Chapter 520: Loulan
Fujii Kaoru's first victory was too easy; for the second match, they had to send in a true expert.
Kinosuke grit his teeth and gave a nod to a guard dressed as a samurai.
The samurai nodded slightly. He had seen it just now: this Fujii Kaoru's raw strength was only at the elite Chūnin level. The only reason she had defeated a ninja of the same level in a single exchange was because those flames were too bizarre.
As this samurai walked into the field, he was already thinking of a counter-strategy. He specialized in speed, which was perfect for dealing with a ninja with flexible ninjutsu.
The moment the second match began, the samurai immediately chose to press the attack. Fujii Kaoru, meanwhile, rapidly retreated while casting her Fire Release.
This time, however, her C-rank fire jutsu was useless against the samurai. Before the flames could even get close, the samurai had already dodged.
Ishiro nodded. The power this samurai was displaying was already no less than that of a standard Jōnin.
Fujii Kaoru remained calm, having anticipated this. She immediately accelerated her hand-seal speed.
As Kaoru's seals blurred, more and more fire jutsus appeared, until seven of them were flying erratically around the small field.
At first, the samurai could still close the distance between them, but soon he was reduced to dodging, with no time to attack.
Moreover, while the flames looked chaotic to others, in his eyes, they were perfectly coordinated, like a well-trained army of samurai.
Gradually, the samurai's room to maneuver grew smaller and smaller. Fujii Kaoru's flames could ignore his physical attacks, leaving him with no options.
From start to finish, all he could do was dodge.
Finally, seeing no escape, the samurai grit his teeth and decided to take a risk, forcing his way through the flames.
But the instant he charged into the fire, he felt a sharp pain pierce his mind.
Disturbed by the sudden pain, his speed faltered. The next moment, he was completely submerged by a mass of flames.
This time, however, Fujii Kaoru did not strike a heavy blow. She controlled the flames in time, preventing any further harm to the samurai.
Knowing that Fujii Kaoru had shown mercy, the samurai quickly bowed to her, conceding and offering his thanks.
After the samurai stepped down, Kinosuke said to the Daimyo, "Lord Daimyo, allow me to go."
It couldn't be helped. Among the Daimyo's many guards, only Kinosuke was definitively stronger than that samurai. The other experts were all a 50/50 match for him.
But at this moment, Ishiro waved his hand, stopping the Daimyo's guard captain from personally stepping down.
Ishiro said, "Lord Daimyo, let's end the sparring here. Kaoru will be one of your lordship's guards sooner or later."
"I only brought her here today to get acquainted with everyone. I had heard rumors that some people felt Lord Daimyo's heavy funding of the Guardian Shinobi program was not a worthy investment, so I came to clear things up."
Ishiro wasn't just trying to save face for the Daimyo; the truth was, Fujii Kaoru's strength had its limits.
This Kinosuke's strength was equivalent to an Iwagakure Elite Jōnin. Fujii Kaoru was not his match.
This was especially true now that Kinosuke was on guard against her bizarre flames. Her chances of winning were too small.
Since that was the case, it was better to quit while he was ahead, leaving everyone to endlessly imagine Fujii Kaoru's true potential.
Hearing Ishiro's words, the Daimyo quickly said, "What is Lord Tsuchikage saying? There's no such thing!"
After speaking, he shot a look at the other officials present.
Receiving the Daimyo's signal, the officials in the mansion all began to speak up:
"Lord Tsuchikage, don't listen to those rumors! No one has ever said such a thing."
"Yes, yes, we trust in Lord Tsuchikage's ability to teach his disciples. And we trust in Iwagakure's ability to train ninja."
"That's right! We believe that when Fujii Kaoru is older, the Daimyo's guard will definitely surpass that of the Land of Fire's Daimyo!"
Ishiro smiled. "It seems I must have misheard. Since that's the case, we'll speak no more of it."
"Lord Daimyo, I must take these disciples on a mission to broaden their horizons. This was just a stop along the way, so I won't take up any more of your and everyone else's time."
