aircannonsinc Chapter 192 Fetching Water, A Contest
Chapter 192 Fetching Water, A Contest
Chapter 183 Fetching Water, A Contest
As the group entered the cave, Che Mu Tong Ling conjured a lighting device, whose soft light instantly dispelled the darkness in the passage.
The area where Takigakure is located has been guarded by ninja families since the Warring States period. After countless years of development, the passageways have been repaired and made neat and sturdy.
However, the internal structure remains intricate, winding and twisting downwards.
Seven or eight minutes later, the group arrived at a huge underground space.
Xingyuan Qianshuo secretly estimated the location—they should be back directly below the valley, about 150 meters from the ground.
Tetsuki raised the lighting fixture in his hand, infused it with more chakra, and the light became even brighter, illuminating the entire space clearly.
This is a naturally formed underground cave. The most striking feature is an extremely thick tree root, which is inserted diagonally into the cave, running through it from top to bottom, extending to an unknown depth underground.
Upon seeing this tree root, the shadow clone Byakuya immediately had a name flash through his mind—
The sacred tree.
In the original story, the roots of the Divine Tree spread throughout the world, deeply embedded in the earth, drawing energy from the planet.
Later, the Divine Tree transformed into the Ten-Tailed Fox and merged with Kaguya. After the Sage of Six Paths sealed Kaguya and the Gedo Mazo, those massive root systems remained underground.
The Sage of Six Paths and his Ninja Sect had long been dedicated to eliminating these remaining roots, even during the succession trials between Ashura and Indra, the task was to deal with the roots.
Just as he was pondering, Chemu spoke up: "Legend has it that there was once an enormous divine tree in ancient times. This root is very likely a remnant of it."
Byakuya, the shadow clone, had already guessed as much, and nodded calmly: "There is indeed such a tree. However, it later transformed into a monster called the Ten-Tails, which was subdued by the Sage of Six Paths."
He paused, then turned his gaze to the water foam beside him: "As for whether this is the root of that divine tree, we can ask the Seven-Tails. The power of the Ten-Tails was divided into nine by the Sage of Six Paths, which are the nine tailed beasts of the ninja world today."
As soon as the words were spoken, both Tetsuki and Kakuzu were startled and looked at Shuimo.
Shui Mo also looked surprised; she had never heard Chongming mention this past event before.
"Chongming, is what he said true?" she asked herself in her heart.
"That's true." Chongming's tone revealed a hint of shock. "We Tailed Beasts were indeed born from the power of the Ten-Tails. But our lives were bestowed by the Sage of Six Paths. We are not descendants of the Ten-Tails."
"Wow—" Shui Mo sighed inwardly, then repeated Chongming's words to the three of them.
Byakuya, the shadow clone, continued, "The Sage of Six Paths once established an organization called the Ninja Clan, to impart chakra and ninjutsu to the world. The mission of the Ninja Clan was to eradicate the remaining roots of the Divine Tree from the ninja world, while also rescuing those in distress and healing the sick."
His tone was calm, but his gaze carried a resolute strength: "Our Red Cross Society inherits the ideals of the Sage of Six Paths and the Ninja Sect, using our power to help others. Charitable medical care is the practice of this ideal."
Chemu nodded slightly, without responding immediately.
He wouldn't easily believe anyone. But this person before him, possessing such immense power, was still willing to explain his purpose in this manner, so he couldn't help but feel a certain respect for him.
The group approached the tree roots.
The thick root was covered with densely packed sealing talismans. These talismans, seemingly aided by the remnants of the sacred tree buried deep underground, formed a unique barrier that could isolate the village of Takigakure from external detection and perception.
As Xingyuan Qianshuo approached, he discovered that the tree root had long since lost its life force, yet it still retained a peculiar chakra fluctuation.
There are many small holes that have been deliberately dug into the surface of the tree roots. Each hole contains a container filled with liquid.
"Byakuya-sensei, this is the source of the 'Hero's Water.'" Tetsuki pointed to the tree hollows and said, "This sap is the essence that has accumulated in the tree roots over time. The amount stored here has been accumulating for about ten years. You may take as much as you need."
Byakuya, the shadow clone, frowned slightly.
This result was both unexpected and reasonable.
He pondered for a moment, then reached out and gently pressed his hand against the tree root, slowly channeling chakra into it.
The moment the chakra touched the tree roots, it vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.
Fortunately, tree roots are ultimately inanimate and can no longer actively absorb nutrients.
With a slight thought, he activated Sage Mode, fusing Wood Release chakra to try again.
It is still being absorbed, and it remains uncontrollable.
Indeed, it was a dead root system.
Tick.
Tick.
Suddenly, the sound of water droplets falling echoed in the quiet cave.
The sound originated from those tree hollows.
"This is... accelerating the production of Hero's Water?" Byakuya, the shadow clone, thought to himself.
