Konoha Village Entrance
"Thank you."
After Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, the two gatekeepers, finished their registration, Kitazawa turned and walked out.
"I've already chosen a path that's both fast and safe." Kurenai shook the map scroll, smiling as she said, "Follow me, and I guarantee nothing will go wrong."
"Yes, Kurenai-sensei." Kitazawa chuckled softly.
"You're a Special Jōnin now, you're the captain." Kurenai rolled her eyes.
"Does it make a difference who's the captain?" Kitazawa spread his hands.
"Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with you." Kurenai put away the map scroll.
"Keep up." With a leap, she moved agilely, darting up and down through the Forest of Death.
The Land of Grass bordered the Land of Fire, located to the northwest.
After a day's travel, the two arrived at the border.
"We can enter the Land of Grass tomorrow." Kurenai looked toward the vast grasslands, stretching out without obstruction.
"If you want to see the great plains, you'll have to go deeper into the heart of Kusa no Kuni(Land of Grass)." Kitazawa reminded her.
"I know." Retracting her gaze, Kurenai said, "We'll rest here tonight and get enough sleep for tomorrow's battle."
"Don't worry too much, Kenchiro is just a Chūnin." Kitazawa opened a summoning storage scroll and began setting up a tent.
"You've been teaching at the Academy for so long, you've forgotten what the ninja code is." Kurenai's face turned stern. "On missions, you must remain vigilant at all times and never underestimate an enemy."
"Please teach me, Kurenai-sensei." Kitazawa raised his hand seriously. "Let's discuss it in detail inside the tent."
"Why is there only one tent?" Kurenai's heart trembled.
"On missions, we keep things simple." Kitazawa blinked. "Are you scared?"
"Anyway, there's a sleeping bag. What am I afraid of?" Kurenai slipped off her shoes and walked barefoot inside.
"Let's eat first." Kitazawa pulled out a small low table.
"I made bento." Kurenai sat cross-legged and placed two boxes on the table.
"It's as delicious as ever." Kitazawa took a bite of chicken cutlet and smiled.
"Of course!" Kurenai's lips curved proudly. "You should be grateful you can eat my bento!"
"You're right." Kitazawa's eyes shifted mischievously. "I'll repay you after we finish eating."
"You… what do you want to do?" Kurenai's smile stiffened, ominous thoughts flashing in her mind.
"You'll find out soon enough." Kitazawa laughed. "Why are you so nervous?"
"Who's nervous?" Kurenai lifted her thigh and kicked his knee with her bare foot. "Would I be nervous?"
"Yes, you wouldn't." Kitazawa played along.
They quickly finished eating. Kurenai looked at him with a calm expression, but her clenched hands betrayed her feelings.
"Do you want to take a bath?" Kitazawa packed up the boxes. "I noticed a river not far back along the way."
"Who bathes during a mission?" Kurenai paused. "At most, we'll wash our feet."
"Then let's go wash our feet—and our faces too. I brought towels."
"Alright." Kurenai didn't refuse.
The two reached the riverbank, removed their sandals, and dipped their feet into the cool water.
"What was the repayment you just mentioned?" Kurenai asked, feigning indifference.
"What kind of repayment do you want?" Kitazawa turned toward her, catching unease flickering in her eyes.
"That's your question, not mine." Kurenai straightened her back.
Kitazawa's gaze slid from her face, down her graceful frame, and finally rested on her fair, slender thighs.
Kurenai felt his eyes on her. Her lips parted, but no words came. Her legs tensed instinctively.
"You've been running all day. You must be tired. Let me massage your legs." Kitazawa handed her a towel.
Kurenai exhaled softly, relieved.
"If you're not satisfied, you can choose a different area," Kitazawa teased.
"No need to change!" Kurenai answered without thinking.
She lifted her leg, droplets sliding down smooth skin. After wiping with the towel, her thighs gleamed pale once again.
"Let's go." She returned to the tent.
Before Kitazawa could speak, she placed her feet on his lap.
