RNP Chapter 72 Kaori Uzuki
Chapter 72 Kaori Uzuki
Chapter 72 Kaori Uzuki (Part 3)
The sun was blazing overhead.
Third exercise field.
A fierce live-fire exercise has just taken place here; the ground is littered with broken kunai, charred wooden stakes, and remnants of explosive tags.
Kaori bent over, tidying up the scene.
"Cough cough————"
She coughed, spitting out a little blood. The internal injury was indeed a hindrance.
"Hey! You, the cleaning worker!"
Not far away, several young Chunin shouted loudly.
"There's still a pile of trash over there, clean it up quickly! We need the space this afternoon!"
Those were scions of several powerful families, well-equipped and arrogant.
Kaori didn't say anything.
Once upon a time, she was a respected senior, a substitute member of the Dark Guard. Now, she's just a lowly cleaner.
She walked over silently and put the trash into a bag.
It took her a full five hours. She didn't finish cleaning up all the trash until noon. Her back was almost aching.
She went to the mission office to report.
"Acceptance passed."
The chunin stamped the document, counted out a few banknotes, and handed them over.
"etc."
Kaori looked at the thin stack of money.
"Isn't the mission reward 6000 taels? There's only 3600 taels here."
"Special wartime tax"
The chunin pointed to the newly posted notice on the wall.
"To support the front lines, the village's cut of mission rewards for all non-combat ninjas will be increased from 20% to 40%."
"This is the new rule. For the Will of Fire, everyone has to make sacrifices."
"This isn't fair—" Kaori's voice was hoarse.
"Are you questioning the decision made above?" Chunin waved his hand impatiently. "If you don't want to do it, then don't. There are other people in line behind you."
"Next!"
Kaori was pushed out of the line.
She stood in the corner of the hall, clutching the 3600 taels in her hand. Adding that to what she had before, it totaled 8600 taels. Not even enough for 10,000.
Moreover, there are no more D-level missions, so even if she were willing to be exploited, she wouldn't be able to get any more missions.
despair.
True despair is not having nowhere to go, but rather having exhausted all your efforts to walk every possible path, only to find that the destination is still a cliff.
She walked out of the Hokage Building, completely distraught.
She went to Konoha Hospital.
Xiyan's hospital room.
The attending physician, Dr. Tian, walked in, followed by two caregivers.
"Move the patient in bed number 3 out." Tanashita pointed to Yugao's bed.
"Move her out?" The caregiver paused, "Move her where? That little girl's condition is very unstable; she can't live without high-concentration oxygen."
"Move to the extra bed in the hallway."
Tianxia's voice was cold.
"A wounded soldier was just brought back from the front lines. He is an elite Chunin from the Sarutobi clan. He is a hero and needs to recuperate in a single intensive care unit."
"But----"
"No buts. This is an order from above." Tanashita said impatiently. "Besides, because we used the Wind Country Lung-Clearing Powder on her, her prepaid fees have been used up, and she's in arrears now. According to regulations, not kicking her out of the hospital is already more than enough. Replace the oxygen tube with a regular nasal cannula, and hurry up."
The caregiver had no choice but to comply.
"Stop! What are you doing?" Kaori walked in just then and stopped them.
"Mrs. Uzuki?" Tanashita sneered. "What kind of behavior is this? This is a hospital, please have some self-respect."
"What right do you have to touch her bed? She still has a fever! It's so cold in the hallway, are you trying to kill her?!"
"The hero of the Sarutobi clan needs this bed," Tanashita said firmly. "Besides, you're out of money. Hospitals aren't charities."
"I have money! I have money!"
Kaori slammed the 8600 taels onto the table.
"Pay a portion first!"
"Not enough, not enough at all! Do you know how expensive the Wind Kingdom's Lung-Clearing Powder is?"
He waved.
"Push it out."
The two caregivers shoved Kaori away forcefully. Kaori was so weak that she stumbled and fell to the ground.
She watched helplessly as her daughter was wheeled out of the warm intensive care unit and pushed into a corner of the corridor.
