Many merchants did not care in the slightest about the interests of their own country. Instead, they simply purchased shinobi tools from abroad and then resold them at high prices in the Land of Rain.
As for whether those shinobi tools would be used to kill ordinary civilians or shinobis of the Land of Rain, they did not care at all.
Kiyohara guessed that the merchant involved in this mission was probably exactly that kind of person.
"This one should take the least amount of time, so… I think this mission is the better choice. Right now, Iwa is busy with its own problems, and the number of shinobis left behind in the Land of Rain should be quite thin."
Kiyohara first analyzed the first two missions before finally stating which mission he wanted to take.
If he got lucky and managed to capture one or two Iwagakure shinobis for interrogation, he might be able to obtain information about their Steel Release users.
After hearing this, Genma also took a look at the map.
He felt that what Kiyohara said made sense.
No matter which mission they chose, they still had to do one anyway.
He took a deep breath and nodded.
"I agree as well."
Kurenai appeared a bit hesitant. She leaned toward the safer option, but she also understood the importance of obtaining intelligence during wartime.
Seeing that both Kiyohara and Genma had agreed, she followed along and said that she also chose this mission.
"Escorting a merchant caravan? That works too."
Faced with the choice of the three of them, Orochimaru's expression did not change much.
To him, all three missions were equally easy, with no real difference in difficulty.
Leading Kiyohara and the others on missions would not take up much of his time at all.
"Alright, the mission is decided then—escort the merchant caravan to the Land of Rain."
Orochimaru took back the scrolls and closed them.
"Make your preparations. Assemble at the village gate in three days and then depart."
Orochimaru deliberately left a three-day buffer period.
This time could be used by the shinobis to organize their equipment and adjust their condition.
"Yes!"
The three of them answered in unison.
After Orochimaru left, Genma wore a troubled expression.
He did not want to go on any mission at all, but unfortunately, all of them were in the Land of Rain.
"I've heard that it rains all year round in the Land of Rain. I'll need to prepare a waterproof cloak," Genma said.
He had never been to the Land of Rain on a mission before.
"Take your time preparing," Kiyohara said.
He also planned to sort out his belongings that afternoon and, while he was at it, sell some of his iron sand.
Nowadays, whenever he had free time, Kiyohara would go sell the iron sand he had collected, while also trying to attract and experiment with other types of metals.
"True enough," Kurenai agreed wholeheartedly.
The Land of Rain experienced constant rainfall year-round, its environment was complex, infiltration by various forces was severe, and the situation within its borders was currently quite chaotic. There were wandering shinobis and rogue shinobis active there, making it extremely dangerous.
This was because the geographical position of the Land of Rain was extremely special—it was sandwiched between three major nations, serving as a buffer zone.
As a result, during the last Great Shinobi War, the Land of Rain had also become a battleground, bearing a great deal of the scars and pain of war.
After saying goodbye to the others, Kiyohara sold off the shinobi tools he had obtained, earning more than one million ryō in total.
He repaid part of his loan and then purchased a high-quality chainmail undershirt.
As for the wire used to manipulate shuriken, Kiyohara also bought some more expensive and finely crafted ones.
With Madara potentially sending White Zetsu to cause trouble at any time, Kiyohara decided that it was best to first upgrade his equipment.
"Sigh, copper wire ultimately has its limits," Kiyohara muttered as he neatly packed the newly purchased wires into his shinobi pouch.
He was thinking that if he had the Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Fear, using those threads to bind shinobi tools would probably be far more durable and sharp.
Judging from how Kakuzu used them, those Earth Grudge Fear threads were quite impressive.
Just as Kiyohara finished purchasing everything and was about to go complete today's tasks assigned by Orochimaru, he heard a familiar voice at the entrance of the laboratory.
"Orochimaru, you have to lend me some this time, just fifty thousand ryō. I promise I'll pay you back double if I win!"
On the street, Tsunade, with her golden twin ponytails and voluptuous figure, was blocking Orochimaru, who had just walked over from another direction. The ample curves of her chest trembled slightly with her movements.
Even though Orochimaru's expression did not change, one could clearly feel his helplessness at this moment.
"Tsunade, I've told you many times. All my funds are invested in research. I don't have spare money."
"What use is all that research of yours…"
Tsunade stopped halfway through her sentence, her sharp eyes spotting Kiyohara approaching. Her eyes instantly lit up, as if she had seen new hope.
"Hey, little chub—little brat, you're here," Tsunade greeted Kiyohara.
She had heard that Kiyohara's performance afterward had been extremely outstanding, and that the village would likely issue an additional reward in a few days.
Kiyohara halted in his steps, only able to sigh inwardly at how gambling was truly a bottomless abyss—no amount of money was ever enough.
As the princess of the Senju clan, Tsunade should have inherited a great deal, even though the Senju clan itself no longer existed and had chosen to dissolve.
The legacies of Hashirama Senju, Mito Uzumaki, and even Tobirama Senju, who had no descendants, should have all gone directly to Tsunade.
Yet Tsunade had still ended up in such a state, constantly dodging debts while living outside the village.
"Orochimaru-sama, Lady Tsunade," Kiyohara greeted.
At this moment, another Root shinobi appeared soundlessly and whispered a few words to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru nodded, then said to Tsunade and Kiyohara,
"I have matters to deal with. You two talk."