"If your massage skills aren't good, I won't be satisfied, you know!" Kurenai smirked. "Don't think I don't know what you're plotting, you pervert!"
"I just want to help you relieve fatigue." Kitazawa held both her feet in one hand.
"Do you think I'd believe that?" Kurenai scoffed.
"You—ah!" Her eyes widened. Kitazawa's fingers were tickling the soles of her feet.
"No!" Kurenai twisted frantically, her soft feet arching, insteps tight, toes curling as laughter and whimpers escaped her.
"You're too loud. You'll attract enemies." Kitazawa finally stopped, smiling.
"You're blaming me?!" Kurenai's face flushed. She kicked him, but he pulled her back the next second.
"I'm going to sleep!" Afraid of another tickle attack, she blurted out, "I don't need your massage!"
"Alright, this time it's really a massage." Kitazawa gently pressed her right foot with both hands, kneading along the top.
Kurenai shot him a sharp glare but eventually relaxed.
"You're truly both beautiful and adorable," Kitazawa murmured with a smile.
"Why are you suddenly praising me?" Kurenai pouted and said, "Even if you praise me, I won't forgive you."
"That's not praise, it's a fact," Kitazawa said casually.
"Massage properly." Kurenai's lips curved slightly as she spoke.
"Move over a bit." Kitazawa massaged for a while and said, "I'll massage your legs."
Kurenai shifted her body and directly rested both of her legs on his lap.
Kitazawa reached out his hand and placed it on her fair, smooth thighs. He gently caressed them, immediately feeling the softness of her flesh.
"It's a massage, not leg touching!" Kurenai said, embarrassed and angry.
Kitazawa cleared his throat and began the massage.
Kurenai turned her head away, not looking at him. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and the sensation from her thighs gradually made her face flush.
"We still have a mission tomorrow, so that's enough for today. Let's sleep." Kurenai pulled back her somewhat soft legs and quickly burrowed into her sleeping bag.
Seeing this, Kitazawa also took out his sleeping bag and placed it next to hers. After he got into his sleeping bag, he looked at Kurenai.
Her face was slightly red, but her eyes were tightly closed. Kitazawa leaned forward and kissed her lips.
Kurenai's eyes snapped open, but she didn't push him away.
"Good night," Kitazawa said after a brief exchange, letting her go.
"Mmm." Kurenai closed her eyes again.
Kitazawa couldn't help but smile. Kurenai's reaction made him realize one thing: their affection progress bar was already full.
The rest of the matter would naturally fall into place with the right time and location.
---
Time moved to the next day.
Kitazawa and Kurenai entered Kusa no Kuni (Land of Grass).
After walking for half an hour, they saw an endless grassland stretching as far as the eye could see. The sky was vast, the wilderness boundless, and the wind blew the grass low, but there were no cattle or sheep.
"According to the mission details, Kenchiro is in the Metropolitan Town in the Land of Grass."
After Kurenai had seen enough, she remembered their mission and said, "Let's make a battle plan first."
"No need for such trouble." Kitazawa shook his head and said, "Just go directly to the Metropolitan Town and find him."
Kurenai thought for a moment and agreed. She wasn't someone who rigidly adhered to rules; there was indeed no need to take a Chunin so seriously.
Another half an hour passed, and the two entered the Metropolitan Town.
"Wait for me here, I'll use my Sensory Ninjutsu to find him."
Before Kurenai could reply, Kitazawa leaped up onto a nearby rooftop.
The mission scroll had a portrait of Kenchiro, but it didn't specify which building he was in. It only said that he had appeared in the Metropolitan Town within the Land of Grass these past few days.
"Byakugan!" The veins around Kitazawa's eyes bulged, and in an instant, his eyes turned pure white. He quickly located the ninja in one of the hotels.
Then, Kitazawa and Kurenai quickly found their target.
"Konoha ninja?" Kenchiro's face changed drastically as soon as he saw them.
He unhesitatingly drew his ninja blade and charged at Kitazawa, who was standing at the very front. However, the next moment, his legs were entangled by vines.
