"Hm?"
As Kiyohara continued the massage, Tsunade occasionally let out soft little hums.
After all, in front of the Sharingan, Kiyohara could clearly observe every subtle rise and fall of her muscles.
He could adjust his pressure and rhythm at any moment.
Their Sharingan really was absurdly versatile.
If Kiyohara decided to become Konoha's number one massage specialist, it honestly did not seem impossible at all.
As his hands moved with steady motions, Kiyohara gradually felt that the shape before him resembled an upside down giant bowl of noodles.
Look at these noodles, long and wide. Just like this bowl, big and round—
For some reason, a certain banned song suddenly appeared in Kiyohara's mind.
"What are you staring at?"
Tsunade suddenly asked.
"Nothing."
Kiyohara shook his head.
Not long afterward, once everything was finished, Tsunade stretched lazily.
She realized Kiyohara's massage skills were actually quite good.
Very good, in fact.
Now, aside from having her own personal chef, she had also gained a personal massage therapist.
At the border of the Land of Fire.
By the time Pakura arrived, dawn had only just begun to brighten the horizon.
The injuries on her body had recovered somewhat already.
But every movement still brought faint pain.
On this day, she finally arrived at the orphanage.
The place was located near Kikyo Mountain, once the main battlefield between Konoha and Suna.
So Pakura was not unfamiliar with this area.
She stood outside the orphanage's iron gate, her finger resting against the doorbell, yet she did not press it immediately.
Inside those brown eyes lingered a trace of hesitation.
After all, trusting Kiyohara so easily still felt almost unreal.
Could she truly trust that Uchiha brat?
What if this place was just another trap?
But compared to those doubts, the hatred she felt toward Suna's higher ups and Rasa burned far more intensely.
Pakura slowly took a deep breath.
In the end, she still pressed the doorbell.
As long as she could achieve revenge, she did not care what intentions Kiyohara had.
A moment later, footsteps sounded from within.
The one who opened the door was a blonde woman dressed in a thick black nun's habit that concealed her curvy figure beneath heavy fabric.
A pair of round framed glasses rested on the bridge of her nose as her eyes examined Pakura carefully.
It was none other than Kabuto's adoptive mother, Yakushi Nono.
The moment she saw Pakura, the instincts she had developed as a shinobi immediately put her on guard.
After all, there had once been incidents where children from this orphanage were kidnapped and trafficked away, so Nono had become extremely vigilant.
"Pakura of the Scorch Release from Sunagakure?"
Even though she had already left the shinobi world behind, Nono still immediately identified Pakura.
She had judged it from Pakura's appearance and the intelligence she had gathered over the years.
Pakura gave a slight nod.
She had made no effort to disguise herself. Then she pulled out the note Kiyohara had given her and handed it over.
Nono did not take it immediately. Only after confirming there was no danger did she accept the paper and unfold it.
The handwriting belonged to Kiyohara.
Since the orphanage frequently exchanged letters with him, Nono could recognize his writing at a glance.
The contents were simple. He asked her to let Pakura stay here temporarily while she recovered from her injuries and wait for further arrangements from him.
At the end of the note was a special mark, a coded symbol shared only between Kiyohara and Nono.
Nono's gaze lingered on the note for several seconds. When she looked up again, most of the caution in her eyes had disappeared.
"Come in."
She stepped aside, her voice softening.
Since this was someone sent by Kiyohara, things became much easier.
After all, Kiyohara was now unquestionably the orphanage's greatest financial supporter.
The amount of money he provided far surpassed Konoha's pitiful subsidies.
It could honestly be said that if the orphanage lost Kiyohara's support, Nono would probably have to return to Root the very next day and resume her old line of work just to make ends meet.
Pakura stepped into the orphanage.
The courtyard was not large, but it was kept extremely clean. Several children were sweeping and tidying up while curiously peeking in her direction.
"Who's that?"
Urushi, wearing his little hat, curiously looked at the woman the director had brought back.
After a while, he shook his head.
Compared to this unfamiliar woman, Urushi was more interested in Kabuto.
He knew Kabuto had been brought to Konoha by Kiyohara and entered the Shinobi Academy for training.
So Urushi was very curious about how many shinobi skills Kabuto had learned by now.
While Urushi was lost in thought, Nono had already led Pakura upstairs.
"Are your injuries alright?"
Nono asked.
Since Kiyohara said Pakura had come here to recover, she must have suffered serious injuries beforehand.
"It's nothing too severe. I just need time to recuperate."
