He knew full well that the Yamanaka clan was one of the most respected families in Konoha.
They were also famed for their formidable mental prowess, making it extremely difficult to slip past their surveillance unnoticed.
And anyone who truly managed to bypass their detection likely possessed such overwhelming strength that sneaking through would be no issue at all.
With that in mind, he felt a little more at ease.
Seeing that Willow Wan's expression had greatly softened, Yamanaka San Tian quickly gave Shiki Uzumaki a meaningful glance.
Shiki immediately caught on. He took a couple quick steps toward where the woman had collapsed and hoisted her over his shoulder.
At this moment, Shiki noticed just how soaked she was—from head to toe, drenched in rainwater and mud.
Her slender frame somehow felt strangely heavy.
But of course, that slight weight was nothing to Shiki.
"Thanks, Senior San Tian… Senior Willow."
After lifting the woman up, Shiki thanked the two guards stationed at the watchpost again.
"No problem—we're comrades, right?"
Yamanaka San Tian waved his hand slightly, giving off a "why are you being so formal?" look.
"Hurry up and get her back home. Judging by her current state, she'll definitely catch a serious cold if you don't."
"Mm."
Shiki nodded once more, then carefully supported the woman as he made his way toward home.
Even through the soaked clothes, he could still feel the softness pressing against him from her chest.
It sent ripples through Shiki's mind—he was only a man after all—and hard not to react under such temptation.
"Pretty unexpected."
Shiki hadn't expected his body in this world would react like this at a time like this.
Still, even though he allowed himself some thoughts, some fantasies, he had no intention of going further—he simply continued walking home with the woman leaning against his back.
After all, he assumed this woman probably didn't know anyone else in Konoha.
Even if she did, there was no way she was waking up anytime soon.
Ka Natsuko, just what has happened to you?
A question unavoidably arose in Shiki's mind.
Then he recalled another lingering mystery unresolved from the previous mission.
The woman slung over his back right now had actually been the innkeeper from Nikamura when he first took on an S-rank mission.
Back when he stayed there several days earlier, he quite liked this easy-going woman.
As for why she was here now, Shiki had almost sensed it coming beforehand.
Just like the mysterious source of Nikamura's sudden prosperity—it was finally about to show its first real clue. To be continued.
Chapter 223: Commission
Squelch-squelch.
His shoes squelched through the puddles, making soft splashing sounds.
Looking at the familiar house, Shiki couldn't help but give a bitter smile.
Luckily, it was already quite late, and there weren't many people on the street anymore—otherwise someone might mistake him for a suspicious character.
Honestly, it kind of felt like he was carrying a girl who'd passed out cold drunk.
Shiki Uzumaki glanced at himself before shifting his gaze to the beautiful woman lying on his back, whose face appeared somewhat pale.
A faint bitterness stirred in his heart. There was a kind of pain—one where a beautiful and precious opportunity lay right before you, yet you could do absolutely nothing about it.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, unlocking the door to the house.
Click. Shiki turned on the lights inside.
When the room brightened, he immediately noticed that Sena Hoshino hadn't returned yet—her rabbit-shaped slippers still sat by the doorway.
This served as strong evidence that, despite her usual mature demeanor, she still couldn't shake off her childish little habits.
"It looks like her hospital duties aren't done yet," Shiki mused aloud, quickly deducing the reason. After all, there had been a noticeable increase in patients these past couple days.
It was normal for doctors to end up living at the hospital.
"So… now what do I do?"
Shiki stared at the unconscious Ka Natsuko, lost deep in thought.
Originally, he had planned to ask Sena-chan to help give her a bath, then feed her some medicine for a cold.
And maybe let them both sleep in the same room for the night.
But with Sena gone, now what?
"Dammit, why are you so weak now? Remember your current identity—you're only twelve years old! Look at this body, nothing's wrong with it. You're not stuck in the past anymore—you've got a new life now!"
He looked at himself in the mirror and scolded himself fiercely as he spoke.
Then, hoisting Ka Natsuko onto his back, he headed straight toward the bathroom.
When he finally emerged, Shiki still felt his heart pounding.
His new body was definitely maturing—he couldn't help but react naturally to this kind of temptation.
Fortunately, Ka Natsuko hadn't woken up during the entire process. While Shiki felt relieved, he also marveled at how exhausted this woman must truly be.
She had made it all the way to Konoha through willpower alone.
For an ordinary person, walking from the border of the Land of Rain to Konoha Village would take about five or six days of grueling travel.
At the moment though, Shiki didn't have time to dwell on that—he was now searching through Sena's things, trying to find her some suitable clothes.
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