Chapter 144: United Mission in the Land of Rain
Office of the Raikage.
After reading the intelligence report from Dobashi, the Third Raikage instinctively rose from his seat. His first reaction was one of shock and disbelief. The sudden, unannounced disappearance of the Third Kazekage sounded too far-fetched.
But what if it were true?
"Summon Dodai and Mabui," the Third Raikage commanded after a long period of contemplation.
"Yes, sir." The ANBU ninja turned and left.
"Lord Raikage." Shortly after, Dodai and Mabui entered the office.
"Hoshikawa has reported some astonishing news," the Third Raikage said, looking directly at them. "The Third Kazekage has disappeared."
"Is that even possible?" Dodai couldn't help but frown. "Cloud's spies in the Sand Village haven't picked up any rumors."
"Hoshikawa said the intelligence came from his sensei, Tsunade," the Third Raikage added.
"This is a matter of great importance. We must first verify it," Mabui said, thinking it over.
"If it's false, we can ignore it. But if it's true, what should we do?" Dodai asked, a headache starting to form. "Are we to wage war on both the Leaf and Sand Villages at the same time?"
"That's not out of the question!" the Third Raikage said without a hint of fear. "Without the Third Kazekage, the Sand Village is nothing but a loose collection of grains. They won't put up much of a fight."
"..." Dodai hesitated.
Both the Third Raikage and his son, A, inherited the fierce and robust traditions of the Cloud Village. In short, they were overly confident in their own strength.
"Lord Raikage's words are not without reason," Mabui said, a smile gracing her lips. She paused for a moment. "But there's no need to wage war on both at the same time."
"Explain," the Third Raikage said, raising an eyebrow.
"As the situation stands, when we go to war with the Leaf Village is entirely up to us," Mabui explained unhurriedly. "To put it simply, we hold the Leaf in check while we use a decapitation strike to take down the Sand Village."
"Decapitation strike?" the Third Raikage asked, confused. "With the Third Kazekage already missing, where would the Sand Village's leader be?"
"With the Third Kazekage missing for so long, the Sand Village will inevitably choose a new Kazekage, or at least a temporary one," Mabui analyzed. "As long as those shinobi competing for the position are killed, the Sand Village will truly descend into chaos."
"That plan could work!" Dodai's face lit up with excitement. "It would maximize our forces and prevent other villages from taking advantage of the situation."
"Furthermore, if we take over the Sand Village, we can then launch a surprise attack on the Leaf from two sides," Mabui said with a smile.
"The most pressing matter is to find out if the Third Kazekage has truly disappeared." Dodai bowed to the Third Raikage and volunteered. "Lord Raikage, I'll go and investigate this matter myself."
"You may," the Third Raikage nodded slightly. His son, A, and Killer B would have to keep Minato Namikaze of the Leaf Village busy. He, on the other hand, needed to stay and defend the Cloud Village, stabilize morale, and at the same time, deter and confuse the other ninja villages.
Dodai was the perfect person for the task.
Konoha Village.
Hoshikawa and Tsunade were walking down the street. They had just finished breakfast and were heading to the Hokage's Office to accept a new mission. After all, they had been on break for a week since the Chūnin Exams ended.
"Sensei, can I learn the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques?" Hoshikawa asked after a moment of thought.
In the original story, aside from the Uzumaki Clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura, the most impressive sensing ninjutsu belonged to the Yamanaka Clan. It not only allowed them to sense the location, speed, and number of enemies, but it also enabled them to share that perception with others.
Hoshikawa could ask Kushina Uzumaki or Miho Uzumaki for help with the Mind's Eye of the Kagura. However, that was most likely a natural ability of the Uzumaki Clan, so whether he could even learn it was a question. So, he thought of the Yamanaka Clan's sensing secret techniques instead.
"You want to learn the Mind Body Switch Technique?" Tsunade frowned. "The Leaf Village doesn't have a record of a core secret technique like that."
"So you're saying they have non-core secret techniques?" Hoshikawa 's heart stirred. He thought to himself that the Leaf's elders were certainly not philanthropists. He guessed that when the village was first founded, one of the conditions for joining was likely for clans to hand over their jutsu. And even if there wasn't such a rule, with the personalities of Tobirama Senju and Danzo Shimura, they would have probably stolen them anyway.
"Something like that," Tsunade nodded slightly. "What do you want to learn?"
"Their sensing secret techniques," Hoshikawa explained. "Normal sensing jutsu isn't as effective."
"You're quite brazen," Tsunade said, raising her hand to flick him on the forehead. "But you have a point."
