C217

"He looks ugly, like a monkey."

Kain held Naruto up, carefully inspecting him. Before long, he started envisioning their future together. 

Naruto's teacher would play an important role—perhaps he should ask Orochimaru about it later. Nawaki had always been reckless, but now he had become even more cautious than a monkey.

"Newborns all look like this! What kind of father dislikes his own son?"

Tsunade forcefully took Naruto from Kain's hands. After a thorough examination, she reported his health status to Kushina.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder—why had Kain chosen the name Naruto? It sounded like a ramen topping. Then again, given how much Kushina loved ramen, maybe that was the reason.

"Not only is Naruto completely healthy, but even Kushina's recovery is remarkably fast," Yakushi Nonō reported, holding a medical chart as she stood beside Kain. "After drinking the energy potion, she bounced back almost immediately."

Though her words were about Kushina, Kain noticed the way Nonō was looking at Naruto. Her eyes were full of envy.

But the mysteries of life and birth were not Kain's focus at the moment. Kushina was a special case, after all. 

He had been carefully nurturing Nonō these past few days, making sure she received all the necessary "nutrients." Perhaps the "seeds" simply required more nourishment than expected.

Kain made a mental note to strengthen Nonō's body in the future. She shouldn't be collapsing after every training session.

Suddenly, Tsunade stepped in between Kain and Nonō, her tone sharp.

"Hey! Something big happened while you were gone."

Kain frowned. "You'll find out tomorrow. It's nothing small, that's for sure. Maybe Nawaki can finally catch a break on the front lines."

Then, shifting his gaze to Tsunade, he added, "Speaking of which, aren't you one of the legendary Sannin? You've been acting like an invisible bystander this whole time."

Tsunade shot him an annoyed glare.

Kain smirked. He had a plan.

Tomorrow, he'd place a 100-million-ryō IOU on her desk and demand repayment. Even if Nawaki completed dozens of S-rank missions, it wouldn't be enough to cover that debt.

"I hate their stupid fights. I'd rather stay out of it," Tsunade replied dismissively. Then, as she turned to leave, she suddenly paused. "By the way, neither of you know the first thing about taking care of a baby. You should probably hire someone who does."

Kushina, who had been cradling Naruto and giggling, perked up at Tsunade's words. She acknowledged the suggestion but quickly turned her attention back to savoring the new experience of being a mother.

Meanwhile, outside, the chaos had already settled.

The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki had been captured. Uchiha Obito had retreated.

The only remaining problem was the Fourth Raikage.

But Orochimaru, now in Sage Mode, had no trouble dealing with him.

His enhanced perception allowed him to track the Raikage's movements, while Sage Mode amplified his strength in every aspect. 

Combined with the sheer unpredictability of Inorganic Reincarnation, even the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode—his speed and raw physical power—wasn't enough.

In the end, the Raikage was left charred from multiple explosions, his body riddled with over a dozen wounds, and even poisoned by Orochimaru's snakes.

After casually tossing him to the medical ninja for some quick bandaging, Orochimaru ensured that multiple sealing techniques were placed on him before having him bound in triple-layered restraints and thrown into Konoha's prison.

As for what to do with the Fourth Raikage…

That was still up for discussion. Killing him outright might be satisfying, but it would be far more useful to leverage him for political or strategic gain.

Inside Konoha Prison

Not long after the Fourth Raikage was thrown into his cell, another prisoner arrived. Ai took a closer look and recognized him—it was Tutai.

Quickly, he called out, "Tutai! Are you alright?"

"Lord Raikage… I'm fine. I just barely escaped falling into the hands of… ugh, Konoha's White Fang—no, his son."

Tutai coughed twice as he spoke. During the battle, Hatake Kakashi's Chidori had nearly pierced his chest. 

Fortunately, he had reacted in time, grabbing Kakashi's right hand at the last moment and countering with a sword strike of his own to neutralize the attack.

However, he hadn't been able to escape for long. Soon after, Uchiha Shisui's genjutsu had taken him down. By the time he woke up, he was already on his way to Konoha Prison.

"Tutai, where are the others? Have you seen B?"

The Fourth Raikage's voice was tense with urgency. Maybe he should have been more cautious, brought more reinforcements—anything to change the outcome.

Tutai sighed heavily. "The only ones still alive… are you, me, and B. But I didn't see B when I was captured, so he must be imprisoned somewhere else."

Ai clenched his fists in frustration. Seeing this, Tutai quickly tried to reassure him. "Don't worry, Lord Raikage. Konoha doesn't seem to have much interest in other tailed beasts. If they did, they wouldn't have distributed them across different villages in the first place. If we want to return home, the village will have to pay a steep price."

That price was easy to imagine. The Third Raikage and the council members would undoubtedly be furious. 

