"Wait a moment." Hiruzen's voice sounded from behind.
Mamoru's hand, which was about to push open the office door, stopped in mid-air.
A black shadow cut through the air, flying accurately toward Mamoru. He instinctively raised his hand to catch it, feeling a slight coolness in his palm. Looking down, he saw that it was a small scroll tied with a red hemp rope, though the material felt much finer than it looked.
"Yakumo is currently living at Satomi Hill." Hiruzen's voice was steady and deep. "When you go there, give this to the Anbu stationed there to complete the handover procedures."
"Understood." Mamoru responded briefly, stuffed the scroll into his pocket, and pushed the door open to leave.
Kurenai followed him out, the wooden door closing softly behind her.
The two stood on the corridor outside the Hokage Building, the afternoon sunlight spilling diagonally across the floor through the windows.
A brief silence spread through the air.
"Despicable." Mamoru finally squeezed out a word.
"Idiot." Kurenai couldn't help but roll her eyes, hands on her hips. "I am your superior after all, watch your tone."
"So you're having me clean up the mess for a mission you couldn't complete?" Mamoru turned his head, his brow furrowing slightly.
"You brat!" Kurenai's face instantly flushed, raising her fist in both embarrassment and annoyance. "What kind of nonsense are you talking? Show some respect, or do you want a beating?"
"Tell Asuma to watch his wallet." Mamoru dropped these harsh words and turned to leave.
"Wait." Kurenai hurriedly called out to him, her tone becoming serious. "How do you plan to solve Yakumo's problem?"
"I haven't decided yet." Mamoru stopped, his gaze looking out at the continuous rooftops through the window. "This can't be rushed, it needs a proper plan."
The two walked out of the Hokage office building side by side.
"I'm counting on you for Yakumo's matter." Kurenai said softly, her eyes filled with a rare earnestness.
"I'm just completing the task assigned by the old man." Mamoru waved his hand and walked away without looking back.
Kurenai stood in place, watching his figure grow smaller until he finally disappeared around the corner of the road. She sighed softly before turning to leave in the opposite direction.
—
The next day, Mamoru headed to Satomi Hill alone.
Satomi Hill was located in a higher-altitude area within Konoha, and the environment was quite secluded.
Passing through a dense forest, Mamoru keenly noticed transparent silk threads with small bells hanging from them, hidden among the trees. He nimbly avoided all the warning lines, his footsteps light, without making a single unnecessary sound.
Before long, an old-fashioned building quietly appeared at the end of the forest shade.
Mamoru slowed his pace, the soles of his shoes grinding against the ground, making a subtle rustling sound that was exceptionally clear in the silent mountain forest. He stopped and looked up, carefully examining the building hidden deep in the dense forest.
The eaves of the main entrance had already faded, and an old wooden plaque hung above, with the words 'Satomi Villa' clearly carved on it.
Just then, the villa's latticed glass door was pushed open from the inside with a "creak."
"Who is it?"
A ninja wearing standard Anbu attire and a patterned mask stepped out.
After seeing the visitor's face clearly, his tone softened slightly, but remained professionally cautious. "Mamoru, what are you doing here?"
At the same time, two people wearing Medical Team uniforms also came out of the door, looking at Mamoru with confusion.
Mamoru didn't say much, tossing the scroll he got from Hiruzen to the Anbu.
The Anbu caught the scroll accurately. Upon touching it, he sensed its special material and the Hokage's seal, knowing it was a classified document.
He quickly untied the rope and unrolled the scroll. His gaze scanned the paper like a scanner, his brow furrowing slightly before smoothing out again.
When he looked up again, his voice was more solemn. "I understand. From now on, all affairs here are under your full control."
He turned to the two Medical Team members, his tone brooking no argument. "From now on, all matters here will be handled by Mamoru. You must follow his instructions."
"Yes." The two Medical Team members answered in unison.
"Is it that simple?" Mamoru asked, somewhat surprised.
He had expected at least a handover ceremony.
The Anbu nodded slightly, his mask hiding his expression. With a flicker of his body, he disappeared from the spot like a teleportation, leaving behind only a few fluttering leaves.
Mamoru blinked, stood there for a moment, and then walked toward the villa's main entrance.
The two Medical Team members tacitly stepped back to both sides, making way for him.
Crossing the threshold, the first thing that met his eyes was a spacious hall. Most notably, on the right side of the hall, the entire wall was occupied by complex monitors and operating equipment, with blue surveillance screens and jumping data curves flickering on the screens.
The two from the Medical Team followed him into the hall.
"Um, Mamoru-sama, we..." The middle-aged man with a beard took half a step forward.
Mamoru gestured gently with his hand. "Just work as usual. There's no need to change anything because of my arrival."
"Yes." The two responded as if a weight had been lifted, and quickly returned to their respective posts.
Mamoru did not stay in the hall but strolled toward the depths of the villa. Walking down the empty corridor, the old wooden floor made a rhythmic "creak" with his footsteps, echoing clearly in the silent space.
He casually pushed open a door along the corridor and stepped inside. It was a spacious room, with simple yet elegant furnishings. One side of the room had a large open space with a piano, while the other side had a tall bookshelf against the wall. In the corner opposite the door, several framed colorful paintings were neatly arranged.
Mamoru walked slowly toward the paintings to take a closer look.
The scenes on the canvases were completely at odds with the room's tranquility—either ruins stretching under a blood-colored sunset or distorted limbs piled up in dark tones.
The gloomy colors and frantic brushstrokes seemed to freeze a kind of despair and ominousness within the paint.
"Really... quite dark." Mamoru couldn't help but comment in a low voice.
Without even thinking, he knew these paintings were done by Yakumo—very similar to the painting he had seen on the roof of the Ninja Academy the day before yesterday.