Chapter 68: A Glass of Water
In the Land of Rain, Dana was unaware of the recent events in the Land of Water, though the roguish tactic had been his suggestion.
Lately, the "Ashen Bandits" had been working diligently, carefully maintaining the balance of power on the battlefield. In other words, whoever was about to lose to Konoha, they would give them a hand.
Especially the Hidden Sand. With their trump card, poison, countered by Tsunade, they had been suffering repeated defeats. In desperation, they had sought out the Ashen Bandits, who had made a name for themselves on the battlefield.
The Ashen Bandits were strong, principled, and dedicated, a model of what a mercenary group should be, a golden standard.
The Sand had awkwardly approached them, hoping they could alleviate some of the pressure. And the Ashen Bandits had not disappointed. All eleven of them were at the Jonin level, a huge advantage in a localized battle. In fact, they were practically invincible. Except for a major offensive, a hidden village would never concentrate more than a dozen Jonin in one place.
Under these conditions, Dana had also gained a great deal of combat experience. Though he usually only used taijutsu to avoid giving away too much information, he had still made a name for himself.
The Sand, the Stone, and the Leaf all knew that the leader of the Ashen Bandits was a taijutsu user of incredible speed.
And he was very short.
The Ashen Bandits were preparing for a mission for the Sand, checking their ninja tools, when the Sand's liaison came to them again.
"Sir," he said, "here is a new commission. Don't worry about the price. I've already reported back to the village. The reward is ten percent higher than last time."
But to his surprise, the mysterious leader of the Ashen Bandits, the man in the "One of Circles" mask, shook his head. "No," he said. "This will be our last job together. After this, I'm going home to get married."
The Sand liaison was stunned. "...Ah. Well, congratulations. But what about your men? Perhaps..."
"We're all going together. A group wedding. We brothers swore an oath long ago. We may not have been born on the same day, in the same month, of the same year, but we will be married on the same day, in the same month, of the same year. So don't waste your breath. But we will, of course, complete this last mission with the utmost seriousness. You can rest assured of that."
The Sand liaison left with a heavy heart. Without the Ashen Bandits, the pressure on the front lines would increase dramatically.
Dana just shrugged and continued to pack his ninja pouch. He had recently acquired a pair of sharkskin gloves and was having a great time catching kunai bare-handed.
He hadn't been lying. After this mission, the Ashen Bandits were going home.
"Dan! Don't die! Don't die! Hold on!"
Dan Kato, his internal organs ruptured, stared blankly at the sky. Rain fell into his eyes, but he no longer had the strength to blink.
"Tsunade," he rasped, "don't be sad. I died protecting the village."
From excruciating pain to a growing numbness, he knew his fate was sealed.
Tsunade's hands trembled as she desperately used her medical ninjutsu, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the life from draining out of him. A ruptured kidney was not something that could be fixed by simply stimulating the body's life force.
The image of her brother's mangled body flashed in her mind. A cold fear and a sense of helplessness suffocated her.
Her teammate, Kokuto, grabbed her arm. "Tsunade," he said, his voice grim, "let him go."
"No! I'll never give up! Dan, you can't die! That's it! The Healing Talisman! The Healing Talisman!"
She quickly took out the talisman she had been saving for so long, clutching it like a lifeline, carefully shielding it from the rain.
"Dan! You're going to be alright! The Healing Talisman can save you! It doesn't just stimulate life force, it infuses it!"
She quickly activated the talisman and guided the chakra within to Dan's most severe injury, his kidney.
A miracle occurred. The wound, which had been impossible to close with her own medical ninjutsu, began to stop bleeding.
A look of renewed hope spread across Tsunade's face.
Even Kokuto, who had been urging her to give up, was astonished. "Unbelievable. A wound like that can actually heal."
But her joy was short-lived. A few moments later, the jutsu on the talisman was exhausted, and the "heal" character on the paper completely faded.
"No, no, just a little more! No!"
Without the talisman's power, the wound on his kidney burst open again.
There is perhaps no greater pain than to be given a glimmer of hope, only to be plunged back into despair.
"Do you have one? Kokuto, do you have a Healing Talisman? We've captured them from the Rain ninja before! You must have one, right? Give it to me!"
Kokuto could only look away, unable to meet her eyes.
The seconds ticked by. The color had drained from Dan's face, and his breathing was shallow. He was as good as dead.
Tsunade's face was a mask of despair. She now hated herself for having used up one of the talismans in her experiment.
Just then, a rustling sound came from the forest. Eleven figures appeared in the trees around them, surrounding the three of them. They were all wearing straw raincoats and hats, and mahjong masks, watching them in silence.
"Dammit! The Ashen Bandits! Of all the times!"
The Ashen Bandits were infamous in Konoha. The elite mercenary squad had inflicted heavy losses on them several times. Even at full strength, Kokuto knew the three of them would have to run. But now, Dan was practically dead.
Tsunade didn't even react. Her entire world was now focused on saving Dan.
As Kokuto was on high alert, the rumored leader of the Ashen Bandits, the shortest of them, the man in the "One of Circles" mask, spoke. "Well, isn't this a coincidence," he said. "I never thought our last mission would be such a classic scene."
He then sat down cross-legged on a branch, resting his head on his hand.
"They say that even a single glass of water, if sold to a man dying of thirst in the desert, can be exchanged for all his worldly possessions."
With that, he took a talisman from his ninja pouch and held it between his fingers. It was a Healing Talisman.
The moment Tsunade saw it, her eyes locked on it. She shot towards him in an instant, her hand reaching for the talisman.
But a flash of lightning, and she missed. The man in the "One of Circles" mask was still in the same position, his head tilted, watching her, but he was now on a different tree.
"That's no way to make a deal," he said. "If you're not interested, I can just leave."
"No! Don't go! What do you want?! Anything I have!"
The masked man chuckled. "That's more like it. But there's no need for outsiders to know about our little transaction, is there?" he said, his gaze shifting to the wary Kokuto below.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Tsunade's face. Then, she was behind Kokuto.
"Tsunade," he said, "what did he say? We need to find a chance to retreat!"
But his only answer was a chop to the back of the neck.
Watching the familiar move, Dana was reminded of some unpleasant memories.
"Now we can make a deal," Tsunade said, her eyes fixed on the man in the "One of
Circles" mask.
But her expression was no longer just one of desperation. There was also a hint of ruthlessness.