Chapter 66: So Ridiculous
"Tsunade, have you developed the antidote yet?"
Tsunade, her back to Koharu Utatane, frowned at the test tube in her hand. This old woman is so annoying.
After the Sand's forces had looped around into the Land of Rain, Koharu's western forces had followed, and the two armies had clashed several times. The Sand's forces were smaller than the Stone's, and they relied heavily on poison to inflict casualties.
Poison was a tricky business. Developing an antidote was always more difficult than creating the poison itself. So, Tsunade was constantly working to counter the various concoctions the Sand had scrounged up from who knows where. With the famous White Fang of Konoha on the front lines, she was happy to stay in the rear.
For others, war was blood and fire. But for Tsunade, it was mostly spent in her tent, developing antidotes. This suited her just fine. After her brother's death, she had lost her taste for battle. Developing antidotes, doing her part for the war effort, and occasionally going on dates with Dan Kato.
It wasn't until the solution in her hands turned from cloudy to clear that she finally spoke. "The antidote is confirmed effective. It can be distributed."
Koharu nodded and then took a strange-looking piece of paper from her sleeve and handed it to Tsunade.
Tsunade took it. It was a rectangular piece of paper, similar to an explosive tag, but with the character for "heal" written in the center.
"What's this?"
"This is the 'Healing Talisman' from the intelligence reports. We captured two of them from a Rain ninja squad yesterday. They're said to have the ability to heal injuries."
Her meaning was clear. She wanted Tsunade to study it.
After Koharu left, Tsunade held the talisman between her fingers, feeling the faint chakra pathways within. It was a very sophisticated sealing jutsu. Though it wasn't her specialty, after years of studying under the "Professor" of ninjutsu, she had a good eye for it. She examined the patterns on the talisman, the physical manifestation of the sealing formula. She could see faint traces of the Uzumaki clan's style. But that wasn't unusual. As the masters of sealing jutsu, many of the world's sealing techniques had been influenced by them.
Now, let's see what kind of medical ninjutsu is inside.
She thought for a moment, then made a cut on her pale forearm. Blood immediately began to well up. She infused the talisman with chakra, and a warm, gentle chakra flowed from it, through her body, and to the wound. The bleeding stopped, and the wound began to heal at a visible rate.
But Tsunade's expression suddenly changed.
"It's completely different!"
Her own medical ninjutsu stimulated the body's natural healing ability. But this talisman was directly converting its sealed chakra into life force. This wasn't just a difference in technique; it was a completely different system. Was it even possible? Everyone's life force was unique, just as no two flowers were the same.
After the wound had healed, there was still a good amount of energy left in the talisman. She decisively cut herself again. After two more times, the "heal" character on the talisman completely faded, and it became inert.
Enough to treat most external wounds, and very easy to use.
Unfortunately, she had too few samples. She looked at the single remaining talisman, troubled.
"I know you're a skilled medical-nin," a gentle voice said from behind her, "but it's still a little strange to see you cut yourself without a moment's hesitation."
"Dan!" she said, pleasantly surprised. "When did you get here?"
"Just as you were cutting your arm," he said with a sigh.
Tsunade blushed slightly and showed him her pale forearm. "It's fine," she explained. "See? Not even a scar."
"That's what makes it so strange," he said.
Tsunade hesitated for a moment, then put the last Healing Talisman in her ninja pouch and went off to flirt with Dan.
"My lord," his subordinate said, "here is the recent data from the Sand Village's Mission Assignment Desk."
In a deep forest, in a hollowed-out tree, Dana took the document.
The mission assignment desks in the various nations were open to the public. It was a simple fact. How else would people post missions? So, if you stayed long enough, you could learn a lot from the daily changes. For example, if the price for a certain type of mission of a certain difficulty went up, it might mean the village's manpower was stretched thin. If it went down, the opposite was true.
Normally, there was a flow of missions between the various nations and villages. Someone from the Land of Fire might post a mission in the Land of Wind to save money, or even go to a small village. But during a war, this flow was drastically reduced, making a village's own data a much clearer reflection of its internal situation.
