"By the way, isn't Sister Kana supposed to go to school today?"
Naraku reminded her.
"Oh no!"
Kana shrieked, clutching her head, and frantically searched for her schoolbag under the bed.
She was so engrossed in watching Naraku's treatment process that she completely forgot about going to school today.
"I-I-I-I'm leaving now! I'll come back to see you after school, Naraku!"
The sound of hurried footsteps grew distant, and it seemed there was also a clatter of her falling down the stairs.
Naraku's eyebrow twitched: "Is Sister Kana okay…?"
Why hadn't he noticed Kana had a bit of a ditz attribute before?
"I'll go check!" Shizune ran out, holding the piglet.
Naraku deactivated his Sharingan and asked innocently, "Lady Tsunade, is my illness already cured then?"
"Not by a long shot, kid."
Tsunade had to tell him the truth.
After all, the subsequent treatment would not only be lengthy but also potentially ineffective, and it would be impossible to hide that from this smart Uchiha kid that Sakumo spoke of.
"This is just the first step. Later, I will try many different jutsu on you, and only then might I find a way to cure it completely. It might take several years to figure out the treatment method."
Kakashi clenched his fists, then quickly forced himself to release them.
He didn't want Naraku to see him upset.
"I'm going out."
...Coming out of the Hospital, Kakashi walked aimlessly, not knowing where to go.
The streets were bustling with people, and he listened to the surrounding criticisms of his father, felt countless needle-like gazes, and fell into deep confusion.
Was his father wrong?
Was a mission really more important than a comrade?
He asked himself, if he had to choose between a mission and a comrade, he would probably make the same choice as his father.
Just as Naraku had said, no matter the cost, he would come to save him.
So, Kakashi thought, they were destined to make mistakes... After wandering around, Kakashi eventually returned home and found his father kneeling with his head bowed in the living room, seemingly lost in thought.
"Father."
"Hmm?"
Sakumo came back to his senses. Seeing his son's small face full of worry, he knew that the recent events had hit Kakashi too hard, and what he was about to do was too rebellious, making it unsuitable to leave Kakashi in the Village.
So he beckoned to him, gesturing for him to sit beside him.
"Are you unhappy, Kakashi?"
"A little…"
Admitting his negative emotions in a low voice, Kakashi sat down next to Sakumo and looked up at his father, whom he had always revered and admired. His father remained calm, seemingly unaffected by these matters, which made him feel a little better.
"What exactly are you thinking, Father?"
"I still believe that Ninja are not just tools for slaughter."
Sakumo gently articulated his philosophy. Seeing that Kakashi still looked a bit conflicted, he patted his shoulder and suggested.
"Alright, these things will pass, no need to worry. Lady Tsunade just told me she needs a rare medicinal herb. Why don't you go out of the Village to retrieve it? Perhaps by the time you return, people will no longer be talking about this."
"But Naraku is still…"
"Lady Tsunade is there, he'll be fine. If you keep being so gloomy, Naraku won't be happy either."
Considering his current state, Kakashi also felt that he was not suitable to be by Naraku's side, affecting his recovery. So he went out to the Hospital laboratory to find Tsunade and inquire about the exact location to get the medicinal herb.
Sakumo still sat at home.
Soon after, Tsunade personally came knocking.
"What's going on? Why are you making an excuse to send Kakashi away?"
"Just letting him clear his head," Sakumo smiled, "He's really been having a hard time in the Village these past few days."
Tsunade stared at Sakumo suspiciously for a long time, reluctantly agreeing with this explanation, and then told him about her arrangements.
"I sent Kakashi to Tanzaku Town. There's a medicinal herb shop owner there whom I'm familiar with."
"Good."
..."Kakashi, you're going out of the Village to get medicine?"
Naraku touched his newly changed bandages and looked at the fully armed Kakashi, feeling that something was off.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade needs a medicinal herb that Konoha doesn't have."
"Did Lady Tsunade tell you that?"
"Father told me to go. He said… to go out and clear my head."
Kakashi looked at Naraku, feeling that this was abandoning him to escape alone, and his tone unconsciously carried a hint of guilt.
Naraku paused, then immediately smiled, "That's good too. You've looked very tired lately, Kakashi. It's good to go out and wander around. But remember to bring me a souvenir back, okay?"
"Yes, I understand."
Once Kakashi left the Hospital, Naraku immediately got out of bed, disregarding his wounds, and jumped out the window, heading straight for the Hatake Household.
"Master!"
He rushed into the living room, only to see Sakumo sitting there calmly wiping his ninja sword, instead of being a corpse lying in a pool of blood.
With that sustained breath released, Naraku swayed twice, holding onto the doorframe to keep himself from falling to the ground.
"Naraku, why are you back?"
Sakumo quickly helped him sit down and lifted his clothes to check if his wounds had reopened.
Naraku seized the opportunity to grab Sakumo's wrist and stared directly into his eyes.
It was different from usual.
Sakumo's eyes held a sense of calm acceptance of death, just like many people he had seen before.
He had to stop him now!
In an instant, Naraku's eyes turned red. He almost completely emptied his Chakra and, with Sakumo completely unprepared, used the strongest genjutsu he had obtained from the system.
Demonic Illusion: Kyoka Suigetsu Jutsu.
Sakumo realized something was wrong at the last moment, but it was already too late.
The moment he fell under the genjutsu, he lost all consciousness and fell heavily to the ground.
Naraku, whose Chakra had suddenly been depleted, slumped to the ground and recovered for a while before going to check on Sakumo, confirming that he couldn't break free.
He had been continuously refining his genjutsu skills for this very day, to be able to forcibly stop Sakumo's suicide with genjutsu in a terrible situation where other methods failed to prevent the events from unfolding.
Kyoka Suigetsu was powerful, but its duration was limited. He had to act tonight.
Since Danzo Shimura wanted him in Root, then he would join.
He would make a big fuss, expose all of Danzo's shady dealings for everyone to see, and reveal his greed for plundering the Uchiha Sharingan.
At that time, all the Ninja Clans in Konoha would be in danger, and Danzo himself would be caught in a storm of public opinion. Then they would see if he still had the energy to deal with Sakumo.
This time, he had to hammer that old geezer into the ground so he couldn't get back up.
Naraku carried Sakumo to the bedroom, laid him down, propped him with pillows, and covered him with a blanket, making it look like he was sleeping and resting.
"Sleep, Master. When you wake up, everything will be better."
He slung a ninja sword on his back, pulled a few soldier pills (Chakra replenishing pill) from a cabinet and put them in his pocket, then resolutely headed for the Forest of Death...
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