Chapter 25: Surprise Attack
Dana looked at the two newcomers again. Without chakra, he couldn't see through their Transformation Jutsu.
Orochimaru and Tsunade, however, were internally reeling, though their faces remained impassive.
What is this?! Why are there so many ninja having breakfast together?!
Kyohei Kawanishi, who had been on watch, appeared behind them, blocking their escape. "How embarrassing," he said, his tone unfriendly. "I look away for a second, and you two slip right through. It makes me look incompetent."
Orochimaru's mind raced. Their transformations weren't weak, yet they had been seen through in an instant. There had to be at least one Jonin among them. Who were these people, and why were they all gathered here for breakfast?
Wait a minute...
"There's a child," Orochimaru noted, glancing at Dana out of the corner of his eye.
"And a young man," he added, looking at the tall and sturdy Arashi.
"Men and women." His gaze shifted to the wary group of attendants.
"And an old man." He finally looked at Yoshitoki, who was still determinedly slurping his porridge.
"And Hidden Cloud ninja..." he concluded, noticing their dark skin and bulging muscles.
This had to be it. This was one of the bloodline clans, migrating to the Hidden Cloud. He couldn't believe their luck. They had stumbled right into it.
The only question now was... could they win a fight?
The atmosphere in the courtyard was thick with tension. The Cloud contingent had subtly surrounded Orochimaru and Tsunade, ready to strike at any moment. There was no trust between ninja from different villages. Orochimaru and Tsunade appeared calm, but their minds were working furiously.
From their chakra signatures, there was more than one Jonin present, and there could be others hiding.
We can't win by force, Orochimaru concluded.
Or rather, there was no need to. He hadn't come here expecting a fight. Although their opponents' complexions and physiques gave them away as Cloud ninja, Orochimaru and Tsunade hadn't revealed anything about themselves. They were still new faces in the ninja world; no one should recognize them or know their objective. There was a lot of room to maneuver.
With that in mind, Orochimaru gave Tsunade a subtle signal and then spoke. "We are ninja from the Village Hidden in Hot Water," he said, his voice calm. "We were unaware that other esteemed shinobi were present. My wife has a strange illness, and we heard there was a skilled physician here, so we came to try our luck. We have no desire for conflict. If it is inconvenient, we can leave now."
The Land of Hot Water did have its own hidden village, though it was more of a merchant guild that benefited from the country's prosperity. It was known as the "peaceful" hidden village.
To add to his credibility, Orochimaru adopted an inquisitive tone. "However, I don't recognize you. You are certainly not from our village. If you are ninja from another country, it would be best to report your presence to us, to avoid any misunderstandings." He injected a hint of apprehension into his voice, perfectly capturing the mindset of a ninja from a minor village.
But the Cloud ninja weren't easily fooled.
Kyohei Kawanishi tossed a kunai in his hand. "Your 'wife' doesn't look sick to me."
Orochimaru looked at Tsunade with an expression of deep affection. He hesitated for a moment, then said, his voice a mixture of shame and sorrow, "My wife has a... delicate... female problem."
Tsunade: "???"
A moment later, her face turned beet red. She was about to explode, but Orochimaru held her back. "We should go," he said. "We can come back another time."
Under the table, Tsunade was squeezing Orochimaru's hand so hard she was about to crush the bones. He gritted his teeth against the pain and began to slowly back away.
Kyohei Kawanishi watched them with cold eyes, not moving to stop them.
"Wait," a voice called out, stopping them in their tracks. It was the youngest child. "Dispel your transformations. And then, if you dare, come in and let the doctor see you."
Dana felt it was wrong to just chase them away like that. It would only create bad blood. Were all Cloud ninja this aggressive? Or were all ninja this domineering?
Old man Yoshitoki put down his porridge bowl and nodded. "Come, come. I'll take a look at you. I've seen my fair share of... those kinds of problems."
A lightbulb went off in Dana's head. Wait, does this mean he's going to use the Life Peep Jutsu?
No, no, what am I thinking? I'm only six!
Kyohei and Mamoru, the two Jonin, exchanged a look. "Very well," Kyohei said finally. "But you will submit to a search." This was the most they were willing to concede. Yoshitoki's attitude was important; they didn't want him to think the Cloud ninja were a bunch of thugs. They were still hoping to bring this miracle worker back to their village.
Hearing this, Orochimaru stopped. Leaving now would be even more suspicious. This group was almost certainly a bloodline clan on their way to the Cloud. He just didn't understand why they were listening to a child. Looking closer, he realized many of the adults were dressed like attendants.
A story began to form in Orochimaru's mind: the last young master of a fallen bloodline clan, discovered and now being lured to the Hidden Cloud. In that case, he might as well play along and try to gather more intelligence. As for the "illness," he was confident that Tsunade, a skilled medical-nin herself, could fake some symptoms. They were still unknown in the ninja world; even without their transformations, it was unlikely they would be recognized.
The two of them exchanged a look and dispelled their jutsu.
Dana blinked. Perhaps it was because of the vast difference between 2D and 3D, or perhaps because it had been so many years since he'd seen any familiar faces, but he didn't recognize them at first. All he noticed was that their ordinary appearances had been replaced by two surprisingly attractive people. A few fragmented memories began to surface, but he couldn't quite place them. He'd been disconnected from the internet for a long time, and the transition from anime to reality was jarring.
Orochimaru gave Tsunade a look: Suppress your chakra flow. Submit to the search. Gather more intel. Fake an illness. You're a medical-nin; it shouldn't be difficult.
Tsunade gave him a look back: Got it. I'll look for an opening and make a move. Surprise attack. You take the left, I'll take the right. I'll go first.
Orochimaru nodded slightly, pleased with their plan.
"Stand still," Mamoru Anzai said. "We need to search you."
Kyohei and Mamoru stepped forward. Ninja didn't bother with courtesies between men and women. Kyohei moved towards Orochimaru, while Mamoru approached Tsunade.
The moment Mamoru's hand was about to touch her...
BOOM!
Tsunade exploded into action. She unleashed her full power, slamming a monstrously strong punch into Mamoru's stomach. He barely had time to form a hasty defense before he was sent flying. The force of the blow was so great that it cracked the ground around her.
Her surprise attack a success, Tsunade turned her head, only to see Orochimaru standing there, meekly submitting to a search, and Kyohei, who was diligently searching him. Both of them were staring at her, dumbfounded.
"What are you waiting for?!" Tsunade roared. "Attack!"
Orochimaru snapped out of his stupor. He spat a hidden kunai from his mouth and lunged at Kyohei. But his opponent was already on alert, and he failed to achieve the same stunning success as Tsunade. As they clashed, Orochimaru couldn't help but scream, "Why did you attack?!"
There was no need for this!
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