The deal they'd have to negotiate with Konoha could be just as costly as the agreements signed during the Third Shinobi World War—if not worse. After all, this time, Konoha had captured three of their key figures.

"Damn those Mist Shinobi bastards! They're a bunch of useless trash!"

Ai roared, slamming his fist into the wall in anger. But without access to his chakra and with his body still severely injured, all he accomplished was hurting his own hand. The walls of Konoha Prison were built to withstand much stronger attacks.

Still, deep inside, Ai made a vow.

When he escaped, he would return. And when he did, both Konoha and the Mist would pay.

Konoha Hospital

"Lady Tsunade, Lady Nono , Konoha Hospital has received an influx of wounded civilians and ninjas. Your assistance is needed immediately."

Just as Tsunade and Yakushi Nono left Kain's house, an Anbu appeared before them, briefly reporting on the current state of the village.

In total, more than 30 ninjas had been injured, while nearly a hundred civilians had suffered wounds. Four people had died.

White Zetsu's forces, devoid of morality or hesitation, had carried out their mission with ruthless efficiency. If not for Konoha's swift response, the seven White Zetsu with particularly troublesome abilities could have caused thousands of casualties.

"Hokage-sama has requested that you both tend to the injured as soon as possible to minimize the fallout from tonight's events."

Tsunade sighed, scratching her head. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. We're heading to the hospital now. That damn Orochimaru—he sure knows how to boss people around."

The Anbu remained silent. He wasn't in a position to comment on the Hokage, especially not in front of one of the legendary Sannin. With a swift nod, he vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

As Tsunade and Yakushi Nono made their way toward the hospital, Tsunade suddenly spoke.

"Hey, Nono ."

Hearing her name, Yakushi Nono tilted her head. "What is it, Lady Tsunade?"

"Oh, nothing much. I was just wondering about your relationship status. After all, you are my only student."

Nono froze for a moment before her mind raced back to recent days. Tsunade had always slept soundly—she hadn't shown any signs of noticing anything unusual.

…Right?

However, Nono had spent years gathering intelligence, and Tsunade's odd behavior didn't escape her notice. Almost instinctively, she added Tsunade to her mental list of suspicious individuals.

Still, she responded casually, "I don't have any thoughts about that for the time being. Didn't you also never look for someone, Teacher Tsunade?"

Tsunade sighed. "That's exactly what I don't want you to learn from me. After all, there really hasn't been anyone around me who's caught my eye."

As she said this, a sudden memory flashed through her mind—the voice she had heard that night, the sensation of rubbing her legs together. Even as she walked, a wave of heat flared inside her.

'Damn it! Why am I thinking about that bastard?!'

Nono, trailing slightly behind, didn't notice the change in Tsunade's expression and simply added, "I'm the same as you, Teacher Tsunade."

They soon arrived at Konoha Hospital, where the sheer number of injured patients became apparent. With too few beds available, some wounded were forced to sit outside, waiting for treatment.

Seeing this, Tsunade immediately made a decision. "Nono, I'll handle the civilian casualties. You take care of the severely wounded shinobi. When this is all over, I want you to sign a summoning contract with Katsuyu."

Tsunade suddenly recalled that she had neglected to have Nonōyu sign the contract before. Up until now, Nono had primarily been responsible for hospital administration and complex surgeries, but she had never been deployed to the battlefield, which had caused Tsunade to overlook her limitations in large-scale healing.

"Understood, Lady Tsunade." With that, Yakushi Nono turned and entered the hospital.

"Summoning Technique!"

Tsunade slammed her palm onto the ground, summoning a four-to-five-meter-high Katsuyu. The giant slug immediately split into hundreds of smaller clones, which began crawling toward the injured civilians both inside and outside the hospital. 

This method, using Katsuyu's ability to distribute chakra and heal en masse, was the fastest way to treat so many people at once.

Meanwhile, inside the hospital, Nono was handed a list of the most critical patients. After scanning the names, she quickly formed a plan.

"I'll handle this surgery first. You're responsible for these five patients. Once you're finished, move on to the others."

One of the medical-nin looked at her in surprise. "Vice President Nono, don't you need an assistant?"

"No, I can manage on my own. Get to work."

Without another word, she hurried toward Hatake Kakashi's operating room.

The other medical-nin had already prepared to begin Kakashi's treatment, but since Nono had taken charge, they followed her instructions without question.

Upon entering the operating room, Nono wasted no time. She administered an anesthetic to Kakashi and then set up a simple barrier to ensure no one could see what was happening inside.

With everything in place, she began the procedure, carefully treating each of Kakashi's wounds. Once his injuries were fully healed, she reached into her non-marking extension pouch and pulled out a Sharingan with three tomoe.

With expert precision, she swapped it with Kakashi's existing Sharingan.

Thanks to Nono's unparalleled medical ninjutsu, when Kakashi woke up, he wouldn't notice a thing.

….

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