"The Sand has deployed almost all of its ninja," Dana said. "Even D-rank missions are overflowing. They're probably about to launch a final, decisive battle. They're likely waiting for the Stone, but the Stone may not help them."
Monitoring the public data of the great villages had become a routine for the "Special Strategy Division." Information that would have once cost the lives of countless spies was now hidden in plain sight.
"Konoha still has reserves it hasn't deployed. They just need another push. Consolidate the data from all the villages, along with your analysis, and send a copy to the village, to Dodai. When the Sand launches their general offensive, it will be time for us to leave. The time has come."
But the Mist's continued silence was a concern. But his father had said he had a plan, so he wouldn't worry about it.
Orochimaru stood at the bow of a small boat, frowning at the fog in front of him.
"Guest," the boatman said as he rowed, "looks like we won't be goin' far today. The fog's too thick to see where we're goin'. The sea fog, it comes when it pleases."
At the beginning of the war, Orochimaru had been given a secret mission by his teacher, Hiruzen, to infiltrate the Land of Lightning. But so far, he had been unable to find his target. With the war escalating and Konoha now fighting two great villages at once, he was growing anxious. But there was nothing he could do. After analyzing various intelligence reports and making a few educated guesses, he had concluded that his target was likely on the legendary island that the Cloud was said to be "raising."
Yes, raising.
But the mobile island's location was unknown. He had only been able to narrow it down to a general area. So, he had resorted to a crude method: he had hired the most experienced boatman in the area and was sailing into places where an island shouldn't be, hoping to get lucky. But after two months, he had found nothing.
Just as he was starting to get frustrated, his keen sense of smell caught a strange scent in the sea fog. A heavy, fishy smell. It wasn't strong, but it was very distinct.
A massive black shadow loomed in the fog.
"Strange," the boatman said. "There shouldn't be an island here. Are we lost?"
But his only answer was a kunai in the back of his neck. He slumped over and fell into the sea.
After dealing with the boatman, Orochimaru turned to the black shadow, which had now revealed its true form. It was a strange-looking island, but Orochimaru knew what it was. The largest living creature in the ninja world.
Just as he was about to sneak aboard, a voice came from the rocks above. "Why did you kill the boatman? You could have knocked him out, or used a genjutsu."
Orochimaru tensed. "So you were expecting me?" he said with a smirk. "I never thought the Cloud's Jinchuriki would be such a compassionate person."
The ninja, whose hair was half-black and half-white, said with his eyes closed, "I wasn't expecting you. The fog may be a problem for you, but not for the island turtle. It saw you a long time ago."
The current "B" of the Hidden Cloud, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue Bee.
His cover blown, Orochimaru didn't waste any time. He drew his short sword. "As a Jinchuriki, you're afraid of genjutsu, so you don't even dare to open your eyes? How pathetic."
Blue Bee, his eyes still closed, shook his head. "I am not afraid of genjutsu. I don't open my eyes for a different reason."
"Playing tricks," Orochimaru sneered.
But a moment later, he wasn't laughing anymore.
"I just don't like my current eyes very much."
Blue Bee opened his eyes. A pair of crimson, three-tomoe Sharingan stared back at him, looking particularly demonic.
Orochimaru's heart pounded in his chest. He quickly looked down, not daring to meet his gaze, fearing he would be caught in a silent genjutsu.
How does he have the Sharingan?! Was it from the Uchiha that was captured by the mercenaries? But Tetsu Uchiha only had a two-tomoe Sharingan!
His teacher had sent him to infiltrate the Land of Lightning and find a way to make the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki go on a rampage, to delay the Cloud's entry into the war. But he had never imagined that he would find the Sharingan on a Cloud Jinchuriki.
It was so ridiculous.
"I don't know who you are or what village you're from," Blue Bee said calmly, "but it's clear you're up to no good."
At the same time, on the vast, open sea, seven figures were running across the water at high speed. They were of varying heights, both men and women, but they all carried uniquely shaped weapons on their backs.