LRAB Chapter 114 The Ninja World Version of "Doraemon"
Chapter 114 The Ninja World Version of "Doraemon"
Chapter 114 The Ninja World Version of "Doraemon"
Being a medical ninja isn't just about knowing medical ninjutsu. The supplies they need to prepare are quite different from those of a regular combat ninja.
Taichi led Minato back to his home, opened the supply locker, and first sorted out a set of combat supplies that Taichi always carried with him, no matter what the mission was.
Next came various medicines: anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, antibacterial drugs, wound medicines, etc.; various instruments: scalpels, surgical scissors, tweezers, etc.; as well as bandages, alcohol, ration pills, antidote pills, and various basic medicinal materials.
There were a lot of odds and ends, and then Taiyi sealed them all into a storage scroll.
"Taiichi, do medical ninjas always carry this much stuff when they go out?" Minato asked curiously, noting that the supplies prepared were nearly ten times more than his own.
"I don't know!" Taiichi looked equally bewildered. "This is my first mission as a medical ninja, so it's better to be prepared!"
Minato was taken aback, clearly not expecting Taiichi's answer, then burst into laughter. "Right, better safe than sorry!"
Then, the two of them ran together toward the gates of Konoha.
When the two arrived at the gates of Konoha, the other two members had already been waiting there for a long time.
"Taiichi, I never expected to be on a mission with you this time."
As soon as he arrived, Hatake Sakumo greeted him warmly, showing no airs of a senior expert. But anyone who underestimated him because of his enthusiasm would pay a bloody price.
From Taiichi's observation, compared to their last meeting, Hatake Sakumo's aura had changed significantly. This might not be easily noticed by an ordinary ninja, but it was too obvious for Taiichi, who was also quite accomplished in swordsmanship.
That refined sharpness, so refined to the extreme, was like a drawn sword, always pointing at me.
"It is my honor, Senior Sakumo, your strength has become even greater."
Upon hearing this, Sakumo looked at Taiichi in surprise, not expecting that Taiichi could see his improvement in strength. But when he saw the short sword on Taiichi's back, he nodded knowingly. As a fellow swordsman, he could naturally sense the hidden sharpness in Taiichi.
"Come, let me introduce you to our companions for this mission." With that, Hatake Sakumo laughed heartily and stepped aside to let the Byakugan ninja behind him pass. "This is Hyuga Hizashi, a Jonin of the Hyuga clan. He's a key figure in this mission."
Hyuga Hizashi, dressed in a white kimono, nodded slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his pure white eyes, clearly indicating that he knew nothing about Taiichi.
"Hizashi, this is Matsushita Taichi. He's the medical ninja for this mission. Don't underestimate him. If it weren't for Taichi's methods last mission, I would have lost my life."
Sakumo Hatake introduced Taiichi to him, noticing his confusion, and specifically pointed out Taiichi's strengths.
Taiichi bowed politely in greeting. Hyuga Hizashi, the father of Neji, one of the future Konoha 12, died protecting his older brother from disaster. One could say he died because of the weakness of Konoha's leadership; he was a tragic figure. He's still very young, only in his early twenties.
After the four got to know each other, Hatake Sakumo took out the mission scroll and showed it to everyone. His dark eyes swept over everyone: "The mission level is S-rank. The ultimate goal is to intercept and kill the Sunagakure delegation. I will be the team leader for this mission."
Taiichi, Minato, and Hizashi all turned their gazes toward Hatake Sakumo, awaiting his next instructions.
"Time is of the essence, let's set off first, we'll discuss the details on the way." With that, Hatake Sakumo led everyone through the village exit procedures and then headed towards the Land of Rain.
The group of four left Konoha in the morning and traveled for about 11 hours, stopping only twice to replenish their food and water before continuing their journey.
It wasn't until 8 p.m. that the group found a strategically advantageous location, lit a campfire, and began to rest.
The weather in December was already quite cold, but fortunately, they were still in the Land of Fire, and the temperature hadn't dropped below freezing. The group gathered around the campfire, the warm flames casting a rosy glow on their faces.
Seeing that everyone had recovered their strength, Minato asked the question that everyone had wanted to ask during the day: "Sakumo-senpai, please tell us more about this mission."
Upon hearing this, Hatake Sakumo stopped stirring the campfire, glanced around at everyone, and said, "For this mission, we first need to cross the Land of Rain and enter the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Birds."
As he spoke, Hatake Sakumo picked up a dry twig and drew a simple map on the ground.
"At our speed, we will reach the border of the Land of Fire by tomorrow morning. We will then replenish our supplies at the Fourth Outpost."
Sakumo Hatake tapped a point on the border between the two countries of Fire and Rain on the map, then drew a line across the entire Land of Rain, stopping at the junction of the three countries of Rain, Bird, and Wind.
"After resupplying, we will cross the Land of Rain in one go to get here, while avoiding all sight and not being discovered by anyone."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over each person in turn, finally settling on Taiichi.
"Taiichi, do you understand?" Sakumo Hatake stared at Taiichi with a serious expression, waiting for his confirmation.
