Around ten o'clock the next morning, Natsuhiko finally got out of bed.
He glanced at the wound on his hand, which had almost completely healed, and nodded slightly.
His recovery ability was indeed quite decent.
His entire palm had been pierced through.
Even the bones in his hand had fractured.
Yet now, he had recovered surprisingly well.
"Though there's still some damage, and it's not fully flexible yet… it's more than enough."
As an ANBU, Natsuhiko always wore gloves.
So he wasn't worried about Kakashi noticing anything unusual.
After all, what he did last night could hardly be called virtuous.
After defeating the jōnin, Natsuhiko had not hesitated to use genjutsu to extract information.
As an ANBU operative, his genjutsu wasn't exceptional—
But interrogation techniques were something he had mastered.
It was part of the job.
The jōnin had tried to resist after learning Natsuhiko's objective.
He had even attempted to provoke death rather than reveal anything.
Unfortunately for him, such resistance was meaningless in Natsuhiko's eyes.
And Natsuhiko obtained the information he wanted.
The first piece of intelligence was the exact location of Kubisaki Koza's grave.
He had been fortunate.
The grave was indeed within that cemetery—
But its name had been altered, concealing its identity.
Clearly, Kubisaki Koza had feared that the Land of Fire might tamper with his tomb.
That was why loyal retainers had remained behind as death-bound guardians.
Of course, aside from Kubisaki Koza's grave, the other tombs in that cemetery belonged to his most loyal warriors.
They had been buried alongside him.
The second piece of intelligence concerned the summoning scroll.
According to the jōnin, the scroll was not inside Kubisaki Koza's grave—
Because he himself had buried the lord, and there had been nothing else inside.
Natsuhiko treated this information with cautious skepticism.
He believed in his interrogation genjutsu.
After years of use, it had never failed him.
But at the same time, this jōnin was a sensory-type ninja.
Such individuals typically possessed excellent chakra control.
Natsuhiko worried that the man might have fed him false information—
Perhaps even both pieces were lies.
So he made a decision.
He would not kill the man immediately.
Instead, he would personally verify the information first.
The results proved that his genjutsu had not failed.
The jōnin had told the truth.
Natsuhiko dug up Kubisaki Koza's grave.
Though the body had long since decayed into white bones, ANBU had their own methods for identifying remains—
Even skeletal ones.
Based on the intelligence he had gathered earlier, Natsuhiko had a clear idea of Kubisaki Koza's appearance.
After careful examination, he was confident the remains were genuine.
Moreover, the burial items within the coffin were not something an ordinary person could have possessed.
"Unless there was some body double involved… this should be him."
After tidying himself up, Natsuhiko stepped out of his room.
As for the jōnin's final fate—
He had gone to follow Kubisaki Koza.
After so many years in ANBU, Natsuhiko was long accustomed to eliminating roots and leaving no loose ends.
ANBU left no traces.
And once conflict erupted—
They showed no mercy.
Even if Natsuhiko held no personal grudge against them,
They would never have agreed to his objective.
So he had no reason to hold back.
"So that's why ANBU isn't a place meant for normal people. It twists you sooner or later… well, everyone except me."
...
In the inn's corridor, Natsuhiko ran into Kakashi, who was already prepared and waiting for him. The two of them headed out together.
Kakashi was sharp.
Even though Natsuhiko had concealed it well, he still sensed something off.
"Your hand is injured?" Kakashi asked directly. "I smell blood. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Natsuhiko glanced at him. "Don't worry. It wasn't an accident—but it's definitely not a problem."
And it truly wasn't.
After bandaging it and relying on his unique physique, the injury looked worse than it actually was.
Especially since, before fighting that jōnin, Natsuhiko had deliberately taken anti-toxin medicine—just in case the kunai had been poisoned.
Fortunately, the man hadn't prepared any such trick.
That allowed Natsuhiko to fight without hesitation.
Even if the medicine ended up being unnecessary, it never hurt to be cautious.
"Alright. I understand." Kakashi nodded. "So what's the plan now? Are we heading straight in?"
"Of course. I've already made all the necessary preparations." Natsuhiko smiled faintly. "Now there's only one thing left—to find the scroll."
"The scroll?" Kakashi frowned slightly, then seemed to realize something. "Captain, you're planning to…"
"Mm. That's right."
Natsuhiko had no intention of hiding it.
And in truth, it wasn't something he could hide.
He would have to submit a report when they returned to the village.
And he intended to use it in the future.
So why conceal it?
"A creature that large would absolutely enhance my strength.
And if war breaks out, something like that would be a strategic-level asset on the battlefield."
Kakashi nodded thoughtfully.
Indeed, such a massive summoning beast could greatly amplify a ninja's power.
Especially in wartime—it would be a force of immense strategic value.
If Natsuhiko could truly obtain such a creature, it would benefit Konoha as well.
The problem, however, was that such beasts required a summoning scroll to regulate them.
Without it, no one could control such a monster.
"Captain, do you know where the summoning scroll is?" Kakashi asked after a moment's thought. "Last night—you went to investigate its location, didn't you?"
"Yes. There were some unpleasant moments, but I didn't leave any traces."
Natsuhiko brushed over the events of last night casually before continuing:
"According to the intelligence I gathered, the scroll should be inside the castle."
"In other words…" Kakashi didn't press for details and simply followed his train of thought. "Kubisaki Koza placed the scroll inside the summoning beast's stomach before he died?"
"Mm. That's about it."
Natsuhiko nodded, then broke into a grin.
"So—want to take a little risk with me?"
Faced with that question, Kakashi actually gave him a rare dead-fish stare.
It was the first time Natsuhiko had seen this version of Kakashi make such an expression.
Patting Kakashi on the shoulder, Natsuhiko walked ahead.
He didn't know exactly what would happen next.
But he was very much looking forward to it.