Naruto: Tsunade’s Reincarnated Older Brother

Every day during those six months, Ino had visited Tatami frequently.

In the process, Ino had met Tatami's younger sister, Tsunade, and his grandmother, Mito. The three had gradually become close friends. Eventually, Ino couldn't bear the guilt of feeling responsible for Tatami's condition and, by extension, for the death of Mito's husband, Hashirama. Finally, she had confessed her feelings to Mito...

Sakumo had been no different. Determined never to repeat the same mistake or send his comrades to their deaths, he had subjected himself to punishing training. Ino, who should have stopped him, had been too consumed by her visits to Tatami and her own anxiety to intervene.

—To become even stronger.

Driven by this desire, Sakumo had continued his reckless training until he was stopped by a single man.

His name was Sarutobi Sasuke. As the father of Sarutobi Hiruzen and one of the village's high-ranking officials, he was the current head of the Sarutobi clan. Thus, Sarutobi Sasuke was able to introduce Sakumo, who was tormented by guilt, to the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

Having heard the story from Sarutobi Sasuke, Senju Tobirama reprimanded Sakumo for his reckless actions but forgave him for everything else.

However, before Sakumo could say anything more, Tobirama cut him off.

Adults had their roles, and children had theirs. Senju Hashirama—the previous Hokage, had simply done what was expected of him: protecting his family.

Protecting children, that had been the original intention that led Senju Hashirama to create the organization known as the "Village." If one were to consider that a sin, it would not only deny Senju Hashirama but also the very Will of Fire of this village.

Mito and Ino, Tobirama and Sakumo. Two pairs of people who, coincidentally, were told the same thing at the same time.

Mito and Tobirama, who knew Hashirama better than anyone else. It was inevitable that these two would save Ino and Sakumo from their guilt.

Sakumo was now undergoing rigorous training under the supervision of Sarutobi Sasuke. Ino had become Mito's disciple and was learning sealing techniques and medical ninjutsu.

Tatami had no way of knowing the joy these two had felt when he had finally awakened.

That is why—

"So, what's that?"

"Oh, this? Choya brought it as a gift, but I told him he didn't need to. He insisted, though."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah, that's right. Oh, speaking of Choya! Why does he always pick fights with Tsume? Even today, when I said I was going to become Hokage, Tsume jumped on the bandwagon and—"

"Shouldn't you stop that?"

—Ino's voice was suddenly sharp with anger.

"Huh?"

"I said you should stop talking about becoming Hokage."

Tatami fell silent. But the next moment, he smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders as if to chide Ino.

"Hey, Ino. You know I want to be Hokage, right? Telling me to give it up out of the blue is a bit much."

"You're not fit to be Hokage right now."

"What did you just say?"

Ino's cold, dispassionate words made Tatami's temples throb with anger.

Still, Tatami endured it and asked Ino again. There was no way Ino would deny his own dream, he told himself to calm down. But his expectations were betrayed—

"I'll say it again. You'll never become Hokage."

"Ino!!"

Tatami slammed his hand on the bed and leaned forward threateningly.

Ino had a habit of bursting into tears when shouted at or spoken to harshly. Knowing this, Tatami had raised his voice, though he didn't fully understand why he was doing it.

But Ino didn't shed a single tear.

"Hokage, Hokage... Are you an idiot?"

"You bastard!!"

Tatami lunged at Ino.

He grabbed her by the collar, lifting her waist off the ground. As she struggled and pushed against him, she stood up from the bed and stepped back. Tatami was pushed away like a piece of paper, landing back on the bed with his elbows supporting him.

"Ino, mocking the Hokage, mocking my dream—"

"Then what?!"

Tatami growled, glaring at the now-standing Ino.

But before he could finish his sentence, Ino shouted, drowning out his words. Her voice, pounding against his ears, was an agonizing scream that seemed to tear her apart from within.

"Why aren't you crying?"

Tatami was confused by Ino's reaction. Unaware that he had been exploiting her weakness, he couldn't believe that she would respond this way.

Ino clenched the hem of her skirt in her fists.

"Finally, you're crying."

Tatami felt relieved, thinking that this was the usual Ino. Yes, this was normal. This was the usual...

"This isn't a joke. It's supposed to be a dream, right? Then why are you waving it around so carelessly?"

"...Huh?"

Ino, who had been looking down, raised her face. Tears glistened in the moonlight. She was so beautiful that Tatami held his breath, then felt a strange sense of relief.

However, Tatami still didn't understand that the meaning of those tears was completely different from before.

"I know you admired Hashirama-sama. When you talked about Hashirama-sama, you always smiled so happily."

—I loved your smile.

