"The main force reinforcing the southwestern battlefield already left Konoha this morning under Hyuga Hiashi's command. A troop movement of that scale can't possibly be hidden from Suna and Kumo, so Orochimaru's side only needs to lead a small elite unit out in secret."
Sarutobi Hiruzen took another drag from his pipe, then looked toward Mikami Yuu and Nara Shikaku.
"Yuu, Shikaku, both of your teams will be part of this force."
"Minato is still carrying out a mission on the northeastern front and won't be able to return in the short term. So, Yuu, you will temporarily serve as team captain. Kakashi will assist you as your deputy. As for the specific tactical arrangements after that, Orochimaru will be responsible."
"…Understood."
Yuu and Nara Shikaku both nodded.
After that,
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a few more instructions, then let them leave to prepare for departure.
On the way out, Orochimaru looked at Yuu, licked his lips, and said, "Mikami-kun, lately I've only been seeing your various performances in battle reports. Now I finally have a chance to witness them with my own eyes. I'm truly looking forward to it."
"…So you set up this whole situation just for that?"
Yuu asked in return.
"Not quite. The plan against Sunagakure wasn't arranged by me alone. It was the result of a joint discussion among the higher-ups. I merely happened to be assigned as the commander."
Orochimaru smiled as he spoke.
Because they had already spent several months together in the research institute, Yuu and Orochimaru spoke to each other rather casually. Although they were not exactly "friends"—in fact, apart from Jiraiya and Tsunade, it was hard to imagine anyone becoming friends with Orochimaru. At most, they used each other.
After noticing this,
Nara Shikaku turned his head and looked over, confusion appearing on his face.
"Yuu, you and Lord Orochimaru have known each other for a long time?"
"Well, Mikami-kun is my capable assistant. He has helped me complete quite a few experiments during this period. Especially the research on Sunagakure's kekkei genkai."
Orochimaru said with a smile.
"I see… It seems I still underestimated Yuu-kun before."
Nara Shikaku laughed it off.
As the future head of the Nara clan within the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, he had some understanding of the nature of Orochimaru's "experiments."
Although at this time, many of Orochimaru's dark secrets had not yet been fully exposed, those things were not without traces. In the eyes of intelligent people, it was entirely possible to infer part of the truth from the clues.
Moreover,
even normal human experimentation had a high mortality rate. For example, the once-famous "Wood Release experiment" had resulted in the deaths and disabilities of no fewer than a dozen prisoners and volunteers, including three or four members of the Senju clan. Because of that, the project had been forcibly halted by Konoha, and the related files had even been burned.
And that had been a project personally backed by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
So,
compared to Orochimaru, who was more senior, the Nara clan at least tended to prefer the sunny-tempered Namikaze Minato rising to power. Otherwise, a sinister Orochimaru plus Danzo, the "darkness of the shinobi," would eventually cook up something huge for Konoha…
Yuu did not know about this line of thought, nor did he care.
At an intersection, he parted ways with Orochimaru and Nara Shikaku, then headed back toward the residential district, preparing to tell Nohara Rin about the mission.
As for Obito, he would leave that to Kakashi to notify. After all, the two had not seen each other for some time, so this would be a good chance to strengthen that great bond between them.
"Right…"
"I should find time to see Tsunade tonight. The Strength of a Hundred Seal doesn't matter for now. I need to get the Shikkotsu Forest contract first…"
…
That evening,
after sunset, Yuu stepped into the Senju compound once again and found Tsunade inside the large residence at the center of the clan grounds.
This time, the timing was not as coincidental as last time.
Tsunade had finished bathing a while ago. Her hair had already been dried, and she was properly dressed. She was sitting on the wooden corridor reading a medical book. After hearing Yuu knock on the door, she picked up the dark green short jacket beside her and draped it over herself before coming to open the door, looking at him with a helpless expression.
"Hey, Mikami brat, are you doing this on purpose?"
"Why do you always come looking for me at night? Is this the only time you know how to pick? If we were the same age, people outside would probably think we were having some secret rendezvous."
