Back in the "prison," Anyo let out a long breath. He basically no longer needed to worry about matters outside, and had even found time to visit Kakashi. With Might Guy now keeping him company, Kakashi looked much better than he had over half a year ago.
Knowing he was doing well, Anyo quietly left. Taking his anger out on Kakashi back then had really been unreasonable. Never mind Kakashi—even if Anyo himself had been guarding their teacher, the outcome would probably have been the same.
Seeing Anyo's body move, Tsunade asked casually, "You're back?"
Anyo nodded and thanked her again.
"Don't thank me. The old man just sent a warning. There won't be a next time." As she spoke, Tsunade activated the barrier again.
Anyo said pointedly, "Looks like Lord Hokage is paying quite a bit of attention to me."
"Don't read too much into it." Tsunade seemed to know what had happened. "Someone went to the old man to complain."
"Oh, I see." Anyo said nothing more.
Instead, Tsunade asked curiously, "What, aren't you curious who complained?"
What was there to be curious about? Konoha had a king of scapegoats. Whenever something bad happened, pinning it on him was a safe bet.
So Anyo said calmly, "Let's get back to the research. No point wasting time on something so boring."
Tsunade praised him. "You're quite motivated. Not bad."
And so, the two resumed the research they had been doing before White Fang's incident. Tsunade handled the medical side, while Anyo focused on toxins, each taking their share of the work.
During this collaboration, Anyo could clearly feel how much better they worked together. Tsunade's attitude toward him had also changed subtly, and they began getting along harmoniously. It felt so unfamiliar that Anyo wondered whether he was just