Chapter 161: Buying Healing Talismans
At a crossroads, a few figures could be seen from a distance, standing in a conspicuous spot to avoid any misunderstandings.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, waved at the approaching Cloud team.
They walked over and found that the entire Mist contingent was here, clearly having waited for some time.
"Lord Mizukage," the Raikage said, "are you waiting for us? What can I do for you?"
The baby-faced Yagura smiled. "Lord Raikage," he said, "please, a word in private."
The Third Raikage, A, was a straightforward man. He had no objections. But he secretly gave Dana a look.
Dana understood.
The Third Raikage and the Fourth Mizukage went off to talk, and Dana had the others rest.
He then found a secluded spot and took out his "Communication Snail." He pressed the button, and sure enough, he heard Yagura's voice.
Dad is really a man of details, he thought. So many people in the ninja world think he's just a brute.
"Lord Raikage," Yagura was saying, "you know that the Hidden Mist has historically had little conflict with the mainland ninja world, especially in peacetime. We carry out most of our missions within the Land of Water. Our two villages have a great foundation for cooperation."
"Of course," the Third Raikage said in his hearty voice. "Your village is isolated overseas. We have many opportunities for cooperation. I wonder, Lord Mizukage, for you to wait for me here, do you have some kind of cooperation in mind?"
His tone was as if the Mist had not just been bottled up in their own country by Blue Bee.
Seeing that the Raikage was so easy to talk to, Yagura also relaxed a little. "To be honest," he said, "the Mist would like to purchase Healing Talismans from the Cloud. To be precise, a long-term purchase."
So that's it, Dana thought, listening in on the snail.
As one of the triggers of the Second Great Ninja War, the origin of the Healing Talismans was no longer a secret. It was common knowledge that they came from the Cloud.
But besides the few that had been captured on the battlefield, the only ones who were equipped with them on a large scale were the Cloud and the Rain.
Why was the Hidden Rain, a village with few medical-nin, able to handle all the medical work during the Joint Chunin Exams? Because of the Healing Talismans provided by their "big brother," the Cloud.
If you were injured, just slap one on. If one wasn't enough, slap on two. At worst, they'd cover you in them. Even if you couldn't be healed immediately, you wouldn't be in any mortal danger. As long as you weren't killed on the spot, you could be saved.
The Rain had used a lot of Healing Talismans during the exams. The other villages had acted indifferent, but in reality, they were all very jealous.
The importance of the Healing Talismans had not faded after the war. In fact, it had made the other villages even more envious. Even if it couldn't be called a second life, it could be called a "one-and-a-half" life.
And did you really think the few that had been captured on the battlefield hadn't ended up in the hands of the high-ranking officials? They were all carefully hidden in their pockets. The bigger the man, the more he valued his life.
Though the other villages were envious, no one had approached the Cloud to buy them. They knew the Cloud wouldn't sell. But in secret, they were all working hard to try and decipher the secret of the talismans.
But it seemed they had had no success. Not to mention that the Cloud's sealing jutsu was currently in the lead, even if they could break the encryption, the underlying logic of the talismans, Yoshitoki's "Life Return Jutsu," was completely different from the current medical ninjutsu system.
In the underground exchanges, a single Healing Talisman was now fetching a sky-high price, because the villages had already used up most of their samples in their research.
There had even been an incident in the Hidden Rain where a ninja had secretly sold a Healing Talisman on the black market. Hanzo had been so angry that he had punished a number of people with an iron fist, even killing a few, and had implemented a series of measures to prevent any more from getting out.
The typical "use it, yes; sell it to an outsider, you're dead."
In fact, during the Joint Chunin Exams, when they had seen the Rain ninja slapping Healing Talismans on their Genin, the high-ranking officials of the other villages had been heartbroken. They had wanted to take their place.
But on the matter of the Healing Talismans, Yagura felt he had a chance.
After all, the Mist had been bottled up in their own country during the war and had basically not participated. And their previous little conflict with the Cloud was a minor matter compared to the other villages. And the Land of Water was isolated overseas, with few conflicts of interest with the other villages, especially the Cloud. So, he had waited here in person, to try his luck.
He had decided that even if it was expensive, it didn't matter. He would just buy a small amount and equip his high-ranking officials and Jonin first.
In the snail, the Third Raikage's voice was playful.
"Lord Mizukage, the Healing Talisman is the top secret of the Cloud. Only the Cloud and its allies can have them."
Dad's words are so skilled, Dana thought, nodding to himself. The word "allies" was a key point.
Just as he was about to continue listening, he felt someone approaching.
A slender figure with pale, delicate skin. It was that Kaguya, Tsuki.
Is she just passing by? The place I found is pretty secluded.
Fortunately, the snail's voice was directly in his mind, so he wasn't worried about being overheard.
And then he saw her standing in front of him, her green eyes looking at him.
"Yotsuki-kun," she said after a moment of silence, "hello."
He raised an eyebrow. Last time we met, you were ready to stab me. Now it's 'Yotsuki-kun'?
Just as he was about to speak, he heard his father's voice in the snail. "Lord Mizukage, you are mistaken. The Cloud..."
Wait, he had missed a sentence.
He didn't bother to say anything. He just waved his hand and disappeared, finding a new spot.
Leaving Tsuki standing there, her mouth open, as if she had been about to say something.
He found a new, secluded spot and continued to listen.
"...the first-generation Healing Talismans? But the drawbacks are too great," Yagura's voice came through.
"For now," the Raikage said, "this is all the Cloud can provide. If Lord Mizukage is interested, we can discuss the price."
It was clear that his father wanted to make the deal, but he was only willing to provide the outdated product.
This was the benefit of a monopoly. You used the best, sold the worst to others, and they still had to treat you like a god.
The details would be handled by others. The two of them had just confirmed their intentions.
When the Third Raikage and Yagura returned, they both looked relaxed, especially Yagura. He seemed very pleased with the outcome, not at all as troubled as he had pretended to be.
Dana secretly gave his father a thumbs-up. The Raikage proudly puffed out his chest.
"Well then, Lord Raikage," Yagura said, "I will take my leave. Safe travels."
"You as well, Lord Mizukage. Be careful on the road."
And so, the Cloud's and the Mist's teams continued on their way.
After they had separated, Dana and his father were talking in low voices.
"This Yagura is very proactive," he said. "Since he took over, the Mist seems to have a new energy. He has more courage than their Third."
"His appearance is very deceptive," the Raikage said. "He looks even younger than you. I got distracted during the negotiations. When we get back, talk to the Sealing Corps. I think there's a lot of potential here. We don't just have first and second-generation Healing Talismans. We can have 1.1 and 1.2."
Dana gave him another thumbs-up.
So dark... no, so wise, Dad.
It wasn't until they had traveled a few kilometers that he suddenly remembered.
What was it that Kaguya wanted to say?