In the forest, Saiki's shadow clone sped along with Shizune and Genhai.
Saiki's face remained calm and rippleless because he knew the main body was fine, but Shizune and Genhai both wore expressions of tension and worry, with Shizune frequently glancing back.
Finally, Genhai couldn't help but ask, "Boss, are we really not going to wait for Sensei Tsume and your real self?"
"Yeah! Can Sensei Tsume and you really handle the enemy alone?" Shizune added, her face etched with concern.
Saiki was satisfied with their reactions; they weren't the type of people to use their teammates as shields, making them worthy of the life he had saved.
Saiki's clone offered a comforting smile. "Don't worry! Look at me, I'm fine, right? If my main body were in trouble, I would have vanished by now. The battle seems to be over, and no one is pursuing us from behind. Once we're sure it's safe, we'll stop and wait for them."
Over the past three years, they had always listened to Saiki. Since he put it that way, the two said no more and kept their heads down to keep pace with him.
Meanwhile, with the main body, Saiki walked in front while the great ninken followed behind carrying Tsume Inuzuka. With a ninken's strength—capable of easily tackling a wild bull—carrying a person was no trouble at all.
Saiki wasn't in a hurry to find Shizune and the others. With his clone watching them, they wouldn't encounter much danger. The priority now was finding a secure location to treat Tsume's wound.
As they ran, the great dog suddenly called out to Saiki.
"Saiki?"
It wasn't strange; animals with chakra are highly intelligent. Toads can speak, and among animals, dogs with peak IQ speaking is quite normal. Saiki had grown used to it.
"Mm, what is it, Kuromaru?" Saiki asked, looking back.
The great dog replied, "Tsume seems to have passed out."
"What?!"
Saiki immediately skidded to a halt.
"Sensei Tsume?"
Saiki called out softly, but due to the heavy blood loss, Tsume's consciousness was already fading into a blur.
Looking at her leg—which was still seeping blood despite being wrapped with gauze and bandages—Saiki scanned the environment. He directed the dog to carry Tsume behind a massive rock shielded by thick bushes.
Pulling several kunai from his pouch, Saiki's hands blurred through signs. He carved seals onto the kunai and plunged them into the ground around the area, setting up a simple barrier to block sensory detection.
In truth, it wasn't strictly necessary to be this elaborate, but Saiki valued his life above all else and feared pursuers from the rear.
"Kuromaru, keep watch on the perimeter. I'm going to treat her wound now."
The dog nodded, and Saiki pulled out his medical kit to begin.
On the other side with the clone and the kids, they hadn't traveled much further before the clone sensed something was wrong. Without the "Pre-natal Qi," a shadow clone's sensory perception was far inferior to the original Saiki.
Shortly after Saiki had them change direction, they were surrounded. The main reason was that Shizune and Genhai's pace was simply too slow.
A rustling sound erupted from the forest, and eighteen dark figures instantly boxed them in.
"Boss? Saiki?"
Seeing the group of Anbu wearing demonic masks, even with their Konoha forehead protectors, the cold and malevolent chakra they radiated offered zero sense of security. Shizune and Genhai called out to Saiki in fear.
"Don't be afraid!"
The shadow clone could only offer that much comfort. He gripped a kunai tightly, shielding the two behind him and preparing for combat at any moment.
He was just a shadow clone, not the main body. Seeing this group of Anbu—or more accurately, the "Root"—Saiki felt an immense pressure. He would have preferred facing eighteen elite Cloud ninja over these people.
These were emotionless killing tools who would use any means necessary, including their own lives. They were incredibly troublesome to deal with.
The shadow clone could only curse his luck; he didn't have much chakra left, and the main body had only given him a few kunai. He didn't even have a proper weapon.
The original Saiki hadn't anticipated this situation at all!
Who could have known Shizune and the others would have the rotten luck to run into the Root? If he had known, he never would have let them go ahead alone.
Fortunately, the Root ninja showed no immediate intention of attacking.
Amidst the tense atmosphere, the sound of rustling footsteps came from deep within the forest. Soon, a somber man with the right side of his face wrapped in bandages stepped out.
Seeing the bandaged man, the clone's mind screamed: This is exactly the guy my main body has been trying to avoid! What kind of "luck" is this today? The Darkness of the Shinobi World... Danzo Shimura!!
