"'Operating Surgeon'… is that your codename?"
Jiraiya blinked, finally putting the pieces together.
Operating… surgery… doctor…
His eyes widened.
"So you're a doctor?! No wonder you kept treating the wounded at our hospital!"
"That's amazing! Thank you for your service!"
Kaito stared silently at him, unimpressed by the performance.
He shot a glance behind Jiraiya.
"In that case, you can tell that ANBU behind you to relax a little.
Then maybe I'll believe you."
"Now!"
At Jiraiya's shout, an ANBU clinging to the exterior wall struck.
Blue chakra glowed under his sandals, anchoring him to the vertical surface.
Moonlight cast his shadow long on the wall—
And then the shadow twisted.
It shrank, stretched, and lashed across the air, aiming straight for Kaito's shadow.
We have to catch him!
Jiraiya had contacted ANBU beforehand—the goal was to capture the intruder peacefully.
He'd overheard Nonō and Mikoto's conversation earlier in the day, and feared the fake "Aina" might strike at Nonō during her night rounds.
So Jiraiya followed "Aina" personally while a clone warned ANBU.
Only one ANBU was visible.
Which meant—
The other was already positioned somewhere else.
But Kaito moved instantly.
He grabbed Nonō and leapt, seamlessly avoiding the shadow-binding technique.
In a single fluid motion he landed lightly atop a hanging bamboo laundry pole.
He looked down at Jiraiya and the failed ANBU user.
"…Who are you?"
Nonō stared up at the masked man glowing beneath the moonlight.
His presence, his voice, the philosophical words he had spoken earlier—
Her heart skipped violently.
"Operating Surgeon.
That is my codename."
Kaito lowered his head, noticing the familiar expression on Nonō's face.
He added gently:
"And little lady, don't just trust strangers so easily.
I'm a bad doctor, you know."
Nonō shook her head softly.
"You're not bad."
"Anyway, you should get down now. You're clearly not just a normal medical-nin."
Kaito eased her down. She froze for a moment before realizing she'd been pressed against the chest of a masked stranger.
Her face turned bright red.
The scene—the bamboo pole, the moonlight, two figures staring at each other—looked like the start of a tragic romance drama.
Jiraiya stared at them like an idiot, scratching his head.
"…Am I in the wrong place?"
Then he pointed accusingly.
"HEY! You're not here to pick up girls, are you?! She's just a kid! Are you starving or WHAT?! If you want girls, at least pick one with big—"
BANG!
A rush of murderous danger flashed behind him.
Jiraiya spun just in time to see part of the wall shatter.
He opened his mouth—
And then everything went black.
When he woke up the next day, the only images left in his memory were:
A pale fist.
A flash of blonde hair.
BOOM! CRAAACK—
Countless bamboo poles, bed sheets, and wet laundry lines snapped apart as a white-haired youth unleashed a raw physical shockwave.
Within a second, the entire rooftop laundry area looked like a natural disaster had hit it.
Jiraiya hit the wall so hard he became a human plaster decoration.
The watching ANBU broke into a cold sweat beneath his mask.
So this is… the willful Princess of the Senju Clan…
"Nonō! Get down!"
Nonō dropped lightly, but couldn't resist glancing back at Kaito—reluctant, grateful, conflicted.
Kaito: Why do you look at me like that no matter what disguise I'm in…?!
Tsunade arrived moments later and instantly understood what happened.
This idiot Jiraiya had used her disciple as BAIT to lure out the mysterious "intruder."
After confirming Nonō was unharmed, Tsunade glared at the masked man.
"If tonight's shift belongs to Kitada Aina, then why are YOU here?"
Kaito lightly perched on the bamboo pole, white coat swaying, yet the pole didn't bend at all.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed sharply.
Such perfect weight control—far beyond ordinary ninja.
"She's fine," Kaito replied.
"I enjoy treating the wounded. She enjoys studying medicine. So she works daytime, and I work at night."
"After all…"
He tipped his head mischievously.
"Men and women make the best work partners~"
His legs dangled casually as his shadow danced beneath him.
The moonlight reflected little black dots rising in the distance—
Hiruzen's reinforcements.
"Alright."
"I've said what needs to be said."
"Looks like I won't be partnering with her anymore.
What a~ pity."
Kaito dragged out the last word, teasingly.
His raised hand swirled—
A vortex of blue light spiraled into existence.
Tsunade tensed.
ANBU prepared to strike.
"Game over."
"ROOM."
A pale-blue sphere expanded instantly, swallowing half the inpatient building.
In the next heartbeat—
Kaito vanished.
Only a white slip of paper fluttered onto the tiles beneath him.
The ROOM collapsed like a soap bubble breaking—gone without a trace.
"Space-time ninjutsu…!" ANBU gasped.
"No wonder White Fang couldn't catch him!"
Hiruzen landed on the rooftop in full battle gear, killing intent exploding off him like a hurricane.
The air pressure dropped.
Pebbles trembled.
The ground vibrated.
"You dare lay a hand on my disciple?!
I'll kill—"
"Fire Shadow-sama, that was Lady Tsunade."
"…Kill—kill my dear comrade! Yes! Of course! Haha…"
Realizing Jiraiya must've provoked Tsunade again, Hiruzen coughed awkwardly.
"Bring the paper here."
Tsunade shamelessly leaned in.
"I wanna see too!"
"So do I…" Nonō whispered.
Hiruzen sighed and opened it.
It read:
"I will undo Miss Kitada's hypnosis shortly.
Please do not blame her.
She was simply a poor young lady toyed with by the Operating Surgeon~
—With love,
The Operating Surgeon."
Tsunade & Hiruzen: "…"
…Genjutsu can be used like THAT?!
Nonō trembled all over.
"H-he really IS a bad doctor!! A wicked doctor!!"
Hiruzen, cheeks twitching:
"This degenerate! This pervert! I'll put him on the wanted list immediately!!
Truly outrageous—
I mean—UNFORGIVABLE!"
He glanced sideways at Tsunade's blackened aura and hastily corrected himself.
"Don't tell Kitada Aina. She… might not survive the emotional damage."
Tsunade agreed.
Nonō agreed.
Meanwhile—
The so-called "degenerate ninja" gently released Aina from hypnosis somewhere far away.
He exhaled in relief.
Even without his manual release, the chakra disruption would clear after three or four days.
But still—
If some actual pervert targeted the innocent Aina while she was hypnotized…
He'd definitely get blamed.
And THAT could not be allowed.
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