The Shinigami's Smile

The rest of the journey was peaceful, instead.

Perhaps survivors from the force Sanada had led had managed to send word back, making the Sand Ninja reluctant to send a large force to intercept them. Or perhaps losing contact with their spy had left them unable to locate Konoha's reinforcements.

In any case, aside from a few unlucky Sand Ninja scouting parties that were wiped out by the Konoha Ninja, whose morale was high, they met no other obstacles. The entire group moved faster rather than slowing down.

Before they knew it, the terrain began to rise and fall. Jagged rocks replaced the gentle hills, and the dirt road beneath them became a slope strewn with loose stones. The carriage wheels creaked as they rolled over it. The mountain walls on either side grew steeper, and the occasional rock tumbled down from above, sending long echoes through the deep valley.

The humidity in the air changed subtly as well. The dry autumn wind of the plains gave way to a damp chill mingled with mountain mist.

"Once we cross this mountain, we'll be able to see Kikyo Castle. It's right at the foot of the mountain."

Hizashi Hyuga pointed to a steep mountain ahead, speaking casually, as though chatting with a friend.

The ninjas around them thought nothing of it. Over the past few days, they had grown used to the Jonin leading them speaking to the thirteen-year-old medical Chunin as an equal. None of them found it strange; they all thought Hizashi Hyuga's attitude was only natural.

It wasn't just because of that stunning battle. Baiye's Medical Ninjutsu was equally astonishing.

The other medical-nin all had to take turns resting to recover their Chakra and stamina, but Baiye had continued treating the wounded with great efficiency. More remarkably, everyone he treated felt as though their mental fatigue had been swept away.

The healing of their wounds was only what showed on the surface. The weariness of days on the march and the tension left over from battle also vanished in the brief moments his palm hovered over them.

"Strongest Chunin?"

Someone had mentioned the title in a low voice. After all, Baiye had gained a bit of a reputation some time ago.

At first, quite a few people had thought it was a little exaggerated. Now, though, they felt the title didn't do Baiye's strength justice at all.

Even a Jonin wasn't this reliable, all right?

Among themselves, they had even secretly given Baiye another title.

That ever-unruffled expression, those composed steps as he moved mercilessly among his enemies, even the way he swung his blade to reap lives had a precision that was almost ritualistic.

Shinigami.

That was the title befitting this top-tier genius.

Then they saw Baiye suddenly stop.

"More people coming?" Several Chunin guards drew their Kunai with practiced ease, their gazes shifting between Baiye and Hizashi Hyuga as they waited for orders.

Over the past few days, they had developed an unspoken understanding: Baiye detected the enemy, Hizashi Hyuga gave the orders, and they carried them out. But this time, Baiye gave no warning. Instead, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, leaving the few who had been watching him momentarily dazed.

So the Shinigami could smile too.

And it was surprisingly good-looking.

Hizashi Hyuga's Byakugan caught sight of a figure approaching from that direction. He immediately raised a hand, signaling everyone to lower their weapons.

"It's not an enemy."

"Huh?"

"Lady Tsunade is here."

An uproar broke out in the group. Hizashi Hyuga waved for everyone to keep moving and quickened his own pace. Baiye walked beside him, the smile already gone from his lips, though his steps were noticeably lighter than before.

"Lady Tsunade." Hizashi Hyuga stepped forward first and bowed slightly in greeting.

"Hizashi." Tsunade stopped and swept her gaze over the group, a hint of surprise in her voice. "I thought Sensei had sent everyone who could fight north. I didn't expect him to send you here. You're quite capable at leading a team, though, keeping morale this high all the way here."

"That's thanks to Baiye," Hizashi Hyuga said, straightening up, his voice calm and earnest. "If it weren't for him, we might not even have made it here, let alone had any morale to speak of."

"Oh?" Tsunade turned her head as though she had only just noticed Baiye in the crowd. Her eyebrows rose slightly, and a teasing smile appeared on her lips. She was just about to say something when she saw Baiye striding toward her.

He reached straight out and took Tsunade by the wrist.

"Huh?"

Before Tsunade could react, she heard Baiye say in a tone that brooked no argument, "Come."

He led Tsunade straight through the dumbstruck crowd toward a carriage carrying medical supplies at the rear of the group. The door was pulled open, and Baiye motioned for a ninja nearby to stand guard outside. Then he pushed Tsunade into the carriage, followed her in, and pulled the door shut behind him.

The carriage curtain fell, blocking the view of everyone outside.

The ninjas looked at one another and opened their mouths, countless guesses flashing through their minds, but none of them dared voice a word. In the end, Hizashi Hyuga was the first to recover. He coughed lightly and waved for everyone to disperse.

The carriage was piled high with medicine and bandages. The cramped space had room for only the two of them to sit facing each other, their knees almost touching. Baiye rested his palm on Tsunade's head, and the green light of Medical Ninjutsu seeped through his fingertips into her Chakra pathways. Beneath that green light was another, softer, almost imperceptible glow that quietly enveloped Tsunade's soul.

"Whew..."

As though a heavy burden had been lifted from her, Tsunade's body went limp, and she leaned against the inside wall of the carriage. She closed her eyes, her breathing gradually growing slow and deep. The ease she hadn't felt in so long nearly sent her to sleep right there. Only when Baiye spoke did she lazily open her eyes.

"Has the situation on the battlefield gotten this serious? You have to go into battle yourself too? Did you see blood?"

"I did, but only in the operating room." Tsunade rubbed the space between her brows, unable to hide the exhaustion in her voice. "In my current state, I wouldn't dare go onto the battlefield. If anyone found out about my Hemophobia, we wouldn't be able to hold Kikyo Castle."

"They needed you to operate personally—was it Chiyo's poison?"

"Mm. That old woman developed a new poison. Our losses were too great, so I had to make an antidote as quickly as possible."

"Did you make it?"

"I did. But it still took three days. A lot of people died in the meantime."

Tsunade leaned against the carriage wall, her gaze resting on a spot on the ceiling. Her tone was flat, as though she were describing a battle that had nothing to do with her. "After I made it, I performed several operations in a row. The wounded kept coming in one after another, and the operating table was never empty. If it went on for a few more days, I was afraid someone would notice something was wrong. That's why I came to find you as soon as I could."

"I guessed you'd be with this group."

Baiye didn't answer. The light of the Medical Ninjutsu around his hand gradually faded, replaced by the deeper light of Kaido.

Tsunade felt that familiar power sinking into the depths of her soul, soothing the unease that had surged under days of pressure, little by little. Those invisible hands were gradually loosening the string that had been pulled too taut deep within her soul.

She let out a long breath, her shoulders sinking slightly. In the dim carriage, the face that had remained as cold and hard as iron at the operating table finally showed a trace of her own unguarded exhaustion. Baiye withdrew his hand, picked up the coat that had slipped down beside the seat, and gently draped it over her.

"Get some rest."

"All right."

Tsunade closed her eyes, and after a moment her breathing grew steady and deep. Baiye didn't leave. He sat on the other side of the carriage, laid his Tachi across his knees, and closed his eyes to rest. The carriage wheels jostled slightly over the gravel road, and outside came the sounds of the group getting back in formation.

Kikyo Castle lay just at the foot of the mountain, and the buildings within were already faintly visible.

Baiye opened his eyes and looked ahead through a gap in the carriage curtain, then closed them again.