Once Killer B's condition stabilized, he and Dodai were immediately transported to Kumogakure's hospital.
Meanwhile, the higher-ups of Kumogakure, escorted by the Anbu, made their way toward the meeting room in the administrative building.
Standing at the edge of the ruins, the Third Raikage, A, glanced at the dozen or so barefooted shinobi before him, then shot a questioning look at the Anbu beside him.
"Following Lord Dodai's orders, we conducted a preliminary screening of the village's shinobi..."
The Anbu quickly explained the situation.
A nodded slightly before striding toward the gathered shinobi.
He understood Dodai's urgency in trying to capture the assassin, but publicly suspecting their own people wasn't his way of doing things.
Seeing the uneasy expressions of the barefooted shinobi, he spoke in a deep, resolute voice.
"You are my most trusted subordinates. I refuse to believe that any shinobi who would rush to aid their comrades without even stopping to put on shoes would ever betray the village!"
"Lord...! Lord, you really believe in us?!"
The tension and grievance weighing on the barefooted shinobi vanished in an instant. Some, overwhelmed with emotion, even burst into tears.
In a moment when everyone else doubted them, their leader still stood by them unwaveringly.
That trust struck straight to their core, shattering any pride they had left and reinforcing their loyalty. They would follow this man anywhere.
"A man's tears should not be shed so easily. All of you, disperse and go home to rest."
A turned, waving them off as he made his way back toward the Raikage's office.
His broad, imposing figure seemed even more formidable at that moment.
...
Yamanaka Shinno turned and noticed Musai's face had turned red. He patted him on the shoulder before draping an arm around him and steering him home.
This guy wasn't blushing from the Raikage's inspiring speech.
No, Musai was embarrassed because the real reason he had no shoes on was that he had slept through the entire alarm. He hadn't even realized there was an attack!
"Rushing to help comrades?"
Not a chance.
The other shinobi, still touched by the Raikage's words, dispersed and returned home.
Elsewhere, another Anbu squad captain landed swiftly at the Third Raikage's side.
"Raikage-sama, we've already conducted a quiet search of all their homes—nothing suspicious was found."
"Starting tonight, the village will be on lockdown. No one is allowed in or out. Tomorrow, we begin internal investigations."
A's voice was deep and steady.
He did trust his subordinates, but as Dodai had pointed out—spies could be anywhere. It never hurt to be cautious.
And tonight, nine people had been assassinated simultaneously.
If Killer B's incident was included, that made ten.
There was no way every single infiltrator had managed to escape in such a short time.
There had to be spies. There had to be inside help.
The only question was—were they ordinary villagers, or shinobi?
The war with Kirigakure was inevitable.
But before it began, if these traitors weren't rooted out, who knew what kind of damage they could do to Kumogakure?
...
"The Raikage... tough on the outside, soft on the inside. Always good at showing up just in time to win hearts. Tch."
The moment Shinno stepped through his front door, he immediately noticed that someone had been inside.
Everything had been put back precisely as it was, but the minute shifts in position were obvious to him.
An ordinary shinobi might not notice the traces of a 'restoration-style search.'
But with his keen observational skills, enhanced by his incredible memory thanks to [King of Knowledge], the smallest discrepancies were as clear as day.
Without reacting, he casually shut the door and kicked Musai back into his room to sleep.
Then, standing by the window under the night sky, he finally had a moment to check his system rewards.
Two trait extractions, one trait gifting opportunity... and a random white trait upgrade?
Not bad.
But compared to the first time he completed an S-rank mission, these rewards weren't as impressive.
"Guess my newbie phase is over, huh? No more beginner perks?"
Shinno scratched his head. He said it aloud, but he didn't actually feel much disappointment.
With Uchiha Madara—arguably the biggest hidden threat—dead, the sense of urgency pressing down on him had eased significantly.
The future was long, and he had plenty of time to grow stronger.
"System, draw traits."
[Congratulations, host! You have acquired the white trait 'Courtesan's Grace' and the purple trait 'Magical Girl Transformation.']
Courtesan's Grace (White): Extensive hand-to-hand combat experience has granted you more dexterous movements and a more alluring presence. Your flexibility and agility increase, along with your charm toward men—but women's favorability toward you decreases.
Magical Girl Transformation (Purple): By shouting "Magical Girl Transformation!" you can absorb special magical energy into your body, perfectly forming a unique energy-based outfit. Upon activation, you awaken a personal ability, gain exclusive magical equipment or weapons, and experience a significant boost in strength, speed, defense, stamina, casting speed, and willpower.
"…What the actual—?!?"
For a split second, Shinno thought he had hit the jackpot and drawn an overpowered trait.
Then he saw the names.
Magical Girl?
System, are you messing with me?!
The first one—'Courtesan's Grace'—he had initially misread as something like 'Acrobat's Agility.' But no. A courtesan?!
And the second one? It didn't even try to pretend! Magical Girl?!
I'M A MAN, DAMN IT!
Shinno's face darkened. Sure, "Magical Girl" transformations were cute, and from what he knew, they had absurdly high potential...
But if he actually activated this trait—who knew what kind of horrifying consequences it might have?!
This system had zero moral integrity!
"…Damn scam!"
Shinno ranted at the system for a while before an idea struck him.
Maybe he could just gift this trait to Kushina?
She was his wife, after all. A purple trait wasn't a bad present.
Just imagining Kushina shouting "Magical Girl Transformation!" and emerging in a dazzling outfit...
Shinno couldn't help but feel a little excited.
"...Alright, system, use the random white trait upgrade."
Lost in his daydream, Shinno absentmindedly gave the command.
White traits were basically disposable to him.
And since it was random, he had no control over which one got upgraded. At best, it would turn into a green trait—not game-changing.
[Congratulations, host! White trait 'Expired Milk' has successfully upgraded into green trait 'Medicated Milk.']
Medicated Milk (Green): When using medical ninjutsu, subtle and unpredictable changes occur in the jutsu's properties. Increases medical ninjutsu proficiency, chakra control, healing speed, and effectiveness. Also, occasionally triggers slight beneficial reactions in the treated individual.
"Not bad."
Shinno raised an eyebrow and activated Medicated Milk without hesitation.
With his Sage Body, he healed absurdly fast, so he rarely needed medical ninjutsu himself.
But having it was better than not.
Who could guarantee that his loved ones would never get hurt?
Better to be prepared.
Besides, he still needed to research a technique similar to Creation Rebirth for Kushina.
He couldn't rely on Tsunade forever.
If he improved his medical ninjutsu, at least he'd have another backup plan.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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