Chapter 101: Let Your Master Pat Your Head (Part 1)
As soon as the puppets stopped, the fighting ceased. The exhausted shinobi dropped all pretense and slumped onto the ground, panting heavily.
While the battle between Hoshikawa and Terumī Mei was dangerous, the others had it no easier.
To support them, Gonbei and Ao's team had to use highly chakra-intensive, large-scale jutsu to hold back the unending waves of puppets.
If the battle had continued, they would have collapsed before Hoshikawa and Terumī Mei.
After all, besides the monstrous chakra reserves of the Senju and Uzumaki clans, most shinobi had only a normal amount.
"I'm going back to change," Terumī Mei said, having recovered her composure.
She wore a standard vest over a gray bodysuit. It wasn't revealing, but a thick, soaked outfit was incredibly uncomfortable.
"Need me to—"
Before Hoshikawa could finish, he gasped.
Terumī Mei had stomped on his foot, then walked past him toward the Shrine of the Priestess.
"Only a kid would stomp on someone's foot," Hoshikawa grumbled.
"Shut up!" Terumī Mei shot a fierce glare back at him.
Hoshikawa shook his head and followed her.
"Why are you following me?" Terumī Mei's expression changed slightly as she noticed him. "Don't tell me you're a pervert?"
"How could I be?" Hoshikawa scoffed dismissively. "I'm going back to rest. Besides, what's there to look at?"
Terumī Mei might have a good figure when she gets older, but right now, she was... well, nothing special.
Compared to Tsunade, she was completely outclassed.
"Jerk!" Utterly defeated and mentally sunk by his words, Terumī Mei cursed through gritted teeth.
"So, do you want me to look, or not?" Hoshikawa sighed, asking with a hint of helplessness.
"I—"
Terumī Mei only realized what he was doing after he'd pointed it out. She spun around, deciding to simply ignore him.
Any more talking, and she'd want to bite him.
Terumī Mei silently entered her room.
She let out a sigh and took off her clothes.
"Am I that bad?"
Terumī Mei glanced at herself. Her skin was fair, her proportions perfect, with long legs and a slender waist.
Hoshikawa also returned to his room.
He'd just been teasing Terumī Mei; he never actually intended to peek.
After all, he'd always been a man of integrity.
Hoshikawa lay on his bed, wondering when Tsunade and the others would return.
It shouldn't take long.
The Land of Swamps wasn't far, bordering the Land of Demons.
And aside from the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the rest were tiny, small countries.
While it took about three or four days to walk from Konoha to the Village Hidden in the Sand, getting to the Land of Swamps would take half a day at most.
Hoshikawa closed his eyes.
His battle with Yomi had left him completely exhausted. It was mentally and physically draining, but he had to admit, the final victory was incredibly satisfying, like clearing a Souls-like game.
The moon set, and the sun rose.
A knock echoed at the door.
Hoshikawa's eyes shot open. He glanced out the window, realizing it was already the next day.
He put on his clothes and opened the door to find Minato Namikaze.
Hoshikawa was stunned. Did he make it in time? Or was he too late?
"Minato-senpai." Hoshikawa asked. "What's the situation?"
"Let's go to the Shrine of the Priestess," Minato said, walking as he spoke, recounting what had happened.
He had indeed arrived too late. By the time he reached the Land of Swamps, the Priestess Miroku had already performed the sealing.
Fortunately, she had only sealed the body, not the soul.
So Minato used the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, teleporting repeatedly to bring Miroku back to the Land of Demons, helping her seal the soul.
Hoshikawa's eyebrow twitched.
So, Miroku didn't die?
"The Priestess isn't in a good state. Lady Tsunade is still in the Land of Swamps, so I wanted you to take a look." Minato explained his purpose.
He had used the Uzumaki clan's sealing jutsu, and his chakra was running low. If he were to go back and find Tsunade, the time it would take to recover his chakra and travel back and forth might be too late, which was why he thought of Hoshikawa.
"Alright." Hoshikawa thought to himself that this was already far better than the original ending.
The two quickly arrived at the Shrine of the Priestess.
Miroku was half-sitting in her shrine chair, her face pale as if she'd lost a lot of blood.
"Your Highness, the Priestess."
Hoshikawa stepped forward and held out his hands. Light green chakra coursed through her body, quickly sending her status back to him.
"No big deal, she just lost some of her lifespan," Hoshikawa mused after a moment.
Minato froze.
