"Tsk, this lousy place is even ruining my skin."
Goten grumbled in dissatisfaction, casually reaching over to pinch Sakura's tense cheek beside him.
The smooth, soft feel pleased him.
"When we get back, I'll have Tsunade, my head wife, get you all some good skincare stuff."
"Boss! How can you still be so relaxed at a time like this!"
Naruto, his hair covered in sand, urged him anxiously.
"What's the rush? He's not going anywhere."
Goten withdrew his hand and answered lazily.
Sakura's cheek burned from his pinch. She felt both embarrassed and annoyed, yet she couldn't lash out.
This guy was always like this.
Just then, Kakashi came to a stop.
Several Sunagakure ninja lay sprawled across the sand not far ahead.
A young puppeteer carrying a huge scroll lay in a pool of blood, his body twitching occasionally.
It was Kankuro!
"Kankuro!"
Naruto cried out and rushed over first.
Sakura followed close behind, her expression turning grave at the sight of Kankuro.
She immediately knelt beside him and began examining his injuries.
As the girl knelt and leaned forward, her tight pink ninja outfit stretched taut, revealing her alluring figure.
"Pfft!"
Kankuro suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blackish-purple poisoned blood. It splashed onto the sand with a corrosive hiss.
His body convulsed violently, his life rapidly slipping away.
"He's in terrible shape! It's a potent poison!"
Green medical chakra glowed around Sakura's hands. She immediately pressed them against Kankuro's chest, trying to stabilize his vital signs.
Goten strolled over, stood beside them, and frowned.
"What a nasty smell."
He sounded as though he were complaining about filthy socks left sitting for three hundred years.
"Hey, Goten, don't get in the way!"
Naruto couldn't help speaking up when he saw how Goten was acting.
Goten ignored him. An