Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Hello
The lights of Konoha flickered on, one by one.
A gentle breeze brushed across the summit of the cliff. Neither of them spoke.
Kitahara Kaede sat beside Tsunade, his gaze fixed on the village below, though his mind was racing.
Everything that needed to be said had been said.
He knew she had the memories; she knew he had them too.
And now what?
Kaede glanced at Tsunade.
The distant lights cast a blurred silhouette across her profile. Traces of tears had not yet dried at the corners of her eyes, but her expression had grown calm.
That calmness made his heart sink.
In the simulations, this was always the look Tsunade wore before making a major decision.
Kaede looked away.
There was one thing he had to keep clear in his mind.
Those memories existed because he had actively chosen to enter the simulation. To him, it had been a purposeful mission—a means to earn evaluations, exchange rewards, and become strong enough to survive.
But for Tsunade?
She had known nothing. She had chosen nothing.
She had simply woken up with twenty years of deeply ingrained memories, the ghost of a man she loved to her very core who had died before her eyes, and the nightmare of waking to find that none of it actually existed.
All of this was caused by the system.
And the system was something he had activated.
Kaede clenched his fist.
He owed her.
The thought felt like a lump in his throat that he couldn’t swallow.
Therefore, whatever happened next should be Tsunade’s decision.
If she only wanted to understand the truth of the memories and didn’t want to be bound by a phantom past, he would step back—far enough that he would never disturb her again.
But if she wanted to continue, then he would take full responsibility.
Regardless of the outcome, the choice belonged to her.
Kaede finalized this decision in his heart. Logic told him this was the correct way to handle it.
But logic was one thing; reality was another.
When he actually began to contemplate the phrase "no further connection," a bitter taste filled his mouth.
If he had never known that Tsunade shared those memories, it would have been fine. He could have processed it alone over time.
But things were different now.
She knew, and he knew that she knew.
Between them lay twenty years of joy and sorrow; every single day, every tiny detail was etched into both of their minds.
To lose her now, under these circumstances, would be a true loss.
Kaede turned toward her.
"Lady Tsunade..."
His voice was tight, a tension he hadn’t expected.
Tsunade turned her head.
Before Kaede could even get a second sentence out, she gently shook her head.
"Don’t speak yet."
Kaede’s mouth slowly closed. Those few words blocked everything he had wanted to say.
Had she not decided yet? Or... had she already made her choice?
His heart sank further.
It made sense. She was noble; why would she tie herself to a stranger just because of some memories of unknown origin? That crying fit earlier was likely just a release of long-suppressed emotions. Now that it was over, she had likely moved past it.
Kaede shifted his gaze back to Konoha. His chest felt tight and suffocating, but he refused to let the emotion show on his face.
Tsunade had been watching him. She didn’t miss the flash of disappointment in his eyes the moment she spoke.
She tightened her grip on her handkerchief.
’This man is making assumptions again,’ she cursed him inwardly, but the thought brought her a strange sense of relief.
Because she had finally figured it out.
Those twenty years of memories were real. Every day, every argument, every heartbeat had felt real. But that was a story between the Tsunade of the memories and the Hagoromo Kaede of those memories.
If she were to simply throw herself at this boy right now and tell him, "I love you because I remember you died for me," what would she be? A puppet controlled by a twenty-year-old dream.
Tsunade would not allow herself to become that. The thing she hated most in life was having others make decisions for her. Memories were no exception.
But at the same time, she was acutely aware of something else.
Back in Minato’s kitchen, when Kitahara Kaede had stood quietly beside her helping out, her heart had accelerated on its own.
When they bought groceries in the street and he walked on the outside to shield her from the crowd, she had felt a sense of security. That security didn’t come from a memory telling her she *should* feel safe; it was her own genuine feeling.
When she saw him set off for Mount Kikyo, the anxiety she felt wasn’t because the man in her memories had died once; it was because she didn’t want the living person in front of her to be hurt.
These were the movements of her own heart.
She didn’t need memories to love him, nor did she need them to reject him. What she needed to do was set the memories aside and see if the two people in the real world could find a way to be together.
Tsunade looked down at the Blue Fluorite necklace resting against her chest. Then, she looked up and stared directly into Kaede’s eyes.
