Coming out of the pharmacy, it was already around three in the afternoon.
After making such a large detour, now it's time to get down to business.
The place where Hakushi originally lived was quite a distance from Konoha Center, and since he had hardly returned in the past few years, it had fallen into a state of neglect.
"Hakushi-kun, does this count as secretly meeting up?"
After entering the room, Ayane had her hands behind her back, slightly turning her body. Her clean face bore a faint hint of a smile.
"Right now, we are doing serious work."
"I wonder how Hakushi-kun would handle it if Ruri found out about this? Secretly meeting with another girl behind the back of the one you're always with might overstimulate her, possibly triggering her Sharingan to further evolve into the Three Tomoe Form."
"How could the Sharingan evolve so easily? You're overthinking it."
"That's not necessarily true. After all, Ruri is a Uchiha genius, and intense emotional fluctuations are indeed the best catalyst for the evolution of the Sharingan."
"You know I'm risking my life being out here. Let's focus on the job at hand. Alright, quickly take off your clothes."
"Clothes... take them off? All of them? Hakushi-kun, this is for my future husband..."
Ayane tightly hugged her chest, her face suddenly flushing with a shy blush, biting her lip with evident embarrassment.
"What are you daydreaming about? Haven't we done this many times already? It's just the outerwear for starters, and even if it were all, I'd uphold a physician's impartiality."
Hakushi answered Ayane with utmost seriousness.
"So you're saying it's alright for me to take off everything now for the examination, right?"
Ayane's fingers undid the zipper on her top, her chest freed, and some of her muscles seemed to begin to rise. A hint of a smile lingered deep in her eyes.
"No need for that. Let's just get it done quickly since I'm pressed for time."
"You're funny; it's such a good opportunity."
"You're really only twelve years old?"
"Don't you know girls mature a bit earlier? In our clan, there's a fourteen-year-old girl who isn't a ninja and her only role is to give birth to new members for the clan. She's already pregnant and will become a mother this year."
Hakushi sighed, acknowledging that population was indeed an issue that couldn't be overlooked in this war-torn era.
However, Hakushi knew that the world's success rate for childbirth was very high, not only due to the widespread use of Chakra but also thanks to various amazing medical ninjutsu.
Though Hakushi was not very clear about other places, the birth records in Konoha Hospital showed that only a few women encountered problems during childbirth, but their lives were promptly saved.
The issue of having children early should be analyzed according to specific circumstances.
However, Hakushi still didn't quite support it, as it wasn't related to physical constitution but to the values of life.
Whether entering the battlefield early or giving birth early would lead to various hidden dangers and biases in one's perception of life's value in the future.
But in this chaotic era with no specific laws on basic human rights, talking about these things is mere fantasy. Whatever those in power decide stands.
Whether they haven't considered this issue or don't dare to, or if they have but don't want to abandon their interests, it's none of Hakushi's concern.
As someone dedicated to his profession, his duty was practicing medicine as a doctor.
Hakushi opened a scroll, began forming seals, and released the instruments used for body examinations from within it.
One must admit, sealing scrolls were very practical. As long as it was not a living thing, it could be stored inside, though they were somewhat expensive.
Ayane lay quietly on the cold surgical table, no longer teasing Hakushi with words, calmly waiting for Hakushi's analysis results.
Regarding the Curse Seal of the Caged Bird, she understood the gravity of the matter.
The examination didn't take long, only ten minutes.
Ayane got off the surgical table and asked, "Is this all we need?"
"Yes, I have a way to solve the Caged Bird, but I'll discuss the specific method and steps with you during the next mission. For now, we need to live under Konoha's protection, and during this period, I will also look for a suitable base for us to relocate to later."
"Have you found one yet?"
"The Land of Demons and the Land of Iron."
Hakushi mentioned the names of these two countries, causing Ayane to pause slightly.
"The Land of Demons and the Land of Iron are the Ninja Realm's permanent neutral countries. The ongoing wars over the years have not greatly affected either of them. Plus, they are located in remote areas, making them less likely to be targeted by great nations. The Land of Fire's fertile lands are the root cause of the wars in the Ninja Realm."
"If that's the case, those two countries are indeed suitable to live in. When will we specifically leave Konoha?"
"When the next Great Ninja War begins."
"The next Great Ninja War? Will it be a long time?"
The gap between the First Great Ninja War and the Second Great Ninja War was over a decade, and it's still uncertain whether the Third Great Ninja War would even erupt.
"Don't worry. This time, after the Great Ninja War concludes, it's unlikely there will be a long gap before the next one occurs, and it will still focus on the fertile lands of the Land of Fire. That time will be ideal for leaving Konoha; when they're engulfed by war on all sides, they won't care to hunt down renegade ninjas like us."
Hakushi made this inference based on facts.
The diplomatic mildness meant that the other Four Great Ninja Villages wouldn't develop reverence or fear due to Konoha's strength. On the contrary, it would more likely provoke their envy and bandit mentality.
Under the current reign of the Third Hokage, external wars have seen more victories than defeats. Still, every battle involved reactive measures.
Whether it was the war in the Land of Rain or the Hidden Sand's invasion of the Land of Fire, both were retaliations.
Even if victorious, it could be considered a failure since no benefit is derived following war.
Defeated enemies don't ask for reparations, and only superficial renown is gained without any actual benefit.
Seemingly a victory, but to Hakushi, it was merely living off the legacy left by the first two Hokages.
Ayane gazed at Hakushi with partial understanding; she still wished to believe Hakushi's projection, but being the foremost of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Konoha's military force always ranked first. The next Great Ninja War would not occur until many years down the line, or so she believed—How could there be such a short interval?
Hakushi gave a slight smile, casting his gaze upon the peaceful scenery outside, and stated:
"Seeking peace through conflict lets peace exist, seeking peace through compromise leads to peace's demise. As the manifestation of the strongest nation's military might, Konoha's foreign policy being so mild and gentle only leads to being surrounded by wolves. The more you desire peace, the more you receive forced war."
"But in the past..."
Hakushi knew what Ayane wanted to add, as he had studied Konoha's history and was familiar with the First Hokage's matters. He interrupted, saying, "The Will of Fire only suited the First Hokage; such a peace-seeking compromise is inappropriate for successors. After his death, there was no one who wished to share his same naive dream. These two Ninja Wars serve as proof and the basis of my speculation."
"Is the root of chaos the First Hokage?"
Ayane was hearing this perspective for the first time.
"From a certain viewpoint, that's not incorrect. Even if Konoha is destroyed one day, they may never understand why it happened. So-called longing is the furthest feeling from understanding. Idolizing one person too much makes it easy to neglect the essence of the matter."
Attributing Konoha's current precarious state solely to the Third Hokage isn't entirely accurate since seeds of chaos were sown as far back as the period of the First Hokage.
The Third Hokage is merely bearing the burden and cleaning up the mess left by the First Hokage.
Therefore, the eruption of the Third Great Ninja War is inevitable and will not have a long interval following the Second Great Ninja War.
Leaving Konoha at that time would also be the safest.
Konoha, engulfed in crises on all sides, would be too preoccupied with wars to focus on eliminating renegade ninjas.
"Is that so? From the past, I have always admired Hakushi-kun. But I also want to know everything about you, Hakushi-kun. So… when it's just the two of us, please be gentle with me."
Ayane's face displayed a pure and innocent smile, with a hint of shy red blush emerging.
Hakushi was slightly taken aback and, for a moment, unsure of what to say.
'Be gentle with me'... So, in Ayane's mind, to what extent does she wish for him to be gentle?
This summer truly is getting unbearably hot...