Sarutobi Hiruzen carried Uchiha Tonan on his back all the way to the Sarutobi district. After walking into the courtyard, he reached out and patted the boy’s arm that was holding his neck, “We’re home, it’s time to come down.”
Tonan quietly rubbed his head against Hiruzen’s back and reluctantly got down. “Come in, I happen to have something to talk to you about as well.” Hiruzen led Tonan into the house. Tonan first carried Hatake Kotoura, who was still sleeping soundly on the sofa and sat opposite Hiruzen.
Both of them lowered their heads in silence. Regardless of how harmonious they were earlier, that was an intense moment. Now, they needed to calm down and rationally analyze the situation. Hiruzen felt his body searching for something, and then in a moment of realization, looked at the broken smoke pipe on the ground.
He got up and went to the cabinet to take out a new pipe and put tobacco in it. He lit it up and after taking a deep breath, he lightly said, “Let bygones be bygones. People make mistakes. I’ll destroy the evidence.”
Tonan, despite holding Kotoura, looked like a little child who was being scolded for misbehaving. “Sensei, I’m sorry.”
Hiruzen picked up the family portrait and put it in the drawer. He sighed, “You are, after all, young, and will act impulsive and reckless. I also ignored you because of them, so I’m also responsible here.”
Hiruzen returned and sat across Tonan again. He realized they shouldn’t continue to discuss Shinnosuke and Asuma so he changed the topic, “By the way, if I’m not mistaken, the Mangekyo Sharingan has special ocular techniques. What are your techniques? Will you tell me?”
Tonan adjusted his glasses and replied, “My Mangekyo seemed to have changed. My ability seemed to be very evil but I didn’t notice it at that time. Now, my left Mangekyo’s ocular technique is called Transcendence. It can lead deceased souls to a carefree paradise. As for my right Mangekyo’s technique, it’s called Redemption. It can extract darkness from people’s hearts but it will be injected into mine and I’ll bear their pain.”
Hiruzen nodded, hearing Tonan’s answer. He blew out a mouthful of smoke and sighed after a long time. “They are great ocular techniques.” He narrowed his eyes and blew out smoke again before looking at the clock. “However, it’s better for you to use the ocular technique called Redemption less. Don’t harm yourself to save others.”
Tonan nodded, “I will take care of it.”
Cough, cough… At this moment, Kotoura seemed to have been choked by Hiruzen’s smoke and coughed. It frightened the older person so much that he immediately extinguished the smoke and with a kind smile on his face, he reached out and pinched Kotoura’s plump cheeks, “You don’t need to go to participate in the Honorary Chunin Competition. Your strength has already surpassed the Chunin level. When I go to Hokage Residence later, I’ll change your ninja rank.”
Tonan raised his eyebrows and said with some hesitation, “But… my mission number is far from enough.” Hiruzen waved his hand, “You don’t need to worry about this. I’ll take care of it.”
Tonan nodded, “Thank you, sensei, if it’s alright with you, I’ll leave now. You rest as well.”
Hiruzen withdrew his hands and leaned back on the sofa. He closed his eyes and nodded lightly, “Hmm”. At this moment, although they had dealt with past suspicions, it would take some time for the scars to heal.
Tonan didn’t have to worry about Hiruzen going back on his words for the time being. Human beings were decision-making creatures. Once they made up their minds, it was equivalent to building up a wall that would last for a while.
He walked out of the Sarutobi district when no one was around. He looked down at Kotoura in his arms. The baby’s black eyes reflected Tonan’s face and he happily reached out his hands as if he wanted to grab something. He also opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if calling out to Tonan.
Ding! Gained Hatake Kotoura’s acknowledgment. The corners of Tonan’s mouth rose, revealing a warm smile. He then made a hand sign with his right hand, and placed his palm on Kotoura’s head, quietly implanting the Cultivation Path Cursed Seal.
Immediately after, the pain made Kotoura wail. Tonan continued to walk, rocking him lightly. The earlier the cursed seal was planted, the better the assimilation effect. Along the way, people looked at them and smiled knowingly. They thought that Tonan was coaxing the child but they were unaware of how much torment Kotoura was suffering at this moment.
However, Kotoura couldn’t voice his pain. He could only express his agony by crying. He also instinctively swayed his tiny body but was held down effortlessly by Tonan. His face was flushed red and tears flowed down his cheeks.
A passer-by female ninja glanced at Kotora and asked with a worried look, “What’s wrong with this little fellow? He’s crying too miserably.”
Tonan smiled slightly, “I forgot to feed him milk last night, so he is crying.” The female ninja frowned and looked at Kotoura, “What a poor child. His face is so red… is he sick?”
Tonan gently held Kotoura with one hand and placed the other hand on his forehead. It was burning hot. It seemed the curse triggered the immunity system. With no change in his expression, Tonan said, “Fortunately, he has no fever. It might be because he’s crying too hard. Be obedient, Kotoura. We’ll return home immediately and drink milk.”
Tonan held the baby close to his chest to prevent the woman from reaching out and touching him. He walked past her while coaxing Kotoura. Soon, the baby fainted because he was unable to bear the pain.
Tonan placed his finger below Kotoura’s nose. He was breathing, but it was very weak. “It’s enough as long as you don’t die. If you survive this, you’ll be my best ration.”
Meanwhile, at the welfare institution, Yakushi Nono came to take care of Kotoura as usual. However, even after knocking at the door for a long time, no one answered.
“Did he go somewhere this early in the morning?” Nono inwardly thought and looked back at the ground but the snow had almost melted, covering up all traces. After thinking for a bit, she discreetly opened the locked door and walked in.
Once inside, she closed the door to avoid being seen by Maito Dai and Gai. Nono looked around after entering the door, confirming no one was around. She immediately went to the study and began to rummage through the bookshelf.
She was looking for any valuable information. As a spy, when stealing non-emergency information, she always chose the safest time to act.
She decided to act today because she realized Kotoura was away. Babies of that age cannot hide their aura. As long as Tonan took him away, even if they came back immediately, she would be able to stop in time.
