One day, Yōkō saw an important piece of intelligence at Butterfly's station.
Yamashigeru, proficient in Earth Release: Flying Rubble, had left Iwagakure to perform a mission in the Land of Rain.
My treasured ninjutsu, wait for me, I'm coming.
Yōkō had Yak gather the squad while he went to Root.
Entering Orochimaru's laboratory, Yōkō saw new test subjects in the nutrient tanks.
Both test subjects were children around 1 year old.
They floated in the nutrient fluid, bubbles escaping their nostrils.
Yōkō looked at the test subjects' names, his pupils shifting slightly.
Tenzō...
One codename was Tenzō, who would later become Yamato.
He was indeed Fūmatsuri Yuzu's son. Root had erased his name and given him a new codename.
Orochimaru suddenly appeared behind Yōkō, saying:
"The new material is excellent, far more vital than those defective test subjects from other villages."
"With these test subjects, I will surely unravel the secret of Wood Release's powerful vitality."
"Once I gather 50 test subjects, I will begin new controlled experiments."
"Wood Release's powerful vitality?" Yōkō said:
"Sounds quite tempting. I'm also proficient in Earth and Water Release. Lord Orochimaru, do you think I qualify as 'not ordinary' experimental material?"
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, his snake-like eyes fixed on the Anbu's top fighter, Fox.
"You certainly qualify. I'm just afraid Yellow Dog wouldn't be willing to part with you."
Yōkō said: "Just a joke, Lord Orochimaru. Merely excitement upon seeing a potential specimen. I won't disturb your experiments further; I have a mission to complete in the Land of Rain."
"The Land of Rain? Aren't you afraid of encountering Uchiha Madara?"
"Should we avoid missions in the Land of Rain just because we fear Uchiha Madara?" Yōkō said:
"Lord Orochimaru, you have the privilege to act as you wish, but I do not. My mission load is extremely heavy, one task after another."
"What's more infuriating is that I've only completed a dozen or so S-Rank missions so far, still far behind your number of S-Rank missions."
Orochimaru said: "S-Rank missions are nothing. I'm over ten years older than you. When you reach my age, your S-Rank mission count will naturally be much higher."
"Reach your age?" Yōkō said: "Lord Orochimaru, why do you sound so world-weary, as if you're already fifty or sixty years old?"
Orochimaru suddenly fell silent. After a long time, he slowly said:
"Without immortality, even a newborn infant is marching towards death."
"Whether it's you or me, we will all face death one day, isn't that so?"
Orochimaru's tone carried a strong yearning for immortality.
Yōkō couldn't answer that question.
Right now, he was thinking about how to get the Five Elements Unrivalled Attack for his alt White Ghost, and then seek Wood Release. He was busy, no time to ponder grand questions like existence and death.
As for Orochimaru's plan to gather 50 test subjects, it might have been possible in the original story where the Senju clan was extinct and no one cared about women like Fūmatsuri Yuzu who lost their children.
But now, the Senju clan still had leadership. Orochimaru's beautiful dream wouldn't be easy to realize.
After leaving Root, Yōkō quickly arrived at Konoha's main gate.
The Yak Squad was already waiting at the gate.
White Crane, after joining the Fox Squad, had been assigned to the Yak Squad.
Yōkō glanced at White Crane a moment longer and said: "Let's go. To the Land of Rain."
On the way, Yōkō explained to Yak:
"Our destination is the familiar place, Tsutamidani Town at the foot of the Yoshioka Mountain Range."
"The Daimyō of the Land of Wind, with permission from the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, Land of Rivers, and Land of Rain, is creating an outlet for the Yoshimizu River at Tsutamidani Town, diverting water through a limestone cave across the Yoshioka Mountains."
"Iwagakure doesn't want to see the Land of Wind grow stronger, hence they sent Jōnin Yamashigeru to sabotage the diversion channel at Tsutamidani Town."