Kaori felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Aren't we all comrades? Aren't we all sacrificing ourselves for the Will of Fire?
The Sarutobi clan are heroes, but isn't her husband one too?
Kaori sat on a bench in the corridor, holding Yugao's cold little hand. She still couldn't understand why she had encountered such a predicament.
At that moment, a shadow blocked the light.
Kaori looked up.
Standing before her was a person wearing a mask. The patterns on the mask were abstract and sinister.
"root".
As a former substitute member of the Anbu (secret branch), she knew about this organization: Shimura Danzo's private army.
"Kaori Uzuki".
The masked man's voice was completely flat.
"Former ANBU substitute, skilled in Konoha-style swordsmanship. Her husband died in battle, and her daughter is seriously ill."
"People of the Roots, what are you doing here?"
"I'll give you the choice."
The masked man pulled out a thick envelope and placed it on the bench. Inside were banknotes.
"Lord Danzo is expanding his manpower. We need children with potential."
His self-light fell on the unconscious Yugao.
"This child, though physically weak, has a unique chakra network and strong sensory abilities. She's a promising candidate for reconnaissance and assassination."
"Hand her over to us."
"Root has the best medical team and the best medicine. We will heal her and then train her to be the best ninja."
Kaori felt a chill run through her body.
Should they hand their daughter over to "Gen"?
That would mean erasing emotions and turning someone into a nameless, pastless tool, only capable of killing. They might even be sent on suicide missions.
"And the price?"
"The price is that, from this day forward, she is no longer your daughter."
The masked man said coldly.
"You will never see her again, never acknowledge her. Her file will show her as deceased." There will never be another Uzuki Yugao in this world.
"In exchange, you will receive a generous settlement allowance, enough to ensure you live a comfortable life for the rest of your days."
This is the devil's deal. Trading the bond between mother and daughter for the right to live.
If they disagree, Xiyan will die because she has no money for medical treatment.
If she agrees, Xiyan will survive, but become a walking corpse.
"Get out." Kaori said without hesitation.
"What did you say?"
"I told you to get out!"
"Even if I strangle her to death, I will never hand her over to Gen!"
This was her final line. She could go to the arena to be watched and entertained like an animal, she could sell her glory at the pawnshop, but she could not sell her daughter's soul.
The masked man was not angry.
He shook his head regretfully, as if looking at an incomprehensible fool.
"Foolish emotions. That's why you're just a substitute, never a true member of the Dark Guard."
He took back the envelope and turned to leave.
"You'll regret this. When she dies in your arms, you'll beg me on your knees."
The masked man disappeared.
Kaori buried her face in her hands and wept silently.
She rejected the devil, but in doing so, she cut off her last chance of survival.
There really is no other way—no, we can't give up.
She walked out of the hospital, wanting to try her luck again.
She went to several underground brokerage agencies she knew before.
"I'm willing to take any job, as long as I'm paid, I'll take any job."
But the only response was a cold wave.
"Kaori Uzuki? I heard you used to be a candidate for the Anbu? What a pity."
An information broker looked at her pale face.
"Look at you now, you're practically swaying when you walk. Who would dare hire you? You'd probably have to be the one to collect your corpse."
"Besides, I heard you offended someone in the medical department? Everyone's trying to curry favor with the medical department right now; nobody wants to offend a doctor for the sake of a washed-up Chunin."
The road is blocked.
In this circle, news travels faster than the wind.
She became a problem. A problem that was both internally wounded and had offended those in power.
Kaori walked heavily to the end of the shopping street.
There is a medicinal herb shop here called "Matsuya".
This is the last chance.
I heard that the owner of this shop has stockpiled a batch of smuggled medicines from the Land of Wind. Among them might be the Land of Wind's Lung-Clearing Powder.
Kaori pushed open the door and went in.
"Boss, I want to buy medicine."
"I have no money, but I can use the rest of my life to pay off my debts."
She knelt on the ground, her forehead pressed against the floor.
"I'm a Chunin. Give me the medicine I need, and my life is yours. I can do a lot for you."
This was her last bargaining chip.
A contract of servitude. Not selling one's body, but selling one's free will as a ninja.
