"Kaori? You want her as your assistant?" Ruri asked, puzzled.
"Doesn't that child want to be a medical-nin? I was thinking of taking her under my wing to teach her properly, and she can help me with some small tasks on the side," Kaito replied.
Having read through all the medical books in Tsunade's family collection, he was already an expert in theory. No, his chakra clone had learned medical ninjutsu in less than a day, so he could be considered a master of practical application as well. Guiding a beginner would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?
"Fine. It wouldn't be bad for you to guide her. But!" Ruri pointed at Kaito. "Don't you go leading her into any strange business and corrupting her."
In Ruri's eyes, Kaori was a perfect, caring sweetheart. She didn't want her sweetheart to be led astray.
"You can rest assured, Sister Ruri, I promise!"
"..." Ruri retracted her suspicious gaze and moved on to another matter.
"As for the Rocket Team, I'll hand the leadership back to you."
"Mm, alright."
"Right now, the Rocket Team has thirty-eight official members, all of whom have been vetted through multiple rounds of observation and are trustworthy. Should we announce the Rocket Team's existence?"
"There's no need to announce the specific details. We just need to let people know that the Village Hidden in the Silver River has such a mysterious official organization. Only by successfully joining the Rocket Team can one enjoy unique benefits and a fast track for promotion. Beyond that, the specific members, their mission, and so on must all be kept secret." Kaito smiled. "They are the true backbone of our village."
"Hmm, alright. We'll do as you say," Ruri nodded.
"I plan to start accepting commissioned missions from the outside starting tomorrow. This is an important source of income for a ninja village."
"Yes, you can handle that as you see fit." Kaito waved his hand in farewell. "I'm off to manage my Research Institute."
...
In a bright, spacious room, more than a dozen girls stood before a table. They placed their hands, one on top of the other, on a small white mouse with an injured back, and a green light began to glow. They had to endure their discomfort and use medical ninjutsu to heal the mouse's wound.
It wasn't just Kaori; Kushina was among them, a look of stubborn determination on her face. When she heard that Kaito was forming a medical ninja team, she insisted on joining.
As it turned out, her talent for medical ninjutsu was also quite good, ranking among the top of the group—even higher than Kaori's. However, Kaori, with her earnest, meticulous, and humble attitude, was still the first to master the Mystical Palm Technique.
Kaito, wearing a white lab coat and a simple disguise, observed for a while. After correcting a few of the girls' mistakes, he turned and went back to his private laboratory.
He put on gloves, smeared a cultured cell sample onto a glass slide, and placed it under a high-powered microscope for careful observation.
After a long moment, Kaito lifted his head and licked his lips. "As I thought. My cells, whether in appearance or metabolism, are vastly different from those of other people."
"Biologically speaking, I'm no longer human."
He took a deep breath, slowly calming himself down. He had anticipated this situation long ago, and not being human wasn't something he found difficult to accept.
"It's just... does this mean there's a reproductive barrier between me and humans?"
Shaking his head, Kaito pushed the messy thoughts aside. He walked over to a row of cages in the corner of the lab, selected a handsome-looking white mouse, and secured it on the experiment table. Then, he took a syringe, drew some of his serum from a beaker, and slowly injected it into the mouse.
The mouse's body trembled once, then grew calm.
Seeing that it hadn't died instantly, Kaito breathed a sigh of relief and placed it in a separate cage.
"I hope this works on the first try."
...
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
During this year, the ninja world gradually stabilized.
First, the Land of Wind, under the combined fierce assault of the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire, was stretched thin and was finally forced to propose a peace treaty. Both sides withdrew their troops from the Land of Rain, ending the war there.
On the other side, the Land of Earth, unable to make headway against the Land of Thunder after a long siege, also gradually withdrew its forces. The Great Ninja War, which had lasted for more than a year, finally came to a close.
But behind the scenes, the ninja world was still turbulent.
The Land of Thunder, no longer having to fight the Land of Earth, had nowhere to vent its frustrations. It frequently used the incident of its elite troops being slaughtered while passing through the Land of Fire to pressure Konoha. At the slightest disagreement, they would clamor for war, and the air was thick with tension. The Land of Fire argued its case forcefully and maintained a hard stance.
The Land of Earth and the Land of Water watched from the sidelines, not intervening, but keeping a close eye on the situation. If they sensed that the Land of Fire was all bark and no bite, they wouldn't mind starting a new ninja war to get a piece of the pie from its ruins.
Only the Land of Wind had been truly beaten down. For the next few years, it could only behave itself and quietly rebuild its strength.
As for the smaller nations, the Land of Grass had been completely unified, taken over by a chakra clone. It had then proposed its basic national policy to the surrounding nations of Earth, Fire, and Wind: whoever pays, we help; whoever pays more, we help more. The prices were fair for young and old alike.
Konoha's reaction was lukewarm; they didn't seem to think much of the Land of Grass's power. Sunagakure only made a token gesture, their enthusiasm for business low. It seemed they truly wanted a period of rest and recuperation.
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, however, had other ideas. If they allied with the Land of Grass, his Iwagakure forces could march straight into the heart of the Land of Fire. And so, Iwagakure secretly dispatched Jonin to Kusagakure for several friendly talks with the chakra clone, establishing a profound financial bond.
As for the Land of Rain, after the war, Hanzo's title of "Demigod" was firmly established. His fame echoed throughout the ninja world, and he was deeply loved by the people of Amegakure. Even though they had lost the war and their land was in ruins, his reputation was not tarnished.
After reorganizing his remaining forces, Hanzo gradually reclaimed the lands of the Land of Rain—all except for Spark Sanctuary.
As a result, the existence of Spark Sanctuary became particularly conspicuous. Not to mention, it unconditionally took in many rogue ninja who were seen by others as cowards who feared death.
Why should we risk our lives for our country while you get to enjoy peace with a clear conscience?
The dissatisfaction of the Amegakure ninja towards Spark Sanctuary grew stronger and stronger, reaching a point where even Hanzo could no longer suppress it.
"Lord Hanzo, we cannot allow that sanctuary to continue to be so independent," his advisor, Kanda, urged. "The war has been over for a long time now. There is no need for a so-called sanctuary to exist anymore. We must take control of its leadership, and the rogue ninja inside should be punished. Only then can we quell the anger of the others."
"Hmm..." Hanzo pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "I once made a promise that I would not interfere with them."
"Times have changed, my lord!" Kanda continued to persuade him. "You don't need to act personally in this matter. With a small trick, I can easily handle that Kaito!" He then laid out his plan.
"No, you can't do it alone. If we must proceed this way, then I will have to be the one to strike the final blow," Hanzo said.
"Then, my lord, what is your decision?"
Hanzo thought for a long time before finally nodding. "A country should not have two different voices. Go ahead and handle this matter."
"Yes, sir!"