Pakura shook her head.
"You're one of Kiyohara's subordinates? Why are you outside Konoha?"
Pakura found that question somewhat strange.
Kiyohara was clearly a shinobi affiliated with Konoha, yet he somehow had subordinates outside the village as well.
Nono adjusted her glasses but did not answer directly.
"You can ask those questions after your injuries heal. Right now, what you need is a proper examination so I can determine whether your condition has worsened."
After a brief pause, she added:
"You're safe here. At least until Kiyohara returns, nobody will know where you are."
Pakura fell silent.
Safe?
That word had become far too unfamiliar to her.
Just a few days ago, she had firmly believed she was in the safest place possible, surrounded by her own village and comrades.
And what happened in the end?
She closed her eyes, and once again the face of that grinning Mist shinobi appeared in her mind, along with the cruel words that pierced straight into her heart.
"This was personally chosen by your Kazekage."
The moment she remembered that sentence, rage surged uncontrollably within her.
Damn it, those bastards!
Pakura rarely cursed, but even she could not stop herself from swearing inwardly at those scum.
The fury simply would not subside.
"Take me to the medical room."
Pakura spoke quietly.
Nono led her into a room.
This was also a private laboratory and medical facility funded by Kiyohara and managed by her personally.
The moment they entered, the sharp scent of disinfectant filled the air.
Pakura removed her damaged upper clothing, exposing her entire back.
The instant Nono saw the crisscrossing wounds, her brows furrowed tightly.
It seemed Pakura had been ambushed.
Caught completely off guard, she had not even had time to use chakra before taking those attacks head on.
The flesh itself had healed fairly well, but the internal chakra pathway system had clearly suffered severe damage.
Especially the area near the left side of her upper back close to the heart, where the body's chakra pathways were densest and thickest.
"Lie down."
Nono put on gloves and began preparing medical instruments.
Kiyohara had already handled the treatment quite well. What she needed to do now was confirm whether the recovering chakra pathways had healed incorrectly.
As she worked, she continued instructing Pakura.
"You need at least two weeks of complete rest. During that period, you must not use too much chakra, otherwise the chakra pathways will tear open again."
The chakra pathway system was an organ possessed by every human being.
It existed throughout every cell of the body, even smaller than mitochondria.
That was why the human body could refine physical energy and transmit chakra through those pathways.
Pakura lay face down on the medical bed, her face buried in the pillow as she nodded slightly.
Although her desire for revenge was intense, and she desperately wished to begin training immediately in order to gather strength for vengeance, she still understood one thing clearly.
Without restoring her body first, nothing else mattered.
Afterward, Nono used several medical ninjutsu specifically targeted toward repairing the chakra pathway system.
Green medical chakra flowed from her palms and seeped into the wounds, stimulating cellular regeneration.
The process was extremely painful, yet Pakura did not let out even a single groan.
What a stubborn woman.
Nono thought silently.
The treatment lasted nearly an hour.
When it was finally over, Nono carefully rebandaged her wounds.
"All done."
Nono removed her gloves.
"I'll show you your room. You need proper rest. Later, I'll have the kitchen prepare some food to help replenish your blood."
Pakura slowly sat up and changed into the clean clothes Nono had prepared for her.
Surprisingly, they were also a set of black nun's robes.
"The only clothes women wear around the orphanage are these."
Nono spoke apologetically.
The children in the orphanage were all still very young. Once they grew older, they would naturally leave the orphanage and begin living independently outside.
It was just that Nono had only become the director a few years ago after separating herself from Konoha, so not many children had yet grown old enough under her care to leave on their own.
After all, not much time had passed.
"Thank you."
Pakura did not particularly care about such trivial matters. She accepted the black nun's habit and put it on.
Fortunately, her lace undergarments had not been damaged, so she only needed to slip the robe over herself.
Once dressed in the black nun's clothing, Pakura's entire temperament immediately softened by several degrees.
Nono said, "If you want to thank someone, thank Kiyohara-kun. I'm only carrying out his instructions."
Her affection was directed far more toward children.
Someone like Pakura, already fully grown, was clearly beyond the age range Nono naturally concerned herself with.
So if this had not been Kiyohara's arrangement, Nono suspected she probably would never have involved herself with Pakura at all.
Afterward, Nono led Pakura to a south facing room.
The room was not large, but it was clean and bright. The bed, desk, and chairs were all complete, and through the window one could see the distant forests and mountains.
