After Shinju's group departed, Jiraiya pushed open the door to the Hokage's office.
"You know full well that the Akatsuki are targeting the Nine-Tails, so why are you still letting Naruto go on this mission?"
"Isn't this the same as handing him over to them?!"
Tsunade shot him a glance, crossing her arms.
"The number of active shinobi we can deploy right now is limited."
Jiraiya's voice rose in frustration. "Limited or not, you can't just send the two of them out there! ¯\(ツ)/¯"
Tsunade's tone sharpened. "Are you underestimating your own two disciples?!"
"Don't forget — Shinju is incredibly strong. Stronger than the two of us combined!"
"And besides, Kakashi and Guy are with them…"
"Oh, right."
Tsunade stepped closer to Jiraiya.
"By the way, who taught Shinju how to use Susanoo?"
Jiraiya shook his head thoughtfully.
"Until yesterday, I didn't even know he could awaken Susanoo using just Shisui's single eye."
Tsunade nodded slowly.
"Exactly. For the Uchiha clan, the prerequisite to awaken Susanoo is having both Mangekyō Sharingan."
"That kid has neither Uchiha blood nor two Sharingan."
"The more I see, the more curious I become about his real identity…"
...
On the road to Sunagakure.
Shinju suddenly slapped his forehead.
He just remembered — back during the Chūnin Exams years ago, he had placed a Flying Thunder God seal on Kankurō's clothes.
Flying Thunder God seals never vanish once applied, and they allow instantaneous travel anywhere in the shinobi world regardless of distance.
If that seal was still there, why were they even wasting time traveling the hard way?
Without hesitation, Shinju shared his idea with Kakashi and Might Guy.
"You're saying… you want to bring all of us to Sunagakure in one go?" Kakashi asked in disbelief.
Flying Thunder God could indeed ignore distance, but the greater the range, the higher the chakra consumption.
And carrying passengers made the burden even heavier.
Shinju nodded. "Yes."
"I just hope Kankurō hasn't thrown away those clothes from three years ago…"
...
Sunagakure.
At this moment, Kankurō was lying in a bed at Sunagakure's ninja hospital.
His entire body was hooked up to various tubes, his condition clearly severe.
Temari sat at his bedside, watching over her sick younger brother.
Kankurō forced a bitter smile.
"Temari, even if I need a change of clothes in the hospital, you didn't have to bring the outfit from three years ago…"
Temari unfolded the clothes and compared them against his frame.
"They still fit fine. Your height hasn't changed much these past three years…"
Kankurō gave another strained smile.
Then, thinking of Gaara, his gaze dimmed.
"It's my fault… I wasn't strong enough to save Gaara."
Temari tried to comfort him.
"Don't blame yourself. Our opponent was none other than the legendary puppet master of Sunagakure — Sasori of the Red Sand."
"You're lucky to have made it back alive."
At the mention of "alive," Kankurō let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Sasori's poison is in me… he said I won't survive longer than three days."
Temari immediately reassured him.
"Don't worry about that. When you chased after Gaara, we already sent a request for aid to Konoha."
"According to standard Konoha squad formations, they'll definitely send a medical-nin."
"They'll be able to cure you."
"As for Gaara, you don't have to worry too much. The higher-ups have already requested the assistance of the two reclusive elders…"
Just as Temari finished speaking, Kankurō's poison flared up again, his entire body convulsing in agony.
"Ughhh—aghhhh—!"
After the wave of pain subsided, drenched in sweat, Kankurō gasped weakly,
"Temari… sis… when will the Konoha medical-nin arrive? I… I'm not sure I can hold out…"
At that very moment, Shinju's team of six arrived via Flying Thunder God!
Temari: ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
Kankurō: (´ཀ`」 ∠)_
"Ah—hey, hey, hey! Get off me already! You're crushing me to death!!"
"Sorry, sorry!"
Shinju and the others quickly jumped off the bed, scanning their surroundings.
White, spotless walls and the distinct medicinal scent — no doubt, this was a ninja hospital.
Naruto turned to Shinju. "What's wrong with Kankurō?"
Temari explained, "After Gaara was taken by Akatsuki, Kankurō gave chase, but he was gravely injured by Sasori…"
Then suddenly, Temari's expression lit up with hope.
"Wait! You're here just in time! Is there a medical-nin among you who can neutralize this poison?!"
The Konoha shinobi all turned their gazes toward Shinju.
Temari's face froze in confusion.
Sure, she'd heard that Shinju was strong and… yes, good-looking, she could admit that.
But could this guy really heal people???
"You… can handle it?" Temari asked cautiously.
Tenten frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? Shinju is Konoha's youngest medical professor! Are you doubting Konoha's medical standards? (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)"
Temari waved her hands quickly.
"No, no! That's not what I meant!"
Shinju smiled magnanimously.
"It's fine. I'm young, so a little doubt is normal."
He then leaned over Kankurō's bed, carefully examining his condition.
"This poison… I can cure it. But I'll need some special herbs from Sunagakure's stores."
He proceeded to list off a long series of medicinal ingredients.
With each item Shinju named, Temari's brows furrowed deeper.
She wasn't well-versed in medicine, but even she knew these herbs were all extremely rare and expensive.
Seeing her hesitation, Shinju tilted his head.
"Don't tell me Sunagakure doesn't have these in stock?"
"You do want Kankurō to live, right?"
At that, Temari immediately rushed off to gather the ingredients.
Now, only the Konoha team and Kankurō remained in the room.
"You all wait outside," Shinju said. "I need to perform surgery."
Naruto and the others exchanged puzzled looks: Σ( ° △ °|||)︴
Neji frowned. "This fast? Don't you need to prepare first?"
Might Guy nodded seriously.
"Right. If this operation fails, it could strain the relationship between our two villages."
Shinju smirked. "Leave medical matters to the medical-nin, will you? ╮(￣▽￣)╭"
He promptly ushered everyone out, then administered an anesthetic injection into Kankurō's body.
The surgery began…
About ten minutes later, Temari and several Sunagakure guards hurried back with the requested herbs, only to find the Konoha ninja standing outside the room.
"What are you all doing out here? Why aren't you inside?" Temari asked, confused.
Kakashi answered, "He's performing surgery inside."
Temari: "Huh?!?!!! ∑(°Д°ノ)ノ"
"That reckless?!"
"Even if he trusts his own skills, shouldn't he at least prepare first?!"
"What if something goes wrong and Kankurō…"
Temari had already been skeptical about Shinju's medical abilities.
Now, knowing he'd already started surgery, her mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario.
Temari muttered, almost to herself,
"I hope… Shinju really knows what he's doing…"
Time dragged on anxiously.
A few more minutes passed, and then three figures appeared at the far end of the corridor.
Leading them was one of Sunagakure's senior council members, followed closely by an elderly man and woman.
The moment the old woman spotted the Konoha headbands on the other side of the hallway, her gaze turned sharp and hostile.
"Konoha shinobi… have invaded again?!"
"Don't think this old woman's going down without a fight!"