After the war, only ruins remained.
Standing amidst the rubble was only one man—Hiruko.
Throughout the intense battle, Hiruko had faithfully embodied the spirit of a researcher who never fights on the front lines. He'd spent the whole time slacking off, simply recording the heroic movements of the Fifth Hokage with his recording device.
"Click, click... The Fifth is really something else. If he weren't the Hokage, I'd definitely want him as one of my experimental subjects."
With a sigh of regret, Hiruko continued to search for any arrows that might have been left behind on the battlefield.
After a careful search, he didn't find any arrows—but he did find plenty of brain matter.
Since Sloth had been killed by Takeshi with a clean headshot, a lot of tissue remained scattered on the ground.
The corpse had been retrieved, but the minor remnants were ignored by everyone else.
However, in the eyes of a researcher like Hiruko, such small details could very well be the key to a major scientific breakthrough.
He crouched down, extended his finger, and lightly touched the soft, jelly-like tissue. Then, without hesitation, he put his finger into his mouth to taste it carefully.
"This flavor…"
Hiruko's head trembled uncontrollably, and he quickly pulled his finger out.
"Could it be…"
His eyes widened in disbelief. Refusing to accept it, he dipped his finger again and repeated the same motion.
"No mistake. No mistake at all—this is Ōtsutsuki cell tissue! And it's extremely pure!"
Hiruko was completely stunned.
No wonder that artificial human had been so powerful—its strength even surpassed that of Toneri.
So this was the reason—it was related to Ōtsutsuki cells.
Without another moment's hesitation, Hiruko carefully gathered the remaining tissue, abandoning the arrow search entirely.
The anxious, twitchy way he moved—any outsider might've thought he was an addict desperate for another fix.
...
"After we get back, go see Tsunade-sama again. If anything wasn't reattached properly, it'll cause trouble during missions later."
Returning to Konoha, Takeshi was giving detailed instructions to the two injured men.
"You're going too."
A cold voice came from behind—Danzō.
"Huh? Do I have to? I mean, look at me! I'm jumping and dancing just fine—how about I perform a little sing, dance, rap, and ninjutsu for you?"
Takeshi had always been a bit averse to seeing doctors.
"Hm?"
Danzō's old face darkened.
"Got it! I'll go! I'll go right now!"
Seeing the expression shift on Danzō's face, Takeshi immediately surrendered.
Sure, Takeshi could now beat Danzō with one hand tied behind his back—but Danzō still carried that terrifying title of "old man," and that was enough.
"Heh."
Uchiha Hikari, watching from the side, let out a cryptic chuckle.
"What are you laughing at!"
Takeshi jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Hmm, good bounce. Impressive."
Teasing him lightly, Uchiha Hikari didn't stay. She turned and walked toward the village—after eating nothing but dry rations for so long, she needed some good food to soothe her stomach.
"Takeshi!"
Just as Takeshi was about to catch up and lecture her, a familiar voice called out.
"Ah, Haku! Kimimaro! Haha, how'd you know I was coming back today?"
Seeing familiar faces, Takeshi grinned and opened his arms wide.
But only Kimimaro ran into his embrace.
Normally, Haku and Kimimaro would race each other to see who could hug Takeshi first, but this time, Haku was strangely reserved, walking slowly toward them.
Hmm?
The kids are growing up?
Seeing that both of them were nearly as tall as he was now, Takeshi figured Haku's change was just a sign of growing maturity—no longer needing his brother's pampering.
Still... why was Kimimaro acting exactly the same as before?
As Kimimaro buried his face in Takeshi's chest, he suddenly noticed the bloodstains on his clothes.
"You're hurt?!"
The moment Kimimaro asked, Haku, who had been acting all shy before, instantly lost his composure. He rushed forward, pulled Kimimaro aside, and started checking Takeshi's body anxiously.
"Heh, just a scratch. You know those artificial humans? Way stronger than the Tsuchikage, but I still smashed one to death with a single punch."
Seeing their worried faces, Takeshi laughed heartily and reassured them while casually comparing the android to the Tsuchikage.
"If I remember right, wasn't it our Hokage-sama who nearly got smashed by that punch?"
Yamato, standing off to the side, muttered under his breath.
"Yamato!"
Kimimaro's face darkened in fury.
"Huh?"
Yamato froze.
"I'll carve you up!"
"W-wait, stay away from me! Don't come any closer!"
Seeing Kimimaro unsheathing his bone blades, his entire body radiating murderous intent, Yamato screamed and bolted.
What kind of sin did he commit to end up surrounded by such unreliable friends?
And so, Kimimaro chased Yamato down the street, Uchiha Hikari went off to find food, Danzō and Hiruzen vanished somewhere, Fugaku and Hiashi stormed off in opposite directions—each walking their own "bright future" path...
Only Takeshi was left being forcibly escorted to Konoha Hospital by Haku.
...
"Why are you here too?"
On the next bed, Asuma had heard there was a new patient and was curious who it might be—he hadn't expected it to be someone so familiar.
"Why do you think? I went to avenge you."
Takeshi rolled his eyes.
He hadn't needed to stay in the hospital, but Rin had insisted—she wanted him under observation for one night before release.
"Wait, really? Even you couldn't beat that guy?"
Asuma was shocked. Alongside his surprise came a bit of warmth—and curiosity about what ultimately happened to Ras.
"Hah, don't be ridiculous. Who do you think I am? I'm the Fifth Hokage! Some artificial human like that? I could've smacked it to death with one hand."
Takeshi puffed his chest out proudly, boasting about his "glorious achievements."
Of course, in the end, he explained that the android he killed wasn't the same one who had injured Asuma.
"Figures. Among all of us from that year, you're still the strongest."
Asuma grinned. Though Ras hadn't died, knowing that Sloth—someone just as strong—had been taken down was deeply satisfying.
After laughing for a while, Asuma's smile slowly faded.
They were all from the same generation... so why was the gap so huge?
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