Tenzō had finally jumped from the massive pit that was Root into the relatively smaller one known as the Anbu. A cause for celebration—truly worth congratulating.
The next day, when Tenzō came to report in, he asked Kakashi,
"Kakashi-senpai, where's Kiyosuke-sama? I remember he's supposed to be in Anbu, right? Is he out on a mission or something?"
Kakashi, dead-fish eyes as calm as ever, replied,
"You think that lazy bum would bother showing up in Anbu? He's just here in name."
Another Anbu nearby chuckled and added,
"Yeah, he's basically a legend around here. Ever since he joined, he's barely gone on any missions. I'm so jealous."
"If you had that guy's level of skill, you could get away with it too," Kakashi said, clearly annoyed.
"Alright, enough chatting. Get ready—we've got a mission coming up."
"Yes, sir!"
...
Meanwhile, on Kiyosuke's side of things, Pakura was still recuperating at home and rarely went out.
He sat in the courtyard, quietly watching a few little brats chasing each other and playing.
It was Naruto's first time bringing friends home.
There was a chubby kid—clearly of Akimichi bloodline—a boy with pineapple hair, and another one with a small dog lounging on top of his head.
The four kids ran around the courtyard, laughing and shouting. Pakura sat beside him and asked,
"You enjoying this?"
His expression made it clear—he really liked this peaceful atmosphere.
She liked it too. Konoha was different from Sunagakure.
Konoha felt like one big happy family. Sunagakure was peaceful, sure, but it lacked this kind of serenity.
Sunagakure was currently weighed down by financial struggles, while Konoha didn't have to worry about that sort of thing.
Konoha was like a vast forest, full of all sorts of creatures coexisting in harmony. Even when conflicts arose, they stayed hidden in the shadows.
If this were Sunagakure...
She shook her head. Yeah, there really were differences between villages.
"I really do enjoy this kind of life," Kiyosuke said with a lazy smile. "I could live like this forever and it still wouldn't be enough."
"But... trouble always finds its way eventually." He sighed.
Behind the scenes, Black Zetsu was still diligently trying to save his mother. What a devoted son...
Just look at the Sage of Six Paths—what a filial son.
And Black Zetsu? A super filial son!
"What do you want to do?"
Kiyosuke didn't answer that. Instead, he asked,
"Pakura, when you're fully healed... will you go back to Sunagakure?"
"Yes. I have to. There needs to be closure, right?"
She said, "Life in Konoha is nice, but I can't truly fit in. Asakawa, I'm not one of you."
Life in Konoha had been peaceful. She didn't have to think about missions, or the village, or how to grow stronger.
All she had to think about was what to make for dinner, how to take care of Naruto and Haku... and whether that bastard Asakawa was doing weird things with her underwear...
She had always dreamed of a peaceful life like this. But dreams didn't last forever.
"Seriously, you... woman... just don't die, alright?" Kiyosuke whispered, lying down beside her.
"I'll try."
Pakura smiled and let Kiyosuke rest his head on her soft thighs.
"What are you doing?"
A lap pillow?! A lap pillow!! A LAP PILLOW!!!
He opened his eyes wide in disbelief, staring up at her... well, not exactly. The view was blocked by a towering pair of peaks. He couldn't even see her face.
Pakura blushed and said,
"I don't really have any way to repay you. You don't even want this body. So... just take this as a small token of gratitude. I heard you guys like this sort of thing."
"W-Well... I-I guess... it's n-not bad..."
Kiyosuke stammered, clearly overwhelmed. He turned over in a desperate attempt to escape the awkwardness.
Thud!
"Waaah!!"
Kiyosuke went flying.
Pakura's face was bright red.
"W-What the hell were you doing?! I can't believe you...!"
"Kiyosuke-san! Kiyosuke-san! Are you okay?!"
The four kids quickly ran over to help the nosebleeding Kiyosuke off the ground.
"I'm fine." He wiped his nose and said, "This is grown-up business. Kids, go play somewhere else. Naruto, I might not survive this one. Take care of yourself."
"Okay! But you've got to survive!"
Naruto instinctively led his friends out of the courtyard.
Chōji blinked and asked, "Naruto, what just happened?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Shikamaru said with a sigh. "That lady's about to kill Kiyosuke-san."
He remembered Pakura's expression just now... exactly like his mom's. And whenever that expression appeared... his dad was in big trouble.
"But she's really pretty! Right, Akamaru?"
"Woof!"
The tiny puppy on top of Kiba's head barked.
Naruto said,
"Kiyosuke-san told me Pakura-nee is super strong. But don't worry—he's even stronger!"
Just as he said that, Kiyosuke flew out of the courtyard, black and blue all over.
Naruto: "..."
Three kids and one dog: "..."
Kiyosuke stood up with a blank expression and said,
"Naruto, there are times in life when a man just has to take the hit. You'll understand when you're older."
"Oh." Naruto nodded, not really getting it.
Kiyosuke jumped back into the courtyard.
A few seconds later, BANG! CRASH!
"Let's just go," Shikamaru said. "Naruto, your house is scary."
"Yeah, kinda..." Naruto nodded. "Let's go catch some loaches down by the river!"
"Yeah!"
The kids ran off cheerfully, leaving Kiyosuke behind to take his beating.
To be fair... he had gone a little too far just now.
"You can figure out your own dinner tonight!"
After letting off steam, Pakura stomped away.
Kiyosuke let out a helpless sigh.
Fine. He'd go drink with Kakashi and the others tonight. He was an adult now anyway.
...
Time flew by quickly, and Pakura's injuries had finally healed.
She was ready to leave Konoha.
At the village gate—
"You've made up your mind?"
"Yeah. Thank you, Asakawa."
With her pack on her back, Pakura gave him a gentle, radiant smile.
"If it weren't for you, I'd be a rotting corpse right now."
"No need to thank me. I just couldn't walk away once I got involved."
"Still, I want to thank you. Here." She handed him a scroll.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Something your Hokage wants." Pakura said. "Everything I know about Sunagakure's intel is in there. I've already made up my mind to betray the village, so there's no point in keeping secrets. Just think of it as a small way of repaying you."
"Alright."
He didn't waste time with unnecessary words and accepted the scroll.
"Well, I won't walk you too far. There won't be any danger within the Land of Fire."
He had asked Kakashi and Tenzō to escort her out of the country.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing."
"Asakawa."
"What?"
Pakura smiled.
"Goodbye. Take care of Haku and Naruto for me... and take care of yourself, too."
She waved and left, walking away with her usual grace.
Kiyosuke murmured softly,
"Safe travels."