Toroi was a minor character, contributing forty-nine destiny points—almost the limit.
Although Shitō Akimichi was saved by Natsume and the others, even without them, Konoha would have dispatched other rescue teams.
Hiruko was a bit of a surprise.
Natsume recalled his story.
He was a ninja of the same generation as Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, considered their friend.
But lacking in talent, he watched the Sannin rise to fame and felt resentful.
Due to various factors, he developed the forbidden technique: the Chimera Technique.
A fusion ninjutsu.
It allowed him to fuse other ninja or summons with his body, gaining their abilities and even bloodline limits.
Toroi was one of the ninjas Hiruko fused with.
Now that Natsume killed him, Hiruko would just look for a new substitute, so the destiny points were relatively low.
"Natsume."
Tsunade, seeing the battle was over, hurried over to check him up and down. Confirming he wasn't injured, she finally relaxed.
Natsume was covered in bloodstains.
She didn't mind, pinched his cheek, and praised, "You really surprised me this time."
She knew Natsume was at jonin level.
But she hadn't expected him to fight so efficiently.
She'd thought he might panic, but he hadn't.
A bit of a shame, actually.
That face with a panicked expression would have been so endearing.
Tsunade could've comforted him and played her role as the older sister.
"It's not surprising. After all, my teacher is one of the legendary Sannin," Natsume said, looking up with admiration in his eyes.
Tsunade's heart skipped a beat.
"Such a sweet talker."
Tsunade turned away and changed the subject, "Shizune and Kabuto have finished fighting too. Let's clean up the battlefield and head back."
"Okay."
Natsume joined Shizune and Kabuto.
First, they collected anything valuable, then disposed of the bodies.
It wasn't for fun—bodies could talk in the ninja world.
The Five Great Villages had methods to invade brains and extract memories.
But if you burn everything to ashes, Wood Release won't be exposed, and the bodies can't be identified, let alone speak.
Unless Orochimaru or Kabuto used Edo Tensei, they couldn't be revived.
Soon, the four set out on their way back.
Oh, and Natsume and Kabuto were carrying the heavily injured Shitō Akimichi.
He was still unconscious, both from his injuries and Tsunade's interrupted treatment.
It was getting late, so they couldn't make it back to base camp in time.
After their battles, all four needed to clean up, so they set up camp near the river.
This time, Tsunade didn't call Natsume but went with Shizune.
They were both going to bathe.
"Don't peek, okay?"
Tsunade suddenly turned toward Natsume, giving him a meaningful look.
"Don't worry, sensei, I'll keep an eye on Kabuto," Natsume patted his chest. "No one else will get close either."
Kabuto, sorting through loot, looked up puzzled. After a few seconds, he said coldly, "I'm not interested in women."
Natsume immediately stepped back, looking wary.
"I'm not interested in men, either," Kabuto added, exasperated. "Right now, I'm only interested in medical ninjutsu."
"I was just joking, bro."
Natsume smiled. "Are you really planning to be single for life?"
It seemed that Kabuto never married in the original story, either.
Like Yakushi Nonou, he became the director of an orphanage.
Natsume couldn't imagine what kind of girl Kabuto would like.
So, men should be a bit shallow.
Changing waifus every month is normal.
Of course, Natsume meant 2D waifus.
Now that he'd crossed into Naruto, his 2D waifus became real—exciting!
..
Because they were in a dangerous area, Tsunade and Shizune didn't take too long and soon returned.
Natsume also went to the river to wash off the blood.
When Kabuto finished sorting loot, Tsunade called everyone over to review the day's battle.
"All three of you did excellent, especially you, Natsume. You made full use of your strength and are already a qualified ninja. Keep it up."
She didn't hold back on praise.
But the three of them reacted calmly, and Tsunade didn't feel the joy of being a teacher.
"I'll take the first half of the night watch. Who'll take the second half?"
"I will," Natsume raised his hand.
Shizune and Kabuto also raised their hands but, seeing him, put them down.
They were grown up enough to notice Tsunade's favoritism toward Natsume.
Fortunately, none of them were petty. Compared to feelings, they cared more about their own strength now.
The day's battle made them realize that, in danger, the two of them were a burden.
In fact, that's the role of a medical ninja—no one expects them to be powerful fighters.
But under Tsunade's influence, Shizune and Kabuto forgot their original roles and became both healers and fighters.
What a disaster.
Tsunade sighed as she watched Natsume bring his sleeping bag over to sleep next to her.
She reached out and stroked his small face, feeling a sense of calm.
At midnight, she woke Natsume.
"Go sleep inside, sis," Natsume yawned.
"I'll join you."
Tsunade climbed into his sleeping bag, laughing, "Thanks for warming the bed for me."
Natsume was stunned.
Damn!
Why didn't I think of that?
I should've taken the first half of the watch and slept the second half.
"Good night."
Tsunade closed her eyes.
After a day of fighting and healing, plus her watch, she was exhausted and soon asleep.
There was no moonlight tonight.
To avoid sensory, they didn't light a fire.
Luckily, ninja had good night vision, so Natsume could admire Tsunade's beautiful sleeping face.
After a while, he focused on keeping watch.
He wasn't like Tsunade, who could multitask. If there was an enemy attack, that'd be trouble.
…
Morning.
Natsume looked at the sky, ready to wake Tsunade, but she opened her eyes first, still groggy and unfocused.
She hadn't slept long, so she was still out of it.
Tsunade suddenly hugged him, her warm face pressed against his, eyes closed, half-conscious.
"Is it morning yet? Or am I dreaming?"
As she spoke, she blew softly in Natsume's ear.
Hey, what kind of dream are you having?
"It's already the next day," Natsume replied.
Tsunade immediately woke up, realized what she was doing, and quickly let go.
How did I end up hugging Natsume again?
Tsunade, you said last time was the last time.
After breakfast and another day's travel, they finally returned to base camp.
Because the mission involved several jonin, their mission was upgraded from A-rank to S-rank.
For genin, this was almost unheard of.
If word got out, Natsume, Shizune, and Kabuto would be famous.
But since their leader was Tsunade, it wasn't that shocking.