I tugged at the coat hanging off me in shredded strips, feeling rather disgusted.
"Blowing sand? Auntie, I haven't even bought goggles yet."
I turned and rolled my eyes at Jiraiya, snapping irritably.
"Old man, look at you fussing. Hurry back to the hospital and lie down."
Jiraiya gave a couple of awkward chuckles, tugging at the wound in his thigh, then sucked in a sharp breath.
"You brat, can't you speak a little more politely?"
"I'm only looking out for you."
I curled my lip and ignored his nagging, feeling around inside my trouser pocket.
My fingertips brushed the heavy, warm wooden box.
The two Rinnegan inside it had been completely cut off from the outside world.
The green light above Konoha had faded entirely, leaving the sky beautifully clear.
Warm sunlight fell across my face, heating my whole body.
The warm circulation of [Photosynthesis] inside me slowly settled down.
The tension and stench of blood from that desperate battle had all been swept away by the breeze.
On either side of the ruins, the villagers who had come back to life were shouting.
"I'm alive! I'm really alive!"
"This... this is a miracle! Thank you, Lord First, for answering our prayers!"
Cries and laughter mingled, filling the morning streets with noise and life.
I leaned against half a wooden stump and rubbed my slightly shrunken belly.
"Great. All that dying and coming back, and I busted my ass for half the night for nothing."
"Auntie, you'd better pay every last penny of that Ichiraku Ramen bill."
Tsunade wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and smacked my forehead, gritting her teeth.
"You little brat! I already told you, you'll get every bit of it!"
"Not just the ramen. I've approved all the repair costs for that