"What did you say?"
Shizune looked up at Saitama, catching the fragment of what he had just said.
"Nothing. Just focus on studying medical ninjutsu under Lady Tsunade. It'll be of great use to you someday."
Saitama rose and lightly patted Shizune's head before turning to leave.
The urgency brought by the passage of time was growing ever stronger. He had to take action. This transfer order, in particular, gave him the faint feeling that an invisible hand was pushing him forward, yet he was powerless to resist.
The rise in his strength and status had not given him the voice he had expected. His fate could still be stamped and decided by others at will.
But the final outcome remained uncertain.
Seeing Shizune standing there in a daze, Saitama stepped forward and gently embraced her slender shoulders.
"Take care. I'll be leaving tomorrow."
He gazed into her eyes, brimming with unspoken worries, then smiled and tapped the tip of her nose before turning and disappearing into the dim lights.
If there was any benefit to leaving the Hidden Mist front, it was that Saitama could return to Konoha.
After ten months away, he often thought of Granny Xiang in the village, as well as Shisui, Nagisa, Itachi, and the other clansmen, along with Fugaku, who steered the Uchiha Clan.
Traveling with the summoned shinobi, including Shikaku, it took them five days to trudge back from the front lines.
The journey home was thick with resentment, and their pace was naturally slow—this was the most childish and straightforward ** against the Hokage's decision.
"We're finally here." Shikaku, his hair tied in a topknot, let out a long breath. His young face carried traces of weariness.
"It's time for barbecue." Choza Akimichi rubbed his round belly, his eyes gleaming with longing