"Can you get it?" Hoshikawa 's face showed a look of anticipation.
"No problem," Tsunade said with a proud and knowing smile. "Don't underestimate your sensei!"
"Of course not!" Hoshikawa 's eyes glanced downwards, but he quickly looked away. "I'm well aware of how capable my sensei is."
"That's more like it," Tsunade said, nodding in satisfaction.
"What about the Partial Expansion Jutsu? Is that a core secret technique of the Akimichi Clan?" Hoshikawa thought of another question.
"Yes, it is," Tsunade said, glaring at him. "I suggest you drop that idea. You need to know when to stop!" Even though Hoshikawa was her student, constantly asking for secret techniques was out of line. Besides, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had always worked as a unit, and together, they were only a step behind the Uchiha and Hyuga clans in Konoha. You couldn't afford to offend a ninja clan like that if you wanted to become Hokage.
"I understand," Hoshikawa sighed. "What a shame."
"A shame? What's a shame?" Tsunade scoffed, warning him, "Don't get any crazy ideas."
"Sensei, don't you think the Partial Expansion Jutsu is a perfect match for the Strength of a Hundred Technique?" Hoshikawa offered an example. "If you enlarge your arm, the power of a single punch would definitely increase by a lot."
"Hmm? That idea of yours..." Tsunade froze in place, deep in thought. The Akimichi Clan's secret techniques were a form of yang-nature transformation. Medical ninjutsu was also a form of yang-nature transformation. The reason why the Akimichi Clan members were all so plump was because their bodies had to store the energy required for their secret techniques. This process was incredibly similar to the Creation Rebirth jutsu. Theoretically, she could indeed use the Partial Expansion Jutsu to increase her own strength.
"It's a shame," Tsunade said, shaking her head. If the Partial Expansion Jutsu wasn't a core secret technique of the Akimichi Clan, she would definitely be willing to try it out. Of course, given her status and position, she could probably get her hands on the core secret technique anyway. But she wasn't Danzo Shimura, and she wouldn't do something like that.
Hoshikawa wasn't in a hurry. His goal was to learn the Yamanaka Clan's sensing jutsu. As for the Partial Expansion Jutsu, that could wait. Every secret technique had value. If he couldn't learn it now, it was simply because the benefits weren't great enough yet. When Tsunade or he became Hokage, they could discuss a more substantial deal with the Akimichi Clan, and maybe they could exchange it then.
"Sensei, what rank of mission are we taking this time?" Hoshikawa asked, looking at the Hokage's Office in the distance.
"You're all chūnin now, so we'll take an A-Rank mission for practice," Tsunade said with a smile.
"Why not just take an S-Rank mission?" Hoshikawa said, his expression odd as he couldn't help but complain. Who uses an A-Rank mission for practice? That's a mission meant for jōnin.
"Stop babbling!" Tsunade said, elbowing him in the arm. "You go take the mission, and I'll go see the old man."
"What are you going to see the Hokage for?" Hoshikawa asked, confused.
"What do you think?" Tsunade rolled her eyes. "To get you the Yamanaka Clan's sensing secret technique."
"Sensei, you even look good when you roll your eyes," Hoshikawa said, clearing his throat and putting on a serious face.
"You're a smooth talker!" Tsunade couldn't help but laugh. She waved him over. "Bend your head down."
Hoshikawa was stunned for a moment, but he did as he was told. Tsunade patted his head, a satisfied look on her face.
"..." Hoshikawa 's mouth twitched. He knew it would come to this. Whatever, for the sake of the sensing secret technique, what's a little sacrifice?
"Wait for me by the entrance once you've gotten the mission." Tsunade took her hand back and went up the stairs.
Hoshikawa , on the other hand, went to the mission assignment room. As soon as he entered, he saw four familiar figures.
"Hoshikawa !" Asuma Sarutobi noticed him and immediately called out.
"Hoshikawa -senpai," Shisui Uchiha said, as polite as ever. Technically, they graduated at the same time, so they weren't senpai and kōhai.
"Uncle Sakumo," Hoshikawa walked up and greeted them all one by one.
"You're here to take a mission by yourself?" Asuma asked, surprised. "Is that allowed?"
"No," Hoshikawa explained. "My sensei came with me, but she had to go see the Hokage."
"Ah, that makes sense." Asuma's expression suddenly turned smug. "What mission are you guys taking? We just took an A-Rank mission!"
"If you can take an A-Rank, why can't I?" Hoshikawa retorted.
"..." Asuma's smile stiffened.
Shizune couldn't help but laugh. Shisui also wanted to laugh, but he managed to hold it in.
