The morning light did little to chase away the chill clinging to Tsunade's bones.
She hadn't slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she heard it again—that voice. That single, haunting word.
Mama.
She rubbed her temples, the lingering burn of last night's sake making her skull throb. *A hallucination. It had to be.* Years of grief and regret playing tricks on her mind. That was all.
But then why did the air still feel so heavy?
A sharp rap at her office door snapped her back to reality.
"Come in," she grunted.
Shizune entered, her usual cheerful demeanor replaced with tension. "Tsunade-sama, there's… a situation."
Tsunade frowned. "What kind of situation?"
Shizune hesitated. "A child was found near the village gates this morning. No parents. No identification. And…" She swallowed. "He… looks like you."
Tsunade's blood turned to ice.
---
The Orphan
The boy sat quietly in the hospital bed, small hands folded in his lap. His hair was a shade lighter than hers, but the resemblance was undeniable—the same sharp eyes, the same stubborn set of his jaw.
Tsunade's breath caught.
No. It's not possible.
"Hey, kid," she said, forcing her voice steady. "What's your name?"
The boy blinked up at her. "I don't remember."
Shizune stepped forward. "He has no injuries, no signs of trauma. But he doesn't know where he came from or how he got here."
Tsunade's fists clenched. This isn't right.
Then the boy reached out, his tiny fingers brushing hers.
A spark. A memory.
Dan's laugh. Nawaki's smile. The scent of blood in the air—
She jerked her hand back as if burned.
The boy tilted his head. "You're sad," he said softly.
Tsunade's chest tightened. "Kids say the damnedest things."
But his gaze never wavered. "You lost someone."
A beat of silence.
Then, from the hallway—
A whisper.
"Tsunade…"
She spun around. No one was there.
But the boy's eyes darkened.
"They're coming," he murmured.
---
The First Disappearance
By dusk, the first child vanished.
A merchant's daughter, last seen playing near the river. No signs of struggle. No traces left behind.
Just… gone.
When Tsunade arrived at the scene, the girl's mother was sobbing, clutching a tiny sandal in her hands. "She was right here! Right here!"
Tsunade's stomach twisted.
And then—she felt it.
A presence. Watching.
She turned slowly, scanning the trees.
For a second, she thought she saw them—small figures, half-hidden in the shadows. Dozens of them. Staring.
Then the wind howled, and they were gone.
---
The Truth in the Scrolls
That night, Tsunade poured over ancient Konoha records, searching for answers.
And then she found it.
A forbidden jutsu. One that fed on grief.
The Yurei No Ko—The Ghost Child Technique.
A ritual where the spirits of lost children were summoned, tethered to the living by the sorrow of those who mourned them.
But there was a cost.
For every spirit given form… a living child had to take its place.
Tsunade's hands shook as she read the final line:
"The summoned child will seek its mother… and it will not leave until she accepts it—or joins it in death."
Her blood ran cold.
Because now she understood.
The boy in the hospital wasn't just any lost child.
He was hers.
And he had come back to claim her.
---
To Be Continued…
Next Chapter Preview:
- The disappearances multiply—children vanishing without a trace, their terrified parents begging for answers.
- Tsunade's past unravels as she uncovers a dark secret buried deep in Konoha's history.
- The boy's true nature is revealed… and he isn't the only one watching.