Chapter 5: The Gentle, Bespectacled Maiden and the Timid, Shameless Sucker!
The newcomer was petite and well-proportioned, with a neck as slender as a crane's, delicate shoulders, and a narrow waist. A loose, formal black and white nun's habit concealed her figure, but it could not hide the gentle grace of her temperament.
She had a gentle and graceful, snow-white oval face. A pair of large, thin, black-rimmed circular glasses rested on her pert nose. Behind the clean, transparent lenses, her hazel-green almond eyes were as clear and tranquil as a peaceful harbor.
This was the director of the Kikyo Orphanage at the foot of Kikyo Mountain in Kikyo Castle: Yakushi Nono'o.
The "blonde, older-sister-like director" whom Nara Keisuke was on good terms with was none other than her.
"Lady Tsunade."
Yakushi Nono'o first bowed to the silent, closed-eyed Tsunade, then nodded in acknowledgment to Nara Keisuke.
"Keisuke."
"Sister Nono'o, when did you get back?"
A genuine, joyful smile appeared on Nara Keisuke's small face.
"How come there was no news at all?"
"Last night. I got back to the orphanage very late."
Yakushi Nono'o's eyes were gentle as she responded softly, the smile on her oval face just as warm and sincere.
"Oh, by the way, Keisuke, I haven't congratulated you on graduating from the Ninja Academy yet."
Tsunade suddenly interjected, "Nono'o, are you Yakushi Nono'o?"
Yakushi Nono'o's response now became concise and clean. "Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Her most public identity was the director of the Kikyo Orphanage. A deeper identity was that of a Jōnin in Konoha's Medical Department and Medical Emergency Team. Only the highest echelons of Root knew her true background as a "Root elite," a "legendary spy," and a "Wandering Miko."
As Konoha's foremost medical authority and the head of the Medical Department, Tsunade was one of Yakushi Nono'o's direct superiors.
"We just encountered a spy from an enemy village here. Most likely an elite ninja from Iwagakure."
Tsunade nodded lightly, still maintaining her aloof, closed-eyed posture as she issued commands in an orderly manner.
"Fire the Medical Department's special signal flare. Have the Corpse Disposal Unit stationed in Kikyo Castle come immediately to handle this body."
"Notify the Yamanaka clan of the Analysis Team. This Iwagakure Jōnin possessed a high-level invisibility jutsu similar to the Transparency Release. They might be able to uncover traces of the secret art from this body. Of course, don't forget the secret intelligence in the Iwagakure spy's mind."
"Finally, report to the Anbu and the Hokage's Office... actually, never mind. I'll handle that last matter personally later."
"Yes!"
Yakushi Nono'o nodded with a serious expression. As she took a signal flare from a hidden pocket in her nun's habit, her gaze swept discreetly over Ōishi's already cold corpse.
She recognized this Iwagakure ninja.
Or rather, Yakushi Nono'o had rushed here in the first place because of him.
As a Root elite, Yakushi Nono'o had spent years undercover in other countries as a "Wandering Miko," probing for intelligence on other villages. While serving Root and Konoha, she was also earning a fixed amount of living funds for the Kikyo Orphanage. Therefore, she was very familiar with most of Iwagakure's ninja, especially those at the Jōnin level.
Having returned to the village last night, Yakushi Nono'o was purchasing supplies for the orphanage in Kikyo Castle today when she inadvertently ran into the Iwagakure Jōnin Ōishi, who was also on a spy mission. He had even faintly sensed her presence. If she hadn't used her exquisite counter-tracking skills to shake off the spy, Yakushi Nono'o estimated she would have had to find a way to deal with him herself.
What she hadn't expected was that after shaking Ōishi, she had originally intended to go to the village to report the presence of an Iwagakure spy in Kikyo Castle, but she had unexpectedly detected a strong combat fluctuation outside the castle.
And then, Yakushi Nono'o saw Ōishi's corpse.
The corpse of a spy who had been actively carrying out an investigation!
Bang!
The green signal flare specially made for the Konoha Medical Department lit up the night sky. Beneath the fireworks, Yakushi Nono'o's pretty face was deathly pale.
'No matter what, for the sake of the children in the orphanage, I must leave Root as soon as possible!'
Not long after the signal flare was fired, the ninja from Kikyo Castle arrived—in fact, they were already on their way. The commotion from Ōishi's "Earth Flow Spears," Tsunade's "Monstrous Strength," and Nara Keisuke's "explosive tags" and "flashbangs" was simply too loud. Especially in this sensitive period, the ninja in Kikyo Castle dared not be careless about any disturbance.
The combat ninja in charge of security fell back, and the medical-nin from the Corpse Disposal Unit stepped forward. The Iwagakure spy's body was quickly processed and taken away, and the thick, bloody smell lingering in the air was cleaned up with some sort of special spray. After bowing respectfully to Tsunade, the ninja from the Medical and Analysis Teams departed in a hurry.
