"Though I'm not entirely sure what happened..."
"I've still caused trouble for you two seniors."
"My apologies."
Five minutes later.
Qing Chuan bowed deeply, his expression full of remorse.
"Well..."
The two young men exchanged glances, both seeing the same concern in each other's eyes.
As expected.
Haruko didn't realize the gravity of the situation.
The Root operative had lost an arm and fled.
Killing him outright was out of the question—
Especially here in the Uchiha Compound.
But this was the best they could do for now...
After all, behind Root stood a high-ranking elder with considerable power and no scruples.
"It's... not a big deal, really."
Shisui reacted quickly, shooting Kakashi a meaningful look.
"Right," Kakashi chimed in, raising an eyebrow. "Just some fool who didn't know his place. We'll handle it."
"Don't worry."
As he spoke, Kakashi sighed inwardly.
The village wasn't exactly peaceful these days either...
If that guy had seen what just happened—
He'd probably lose it on the spot.
Sigh...
Wait... is this senior injured?
The observant Haruko noticed the fresh red stain seeping through Kakashi's shoulder and voiced her concern.
"Oh, just aggravated an old wound. It's nothing—huh?"
Kakashi, who had been about to brush it off to avoid worrying her, suddenly froze.
The remarkable little girl had already stepped beside him, placing her hands on his shoulders. A soft yellow glow emanated from her palms.
A wave of warmth enveloped the wound, and the excruciating pain vanished in an instant, replaced by soothing relief.
But...
Kakashi's mind was no longer on the injury.
This familiar sensation...
No way...
For a moment, Kakashi felt as if he'd been thrown back years into the past.
The perpetually late dead-last.
The gentle Rin...
As he stared at the little girl before him, smiling softly while performing Medical Ninjutsu—
The two images overlapped in his mind.
Kakashi was stunned.
"This should hold as long as you avoid strenuous activity."
Finishing the Healing Technique, "Doctor" Qing Chuan gave his professional advice.
Though the two had hesitated to outright eliminate the Root operative—
Kakashi had at least crippled one of his arms...
Even with his eyes covered, Qing Chuan had clearly sensed what happened from that distance.
In a way, Kakashi had vented some of his frustration for him.
Helping to treat the wound was just a small favor in return.
Returning a favor, as they say!
Plus, it was a chance to reinforce his image as a medical ninja—
Promote myself a bit.
Maybe it'd deter those scheming old foxes from keeping such a close eye on him...
But.
When Qing Chuan finished the treatment, he noticed something odd—
Kakashi's gaze seemed... off?
"Senior?"
Qing Chuan tilted his head in confusion.
Snapped out of his reverie, Kakashi inwardly cursed himself.
Rin's been gone for so long... and here I am, staring at a little girl like this. How inappropriate!
Beside them, Shisui, sensing the awkwardness, quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Haruko's Medical Ninjutsu is quite impressive..."
"Really amazing."
After the praise, Shisui's eyes met Kakashi's again, his tone turning serious.
"But Haruko, it's best not to train alone in remote places like this for now."
"You can use the Uchiha's Public Training Grounds or even Konoha's Training Grounds."
"Until you get your Forehead Protector, it's safer to be cautious."
Kakashi nodded in agreement.
Having once served in Root himself—
He knew exactly how they operated.
To think they'd act so brazenly even in the Uchiha Compound!
"I understand."
"Thank you for the advice, seniors. I'll be careful."
Qing Chuan nodded earnestly once more.
After a few more words of caution, he excused himself, citing laundry duties at home, and took his leave.
Alone now—
The two young men watched the girl's retreating figure in silence...
The atmosphere grew heavy, almost awkward.
But neither was in the mood to address it.
Shisui was preoccupied with the strained relations between his clan and the village.
Kakashi, meanwhile, dreaded Root's next move.
What had just transpired—
Was far from the casual matter they'd made it out to be.
The situation...
Was dire.
"I'll report this to the clan head personally."
Finally, Shisui broke the silence with a sigh.
Kakashi tilted his head slightly, his expression icy.
"I'll inform the Third Hokage as well... But until we hear back from him, please keep an eye on Haruko's safety, Shisui."
The words carried a hint of command, bordering on overbearing.
But in Shisui's eyes, it was entirely justified.
So the rumors about the clan head being cold-blooded toward outsiders with the Sharingan... might not be entirely true.
"Don't worry."
"Even if I'm on a mission, I'll ask my clansmen to keep watch."
Shisui's nod was as good as a promise.
With that, the two parted ways.
But instead of heading straight to the Hokage's office—
Kakashi made an abrupt turn at a crossroads, bought a bouquet, and soon found himself in a quiet, secluded place.
"Rin, Obito."
"Did you see that?"
"I... found the light."