"Hm?"
Yuu scratched his head, then looked at Tsunade's fair face and showed his usual smile.
"If I could have a rendezvous with a great beauty like Tsunade-sensei, even if it meant inheriting the Senju clan's secret teachings and learning Shikkotsu Forest's sage arts, I'd be perfectly willing."
"…So you're trying to take everything, are you?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
Still, the compliment in Yuu's words was clearly pleasant to hear. The corners of her lips lifted almost imperceptibly, before she quickly regained her serious expression.
"Alright, stop running your mouth. Tell me, what is it this time?"
Yuu also restrained his smile, his tone becoming serious.
"The organization has decided to send me to the southwestern battlefield against Sunagakure, together with Lord Orochimaru. Departure should be within the next few days."
"The southwestern battlefield? Suna again?"
But…
together with Orochimaru?
Tsunade froze slightly, and her gaze became complicated.
There was no other reason.
Those two keywords reminded her of someone.
Her beloved younger brother Nawaki had died while carrying out a mission with Orochimaru, blown into pieces by explosive tags. Nawaki had been about the same age as Yuu was now, also around ten or so.
So, at this moment, when Tsunade looked at Yuu, she felt a subtle sense of déjà vu. She even instinctively said something that someone of her position should not have said.
"Do you have to go? Can't they… send someone else?"
"I'm afraid not."
Yuu shook his head.
If he could, he would also like to stay in the village and slack off until the Ninja War ended in a couple of years. But under the current situation, unless he suffered an injury like Mikami Tajima's that made him unable to continue serving as a ninja, he would definitely be sent out.
Tsunade naturally understood that too.
Once the war machine started moving, individual wishes became insignificant in front of the village's overall strategy. It was just that her past experiences made her instinctively resist the feeling of watching familiar people march onto the battlefield. Especially since she had only recently acknowledged Yuu as her student.
"Yuu, remember this. The battlefield is not a game. Although you've already returned from there once, passed the Chūnin Exam, and become a special jōnin… one careless mistake can still doom you beyond recovery."
Tsunade took a deep breath.
"I had a friend once. He was also one of Konoha's elite jōnin, with outstanding battle achievements that made enemies tremble at his name. But in the end, he couldn't even leave behind an intact corpse…"
"…"
That friend of yours wouldn't happen to be named Katō Dan, would he?
Yuu was a little surprised Tsunade would bring this up to him.
Seeing the worry in her eyes grow heavier, he grinned and said half-jokingly, "Is Lady Tsunade worried about my safety? Then, why don't we make another bet? Let's bet on whether I can return safely from the battlefield."
Although Tsunade had the infamous reputation of "losing every bet" in gambling, that was when she gambled money.
When it came to gambling with lives, her win rate was actually quite high.
If she were willing to make that bet, it might plant a reverse flag for Yuu and make it so he couldn't die no matter how he jumped around.
However…
Tsunade herself clearly did not have that awareness. She was even rather resistant to the idea of "betting lives." After hearing Yuu's suggestion, she suddenly shook her head, her voice trembling slightly.
"What nonsense are you saying? Making a bet like that right before going to war… It's unlucky!"
"…Alright."
Unable to get the buff, Yuu felt a little disappointed.
Still, the main purpose of this visit was the summoning contract.
"You want to sign a contract with Shikkotsu Forest? Have you thought it through? Once you sign here, it'll be difficult to sign with Mount Myōboku or Ryūchi Cave, you know?"
Tsunade stared into Yuu's eyes and confirmed.
"I've thought it through."
Yuu nodded.
"Fine. Then come with me."
At once,
Tsunade led Yuu into the courtyard and told him to sit on the corridor for a while. Then she returned inside, searched around for some time, and came back holding a large, ancient-looking scroll. She placed it on the low table between them.
"Here. This is the Shikkotsu Forest contract. As long as you sign your name and press your blood handprint, you can summon the Slug Sage."
Unlike the toads of Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest had only one contract target: the Slug Sage.
