Naomi smiled. "Back in the day, I helped Hashirama manage clan affairs. I only stepped back once Arima was born."
"You never mentioned that before," Tsunade said in surprise.
Naomi chuckled. "Well, you never asked."
Tsunade wrapped her arms around her mother's, pride shining in her eyes. "You're amazing, Mother. No wonder Arima turned out so clever."
Naomi teased, "And your children will be even more remarkable! Arima says both Arata and Yuna have extraordinary talent, and they're beautiful too."
Tsunade laughed. "Arata's quiet, probably from spending too much time with Granduncle. But Yuna, she's a handful. With two aunts and an uncle doting on her, I'll have to be the strict one."
Just then, a familiar voice called from outside, "And who exactly do you think you're disciplining? You're still a wild child yourself!"
Tsunade whirled around to see Arima had returned.
One day apart had felt like three years. She threw herself into his arms at once, and Arima caught her easily.
They barely had a moment of warmth before Naomi clapped her hands in mock-scolding.
"You two are adults now. Save the affection for your room. Not in the kitchen! Go wash your hands, dinner's ready!"
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