"The objective of our mission this time is to kill the A-Rank target from the Assassination Manual, Iwa-nin Jōnin Yamashigeru."
Yak said: "Squad Leader, since we got the Assassination Manual, I feel we've completely become tools for executing tasks."
"The squads are all competing with each other."
"Assassinating B-Rank targets is manageable; B-Rank targets have at most Special Jōnin level strength. But assassinating A-Rank targets is too difficult. A-Rank targets are either Jōnin from other villages or famous figures among rogue ninja or wanderers."
"Our squad is somewhat better; last month you led the team to assassinate one A-Rank target."
"I heard the Golden Eagle Squad is under great pressure. So far, they haven't managed to assassinate any A-Rank targets."
Yōkō said: "Jōnin are very hard to kill."
The reason he could kill the Kumo-nin Jōnin Takami so quickly was that he used his death to brush combat experience, gathered intelligence on Takami, and combined that with his overpowered Ephemeral Technique to complete the mission.
If given an unfamiliar Jōnin now, Yōkō wouldn't be confident either, not knowing what trump cards the unfamiliar Jōnin might have. Any fight would require extreme caution and care.
Passing through the Land of Rivers, Yōkō stopped by a hydroelectric power station.
It was over a hundred kilometers from the Land of Rivers' capital, near a city of a great noble.
The power station was sizable, generating enough electricity for several cities.
The dam was engraved with the emblems of both the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers.
There was also a monument beside the dam, marking it as important property of the Daimyō of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers.
Destroying this dam would be equivalent to attacking both Daimyō.
Koishi Chisa was doing well as the Grand Custodian; the hydroelectric power stations were operating and spreading.
He heard that a hydroelectric power station was also being built on the Nakano River in the Land of Fire, much larger in scale than these.
Entering the Land of Rain, Yōkō clearly felt Yak growing tense.
The Land of Rain not only had the Shinobi Demigod Hanzo but now also had Uchiha Madara.
Encountering either of them could mean instant death.
Yōkō said: "Yak, don't be afraid, don't be nervous."
"I've encountered Uchiha Madara twice already in the Land of Rain. It's impossible to run into him every time we enter the Land of Rain, right?"
"Haha, that would be too unlucky."
Yak swallowed hard, feeling even more scared.
"Why aren't you laughing? Have you lost your sense of humor lately?"
Yak remembered the terrifying casualties of the 5 Root members and the 7 Lynx Squad members and truly couldn't laugh.
After ten days, Yōkō arrived at Tsutamidani Town.
Tsutamidani Town had changed dramatically.
A gap had been opened in the dam outside the town, and river water flowed out continuously.
The old Tsutamidani Town, located in the valley, was submerged.
It was originally built in the valley to incentivize residents to maintain the dam properly.
Now, the Land of Rain's Daimyō had taken the money, selling useless (to him) river water to the Land of Wind's Daimyō.
A new small town was built further away from the old town, on higher ground. The wooden houses in the new town were fresh, as the residents of Tsutamidani Town had relocated there.
Yōkō sent the Yak Squad to gather intelligence on the Iwa-nin Jōnin Yamashigeru, while he entered the newly built town.
Inside the new town, Yōkō quickly found the child named Ao, whom he had met before.
During his first visit to Tsutamidani Town, Ao had guided him and Purple Cat, showing them almost every shop in town.
The Suna-nin didn't treat the townspeople as human, flooding Tsutamidani Town and several villages to divert water.
The Land of Wind's Daimyō was more considerate, relocating people first before diverting the water.
Ao had become a helper at a bakery, shouldering a large waterproof bag, preparing to deliver bread to the guards on the embankment.
With officials and samurai from the Land of Rain and Land of Wind stationed there, the town appeared orderly and prosperous.
Not long after, a member of the Yak Squad suddenly appeared behind Yōkō.
"Squad Leader! There's a conflict at the dam!"
***
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(Chapter End)