"This room is usually used for children who need to be isolated and monitored. Right now it's empty."
Nono spoke gently.
"You can stay here for now. If you need anything, just tell me."
Pakura walked over to the window and quietly gazed outside.
The morning sunlight fell across her pale and beautiful face.
"Miss Nono."
She suddenly spoke.
"Hm?"
"Can Kiyohara really give me power?"
Pakura wanted to test whether Kiyohara's other subordinates also possessed the strength of the cursed seal.
Nono fell silent for a moment.
"I don't know exactly what Kiyohara-kun promised you."
She spoke slowly.
"But from what I know about him, he never speaks empty words. If he said it, then he definitely has confidence in accomplishing it."
Pakura turned around, her brown eyes staring directly at Nono.
"And you? Why are you willing to help him do things like this? Sheltering a rogue shinobi like me carries quite a bit of risk, doesn't it?"
"Rogue shinobi?"
Nono slightly raised an eyebrow.
Sunagakure's hero had become a missing nin?
What kind of shocking revelation was this?
For a split second, Nono almost activated the instincts she had developed as an intelligence shinobi and tried to pry out more information.
But she suppressed those impulses and merely smiled.
"It's nothing important. As long as it's what Kiyohara says, we simply follow his instructions."
Nono answered calmly.
Even if it meant sheltering a rogue shinobi from Konoha itself, so what?
Not to mention a rogue shinobi from another village.
Pakura found herself somewhat surprised.
This woman was actually so obedient toward Kiyohara.
It seemed Kiyohara's methods for controlling and managing people were quite impressive.
That realization reassured Pakura a little more.
The more capable and powerful Kiyohara was, the greater the benefits would naturally be for her as well.
When they had stood as enemies, she could feel the immense pressure he gave off.
But once they became allies, that same pressure somehow transformed into a strange sense of security.
Several days passed.
Only then did Kiyohara finally return to Konoha together with an extremely reluctant Tsunade.
Along the way back, he had scattered quite a few Flying Thunder God kunai.
Some were placed in locations Tsunade knew about.
Others were hidden in places even Tsunade did not know.
In any case, Kiyohara had completely used up all the Flying Thunder God kunai he carried on him.
Across the Land of Wind, the Land of Rivers, and even throughout the Land of Fire during the return journey, he had left behind numerous markers.
Looks like I'll need to make another batch of Flying Thunder God kunai.
Kiyohara thought to himself.
Actually, Flying Thunder God kunai were not particularly difficult to make.
The only difference was that these specially crafted kunai used lighter materials so they could travel through the air faster.
As for the Flying Thunder God formula itself, one could either attach sealing paper engraved with the formula or carve it directly onto the weapon.
The real issue was mental exhaustion.
Even for Minato, making a single Flying Thunder God kunai required several days of concentrated effort.
But for Kiyohara, this was practically effortless.
He would not dare boast about many things, but when it came to matters related to spiritual energy and mental strength, he could confidently guarantee an unlimited supply.
"We're back again."
Tsunade slightly parted her lips and let out a sigh.
Every time she arrived at a casino, she felt as though she had returned home.
But when she returned to Konoha, she somehow felt like she was clocking back into work.
Because the moment she came back to the village, missions would start appearing every few days.
Having spent years living lazily and freely, Tsunade deeply missed her old carefree life.
Especially after Kiyohara moved into her home, that laid back lifestyle had become even more comfortable.
"Let's report to the Hokage first."
Kiyohara said.
Then he grabbed Tsunade's hand and pulled the absentminded woman toward the Hokage Tower.
Sometimes, he genuinely felt as though he were the older one between the two of them.
When Tsunade felt Kiyohara holding her hand, she froze slightly.
But in the end, she said nothing.
After all, the age gap between them was enormous.
Tsunade was even worried people might accuse her of robbing the cradle.
"Kiyohara and Lady Tsunade are back too."
In the distance, Minato watched the two walking toward the Hokage Tower and inwardly sighed at how good the relationship between this master and disciple pair seemed to be.
'Though I suppose Kiyohara probably gets along well with everyone.'
Minato thought to himself.
After all, even his own disciple, Kakashi, such an aloof and withdrawn shinobi, had an excellent relationship with Kiyohara.
"Minato, what are you thinking about?"
Beside him, Kushina asked curiously.
"Hm, I was just thinking that if Kiyohara ever decided to compete for the position of Hokage, the pressure on me would become enormous."
Minato spoke sincerely.
