Boom!!
Crack—crack—
No matter how fast the young woman's slashes were, they could not outpace Wood Release, accelerated by natural energy.
Vines suddenly burst out behind Kaito, binding him tight—
poof!—and the body turned into a shadow clone.
Nawaki narrowed his eyes and glanced toward the real Kaito, who had been trying to rescue Tsunade from behind.
"Why bother?" he said calmly.
"Your strength, to me… is far too weak."
Pshhk!!
Mikoto was overwhelmed by Wood Release. Her slender body was wrapped in thick vines and hoisted into the air.
Her chakra was being drained at a frightening speed, directly feeding the bindings and making them even tighter.
"Ugh… damn it!!"
There were too many attacks. Mikoto had no time to weave seals at all.
And with Nawaki in Sage Mode, not only was his resistance to genjutsu vastly increased—he didn't even need to look at her to sense her movements.
Before Kaito could even raise his kunai, his entire body jolted violently and collapsed to the ground.
Nawaki stood behind him, lifting a chakra shock baton, its tip crackling with blue arcs of electricity—enough to knock any ninja unconscious instantly.
"Sorry about this, Kaito."
Up above, Jiraiya could only raise both hands in surrender.
Three defeated.
And now the enemy had three more hostages.
Special Detention Room — Inner Personnel Cell
"Put them in."
"Got it. Put this woman in the next room.
This guy stays here with my sister."
"…Is that really okay?
Men and women together—won't your sister beat you to death when she wakes up?"
"Enough. Don't worry about it. I'm doing this for her own good."
"She's already thirty and still doesn't have a boyfriend.
At this rate, the Senju clan is really going to end with her."
"..."
"Then what about you, Lord Tree?"
"I don't plan on getting married."
"I'm not like you."
With that, Tsunade, Kaito, and Mikoto were placed into a two-bedroom, one-living-room detention suite.
The voices of Mako and Nawaki faded away outside the door.
On a clean, white bed nearly two meters wide—
Kaito pretended to stir awake.
He glanced at the still-unconscious Tsunade beside him, then at the iron-barred door, and finally at the Chakra Restraint Cuffs A-Type locked onto his right wrist—
Incredible filial piety, Nawaki. Truly. Locking your own sister up with my handcuffs—she's so blessed to have you as a brother.
The room was about forty square meters.
Plainly furnished—not nearly as nice as the residences of high-ranking staff, but leagues better than ordinary prison cells.
This was a special detention room, reserved for insiders.
Outside the iron bars stood two female guards Kaito didn't recognize.
He walked over, grabbed the bars, about to speak—
Bzzzztt!!
A violent electric shock forced him back, both arms numb, faint smoke rising from his skin.
What the hell?! When was this upgraded?!
—Before leaving Loulan, Kaito had explicitly said that anything not a major national matter didn't need to be reported to him.
So Queen Sally never mentioned this.
"Go back and rest," one of the guards said coldly.
"We'll bring meals at the proper time."
"There's a private bathroom, washing machine, sofa, TV, newspapers, magazines, a large bed, wardrobe, air conditioning, and a fridge."
"If you're bored, you can look outside through the sealed floor-to-ceiling window."
"..."
"Can I see the queen? Or maybe—"
"No."
"Your movement restriction period is one week."
"Whether the sentence is extended will depend on Lord Tree and the queen's decision."
"…Alright."
Kaito returned to the bed, closed the door, turned on the AC, and stripped off his sweat-soaked clothes like he was back home, tossing them into the laundry basket.
Shhhh—
The shower system recycled filtered water through underground pipelines.
The filtration was advanced enough that the tap water was fully drinkable.
Warm water poured down. Steam filled the bathroom.
On the bed, Tsunade stirred awake.
For a moment, she thought she was at home.
Then she noticed the bathroom.
Through the frosted glass, steam drifted—and she could vaguely make out the muscular outline of a man's back.
She couldn't help thinking:
My little brother really has grown up… even to this point…?!
Kaito tilted his head while washing his hair and saw Tsunade with both hands raised.
"Hey! Can't you see someone's showering?!"
"Go away!"
Tsunade's face flushed red—but she peered through her fingers anyway.
"Brat. Nice body."
"..."
"Believe it or not, I'll watch you later when you bathe."
"Oh? You've got guts now?"
Tsunade dropped her hands entirely, smirking.
"Then why don't we wash together?"
"..."
Kaito sighed.
This middle-aged hooligan really is something else.
After changing into a bathrobe, Kaito grabbed a sweet soda from the fridge, collapsed onto the sofa, and flipped through a magazine.