The Daimyo nodded, his face wreathed in smiles. "Lord Tsuchikage, please attend to your business. Afterward, I will allocate another sum of military funds to Iwagakure. I am indebted to you for personally training a Guardian Shinobi for me."
Ishiro said, "Lord Daimyo, you are too kind. Your safety is also of great importance to me. I am just doing my small part."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Ishiro left the capital, delighted.
He had come to see the Daimyo this time precisely to show off the results of his teaching Fujii Kaoru for the past year.
The Daimyo, as expected, took the hint and very generously allocated a large sum of military funds.
Back in Iwagakure, the "Little White Ball" research that Ishiro had requested was already underway. The scale of the research was expanding, and the village's expenses were constantly increasing.
Although Iwagakure's finances were still in surplus thanks to the profits from several previous wars, that wouldn't necessarily be the case in the future.
Thus, Ishiro had no choice but to think of more unconventional methods to secure research funding.
After the group of four left the Land of Earth's capital, Ishiro flew his three disciples to the location of the Gedo Statue.
He hadn't been here in a long time. After Obito Uchiha's death, the Gedo Statue's importance in Ishiro's mind had dropped significantly.
On top of that, his Light Release had begun to merge with his body, meaning he had no use for Madara Uchiha's insights for the time being. As a result, Ishiro had simply forgotten about this place.
He only finally remembered because it was on the way.
Obito Uchiha may be dead, but the rent he owed could not go unpaid.
Ishiro arrived above the base and shouted down, "Ah Tsuchi! Ah Tsuchi! Your old friend is here to see you! Hurry up and come out!"
A moment later, under the watchful eyes of Ishiro and his three disciples on the porcelain platform, a White Zetsu clone drilled its way out of the ground.
Seeing it, Ishiro asked, "Ah Tsuchi, is that you? Long time no see."
"I've been too busy lately, I haven't had time to come and see you. My apologies."
Ah Tsuchi: ...
"Lord Tsuchikage, what brings you here?" Ah Tsuchi didn't want to waste time with this shameless fellow.
Ishiro said, "Ah Tsuchi... Obito Uchiha is dead. I killed him myself."
"Why don't you come and follow me? You don't even have a master anymore. What kind of future do you have?"
Ah Tsuchi didn't respond, calmly asking again, "Lord Tsuchikage, just state your business."
Ishiro rubbed his chin, feeling that Ah Tsuchi's reaction was off.
He thought to himself: "I've dealt with this Ah Tsuchi before. His intelligence isn't high. If I tell him Obito Uchiha is dead and he has no master, this shouldn't be his reaction..."
After thinking for a moment, Ishiro said, "Ah Tsuchi, have you found a new master?"
Hearing Ishiro say this, Ah Tsuchi's heart panicked, and his eyes subconsciously darted away.
Seeing this, Ishiro's eyes flew wide, and he immediately shouted in exaggerated surprise, "You... you... you! You really found a new master that quickly?"
"How could you do this to Obito Uchiha? Ah Tsuchi! Don't trust any of the great villages outside of Iwagakure! They can't be trusted!"
"They're just using you! After they're done, they'll just kick you to the curb!"
Ishiro seemed agitated, and his words came out in a rush.
After listening, Ah Tsuchi revealed a dismissive expression.
Ishiro's gaze hardened. His playful demeanor vanished, and he said slowly and seriously, "Not one of the six great shinobi villages?"
"There aren't many powers in the shinobi world. Excluding the great villages, the only ones you could turn to are either the Dark Akatsuki founded by Nagato... or Orochimaru."
Ah Tsuchi had no reaction when he heard "Dark Akatsuki," but when he heard "Orochimaru," his expression froze.
Ishiro's heart skipped a beat. It's really Orochimaru? Did my previous trades with Orochimaru count as aiding the enemy?
After returning to the village from breaking the Caged Bird Seal, Ishiro had even given Orochimaru the partial corpses of the three Kage he had requested.
This was truly a case of shooting himself in the foot. Orochimaru, plus a group of Edo Tensei bodies...
Ishiro felt a massive headache coming on.
