Naruto: Reborn with the Tenseigan

"Simple treatment and surgery are no problem, Captain. Rest assured, I might not be suitable for battle, but that doesn't mean I can't use ninjutsu."

In truth, the impact on Takashi wasn't too severe. As long as he avoided direct bright light, everything else was manageable. He could still perform medical ninjutsu or even fight if necessary.

Exaggerating the severity of his condition was simply a way to show vulnerability.

Takashi couldn't be certain if there were any of Danzo Shimura's people in the camp.

If there were, then showing weakness was the best way to set a trap. If Danzo tried to take advantage of the situation, Takashi was ready to give him a big surprise.

"That's good to hear."

Kobayashi let out a sigh of relief. "Takashi, just stay here in the medical room and rest. Leave everything else to me and Santou. While you're recovering, we'll be extra cautious to minimize injuries and reduce the trouble for you."

"Once you're fully recovered, we'll all be at ease."

After reassuring Takashi, Kobayashi and Sarutobi Santou left together.

Once they were away from the medical room, Kobayashi began to complain. "Santou, Takashi's condition shouldn't have happened. Do you know what's going on?"

"I don't know."

What a joke. How could he say anything about it? He didn't have a clear answer—just some suspicions. Even if he knew something, he wouldn't speak up.

It could ruin everything.

"Don't worry about it. He'll get better soon. Takashi has had similar incidents twice before in the village. He recovered quickly both times. Just make sure no one worries too much about it."

"I guess that's all we can do."

The news of Takashi's eye problems resurfacing spread through the camp quickly.

That same night, the Third Hokage, back in Konoha, received the news.

The information was relayed by Sarutobi Santou.

Danzo, what are you planning to do?

Takashi's condition presented a good opportunity for Danzo Shimura to act.

But taking action carried the risk of exposure, and the Third Hokage was curious to see what Danzo would decide.

The Third Hokage was certain that Danzo had his own channels to receive the same information.

Would Danzo act on it, knowing Takashi was in a weakened state? That was the question that intrigued the Third Hokage most.

"Hmph!"

Receiving the same intelligence, Danzo snorted, tossing the information scroll into the fire to burn it completely.

The Third Hokage knew what kind of man Danzo was, and the feeling was mutual. Danzo understood the Third Hokage just as well.

Cooperating was one thing, but the Third Hokage would not tolerate Danzo crossing any lines.

If Danzo dared to take that extra step, the Third Hokage would not hesitate to throw him under the bus.

As a power-hungry man with ambitions of becoming Hokage, Danzo wasn't foolish enough to take a risk that would jeopardize his own position just to exact revenge on Takashi.

To Danzo, Takashi's current condition looked like a good opportunity to act, but it was really just a trap!

The reason Tsunade had gone to the border camp was clear.

The Third Hokage appeared to tacitly allow Danzo to retaliate, but in reality, he had placed a patch to prevent it.

Sarutobi Hiruzen!!

Danzo glanced toward the Hokage's office, gritting his teeth.

To keep himself out of trouble, the Third Hokage had made Danzo the fall guy. If Danzo managed to successfully assassinate Takashi despite the patch, the Third Hokage would accept it.

As long as Danzo didn't use the village's resources, all the blame would fall solely on him.

All the anger would be directed at Danzo.

---

"Takashi, how are your eyes? Are you taking good care of yourself?"

Since the third occurrence of the Tenseigan manifestation, Takashi had stayed in the medical room, not even eating or drinking anything that wasn't self-prepared.

Although his medical ninjutsu skills were good, he still decided to be extra cautious during such a critical time.

"Still the same. It'll last for a while, probably not getting better until after the New Year. Captain, is there something you need from me?"

With his eyes wrapped in cloth, Takashi couldn't see, but his movement wasn't hindered. His strong sensory abilities, along with his control over attraction and repulsion forces, compensated well enough for his blindness.

