39 Chapter 39: Goodbye

"What!?!"

Tsunade felt as if all the blood had drained from her body as she heard Haru's words.

'That shouldn't be possible, grandpa hasn't shown any form of symptoms of deterioration or any signs of weakening.' Tsunade thought as she ran to her house as fast as he could while tears began to swell up in her eyes.

She finally arrived at their home and immediately ran through the front door and into Hashirama and Mito's room.

Inside, she saw Ayako standing by Hashirama while crying heavily as Hashirama tried to pacify her by saying he would be fine, even though they both knew he was lying. Tobirama stood the furthest from the bed while he simply stared at Hashirama with a blank face that showed a mix of sadness, betrayal, anger, and grief all in one. Mito simply sat in the bed beside Hashirama with a smile as she looked at him, though the wetness in her eyes betrayed her emotions.

Tsunade wasted no time and ran towards Hashirama while shouting

"Yin Seal: Release!!"

Black markings began to appear around her face as she activated the Strength of a 100 Seal and immediately jumped onto Hashirama and yelled

"Yang Release: Yang Infusion!!"

The chakra poured into Hashirama like a gushing fountain as she used all the chakra that was stored in the seal. Hashirama began to visibly get better as many of the signs of aging he had began to regain it's youth, such as his wrinkles that began to fade away.

"I'm sorry Tsuna." Hashirama said with a sad smile. Tsunade didn't understand what he was saying until the signs of age began to reappear on Hashirama.

Tsunade first seemed suprised at this before tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Can I speak to Tsunade alone?" Hashirama looked around and asked the rest of the family.

Tobirama was the first to leave as he slammed the door behind him. Haru helped Ayako leave the room as she was still crying. Mito was the last to leave as she walked to the door as she gave one last look at Hashirama before closing the door.

"WHY!? Why didn't it work!? I did everything right. I used the Yang Chakra and even infused it right. So why didn't it work!?" Tsunade questioned herself while tears poured down her face. Hashirama was simply allowing her to get most of it out of her system.

A mocking smile then appeared on Tsunade's face as she spoke with a heart broken expression "I guess I shouldn't act so surprised though. I am a failure after all. I should have known I couldn't save you grandpa. A failure like me can't achieve anythi-" Tsunade was interrupted by Hashirama by pulling her into a hug.

"Don't ever say that Tsuna. You are not a failure. Your jutsu worked just as it was intended too. Perhaps if I didn't burn my chakra to extend my life, then it would have worked. But it is definitely not your fault, it's mine." Hashirama said as Tsunade looked at him in horror and disbelief.

She knew exactly what it means to burn his chakra to extend his life. The technique itself was one that was forbidden with the Senju Clan and was created by them and the Uzumaki clan's ancestors to, with it only usable by them or the Uzumaki's due to their powerful chakra. However, since the Uzumaki had extreme amounts of lifeforce naturally, they had no need for the technique. So it became a jutsu that the Elders of the Senju Clan would use close to their deaths to make sure they passed all of their knowledge onto the next generation.

To be able to use the jutsu, you must trade your mental and physical energies, or chakra, in exchange for extra vitality. While it may sound beneficial if you just had to wait until you chakra refilled and be able to extend your life indefinitely, in actuality, the technique made it so you never regaigned the chakra you used and would die when you eventually ran out of chakra.

"Why would you do that grandpa! I could have saved you! You could have lived!" Tsunade yelled, to which Hashirama just sighed.

"Because it is not your burden to bear Tsuna. I've made mistakes in my past. Things I regret." Madara's defection came to his mind.

"People I couldn't save." His brothers and Madara flashed next.

"I'm tired Tsuna. I was prepared to die years ago, but I didn't have the will to tell anyone. Even before you were born, I was ready to die." Hashirama said while Tsunade seemed to become sad as she didn't know about Hashirama's wish to die.

"But then it changed. Because you were born. Every time I saw your smile, I gained a desire to live. You became the light of my life Tsuna" Hashirama said with a smile as he rubbed the tears out of Tsunade's eyes.

"So a little before you turned 3, my health began deteriorating beyond a certain point and my self healing wasn't aiding me anymore as it seemed to become useless for anything other than small cuts. I knew my time was limited. But I couldn't, no I didn't want to die. I wanted to be selfish and enjoy my time with you. And that was when I first began using the Prolongation Technique. I was doomed before you began even learning Medical Ninjutsu. Your healings did help me for short periods of time, but it was no use in healing me completely. I've known my fate for a long time Tsuna." Hashirama told Tsunade.