Shaking his head, Ishiro looked at Ah Tsuchi and said, "Ah Tsuchi, thank you for telling me such important intelligence. The fact that you've all defected to Orochimaru is very important to me."
Ah Tsuchi thought: Who asked for your thanks? And wait, who told you we defected to Orochimaru?
Ishiro ignored Ah Tsuchi's internal monologue and said, "Ah Tsuchi, I came here today mainly to catch up and chat. Secondly, I'm here to collect rent."
"Obito Uchiha is dead, but the rent must still be paid."
"However, since Obito Uchiha is dead, the original rent agreement is naturally void. I've decided... to raise the rent."
Ah Tsuchi: "Lord Tsuchikage, I don't think your logic is correct. Obito died at your hands. How do you have the face to come and collect rent?"
"And with Obito dead, all his... children... are gone too. Fewer people are living here. Even if you collect rent, it should be lowered!"
Ishiro waved his hand. "Ah Tsuchi, your thinking is wrong. You don't understand human logic."
"First, Obito Uchiha's death has nothing to do with rent collection."
"You renting my Land of Earth's territory didn't affect our hostile relationship. Similarly, my killing him and collecting rent are not contradictory."
"However, Obito Uchiha's death does have an impact on the rent."
"Without Obito Uchiha, you no longer have the qualifications to negotiate with me on equal terms. Whatever price I say, that's the price."
"Unless... you call your new master, Orochimaru, to come and talk to me personally. Then we can negotiate a new price."
Ah Tsuchi thought for a moment... and it actually seemed to make sense. He said, "I can't possibly call Lord Orochimaru... wait, no! We have nothing to do with Orochimaru!"
Ishiro said perfunctorily, "Right, right, I know. You didn't defect to Orochimaru. Which means you currently have no qualifications to negotiate terms with me, correct?"
Ah Tsuchi instinctively replied, "Correct."
Ishiro nodded in satisfaction. "I want ten scrolls. Pay up."
Ah Tsuchi's eyes bulged. "Lord Tsuchikage, you're going too far!"
Ishiro's eyes went just as wide. He slammed his hand on the porcelain platform to add to his menace. "Didn't we just say? You have no qualifications to negotiate! Whatever I say, goes!"
"And you agreed. Less nonsense. Hurry up and pay."
Ah Tsuchi grew anxious. "I don't have that many Wood Release scrolls!"
Ishiro said, "You don't have Wood Release scrolls... which means you have other scrolls. Any scrolls will do. Ten of them. Quickly."
Ah Tsuchi: ...
"No! Obito said that, apart from the Wood Release scrolls, I can't give you any others!" Ah Tsuchi made his last stand.
Ishiro roared, "Ah Tsuchi, are you stupid? Obito Uchiha is DEAD! Why are you still listening to him? Go get the items!"
Defeated, Ah Tsuchi could only sink back into the ground.
After a while, Ah Tsuchi emerged again and threw ten scrolls into the air.
Ishiro checked them and nodded in satisfaction. There were six Wood Release scrolls, and the others were all scrolls on various Kekkei Genkai that Iwagakure didn't have.
These were probably scrolls that Obito Uchiha had previously sorted out as useless to Iwa.
Ishiro accepted them all. Then, his satisfied smile vanished, and he once again glared at Ah Tsuchi.
Ishiro said, "Ah Tsuchi, why are there only ten? I haven't collected rent for two months. You're still short by ten."
Ah Tsuchi was stunned. He shouted, "Lord Tsuchikage, last month Obito was still alive! Even if you collected rent, it would only be two scrolls!"
Ishiro slapped the porcelain platform repeatedly. "Ah Tsuchi, I'll say it again: Obito Uchiha is DEAD! Don't bring him up again!"
"And, you have no qualifications to negotiate with me. Hurry up and pay!"
Ah Tsuchi hesitated for a long time, then sank into the ground again. When he reappeared, he had three more scrolls.
"These are the last three scrolls! I've given you all the scrolls Obito left!" Ah Tsuchi said after throwing them to Ishiro.
