"Okay."
Nagato finished off the three bandits and immediately turned around, crouching down to stop Nonō's bleeding first.
If the wound continues to bleed like this, he'll have saved her for nothing.
"I'm so sleepy."
Nagato adjusted Nonō into a flat lying position. Now that the crisis was over, her spirit had relaxed, and she was already struggling to stay conscious.
"Don't fall asleep, hold on a little longer."
Nagato's face beneath the mask had grown strained. There was no prepared plasma here to save Nonō. If she fell asleep now, she might never wake up. The thought of this possibility caused a sharp pain in his heart. After all this time together, Nonō was at least one of his few friends.
"Okay, I'll hold on a little longer," Nonō replied, but her voice grew weaker, and her eyelids began to droop. It seemed like she was going to fall asleep at any moment.
"Don't close your eyes, don't!"
Nagato had healed the wound on her abdomen, but his voice had already taken on a sharp edge. He lifted his hand and removed Nonō's mask. Her face, framed by black glasses, was as pale as paper, and her lips were waxen. There was no longer any trace of her youthful beauty.
"I'll just sleep for a little while. I can't hold on much longer."
Nonō gave a faint, dazed smile. To Nagato, that smile was chilling. It was clear she wasn't in her right mind—how could a Medical-nin say such things? After those words, it seemed she had used up all her strength. Her eyelids slowly fell.
"Lightning Release..."
In desperation, Nagato resorted to an electric shock. Thankfully, he was skilled in the five elemental chakra natures, including Lightning Release.
Lightning flashed from his hands as he pressed them onto Nonō's chest. He tried his hardest to control the output of his chakra, ensuring the Lightning Release wouldn't worsen her condition. With each press of his palms, Nonō's body trembled.
"Wake up, wake up."
"I haven't even told you my real name yet. Pain is just my code name," Nagato muttered to himself as he pressed down.
After several chest compressions, Nonō finally opened her eyes. His efforts had not been in vain.
"So, what's your name?" Nonō asked, listening to his words and speaking softly after regaining consciousness. It was as if she'd been momentarily distracted.
"My name is Nagato. The name comes from the kanji for 'long' (長) and 'gate' (門)."
"What a common name," Nonō said faintly.
"Nagato, I'm a little cold."
Nonō could feel the temperature in her body dropping. Despite the sunny weather outside, she couldn't feel any warmth.
"It'll be fine, I'll definitely heal you," Nagato said, his words almost incoherent in his urgency. Nonō didn't have the energy to question them.
"Nagato, can I see what you look like?"
Nonō's gaze remained fixed on him, her thoughts simple and focused only on Nagato.
"Okay."
Nagato quickly removed his mask, his bangs falling over his eyes.
"You're not as good-looking as me, hehe," Nonō chuckled softly, her laugh childlike and light.
Nagato was indeed not a handsome man, his appearance a far cry from Yahiko's—a fact that couldn't be denied.
"You're the best-looking one, so you can't die."
Nagato was amused by Nonō's teasing, and the two exchanged lighthearted remarks. This was a good sign—it meant Nonō's condition was stabilizing. Once he finished treating her injuries, she would be out of danger.
"I know I'm good-looking, you don't need to tell me."
Nonō, even in her weakened state, still had her playful, narcissistic side. If she were in her normal state, she likely wouldn't have said something like that.
"Okay, the external injuries have been treated."
Nagato let out a long sigh of relief. All the bleeding areas were healed. If excessive blood loss weren't so dangerous, he would have treated her internal injuries first.
"Why are your eyes all ringed? Are they fake?"
Although only for a moment, Nonō had caught a glimpse of Nagato's Rinnegan. Not recognizing it, she assumed he was wearing colored contacts.
"Ah, one of those endlessly curious types, are you?" Nagato mimicked Kawakaze's frequent taunt, though he didn't entirely understand its meaning.
"You're so mean," Nonō pouted, her playful expression emphasizing her cuteness.
"Does anything else hurt?" Nagato asked, his tone shifting to focus on the treatment. He had no more energy for idle chatter.
"It tickles where you touched me, and it doesn't hurt anymore," Nonō replied softly. "But I'm so tired—I don't have any strength left."
