"It's taking forever... forever..."
After his excitement, Kakashi entered a sage-like state, staring numbly at the wall clock.
Never before had he longed for midnight like today. The slowly passing time felt like an eternity to him.
Finally, the gentle chime of midnight struck twelve.
Kakashi shot upright from the hospital bed — then clutched his chest and coughed, "-- Cough! Got up too fast!"
Fortunately, no one witnessed this embarrassing moment.
Kakashi didn't care either. He created a Shadow Clone to replace himself on the bed before diving underground using [Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage].
Before long, he arrived in front of a luxurious mansion at the village's center.
Unless someone was foolish enough to waste time at gambling dens like that big oaf Taffy, top medical ninja were generally never short on money—especially Seiki, who'd invented the Medical Scroll and had already made a fortune during the wars.
The dilapidated wooden hut once located outside Konoha's "Five Rings" had now been replaced by this luxurious central mansion.
Of course, Kakashi's focus wasn't on the mansion itself.
"Should I sneak straight inside? Isn't that kind of impolite? But Senpai did tell me to stay hidden, and chances are my stealth won't fool Senpai anyway."
Thinking this, Kakashi stopped hesitating and tucked his head back under the ground.
Just as he entered the central courtyard of the mansion, he heard his senpai's voice above.
"Come out."
Relieved, Kakashi released the technique and jumped out from underground.
"Senior, what exactly is this reward..."
"Not yet. Follow me first!"
Excited, Kakashi followed closely behind Seiki, twisting and turning through endless corridors until they reached a particular room.
Seiki pushed open the door, and Kakashi stepped inside after him.
But after glancing around briefly, he sensed something was off.
"Wait a second... this kind of decoration looks exactly like a bedroom, doesn't it?" Sweat began forming on Kakashi's forehead as nervousness crept in and his hand instinctively covered his butt. "Did I get the wrong idea? Was this really that kind of... 'favor' I first imagined?"
While Kakashi was lost in wild speculation, Seiki formed several hand seals.
"Open!"
"This is... a barrier?" Kakashi thought in surprise. Only now did he sense the invisible barrier previously covering the room.
Then, Seiki pressed against the wall.
A faint mechanical clicking sound came from beneath the floor. In the next instant, the floor opened, revealing a staircase leading downward.
"What is this?" Though surprised, Kakashi also felt relieved—it seemed the story wouldn't develop in the direction he'd feared.
"Heh, this was my old laboratory, so I made it slightly more hidden." Seiki explained while turning back to look at Kakashi, asking curiously, "What's wrong with your butt?"
Kakashi quickly pulled his hand away and gave an awkward laugh, "Ah, nothing... Oh yeah, I've just been lying down too long today. My butt's gone numb."
"Oh, is that all?" Seiki didn't press further and headed downstairs into the underground passage.
Kakashi closely followed Seiki underground. As soon as he stepped into the subterranean chamber, a chilling cold rushed toward him, causing an involuntary shiver.
However, he had no time to dwell on the frigid air—his full attention was immediately captured by an Ice Coffin at the center of the vast underground space.
A young girl lay inside the Ice Coffin, her expression peaceful as if she were merely asleep.
"It's Rin!" Kakashi exclaimed excitedly as he ran forward, reaching out to touch the Ice Coffin without even noticing his hand freezing injuries.
After gazing at her for a while, Kakashi reluctantly turned around and asked, "Senpai, what exactly is going on here?"
"How should I explain it?" Seiki gently pressed his forehead. "Let me briefly explain her condition—Rin is currently in a vegetative state."
"A vegetative state?" Kakashi understood the term but still found it hard to believe. "Back then, I clearly killed Rin myself. Even the Bijuu's chakra within her body was dispersing!"
Seiki smiled slightly. "So does that mean she's dead?"
Kakashi's mind became confused, shaking his head helplessly. "I don't know."
"For ordinary Medical Ninja, this situation would definitely be considered undeniably dead," Seiki said with a smile. "But for me, this isn't even close to being the worst scenario."
"After all, my primary profession is as a Medical Ninja. If I couldn't even snatch someone back from Shinigami, how could I call myself a Medical Ninja?"
Kakashi gasped in awe. "Snatching someone from Shinigami? Amazing! No wonder you're such a great senpai!"
Seiki simply smiled—it wasn't just about snatching people from Shinigami; he had even snatched Shinigami itself.
Once he got himself together again, Kakashi asked, "Senpai, when will Rin wake up?"
Stroking his chin, Seiki replied uncertainly, "Three years? Five years? It mainly depends on when Three-Tails revives."
"Huh? Why is it related to Three-Tails?" Kakashi questioned.
"To put it simply, first I took advantage of the symbiotic relationship between Jinchuriki and Three-Tails, forcibly retaining part of its chakra within Rin's body. Then I applied research results I obtained from Eight-Tails' clone onto Rin, ensuring the viability of that retained chakra doesn't die off."
He paused briefly before continuing, "Therefore, once Three-Tails revives, we can capture it, Seal it inside Rin's body, making her a true complete Jinchuriki, thereby achieving her genuine revival!"
Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. "I didn't get half of what you said, but wow, that's insane!"
"However, precisely because of this…" Seiki warned seriously, "You must act like you have no idea this ever happened."
"Huh? Why—" Before finishing his sentence, Kakashi suddenly realized. "I understand now—is it because of Mist?"
"Mist sees Three-Tails as their own private prize. If they discover we're also waiting for Three-Tails to revive, it'll certainly complicate our capture operation. Moreover, they might attempt to assassinate Rin!" Seiki analyzed methodically.
"After all, we can't possibly guard Rin round-the-clock. The best way to protect her is to act like we have no idea this ever happened."
"Even if it's for Rin, you've got to look pained but stay strong!"
After one final glance at Rin, who seemed peacefully asleep, Kakashi resolutely said, "I will. I'll definitely look pained and stay strong!"
"Great, that's the kind of grit I like to see!" Shiki nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly shifted tone. "To make Mist witness your pain, and at the same time take revenge on them, I've got a pretty bold idea."
"What idea?" Kakashi asked, confused.
Shiki softly uttered several words: "Ambush and kill the Mizukage!"
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