Chapter 27: Attack and Counter-Attack
At first, Dana had thought his side had the advantage. But after recognizing Tsunade and Orochimaru, a wave of anxiety washed over him.
What if Jiraiya was here too?
He turned to Ume. "Use the scroll and contact the village immediately," he said urgently. "The enemy is likely from Konoha."
Dana nervously stood in front of Ume, trying to shield the scroll from view. Using an unknown scroll in front of the enemy was a huge risk; they might try to kill her on the spot. He didn't want to draw their attention, but he had no idea that he was already their primary target.
Orochimaru and Tsunade exchanged a look.
Suddenly, Tsunade, who had been feigning a desperate defense, unleashed a burst of power, forcing back the Chunin surrounding her. In a flash, she was rushing towards Dana.
Seeing that he couldn't dodge in time, Dana braced himself for the impact. But a figure appeared in front of him. It was Mamoru Anzai. He had reappeared in an instant and slashed at Tsunade from the side, leaving a deep, bone-exposing wound on her arm.
"A sneak attack for a sneak attack," Mamoru said with a cold smile. "I didn't want to show my hand so early."
So, he had already returned to the battlefield, but had been hiding, waiting for the right moment. A wound like that would have crippled an ordinary ninja.
But Tsunade didn't even glance at her arm. "That was a nasty punch, wasn't it?" she said. "You recovered quickly."
Mamoru's eyes narrowed. "I'm a medical-nin. A little injury like that is nothing."
Tsunade's smile widened. "What a coincidence. So am I." A faint green light glowed in her palm. She gently passed her hand over the wound, and it healed before their very eyes.
Dana was stunned by the brilliant, high-speed exchange. The unpredictable nature of a real ninja battle, the sheer variety of their techniques and tactics, filled him with a newfound respect for their profession. It was a career born for combat.
So Mamoru had been lying in wait the whole time!
With Mamoru providing cover, Ume quickly used the scroll. Though she wasn't a trained ninja, as a servant of the Yotsuki clan, she possessed a small amount of chakra, enough to activate it.
Fearing he would draw the enemy's attention, Dana didn't look back. He just heard a faint poof, and then Ume's quiet voice behind him, "It's done."
Both of them breathed a sigh of relief. Although it would take a long time for reinforcements to arrive, with Mamoru back in the fight, joining Kyohei, Arashi, and the others, they should be fine. Dana had no clear memory of the three Sannin fighting together, but it was safe to assume they were much stronger as a team than individually.
"Be careful, Jonin Anzai!" Dana shouted. "They might have another partner! They're very strong!"
He couldn't reveal their names or origins without exposing his own knowledge, but he had to warn them. If Jiraiya suddenly appeared, they had no one left to stop him.
Dana decided he couldn't just stand by and watch anymore. Even without Jiraiya, if this dragged on, things could get ugly. They needed to concentrate their forces and take one of them down.
Chakra or no chakra, I'm at least as strong as a Chunin, right?
Just then, a kunai flew out from nowhere, aimed straight at Ume's back. As a civilian, she had no time to react.
At the last second, Dana's reflexes kicked in. He yanked Ume out of the way. She fell to the ground with a thud, and the kunai missed.
Instinctively, Dana's eyes followed the trajectory of the kunai. Just as his gaze landed on it, the kunai disappeared in a puff of white smoke, replaced by a small, arm-thick snake.
The snake reared up, its glowing red eyes fixed on Dana.
"Ninja Art: Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique."
When Dana saw the snake's eyes glow, his heart sank. He was helpless.
"Dammit... you really can't underestimate a ninja."
The world went black. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was Ume's scream.
That was so cheap, it makes my head spin.
Meanwhile, in the capital of the Land of Hot Water...
Jiraiya was perched on a rooftop, completely oblivious to the small white snake hissing at him from the side.
"Hehehe... the ladies in the Land of Hot Water really are bold! Open-front yukatas are the best! Hehehe."
The little white snake, fed up with being ignored, bit him on the butt.
"Ow! Who attacked me?!"
The snake hissed in annoyance, then threw the scroll wrapped around its tail at Jiraiya's face before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Jiraiya opened the scroll, and his expression immediately turned serious. He leaped to his feet and sprinted towards the hot spring inn where Choza Akimichi was staying.
Hundreds of miles away, in the Hidden Cloud Village...
In the Raikage's tower, Dodai was holding a scroll, his face nearly pressed against it. The Third Raikage, A, was wearing a pair of comically small glasses and scribbling on a piece of paper.
"You see, according to Young Master Dana's plan," Dodai was saying, "once our production of semi-finished goods like sword blanks and kunai bars covers forty percent of a given region, we will have the power to influence prices in that region. Once we exceed seventy percent, we can..."
"You can what?" A asked, leaning in.
"...we can control the entire supply chain, from the iron ore to the finished weapons!"
A's breathing grew heavy.
"Oh. Of course, there's one condition. The remaining market share must be fragmented. Any major competitors must be dealt with early on."
A took off his ridiculously small glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How feasible do you think this plan is?"
Dodai rubbed his own eyes. "I believe it's highly feasible. Young Master Dana may be young, but he has a terrifying talent. The reform of the orphanage is the best proof of that. And in the worst-case scenario, even if it fails, our losses wouldn't be too great. We need a large supply of weapons anyway; we can just use them ourselves."
"I still find it hard to believe. Dana is so precocious. Arashi inherited my physique, and Dana inherited my mind. I am truly fortunate."
Dodai unconsciously tightened his grip on the scroll.
Resist the urge! Resist! Assaulting the Raikage is a capital offense.
"But both Dana and Arashi will become pillars of this village in the future. Hahaha, you're right. This is worth a try. But... it would be improper for the Yotsuki clan to handle this alone."
Dodai swallowed hard. The conversation was entering sensitive territory. "If we do it in the name of the village, it's not impossible, but..."
A smiled. "Dana's perspective is still a bit small. This can start as a Yotsuki clan project, but in the end, it will belong to the village."
"My lord, what do you mean?" Dodai asked, confused.
Just as A was about to explain, an elder so old he had barely any beard left burst into the office, ignoring the guards' attempts to stop him. He shoved his cane practically into A's face.
"A! It's a disaster! The emergency summoning scroll we prepared for Dana has been triggered! Dana has been kidnapped!"
"WHAT?!"
♧♧♧
We've hit 200 Power Stones goal As promised This week, here's the bonus chapter. Thank you for your support—please keep it coming!