Her voice was faint as she forced herself to stay focused. The wounds healed by Medical Ninjutsu felt only ticklish now, with no trace of pain. Though her drowsiness began to fade, an overwhelming sense of weakness took its place. She couldn't muster the strength to move even a finger.
"Good, you're feeling weak," Nagato remarked. "You can consider yourself lucky to be alive. Here, take this."
He pulled a black pill from his ninja kit and held it to Nonō's mouth. Judging by its appearance, Nagato himself wouldn't have dared to take it if it hadn't been made by Tsunade.
"It smells bad," Nonō said, frowning and pouting in disgust. That was the most she could manage in her current state.
"You're still complaining?" Nagato said, exasperated. "This was personally made by Lady Hokage, and I only have one."
He pinched Nonō's mouth with one hand and stuffed the pill in with the other, covering her mouth to ensure she swallowed.
The pill didn't have the miraculous ability to bring someone back from the dead, but it could significantly enhance the body's self-healing function. Given Nonō's earlier near-death condition, it would have been a waste to use it then. Now that she had stabilized, it was the perfect time to administer it.
This didn't mean the pill wasn't precious. The effort, rare medicinal ingredients, and inclusion of results from Hashirama's Cells research made it exceptionally valuable. Tsunade hadn't made many of these pills—they were considered a family benefit. Otherwise, Nagato wouldn't have been carrying only one.
Nagato finally released her hand when he saw Nonō swallow the pill.
"Do you take me for a cat or a dog?" Nonō asked, feeling insulted. She often rescued stray animals and fed them medicine in the same way.
"I take you for Onimaru," Nagato replied, unable to suppress his laughter.
Every time her aunt gave Onimaru medicine, the dog would bark in protest, much like what Nonō was doing now.
"Who is Onimaru?" Nonō asked, her curiosity piqued again.
The pill had begun to take effect, spreading a warm current through her body. Her complexion looked much better than before.
"No one," Nagato replied curtly. "Okay, don't ask so many questions. You can go to sleep now."
Nagato felt it was a bit rude to explain that Onimaru was a dog. Without elaborating, he gently placed Nonō's mask back on her face and then put his own mask on.
Sliding his hands beneath her, one under the crook of her legs and the other supporting her shoulder blades, he carefully lifted her.
"Let's go back. The battle should be over."
Nagato began to head back with Nonō in his arms.
"Oh."
Nonō instinctively wrapped her arms around Nagato's neck, resting her head on his shoulder as her eyes closed. The warmth of her breath brushed against Nagato's neck.
A strange emotion stirred in Nagato's heart. This intimate contact felt entirely different from the clinical detachment of treating her injuries. At first, he felt a bit uncomfortable, but he quickly pushed those thoughts aside and quickened his pace.
As the breeze swept past her, Nonō felt something she hadn't before: a deep appreciation for her life. Since she had survived, she was determined to live life more boldly and brilliantly from now on!
"Why hasn't Nonō returned yet? Could something have happened to her?"
Back at the camp, Nawaki voiced his concern. The battle on his side was over, and both Shishi and Nonō's team leader had returned with only minor injuries. The bandits who had escaped earlier had been dealt with. Yet, Nonō's absence left him uneasy.
"She should be fine. I saw Pain go."
Minato had been observing the situation even while fighting, and Nagato's departure had been right in front of his eyes.
"Oh, then there shouldn't be a problem."
Nawaki had great confidence in Nagato's strength. Even without using his Rinnegan powers, he could easily handle a few thugs.
"She went after them before we did, she should be back by now. Why don't I go check?" Nonō's team leader, still worried, decided to check on her.
Nonō was the only girl on the team and the youngest. Moreover, he didn't have a clear understanding of Nagato's strength, making it hard for him to share Nawaki's confidence.
"Then you go check."
Nawaki didn't think it was necessary but didn't want to stop him either. After all, there wasn't much left to do here.
"Okay." Nonō's team leader was about to set off when Nagato appeared from the forest nearby, carrying Nonō in his arms.