"Hoshikawa ," Sakumo Hatake said with a smile. "Are you guys interested in doing a mission together?"
"Huh?" Hoshikawa looked at him, surprised. Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade? Were they going to take on a mission to destroy an entire country?
"We just saw an A-Rank mission with a very high reward, but it requires two shinobi teams, so we didn't take it," Asuma explained in a timely manner.
"What kind of mission is it?" Hoshikawa was curious.
"This one." Asuma raised his hand and pointed to the mission board.
Hoshikawa looked over. It was an A-Rank mission to escort a merchant caravan from the Land of Fire to the Land of Rain, with a reward of 1.5 million ryo. Normally, the cap for an A-Rank mission was 1 million ryo. A mission with a reward of 1.5 million ryo was indeed generous. But its difficulty wasn't quite S-Rank.
"The Land of Rain has been in a lot of turmoil recently," Sakumo said. "Especially with the growth of the Akatsuki organization, Hanzo has felt threatened, so neither side has been idle."
Hearing the word "Akatsuki," Hoshikawa 's heart skipped a beat. But he thought about it carefully and realized it wasn't strange for Sakumo to know about the Akatsuki. After Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan founded the Akatsuki, they were active in the Land of Rain and gained a certain reputation. In the original story, at least Jiraiya, Danzo Shimura, and Onoki were aware of their existence. But after Yahiko's death and Obito Uchiha's arrival, the Akatsuki went into a complete state of dormancy, completely sealing off the Hidden Rain Village. Jiraiya and the others all mistakenly believed that Hanzo had destroyed the Akatsuki. After all, the name "Hanzo the Salamander" was too resounding.
"The caravan has a large number of people, so it requires two or more shinobi teams to take this mission," Sakumo continued. "If you're willing, we can all go together." Besides the generous mission reward, he mainly wanted to increase Asuma and his teammates' teamwork skills. Of course, with Tsunade and Hoshikawa there, at least when it came to medical ninjutsu, they would be a reassuring presence.
"What do you think?" Asuma was also interested. His thought process was simple: the more people, the more fun, and they were all good friends.
"Sounds good." Hoshikawa didn't hesitate for long before agreeing.
"Then I'll cancel the A-Rank mission we took and take the A-Rank mission for the Land of Rain instead." Sakumo took down the tag from the mission board and walked over to the staff.
"Have you ever been to the Land of Rain?" Asuma asked curiously. "I heard that it's always raining there. Is that true?"
"It is," Hoshikawa nodded slightly. "It rains nine out of ten days, and the other day is just overcast."
"Ugh, that sounds like a pain," Asuma said, a headache starting to form.
"As a ninja, you have to be able to adapt to any environment," Shisui Uchiha said calmly.
"Shisui's right." Sakumo returned with two scrolls and handed one of them to Hoshikawa . Hoshikawa opened the scroll and quickly scanned the contents. It was a detailed description of the mission. To his surprise, the caravan was a big deal and had connections to the Land of Fire's daimyo. They were in the business of selling ninja tools. In short, they were arms dealers.
"We'll meet tomorrow morning at nine o'clock at the main gate of the Leaf Village," Sakumo said with a smile as he put away the scroll. "See you then."
"See you tomorrow." Asuma and the other two left with Sakumo.
Hoshikawa went downstairs and waited by the entrance of the Hokage's Office. It wasn't long before he heard familiar footsteps.
"Here," Tsunade said, tossing a scroll to him.
"Thank you, sensei." Hoshikawa gave the mission scroll to her. "I ran into Uncle Sakumo, so we took an A-Rank mission together."
"That's good," Tsunade said, nodding after reading the mission scroll. "Ninjas will all go on joint missions, so this is a good opportunity for you to get used to it."
Hoshikawa opened the jutsu scroll. Without a doubt, it was the Yamanaka Clan's sensing secret technique. It was called Mind's Eye, with an A-Rank difficulty. When using this secret technique, you had to close your eyes.
"Will the Yamanaka Clan have anything to say about this?" Hoshikawa asked, closing the jutsu scroll. If he wanted to become Hokage, he couldn't afford to offend the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. The Yamanaka Clan was the "Ino" of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
"The old man will talk to the Yamanaka Clan and offer them compensation in my name," Tsunade said with a smile. "You don't have to worry about it."
"Thank you, sensei." Hoshikawa thought to himself that this was perfect timing to learn the sensing jutsu on the way. Since they were escorting a caravan, they would be traveling to the Land of Rain by carriage, which would be much slower than running. He felt like this mission would take at least a week or two.
...............
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