Chapter 170
2-in-1-chapter
-----------------
Her expression turned gloomy.
After accepting Nonō's reasoning, the clever girl realized that no matter how hard she tried, she likely would not be able to bring Brother Deidara back by herself. The best way to ease the burden of her grandfather, the Third Tsuchikage, was not to cause more trouble.
"Don't be impatient. When you're older and have become a true shinobi, then you can help Lord Tsuchikage." Yakushi Nonō's smile was gentle as she carefully examined Kurotsuchi's body. Once she confirmed that every scrape and bruise had been healed with her Mystical Palm Technique, she lifted her hand to wipe the sweat from her brow.
"Whew… all done. Kurotsuchi, remember in your training to know your limits, or else it will only backfire."
Nonō let out a long sigh of relief. She could not forget that she was "Shiso," a young doctor suffering from a congenital heart condition. Even though she had become a medical-nin, her weak heart still left her with a lack of stamina. Using the Mystical Palm Technique to heal others in this way was an extremely exhausting task for her.
"Sister Shiso, are you alright?"
Kurotsuchi looked at the sweat-drenched Yakushi Nonō with concern.
"It's nothing, just a bit of fatigue. You don't need to worry," Nonō answered, taking from her pocket a bottle of heart medicine she always carried. She tipped out a tablet, raised it as if swallowing, and soon her pallid complexion regained color. The medicine inside was real, but she had not actually taken it; she had only performed a sleight of hand, hiding the tablet away.
"It has been a long time since I've exerted myself this much… sigh, it seems I'll never step onto the battlefield in this lifetime. I can only remain in the village as an ordinary doctor," she said with self-mockery.
"Sister Shiso, is your illness truly beyond help?"
"I don't know either. Perhaps Tsunade-hime of the Three Legendary Shinobi in Konoha could cure my condition. As for Iwagakure… we don't yet have the medical knowledge."
"Konoha again?"
Kurotsuchi suddenly recalled something and spoke to Nonō. "Right, Sister Shiso, if you don't have anything important these next few days, it's best not to go out. I overheard my grandfather and father talking—apparently there's a dangerous Konoha spy hidden in the village. There's going to be another round of investigations, and even the hospital will be inspected. I just wanted to give you a heads-up so you won't be startled, since your heart isn't well."
"A Konoha spy?"
Nonō's face showed both confusion and fear. "A spy in the hospital? Should I… should I take leave for a few days?"
"I already told you, relax. This has nothing to do with you. Whether there really is a spy in the hospital, who knows? It's just that to be safe, they're checking the hospital too," Kurotsuchi replied, reversing roles—where once Nonō had comforted her, now she was the one offering reassurance.
Kurotsuchi herself saw no reason to be suspicious. She had known "Sister Shiso" for more than two years and was well aware of her congenital heart condition. Nonō could not even watch animals being slaughtered at the market without becoming faint, let alone kill.
That was why at the hospital she worked exclusively in internal medicine and pediatrics, never in surgery.
Someone like Sister Shiso could not possibly be a spy.
Nor did she have the ability to be one.
Yet despite being regarded as above suspicion, Yakushi Nonō felt a growing weight in her chest. Kurotsuchi had spoken casually, but from her words Nonō sensed the danger drawing closer.
In the past, spy hunts in Iwagakure rarely touched the hospital. Medical-nin were far too valuable. Even those of modest skill were considered a precious resource for the village. Every medic had to undergo strict vetting before being admitted to the hospital. Back when she first infiltrated Iwagakure, she had invested tremendous effort to pass that scrutiny.
Because of this, when searches reached the hospital, the usual targets were patients or hired staff, never doctors or nurses who had already been examined.
"It seems I have no choice but to act."
Nonō thought quietly.
She might deceive the Iwa shinobi's searches once or twice, but she could not evade them forever. And this time, with even doctors and nurses included in the sweep, she feared the village had discovered clues through some other channel.
She had already sensed storm clouds gathering from other sources, but Kurotsuchi's warning confirmed that danger was indeed approaching.