Ishiro looked at Ah Tsuchi's expression. He didn't seem to be lying. "Fine, fine. I'll take a step back. You can just owe me this month's rent."
"These three scrolls will count as the interest. I'll come back to collect the rent when your new master brings you new goodies."
Ah Tsuchi, still underground, was dumbfounded.
Ishiro's three disciples had similar expressions. When they heard Ishiro say "fine" and "take a step back," they thought he was actually letting it go.
Who knew Ishiro could be this... shameless. The three of them felt too embarrassed to even look, and all of them pulled their heads back from the edge of the platform.
After storing all the scrolls, Ishiro said, "Ah Tsuchi, it was great chatting today. But I have other business, so I'll be going. See you next time."
"Oh, right. Don't forget to tell Orochimaru to prepare the rent."
Ah Tsuchi wanted to say: Orochimaru is not my new master! But Ishiro had already flown far away with his three disciples.
Ah Tsuchi silently returned to the Gedo Statue's underground chamber. He had to report this to the main White Zetsu.
...
At this moment, Ishiro, flying toward the Land of Wind, was not as smug as Ah Tsuchi imagined.
He was currently contemplating the consequences of Black Zetsu and Orochimaru joining forces.
Black Zetsu possessed the intelligence that Orochimaru needed most. Orochimaru possessed the research ability to turn that intelligence into power.
The two of them together... was definitely a case of one plus one being far greater than two.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have killed Obito Uchiha," Ishiro sighed internally.
Obito Uchiha's intelligence was what it was. Although he often did things that were incomprehensible to others, Ishiro could, for the most part, understand his behavioral logic.
But Orochimaru was different. Ishiro didn't understand the research he specialized in, nor did he understand his thought patterns.
Furthermore, in the original story, Orochimaru had his arms sealed right after he appeared. By the time he reappeared at full strength, he was just background scenery for the two protagonists.
Therefore, Ishiro's understanding of Orochimaru was far less thorough than his understanding of Obito.
"Black Zetsu and Orochimaru are both highly goal-oriented people. Since they've reached an agreement, it's impossible to try and sow discord between them."
"In that case, how should I suppress Orochimaru? At the very least, I have to limit his research speed."
"I can't let Orochimaru, just because of Black Zetsu, start the final great war even earlier than Obito did in the original."
Ishiro flew on, deep in thought.
His three disciples, Haku, Kaoru, and Tsuruhime, could see that Ishiro had been preoccupied ever since leaving that "Ah Tsuchi's" place. Thus, all three of them obediently remained silent.
The four of them silently entered the Land of Wind. Ishiro avoided the Suna-nin's line of sight and arrived in the southernmost region of the Land of Wind.
Loulan was located here, a "nation" completely surrounded by the Land of Wind. Ishiro didn't know the historical reasons for Loulan's formation, nor did he care.
After approaching Loulan, Ishiro used his Mind's Eye to do a quick scan and got a rough idea of the Suna-nin distribution.
"Only Suna-nin. No puppet army like in the original. My butterfly effect is pretty big," Ishiro thought.
It made sense. The Suna-nin of the original story and the Suna-nin of today were two completely different things.
It was normal for Loulan, a small nation within the Land of Wind, to be affected.
Ishiro landed with his three disciples. "Haku, Kaoru, Tsuruhime. Your mission is to kill or drive out every Suna shinobi within Loulan."
The three looked at each other, silent for a long moment, before Haku finally asked, "Ishiro-sensei, how many Suna shinobi are in this Land of Loulan?"
Ishiro said, "All intelligence is for you to gather yourselves."
"All I will do is cut off Loulan from the outside world completely, so the Suna-nin have no opportunity to call for help."
"However, you only have five days. If you still can't do it after five days, the mission is a failure. After that, you'll go back to obediently doing C-rank missions with me, and no more complaining."
Ishiro looked at the sky. "Alright. The clock starts now."
After speaking, before the three could reply, Ishiro vanished in a body flicker.
Haku, Kaoru, and Tsuruhime stared at each other. Finally, Kamizuru Tsuruhime asked weakly, "Haku, Kaoru, have... have you ever heard of a country called Loulan before?"