"Don't bother with that. It's freezing cold—better to drink less water unless you enjoy running to the bathroom."

Captain Kobayashi stopped Takashi from pouring himself a drink and then took out a scroll from his pocket, handing it to him.

"Just now, a ninja from the village arrived at the camp, saying it was a scroll sent by Lady Tsunade."

It was an ordinary sealing scroll containing various items Tsunade had bought. Though Tsunade did the shopping, the person paying for it all was Kushina.

After learning that Takashi had been assigned to the border camp and wouldn't return to the village for at least a year, Kushina had become rather gloomy.

After all, her only real friend had just left her side and wouldn't be back for a year.

As for little Yellow Hair?

He was just half a friend, at best.

So Kushina and Tsunade had put their heads together and bought a bunch of things, sealed them into a scroll, and sent someone to deliver them to Takashi.

"Thank you, Captain."

Takashi put the scroll away, smiling as he thanked Captain Kobayashi.

Kobayashi quickly waved his hand. "No need for thanks. As the camp captain, it's my duty to take care of my teammates. I need to get back to my duties, so I won't disturb your rest any longer."

After seeing Kobayashi off, Takashi opened the scroll, sensing its contents—and then he froze.

Did they move an entire market into this thing?

Who did the shopping, Tsunade?

No, Tsunade was broke as usual. Only one person could afford to buy all this stuff for him—Little Rich Girl Kushina!

"It's not easy to repay such a favor from the little rich girl... I haven't even sorted out what I owe Tsunade."

Takashi scratched his head, feeling a headache coming on.

As a man, he certainly didn't mind having multiple girlfriends, or even more than a few women, but if the people in question were Kushina and Tsunade...

Hiss~ That could turn into a huge mess.

Both of them had fiery tempers, both were strong-willed, and both were incredibly powerful.

Right now, Tsunade had the upper hand while Kushina was still young. But once Kushina became the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and grew up, her power would surpass Tsunade's.

Just imagining the two of them fighting gave Takashi a bit of a headache.

"Forget it. That's a problem for the future. At least for now, I don't need to worry about that."

Takashi picked out some vegetables and a piece of beef, deciding to treat himself to a good meal. The conditions at the camp were really basic, and eating well was rare—usually just some roasted meat from hunting trips.

Anything else was out of the question.

---

"Captain Santou, could you do me a favor?"

"What do you need?"

Sarutobi Santou walked into the medical room.

Takashi pointed to the open space next to the medical room. "Could you bring a few people to help clear the snow and then use the ice blocks to make a box? I'd like it to be as big as possible."

Vegetables could be kept indoors and used quickly before they spoiled, but the meat needed proper storage.

Some of it could be made into cured or dried meat, while the rest could be kept frozen in a makeshift icebox.

"Alright."

Though he wasn't sure why Takashi wanted an icebox, Sarutobi Santou didn't refuse. He called over a group of people, and soon, a bunch of them were busy shoveling snow and packing ice.

Of course, Takashi wouldn't let them work for nothing—he made a big pot of beef stew with potatoes and made sure everyone ate well.

"Takashi, we've finished digging. What are you going to do with it?"

"I need to freeze some meat. Otherwise, it'll spoil."

When Takashi began pulling out large pieces of meat from the sealing scroll and tossing them into the makeshift icebox, the surrounding ninjas were dumbfounded.

This was just too extravagant.

"Does this mean we won't run out of meat for a while?"

One ninja muttered to himself.

Sarutobi Santou gave him a playful slap. "This was all bought by Lady Tsunade for Takashi, not for the camp. Want some? Go ask your wife to buy it for you."

Once all the meat that needed freezing was placed in the natural icebox, Takashi sealed it with more ice.

"Phew, that was delicious. Are we digging up more ice tomorrow? Count me in first thing!"

"Hahaha, I'll join too."

"Me too."

A group of ninjas, enjoying their warm beef and potato stew, were already thinking about their next meal, making Takashi chuckle.