Kenchiro looked down and found himself bound by a tree. How could a tree grow in a room?
This was the Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!
'Genjutsu?' Kenchiro reacted, subconsciously wanting to form hand signs to dispel the genjutsu, but it was already too late.
He only felt a pain in his head, and then he lost consciousness.
"That simple?" Kurenai, who had been eager to make a move, was instantly speechless.
She hadn't done anything, and the mission was already over. For this mission, she had been running all day on the road.
But it wasn't that Kenchiro was weak; it was that Kitazawa's strength was too outrageous.
Single-handed hand signs combined with Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death made Kenchiro lose his ability to resist in a single encounter.
"It seems we need to take on A-rank missions next time." Kurenai looked at the unconscious Kiichi Rou, shook her head, and said.
If she chose B-rank missions again, she would likely still have no sense of participation.
"It's a good thing that the mission was successfully completed." Kitazawa, however, didn't care.
Because his true goal wasn't Kenchiro, but Karin and her mother. But how to reasonably go to Kusagakure was also a problem.
"Let's go."
Kitazawa grabbed Kenchiro's shoulder and said, "Let's hurry; maybe we can return to Konoha Village by night."
Their mission was to capture the rogue ninja Kenchiro, not to bring back his corpse. Of course, if there was no other way, they could bring back the corpse, but it would affect the mission's completion rating.
"Mm." Kurenai nodded and said.
Because they were carrying an unconscious Kenchiro, the two of them didn't take the usual route when leaving the Kusa Metropolitan Town.
They found a secluded path, walked to a corner of the Town wall, and then climbed over it.
Upon leaving the Kusa Metropolitan Town, they were greeted by a vast grassland.
"I remember Kusagakure is not far from here; I'll send a Shadow Clone to buy two lunches." After walking for more than ten minutes, Kitazawa saw that the time was right and casually said.
"No need for such trouble." Kurenai said indifferently, "I can just eat my bento."
"The bento is already cold now; it won't taste as good." Kitazawa chuckled and asked, "Besides, it's rare to come out; don't you want to try Kusagakure's special delicacies?"
"Alright then." Kurenai didn't think much and agreed.
Kitazawa formed hand signs with both hands and created a Shadow Clone. The two looked at each other, and the Shadow Clone immediately turned and headed towards Kusagakure.
"We can just walk and wait." Kitazawa, carrying the still unconscious Kenchiro, continued walking forward with Kurenai.
However, their speed was much slower.
---
The time came to noon.
The two found an open space to stop and rest, and also had lunch.
"I wonder when your Shadow Clone will return." Kurenai glanced at Kenchiro and said.
Kenchiro had woken up once before but was knocked unconscious again by Kitazawa. According to him, a dead person was more useful than a living one, and an unconscious person was less troublesome than a conscious one.
"He should catch up very soon." Kitazawa pondered for a moment and said, "This is not the time of the Great Ninja War; Kusagakure wouldn't dare to lay a hand on Konoha Ninja."
He guessed that the Shadow Clone was delayed because he was looking for Karin and her mother.
"Besides, that's a Shadow Clone." Kitazawa continued, "If anything really happens, I'll know immediately."
"That's true." Kurenai didn't ask further, her gaze falling on Kitazawa.
"Why are you staring at me?" Kitazawa stretched out his hand, waved it in front of her eyes, and asked.
"Only you are allowed to look at me; am I not allowed to look at you?" Kurenai's lips curved into a smile as she asked.
"My point is, if you want to see more clearly, I can take off my clothes for you to see," Kitazawa said with a serious expression.
"Pervert!" Kurenai spat, saying disdainfully.
"You're the one who wanted to look, so why are you scolding me?" Kitazawa raised his hand and patted her thigh once.
"…" Kurenai's lips twitched. She really had no way to deal with this thick-skinned guy.
Just then, a whooshing sound came from far to near.
"The lunch I bought is all inside." Kitazawa's Shadow Clone appeared before them and placed down a summoning storage scroll.