In his opinion, the most important qualification for becoming Hokage was earning the recognition of others.
Not to mention that Kiyohara's strength and character were both exceptionally outstanding.
Well, his only flaw was probably his obsession with looting corpses.
As long as someone was an enemy, Kiyohara would strip them clean without leaving behind even a single valuable item, carrying around huge quantities of sealing scrolls everywhere he went.
Whenever Minato occasionally carried out missions together with Kiyohara, he felt less like a shinobi and more like he was participating in an actual military campaign.
Kiyohara was practically conducting search, seizure, and evacuation operations all by himself.
"That can't be true. Kiyohara is so much younger than you."
Kushina said.
"Yes, my greatest advantage is probably just being older."
Minato answered modestly.
Inside the Hokage Tower.
"You've done very well."
Hiruzen looked over the report Tsunade handed in and appeared extremely satisfied.
As a result, the words he originally intended to use to question Tsunade about why she had stayed away from the village for so long were swallowed back down.
When a student performs excellently, a teacher usually does not mind that student spending time playing games.
What teachers feared most were students who played games constantly while also performing terribly.
Of course, compared to that, Orochimaru belonged to the category of top student who simply transferred schools altogether.
"I think it went pretty well too."
Tsunade grinned smugly.
Then she rubbed her hands together expectantly like a greedy little fly.
"Old man, aren't you going to give me some rewards?"
Hearing Tsunade's words, Hiruzen suddenly found himself speechless.
Rewards, rewards.
His disciple really had fallen straight into a pit of greed.
Where exactly had she learned such money loving and gambling obsessed behavior?
Hm?
From the First Hokage?
Then never mind.
Hiruzen instantly felt much more at ease.
"I'll give you the compensation for an S rank mission."
Hiruzen said.
"Oh right, I heard that you came into contact with Sunagakure's unique medical system while you were there, Kiyohara?"
Hiruzen asked curiously.
"Yes, I learned a little."
Kiyohara replied.
What those Sand shinobi never realized was that Kiyohara learned one thing from every single one of them, taking advantage of the opportunity to fleece them for quite a bit of knowledge.
"That's an excellent thing. When you have time, Kiyohara, you should teach Konoha's medical shinobi more about it."
Hiruzen said.
Tsunade's development path had become somewhat crooked.
But that was alright.
There was still the extremely promising Kiyohara.
"I understand, Hokage-sama."
Seeing the anticipation in Hiruzen's expression, Kiyohara slowly nodded.
Teaching other medical shinobi was not a problem at all.
The development of ninjutsu could never be advanced by a single individual alone.
It required collective wisdom and the sharing of ideas.
What Kiyohara learned were only relatively basic Water Release medical ninjutsu, but if those techniques were planted as seeds within Konoha, then perhaps next year some talented medical shinobi would develop even more related techniques from them, C rank, B rank, perhaps even A rank.
At that point, Kiyohara would only need to copy them one by one, saving himself tremendous amounts of time.
He had especially high hopes for Rin and estimated she would probably create quite a few useful ninjutsu in the future.
After Kiyohara and Tsunade left the Hokage building, they collected their mission payment and returned home.
The next day, Kiyohara planned to train at Training Ground Three.
There, he happened to encounter Kakashi.
Seeing that Kiyohara had returned, Kakashi invited him to spar.
Kiyohara readily agreed.
Kakashi summoned the silver gray binding fish that had already grown significantly larger, Yamamaru.
After infusing it with chakra, Yamamaru transformed into a straight bladed short sword around thirty centimeters long.
Kakashi swung the blade a few times, his movements far more skilled and practiced than before.
Clearly, during the time Kiyohara had been away, Kakashi had also been steadily deepening his coordination with Yamamaru.
"How's the sword adapting to you?"
Kiyohara asked.
"It feels very natural."
Kakashi casually spun the blade in a flourish.
"I feel like I've rediscovered the sensation of using kenjutsu from the past."
Kakashi looked down at the sword while speaking.
"That's good."
Kiyohara also summoned Samehada.
Ever since Kushina helped him seal away Kiri's summoning contract that existed inside Samehada, the weapon now possessed only Kiyohara's summoning contract.
The moment Samehada appeared, it immediately noticed Yamamaru and recognized it as its own clone.
"Ready?"
"Come."
The instant those words fell, both of them moved simultaneously.
Clang!
A streak of white light flashed across Kakashi's blade.
It was unmistakably the kenjutsu left behind by Hatake Sakumo.
(End of Chapter)