Konoha's Mission Master

"It's nothing...it's just a minor injury..."

Jiraiya answered with a strong voice.

The two of them should have had a lot to talk about...

Many things need to be made honest.

But treating Jiraiya's injuries is more important.

Not far away, Yakumo's shadow clone led Rina Uzumaki to the scene. When she saw Jiraiya covered in blood, she instinctively rolled up her sleeves and reached out to Jiraiya.

Rina Uzumaki is very clever; she almost instantly realized that Jiraiya was a very important elder to Yakumo.

Her move was both an attempt to ingratiate herself and a test.

"There's no need for that..."

Yakumo waved his hand...

Isn't this ruining their reputation?

He is the successor of the medical saint Tsunade!

"Remember this, you won't need to do this anymore. After you return to Konoha, you are free to choose the life you want. You will no longer be a tool for treatment."

A hint of joy flashed in Rina's eyes.

Yakumo's words brought her a long-lost feeling...

Peace of mind.

Enveloped in a green light, the cracked wound gradually sprouted pink granulation tissue, and the wound healed rapidly.

The blood clots and bone fragments inside Jiraiya's body were quickly removed by Yakumo, and Jiraiya's complexion gradually regained its rosy hue.

Rina Uzumaki instantly confirmed that Jiraiya's healing speed under Yakumo's treatment was better than her own special ability.

"You really are a little monster..."

Jiraiya looked at Yakumo, who was treating him, and suddenly thought of Tsunade. This level of medical ninjutsu was comparable to Tsunade's ten years ago.

But his skills weren't limited to medical ninjutsu. He also possessed swordsmanship comparable to Sakumo Hatake's a few years ago, as well as formidable water-based ninjutsu. Jiraiya believed that given time, Yakumo would surely become the same as Hashirama Senju... the god of the ninja world.

Rina Uzumaki fell silent upon seeing Yakumo's face clearly. She could tell from the chakra fluctuations that Yakumo was young, but she hadn't expected him to be like this…

Young in age, yet incredibly powerful...and handsome.

Rina Uzumaki's eyes were filled with admiration and excitement.

"Medical ninjutsu is my specialty..."

Yakumo said modestly... "We'll gradually increase the speed of the treatment."

As for... swordsmanship or ninjutsu...

It can only be considered the foundation for making a living.

A rosy glow appeared on the horizon, and the three of them stood on the hillside, quietly gazing at Kusagakure Village.

The four great leaders of Kusagakure were all killed last night. The few surviving Jonin have joined forces and become the new leaders of Kusagakure, and are rapidly eliminating the resistance forces.

The killings continued... the fighting never stopped.

As for what the future holds... no one knows...

Nothing in this world is perfect.

"Let's go." Jiraiya turned around.

At the very least... they have avenged the residents of the Land of Fire who died unjustly at the hands of Kusagakure. As for what will become of Kusagakure in the future... that is none of their concern.

"Let's send Rina back to Konoha first, and then we'll set off...to the Land of Rain," Jiraiya continued.

“No!” Rina Uzumaki immediately retorted.

"Wherever Yakumo is... that's where I'll go..."

Rina Uzumaki insisted.

"My head hurts..." Yakumo looked at Rina Uzumaki's determined and stubborn eyes, and then recalled Karin Uzumaki's obsession with Sasuke Uchiha... and couldn't help but shake his head.

“Okay… let’s go together then,” Jiraiya said immediately.

Jiraiya also noticed Rina's special feelings for Yakumo, but he didn't mind stirring things up and planned to continue to bring the two together.

"Ok."

Yakumo felt somewhat helpless.

The three of them quickly moved away from Kusagakure under the blazing sun.

The most important thing now is to find a place to rest. Although Yakumo is not injured, he has already used up 80% of his chakra, and he is also mentally exhausted from using Mercy at full power.

Given Jiraiya's current physical condition, he will need at least four more treatments to fully recover.

"Hahaha." Jiraiya burst into laughter.

"That was a brilliant battle, sweeping away the gloom in my heart... And that old guy must have been a formidable figure in the ninja world when he was young, it's just a pity... he's too old now."

