Red Nara

Thank all the gods, there were no further incidents - the team retreated to a considerable distance without any problems, the girls prepared a parking lot and the clones were able to heal me without any problems in two pairs of hands, paying special attention to the damage to the keirakukei. And I was once again convinced that last chance scrolls were not only a terrific tool for getting reinforcements in a dire situation, but also after the battle was over, when the injuries sustained might prevent the use of iryojutsu.

When every use of chakra is met with a stabbing pain throughout the body, you begin to appreciate the opportunity to receive expert medical attention. I had experience, and the damage was much less extensive than Mitarashi Sr.'s, so it took about five hours to get me back to normal. Of course, it wasn't recommended to use chakra for the next few days, even for C-rank techniques, but I could at least move independently on the upper paths instead of hanging between two kage bunshins (shadow clone).

The straight road to the village was also not rich in adventures, but the kunoichi had already had their share and were not complaining. I was resting. If we ignore the meeting with Kakuzu, the mission outside Konoha was a real breath of fresh air for me - no urgent business, important classes or necessary research, the forest, nature, sitting around the fire. It would have been nice to have some female companionship and a couple bottles of plum liquor to complete the picture, but that's all I had.

I can't remember the last time I had a real rest - when you realize that your diligence determines not only your position in the society of deadly professional killers, but also your chances of not dying outside the village, it's a great motivator. Especially when you see the consequences of weakness everywhere you go. Or you don't see them anymore by attending a funeral. In fact, it's only the wife and mistresses that save the day, allowing you to blow off steam.

Unfortunately, once I cross the gates of Konoha, everything will be back to normal, except that I'll have more worries - I'll have to analyze in detail all the pros and cons of the battle with the Waterfall nukenin, think very seriously about the necessary measures to ensure that the next time we meet will be an unpleasant surprise for Kakuzu, as well as to start working on my own strengthening, which has been postponed for the moment.

My eighteenth birthday is just around the corner, and by then I need to make a detailed, step-by-step plan to modernize my body with the experience I've gained with the kanpeki ningyo (perfect marionettes). And not to screw up like Tsunade did when she wanted everything while still in the formative stages of her body.

Yes, she is capable of crushing rocks with her fists even without chakra, and she's extremely resilient, but as a result of such a drastic intervention in her body too early, the Senju princess is completely sterile, and medicine is powerless. When she had gained enough knowledge and experience, becoming a first-class iryonin, it was too late to take action. So I'm not attracted to that fate, and a detailed plan is everything.

Traveling straight instead of along the roads, we returned to Konoha in a couple of days, not even in a hurry. After checking in at the gate and handing in the task scroll at the Hokage's tower office, I split the money between the genin and disbanded the team, giving them three days of rest, and jumped on the rooftops in the direction of the clan.

Unlike the wards, I still had to write a couple of mission reports - a simpler one for the village and a much more detailed one for the clan head and elders. Then, after a few more missions, I could get the apprentices involved in the first part of the mission, but for now, let them rest.

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