However, the Slug Sage possessed the ability to divide freely. Depending on the summoner's chakra strength, it would split off clones of different sizes to assist in battle. These clones possessed relatively independent awareness and shared vision, which could be used to transmit information in real time.
Following Tsunade's instructions, Yuu signed his name, bit his thumb, and pressed a bloody fingerprint onto a blank space at the end of the scroll. Once he completed this action, he faintly felt that he had formed some kind of connection with an unseen existence.
[Summoning Technique: Mm… this time it's a slimy slug? Still a bit better than that lizard from last time.]
[Summoning Technique affection +4. Current affection: 13/100 (Unfamiliar)]
As expected.
To Summoning Technique, a "summoning contract" was effectively a disguised gift. Every time Yuu obtained a new summon beast, its affection would increase. That counted as a shortcut for farming affection.
However, Yuu was not sure whether there was an upper limit to the number.
After all, each summoning beast he signed with would occupy one of the chains in Summoning Technique's hands. Although its image in the galgame system was an ethereal girl with chains tied around both wrists and ankles, those chains probably were not infinite.
Otherwise, he could just go catch a bunch of random ninja beasts, strong or weak, and force them all to sign summoning contracts. That should farm a wave of affection…
With the contract complete,
Yuu tried using Summoning Technique on the spot.
Poof!
As a puff of white smoke dispersed, a round, crystal-clear slug about the size of a basketball appeared on the table. It wriggled softly and spoke in a thin voice.
"Huh, Lady Tsunade? And… a new contractor? This is our first meeting. Please take care of me."
"Ahem."
Tsunade pointed at Yuu with one finger.
"This is Mikami Yuu, the new student I recently accepted. He's going to the battlefield, and he may need your help when the time comes. If there's an emergency, I'll also need you to help him contact me."
"Understood, Lady Tsunade."
The little slug replied obediently, then turned toward Yuu.
"Lord Yuu, please take care of me. I will do my best to help you."
"…I'll trouble you, Katsuyu."
Yuu nodded slightly and said.
One had to admit, when it came to politeness, Katsuyu left the other two great sage regions ten streets behind.
Especially Ryūchi Cave. Even a proud person like Orochimaru was casually mocked in front of summons like Manda. Only Sasuke managed to handle them properly.
At once,
Yuu carefully reached out and poked the little slug on the table a few times. The texture was quite nice: soft, cool, and slippery, feeling a bit like playing with a silicone toy.
As for its healing ability, he could find a chance to test it later.
But Yuu's own Healing Technique proficiency was already high enough, so he probably wouldn't need it too often. Instead, he could find time to ask Katsuyu about sage arts and see if he could fleece some benefits from Shikkotsu Forest.
After that,
Yuu tactfully asked Tsunade if he could learn some of Senju Tobirama's Water Release. After all, his Water Wave already had two skins, while Water Formation Wall still had none. And this technique had once been improved by Senju Tobirama.
"…Hmph, what a greedy brat. I think coming to say goodbye is fake. You're really just using this chance to ask me for things, aren't you?"
"I'll let you have it this time. No next time."
Tsunade snorted coldly. Though her mouth said unhappy words, her body honestly walked into the room. Soon, she came back carrying several scrolls with slightly worn edges and tossed them into Yuu's arms.
"Here. These scrolls were left behind by my Second Granduncle when he studied Water Release. I haven't read them much myself. Take them and study them on your own. But remember to return them after reading. Don't lose them. I still need to preserve them for the Senju clan."
Yuu quickly accepted the pile of scrolls. Before he could even examine them carefully, the galgame system text box appeared:
[Ding! Giftable limited skin detected — Water Formation Wall: Tobirama Version.]
Sure enough, it had the skin he expected!
Yuu's mood improved greatly, and a happy smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you, Tsunade-sensei! I'll study them carefully!"
"…Hah."
Tsunade looked at the white-haired boy before her and opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something else. But in the end, it only became a reminder filled with complicated emotions.
"Brat, remember this… Don't die somewhere I can't see."
~~~
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