Seeing the teacher and student catching up, Kyūsei didn't disturb them.
He had already promised Kaoru that he would stop clashing with Jiraiya so aggressively.
And he intended to keep that promise.
After quietly closing the hospital room door, he turned—
And saw an unexpected figure standing in front of him.
Uchiha Sasuke.
"Let's talk."
Sasuke looked at Kyūsei calmly.
Seeing him standing alone, Kyūsei raised an eyebrow.
"The rooftop."
"Too many people here."
The two of them walked up to the hospital rooftop.
The sun was bright, and a gentle breeze blew through the open space.
Clean hospital sheets fluttered on the drying lines.
Kyūsei and Sasuke stood by the railing, looking out over the wide expanse of Konoha.
Right now, Sasuke didn't look like his usual reckless, playboy self.
His expression was calm and sharp.
"I heard you went to the Land of Wind two days ago."
"And ran into Sakura."
Sasuke spoke first.
"Who told you that?"
Kyūsei asked in return.
"The Third Hokage."
Sasuke stood with his hands in his pockets.
The wind brushed past his face, stirring his short black hair.
"Yeah."
"Haruno Sakura was most likely controlled by that Uchiha."
"The situation was urgent."
"I had no way to bring her back."
Kyūsei didn't deny it.
Since he had already decided to fight for the Dragon Vein and seek revenge, Hiruzen would certainly try to gather as much high-end combat power as possible.
And the man standing beside him—
Uchiha Sasuke.
Sure, he was a playboy.
But no matter how carefree he acted, one fact remained.
His name was Uchiha Sasuke.
The reincarnation of Indra.
A child of destiny.
No matter how bad he looked on the surface—
His strength would never be mediocre.
After all, the Fifth Hokage in Sasuke's world had personally assigned him to the mission of capturing the Nine-Tails.
That alone proved Tsunade acknowledged his power.
"I'm not here to blame you."
Sasuke shook his head, sounding somewhat melancholic.
"I came to say something else."
"If you go to the Dragon Vein again…"
"Or if there's any mission related to Sakura."
"Take me with you."
"I can help."
After saying that, Sasuke turned and left without another word.
Kyūsei watched him go silently.
Sakura was now under Uchiha Hikaru's control.
Team Sakura had essentially collapsed.
And Hikaru had almost certainly already learned how to travel through the Dragon Vein.
She might even use Sakura as a pawn.
After all—
In Sakura's version of Konoha, she held considerable influence.
If Hikaru shaped the narrative first—
She could use that Konoha to oppose Kyūsei's side.
At that point, even if Sasuke appeared…
Or Kushina.
Or Karin.
It probably wouldn't matter.
One side would have:
A leftover Uchiha
A woman whose husband was imprisoned
A wandering Uzumaki
The other side?
The daughter of the village hero.
And an exceptional ninja herself.
The final decision would rest with that world's Fifth Hokage.
Sasuke had obviously realized all of this.
Which was why he asked Kyūsei to bring him along next time.
He wanted a chance to take Sakura back.
And find a way to remove Hikaru's mark.
Only then could things stop spiraling further out of control.
The wind brushed across Kyūsei's face, lifting his crimson hair.
He began calculating who he should bring for the next Dragon Vein expedition.
He himself was one.
Kaoru too—
If she could quickly master Paper Release and Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, she would become a battlefield-shifting force.
Sasuke was a perfectly useful fighter.
No reason not to use him.
As for Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru…
Tsunade and Orochimaru could be recruited.
But Jiraiya…
Maybe Yagura Karatachi would be willing to come.
—
Senju Residence
"Huh?"
"Pregnant?"
"When I dragged you out two days ago, you definitely weren't pregnant!"
Kyūsei stared at Tsunade in disbelief.
Just moments earlier he had finalized his plan to assemble a special team for the Dragon Vein operation.
And then—
He received shocking news.
Tsunade was pregnant.
"What?"
"You're this shocked because I'm pregnant?"
Tsunade glared at him unhappily.
For some reason—
Kyūsei could see a faint maternal glow on her face.
"Uh… no, I mean…"
He paused.
"…Forget it."
He sighed helplessly.
The logistics healer he had counted on was now unavailable.
That plan was dead.
Bad luck right from the start.
"Kid."
"I know why you came."
"But there's nothing I can do."
"You could go ask Orochimaru."
"Maybe he has time."
Tsunade suggested.
This was her first pregnancy.
Even though she had delivered countless babies as a medical ninja—
Experiencing it herself was completely different.
And she cared deeply about the child in her womb.
There could be no mistakes.
"Guess that's my only option."
Kyūsei sighed.
"Oh right."
"Tsunade…"
"When are you and Dan getting married?"
Kyūsei asked curiously.
For once—
Tsunade actually looked shy.
"It should be… in the next few days."
"Well then."
"Make sure you invite me."
Kyūsei stood up.
"If that's the case, I won't bother you anymore."
"Take care of yourself."
"I'll go find Orochimaru."
Tsunade waved him off.
Kyūsei left the Senju residence and headed straight for Orochimaru's home.
Orochimaru lived on the outskirts of Konoha.
A quiet residence where few people passed by.
Kyūsei stood before the closed gate and scratched his head.
Just as he was about to knock—
A small white snake poked its head out through the door handle, flicking its tongue.
Kyūsei twitched.
If some innocent little girl had seen that—
She probably would've fainted on the spot.
He looked at the snake and tried asking:
"Is Orochimaru home?"
The snake seemed to understand.
It coiled around the door handle and twisted it open, inviting him inside.
Kyūsei wasn't even surprised.
He simply walked in.
After all—
Orochimaru liked keeping snakes.
That much was perfectly normal.
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