Chemu looked at him in surprise. It takes more than ten days for a single drop of Hero's Water to condense, and he had never seen it drip so quickly before.
A moment later, Byakuya, the shadow clone, stopped.
He had about 50,000 chakra points left, and in just a short time, he had already transferred 20,000 sage chakra points in exchange for about 100 drops of Hero's Water.
He took out a prepared container from his personal space and handed it to Chemu, asking him to help pour the liquid from the tree hole into it.
Soon, all the accumulated material from the twenty-four tree holes was collected, totaling only about one pound.
Byakuya, the shadow clone, retracted the container into his spatial dimension.
The group didn't linger and left together.
Before leaving, he quietly left a Flying Thunder God mark on a rock wall.
He doesn't plan to plant Senzu Beans in Takigakure for the time being, but wants to observe the growth of Senzu Beans in Shikkotsu Forest first.
Afterward, he would plant another one in Wetbone Forest and water it with diluted Hero's Water as a control.
If the Hero's Water is insufficient, more can be replenished at any time.
An hour later, the shadow clones Byakuya and Kakuzu left Takigakure, taking with them a strategic cooperation agreement between the Red Cross Society and Takigakure.
In the Wet Bone Forest, Xingyuan Qianshuo's main body received the memories transmitted back by his shadow clone, and frowned slightly.
"The liquid seeping from the dead roots of the sacred tree—I wonder how effective it will be."
He shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
Cultivating magic beans has limited benefits for him. For now, his priority should be strengthening himself.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the third day, Xingyuan Qianshuo used an intermediate teaching scroll on Tsunade again.
This time, she finally succeeded in mastering Sage Mode.
However, entering the mode still requires a few minutes of preparation time, roughly equivalent to Naruto's level when he first learned it.
Next, all you need to do is keep improving your proficiency.
The two finished their training, returned to Konoha, and continued their daily lives.
The peaceful days did not last long.
Five days later, in the land of fields, at the Red Cross headquarters.
Two Cloud Village ninjas observed the patients coming and going from a distance.
One was tall and robust, the other was rather thin.
"The Red Cross's medical methods are truly remarkable; most ailments can be cured in a short time," the tall ninja said in a low voice.
"Hmm, I've also heard that there's a red-haired female medical ninja here, who is very likely a member of the Uzumaki clan," the thin ninja interjected.
"I never expected to make such a discovery while on a mission in the Land of Fields."
"Should we notify the village immediately?"
"No rush, I'll go in and observe for a bit longer. If I don't come out in five minutes, use your summoned beast to send a message back to the village."
"clear."
The tall, muscular ninja's expression hardened. He formed his right hand into a palm strike and slashed fiercely at his own left arm. "Hmph!"
With a muffled groan, his left arm snapped. The intense pain shot through him, but he only furrowed his brow slightly.
"I'm going," he said in a deep voice, striding towards the medical building with a somewhat imposing air.
Inside the medical building, Shadow Clone Retsu Unohana sensed the chakra of the two while treating the patient.
"The malice is so obvious—is it the underground black market, or people from the ninja village?"
Soon, the tall, muscular ninja entered the examination room.
"Cloud Village ninja? They don't even need a transformation jutsu, just blatantly come in like this." The shadow clone chuckled inwardly.
"Please sit down." She said calmly. "A broken arm?"
"Hmm." The Cloud Village ninja nodded, his gaze falling on the green light floating on her palm. He suddenly asked, "I heard you have a healing method here using small golden orbs. Can we use that?"
"Okay," she said calmly.
She withdrew her Yang-attribute chakra, casually took out a healing fluff ball, and gently touched the other person's arm.
In the blink of an eye, the injuries were healed.
"This—" The Cloud Village ninja looked on in astonishment, moving his perfectly healed arm as he stared intently at the female physician before him.
"With your abilities, you would be highly sought after in any major ninja village. Why did you choose the Land of Rice Fields?"
"The Red Cross is a neutral charitable medical organization," the shadow clone calmly replied. "We do not belong to any ninja village and treat all patients equally."
"Is that so? — Truly admirable." The Cloud Village ninja exclaimed in admiration, said no more, and got up to leave.
Kumogakure, Raikage's office.
After reading the intelligence compiled by Tsuchikage, the Third Raikage A was excited and slammed his hand heavily on the table.
"Haha, good!" Ai laughed loudly. "The Red Cross organization, with its method of instantly healing injuries, seems to be an organization like the Uzumaki clan. They should definitely join my Hidden Cloud Village!"
"My lord, we know very little about this organization, and we are even more unsure of its combat strength. It is not advisable to act rashly," Tu Tai advised cautiously.
"Regardless of their strength, their medical skills alone are enough to recruit them into Cloud Village!" Ai said in a deep voice, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
The Hidden Cloud Village has a long tradition of collecting secret techniques and special bloodlines from the ninja world.
