"Let's head over," Kiyohara said, letting out a soft breath.
He had just expended nearly half of his chakra, but after inheriting the legacy, it had slowly recovered a portion.
Kurenai nodded and called out to Genma, urging him to continue moving.
The distance of several hundred meters was crossed in no time.
The three of them arrived at a campsite that had been reduced to utter chaos.
Many prisoners had been held here, but only one had truly managed to escape was Pakura's beloved disciple, Maki.
That girl, who bore a striking resemblance to Rin, had been lucky enough to be rescued.
As for the other prisoners, they did not have such powerful backing. Some had unfortunately died amid the aftermath of the recent battle.
Others who had tried to take advantage of the chaos to flee were also captured again.
Those three powerful Magnet Release techniques had been mastered by him almost instinctively, needing only future practice to be fully refined.
"Hey, kid—yeah, you."
By the time they arrived, Kiyohara heard someone calling out to him.
He turned his head and saw Hayama Shirakumo walking over, clutching his still-charred arm. His face twitched slightly from the pain, yet his eyes were filled with undisguised admiration.
"Well done, kid!"
Hayama Shirakumo gave Kiyohara's shoulder a firm pat.
"If it weren't for your ninjutsu forcing Pakura to split her focus and panic, we'd probably have suffered far more casualties. What kind of jutsu was that? The range was ridiculously long."
Kiyohara replied, "Jōnin Shirakumo, it was a Magnet Release ninjutsu."
"Magnet Release?"
Hayama Shirakumo froze for a moment, then realization dawned on him, surprise flashing across his eyes.
"So that's how it is—you're that shinobi in the village who possesses the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai. No wonder the rumors weren't exaggerated."
Previously, he had only heard vague rumors and never confirmed them. Only now did he finally connect those stories with the outstanding youth before him.
Just then, a messenger shinobi ran over. "Chūnin Kiyohara, Lady Tsunade requests that you go to the main tent."
Hearing this, Kiyohara swept his gaze around and only then noticed that Tsunade had disappeared at some point.
However, Katsuyu remained behind, still splitting herself.
At that moment, a slug slowly crawled past Kiyohara's feet and climbed onto Hayama Shirakumo's injured arm, healing the burn.
"Then I'll be leaving first, Jōnin Shirakumo," Kiyohara said.
Adding "jōnin" afterward was, in fact, a form of respectful address.
In the original records, some people had addressed Minato this way as well.
"We'll wait for you outside, Kiyohara," Kurenai said, her vivid red lips moving as she waved at him.
"Alright, it shouldn't take too long," Kiyohara nodded.
He was somewhat curious about what Tsunade wanted with him.
Could it be some sort of commendation?
But Tsunade probably wouldn't be assuming the role of battlefield commander, would she?
Thinking this over, Kiyohara gestured to Hayama Shirakumo and then walked toward a well-preserved tent in the distance.
According to the direction given by the messenger shinobi, Tsunade was inside.
Within the tent, a faint fragrance of medicinal herbs permeated the air, forming a stark contrast with the bloody stench outside.
Tsunade was being supported by Shizune as she sat on a wide wooden chair padded with cushions. Her full, rounded hips naturally sank into the soft padding as she sat down.
She seemed to have just calmed the discomfort caused by her hemophobia. Her complexion was still somewhat pale, but it was much better than it had been outside.
Pakura's Scorch Release could burn people into dried corpses, yet some of the blood spilled onto those bodies due to injuries would still remain.
It would merely dry up and turn into dark bloodstains.
Seeing such scenes would also make Tsunade uncomfortable.
Kiyohara stepped into the tent and bowed respectfully. "Lady Tsunade."
Only then did Tsunade lift her gaze, truly examining the young man before her for the first time.
Kiyohara also seized the opportunity to discreetly observe one of the legendary Sannin.
She had long golden hair tied into a ponytail, and a purple diamond-shaped mark on her forehead.
Although she wore a relatively loose jōnin vest, it was still stretched taut by the overly generous curves of her chest, making Kiyohara wonder whether the buttons might pop open at any moment.
The number one "giant" of the shinobi world—her reputation was indeed well deserved.
She leaned lazily against the back of the chair. Even without doing anything, she exuded a mature woman's uniquely voluptuous charm.
"Hm."
Tsunade let out a soft sound through her nose as a response.
She adjusted her sitting posture slightly, making the imposing fullness of her chest even more eye-catching.
Her brown-golden eyes settled on Kiyohara, and she finally spoke. "That move you used just now was impressive. From such a long distance, to still achieve that level of accuracy and power—even if it was a sneak attack, it's still remarkable."
"Lady Tsunade, you flatter me. It was just good luck—I happened to hit the target," Kiyohara replied modestly, lowering his head slightly.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow noncommittally, clearly not believing that it was merely luck.
She did not dwell on the matter further, however.
Instead, she shifted the topic.
"Kiyohara, was it—let me ask you. When you were active around the former site of Uzushiogakure … did you notice, or perhaps see, a graveyard? Many Konoha shinobi gravestones are erected there."
Kiyohara's heart stirred, and he immediately understood what Tsunade was asking about.
Dan Katō.
Dan Katō had once been very close to Tsunade. Unfortunately, before their relationship could deepen, Dan Katō had suffered catastrophic internal injuries during the Second Shinobi World War.
Even with Tsunade's unparalleled medical skills, she could not create intact organs out of nothing.
Modern medical ninjutsu leaned more toward "healing."
Once damage exceeded a certain limit, there was no saving it.
Now that one thought about it, Dan Katō's remains had most likely never been brought back to Konoha.
"Lady Tsunade, during my mission, I did pass through an area where I saw quite a few Konoha shinobi gravestones," Kiyohara answered honestly. He remembered that in one region of the former Land of Whirlpools, many simple gravestones were scattered about—a small snapshot of war.
However, he had not paid attention to whether Dan Katō's grave was among them.
A flicker of light instantly flashed through Tsunade's eyes. Her hands resting on her knees unconsciously tightened, her knuckles turning slightly pale.
"Then—did you notice a gravestone with the name Dan Katō?
Or—what is the condition of that graveyard now? Has it been damaged by the Mist nin?"
Tsunade asked.
Over the years, she had gone to visit every year.
In the past, she had been unwilling to disturb Dan's rest, so his grave had remained there together with the other fallen comrades.
But this year alone, the former site of the Uzushiogakure had been occupied by Kirigakure.
As Tsunade asked these questions, Shizune at her side also revealed an expression of deep curiosity.
Dan Katō was Shizune's uncle. It was precisely because of this connection that she had been able to remain by Tsunade's side and be taken in as her disciple.
Unfortunately, although Shizune was talented, she was not top-tier. She could not inherit Tsunade's true skills—the combat medical system centered on the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
Hearing this, Kiyohara surmised that Dan Katō's remains had indeed failed to be returned to Konoha and had instead been buried in the Land of Whirlpools.
It seemed that Tsunade wanted to confirm whether his resting place was still intact.
"Lady Tsunade, when I passed by, I only took a hurried glance and did not carefully check the names on each gravestone. Moreover, most of the former Uzushiogakure has now been occupied by Kirigakure, so I cannot be sure whether it remains intact."
"Then what if I asked you to help me go and take a look?" Tsunade voiced her request.
She had never expected the former site of the Uzushiogakure to be occupied by Kirigakure, nor that they would mobilize such a large force all at once.
(End of Chapter)