After their vacation in the Land of Hot Water—filled with hot spring steam and leisurely atmosphere—the group did not choose to return by the same route.
Hii Kōri deliberately selected another path winding through the heart of the Land of Fire. They had chanted sutras, climbed mountains, soaked in hot springs. Now it was time for some bloody business.
Thanks to the intelligence network that the Red Hot Sand Guild had been laying out as it expanded, Hii Kōri could easily locate Konoha ninja out on missions or other errands, then capture them one by one.
The process went smoothly, as expected.
With the identities of the two Konoha chūnin whose minds he had already replaced, combined with the absolute disparity in strength and the element of surprise, these "captures"—each over in seconds—barely qualified as battles.
One Konoha ninja after another, unable to react in time, was brought down by spirit-thread nerves, sealed within an amber-like barrier, then stuffed into Hii Kōri's shadow.
That amber-like barrier was the same technique he had used to pack meals from the cafeteria—it could slow the flow of time within to some degree, making it quite effective for preservation.
Naturally, it worked just as well for these "experimental materials."
This "collection" process went quite smoothly. By the time they reached the central region of the Land of Fire, Hii Kōri had more or less decided to stop.
On one hand, he had almost met his target quota. On the other, continuing to operate in this area was becoming risky.
After all, they had been exploiting a time gap. If they lingered too long, Konoha might catch on.
"Let's end it here."
Having shed his Araya Shūren disguise, Hii Kōri transferred a portion of his shadow—containing the materials captured during this operation—into Pakura and Karura's shadows.
Though Pakura and Karura couldn't control Rashōmon, whose consciousness was still nascent, it didn't matter. He had left simple command devices in the workshop. Once they returned, they could use those devices to make Rashōmon simply release its contents.
Pakura nodded without a word. Karura, however, still lingering, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a kiss.
"Take care. We'll be waiting for you to bring them back~"
"I'm really spoiled by you two."
With a brief farewell, Pakura and Karura set off back to Sunagakure. The two Konoha ninja whose personalities had been altered nodded to Hii Kōri and headed toward Konoha, ready to fulfill their roles as "sleepers."
"Ah… now it's time to handle 'personal matters'…"
Watching the two groups depart, Hii Kōri didn't linger. With a movement, he merged into the wind, racing southeast.
During the return journey, he had already mobilized intelligence gathered by the Red Hot Sand Guild's main branch in the Land of Fire. Still, there wasn't much to go on.
Tsunade, having left Konoha, was clearly trying to conceal her tracks. She and Shizune had hardly stayed in any bustling towns, moving instead between small and medium villages and settlements.
But recently, she seemed to have slowed her pace, staying within a certain area.
After several more days of searching, Hii Kōri detected that familiar chakra in a small coastal town in the southeastern part of the Land of Fire—a place that remained mild even in winter.
Concealing himself with Rainbow Release and sealing his chakra flow with Kagura Mind's Eye, Hii Kōri walked silently through the bluestone-paved streets. Soon, he spotted his target outside a general goods shop.
Tsunade wore loose, easy-to-move-in clothing. Though her muscle mass was considerable, her pregnancy of over six months was still visibly evident—the loose clothes couldn't fully conceal the curve of her belly.
Her honey-blonde hair was tied in a soft braid resting over her shoulder, lending her a gentler air as she cheerfully haggled with the shopkeeper.
Beside her, a girl with short black hair stood quietly, holding a small basket.
Hii Kōri didn't appear immediately. Instead, he lingered at a distance where he could observe clearly, silently trailing them.
After crossing a few alleys, he watched them enter a modest two-story house with a small courtyard. As Tsunade was about to close the door, he slipped in silently behind her.
The furnishings inside were simple but clean. Potted evergreens sat on the windowsill. The space was filled with the warmth of daily life.
The black-haired girl had already gone to the second-floor room. Tsunade, having taken off her coat, was putting away the daily goods she had just bought, preparing to cook dinner.
Hii Kōri slowly dissolved his Rainbow Release interference. Before he could speak, Tsunade looked up as if sensing something.
When she saw that familiar, hateful figure at the door, those amber eyes held only a hint of resigned self-mockery.
She lowered her head, continuing to handle the ingredients in her hands, muttering vaguely:
"Again? You persistent bastard… or am I just too pathetic?"
Perhaps mistaking Hii Kōri for the hallucinations she often experienced, Tsunade simply cursed under her breath and began grumbling to herself.
Listening briefly, her complaints had no real substance—just grievances about life's inconveniences and annoyances. Yet beneath her seemingly irritable tone, her expression was unexpectedly soft.
Her gaze barely lingered on Hii Kōri; it rested mostly on her own rounded belly.
That look was complicated, but not disgusted. It seemed that during these days, her temperament had taken on some maternal gentleness.
"After all… one thing is one thing…"
In the quiet life away from Konoha, living alone with Shizune, Tsunade had re-examined her own heart.
Perhaps more than hatred for Hii Kōri, what she truly longed for was someone to fill the void left by all she had lost. Shizune, for example. Or the child in her womb—
Even if that child carried half of Hii Kōri's blood.
If she was going to seek revenge against him, it would have to wait until after the child was born.
Thinking this, even pouring out her hatred at the hallucinations in her vision had become a meaningless act.
Hii Kōri listened quietly to her endless complaints as he slowly approached. Then Tsunade suddenly realized—the figure drawing close beside her might not be a hallucination.
The texture of his clothes, the fine hairs on his skin, his chest rising and falling with breath, the scent of him—one she could almost never forget—all of it was so real.
Before Tsunade's disbelieving eyes, Hii Kōri reached out and took her wrist.
The sensation of skin contact made Tsunade's entire body stiffen.
Her pupils contracted sharply. A short, almost inaudible gasp escaped her throat. She tried to yank her hand back, but found it held fast as if by iron.
"You—!?"
"Long time no see, Princess."
***
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