"I could tell you wanted to become Hokage. Everyone knew that."

—But I knew you were too modest to say it out loud.

"You weren't the kind of person who would wave the title of 'Hokage' around carelessly like that!!"

Ino knew that Tatami always carried the forehead protector he had received from Hashirama. He had wanted to wear it so badly, but he had waited until he officially became a genin before finally putting it on.

Even if there had been other children who openly declared their desire to become Hokage, Tatami would have quietly nurtured his rivalry and honed himself in silence.

He didn't want anyone to know about the dream he truly wanted to achieve.

"Ino, I don't understand what you're saying. What's wrong... I'm sorry, I'm frustrated because my rehabilitation isn't progressing. Please forgive me."

His expression changed from anger to concern for Ino, who was glaring at him so intensely. Tatami got out of bed and cautiously approached her, bowing his head in apology.

But Ino understood what she was seeing. It was something she had witnessed before. Tatami's "mask" that hid everything.

It was from when they were still children. She had been taken by her father, the head of the clan, and her older sister, the next clan head, to attend a clan gathering in the mountains. At first, Ino had been frightened by the expression on Tatami's face back then.

When they had reunited as first-year students at the ninja academy, Tatami had completely changed. Curious about the transformation, Ino had quickly become friends with him, and after they had grown close, she had noticed that Tatami was wearing a forehead protector, even though he hadn't officially become a ninja yet.

"I got it from my grandfather. Keep it a secret, okay?"

In response to Ino's curious question, Tatami had smiled. The expression had been both shy and genuinely happy, and Ino clearly remembered how her heart had raced at that moment.

The smile on Tatami's face now was not the one Ino had been longing to see again over the past six months.

"By the way, would you like to help me with my rehabilitation?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to help you."

"Okay, thank you."

Smiling, Tatami returned to his bed.

Seeing that smile, Ino made a firm decision. She didn't care if he ended up hating her. No, she didn't want to be hated. However, Ino was a woman of the Yamanaka clan. She couldn't just stand by and watch Tatami put on a fake smile, she couldn't do something so cowardly.

Tatami casually swung his legs up onto the bed, his back completely defenseless, and Ino formed a hand seal.

Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Technique.

Tatami collapsed onto the bed, and Ino collapsed where she stood.

★

"What is this place..."

A sky red and murky like burning flames, beautiful land covered in trees illuminated by ethereal light, and between them, a white, empty world. The space, covered in what looked like glass, formed the boundary between sky and earth.

One side was hell, the other was paradise. Ino looked around and searched for Tatami.

This was Tatami's spiritual world, entered through the application of the Mind Transfer Technique. If Tatami had been in normal condition, he might have been able to repel her with his enormous chakra reserves, but his chakra had fallen so low that he could no longer use even the Clone Technique. Now, Tatami's mind was completely under Ino's control.

After walking a short distance, she saw Tatami crouched down with his knees hugged to his chest. Surrounding him were three empty chairs.

"Tatami?"

At Ino's voice, Tatami's ears twitched slightly.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Tatami didn't respond to Ino's words.

"..."

"..."

Silence stretched between them.

"Hey! Don't just stay huddled up in there!"

"Just leave me alone."

In response to Ino's shout, Tatami muttered quietly.

"You acted so tough on the outside, but you're such a coward in here?"

"Shut up."

Ino realized she had made a mistake by shouting at him.

"Come on, come out. Everyone's waiting for you."

"No one's waiting. I'm alone now."

Hearing Tatami's words, Ino's temples throbbed with anger.

"What?! Are you serious? This isn't a joke. Do you have any idea how worried we all were about you?"

"I didn't ask you to worry."

"If you have to ask people to care about you, then we're not really friends... You idiot."

Tatami, who had been burying his face in his knees, raised his head slightly.

"Hey, Tatami. Hashirama-sama was everything to you, wasn't he? Losing him, and in exchange for your own life... The way your hands trembled when we held hands back then, it was so painful for me to watch."

Ino told the silent Tatami about how much Sakumo and the other students had worried about him. How much his sister Tsunade, his parents, and his grandmother had hoped for him to wake up. She told him about all the money Tobirama had quietly paid to arrange for medical ninja to treat him.

But none of that had been enough to save Tatami from his inner darkness.

Even though there had been many people around him during his most difficult time, the only one who could truly save him was Tatami himself. He had only one person in the world who had truly understood him. And that person had died because of him.

"I know you're probably thinking I shouldn't be saying this., But I understand a little. Because I lost you back then too."

Tatami raised his face. There was Ino's face, marked with profound sadness.

"I still remember it. The scene from that time. Your final moments. That's why, that's why I'm so glad you're alive. I really, truly am..."

