Ah, What a Wonderful Woman

The bright sunlight spilled into the hospital room, and a brilliant smile lit up that fresh, lovely face.

By contrast, the smile slowly faded from Orochimaru's rigid features. This Uchiha brat was even more insatiable than he'd expected.

"Two million ryo for the mission, plus permission to leave the battlefield? These aren't the sort of terms an ordinary Genin could secure. Even greed needs limits."

"Cut the nonsense. Five million ryo, at least ten kunai made from materials like those used for the Kusanagi Sword, one Kusanagi Sword, assorted puppet materials, and a full set of ninja tools, including Explosive Tags. Otherwise, forget it."

He cut off Orochimaru's train of thought. The demands were practically shameless. Even Hanazuki felt they were a little excessive, but he still didn't hesitate to drive a hard bargain.

The so-called Kusanagi Sword actually referred to weapons forged from some of the toughest materials in the Naruto world. They could even withstand a Tailed Beast Bomb.

As for puppet mechanisms and materials, and the five million ryo payment, those seemed trivial compared to the ten Kusanagi Sword kunai and the Kusanagi Sword itself.

"Where did you hear the name Kusanagi Sword? Never mind. Konoha's paying, anyway. Sign this agreement, then get your ninja tools and set out immediately. The Sunagakure and Cloud Village forces are already nearing Mount Kikyo."

Orochimaru's muttering made Hanazuki's ears perk up. He couldn't help wondering if he'd asked for too little.

"Deal. The things you need will be delivered shortly. Don't underestimate your opponent. She's Chiyo, a Sunagakure adviser and puppeteer who's taken part in two Shinobi World Wars."

After leaving him with those words, Orochimaru hurried away, apparently eager to get reimbursed by the Third Hokage.

No wonder. His bizarre experiments often consumed enormous sums of money. Even Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, probably had to worry about funding.

"Sunagakure's adviser? Chiyo the puppeteer? Compared to those old fossils who cling to power, the older generation of Sunagakure shinobi really is open-minded."

"What do you call that? You don't know what you've got until you see the contrast?"

Creak!

The hospital room door opened again, and Nonō stepped inside, smiling at Hanazuki.

"Looks like you've almost recovered. Are you going home later?"

"Well, I'd love to go home, but nine times out of ten, things don't go the way you want. I'm heading to the battlefield next. War without end, huh?"

His carefree, brilliant smile unwittingly pierced Nonō's heart.

The hand resting against his forehead shifted into a gentle embrace. The scent of herbs and her reassuring tenderness left Hanazuki momentarily stunned.

"This wretched era... even tender young sprouts like you have to go to the battlefield. It's just... it's just..."

Ah, what a wonderful woman!

Before the thought had even faded, laughter rang out. Hanazuki turned his head, and the Black Nine-Tails' nine tails immediately shot straight up.

"I wasn't laughing..."

"Shut up! It's time to put you to work. If you let me down at a crucial moment, you'll regret it."

Footsteps pounded in the hall. Two Konoha shinobi hurriedly pushed open the door and shouted,

"Is Uchiha Hanazuki here?!"

Seeing the awkward scene, they reflexively apologized and started to turn away. But Hanazuki, whose moment had just been interrupted, glared at them.

"What?"

"Y-you're Uchiha Hanazuki? Have the higher-ups gone crazy? They're sending a kid to deal with the famous puppeteer Chiyo!"

The two Konoha Chunin responsible for delivering the message had wondered if the Third Hokage had lost his mind. But Uchiha Hanazuki's next words completely dispelled their suspicion that the orders had been sent to the wrong person.

"So soon? Honestly, Teacher Orochimaru really does act fast. Has the Yellow Flash already gone to Mount Kikyo?"

"Yes! Lord Minato left the Land of Wind border and is about to reach the Land of Fire border."

Bang! The door swung open, and several Konoha Medical Team shinobi looked around. When they spotted Nonō, their faces lit up.

"Lady Nonō, thank goodness you're here! It's an emergency. The Third Hokage has ordered the Medical Team to head to Mount Kikyo immediately and provide support."

"Oh my, Doctor, your name is Nonō? I'll remember that. Take this kunai; something good might come of it. Goodbye."

In a flicker, the two Konoha Chunin who'd brought the message and Uchiha Hanazuki vanished from the room, leaving the Medical Team members stunned.

"He disappeared. Was that the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

Her thoughts raced. She turned to look at the black kunai left on the bed. Some strange-looking formula was faintly engraved on it.

She smiled, then tucked the kunai close to her body in front of the two Medical Team members. They were baffled. They were all going to the battlefield, so why was she still so happy?

Inside Hanazuki's little house in the Uchiha Clan compound.

After changing into his black clothes and robe, he turned to the two Konoha Chunin, who were still too shocked to recover.

"The Sunagakure side should still have kunai marked with the Yellow Flash's chakra. Take one out. We're leaving."

"Huh? How did you know we had Lord Minato's kunai?"

His mouth twitched. He gave them a look as if they were idiots, then replied coldly,

"I've never been to the Land of Wind. If you don't give me a kunai marked with the Yellow Flash's chakra, do you expect me to walk all the way there?"

Only then did they realize how stupid their question had been. The porcupine-haired Chunin quickly took out a kunai. Hanazuki glanced it over and nodded slightly.

"I see. The formula leans more toward writing. I've got the general idea. Let's go."

The scene shifted to an endless desert, where explosions and flames flared up from time to time. The three dropped from the sky, landing right in the middle of the battlefield.

"Did we miscalculate? I meant to reach the farthest target in one go, but this distance seems about right."

"Hey! What are you doing in the middle of the battlefield? Poison needles incoming!"

At the edge of the forest, a Konoha shinobi shouted. A dozen or so shuriken whistled down from above, embedding themselves in the tree trunks.

"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"

Countless invisible blades of wind surged in from the distance, reducing the sand and dust to powder. Cold light flashed in his eyes as a sharp shout instantly scattered the wind blades.

"Crack!"

A powerful burst of chakra briefly silenced the battlefield, which had been filled with explosions and battle cries.

The Konoha shinobi hiding in the forest peered toward the center of the battlefield. Their gazes settled on a figure wearing a Three-Eyed Demon Fox Mask marked with Konoha's insignia. Their expressions varied.

"What's with that chakra?"

"Hey, hey, they sent the Yellow Flash away, and this is the backup they send us? Why's he so short? Is he a kid?"

"Are you kidding me? We're supposed to entrust our lives to this brat?"