Tsunade felt warm in her heart knowing this, but that didn't stop the dark thoughts from appearing in her mind. 'What if I didn't get close to him at first, maybe he wouldn't have used the technique and I could have saved him.'

Hashirama seemed to be able to read her thoughts as he said "Don't you dare blame yourself Tsuna. You were a light which shined for my entire world. And I would take the same decision over and over again if I have too. Now Tsuna, I need you to listen to what I'm about to tell you." Hashirama said while running his hand over Tsunade's head.

"Tsunade, you are incredibly smart. Keep getting good grades in the Academy and stand up against those that you think are wrong. Always protect your friends as they will always have your back. Make sure you grow up eating a healthy diet and get good sleep, When you grow older and have a family of your own, make sure you tell them about your super grandpa who was the king of gambling. Don't let my brother work himself to death, spend more time with Ayako, and try to force your father to talk more. Make sure you look after Mito since even if she doesn't say it, I think you're her favorite person in the family." Tsunade laughed a little at the joke while her tears didn't stop.

"You are always feeling pressured by the future, and while I don't know what you will face in the future, I'm confident you can handle it. You are a star that will always shine bright Tsuna. You can achieve anything in the world if you put your mind to it the same way that you did towards saving me. And while I won't be able to see it from here, I know that one day you'll surpass me. And I promise you that I'll be watching over you the entire time. I love you Tsuna." Hashirama said while pulling Tsunade into one more deep embrace.

"I love you too, Grandpa." Tsunade said as the tears once again began to flow down her face.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before he called for everyone else to come back in. They all stood around him bed, with everyone having tears in their eyes.

Hashirama looked around the room and his eyes first landed on Tsunade "Remember Tsuna, you can accomplish anything you put your mind too, and never let anyone tell you otherwise."

He then looked at Haru who stood beside Tsunade and spoke "You joined my family 10 years ago when you married my daughter. At the time, I thought of it as a poor decision. Now, I view it as one of the best she ever made. Take care of my daughter and granddaughter, son." He finished as Haru began to tear up even further.

Hashirama then turned toward Ayako who was already crying as he said "Ayako, there's no reason to be sad. We all have to go someday. I'm happy I got to experience the joy of being a father. From your first steps, to your first day in the Shinobi Academy when it was first established, to your first promotion and first mission, I've loved watching you grow from the sweet and kind little girl I raised into the strong kunoichi you've become. Continue to be the kind person that I've always known you to be Ayako." Ayako began choking on her tears while Haru hugged her.

His gaze then turned towards Tobirama, and with a smile on his face he spoke "I'm sorry for not telling you Tobi. I knew that you would devote all your time and energy into healing me and neglecting yourself if I had let you know that I had gotten this bad. But I have faith in you Tobi. After all you're the one who will help keep the dream of peace that Madara and I dreamed of, and I have no doubt I chose the right person as the next Hokage. I love you my little brother." Tobirama began to let his emotions take over for once as tears began to slide down his face with the only words he could get of his throat in a croaked voice was "Elder Brother"

Hashirama finally turned towards Mito as he spoke "Mito, You are truly my best friend and the person I trust the most in the world. I know that the others may get mad at you for not telling them about how bad I had gotten, but it was your love for me that allowed you to go against the family that you care so deeply about. I'm sorry I forced you to have to make a decision like that. And I'm sorry that we didn't get to meet our great grandkids. Try not to follow me too soon. Thank you for accompanying me in this life, Mito. And if there is a next one, I would like to live that one with you as well. I will always love you." Mito leaned over and gave Hashirama a soft kiss as he layed down on the bed.

The realization that this could be the last time she talked to her grandpa utterly terrified Tsunade. She doesn't know if Tobirama still created the Edo Tensei or if Orochimaru would still betray the village and use the technique when attacking it. So for all she knew, it could be the last time she saw him. And even if it wasn't, he would never see her graduate from the Academy. He will never see her painstakingly climb the ranks until she reaches Jonin. He wouldn't see her become the powerful kunoichi that she would become in the future. Memories flashed in her kind, from the natural affection for him she felt at birth, to the necklace she won in a gambling match when she was little, to the training she did with him and him unlocking her chakra, to her vowing to heal him just a few weeks earlier. Tsunade didn't want to see him go. That was her grandpa.

She ran into him and hugged him one last time as everyones cries and tears filled the room.

Hashirama looked at her, with a smile clear on his face, and spoke the last words he would ever say.

"Goodbye, Tsuna."

On this day, the God of Shinobi, who once ended the Warring times and created a new era, passed away.

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