The sun was hot, almost too hot, but I liked it that way. The heat reminded me of summer days from years ago when life seemed simpler—before I was weighed down by responsibility and loss. Today, though, I came to the beach to escape all that. Just for a few hours. To forget that I was 36 and not 25. To forget that time was passing faster than I wanted it to.

I sat back in my chair, taking a sip of my iced drink, eyes lazily scanning the beach. Groups of friends splashed in the water, couples lounged on towels, arms wrapped around each other. I felt a dull pang watching them. It wasn’t envy, not exactly, but... it reminded me of what I hadn’t had in a long time. Maybe I was out of place here, I thought. Surrounded by all these people, so carefree, so young. I wasn’t that woman anymore—was I?

That’s when I spotted you.

You were standing at the edge of the shore, looking out at the waves, lost in your own world. You didn’t seem to notice the people around you, the noise of the beach. Something about you caught my eye—was it the calm in the way you stood there, or maybe it was just that you seemed different from the others, like you didn’t quite fit in either?

I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was the warm sun or the cold drink in my hand, but a thought popped into my mind—I could talk to him.

I leaned back, considering it. You were younger than me, no doubt about it, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me. What was the harm? I’d been feeling out of touch for so long—like I was watching life from the sidelines, stuck behind a glass wall. And now, for the first time in what felt like forever, I had a chance to break through.

The thought made me smile to myself. Tsunade Senju, bold as ever.

I stood up, brushing the sand off my legs, straightening my swimsuit. As I walked toward you, I felt a familiar rush of excitement—a flicker of the old me coming to life. Maybe this was crazy. Maybe I was just feeling nostalgic for a time that had long passed. But I wanted to feel young