Kurenai opened it and took out the food. Kitazawa, meanwhile, dispelled the Shadow Clone and reviewed his memories.
After the Shadow Clone arrived at Kusagakure, he used the Transformation Technique to blend in and began searching for Karin and her mother. Although Kusagakure wasn't large, Karin and her mother were relatively special and had been deliberately hidden.
However, the Shadow Clone still found a way. He ambushed a Kusagakure Chunin, injured him, and eventually tracked him to find Karin and her mother.
Kitazawa couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after reviewing the memories. The objective had been achieved; next, he just needed to inform Lady Tsunade.
He wondered if rescuing Karin and her mother would trigger a new mission. Judging from the rescue operations for Nono Yakushi and Yakushi Kabuto, the possibility was still very high.
"Did your Shadow Clone encounter anything in Kusagakure?" Kurenai noticed his expression and asked.
"There was one thing." Kitazawa didn't hide it and said directly, "The Shadow Clone encountered a red-haired female Ninja in Kusagakure."
"Red hair? That's quite rare." Kurenai raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why would she catch your Shadow Clone's attention?"
In the Ninja World, many hair colors are very special, such as red hair. Generally speaking, only Ninja of the Uzumaki Clan have red hair. Of course, there are exceptions, such as the Sunagakure rogue Ninja and Akatsuki Organization member, Sasori.
"Her exposed skin was covered in bite marks," Kitazawa replied.
"What's going on?" Kurenai couldn't help but be astonished.
"If a person has any injuries, they can absorb her Chakra through this method and heal." Kitazawa slowly said.
"What?!" Kurenai's eyes widened, and she angrily asked, "There's actually such a heinous method?!"
She could fully imagine how much inhumane suffering that red-haired female Ninja must have gone through to be left with a body full of bite marks.
"Red hair, and so much Chakra, I suspect she's a Ninja of the Uzumaki Clan." Kitazawa said gravely, "You know, the Uzumaki Clan and our Konoha are allies."
"This matter should indeed be reported to Hokage-sama." Kurenai nodded heavily and said.
Although the Uzumaki Clan had perished, the alliance had not been dissolved. Moreover, Konoha owed the Uzumaki Clan, as they hadn't been able to provide a timely rescue back then.
The two ate lunch, took Kenchiro, and continued on their journey.
As night deepened.
Kitazawa and Kurenai traveled all day and finally returned to Konoha at night.
It was already late at night, but fortunately, there were still staff on duty at the Hokage Building. After Kitazawa handed Kenchiro over to the staff, he and Kurenai returned home.
"Home is the best; I'm so exhausted!" Kurenai took off her shoes and immediately collapsed onto the sofa.
Because they were in a hurry to return, they hadn't stopped all day except for lunch.
"You should rest well." Kitazawa looked at her perfectly curved waist and hips, resisting the urge to pat them twice, and said.
"See you tomorrow." Kurenai raised her head and looked at him.
After he left, she remembered the massage from last night again.
"Bad guy." Kurenai buried her head again, feeling a faint warmth in her heart.
---
Kitazawa glanced at the sky, not rushing to find Lady Tsunade. After all, at this time, she was probably already asleep.
A new day, which was Monday.
Kitazawa arrived early at the residence where Lady Tsunade and Shizune lived. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.
A moment later, the door opened, and Shizune, wearing a nightgown, appeared.
Kitazawa curiously looked her over twice. Although Shizune was relatively flat, her figure was indeed good.
"Kitazawa?" Shizune fully woke up and said with some embarrassment, "I just woke up and haven't had time to change."
"It's alright." Kitazawa praised, "This nightgown is very pretty."
"Thank you." Shizune paused, then asked, "Coming so early, do you have something urgent?"
"I have an urgent matter to discuss with Lady Tsunade," Kitazawa replied.
"Lady Tsunade isn't awake yet." Shizune hesitated for two seconds, then stepped aside and said, "Come in first; I'll go wake her up."
"Thank you, Senior Sister Shizune." Kitazawa took off his shoes and walked inside.
--
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