The courtyard fell into dead silence.
Tsunade sat back down, took the bottle, and poured herself another cup. She no longer expected to hear an answer that would satisfy her.
Then, the one who hadn't spoken until now—Hyuga Kiyonari—finally moved.
"I think the First Hokage's proudest achievement in his entire life was making ninja into people."
Tsunade's drinking motion stopped halfway.
She slowly turned her head, looking at the three-year-old with a gaze that was equal parts astonishment and scrutiny.
"Go on."
Hyuga Kiyonari took a deep breath, then let it out in a long exhale. All he could say was: Tsunade's "always loses when she gambles" really did live up to its setting. Over the past two days, the correction points he'd had to spend to let her slaughter the casino tables had far exceeded his expectations.
He no longer had enough points to use the script to force Tsunade to stay in Konoha. So he could only step in personally—give her a reason to remain.
He trusted himself, and the education he'd received.
"People aren't born into this world to carry on hatred. But in that era, from the moment you were born, you were burdened with the duty of continuing hatred."
"When you first opened your eyes, the elders who played with you yesterday might never come back tomorrow. When you learned to walk, you were taught to pick up a weapon and learn how to kill. The only purpose of living was to avenge your dead clan… and then be killed by your enemy's descendants."
Kiyonari's voice kept going, and Tsunade's gaze grew sharper and more focused.
"Ninja like that—rather than calling them people, it's more accurate to call them… tools."
"They were brought into the world for their parents' revenge, for their clan's continuation. From the moment they were born, they had no right to choose: either become a tool for killing, or become the one who gets killed. They couldn't speak their surname, couldn't have true friends, couldn't do what they wanted to do."
"But after Konoha was founded, war stopped—at least within the Land of Fire. Ninja finally got a chance to breathe. They finally had time to think about what else they could do besides killing."
Kiyonari's pace quickened, his words flowing more and more smoothly. He'd clearly entered a full rhythm.
"You mocked how ninja today have even learned the nobles' etiquette. But I think that's proof they've begun to have choices—that they've taken the first step."
"They started feeling lost, so they began to learn. And people don't learn 'downward,' so ninja copied the nobles' manners. But because they couldn't tell good from bad, they also copied that rigid hierarchy and all its dead weight."
Kiyonari's eyes burned with intensity. It was as if his whole body was giving off light.
And Tsunade, without realizing it, leaned forward—like a student listening to a teacher, or like a… seeker of truth.
"Now Konoha has a ninja academy. It has parks. It has a market street… People who lack talent, who can't pass the graduation exam, can choose not to become ninja—they can live as ordinary civilians. In the Warring States era, that was impossible. Even if you had no talent, you still had to pick up a weapon and walk onto a battlefield… to die."
"Only when a person has the right to choose do they truly become a person. You decide everything yourself, you take responsibility for everything yourself—that's life."
"Even though war still exists," Kiyonari's voice lowered, "and the First, Second, and Third Great Ninja Wars still took countless lives… at least the era is moving forward."
"Tsunade-sama, I understand how you feel. Your brother died in the Second Great Ninja War—that means Konoha was still sending children onto the battlefield back then. And the proposal that every three-man squad should include at least one medical ninja still hasn't been implemented to this day—which means the village still doesn't value ninja as people enough."
"You can see these things because Senju Hashirama is your grandfather. But they're too far from the God of Shinobi, too far from the First Hokage… all they can do is admire him. And admiration is the emotion farthest from understanding."
"They can only see that after Konoha was founded, war in the Land of Fire stopped—that children who once would've been sent to war at three or four could now grow safely to eleven or twelve. They believe that as long as Konoha exists, peace will exist. To protect Konoha, they'll pay any price, sacrifice anything, and count no losses."
After saying so much in one breath, Kiyonari's throat went hoarse. Just as he lowered his gaze toward the table, Tsunade—sitting across from him—held out her cup to him as if to offer a drink.
Kiyonari sighed helplessly. "Tsunade-sama… I'm not old enough to drink."
Only then did Tsunade realize what she'd done. She pulled the cup back, then shouted, "Shizune—water!"
Kiyonari took the tea Shizune handed him and gulped down a mouthful, rubbing his throat as he recovered. Then he continued.
"I think Konoha only has meaning if it has people. A Konoha without people is meaningless."
"If Konoha's leaders always place Konoha above Konoha's ninja, then what's the difference between that and the Warring States-era clans? Then the ninja of today exist only as tools to keep Konoha alive. I think… that's the true reason you left."
"So I believe the First Hokage's proudest achievement wasn't ending one temporary era of chaos, but giving ninja the possibility of becoming people. Only when more and more ninja become people can true peace become possible."
When he finished, it was as if Kiyonari had used up all his strength—his body even trembled slightly.
The courtyard was silent.
Shizune stared at Hyuga Kiyonari, dumbfounded. She couldn't believe such deep insight had come from a child's mouth.
Beside her, Hinata's eyes were wide too, looking at Kiyonari with something close to awe.
And Tsunade… Tsunade's eyes glittered with tears.
In truth… she had left Konoha because of hatred. She hated Konoha for killing her little brother, for killing her lover.
Because they had both charged forward recklessly for the dream of becoming Hokage, for the sake of the village—throwing their lives away for it.
She had seen more. She had seen more people like Nawaki, like Dan Kato—ninja who carried the dream of becoming Hokage in their hearts, then flew into the flames for the village like moths.
They… were treating their own lives as cheap. And Sarutobi Hiruzen—the village elders—had no objection.
She was a doctor. But her medical ninjutsu couldn't cure that kind of sickness.
But now… she'd found it. She'd found the person who could cure it.
Ninja needed a teacher.
Tsunade slowly stood, walked up to Kiyonari, and sank to one knee so her eyes were level with his.
"What's your name?" she asked—though she'd already asked it once.
"Hyuga Kiyonari," the boy answered again.
"You…" Tsunade said, voice steady. "Would you be willing to become my student?"