Taiyi was stunned for a moment, but then he realized that this meant they had to kill everyone who found them along the way.
"Understood, this is the mission. We absolutely cannot let anyone suspect Konoha." Taiichi nodded firmly in confirmation.
Sakumo Hatake nodded in satisfaction, and even Minato and Hizashi beside him showed relieved smiles.
Immediately afterwards, Hatake Sakumo continued to draw along the border between the kingdoms of Kaze and Tori, saying as he went, "I have a map of Sunagakure's defenses here. From here, we will conduct reconnaissance according to this map."
Sakumo Hatake then took out a scroll from his ninja tool bag and unfurled it for everyone to see. "This is to confirm the authenticity of this defense map, and also to familiarize ourselves with the terrain and find routes for assassination and retreat."
"Information on this mission is quite limited; currently, we only know their alliance timeline."
As for who was to be assassinated, how many guards were around the target, and their route of movement, nothing was known.
Therefore, we not only need to carry out the assassination, but also familiarize ourselves with the surrounding terrain beforehand so that we can safely escape after the mission is completed.
After Sakumo Hatake's explanation, Taichi and the others finally understood the importance of this mission.
If the alliance between Sunagakure and Iwagakure is allowed to proceed smoothly, not only will the already fragile alliance between Sunagakure and Konoha be completely destroyed, but most of the ninjas originally stationed on the border between Kaze and Tochi will also be able to be transferred out.
As for the destination of these transferred ninjas, that goes without saying. The Land of Earth might use them to defend against the Land of Lightning. But the ninjas from the Land of Wind will definitely be deployed to reinforce the border with the Land of Fire.
This is not what Konoha wants to see, especially after World War I and World War II, when Konoha was besieged by multiple countries. The current Konoha leadership is trying every means to prevent this situation from happening again.
"Sakumo-senpai, are we the only four of us to complete this mission? Doesn't that seem a bit too few?" Hyuga Hizashi asked worriedly.
"Another team of secret agents has already set off ahead of time, but their main task is to investigate the movements of the mission."
"But we're the ones who will actually do the work."
Fortunately, there was some good news. Otherwise, everyone would be completely in the dark. The remaining 7 days wouldn't be enough to complete all the preparations.
Having learned everything, everyone was mentally prepared. Next, they arranged the order of their night watch and found comfortable spots to rest. The only sounds in the room were the crackling of firewood and the occasional footsteps of the night watchmen.
The next few days went just as the team had planned: traveling, resupplying, and weaving through enemy lines. Fortunately, the journey was smooth sailing, and the team took some remote routes, quietly avoiding everyone's sight.
On December 6th, Konoha Year 44, the four-person team finally arrived at the border of the three countries of Wind, Rain, and Bird. It was from this moment that the true difficulty of the mission began to emerge.
Sakumo Hatake took out a defense map and unfolded it in front of everyone. Pointing to the nearest Sunagakure outpost, he said to Hizashi Hyuga, "It's up to you from now on. We don't need to get close; just observe from a distance to see if the outpost matches the defense map."
Hyuga Hina nodded. If it wasn't about fighting and just reconnaissance, this would be much simpler. His Byakugan's current maximum observation range was 5 kilometers, and at that distance, the team was usually safe unless they were extremely unlucky.
Just as everyone was preparing to act, Tai called out to them. He took out a small bottle from his ninja tool bag, poured out six peanut-sized pills, and handed them to everyone.
"Sunagakure is skilled in using poison. This is a specially made antidote pill, twice as potent as the one issued to the village. More importantly, even if it can't cure the poison, it can suppress the toxicity for an hour. During this time, your fighting strength will not be weakened. Each of you should take two pills, just in case."
The three looked on in surprise. Hatake Sakumo was the first to pick one up and smell it. A strong, pungent odor entered his nasal cavity, causing him to cough repeatedly. But then a cool sensation rushed from his nose to the top of his head, instantly clearing his mind.
"Hey, stop—" Taichi tried to stop Sakumo as he took the pill and put it under his nose, but it was too late.
Looking at Hatake Sakumo who kept coughing and rubbing his nose, Taichi said innocently, "This medicine just tastes too strong. It's best not to chew it and just swallow it directly."
At this moment, Hatake Sakumo had already started to shed tears, which he couldn't stop at all, and Taichi's voice rang out again: "Believe me, you don't want to know what this thing tastes like when you chew it."
Minato and Hizashi shuddered as they watched Sakumo Hatake finally stop coughing and crying. They each carefully picked up their antidote pills and cautiously put them into their ninja tool pouches.
"Taiichi, this medicine of yours is really potent!" Sakumo Hatake exclaimed after recovering. "Just make sure to explain the precautions clearly next time you have something new."
"Ah~ Haha." Taichi scratched the back of his head, pretending to be stupid, his eyes darting around, completely ignoring what Hatake Sakumo was saying.
Minato and Hizashi, watching from the side, also covered their mouths to stifle their laughter.
A burst of laughter eased the tense atmosphere, and the mission began. The group formed a triangular formation, protecting Hyuga Hizashi in the center, with Hatake Sakumo as the spearhead, and carefully made their way towards the nearest Sunagakure outpost.
