Captain Kurogane Tetsu and his superior looked at me intently.
“Who told you that?” Kurogane Tetsu asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Just a little while ago, the neighbors were talking about it out in the street. It's all anyone has been talking about since I woke up. To miss something this important, a person would have to be deaf. An operation of this scale spreads quickly.”
Kurogane Tetsu's superior realized what I was doing—I was giving all the credit to the police.
“We're still investigating what happened. There are several witnesses who claim they saw different shinobi on Mukade's estate.”
“Then keep investigating. That's what the guard exists for,” my mother said.
The captain paused briefly before speaking again.
“There is also a butler who claims he saw your children near the mansion.”
My mother calmly set her teacup down.
“My children passed near the mansion? When? Even if they did, that's perfectly normal, isn't it? It's a street, and people walk past houses all the time. Or are you trying to imply something? If this is an accusation, then a serious accusation requires equally serious evidence. Do you have any?”
Kurogane Tetsu remained silent for a few seconds.
“No. Only his testimony,” he replied, trying to ease the tension.
“Then I suggest you don't turn rumors into an official accusation. It would damage the credibility of the guard,” my mother said, staring seriously at the two officers.
Takahashi Renji inclined his head slightly.
“I understand. I merely had a duty to inform the family.”
“Whoever got rid of Mukade did the village a great favor. But if it really was the guard, I hope they receive the recognition they deserve,” I said, trying to bring the conversation to an end.
Kurogane Tetsu stared at me for a moment. He realized that even if he suspected the truth, I had just created a narrative in which all the credit belonged entirely to the police. If he denied it, he would have to admit that the guard had failed to defeat Mukade.
“Thank you for your kind words. We won't take up any more of your time,” Takahashi Renji said before taking his leave and walking out of the residence.
“Have a good day, Captain,” my mother replied.
Once outside, Takahashi Renji asked in a low voice,
“What do you think? Do you believe it was them?”
Kurogane Tetsu looked back at the house one last time before answering.
“I have no proof... but one thing is certain. That woman could have killed us last night without even taking a single step. If they really eliminated Mukade... perhaps the village should be grateful instead of investigating.”
At the Inn
Some time after Captain Kurogane Tetsu and his superior left, silence settled over the room. After finishing her meal, my mother looked at the three of us and, with a simple gesture, told us to follow her into her room.
As soon as the door closed, she sat down and remained silent for several seconds, staring at the three of us.
“So... it seems you all think you've grown up. Sneaking out in the middle of the night, fighting an entire gang like seasoned shinobi... do you have any idea how insane that was? You were unbelievably reckless last night. Sneaking out, taking action... do you realize how close to death you came?”
No one answered.
“I'm waiting for an answer.”
I lowered my head.
“No...”
“No what?”
“No, Mother.”
She took a deep breath.
“You're twelve, thirteen, and nine years old.” Her voice hardened.
“Children. And you decided to leave the house in the middle of the night to face a gang of criminals.” She looked directly at me.
“Alone. Tell me... what was going through your mind?”
“I...”
“No! I'm not finished yet.” She pointed at the three of us.
“Do you know how many people that gang has killed over the years?”
“Do you know how many experienced shinobi died at their hands?”
We remained silent.
“And you thought three children were going to solve the problem?”
The three of us kept our heads lowered.
“If you had arrived one minute later... If one of them had set a trap... If even one attack had landed...” She clenched her fists, her eyes turning red.
Seeing her like that, Hikari and Daichi began to cry, while I kept my head lowered.
It really had been incredibly reckless. I couldn't even bear to think about what might have happened if Hikari and Daichi hadn't come to rescue me... or if something had happened to them inside that mansion. Although I had the Spiritual Water, it could only help someone who was still alive. I didn't believe it had the power to bring the dead back to life.
“I would be wearing mourning clothes all over again,” she said quietly.
“Your father died only a short time ago...”
She drew a deep breath, struggling to control her emotions.
“Do you think I could bear losing one of my children?”
No one answered.
“Two?”
Silence.
“All three?”
None of us could lift our heads.
She walked over to me.
“Why didn't you wake me?”
“Because I thought...”
“I don't care what you thought!”
Her voice echoed throughout the house.
“I'm your mother!”
She took another deep breath.
“You chose to sneak out like a thief instead. Let me guess... now that you've awakened the Tenshō-seki, you think you can do whatever you want? That you've become invincible and nothing bad can happen to you?”
“My son, if that's truly what you believe, then it only proves how naïve you are. That jewel may one day give you enough power to become the strongest, but that's only in the future. Right now, you're still a child—a child with great potential. And do you know what happens most often in the shinobi world?”
“Children full of potential die.”
“Think about the Uzumaki and Tsukishiro Clans. How many of your brothers and sisters died? How many of them had great potential? And where are they now?”
“And the two of you...”
“Instead of calling me, you decided to go after him yourselves.”
“Did you think you were doing the right thing?”
The two of them shook their heads.
“You were walking straight toward death.”
Mother closed her eyes for a brief moment.
When she spoke again, there was no anger left in her voice—only exhaustion.
“I've already lost the man I loved.”
“Don't force me to lose my children too.”
She looked at each one of us.
“Never again.”
“Do you hear me?”
“Never again will you leave this house in the middle of the night to face criminals and play heroes without saying a single word to me.”
The three of us answered almost simultaneously.
“Yes, Mother.”
“If I hadn't stepped in, those two men would have escaped. The consequences of allowing an enemy to remain hidden... you'll discover just how terrible that can be someday.”
Her revelation confirmed what I had secretly suspected all along.
She had been watching over us the entire time.
She continued staring at us for several more seconds.
“Go to your rooms.”
“And today, no one is leaving this inn. I'm going to check on Kensuke-san's condition.”
The three of us obeyed in silence, knowing that her scolding wasn't born of anger, but of the fear of almost losing us.
Back in our room, I sat quietly, lost in thought as I reflected on everything Mother had said earlier. Once again, I reproached myself for my recklessness.
Daichi sat beside me, also deep in thought, before finally looking at me.
“So... you really managed to awaken the Tenshō-seki.”
There it was.
This was going to become a headache.
I'd wanted to keep the number of people who knew this secret as small as possible, but things were gradually slipping out of my control. I regretted telling anyone at all. At first, my reasons had been noble—I wanted to ease the burden Mother and Hikari were carrying. But now even this brat knew.
Not that I didn't trust him—I did.
But a secret shared among four people could hardly be called a secret anymore.
“Yes. I awakened it the day Father died.”
He fell silent, deep in thought.
“The water we've been drinking all this time... it came from there?” he asked, as though several things that had once seemed strange were finally beginning to make sense.
“Yes. Since I already know what you're about to ask, I'll answer it now. The Tenshō-seki is a separate space. It's roughly the size of this room. Time flows twice as fast inside, and the chakra there is far purer—far, far purer. It's more like a sacred land.”
“Except for animals, no one can enter. Mother can, but I believe that's because she's a Jinchūriki. I only told Mother and Hikari because they're the oldest, and I wanted to ease the burden they were carrying. As for you... I was planning to tell you in about fifty years,” I finished jokingly.
Hearing that, he smiled and fell silent.
That was the advantage of dealing with men. They didn't overcomplicate things. He heard the explanation, found it reasonable, and moved on.
I was absolutely certain that if the same thing had happened with my beloved Hikari, the matter wouldn't have been settled nearly so quickly.
A gentle knock sounded at the door.
“Ren-kun, Daichi... Kensuke-sama is awake.”