"I’ve thought about this for a long time."
Kaede didn’t turn. He didn’t quite dare to look at her.
Tsunade stared at his profile, her voice soft but every word crystal clear.
"This necklace tells me that everything that happened in the past wasn’t a dream."
She paused.
"But looking at you now, it feels unreal."
Kaede’s adam’s apple bobbed.
Tsunade continued, "Twenty years of memories are too heavy. They’re so heavy that I can’t tell if my heart is racing because those memories are pushing me, or because I actually want to see you."
Kaede finally turned around.
Tsunade looked into his eyes with utter seriousness.
"Can we stop talking about the past for a while?"
"Let’s just start with ’Hello,’ and get to know each other again."
The wind blew up from the cliff, carrying her words directly into Kaede’s ears.
He froze. He had not expected this answer at all.
*Get to know each other again.*
It wasn’t a rejection, nor was it a blind acceptance. It was a brand new, clean starting point.
He felt as if he had been hauled up from the bottom of a lake; the suffocating pressure in his chest finally vanished. As he relaxed his hands, he realized his palms were drenched in sweat.
Kaede stood up. He turned to face Tsunade and extended his right hand with utmost solemnity.
"Hello, Lady Tsunade."
"My name is Kitahara Kaede."
"You can also call me Kaede."
Tsunade sat on the edge of the cliff, looking up at his stiff, formal hand.
The scene was honestly ridiculous. Just a moment ago, he had a long face and looked ready to make a heartbreaking sacrifice; now, he was shaking her hand and introducing himself as if he were at a job interview.
Tsunade couldn’t help it; she let out a giggle.
She stood up and took his hand.
"Hello. I’m Tsunade."
As their hands met, Kaede felt that her palms were sweaty too.
He let go and checked the sky.
"Lady Tsunade, have you eaten since this afternoon?"
Tsunade touched her stomach. She was indeed hungry. She nodded, not bothering to pretend otherwise.
The two left Hokage Rock and walked to an inconspicuous izakaya in a corner of the Konoha shopping district. As they lifted the noren curtain, they were greeted by a wave of heat and the savory aroma of grilled skewers.
They took the innermost seat, ordered a few side dishes and a pot of sake.
Neither mentioned the heavy topics again. Instead, they went back and forth, chatting about trivial, mundane things.
By the time the sake pot was half empty and the food was nearly gone, neither was drunk, but the atmosphere was exactly right.
Late at night.
As the two stepped out of the izakaya, the moonlight bathed the entire street in a shimmering silver. Kitahara Kaede instinctively walked on the outside of the path.
Tsunade shot him a brief glance, remaining silent, but the corner of her lips curled up in a faint smile.
The same route, the same moonlight. The last time he had walked her home, a vast chasm of status and identity had separated them. This time, things were different.
When they reached the door to Tsunade’s home, they came to a halt. Without any unnecessary lingering, Kaede spoke.
"Goodnight, Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade looked at him. "Goodnight, Kaede."
The door clicked shut.
Kaede turned and began the walk back to his apartment. With the moonlight resting on his shoulders, his steps felt significantly lighter than they had on the way there.
After walking for a while, he realized that he wasn’t subconsciously worrying about what came next. Instead, the only thing filling his mind was the image of her smiling as she said "hello."
Kaede rubbed his nose. ’This isn’t right.’
Yet, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.
Inside the house, Tsunade leaned back against the door for a moment. She looked down, her hand gripping the Blue Fluorite resting against her chest. Closing her eyes, a smile played on her lips.
"Getting to know each other all over again... it feels pretty good," she whispered, so softly that only she could hear.
On the other side of Konoha, Kaede walked through a narrow alley and stepped into a puddle. The surface of the water reflected his face and the moon hanging above.
He paused and looked down.
The smile on his face froze. Suddenly, two other faces flashed through his mind.
One was Terumi Mei, tilting her head as she watched him eat and asked when his birthday was. The other was Pakura, standing in a doorway holding a small puppy and gazing at him.
Things with Tsunade were sorted out. But what about them?
Kaede stood by the puddle, the moonlight illuminating his reflection. In the water, the smile had vanished.
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