After saying that, he followed the Root shinobi and left in a hurry, leaving Kiyohara alone to face Tsunade's burning gaze.
"Hehehe, kid, now there's no one to disturb us," Tsunade said, stepping closer. A faint scent of alcohol mixed with perfume drifted from her.
"So? I think you're pretty agreeable. Didn't I say before that I could guide you for a day? How about I add another day?"
"To be honest, I did gain something in previous missions, but most of it has already been exchanged for necessary shinobi tools and supplies. What I have left on hand… isn't very much," Kiyohara said.
He still had quite a bit of money left, but he could not just hand it over to Tsunade so easily.
Money could be lent, but it had to be lent slowly, cautiously, and reluctantly.
Only then would Tsunade truly feel that this money was hard-earned.
Hearing this, Tsunade looked a little disappointed.
She even wondered whether she should let Shizune go on medical rounds and find some wealthy patients to treat.
"But if it's Lady Tsunade, I can lend it," Kiyohara said, taking out part of his money and handing it to her.
This money, of course, came from selling Mist shinobis' equipment, so Kiyohara did not feel the least bit of pain spending it.
Tonight's spending—courtesy of Kirigakure!
Tsunade had thought she would not be able to borrow any money at all, only for a sudden turn of events to bring new hope. She was immediately overjoyed.
"Not bad, kid. I'm free today, might as well guide you for a few days," Tsunade said as she took the money.
"Alright," Kiyohara replied with a slight nod.
Tsunade then brought Kiyohara to Konoha Hospital.
As a top-tier medical shinobi, even though Tsunade rarely performed surgeries anymore, she still held an unparalleled status here.
In terms of medical skill, at this point in time, there was likely no one stronger than Tsunade.
She led Kiyohara into a fully equipped medical laboratory.
Inside, all kinds of medical instruments were arranged neatly.
Tsunade took out a transparent container, inside of which several lively carp were swimming.
"Let me see how solid your basics are. First, use the 'Regeneration Technique' I taught you before," Tsunade said.
She then had Kiyohara cut an incision in the fish's abdomen and heal it.
After that, Tsunade turned around and sat down on the sofa behind him, crossing her long legs.
One foot hung in the air, and he could clearly see the red nail polish painted on her toenails.
It seemed that it had been a long time since it was last applied, as the red polish had faded somewhat.
Due to her hemophobia, even the sight of a fish's blood made her uncomfortable.
Kiyohara walked up to the operating table, picked up a scalpel from the cabinet, and made a straight incision.
Blood seeped out, and the fish began to struggle.
At that moment, Kiyohara's left hand covered the wound, his palm glowing with a gentle green light as he used the "Regeneration Technique."
With the added enhancement of Yang Release chakra, the green glow of Kiyohara's medical ninjutsu was richer and more intense than that of ordinary shinobis.
Under the stimulation of chakra, the cells at the wound rapidly divided and regenerated, and the incision healed at a visible speed.
The entire process took less than a minute.
The fish flopped a couple of times on the table, seemingly not feeling much pain, and quickly regained its vitality.
Kiyohara placed the fish into another clean container and then cleaned up all the bloodied water.
"Lady Tsunade, it's done," Kiyohara said.
"So fast?" Tsunade glanced at the fish swimming in the tank. Its abdomen was smooth and intact, with almost no sign that it had been cut open, and no visible bloodstains.
She stepped closer to observe the fish carefully, a trace of surprise flashing through her eyes.
"Your Yang chakra is very active. That's a rare aptitude among medical shinobis."
Kiyohara nodded.
Inheriting Yang nature potential twice had indeed given him a significant advantage in life-force-related abilities.
"However, medical ninjutsu isn't something you can rely on talent alone for," Tsunade said as she walked over to a nearby experiment rack lined with various reagents and containers.
"Fine chakra control requires tens of thousands of repetitions of practice, as well as memorizing an enormous amount of knowledge."
She then took out many thick books for Kiyohara to look at—Fundamentals of Pharmacology, The Shinobi Meridians System, Yang Release and Medical Ninjutsu, Human Cells and Chakra, and many other books covering related fields.
"All of these are indispensable," Tsunade said.
Kiyohara took one look and thought—good grief. Stacked together, they were nearly over a meter tall!
Tsunade pulled over a chair and sat down, taking a small flask from her bosom and taking a sip.
"Tell me, are you learning medical ninjutsu because you truly want to develop in this direction, or are you just treating it as a support skill?"
"A support skill, but I also want to learn it thoroughly. On the battlefield, having one more ability means one more guarantee of survival. And… medical ninjutsu improves chakra control across the board, which also helps in training other ninjutsu," Kiyohara replied.
"That's a clear-headed answer," Tsunade said with a smile.
"Many people think medical shinobis just hide in the back and heal, but top-tier medical shinobis are no weaker in combat at all."
If anyone else had said that, Kiyohara might not have believed it.
But coming from Tsunade, he believed it completely.
Tsunade was the textbook definition of a battle healer, able to heal, able to deal damage, a true all-rounder.
The rest of the afternoon, Kiyohara trained here together with Tsunade.
Tsunade truly lived up to her reputation as the best medical shinobi. Even in just a single day, Kiyohara benefited immensely.
(End of Chapter)