Haku shook his head and looked at Fujii Kaoru. Kaoru looked equally lost. "I've never heard of it either. I... I guess this is also part of the mission."
The three were silent for a moment, looking at each other nervously.
Then Haku said, "Let's make a simple plan. First, reconnaissance. Don't engage. After we understand Loulan's detailed intelligence, we'll make a real plan."
Fujii Kaoru and Kamizuru Tsuruhime both nodded.
Kamizuru Tsuruhime said, "Leave the reconnaissance to me. My bees are a perfect recon tool. The Kamizuru clan hasn't appeared in public for a long time; no one will pay attention to a few small bees."
Haku and Kaoru both agreed.
Haku said, "First, let's find a temporary hiding spot."
With a clear direction, the three youngsters finally stabilized and began to advance the mission, step by step.
Ishiro, meanwhile, was flying in the sky using a camouflage jutsu, carefully observing his three disciples' reactions with his Mind's Eye.
Seeing them quickly calm down, Ishiro nodded. He had been afraid they would charge into Loulan headfirst and try to brute-force it.
Fortunately, none of the three were simple-minded fools like Sōkai or Riori.
Ishiro didn't stay idle. He split off five shadow clones and sent them to the five main directions around Loulan.
Then, the five clones worked together to erect a very crude perception-blocking barrier.
As far as Ishiro knew, Suna had no space-time ninjutsu or any famous summoning beasts. A perception-blocking barrier was enough to cut off most of Suna's methods of contacting the outside world.
If Suna sent a ninja to run back to Suna for help... by the time they made the round trip, Ishiro and his disciples would be long gone.
By the time Ishiro had finished setting up the barrier, Haku and his team had already completed their initial reconnaissance of Loulan.
Kamizuru Tsuruhime was reporting back to the other two: "Haku, Kaoru, I've figured it out. Loulan is just this nearby oasis and the surrounding patch of desert."
"The oasis area isn't that large, not much bigger than our village. The desert is basically empty, so we don't need to worry about it."
"Loulan has been completely taken over by Suna-nin. I don't know the exact number, but based on the distribution density, I estimate about fifty."
"However, I can't determine the strength of these fifty people."
Fujii Kaoru said, "I've been learning sensory ninjutsu recently. I can try once we get closer, but I've never used my sensory jutsu in a real battle, so I don't know how effective it will be."
Haku said, "Let's set up an ambush here first. We'll take out the patrolling Suna-nin, and then we'll approach this northern area of Loulan."
"We'll decide whether to launch a full-scale attack or use infiltration after we get the results from Kaoru's sensory jutsu."
No one had any objections. With the help of the bees, the three of them began to slowly approach the area Haku had indicated.
Not long after, they waited at the designated position and intercepted a four-man Suna patrol team.
With a wave of Haku's hand, the three of them moved.
Kamizuru Tsuruhime summoned a large number of bees, entangling two of the Suna-nin. Fujii Kaoru attacked one with her fire jutsu. Haku engaged the Suna squad leader by himself.
The first attack was extremely smooth. Fujii Kaoru killed her Suna-nin with a single C-rank fire jutsu. Afterward, she assisted Haku in finishing off the squad leader, who was the only Jōnin.
The two of them moved very quickly. The other two Suna-nin were, at this point, still entangled with Tsuruhime's bees.
With Haku and Kaoru joining in, the remaining two Suna-nin were quickly dealt with.
Then, the three of them rapidly cleaned up the battlefield.
Haku looked at the other two. "How do you feel? Can you still fight?"
Fujii Kaoru nodded. "My chakra consumption wasn't high. No problem."
Kamizuru Tsuruhime hesitated, then said, "I lost a lot of bees. Cultivating new ones requires a large amount of chakra and a lot of time. I might not be able to handle high-intensity combat."
Haku thought for a moment. "We'll continue with the plan to reconnoiter the northern area. But Tsuruhime, don't rush into battle. Your main task is to be our lookout."
The two girls both nodded. Following that, the three of them formally entered the city of Loulan.
(End of Chapter)
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