Danzo used his single eye to scan Saiki, Shizune, and Genhai. Under that cold, reptilian gaze, Shizune and Genhai felt as if needles were pricking their backs; cold sweat began to pour down their faces.
Saiki lowered his eyelids slightly. Facing Danzo's gaze, what he felt wasn't fear, but a sense of humiliation, disgust, and a primal urge to kill the man. He had to look down to ensure the killing intent in his eyes wasn't discovered.
Assessing the trio, Danzo easily surmised the general situation. His voice was cold and eerie, the kind of sound that felt like darkness itself.
"What mission are you on? Where is your commanding officer?"
The mere sound of that voice made Shizune and Genhai's bodies go rigid. A wave of terror, like encountering a venomous snake ready to strike, gripped them. They wanted to speak, but their voices were trapped in their throats—and this was with Saiki shielding them.
Since fate had brought him face-to-face with Danzo, there was no avoiding it.
In Saiki's plans, he would have met Danzo only after he had the power to slaughter him, but time waits for no one.
"Greetings, Lord Danzo. Our commander is Tsume Inuzuka. We were completing an escort mission for a merchant caravan from Hot Springs Town when we were pursued by a nine-man Cloud squad. Sensei Tsume chose to stay behind to cover our escape."
Saiki kept the explanation brief. Danzo didn't care about Tsume sacrificing herself; instead, he narrowed his eye and asked, "You recognize me?"
He narrowed his eye further, releasing a dark, chilling aura. Saiki felt the temperature of the surrounding air drop several degrees.
Under Danzo's pressure, Shizune and Genhai were paralyzed with even greater terror.
At that moment, a fire of rage burned in Saiki's heart. How dare this old dog try to suppress me with his aura? If the main body were here, Saiki would have been tempted to risk everything to kill the man.
But he could only think it. To save Shizune and Genhai's lives, he had to swallow his pride.
Internal village rules didn't necessarily mean the Anbu or Root wouldn't kill their own; they were the ones who handled the "dirty work." He didn't know what mission Danzo was currently on, but to ensure total secrecy, Danzo wouldn't hesitate to silence them.
Saiki wanted to grind his teeth to dust, but he forced himself to use a respectful tone. "Reporting to Lord Danzo: Shizune and I live at Lady Tsunade's estate. Not only is Sensei Tsume our commander, but along with Genhai, the three of us are students of Sensei Kushina. We are somewhat aware of the prominent figures in the village."
Humiliation! Absolute humiliation!
Being forced to hide behind his connections to save his skin made Saiki scream "humiliation" three times in his mind. He would remember this debt.
Hearing this, Danzo's face grew even darker. Not only did he feel like Saiki was resisting his pressure, but he also felt Saiki was using Tsunade's name to pressure him.
The mention of Tsunade and Kushina reminded Danzo of recent events. In his view, Hiruzen Sarutobi was being reckless; a Jinchuriki like Kushina should be imprisoned and strictly monitored, yet he had assigned her a ninja squad.
In a sense, Saiki had made a risky move. Bringing up Tsunade would have been enough, but to ensure Genhai's safety too, he had dragged Kushina into it. This only made Danzo want to kill them more.
In truth, if he hadn't mentioned Kushina, as long as Danzo didn't kill them, he wouldn't have killed Genhai either.
Sensing Danzo's surging killing intent, Saiki thought, Not good. He quickly realized his mistake, but the pressure was too great; in his desperation to protect Shizune and Genhai, he had overplayed his hand. Even the nearby Root ninja were unnerved by the intensity of Danzo's intent; they were impressed by Saiki's audacity—he was the first to dare threaten Danzo so openly.
Since things had reached this point, Saiki decided to double down. "Lord Danzo, please go and assist Sensei Tsume! Some time has passed; my main body and Sensei Tsume should be catching up soon!"
Seeing Saiki bowing his head in plea while still gripping his kunai, Danzo wasn't sure if the boy was threatening him or was simply a fool.
He tried to recall Saiki's file, but he had only glanced at it. The boy's intelligence was rated at 4, and his talent was average; he hadn't shown any of the genius traits of someone like Kakashi. He shouldn't be smart enough to orchestrate a threat.
