Night Maple hadn't expected that just being a salted fish would cause so many misunderstandings.
But seeing Uzumaki Mito care so much that she'd specially invited Shizune to examine him, Night Maple felt his heart warm.
This old lady truly treated him like a grandson.
"Let me have a look…"
Shizune came up to Night Maple and reached out with both hands.
"Uh…"
Night Maple instinctively backed up a few steps.
"Night Maple-kun, if you're hurt, don't move around! Let me check your body…"
Shizune grabbed hold of him, and Night Maple squeezed his eyes shut.
"Alright—since Shizune-chan wants to look at my body, I'll leave it to you."
"Pfft!"
Shizune shot him a strange glare. This little brat made it sound like she was going to do something indecent.
Kushina covered her mouth, laughing.
"Hmph, serves you right for talking like that!"
Shizune gave the soft flesh at Night Maple's waist a gentle twist; even for shinobi, that spot hurts when pinched.
That was how Shizune dealt with patients who teased her.
However, when she twisted, she gave a little gasp herself.
So hard!
Ahem—such a resilient body.
Shizune lost her composure for a second, then quickly refocused and examined Night Maple.
"A very healthy body—no injuries at all. Such an enormous amount of chakra…"
As a medical-nin, Shizune knew bodily structure thoroughly, and she was astonished as she examined him.
So young, yet this level of chakra—comparable to a jōnin!
After a while, she finished.
Shizune said to Uzumaki Mito, "Lady Mito, his body is very healthy—doesn't look injured at all. Maybe I missed something… How about this: if there's a chance, have my teacher take a look?"
Listening on the side, Night Maple's eyelid twitched. No way—after being examined by Shizune, he'd have to be examined by Tsunade too?
Uzumaki Mito said happily, "Is Tsunade-hime coming back?"
She hadn't seen Tsunade-hime in years.
Partly to protect Tsunade, and partly because Tsunade herself didn't want to return to Konoha, that land of heartache.
"I don't know. Or Night Maple could go find my teacher?"
Uzumaki Mito shook her head at once. "Not now. Things aren't great lately. Kushina was just abducted once already. As the last blood of the Senju, Night Maple can't take risks."
Shizune understood and nodded. "Alright, Lady Mito, I'll head out first. I still need to bring news back to my teacher!"
"Mm, travel safely."
...
At the Uzumaki compound gate, a child had been playing with ants all day. People went in and out of the compound, but Night Maple didn't appear.
Soon, though, the child saw Kushina go out.
The child gripped a twig; more buds sprouted along it, forming a few characters: "Kushina out." (Kushina went out.)
Then he tossed the twig into an alley.
After a while, Kushina returned with Shizune.
The child tossed another twig toward the alley: "Kushina Shizune back." (Kushina and Shizune came back.)
A little later, Shizune left by herself.
The child tossed another twig.
Soon, at Root headquarters, Danzō received the messages sent by the child.
"Night Maple still hasn't gone out? Didn't Kushina say she was taking him to visit Namikaze Minato and Hatake Sakumo?
Shizune came… Could Night Maple be injured?"
"You hurt Night Maple last night?"
In the office, besides Danzō, there was another person—Orochimaru.
Orochimaru shrugged, then licked his lips. "No. My teacher arrived then. Why?"
"Uh, Shizune went into the Uzumaki compound. Night Maple might be injured."
"Maybe he was hurt during Kushina's rescue."
Orochimaru said noncommittally, "Perhaps. Where are you setting up my lab?"
"Right here."
Danzō had agreed to build a new lab for Orochimaru upon his return to Konoha—it was obvious he wanted more from Orochimaru.
Orochimaru didn't mind. He nodded. "Fine. I heard that experiment from five years ago left one survivor—called Yamato, correct?"
Danzō nodded and produced two twigs. "Look at the characters on them—that's Wood Release."
A bestial gleam flickered in Orochimaru's eyes. He nodded. "Very good. I'll start with him."
"When you capture Night Maple, please send him over as well…"
Danzō looked at Orochimaru. "Whether it's Yamato or Night Maple, if I send them to you, you mustn't go too far! The previous experiments were banned precisely because you went too far."
A feral light flashed in Orochimaru's eyes; he smiled. "I only want a little of their blood. It won't kill them."
With that, Orochimaru turned and left.
A bunch of fools—just a little bargaining and they're duped.
...
And so, two more days passed.
The child Root had stationed at the Uzumaki compound had already been swapped out.
The experimental subject known as Yamato had been transferred.
The hidden personnel around the area all waited for Night Maple to appear.
But after two days, there wasn't even a shadow of him.
"Don't tell me this Night Maple won't leave the house for a month?"
"What a time sink!"
Even Danzō, presiding at Root HQ, couldn't help himself.
"Wait one more day. If Night Maple still hasn't shown himself by 3 a.m. tomorrow, withdraw."
Danzō didn't understand why Night Maple was such a shut-in, but he knew that keeping the Root Ten here meant no other Root operations could proceed.
This brat Night Maple was too slippery!
Inside the room, Night Maple looked at the fusion rate—it had reached 20%.
He opened the status panel.
[Name: Night Maple]
[Power: Elite jōnin]
[Rank: Genin]
[Character Card: SSS-rank Hashirama Senju (Fusion 20.09%)]
[Kekkei Genkai: God-tier Wood Release (from character card)]
[Ninjutsu: Flying Thunder God Technique Lv3, Impure World Reincarnation Lv3, Lightning Release: Chidori Lv3, Front Lotus Lv3]
It had to be said—thirty times speed was really fast.
And even while being a salted fish, ninjutsu could still level up.
Now all four ninjutsu had reached Lv3—basically proficient.
At 20% fusion, Orochimaru probably couldn't hurt him anymore.
With a certain degree of self-preservation achieved, Night Maple felt his brief salted-fish phase should end for now.
It was time to step out for a walk.