"Put me down." Nonō felt a little shy as everyone gathered around her. She released her grip on Nagato's neck and started squirming slightly.
"Are you okay?"
Nagato didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Nonō was injured, and everyone would surely understand. Besides, holding her was soft and quite comfortable.
"I'm fine," Nonō said with a nod, her tone firm. She had regained some strength by now. She might not be ready to fight, but she could stand and walk.
Lady Hokage's reputation as Konoha's number one Medical-nin was well deserved; that pill had truly worked!
Still, Nonō felt a little bad. How could she repay Nagato for such a precious pill?
"Okay then," Nagato said, yielding to her insistence. He slowly set her on the ground, though he didn't let go completely, keeping a hand on her arm.
"What happened?"
"Where are you hurt? Is it serious?"
"Are you okay?"
...
As the crowd gathered around, they bombarded Nonō with a flurry of questions.
Nonō's face was pale, and large bloodstains were clearly visible on her body. She looked seriously injured.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Nonō said, waving her hands quickly to reassure everyone, though she seemed at a loss as to whom to answer first.
"How could you be fine? Don't lie to us," Nonō's Captain said, his eyes full of distrust. Her tattered clothes looked as though she'd been dragged through a bloody battlefield.
"I'm really fine now. Luckily Pain arrived in time."
To prove her point, Nonō jumped lightly into the air, trying to show she was no longer in danger.
"Are you a rabbit?" Nagato asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Did she really think she had fully recovered?
"I was wrong," Nonō admitted timidly, her voice soft. She didn't argue, like a child acknowledging their mistake. Her expression alone made it hard for anyone to scold her further.
This small interaction between the two didn't go unnoticed. Everyone present could sense something different between them.
"She's so obedient," Konan whispered to Yahiko beside her.
"You're the most obedient," Yahiko replied, fully embodying what it meant to pamper someone.
"Even though it's a lie, it's still very pleasing to the ear," Konan remarked, her tone self-aware. She knew she wasn't the type to be called "obedient." Being a goody-goody didn't suit her, after all.
"I didn't realize you had the potential to be a matchmaker," Minato said, nudging Nawaki with his shoulder.
"You just noticed?" Nawaki replied smugly, tilting his head back in mock pride, looking like his tail might start wagging any second. If only his bangs were longer, he might've flipped them for extra effect.
"Talk about getting carried away," Minato muttered with an exasperated eye-roll. What kind of person are you, anyway?
"Heh..." Nawaki snickered, not bothering to refute the jab.
"I'm glad you're okay. What exactly happened?" Nonō's Captain let out a sigh of relief, reassured to see Nonō alive and well. He then asked about the incident, his expression expectant.
Everyone fell silent, turning their attention to Nonō.
"Everything was going normally, but I was too careless," Nonō began, her tone calm but introspective. "There were only three bandits left, and I didn't want to lose sight of them. So, I chased them a bit too closely, probably putting them under a lot of pressure."
"They planned to kill me first."
She paused briefly, then continued, "Luckily, Pain showed up in time, or I really wouldn't have seen you guys again."
Nonō recounted the events briefly, deliberately leaving out the more dangerous details. Looking back, she still felt shaken. Knowing she wasn't a match for the three bandits, she realized she shouldn't have pressed them so hard. She had been on the verge of death, and Nagato had essentially dragged her back from the brink.
If someone without Medical Ninjutsu had arrived instead, they would have been helpless to save her.
Fortunately, the danger had passed now, and she didn't want everyone to worry too much. She just needed some time to rest.
"I see. Then you should thank Pain," Nonō's Captain said, sounding a little amused, unaware of the true dangers involved.
"Speaking of which, this is the second time Pain has saved you, isn't it?" Nawaki added casually, recalling the incident at the Anbu training grounds.
"Well, it's kind of like that," Nonō replied. To be honest, that earlier situation paled in comparison to this life-and-death crisis. Still, she didn't see a reason to deny it.
"Okay, she still needs to rest more. You guys should stop talking about it," Nagato said, cutting off any further discussion.
"Wow, he's defending her," Nawaki teased, grinning.
Nagato seemed unbothered by the remark, but Nonō's face turned red in response.