"?"
"You've been here before?"
"No. This is Loulan's prison. We're prisoners. No chakra either."
"So just treat it like a vacation."
Tsunade fell silent.
After a while, she sighed.
"What happened after that?"
"Did Jiraiya lose too?"
She took Kaito's soda and drank it.
Woman, can't you grab your own bottle?!
"I don't know," Kaito replied.
"I tried to rescue you while Mikoto distracted Nawaki. Then I got knocked out by Lightning Release."
"…I see."
She shook the bottle, eyes unfocused.
"Thank you."
"No problem. We're comrades."
"Just comrades?"
"..."
"Kaito…"
"Call me brother."
"I don't have Nawaki anymore.
You wouldn't let me lose another brother too, would you?"
She clutched his sleeve tightly.
"...Brother."
"Ehehe~"
"Shouldn't we try to bring Nawaki back? He's—"
"He's not my brother anymore!" Tsunade snapped.
"He's not a Konoha ninja, not the Senju heir!"
"He wasn't controlled—so he must've been brainwashed by that All-Knowing Minister!"
Kaito thought quietly:
I never actually indoctrinated him… I just let him see things for himself…
Tsunade leaned into him, holding him tightly.
"Just let me hold you for a bit…"
What could Kaito say?
Searching for her brother for over a year—
only to find him, yet lose him completely.
Next Door — Chaos
Bang!!
"What did you just say?! Where is Kaito?!"
The female guard panicked, raising her pistol as Mikoto lifted a table to smash it.
"Don't move!! I'll shoot!!"
"DO IT! SHOOT ME THEN!!"
"To this extent?!" the guard shouted.
"They're just in the same room!"
"If your husband slept with another woman while you were locked next door, wouldn't you snap?!"
The guard grabbed her radio.
"Location: Tower 21, Floor 4, Cell 2!
Uchiha Mikoto—target unstable! Wrist device malfunction imminent!"
A calm voice answered:
"I'm on my way."
Moments later, Garura arrived.
She surveyed the wreckage.
"You'll pay for this."
Mikoto lashed out—
Sand seized her wrist instantly.
"Assaulting a high-ranking Loulan official," Garura said coldly.
"Sentence upgraded."
Mikoto's chakra surged back—
Three-tomoe Sharingan spinning wildly.
Garura's Sage Mark activated.
Sage Mode — On.
Sand infused with natural energy crushed Mikoto's resistance.
Her eyes froze—
Then she collapsed.
Garura fitted S-Class Restraint Cuffs onto her wrists.
"…Mangekyō?" Garura murmured, having seen the pattern for a split second.
She dragged Mikoto next door.
"Open it."
"This was Lord Tree's—"
Garura's presence alone silenced the guard.
The door opened.
Inside, Tsunade and Kaito instantly separated.
Garura tossed Mikoto onto the floor.
"She stays here tonight."
Then she looked at Kaito.
"You. White Star."
(Rule enforced internally: White Star = Kaito)
"I'm taking you in for questioning."
Tsunade stood up.
"Take me instead!"
"Move."
Sand slammed Tsunade onto the bed, binding her and Mikoto.
Garura stepped close, gripping Kaito's chin.
"Handsome little thing."
"Let him go!!"
Garura glanced sideways.
"Do you want to leave alive?"
Sand blades hovered above their faces.
"…Fine."
Kaito went quietly.
Loulan Inner City — Tavern
Nawaki sat across from Jiraiya, sipping sweet wine.
"Drink," Nawaki smiled.
"Afraid I poisoned it?"
"I wish you had," Jiraiya said darkly.
"Then I could kill you without hesitation."
He drank in one gulp.
"Why?" Jiraiya demanded.
"What good does this do—for you, for Konoha, for Tsunade, for Kaito?!"
Nawaki paused.
"I already know the road I'm walking."
"Every road ends in regret."
"So I chose one… and will see where it leads."
"So this road means betrayal? Killing comrades?"
"No."
"I've never betrayed Konoha."
"I never gave Loulan any Konoha intel."
"I've never killed a Konoha ninja."
"So tell me—what is betrayal?"
Jiraiya fell silent.
"And Orochimaru?" Nawaki continued.
"He's the real traitor."
The cup hit the table.
"…Sorry," Jiraiya muttered.
"It's inevitable," Nawaki replied calmly.
They spoke of villages.
Of systems.
Of corruption.
Finally—
Nawaki's phone rang.
"Lord Tree! Garura has taken Kaito for interrogation!"
"…I see."
Nawaki stood.
"I'll go now."
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