Mother's Scent!

"That was my mistake."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression stiffened. Then he glanced around and suddenly understood.

"Once we're back at the base, tell me the details in private.

Don't worry. I'll report every last detail of this scouting mission to the Hokage. I won't let your mission go to waste."

How could he discuss such a top-secret mission in front of everyone? He must have been exhausted enough to lose his senses.

"Thank you for understanding."

Uchiha Ao said no more. He nodded. "Please lead the way. Brother Jing and these wounded need treatment."

Whoosh! Whoosh...

At Hiruzen Sarutobi's lead, the uninjured Ninja each carried a wounded comrade on their back. Uchiha Ao carried Kagami and followed behind them.

"That guy..."

A short while later, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to notice something. His expression darkened as he looked around, but Danzo was nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd he go?"

Behind them.

"Lord Danzo, the battle over there... shouldn't we go—"

A young Chunin stood behind Danzo, whose face was still a little swollen, and spoke with deep concern.

"Lord Hiruzen... won't be easy to answer to."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Hokage's most valued student. If they stood by and let him fall into danger without helping—

Danzo was an elite guard of the Hokage, so he wouldn't get in trouble. But they were another matter entirely. The village's Anbu really would kill them!

"Hmph."

Danzo turned his gaze away from the distant scene and snorted.

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Relax—we won't be sitting around doing nothing."

With that, he darted farther back.

"There's a camp of rogue Ninja not far from here. We'll clear it out, then take their heads back to camp. No one will have anything to say!

If anyone asks, just say these rogue Ninja were Cloud Village sleeper agents. That still counts as an accomplishment."

The few Ninja behind him exchanged glances, their hearts sinking.

It was a plausible excuse on the surface, but none of them were fools. Anyone could see he was making it up on the spot.

Their unit was probably going to become even more notorious in the Border Defense Force.

"..."

Danzo seemed oblivious. His expression still cold, he sped off ahead.

Of course he knew what the consequences would be, but he didn't care.

He'd been nursing a grudge ever since someone had beaten him down a few days ago. There were bad apples among the people, after all.

He'd just seen several Jonin friendly with Kagami head toward the scene of the incident, and that had further dampened his interest in going there. Given the enormous surge of chakra he'd sensed earlier, he hoped a few more people would die.

And those Chunins under his command... Not one of them had rushed to help when he was being beaten.

Well, then, they couldn't blame him!

The excuse of wiping out rogue Ninja wouldn't be enough on its own. But if several Chunins died in the line of "duty," no one could question his justification, could they?

Danzo concealed his cruel smile and picked up speed again, heading toward his destination.

The sun was setting.

"Medical Ninja, start with the critically wounded. Rinon, your medical skills are the best, so you're in charge of treating Kagami. Everyone else, get to your positions. Quickly, quickly..."

Back at camp, Hiruzen Sarutobi began assigning people in an orderly fashion.

Uchiha Ao greeted him, then carried Kagami after the female Ninja named Rinon to a private tent reserved for Jonin.

They'd only exchanged a few words earlier.

The Medical Ninja's full name was Senju Rinon. She had delicate features and a classically elegant beauty. Though slender, she had an hourglass figure.

Her chest and hips looked especially full beneath her clothes as she walked. Even just following behind her, he could smell the distinctive fragrance of a mature woman wafting toward him.

"Put him here."

Senju Rinon pointed to a bed inside the tent. Ao acknowledged her and gently laid Kagami down.

"You can go outside. I'll call you when the treatment's done."

"...I won't make a sound."

Uchiha Ao didn't leave. Instead, he gazed into Rinon's beautiful eyes, his expression earnest. "Brother Jing was injured because of me, in a way. I want to stay here and watch over him."

"No..."

Before Rinon could finish, Ao stepped forward and suddenly placed both hands on her shoulders.

The sudden closeness let her see her own reflection in his eyes.

"Please."

Ao repeated himself, his voice low but clear. "I promise I'll be quiet. I want to stay with you... I mean, Brother Jing."

The tent fell silent at once, leaving only their breathing.

Looking at Ao's handsome face, Senju Rinon, who usually valued rules above all else, felt her resolve wavering for the first time. She hurriedly turned her head to avoid his unbearably intense gaze, her ears burning.

"...Then... just... remember to be quiet."

After speaking, she all but fled to the side. Only after confirming that Ao had sat down in the corner did she crouch, cheeks flushed, and begin her examination.

As soon as she crouched, the clothes that had seemed a little loose before outlined her perfect curves completely.

"..."

Uchiha Ao was transfixed by those rounded cheeks for several seconds before managing to drag his gaze over to Kagami's injuries.

It wasn't that he'd forgotten his friend at the sight of a pretty woman. His eyes just had a mind of their own!

Actually, he had another reason for staying to watch: he wanted to observe Medical Ninjutsu firsthand.

Uchiha Clan Ninja usually used their eyes to copy combat Ninjutsu. Since Medical Ninjutsu was also a type of Ninjutsu, could he learn it through the Sharingan too?

If he really could, then perhaps he wouldn't have to painstakingly study complicated medical knowledge to improve the secret method for stimulating the Sharingan's evolution!

As the thought crossed his mind, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his eyes transformed into a Single Tomoe Sharingan.

In his eyes, the alluring curves had become a complex network of blue Chakra Pathways, coursing through Rinon's body.

"Is she... checking Brother Jing's internal injuries? Hmm... the pathways aren't difficult. Start with the brain, then the internal organs, and finally the meridians..."

A moment later, a stream of light flashed across the panel.

[Medical Examination 0/100]

[C-Rank Ninjutsu: Can examine a Ninja's injuries]

"Not bad. A good start."

He continued watching Rinon perform her Medical Ninjutsu. This time, she must have been treating Kagami, because he saw her delicate brows furrow slightly, as if the technique required intense concentration.

Most importantly, the chakra pathways for this technique looked ten times more complicated than those for the Medical Examination.

"This should count as B-Rank Ninjutsu, right...? Huh, why isn't she moving her palm this time?"

Uchiha Ao frowned.

A surge of green chakra energy flowed from Rinon's palm. The energy seemed almost alive as it burrowed into Uchiha Kagami's bodily pathways and coursed through them, nourishing his body.

"That energy... isn't alive. She's controlling it, using it to carry out an incredibly complex treatment."

This level of precise control could only be achieved by someone who knew the body's structure—and even the structure of its cells—inside and out, and who could manipulate hundreds or even thousands of energy particles at once.

"Heh, looks like I underestimated Medical Ninjutsu."

Uchiha Ao smiled wryly and shook his head.

No wonder Medical Ninja of Tsunade's caliber were so highly sought after in the original story.

Just this one technique was as difficult to master as several A-Rank Ninjutsu.

He'd wait until Brother Jing woke up, then ask him how to achieve the Three Tomoe.

As for that secret method, he'd have to put it aside for now.

With that thought, he simply deactivated his Sharingan and shifted his gaze back to that superb figure, admiring it as he pondered.

If I can get her to help me improve that Ninjutsu, wouldn't it be faster?

"Mm..."

Just then, Uchiha Kagami's eyelids fluttered where he lay on the bed. He sniffed, then suddenly murmured in his sleep.

"Smells so good... It smells like... Mother's scent."