After all, she already knew of the upheaval in Konoha. Shimura Danzō was dead, the Third Hokage had fallen, and the village now had a new order. Yet her communication line with Konoha remained intact. If contact had been severed, she would have aborted the mission immediately and attempted to return.
That her channel had not been broken by Konoha's internal turmoil—she could not say whether it was fortune or misfortune.
But Danzō's death had given her a glimmer of hope. For the first time, she dared to mention in her reports the wish to return home. If Danzō had still been alive, she would never have dared.
It was precisely because he was dead that she could imagine going back to Konoha, back to the orphanage.
Even so, leaving Iwagakure would not be easy. Disguised as "Doctor Shiso," she had gained access to many of the village's higher-ups, including Kurotsuchi herself. That had made gathering intelligence far easier, but it also placed her under enormous risk.
If her identity was exposed and she attempted to flee, the pursuit from Iwa would be relentless and merciless.
"I wonder if the village will send reinforcements…"
Nonō pondered her escape plan. She knew Konoha had changed dramatically, but not exactly how. All she could do was hope that whoever had taken Danzō's place was not a man cut from the same cloth.
"Kurotsuchi, thank you. I won't be going anywhere these next few days."
Her mind was racing, but outwardly she kept her composure, chatting with Kurotsuchi as usual. Her face betrayed nothing.
............
.......
.
Two days later in the morning, Kurotsuchi once again visited Iwagakure's hospital. Familiar with the route, she slipped in through the window of Doctor Shiso's office, took iodine from the cabinet to disinfect her wounds, and patiently waited for the doctor to arrive.
As the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi had received a traditional elite education. Though her name was on the roster of the ninja academy, she had never attended a single day of classes there. Instead, she was taught privately at home by tutors, and whenever her grandfather had time, she would also receive direct instruction from him and his two disciples.
That did not mean her days were easier than those of the academy students. Quite the opposite: in order not to disgrace her grandfather or her clan, Kurotsuchi trained herself relentlessly, morning and night. From the age of five she had not once slept in late. She rose early every day and practiced diligently. Otherwise, she would not have arrived at the hospital at dawn already carrying injuries.
"Why is she so late today?"
She muttered to herself as she stared at the tightly closed door.
According to Doctor Shiso's precise daily routine, she never arrived late unless it was her day off. In the two years Kurotsuchi had known her, this was the first time she had encountered such a situation. She did not think too much of it, only worried that perhaps Shiso's health had failed her.
She waited another twenty minutes.
But still, the familiar figure did not appear.
Her unease grew stronger. Just as she was thinking of going directly to Shiso's home to look for her, the door suddenly swung open. Yet the one who appeared was not the doctor with the gentle smile that always calmed people's hearts.
A squad of ANBU in standard gear burst into the office, slamming the door wide and rushing in like a swarm of bees. When they saw Kurotsuchi sitting in the office chair, their hands instinctively went to their swords and kunai. Some acted faster than thought, reacting on pure instinct to subdue the target, and hurled shuriken toward her arm and shoulder.
Only when they realized the one sitting in the chair was the Tsuchikage's granddaughter was it already too late to pull back.
Clang, clang!
The shuriken were deflected.
Her years of relentless training had borne fruit. Kurotsuchi's Earth Style: Hardening Jutsu was already somewhat developed, and deflecting a few shuriken that carried no chakra enhancement was hardly difficult. In her eyes, compared with her cousin Deidara, who could already fight Jōnin on equal terms, her own ability was still far from enough.
"Kurotsuchi?"
The ANBU commander appeared in the doorway.
"Uncle Bun'ya?"
Kurotsuchi recognized the man named Bun'ya.
He was her father's close friend and one of her grandfather's most trusted subordinates. She often saw him in her grandfather's office and in her father's as well.
"What are you doing here?"
Just as she knew Bun'ya, Bun'ya naturally recognized the Tsuchikage's beloved granddaughter. He had been there when she was born, accompanying his friend Kurotsuchi's father, Kitsuchi, who was then a new parent. He had watched her grow up little by little, witnessing the girl's development with his own eyes.