I once asked about this quote myself. Leii-Leii gave me a beautiful headcanon (which you can find here: msleilei#.tumblr#.#com/#post/#136199354063/#his-fists-clenched-as-if-in-prayer) I've been struggling since then to put into words the profound impact this quote left on me.
When Reborn was handed Sawada Tsunayoshi's file, he was displeased with its contents. They described a weak and pathetic boy, lazy, clumsy and no motivation. Unfit to be a mafia don. Perhaps, and Reborn didn't think it was possible, worse than Useless Dino.
Still, he was not the World's Greatest Hitman for nothing, and orders were orders. So Reborn accepted the job and headed for Japan, hoping that maybe Sawada Tsunayoshi was different from his file.
He was disappointed.
Not only were the files accurate, they spoke nothing of the innocence that Tsunayoshi had. That made it worse. Here was a boy, a child, innocent and free of bloodstained hands. He was soft, kind and gentle. A civilian, through and through. Tsunayoshi was indeed 'Dame'; terrible academic grades and a weak physical disposition, but he was a child, a fourteen year old child. Reborn could not scrub away the feeling that he was about to lead a lamb to slaughter.
But orders were orders.
Then something changed. It was subtle, in a creeping ivy way. Reborn's first clue had been Tsuna's fight against Gokudera. To put out the fuses… such a non-violent method, even under the influences of the Dying Will Bullet. Hands swinging wildly, scrambling to put the fuses out, jaw set in determination and the eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration.
It only became clearer as time went on. Tsuna fought like the naive child that he was: as peacefully and quickly as he could. The minute it became apparent that his opponent had lost the will to fight, Tsuna's resolve and flames also ended. Tsuna fought because he had to, not because he wanted to. Unwilling all the way, but no less determined to protect what was his.
The fight with Mukuro sealed the thought within Reborn. Mukuro had used it as a ploy to distract Tsuna, but there was truth in his words that he rather die than be captured by the mafia. And Tsuna… Tsuna in Hyper Dying Will Mode with his internal limiters removed, had refused. Even with cold, ruthless logic currently ruling Tsuna, he retained the mercy, that gentle heart that would be his downfall later in life. (But not if Reborn had anything to do with it).
It was this thought that Reborn started his latest report to Nono.
Nono,
Enclosed is my report for Sawada Tsunayoshi's performance against the criminal Rokudo Mukuro. Last time you asked me for my personal thoughts on Tsuna. It is my opinion that the boy can be summarized thusly:
With his brows furrowed and fists swung in the semblance of a prayer, that is Sawada Tsunayoshi.
Reborn