The Byakugan truly lives up to its title as a strategic-level eye technique. Its effectiveness is undeniable, whether in large-scale battles or small-scale infiltration operations like this.
As if they had a god's-eye view, the team silently evaded the Sand Village ninja who had been on guard multiple times. When Sakumo raised his hand to signal the team to stop, they had already arrived at a point only 3 kilometers away from the outpost.
At this moment, Hijiri activated his Byakugan again, with veins bulging around his eyes, taking in everything within a 5-kilometer radius.
"There are two squads of ninjas at the outpost ahead. Considering the ninjas we avoided on our way here, this outpost should be garrisoned by a company of ninjas."
Hizashi reported the number of people he could see, and with a slight movement of his Byakugan, he scanned the area around the squad.
"There are numerous traps set by the enemy at both the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions. Also, a patrol team from Sunagakure is approaching from behind, about 4 kilometers away."
Hearing the enemy approach, Taiichi instinctively gripped the short sword on his back. But before he could draw it, Minato slapped him on the shoulder. Taiichi looked on in confusion and saw Minato slightly shake his head, indicating that he shouldn't make any rash moves.
At this opportune moment, Sakumo Hatake spoke up: "Now that we've figured it out, we don't need to stay here. Let's head straight to the next outpost to investigate."
With that, he led the way and continued quietly eastward, completely ignoring the patrolling ninjas approaching from behind.
"In these kinds of infiltration missions, we must avoid unnecessary battles as much as possible. Even if we do fight, we must kill with one blow and never prolong the fight." Minato explained his actions from the side, imparting his experience to Taiichi.
"Hizashi, keep your Byakugan active during the reconnaissance. We need to speed things up, otherwise we won't have enough time in so many places."
The reconnaissance just now took nearly two hours. According to the markings on the deployment map, the team needs to check as many as 16 outposts. After deducting the time for rest, meals, and travel, this pace is definitely not enough.
"I can only do my best. Although the Byakugan consumes less chakra, I can't keep it active indefinitely." Hyuga Hizashi also looked troubled. "Without affecting the battle, I can only keep it active for half an hour and then rest for 15 minutes."
The intermittent nature of the investigations was clearly unsatisfactory to Hatake Sakumo, but it was unavoidable; he couldn't force Hizashi to activate his Byakugan regardless of his own safety. That would obviously violate Sakumo's Will of Fire.
"Um—" Taichi then pulled another bottle from his ninja tool pouch and handed it to Hyuga Hizashi: "How about trying this!"
Facing everyone's questioning gazes, Taiyi proudly explained, "My specially made soldier ration pills contain a variety of auxiliary medicinal ingredients and are prepared using unique methods. They are three times more effective than ordinary soldier ration pills. Their main features are that they work quickly and can rapidly replenish chakra."
"Taiichi, this is a treasure trove! What other good stuff do you have? Take it all out!" Minato stared curiously at Taiichi's ninja tool pouch. "But I was watching you prepare the supplies, and I didn't see you preparing any of these things."
"No, no. I made these in my spare time these past two days. Because they require special adjustments of Yang attribute chakra, they can't be stored for long and have to be used immediately," Taiyi explained to everyone.
Then, he slapped his forehead, drawing everyone's attention: "And another thing, whatever you do, don't chew it!"
Hearing this, the Japanese soldier who was about to take the bottle paused for a moment in mid-air before taking the bottle and pouring out a pill twice the size of a regular soldier's ration pill.
Under everyone's incredibly curious gaze, Hizashi closed his eyes, threw the soldier's ration pill down his throat, tilted his head back, and swallowed it.
Although he was mentally prepared, the soldier's ration pill didn't even touch his tongue, but its medicinal smell still entered his nasal cavity through his mouth. Instantly, a sensation even more intoxicating than wasabi shot up his tailbone and straight to the top of his head, the intense stimulation causing Hizashi's entire face to contort in pain.
But before Hizashi could react further, a warm current spread throughout his body from his stomach. Not only was his chakra replenished, but his stamina was also rapidly recovering.
"The effect is that good?!" Hizashi exclaimed in disbelief.
"The effect is good, but you can't take too many. The maximum is 6 pills a day. Any more than that will not only reduce the effect, but also be bad for your health."
When Hyuga Hizashi shared his experience with Sakumo and Minato, everyone was astonished and turned their gazes to Taiichi, whose eyes clearly said: "Kid, shouldn't you be more self-aware?"
Taiyi sighed and gave each person another bottle: "Use them sparingly, I only have enough herbs to make this many."
After distributing the supplies, the team continued their reconnaissance mission. This time, however, because Hyuga Hizashi had ample chakra, he was able to maintain his open-eye state for an extended period. With this radar-like map-like tool, the team's reconnaissance speed was significantly faster.
Everything went so smoothly until the morning of the 9th, when the team was scouting the last outpost, an unexpected incident occurred.
Even with ample chakra, prolonged and intense use of the Byakugan still places a severe burden on Hizashi's mental state.