Ah, Good Woman

Bright sunlight spilled into the hospital room, illuminating a brilliant smile on that fresh, otherworldly face.

In contrast, the smile on Orochimaru's rigid, angular face slowly faded; this Uchiha brat before him was even more insatiable than he had anticipated.

"Two million ryo for a mission, and conditions for withdrawing from the battlefield—these aren't terms an ordinary genin could even touch. Even greed has its limits."

"Spare me the nonsense. Five million ryo, at least ten kunai forged from the same material as the Kusanagi Sword, one actual Kusanagi Sword, a variety of puppet materials, and a full set of ninja tools including explosive tags. Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss."

Interrupting Orochimaru's train of thought, Hanazuki felt that even he was being somewhat excessive with such shameless demands, yet he didn't hesitate to go for the throat.

The so-called Kusanagi Sword actually referred to weapons forged from the most durable substance in the ninja world, capable of withstanding even a Tailed Beast Bomb.

As for the puppet materials and the five-million-ryo reward, they seemed insignificant compared to the ten Kusanagi kunai and the sword itself.

"Where did a brat like you even hear the name Kusanagi? Forget it. Konoha Village is footing the bill anyway. Once you sign this agreement, prepare your gear and depart immediately. The Sand Ninja and the Cloud Hidden are already approaching Mount Kikyo."

Orochimaru's muttering made Hanazuki's ears twitch; he couldn't help but wonder if he had asked for too little.

"The contract is settled. The items you requested will be delivered shortly. Don't underestimate your opponent; she is a veteran of two Great Ninja Wars, a consultant for the Sand, and the puppeteer Chiyo."

Leaving only those words behind, Orochimaru hurried away, clearly eager to report the expenses to the Third Hokage.

It was understandable; his bizarre research projects often required vast sums of money, and even someone as renowned as one of the Sannin would likely be troubled by financial constraints.

"A consultant for the Sand? The puppeteer Chiyo? Compared to these old fossils who cling to power, the older generation of Sand ninja is truly enlightened."

"What should I call this? Is it that there's no gap without comparison?"

Creeeak!

The door to the hospital room pushed open again, and Nonou stepped inside, smiling at Hanazuki.

"It seems your body has recovered quite well. Are you heading home soon?"

"Well, as much as I'd like to go home, things rarely go as one wishes. I have to head to the battlefield now. Endless war, as always."

His carefree, brilliant smile inadvertently stung Nonou's heart.

The hand that had been resting on his forehead shifted into a gentle embrace, and the scent of medicinal herbs combined with her reassuring, tender aura left Hanazuki momentarily stunned.

"This damned era... even sprouts like you who haven't yet grown must step onto the battlefield. It's just... it's just..."

Ah, what a good woman!

Before the inner exclamation could fade, a burst of laughter followed, causing Hanazuki to turn his head and making the Black Nine-Tails' nine tails stand straight up.

"I wasn't laughing..."

"Shut up! Your time to be useful has come. If you dare to drop the ball at a critical moment, you'll regret it."

Rapid footsteps echoed as two Konoha ninja burst through the door, shouting.

"Is Uchiha Hanazuki here?!"

Seeing the awkward scene, the two instinctively apologized and were about to turn away, but Hanazuki, his good mood interrupted, had anger flickering in his eyes.

"What is it?"

"You... you are Uchiha Hanazuki? Have the higher-ups lost their minds? Sending a child to deal with the legendary puppeteer Chiyo!"

The two Konoha chunin responsible for delivering the message had briefly suspected that the Third Hokage was senile, but Hanazuki's next words shattered any illusion that the order was a mistake.

"So soon? Honestly, Orochimaru-sensei really is efficient. Has the Yellow Flash already reached Mount Kikyo?"

"Yes! Minato-sama has departed from the border of the Land of Wind and is about to reach the border of the Land of Fire."

Bang! The door was pushed open, and several Konoha medical ninja scanned the room, their faces lighting up when they spotted Nonou.

"Nonou-sama, thank goodness you're here. It's an emergency; the Third Hokage has ordered the medical team to head to Mount Kikyo for support immediately."

"Ara ara, doctor, is your name Nonou? I'll remember that. Take this kunai; perhaps something good will come of it. Goodbye."

With a flicker of movement, the two Konoha chunin and Uchiha Hanazuki vanished from the spot, leaving the medical team members in utter shock.

"They disappeared... was that the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

Her thoughts racing, she looked down at the pitch-black kunai left on the hospital bed, which was faintly inscribed with some strange, cryptic seal.

With a bright smile, she tucked it away against her body in front of the two medical team members, leaving them bewildered—they were heading to the battlefield, so why was she so happy?

Inside Hanazuki's home in the Uchiha compound.

He changed into his black-robed attire and asked the two Konoha chunin, who were still reeling from the shock.

"The Sand side should still have the Yellow Flash's chakra kunai. Take out the Yellow Flash's kunai; we're leaving."

"Eh? How did you know we had Minato-sama's kunai on us?"

His mouth twitched, and he gave them a look as if they were idiots before answering coldly.

"I haven't been to the Land of Wind. If you don't bring the Yellow Flash's chakra mark to me, do you expect me to walk there step by step?"

Realizing their question had been foolish, the hedgehog-haired chunin quickly took out the kunai, scanned it briefly, and nodded slightly.

"I see. A seal that leans more toward text-based symbols? I understand the basics. Let's go."

The scene shifted to an endless desert where explosions and flames erupted periodically. When the three descended from the sky, they landed right in the center of the battlefield.

"A miscalculation? I intended to reach the furthest target in one go, but it seems the distance is just right."

"Hey! What are you doing standing in the middle of the battlefield? The poison needles are coming!"

From the edge of the forest, a Konoha ninja shouted as a dozen shuriken whistled down from the sky, embedding themselves into the tree trunks.

"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"

Countless invisible blades of wind surged from the distance, grinding sand and dust into powder. A cold glint flickered in his eyes, and a sharp shout instantly dispersed the wind blades.

"Crack!"

A violent burst of chakra caused the battlefield, filled with explosions and cries of slaughter, to fall into a momentary silence.

The Konoha ninjas hidden in the forest peered through the foliage toward the figure in the center of the battlefield—a figure wearing a Three-Eyed Demon Fox mask with the Konoha emblem carved upon it—their expressions shifting in various ways.

"What is up with that chakra?"

"Hey, hey, hey, they pulled the Yellow Flash away, so why is the reinforcement they sent so short? Is that a child?"

"Are you kidding me! Are we supposed to entrust our lives to this brat?"