"Hah..."
Being the closest, Nara Keisuke clearly heard Tsunade's almost inceptible sigh of relief. She finally, slowly, opened her eyes. Nara Keisuke stopped supporting Tsunade—it was truly tiring for his small frame to hold up such a big sucker—and walked breezily over to Yakushi Nono'o.
"Sister Nono'o, I just went through a battle too. How about you give me a shot of the Mystical Palm Technique to restore my stamina?"
As soon as he said this, before Yakushi Nono'o could even reply, Tsunade, as if possessed, reached out and snatched Nara Keisuke back before he could get far.
Nara Keisuke was completely bewildered and turned his head to look at Tsunade: ?
Tsunade glared back at Nara Keisuke: What? I'm the number one medical-nin in Konoha! You're asking someone else to heal you right in front of me?
"Lady Tsunade!"
Yakushi Nono'o flashed forward anxiously, looking at Nara Keisuke with great concern.
"Was Keisuke injured in the battle just now?"
Seeing the confused look on Nara Keisuke's face and the concern expressed by Yakushi Nono'o, the fire in Tsunade's heart suddenly fizzled. Only then did she realize what a thoughtless thing she had just done.
One second, Tsunade was grabbing Nara Keisuke like a doll. The next, she casually shoved him forward, pushing him directly into Yakushi Nono'o's arms.
A blush instantly stained Yakushi Nono'o's oval face. Although Nara Keisuke was thin and short compared to boys his age due to his severe lack of physical energy, Yakushi Nono'o's figure was also very slender and petite beneath her mature and gentle exterior. Caught off guard, she ended up with a full armful of Nara Keisuke.
And with the soft, warm, and fragrant maiden in his arms, the tip of Nara Keisuke's nose was met with a soft, springy sensation, his nostrils filled with Yakushi Nono'o's scent. For a moment, Nara Keisuke didn't know whether to complain about Tsunade's callousness, thank her for her generosity, or marvel at what Yakushi Nono'o was hiding under her holy nun's habit...
"Not to mention that the Mystical Palm Technique is a medical ninjutsu that splits cells and consumes stamina to begin with."
Tsunade was about to cross her arms, but she inadvertently glanced at her fist and saw a few dried bloodstains still on it. Her body stiffened, but she forced herself to finish her sentence.
"Nara, if you're really out of stamina, just take some medicine!"
Forcing down her shyness, Yakushi Nono'o quickly gave Nara Keisuke a once-over. She found no signs of injury on him and was instantly relieved. She then took out a bottle of military ration pills from her pocket.
"Keisuke, if you really can't go on, take some medicine."
Nara Keisuke's mood was very complicated at this moment. He didn't know what was wrong, but he just felt that something was off. He had a vague feeling that his perfectly healthy kidneys had just been forcefully stabbed several times.
In the end, Nara Keisuke refused the suggestion to take medicine and instead made another request—to go to the Kikyo Orphanage for a meal.
Yakushi Nono'o readily agreed. It wasn't the first or second time Nara Keisuke had scrounged a meal at the Kikyo Orphanage.
And for some unknown reason, Tsunade also proposed going to the Kikyo Orphanage—her official reason was that she needed a place to clean up, as she had to see Lord Third Hokage later.
Yakushi Nono'o found it a bit strange. What she found even more peculiar was the occasional stiffness Tsunade exhibited, almost as if... she was having some sort of episode.
The top and most skilled medical authority in Konoha, and perhaps the entire shinobi world, has contracted a strange illness that even she herself cannot cure?
As a medical-nin with extremely high professional standards, Yakushi Nono'o trusted her judgment. But she didn't rashly ask this question, instead burying it deep in her heart. Never actively seek out secrets you shouldn't know—this was an important lesson Yakushi Nono'o had learned during her long career as a spy.
Nara Keisuke took a thousand-ryō bill from his equipment pouch and handed it to Yakushi Nono'o. He always paid whenever he ate at the orphanage; freeloading was not his hobby.
Yakushi Nono'o accepted the bill as if it were routine. After apologizing to Tsunade, she flickered away from the spot. She needed to go prepare some ingredients that Nara Keisuke liked, and cooking would also take time.
Only after Yakushi Nono'o's presence had completely disappeared did the taut, charming face of Tsunade instantly turn pale, and her body began to tremble and sway once more.
Nara Keisuke sighed silently, stepped forward, and comforted her, "Lady Tsunade, the Corpse Disposal Unit has already cleaned up the... smell around here."
"My hand..."
Tsunade tremblingly raised her right hand. On her fair, delicate skin, a few glaringly dark red, dried bloodstains were dotted.
"On my hand... there's still..."
Nara Keisuke pinched his thigh hard.
Timid and shameless golden-haired sucker!
(End of Chapter)