No sense of shame at all.
"Um… excuse me, is Sakura here?"
A knock on the door of the medical staff office—usually where the on-duty medical ninja worked. Lately, the village was peaceful, no widespread illnesses, so few remained on duty. Only a single thirteen-year-old girl was in the office. Ishihara knew her—she had just entered the medical ninja field less than a year ago. Her name was Kochiko, and she admired Sakura immensely, always calling her senpai, senpai.
"Ah… Mr. Ishihara."
Kochiko quickly turned, her cheeks flushing pink. Ishihara noticed her attempt to hide it; faint pinkness showed through.
Better pretend I didn't see that, he thought, or this will get awkward.
"Sakura-senpai isn't here, Mr. Ishihara. Did you need something from her?"
The girl stood straight, still flushed. Ishihara scratched his head.
"No, nothing important. I just had a few questions for Sakura. When I came in, I noticed she's been on duty recently. Has she gone out for something?"
"Oh, that… Senpai has a mission, so she's been on duty these past few days."
"A mission? Treating a patient, perhaps…"
The words were low, almost muttered, yet Kochiko could hear them clearly. Before Ishihara could ask further, a voice of mild complaint followed:
"Senpai won't tell me anything."
"Wow, that's impressive! It must be some really important person she's treating!" Ishihara's eyes shone with admiration.
Kochiko puffed up her chest proudly.
"Of course! Senpai is an excellent medical ninja, and she's a student of Tsunade-sama!"
"Exactly! Only someone truly remarkable could keep Sakura this busy."
"Who knows…" She sighed, continuing her complaint. "Even the hospital admission paperwork… senpai handled it herself. Hmph! She's just too kind."
…Hospitalized, huh…
"Well, it's precisely because Sakura is so kind that everyone respects her so much. Do you know when she'll be back?"
"Senpai hasn't said. Recently, she's been on the sixth floor."
"Wow… the sixth floor, really impressive."
The sixth floor was essentially Konoha Hospital's restricted area; access was tightly controlled.
"So, Sakura probably won't be coming down for a while," Ishihara said. "I'll stop by another time. Looks like I'll just have to head to the library…"
Muttering to himself, Ishihara left the office and exited Konoha Hospital. Turning left, he walked a short distance to a somewhat dilapidated building, bypassing the main entrance, and approached a shadowed area of the structure.
"Did you find her?"
A shadowed male voice came from somewhere. Ishihara shivered and stammered:
"S-sorry, Captain. The hospital said Sakura has been on the sixth floor recently… probably on some secret mission."
"The sixth floor?"
"Yes… someone important moved in, but the senior medical ninja have no patients there. Could Sakura be acting as head physician alone?"
"I see. Good work, Ishihara. Thank you."
The man's voice remained cold and unyielding. Ishihara scratched his head, smiling awkwardly.
"No, it's nothing. Captain, why ask about this? Sakura is young, but her medical ninjutsu is truly impressive."
Ishihara genuinely respected this junior's talent.
The hidden man frowned slightly, glancing at his subordinate.
"Ishihara, do you remember eight years ago when Konoha captured a 'non-human'?"
"Ah, that… of course I remember. At that time, Captain, you—"
His voice abruptly stopped. The intimidation radiating from the captain's presence silenced him completely. Even after years in the interrogation division, facing the captain's aura left him unable to speak.
"Though the village returned that being to Amegakure, it didn't die. Yesterday, I saw her in the village."
"Ah!!" Ishihara gasped, incredulous. He stared at the half-shadowed figure of his captain. "Impossible… so we… our village… has something like that?"
"From current information, yes."
"Wait, Captain, are you saying I should ask Sakura about it… no, she's in the hospital?"
"If I'm correct, yes."
"How could it be? How could the Hokage allow that thing inside? That's chaotic!"
Ishihara scowled. As a medical ninja, his past missions were merely duties; now this was unrelated. His face showed disgust. The hidden man remained calm, replying:
"Right now, it's just speculation, not confirmed. Anyway, thank you for your efforts."
"Uh… Captain, if it's true… what should I do?"
"Who knows."
Short and dismissive, clearly signaling he didn't wish to continue the conversation. Ishihara nodded and left, still wearing a scowl.
Once Ishihara was gone, the shadowed man stepped out. His face was grim, marked by two sinister scars—truly fearsome.
"Seems you've discovered it, Ibiki."
A clear, mocking female voice spoke. Ibiki stopped, glancing at the woman leaning against the wall, wearing a hemp-colored cloak with her hair in a high braid.
"Mind your business," Ibiki replied.
The woman's smile grew more teasing.
"It's rare to see you take a hit, hehe. I really want to see this person you're dealing with~"
Ibiki frowned, annoyed by her wording, yet unable to argue. As he moved forward, the woman's voice spoke again, this time serious, no trace of playfulness:
"Ibiki, since the Hokage allowed Kakashi to accompany, this matter is approved. We are both Special jonin. Obey orders."
Ibiki hesitated briefly but continued forward, disappearing from her view. The woman leaned against the wall, sneering, seemingly expecting this reaction. She didn't linger, leaving quickly.
After she left, the two hidden men exchanged a glance, then vanished in an instant.