Chapter 311: Hospital

Chapter 311: Chapter 311: Hospital

After accepting Itachi into Kamigami and instructing him not to make any rash moves for the time being, Hyuga Kagami parted ways with him.

On his way home, Kagami thought to himself, "Heh, compared to Shisui, Itachi really is much more cautious."

Itachi had told Kagami about awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan before telling anyone else. From that alone, it was obvious that, in Itachi’s mind, Kagami was someone he could trust completely.

Even so, Itachi hadn’t revealed the unique ocular abilities of his Mangekyo Sharingan right from the start.

It was only when Kagami pressed him about his battle with Orochimaru that Itachi briefly mentioned one of his Mangekyo Sharingan abilities—Amaterasu.

As for his other ocular ability, Itachi still refused to say a word about it.

Kagami understood completely.

After all, Kagami himself would never reveal every trump card he held to someone else either.

Trust was precious, but at the same time, it was fragile.

Before long, Kagami arrived home.

Ashiho returned the gourd artifact to Kagami, then dropped to his knees with a thud and said, "Lord Kagami, thank you so much for everything you did this time!"

The moment he took the gourd artifact, Kagami immediately sensed that the Priestess’s spirit was no longer inside it.

Helping Ashiho to his feet, he asked, "Her Highness the Priestess...?"

Ashiho shook his head with a sorrowful expression.

Clearly, after fulfilling her final wish, the Priestess’s spirit had naturally dissipated.

Fastening the gourd artifact to his waist, Kagami asked, "What about Shion?"

Ashiho replied, "After seeing Her Highness the Priestess, Lady Shion cried her heart out. She only just fell asleep."

Kagami nodded, then took the bell artifact from his robes. "Her Highness should have told you about this artifact. Give it to Shion and have her keep it with her at all times. That way, Shinno, who devoured the demon Mōryō, won’t be able to sense her location."

Ashiho hurriedly accepted the bell artifact. "Yes."

After pondering for a moment, Kagami asked, "What are you planning to do from here?"

Without hesitation, Ashiho replied, "We’ll follow whatever arrangements you make!"

"In that case, you can stay at my house for the time being." After a brief pause, Kagami continued, "As for Shion, I’ll speak with the Hokage. Once next year comes around, we’ll enroll her in the Ninja Academy."

Although Kagami had killed Yomi, Shinno—the man who coveted the Priestess’s power within Shion—was still alive. And behind Shinno stood the entirety of Akatsuki.

Sending Shion and Ashiho back to the Land of Demons at a time like this would be no different from sending a lamb straight into a tiger’s jaws. Thus, Kagami had no choice but to keep Shion in Konoha, where he could protect her personally.

As for sending Shion to the Ninja Academy, that was also a decision Kagami had made after careful consideration.

First, unlike the bloody education practiced in Kirigakure, Konoha’s Ninja Academy didn’t only teach ninjutsu—it also taught regular academic subjects.

After all, someone who couldn’t read, do basic arithmetic, or understand a map could never become an outstanding ninja. This way, Kagami could save himself the trouble of personally tutoring Shion in her academic studies.

Second, although Shion possessed tremendous Priestess power within her, the dangers she would face were equally great. The Ninja Academy could temper her will while also improving her strength, which would be extremely beneficial to her future growth.

Third, Shion was the sole legitimate successor to the Priestess of the Land of Demons. The Third Hokage would inevitably keep a close watch on her every move.

Rather than waiting for the Third to send someone to Kagami’s house to monitor Shion, it would be better to simply send her to the Ninja Academy. That would also help dispel some of the village leadership’s suspicions.

After retrieving the gourd artifact, Kagami headed out again. He bought some fruit on the street before making his way toward Konoha Hospital.

After finding out Kakashi and Guy’s room number, Kagami headed upstairs with the fruit in hand.

Inside the hospital room...

Guy had tucked his plaster-covered left arm behind his back and was doing one-armed push-ups with his right, grunting away as he exercised on the floor.

Kakashi, meanwhile, was lying on the bed, flipping through a little book with a pink cover.

Kagami walked in carrying the fruit and smiled. "You guys all right?"

"Of course! It’s just a minor injury!"

Guy immediately sprang up from the floor, grabbed a piece of fruit, and took a huge bite.

Kakashi closed his book and said, "Kagami, there are a few things I’d like to talk to you about in private."

Kagami chuckled. "Sure. Let’s go up to the rooftop."

Before long, the two arrived on the rooftop.

Whoosh...

A gentle breeze swept past, causing the bedsheets hung out to dry on the rooftop to flutter in the wind.

At that moment, Kakashi stared at Kagami and asked in an unusually serious tone, "Kagami, where have you been these past few days?"

Without hesitation, Kagami answered directly, "I went to the Land of Demons."

"The Land of Demons?" After a brief pause, Kakashi asked, "Was it because of the Priestess?"

Kagami nodded. "Our Team 11 bears some responsibility for the Yomi Cult’s rebellion this time. If we’d completely wiped out the remnants of the Yomi Cult during our last mission, perhaps none of this would have happened."

Kakashi sighed. "Yeah. We failed to kill the leader of the Yomi Cult last time. Team 11 really does bear some responsibility."

Even now, Kakashi was still somewhat puzzled.

Back then, he had clearly pierced the Yomi Cult leader’s chest with Chidori. By all rights, the man should have died without a doubt, yet somehow, he had survived.

Of course, if Kakashi knew that even Kagami had failed to kill Yomi after cutting his head off, he probably wouldn’t feel quite so frustrated about it.

Kagami continued, "That’s why I wanted to go take a look myself, so I asked Shisui to cover for me."

Kakashi opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, he could only let out a soft sigh.

Kagami smiled. "If there’s something you want to say, just say it. I don’t mind."

Kakashi hesitated for a moment before saying, "If something like this happens again, just tell me. Team 11 is a unit—we’re in this together."

"I’d like to tell you, but I’m afraid the truth would scare the hell out of you guys!"

Kagami could only grumble inwardly with a wry smile.

At that moment, the trace of laziness in Kakashi’s gaze suddenly vanished, replaced by sharp vigilance. "Oh, right. The guy who abducted Naruto this time used some extremely bizarre methods. Even now, I still can’t figure out exactly what technique he used back then. If you ever run into him, you need to be especially careful!"

Kagami had already learned the details of Naruto’s abduction that night from Shisui and knew that Obito had been the one behind it, so he wasn’t particularly surprised. He casually asked, "Then how does the village plan to handle Naruto’s protection from now on?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Nothing’s been decided yet. This incident proves that Akatsuki has known Naruto’s identity for a long time. A single ANBU squad clearly isn’t enough to protect him."