Yakumo nodded in deep agreement.

"I really didn't expect... that a Kage-level powerhouse would suddenly appear in Kusagakure."

Yakumo gave a reply that was still shaken.

Even if only one battle remains, a Kage-level fighter is still a Kage-level fighter, capable of dominating the outcome of the entire battle when necessary.

Jiraiya shook his head and replied.

"That's normal. Which ninja village with a name in the ninja world doesn't have a trump card? It could be an old guy from the Warring States period, a forbidden weapon with great power, or even a forbidden technique with a very high cost."

"To put it another way, everyone in this business has some tricks up their sleeve."

Yakumo nodded in deep agreement.

"Never become arrogant and complacent just because you have some ability."

Jiraiya offered his earnest words of comfort.

"I'm still very weak, how dare I be complacent..."

"You're weak...?" Jiraiya asked in surprise.

"Yes."

The three of them traversed the forest quickly and, after half an hour, discovered a dry and clean cave. Jiraiya decided to rest there for a while before continuing their journey.

Yakumo leaned against the cool rock wall, formed hand seals to create shadow clones for vigilance, then closed his eyes to rest. Jiraiya, beside him, had already fallen asleep, snoring loudly.

Yakumo opened his eyes at dusk.

The shadow clones responsible for guarding the area automatically deactivated.

Nothing unexpected happened during this time; they only passed by a few wandering ninjas but did not enter the cave.

Yakumo's shadow clones didn't make a move either; they couldn't just kill someone who was just passing by, could they?

He's a decent person... the kind who's reasonable.

He got up and went outside the cave.

Rina Uzumaki had already prepared dinner, and the ingredients were obtained from nearby: roasted rabbit, pheasant, and two fish.

Yakumo would never say something like, "Rabbits are so cute, why would I eat them..."

When Rina Uzumaki saw Yakumo come out, she immediately handed him a roasted, golden-brown rabbit, its aroma filling the air.

Yakumo didn't refuse and accepted it directly...

He squatted by the fire and started gnawing on the rabbit. The rabbit was delicious, but it couldn't be eaten all at once. Yakumo then ate a pheasant, leaving the rest for Jiraiya.

"This is... the chakra extraction method."

After wiping the oil off his hands, Yakumo took out a sheet of white paper from the scroll and wrote down the method of chakra extraction, along with his own insights.

Consider it... repaying the kindness of a meal.

He saved Rina Uzumaki only to obtain advanced sealing techniques from Kushina Uzumaki in preparation for treating Masako Mori's bloodline disease. As for his other intentions...

…He really didn’t.

“Okay… thank you, Yakumo.”

Rina Uzumaki gratefully accepted the scroll. In order to make it easier to control her, Kusagakure never allowed her to access any means that could make her stronger.

"You're welcome..." Yakumo waved his hand.

Click.

Jiraiya emerged from the cave yawning, his spirits much restored. He sat down next to Yakumo and began eating the remaining food: two grilled fish and a grilled chicken, which should be enough to fill his stomach.

After about ten minutes, Jiraiya let out a burp. In Yakumo's opinion, the speed at which he ate could only be described as swift and decisive.

"Let's go, let's talk..."

Jiraiya got up and walked away into the distance.

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama."

Yakumo stood up, glanced at Rina Uzumaki, whose face was full of excitement, thought for a moment, and then spoke with a hint of apology.

"I'm sorry, I already have someone I like."

"I hope... you won't waste your time."

He finished speaking.

He then chased after Jiraiya's retreating figure, having said what he needed to say: whatever choice Rina Uzumaki made, it would have nothing to do with him anymore.

"You're so heartless... rejecting me so thoroughly."

Jiraiya began to tease.

Yakumo then created a shadow clone to continue treating Jiraiya, and also helped Jiraiya remove his old, hidden injuries.

This is an extremely mentally and physically demanding process.

"When it comes to matters of the heart... the best approach is to cut things off quickly and decisively; dragging it out... can actually be detrimental."