On a pleasant sunny afternoon, in a small town east of the land of tea, a woman rests in a rocking chair on the balcony of her house, which sits on a hill and has a beautiful view of the sea and the surrounding area, including a lovely backyard.
The woman appears young, but the paleness of her face and the exhaustion in her expression indicate that she is ill. Her hair is long and dark red, and she keeps it in a simple braid behind her back. Despite the warm weather, the woman is wearing rather heavy clothing and a blanket covers her lap.
"Tomomi-san, we have visitors," says a little girl's voice inside the house.
"Who is it?" the woman asks with difficulty.
"It's Kaito-san, and he's bringing guests, some strange people dressed in black," the voice from inside replies again.
"Let them in," the woman says, with an attitude that seems as if she doesn't care at all.
Shortly after, a man emerges from the back door of the house, along with two individuals wearing black cloaks, completely covering their bodies.
"What's the purpose of your visit, Kaito? And who are these individuals who stand out so little?" the woman asks upon seeing the three guests.
"Tomomi-san, shall I prepare the tea?" interrupts a girl of about 10 years old who has just appeared among the guests. Her appearance is plain, with short black hair and peculiar green eyes.
"Of course, Yoshie. We have guests after all," the woman replies.
Seeing that the girl has disappeared into the house, the aforementioned man, Kaito, responds to the woman, "Tomomi, this is Lord Akira and Lady Kiyoko. They are representatives of the organization and have come to see you."
"Wow, I am flattered to have such important dignitaries in my humble abode," the woman says sarcastically.
"Kaito, you can leave," says the synthetic male voice of one of the individuals in black, to which Kaito immediately disappears into the house.
"You're sicker than I was told," the man says again, revealing a red demon mask as he removes the hood from his head, also revealing a strange black metallic helmet.
"You should have seen me when your partner Kaito found me," the woman says, then reveals a medallion around her neck, which emits a faint green aura, "this has kept me alive until now… I feel horrible but I'm much better than I was before. At least I can move."
"What are your symptoms?" the man asks, as he makes a huge suitcase appear out of thin air with a gesture of his hand toward his waist.
"Hoooo, so are we going to play doctor?" Tomomi exclaims exaggeratedly, then puts on a thoughtful face, "Let's see, horrible fatigue, constant fever and chills, I'm getting thinner and thinner, my bones hurt, and I have frequent nosebleeds, among many other things that are hard to describe. The village doctors told me it's an incurable disease, apparently related to the blood."
"It sounds like some kind of cancer, probably leukemia," the man comments, as he opens his suitcase and begins placing strange objects on the table next to Tomomi.
"That sounds terrifying. I suppose you know a cure, if what they say about you is correct and you're sent from God," the woman says, curiously watching the man as he takes out object after object from his suitcase.
"Not at all. It's usually a death sentence," the man says calmly.
The woman looks puzzled at the man's words, "So what the hell are you doing here?"
The man stops and looks the woman in the eye, "Because I made that medallion you're wearing. And if my suspicions are correct, perhaps we can use another of my artifacts to cure your illness… or at least eliminate the symptoms you have."
"That makes sense. Is it going to hurt?" Tomomi comments, noticing that many of the artifacts are shaped like stakes and hammers.
"On the contrary, some have an extremely pleasurable effect," the man replies, taking one of the stake-shaped objects. "Now I need access to your heart, as that's where all the blood flows."
The woman, with difficulty, opens her shirt and reveals her chest to the man, displaying a face of false innocence. "Kyaaa, I'm not going to be able to get married now."
Despite the woman's carefree attitude, her eyes clearly reveal nervousness. Her breasts are small and her skin is covered in red spots. Her paleness and visible bones paint a rather bleak picture.
The man brings the device directly to the woman's heart, emitting an intense, dark blue aura focused on a small area. Tomomi reacts immediately, almost jumping in surprise, her face showing intense sensations.
"Oh my God! I feel like it's burning inside me," the woman says.
The man remains focused, keeping the aura fixed on Tomomi's heart, as she slowly begins to relax. A silence falls over the room, only briefly interrupted by the girl who brought the tea, but who had to return home after witnessing the embarrassing scene of the half-naked woman.
Twenty minutes later, Tomomi's pallor began to fade, prompting the man to switch to another artifact that emits a green aura, much more potent than the medallion the woman had previously worn.
After another twenty minutes, most of the spots have disappeared from Tomomi's skin, now showing signs of healing. The man again switches to another device that emits a brown aura, which is focused on Tomomi's entire chest and back, causing the woman great relief.
Two hours after the start of the treatment, Tomomi can't help but cry from emotion, causing the other individual in black, a woman who has remained silent the entire time, to come to Tomomi's side to stroke her head, an action that the emotional woman doesn't seem to mind.
"You don't know how relieved I am right now… The pain is almost completely gone, it's like… it's like a huge weight has left my body… I don't know how to thank you," Tomomi manages after a few moments.
"Don't declare victory so soon," the man says, packing the devices into his suitcase. "This is just the beginning. I'm no medical expert, but I know that a single session isn't enough, given the terrible condition you're in. Perhaps you can see significant changes on the outside, but on the inside you need intensive treatment… although we have to be clear about one thing first. This isn't free."
Tomomi shows no surprise at the man's words. "That's more than obvious. I've already been told about the possibility of being recruited, and I agree."
"I know that. My question is, how attached are you to your old village? Would you be able to stand up to your former comrades?"
The woman at first seems surprised, but soon begins to laugh, "Hahahahaha... Kirigakure isn't like other villages. Since I was little, I've been forced to kill my enemies, whether they're from the village or not, and I've been forced more than once to kill my own friends. I have no love for that place, which is why I left, so I could die in peace."
"What do you think, Kiyoko?" the man asks his companion, who is still stroking Tomomi's head.
"Her heartbeat is steady, I don't think she's lying," the woman in black replies, causing Tomomi to back away from her, her face apprehensive.
"Then we're going to test your worth," the man says. "For now, rest and make sure you eat plenty; you'll need it for the treatment. We'll repeat the procedure at least twice a week, first with your organs and finally with your bones."
"Okay?" Tomomi ends exclaiming.