Thirteen: Hospitalized

Inside the Hokage's office in Konoha, the Third Hokage, middle-aged and clad in his Hokage robes, puffed away on his pipe. After hearing his subordinate's report, he exhaled a long cloud of smoke.

"So the news that Sunagakure swiftly occupied the Land of Rivers and the Land of Birds is definitely true?"

"Yes! The reports have been confirmed by merchants who fled the Land of Rivers."

"Sunagakure had originally planned to invade the Land of Stone at the same time, but Iwagakure's ninja happened to be defending the border. The Third Kazekage and the Third Tsuchikage fought fiercely, and it ended with Sunagakure withdrawing from the Land of Stone!"

An Anbu wearing an animal mask knelt on one knee and answered respectfully.

"Who would've thought Sunagakure really had the nerve to do that? During the negotiations, I thought they were just bluffing..." the Third Hokage said pensively.

The Anbu didn't respond, only keeping his head lowered.

"What about Danzo? Where did he run off to?" The Third Hokage seemed to remember something and asked.

"L-Lord Danzo should have gone to the Land of Rain," the Anbu replied hesitantly.

"The Land of Rain? What did he go there for?" the Third Hokage murmured. He and his former comrade had grown increasingly at odds, and Danzo's actions had become harder and harder for him to understand.

With the Ninja World's situation so turbulent and unpredictable, the Third Hokage couldn't help frowning. Powerful enemies watched them hungrily from all sides, and Iwagakure was launching attacks without the slightest restraint.

The AB Brothers of Kumogakure had also carried out numerous raids, while Kirigakure kept making moves in secret.

Sunagakure, which he'd thought could be kept in check, had taken advantage of the chaos to seize the Land of Rivers and the Land of Birds. Now, the two countries bordered one another directly. Judging by Sunagakure's past conduct, their next target would surely be the Land of Fire!

Fortunately... A figure as dazzling as sunlight appeared in the Third Hokage's mind. His furrowed brow relaxed, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

Minato, who had distinguished himself in this war, undoubtedly had the strength to resolve Konoha's crisis.

In the hospital in Sunagakure, in the Land of Wind, Souya lay on a white hospital bed, bored out of his mind.

"Sasori, I never thought you'd be free to visit me, busy as you are," Souya teased with a grin.

Ever since finding a new goal in life, Sasori's eyes no longer looked as lifeless as a still pool, but he still maintained his usual aloof expression.

"..." Sasori rolled his eyes, momentarily at a loss for words. He'd been busy with missions lately, having developed a new jutsu called "Brain-Sand Manipulation."

With this jutsu, he could secretly control spies and provide Sunagakure with a steady stream of intelligence.

"How's your investigation into that Forbidden Jutsu going? I've controlled a few ninja from Konoha, but their ranks are too low. They can't get near a Forbidden Jutsu of that level." Sasori immediately asked about the matter he cared most about.

"Hey, Sasori... I'd just run from the Land of Rivers to the border when I got laid up in the hospital. How could I possibly have gotten any intel..." Souya complained with a laugh.

"Oh." Sasori turned around and started to leave.

"Wait!" Souya suddenly called out.

When Sasori turned back, Souya had already put on a serious expression. Sasori felt a surge of anticipation. Ever since he'd met Souya, the man seemed to know all sorts of secrets about the Ninja World.

The more Sasori learned about those secrets, the more he realized there was something extraordinary about Souya. Ordinary people simply had no way of finding out such things.

"There's one person in Konoha who could get access to this jutsu and learn it for himself!" Souya said gravely.

"Who?" Sasori asked urgently.

"Orochimaru!" Souya answered without keeping him in suspense.

"Orochimaru... So it was him..." Sasori's expression shifted, and he murmured in a daze.

Sasori had naturally heard of the Konoha Sannin, whose names resounded throughout the Ninja World.

Their fame spoke for itself: they were powerful. It went without saying how difficult it would be to get a Forbidden Jutsu from him.

"How's your Human Puppet coming along?" Souya asked casually.

"Almost done. Back in the Land of Stone, I took the corpses of a few Iwagakure ninja. They're almost as strong as they were in life."

"The main problem now is that I don't have any corpses of strong ninja..." Sasori trusted Souya deeply and didn't hide anything from him.

Souya wasn't a stickler for pointless principles. He had no qualms about using the enemy's corpses to make puppets.

He'd nearly become a Puppet Master himself back then, so he'd studied the Puppet Technique to some extent. When Sasori was making puppets, Souya often offered him some novel ideas.

"Corpses of strong ninja, huh?" Souya suddenly gave him a mysterious smile.

"Sasori, don't take any more missions for now. Get some poison ready, then come out with me when the time comes. Let's see if we can get our hands on a few..."

"Mm!" Sasori nodded. He was clearly used to Souya's way of doing things.

"How much longer until you can leave the hospital?" Sasori looked Souya over and asked.

"Right now! Go take care of my discharge papers!" Souya ordered Sasori without the slightest hesitation.

"..." Sasori said nothing and walked out of the room.

By the time Sasori returned with the discharge papers, Souya had already taken off his hospital gown and changed into a black-and-red outfit. He looked dashing.

"Pakura?" Souya said, looking at the other beautiful figure by the door in surprise.

"Mm! I was on a mission before, so I've only managed to visit you now. I'm sorry about that." Pakura was dressed just as she had been during the war, leaving her fair back completely exposed, while her ample chest was quite eye-catching.

"What's there to apologize for? We're all from the same village. Don't worry about it!" Souya replied with a cheeky grin.

"If it weren't for you, I might have died on the battlefield. I'll always remember what you did for me! Thank you!" Pakura bowed deeply, then straightened up in a sudden movement.

That... bounce... It couldn't be... Is she not wearing anything underneath...? Souya's heart began to pound.

His eyes drifted involuntarily to Pakura's generous assets.

Pakura lowered her head slightly. A blush had crept onto her face at some point.

Souya had spent this life training in all kinds of jutsu and hadn't interacted much with women, but his soul from Blue Star had at least received plenty of guidance from various "teachers."

He couldn't help thinking, I really am at that hot-blooded age...

He coughed awkwardly, then managed to tear his eyes away. Pretending to be nonchalant, he said, "It's fine, it's fine... We're comrades. Helping each other is only natural. Who knows? You might be the one saving me next time!"

"Mm... I brought you some fruit. Please take it!" Pakura took a fruit basket from behind her. Two pink ribbons were tied into a bow on top, giving it a strong, girlish feel.