The owner of Matsuya was a lean, middle-aged man who was playing with walnuts.
He glanced at Kaori.
"A Chunin's life is worthless now."
The boss said indifferently.
"The number of Chunin dying on the front lines every day is so high that even a whole train car wouldn't be able to transport them all."
"Besides, I see your internal organs are injured, aren't they? Before you could even do anything for me, you vomited blood and died. I'll have to spend money to buy you a coffin."
"Get out of here. Don't bring bad luck into my shop."
Several men with brooms chased her out.
Kaori slumped down by the roadside.
She didn't want to get up. She was so tired.
The lungs feel like they're on fire, which is a sign that internal injuries are worsening.
My vision blurred in waves.
"Evening Glory————"
She remembered her daughter shivering in the cold wind of the corridor.
I can't die. At least not here.
If she dies, Xiyan will be thrown into the morgue and disposed of.
She wanted to go back. Even if she died, she wanted to die beside her daughter, giving her one last bit of warmth with her body heat.
Kaori struggled to get up.
She couldn't tell which way was which. Her vision was blurry and doubled.
The surrounding sounds grew fainter and fainter, and the hustle and bustle gradually faded away.
She didn't know how long she had been walking.
Perhaps it was the craving for warmth that made her smell a strange fragrance.
It had a sweet fragrance. So enticing.
Following the scent, she moved her feet like a zombie. Unconsciously, she came to a quiet street.
Hongshan Street.
The back door of [Ganweichu].
Kaori couldn't walk anymore.
Her physical functions had reached their limit. Internal injuries, hunger, and a mental breakdown.
She leaned against the wall, her body sliding down the brickwork. Her consciousness was fading.
In the last moment before she closed her eyes, she saw the back door open. A boy dressed in coarse cloth came out carrying a trash can.
"Who are you?" the boy asked, somewhat panicked.
Kaori wanted to speak, to cry for help. But blood welled up in her throat.
"puff."
A mouthful of blood spurted onto the ground. The world was plunged into darkness.
"Mr. Sosuke! Come quick! There's a woman dying at the back door!"
Ren rushed into the front hall.
Sosuke is practicing the basics of the third sword behind the counter.
He frowned slightly upon hearing the shout.
"woman?"
He put down the marbles, got up, and walked to the backyard.
Matt Day was lifting a stone weight in the yard when he heard the noise, so he put down his equipment and followed.
In the alley behind the back gate.
Sosuke saw the woman lying on the ground.
She was dressed in a black kimono, which was already quite muddy. Her long purple hair was disheveled and stuck to her face, obscuring most of it.
But Sousuke recognized her ninja aura at a glance. Even when she was unconscious, her muscles remained slightly tense, a testament to her professional instinct.
"He's a ninja."
Sosuke stepped forward, squatted down, and used his fingers to brush the messy hair from the woman's face.
A pale, tragic face.
"Uzuki Xiyan?!"
Sosuke remembers this face.
"Wait, at this point in time, Uzuki Yugao is still a little girl—then who is she?"
Sosuke placed his fingers on her carotid artery.
Very weak. Not far from dying.
"Internal organ damage, severe malnutrition, and depleted chakra."
Sosuke made a diagnosis.
"She's dying."
"Should we call the police and prepare for action?" Ren asked in a low voice.
Sosuke was silent for two seconds. His brain was calculating at lightning speed.
Saving her is not difficult.
But why did this woman end up in this situation? If I save her, might I offend her enemies?
But at the same time—
Sosuke noticed her hands. Her fingers were long and slender, fair and delicate, but calluses formed at the base of her thumb, indicating she was skilled in swordsmanship. It was quite reasonable that a relative of Uzuki Yugao would be skilled in swordsmanship.
This means she must be quite strong.
Most importantly, offering help at this time is a life-saving act, and the gratitude owed is immeasurable.
If any enemies want to cause trouble because of this, the security force can be asked to handle it.
Zongsuke made a quick decision.
"No police presence or backup."
Sosuke picked her up.
"Ren, go tidy up the storage room."
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