Furthermore, the Saiki here wasn't the main body. If word got out, even Danzo would find it hard to handle. Killing Tsunade's ward and Kushina's students? Even Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't play that game.
"Lead the way!" Danzo said, his face cold and dark.
Saiki patted the terrified Shizune and Genhai. He could only hope his main body had already left the area; otherwise, if they met Danzo, he couldn't be sure the old man wouldn't try to "dispose" of Tsume Inuzuka as well.
Meanwhile, with the main body, Saiki had no idea Shizune and the others were in a situation a hundred times more dangerous than the Cloud ambush. He was currently breaking a sweat over his own predicament.
When treating injuries, ninja generally ignored gender boundaries; survival was the only priority.
Perhaps Tsume Inuzuka had delayed her treatment out of concern for their safety, coupled with the fact that the wound's location was quite awkward.
She had likely intended to wait until they were safe and then use a shadow clone to treat herself, but the blood loss had left her unable to perform the procedure, and she wasn't a medical specialist to begin with.
"Sensei Tsume! My apologies!" Saiki whispered.
Lying on a spread-out tarp, Tsume's eyelashes fluttered.
With a flick of his kunai, Saiki sliced through Tsume's pants. He cleared away the blood-soaked fabric, and two pale, firm, and shapely curves were revealed before his eyes.
Because of their constant training, shinobi generally maintained excellent physiques—with the exception of those using specific secret techniques—even though Tsume Inuzuka had already given birth to a daughter, Hana.
In fact, the motherhood seemed to have only made her more full and captivating.
A shocking wound slashed across her buttock and the top of her thigh; it must have hit a major artery for her to lose blood so quickly.
"Sensei, please excuse me!"
As if giving her a warning, he spread her legs slightly wider to get a clearer view of the wound.
Saiki had studied medicine with a purpose, and having been a biomedical major in his previous life, his Medical Ninjutsu—while far inferior to Tsunade's—was more than enough to handle this.
Disinfecting, cleaning, suturing, and using the Mystical Palm Technique to accelerate healing and stimulate blood cell production... he completed the entire surgery in under five minutes.
Aside from avoiding strenuous exercise, Tsume Inuzuka was now able to stand without any issues.
When Saiki finished, despite it being a theoretically simple surgery, his breathing rhythm was somewhat erratic, as if he had just performed an exhausting labor.
"Alright, have you seen enough?"
Hearing Saiki's somewhat heavy breathing, Tsume—who had been lying on the ground with her legs slightly parted—could no longer keep up her act. Her face, previously pale from blood loss, was now tinted with a faint blush as she looked back and glared at him.
Tsume possessed a cheerful and straightforward personality, making this rare glimpse of her appearing shy all the more striking. Whether it was due to nerves or a lack of thought, Saiki replied instinctively, "You're truly beautiful, Sensei Tsume."
Upon hearing Saiki's words, Tsume's face turned even redder, but she simply shot him another glare and said, "What does a kid like you know? Get lost for a bit, I need to change my clothes."
"O-okay, right away!"
Saiki felt too embarrassed to keep staring, especially now that Tsume had pulled her legs tightly together.
Quickly packing away the medical tools, Saiki stood up, but after staring at such a view for so long, he was already showing a clear physical reaction.
Tsume Inuzuka, who had been watching him closely, noticed it immediately as their eyes met, causing an embarrassed Saiki to turn around and walk away.
Watching Saiki distance himself, Tsume couldn't help but let out a long sigh, thinking to herself, "When there's time, I really need to have a talk with him."
But recalling Saiki's reaction, she realized the boy was developing remarkably fast; the visible tent in his pants suggested he was already on par with a grown man.
At that thought, Tsume felt a sudden jolt and scolded herself—what was she thinking? He was still just a child!
Perhaps it was the lingering adrenaline from surviving a near-death encounter.
Stepping out from the barrier, Saiki steadied his breathing and began to circulate the "Qi" within his body, finally calming his surging blood.
In his previous life, he had visited massage parlors and kept gigabytes of adult content on his hard drive, but looking back, what he had just witnessed was truly on another level.
Those full, rosy lips, that slightly protruding pink tongue, and the sparse mustache around her lips—she looked so adorable when she smiled, and even drooled at the end. She was more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen before. Perhaps this was what women in the Naruto world were like!