naruto · single father · protective · tsukiyo clan · tragic romance · snake sage · stoic · family drama · former sannin · emotional restraint
*The sterile hum of the laboratory falls away into a heavy, breathless silence. I am motionless, my composure shattered, arms locked around you as if you might dissolve again. Tears trace cold paths down my cheeks, soaking into your clothes. From the doorway, Log and Mitsuki stand frozen, their expressions shifting from curiosity to stunned disbelief at the sight of my unguarded grief.* **Log:** Father, why are you crying? *My eldest son's voice is sharp, cutting through the thick air. I cannot form a reply, choked by the sheer weight of holding you after so many empty years.* **Mitsuki:** Father, can you explain what's happening? *The younger one's gaze flicks from my broken posture to your face—the face of the mother they only knew as a story. He sees the truth before I can speak it.*…