Losing lifespan wasn't a big deal?
"Thank you!" Miroku smiled upon hearing his words. "I never thought I'd get to keep my life. I don't know how much longer I'll live, but this is a blessing."
Minato's mind reeled. He recalled the sealing jutsu Miroku had used and finally understood. With each use, her life force would weaken. He had previously thought it was normal chakra consumption, but he never imagined it was her own life energy.
"As a shinobi, once you accept a mission, you should do your best," Hoshikawa said, raising his hand to continue his healing.
"I understand," Miroku nodded. "I will increase the mission's reward."
Hoshikawa blinked.
He swore he didn't mean to ask for more money. But since she was so thoughtful, Hoshikawa wasn't going to refuse.
This was an S-rank mission, already incredibly lucrative. With the increased reward, he might get over a million ryo.
In the afternoon, Sakumo Hatake and his team finally returned to the Shrine of the Priestess.
"Sensei." Hoshikawa hurried forward to greet her.
"It seems nothing bad happened," Tsunade said, relieved after giving him a once-over.
"Nothing did." Hoshikawa explained. "The Undead Army stopped attacking once you sealed it."
"So that's how it was." Tsunade patted his head, then turned to Minato. "How is the Priestess?"
"Hoshikawa already checked on her. She's fine," Minato said with his trademark smile.
"That's good." Tsunade knew Hoshikawa's current medical ninjutsu proficiency and that the possibility of a misdiagnosis was very small.
"Everyone worked hard. Go back to your rooms and rest." Minato swept his gaze over the group.
The battle was not an easy one. Fortunately, with Tsunade present, there were no casualties.
"Sensei, let's go." Hoshikawa grabbed her hand and headed for her room.
Tsunade was used to him holding her hand, so she wasn't surprised.
When she got to her room, she immediately laid down on the bed.
Hoshikawa knelt, helped her take off her shoes, then lifted her legs and tucked them under the covers.
When he was done, he looked up and saw that Tsunade was already asleep.
With her breathing, her stunning figure rose and fell. Due to the force of gravity on both sides, the snowy white valley looked even deeper than usual.
Hoshikawa reached out, pulled the blanket up to cover her, then turned and left.
"What are you doing standing outside?" Hoshikawa closed the door, turned, and saw Terumī Mei.
"I came to say goodbye," Terumī Mei said after a moment of silence.
"What, are you sad to see me go?" Hoshikawa chuckled.
"Shut up!" Terumī Mei hadn't intended to get angry, but hearing that made her furious. "I just came to remind you—"
"The wallet, right?" Hoshikawa interrupted. "Don't worry, I'll hold onto it until you come to get it."
"Next time, I'm going to beat you until you're on the ground, begging for mercy!" Terumī Mei said viciously.
"Remember to get a different wallet style next time," Hoshikawa said leisurely. "Preferably one I can actually use."
"You!" Terumī Mei understood his underlying meaning and was so infuriated that she lifted her leg to kick him.
Hoshikawa easily dodged it, but he was surprised to see that she was wearing fishnet stockings.
"Don't you dare die! I will find you again!" Terumī Mei said, her face a mask of anger.
"Is that a blessing?" Hoshikawa asked, stroking his chin.
"No!" Terumī Mei glared at him, then turned and walked away.
"Hoshikawa, you sure are popular with the ladies." Minato walked over with a smile.
"Minato-senpai, aren't you going to rest?" Hoshikawa asked, surprised to see him.
"No, I have to head back now," Minato said, shaking his head.
"A lot of pressure?" Hoshikawa raised an eyebrow. "When's the war starting?"
"No one can say for sure," Minato's tone became serious. "But the young generation from the Cloud Village is truly impressive. I can't quite get the upper hand."
He was referring to the future Fourth Raikage and Killer B.
Hoshikawa twitched his mouth. You're just showing off.
You're fighting two against one, what more do you want?
He had to admit, the Flying Thunder God Jutsu was pretty much invincible. You could even hold your own against a monster like Madara Uchiha.
Minato's weakness was a lack of offensive power. While he'd created the Rasengan, it still wasn't quite enough.
"I'm leaving. Tell Lady Tsunade for me." Minato waved, disappearing from the spot in an instant.
He had left Flying Thunder God seals all along the way, allowing him to travel at an incredible speed. The only downside was the amount of chakra it consumed, requiring him to rest a few times along the way. Still, it was much faster than running.
...
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