Back then, they tried to take action against Kushina Uzumaki of Konoha, but unfortunately, they failed.
Now that the Jinchuriki for the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails have been decided, there's no urgent need for a new Jinchuriki. Compared to that person who is suspected to be from the Uzumaki clan, his miraculous medical techniques are far more appealing.
"My lord, why don't I lead a team to investigate first?" Tu Tai suggested.
"Aren't they a charitable medical institution? They treat all patients equally." Ai pondered for a moment, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. "Then I'll go there under the guise of treatment, leading three elite teams. We'll decide based on the situation—whether to recruit them directly or forcibly bring them back to the village."
Seeing that the Raikage had made up his mind, Tsuchikage stopped trying to persuade him.
The two then discussed the candidates, added details to the operation, and made arrangements accordingly.
Half an hour later, the Third Raikage, A, personally led three elite squads, totaling thirteen people, away from Kumogakure.
Tsuchida, who was the Raikage's assistant, did not accompany them but stayed behind in the village to prepare for any eventuality and lead a team to provide support at any time.
The Land of Lightning is located on a long, narrow peninsula, and it is quite a distance from the Land of Rice Fields.
The group rested overnight in the Land of Frost, and arrived at the border between the Land of Fields and the Land of Hot Springs around noon the next day.
Just a few kilometers from the border, the ninja in the team suddenly raised his hand to warn them.
"Lord Raikage, there is a ninja with extremely strong chakra three kilometers ahead!" Mo Zhou hurriedly said.
"Oh? Only one person?" Ai raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Go and see who it is."
A moment later, they saw the person who had come.
His haori was pure white, his face handsome, and his expression serene. Kuchiki Byakuya.
In order to "welcome" the Cloud Village group, Xingyuan Qianshuo personally came in his true form.
"Lord Raikage, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Byakuya Kuchiki of the Red Cross Society." His tone was calm and neither humble nor arrogant.
"It seems you already knew I was coming." Ai stopped, his gaze sharp as lightning. "Then I won't beat around the bush—my Hidden Cloud Village cordially invites the Red Cross Society to join us."
"Lord Raikage, the Red Cross Society upholds the peace ideals of the Sage of Six Paths and the Ninja Cult, and is dedicated to healing people with medical ninjutsu. We have no intention of joining any ninja village."
"Hmph, do you think you can stop us all by yourself?"
"It is my honor." Xingyuan Qianshuo smiled calmly. "To be able to compete with Lord Leiying today is exactly what I wanted."
He paused, then continued, "If I win, I request that Lord Raikage cease his coveting of the Red Cross Society and allow us to conduct charitable medical activities in the Land of Lightning."
"What if you lose?" Ai's gaze was piercing.
"Since we've lost, we'll naturally follow your orders."
"Good!" Ai Haomai laughed loudly, then waved to his subordinates behind him, "None of you should make a move, I'll have a go at him."
"My lord—" The crowd looked concerned.
"Alright, if I can't even defeat the person in front of me, what right do I have to recruit them?" Ai waved his hand and strode forward.
"Kid, don't die!"
He shouted in a deep voice, and a surge of lightning chakra erupted from his body: "Lightning Chakra Mode!"
"Hellish Thrust - Four-in-One Slash!"
Lightning instantly gathered on his four fingers, its sharpness fully revealed.
Facing Raikage's deadly move, Hoshino Senju's expression turned solemn.
Although he possesses a vast amount of chakra, battles are never simply a contest of chakra reserves, but rather the power of each strike and every exchange.
Moreover, at this moment, he did not intend to reveal his Wood Release, Sharingan, or other skills, as that would only complicate matters further.
He had already prepared a battle plan before coming to welcome the Cloud Village group.
With a slight thought, he instantly activated his immortal mode.
Bluish-green wrinkles appeared subtly under the eyelids.
The next second, Lei Ying Ai transformed into a bolt of lightning and charged forward fiercely!
Xingyuan Qianshuo did not retreat but advanced, meeting the challenge head-on!
The moment their paths crossed—
He narrowly avoided the Raikage's four-handed strike, and at the same time swung his super-powerful fist, slamming it hard into the opponent's body!
boom--!
Ray Shadow was blasted away by the attack, tumbling dozens of meters away, crashing into the ground and breaking all the trees along the way.
A moment later, the rolling stopped. Lei Ying Ai shook his head and slowly stood up.
My mind went blank for a moment.
His opponent was superior to him in speed, strength, and reaction.
But he quickly suppressed his distracting thoughts, his eyes narrowed, and his aura surged once more.
"Hellfire Thrust - One-Shot Punch!"
All his power converged into a single finger, and he transformed into lightning once more, hurtling towards his opponent.
Xingyuan Qianshuo also stepped forward. In a flash, his figure nimbly flashed, and with a light touch of his palm, he precisely caught the opponent's suddenly thrusting arm.