"Are you alright?"
Nagato looked at her somewhat pale face and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
"Thank you."
"You might have some internal injuries."
As a Medical Ninja, she was especially attuned to her own body and likely already knew the nature of her injuries.
"Let me check for you."
Just as Nawaki had expected, Nagato offered to treat the female Anbu member on his own initiative.
To him, she was simply an injured comrade.
He had clearly seen the exact spot she'd been struck on just now.
Without hesitation, he placed his chakra-lit hand directly onto the chest of the female Anbu.
"You—"
The female Anbu didn't expect Nagato to be so straightforward. Her cheeks instantly turned red.
After all, she was only a teenage girl.
"There's some minor internal bleeding and organ displacement. But nothing serious."
Nagato didn't feel anything wrong about what he was doing. He stated his diagnosis calmly before starting treatment.
She felt a tingling sensation in her chest — she couldn't tell whether it came from the warmth of his hand or the chakra itself.
She opened her mouth slightly but didn't know what to say.
That would be far too embarrassing to say out loud. From Nagato's demeanor, she could tell that he hadn't touched her with ill intentions.
At this point, there was no choice but to let him finish treating her first!
"That's it. Just don't fight for the next few days."
Not long after, Nagato retracted his hand — his treatment complete.
His skill in Medical Ninjutsu surpassed even hers. After all, being personally taught by Tsunade wasn't something everyone could experience.
Combined with his extraordinary talent, if he had chosen to specialize in medical techniques, he might not have been far behind Tsunade.
"Thanks."
The female Anbu stood up, bowing her head slightly and avoiding eye contact with Nagato.
"No problem."
"Just call me Pain," he said simply.
Waving his hand dismissively, Nagato turned around and walked away.
He really did leave like a breeze, not leaving behind even a trace.
Kawaki and the others watched, practically fuming at the sight.
This guy really is completely clueless!!
He didn't even seize such a perfect chance.
They were almost tempted to give him a crash course in flirting.
"Hey, my name is Nonou Yakushi."
"What's yours?"
Nonou stared at Nagato's back, curious to know who this person actually was.
His fiery red hair definitely made him easy to recognize.
Apart from Minato and Nawaki, very few people knew the true identities of Nagato and the other two.
Usually, whenever negotiations were needed during missions, Minato would handle it instead.
This had been arranged deliberately by Hirai Dai. Nagato and the others played roles in his different plans.
It was safer to keep their identities under wraps whenever possible.
"Pain huh… quite an unusual name."
Nonou thought nothing of it, muttered to herself, then headed toward her fallen mask.
Once the mask was back on, she was once again the composed, capable Anbu operative.
Right now, among the five ongoing battles, only one pair remained locked in a stalemate.
The remaining pair were seasoned foes, evenly matched in strength and skill.
Neither side would emerge victorious unless one was willing to fight to the death.
Nonou glanced around before taking her place among those who had already completed their matches.
Sakumo's expression was serious as he organized medical treatment for the injured.
Fortunately, everyone knew their limits, and no one had sustained severe injuries.
Her opponent had already regained consciousness and stood in the second row.
Seeing her approach, he nodded toward her.
He understood that Nonou had held back at the end. Had she not changed techniques at the last moment, she likely could have crushed his heart.
Noting his nod, Nonou politely returned it.
Having fought each other, they had developed some familiarity and now spoke quietly together.
Jiraiya remained suspended in the air, waiting patiently. He had already decided whom he would choose.
"How did it feel?"
Nagato had barely rejoined his team when Nawaki approached with a mischievous grin.
If you could see his face, it'd definitely be the look of a pervert.
"What are you even asking?"
"Why are you always thinking dirty thoughts? I was just healing her!"
Nagato sighed helplessly—he hadn't thought much of it at the time.
It's not like it was anything special—just fat and some glands. How different could it be from his own soft tissue?
"Oh come on, I know, I know."
"Seriously though, how did it feel?"
Despite claiming he got it, Nawaki asked again.
Such a shameless pervert!
Feeling the eyes of the teacher and others turn toward him, Nagato was utterly speechless.
What kind of people were these?
Silently, he walked over to a corner and stopped.
He didn't speak, yet somehow, he said it all.
"What are you asking about that for?"
"Do you seriously think Nagato's like that?"
"Konan's right here—you should watch your mouth."
Clearly upset there wasn't any juicy gossip, Kawaki vented his frustration on Nawaki with a sharp smack to the head.
"Ow, Brother-in-law! That hurts!"
Rubbing his head, Nawaki looked deeply wronged.
You're acting so innocent now, but weren't you itching with curiosity when I asked?
"Pain teaches. It makes you remember."
Kawaki shrugged, as if completely justified.
"Nagato, don't listen to his nonsense."
"Now, what did she look like?"
Kawaki gave a comforting pat before suddenly shifting topics—this time asking more subtly than Nawaki.
Of course, he already knew what Nonou looked like.
As Kabuto Yakushi's adoptive mother, she was someone he couldn't possibly not know.
After Tanzō's death, she moved from Root to Anbu.
Ah…
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But if they hadn't met today, he probably wouldn't have thought of her at all.
Now, he was just curious about how clueless Nagato truly was.
"Well... she's pretty."
Nagato briefly recalled her appearance, his expression remaining neutral.
He hadn't yet developed any romantic feelings, but he still had a basic sense of aesthetics.
The women he interacted with most often were Natsuki, Tsunade, Konan, Kushina, and Misaki.
For him to call Nonou attractive, she truly must have been quite beautiful.
"That's good then."
Kawaki let out a sigh of relief. This kid wasn't hopeless after all.
At least he's probably not into guys.
"More beautiful than me?"
Konan couldn't explain where her sudden competitiveness came from, but she glared at Nagato and asked a loaded question.
"How could that be? Of course you're more beautiful."
Yahiko hadn't even seen what Nonou looked like, yet he unconditionally supported Konan.
In Yahiko's eyes, Konan was his goddess.
"Brat, you haven't even developed yet. What makes you think you can compare with her?"
Nawaki threw cold water on her enthusiasm without hesitation, making Konan feel like she'd been drenched in icy water.
"Nawaki-niisan, I won't talk to you anymore."
Konan glanced down at her chest—utterly flat.
Maybe it was because of poor nutrition before coming to Konoha.
Even though living conditions had improved now, there still wasn't any sign of development.
Konan could only comfort herself with self-reassurance: since she was still young now, she would definitely grow as big as Tsunade in the future.
No, actually bigger than Tsunade.
The sun hadn't even set yet, but Konan had already started fantasizing.
"You're beautiful, you're beautiful."
Seeing Konan slightly upset, Nagato quickly tried to soothe her.
He regarded Konan like his own little sister. Compared to Nonou, who was barely even a friend to him at the moment, Konan was much more important.
"Although your answer is clearly just brushing me off, at least you're nicer than Nawaki-niisan."
Konan said while shooting Nawaki a glare, her eyes brimming with resentment, as if it might overflow.
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