"We should head over," Kiyohara said softly, exhaling slowly.
Half of his chakra had been consumed earlier, but after inheriting his future self, it had begun to gradually recover.
Yūhi Kurenai nodded and called to Genma to follow.
They quickly crossed the battlefield, arriving at the devastated prisoner camp.
Many captives had been held there, but only one managed to escape—Maki, Pakura's most beloved disciple.
That girl, whose appearance bore a striking resemblance to Rin Nohara, had been lucky enough to have someone come to her rescue.
The rest of the prisoners weren't so fortunate. Some died during the chaos, others who tried to flee were recaptured.
The three powerful Magnet Release jutsu Kiyohara had inherited now rested within him like second nature—just waiting for him to master their usage in battle.
"Hey, kid—yeah, you!"
Kiyohara turned toward the shout and saw Hayama Shirakumo approaching, his arm still scorched and twitching slightly from the pain. But his eyes were filled with undisguised approval.
"That was damn impressive, kid!"
Hayama clapped a hand on Kiyohara's shoulder with force.
"If it weren't for your jutsu forcing Pakura to split her focus and mess up her rhythm, we'd have taken far more casualties. What the hell was that technique? The range on it is insane!"
"It's a Magnet Release jutsu, Shirakumo-jōnin," Kiyohara replied modestly.
"Magnet Release?"
Shirakumo blinked, then a look of realization crossed his face—followed by surprise.
"So you're the one. I've heard rumors about a young ninja with a Magnet Release bloodline in the village. Looks like the stories weren't false."
He'd only heard the rumors secondhand before—now he finally matched the legend to the teen standing before him.
At that moment, a messenger-nin arrived.
"Kiyohara Chūnin, Tsunade-sama requests your presence at the command tent."
Kiyohara glanced around. It was only then that he realized Tsunade had vanished sometime during the post-battle chaos.
Katsuyu had remained behind and was still actively splitting into clones, helping with medical treatment.
Just then, a tiny Katsuyu slug slithered across the ground and climbed up to Shirakumo's injured arm, beginning to heal it with medical chakra.
"I'll take my leave then, Shirakumo-jōnin."
Kiyohara gave a polite nod and turned away.
In the original series, terms like "Minato-jōnin" or "Hatake-jōnin" were sometimes used as respectful titles for upper-ranked shinobi. This was no different.
"We'll wait outside for you, Kiyohara," Kurenai called with a wave, her crimson lips parting in a small smile.
"Shouldn't take too long," Kiyohara replied with a nod.
He was curious about what Tsunade wanted with him.
A commendation? Maybe.
But Tsunade wasn't a commander type—so it likely wasn't official duty.
With those thoughts swirling, he nodded to Shirakumo one last time and made his way toward the intact command tent the messenger had pointed out.
A faint scent of medicinal herbs hung in the air inside, a stark contrast to the iron tang of blood outside.
Tsunade sat on a wide wooden chair cushioned with layers of padding, supported by Shizune.
Her full figure settled into the seat naturally, her round curves drawing attention even without trying.
She had clearly just recovered from another bout of hemophobia—her face still lacked color, but was visibly better than before.
Pakura's Scorch Release reduced people to shriveled husks, but traces of blood still clung to the battlefield. Even dried stains could trigger Tsunade's reaction.
Kiyohara stepped in and bowed respectfully.
"Tsunade-sama."
Only then did Tsunade raise her eyes, truly observing him for the first time.
Kiyohara, too, took the opportunity to study one of the legendary Sannin.
Golden-blonde hair tied into a ponytail. A violet rhombus seal on her forehead.
Even clad in a standard Jōnin vest, the fabric barely contained her generous figure.
'So this is the famous number one…'
Her presence was undeniable—radiating both power and a certain lazy seductiveness that came from mature confidence.
"Hm."
She responded with a quiet hum through her nose—a subtle, but deliberate acknowledgment.
Adjusting her posture slightly, she shifted in a way that made her… presence… even more pronounced.
Tsunade's honey-brown eyes locked on him.
"That move of yours earlier—not bad. Hitting from that far out, and with that kind of precision and force… even if it was a sneak attack, it was impressive."
"You flatter me, Tsunade-sama. I just got lucky, that's all."
Kiyohara kept his tone humble, lowering his head slightly.
Tsunade arched a brow but didn't press. She clearly didn't believe it was just luck.
She quickly changed the subject.
"Kiyohara, right? Let me ask you something.
When you were in the ruins of Uzushiogakure… did you come across a graveyard?"
Kiyohara's mind immediately snapped to attention.
'So this is about… Kato Dan.'
Dan had been very close to Tsunade—almost something more.
But before they could truly move forward, he was killed in the Second Great Ninja War.
His internal organs were destroyed.
Even Tsunade, with all her skill, couldn't save him—modern medical ninjutsu was focused on regeneration, not full organ recreation.
From the sound of it, Dan's body was likely never brought back to Konoha.
"Tsunade-sama, while on a mission, I did pass through a region where I saw many Konoha headstones. It looked like a makeshift war cemetery."
He had seen them, yes—simple grave markers scattered across a quiet field. A somber fragment of wartime history.
But he hadn't stopped to read the names.
"Did you happen to see one named Kato Dan?"
Her voice held a subtle tremor, and her fingers clenched on her knees until her knuckles whitened.
"Or perhaps… do you know if that graveyard is still intact? Has it been destroyed by Kirigakure?"
Shizune, standing nearby, also looked curious.
Dan was her uncle. It was that family connection that earned her a place at Tsunade's side, though she never fully inherited her master's legacy—especially not the Yin Seal combat medical style.
Kiyohara could easily guess that Dan's body was never recovered—and Tsunade wanted to make sure his resting place hadn't been desecrated.
"I only glanced at it in passing, Tsunade-sama," he answered truthfully. "I didn't check each marker, and I can't say for sure if it's still unharmed. Most of the area is now under Kirigakure control."
Tsunade was silent for a moment… then said the words he wasn't expecting:
"Then let me ask you—would you be willing to go back and check it for me?"
So that was her request.
She hadn't anticipated that Uzushio's ruins would be overtaken by such overwhelming enemy force.
But even so… her heart couldn't let go of that field, or the man buried within it.