—I'm so grateful.

This was the spiritual world. Each person's heart, feelings, and thoughts reached the other without any pretense. There was no point in putting on a front. There was no point in spouting empty words. Everything was laid bare.

Therefore, Ino's words fell like petals onto the surface of Tatami's heart, sending ripples spreading outward.

The core of Tatami's being was loneliness. From birth, he had been different from others, that overwhelming sense of isolation had been eating away at him. It was Hashirama who had stopped it. Hashirama's selfless familial love and immense capacity had embraced even the outcast Tatami. The warmth that had filled his loneliness was something that couldn't be put into words.

"You know, Hashirama-sama was a great man. And he was such a gentle person, just like you."

Ino's words, spoken with a soft laugh, reached Tatami's heart once again. Even if he tried to stop them, it was meaningless. However, if Tatami truly wanted her to stop, Ino would have stopped. This was within the realm of the heart; lies were easily discernible.

But this was the truth.

Ino continued.

"Hey, why are you in such a hurry? Why are you blaming yourself? It's because you are who you are that Hashirama-sama entrusted you with his 'dream,' isn't it?"

"You're just pretending to understand..."

"That's right. I am just pretending. But since you knew Hashirama-sama so well, better than anyone, you should be able to tell whether my 'pretending to understand' is right or wrong, shouldn't you?"

—You hit the nail on the head.

That was right. Tatami had been chasing after Hashirama's back all along. There was no way he couldn't understand. There was no way he couldn't comprehend the feelings behind Hashirama's sacrifice of his own life for Tatami's sake—

Even so, by blaming himself and retreating into his shell, Tatami had been escaping from the reality of a world without Hashirama. The loneliness of not having his grandfather was the only thing he truly feared. He had put on a false mask and tried to chase after the "form" of being Hokage. He had tried to pursue only the "surface" of Hashirama's words. The "Will of Fire" that Hashirama had embodied was too great and too heavy for him to inherit alone.

Tobirama had misjudged Tatami's readiness.

On that day, at that moment, he should not have asked Tatami, "What does it mean to be Hokage?" He wasn't ready for it. He couldn't think of the village as family yet, Tatami had suffered from his own perceived inadequacy. He had felt utterly alone.

And Tatami had misjudged himself.

"Hey, Tatami. I won't tell you to move forward. I can't tell you to be strong."

—I too was saved by Mito-sama.

Ino's words reached the depths of Tatami's heart. He no longer tried to stop them.

"I don't know much about what it means to be Hokage. But I know you, the person who's been with me all this time, who's always watched over me. You're a siscon, a grandfather-obsessed fool, stubborn, self-centered, shy yet attention-seeking, a gambler, a bonsai enthusiast with an old man's hobbies, a sore loser, but you're kind. That's why—"

—Don't say you're alone.

Ino gently embraced Tatami.

In Tatami's mind, memories flashed of when he had received the forehead protector from Hashirama on that rocky outcrop.

—After that, Grandpa lied and said he'd lost his own forehead protector, and he got scolded by Tobirama.

Memories and emotions welled up one after another. The heart that had tried to freeze over melted away in Ino's warmth. Yes, what he should pursue was Hashirama's back, that gentle way of being, that compassionate heart. What his great-grandfather had entrusted to him was what he should cherish most of all. Tatami finally truly understood this. On his forehead, visible because this was his spiritual world, the forehead protector materialized.

Once, Tatami had entrusted the headband, the Will of Fire, to Hashirama. What Hashirama had wanted to convey to Tatami at that time was, "You are not alone. Everyone in the village is family." However, Tatami had thought that only Hashirama was family, and had been temporarily saved by that belief. That could also be called dependency.

And then he had thought: If Hashirama-sama is family, then his family are also my companions.

Tatami had been mistaken. The one who was wrong was himself.

Hashirama had not been mistaken. When Tatami strayed from the path, there were companions who rushed to his aid.

Ino's heart reached Tatami.

It wasn't just Ino's heart. The anxiety and concern of all the people who had worried about Tatami during the six months he had been unconscious, all of it reached him now.

"I am alone", he would not be allowed to withdraw into that solitude, for there was a kindness that was both gentle and firm surrounding him.

Memories began to fade away. What remained until the end was the image of Hashirama, deeply etched in his heart.

—Let us grieve now. Let us acknowledge the death of my grandfather, recognize that he was a great man, and mourn his loss. Not to lament our loneliness or curse our fate, but to remember the beloved family we have lost.

"Thank you..."

Ino remained silent, clutching Tatami with all her strength. As if to say, "That's my answer."

A warm tear fell onto Ino's skin.

Within Ino's embrace, a small boy trembled quietly.

***

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