Konoha's Mission Master

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you tell me yesterday? Instead, you let me stay up all night doing blood toxicology tests for so long, all for nothing?" Aoyama Reiko asked through gritted teeth.

“I wasn’t sure yesterday either, but after Sister Qingshan ruled out so many possibilities, we can now conclude that this poison does not exist in the blood.”

"It bypasses the bloodstream and affects the nerves, making treatment completely impossible after ten days... This doesn't make sense! How can a deadly poison bypass the bloodstream directly...!"

"The key point is that the Sleeping Grass has been extinct for nearly eight hundred years, so the force that poisoned it must be extremely powerful to find such a precious toxin," Yakumo whispered in Aoyama Reiko's ear.

"They might even be monitoring our every move."

He was not exaggerating when he said this. In fact, he already knew that the mastermind behind all this was Root, but he did not know which young master was Danzo's partner.

"It seems I've dragged you into trouble, Yakumo." Aoyama Reiko suddenly realized that since that unknown force dared to poison a daimyo, they certainly wouldn't care about the life or death of a mere Jonin like her.

"The best course of action right now is to pretend we haven't discovered the reason for the Daimyo's coma, and then we can return to Konoha to report back in a few days... But..."

"But I will not give up on any patient."

"This is my way of the ninja."

Reiko Aoyama's eyes gradually hardened. This was the way of the ninja she had always upheld: ninjas grow strong because of the way of the ninja, and they die because of the way of the ninja.

She will definitely find a way to save the daimyo!

Yakumo's ninja way is truly a remarkable thing. Jiraiya traveled the ninja world for decades searching for the savior in the language, all for the sake of the ninja way. Orochimaru's human experiments and his personal killing of his master were also for his own ninja way. Danzo's behind-the-scenes scheming was also in line with his own ninja way of wanting to become Hokage.

But Yakumo understood that when Aoyama Reiko staked her ninja way, it meant that she would not back down, would not yield, and would have no regrets even if she died.

“We need to ask for help, but conventional methods are basically useless. It would be best to contact Lady Tsunade directly,” Yakumo suggested at the right time.

The old man lying in the hospital bed is Tsunade's maternal grandfather, who is also the father of Tsunade's mother. Back then, in order to lock up the strongest ninja of the Sengoku period, Hashirama Senju, the daimyo of the Land of Fire married his daughter to Hashirama Senju's son, and they had two descendants, Tsunade Senju and Nawaki Senju.

"I can contact Lady Tsunade through the slug!"

Just do it.

The two immediately went into the laboratory. Aoyama Reiko took out a scroll, bit her palm, smeared it with blood, and then injected chakra into it.

A puff of white smoke flashed, and a slug with dark blue stripes appeared in the laboratory.

"Tsunade... eh... no, it's Reiko."

"Why have you summoned me?"

A gentle, mature female voice reached Yakumo's ears; the slug in front of her was only about twenty centimeters long.

Reiko Aoyama immediately began writing furiously, and half a minute later, she stuffed the rolled-up scroll into the slug's body.

"Lady Slug, please deliver this letter to Lady Tsunade." Reiko Aoyama then formed hand seals to dispel the summoning jutsu.

"Before Lady Tsunade replies, let's go check on the Daimyo's health again."

"Sister Aoyama, we'd better keep the fact that we've discovered the Sleeping Grass a secret. We need to be careful until Lady Tsunade arrives; they might do something desperate," Yakumo whispered, offering her advice.

"Okay." Aoyama Reiko suddenly realized that her disciple not only had extraordinary insight, but was also remarkably mature and could even offer her very pertinent advice when necessary.

"By the way... Sister Aoyama. If this matter comes to a conclusion in the future, after returning to Konoha, I hope that I will be a nobody in the mission report." Yakumo said very sincerely.

"Why?" Aoyama Reiko asked, puzzled. If it was confirmed that the poison planted by the daimyo was indeed the Sleeping Grass, Yakumo's contribution would be enough to earn him a reward that others would dream of, but he chose to refuse this temptation.

"I don't want to say the reason, but can you please grant me permission, Sister Qingshan?"

Silence fell on Yakumo, who didn't offer any words of advice but simply looked up and stared into Aoyama Reiko's eyes.

After a long silence… Reiko Aoyama spoke.

"it is good."

"Thank you, Sister Qingshan."

"Let's re-examine the situation regarding Daimyo."

Reiko Aoyama led Yakumo out of the laboratory, contacted the butler Takahashi, and then stepped back into the daimyo's bedroom.

"Has Lord Aoyama made any gains?"

"I was just thinking of some possibilities... I plan to resample and analyze..." Reiko Aoyama replied casually, not telling the truth to the butler, Takahashi.

Green chakra enveloped her hands, and Reiko Aoyama slowly covered the daimyo's head with it, then closed her eyes and focused on sensing it.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Refine chakra output...

Five minutes later, a look of surprise flashed in Aoyama Reiko's eyes, and Yakumo quickly handed her a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Chapter 42 Playing

That night, Reiko Aoyama received a reply from Lady Tsunade, who was on her way to the Land of Fire. She hoped that Reiko Aoyama could temporarily lull her opponent into a false sense of security and prevent her from delving deeper into the poison of the Sleeping Grass.

If the research continued, Aoyama Reiko would likely die, so Tsunade stopped her from continuing.

September 4th, Saturday.

Last night, Reiko Aoyama spent the whole night in the laboratory researching. Although she looked exhausted, her eyes were bright and full of energy.

These past few days, Yakumo's shadow clones have been practicing ninjutsu around the clock and researching the changes in the nature of lightning chakra. After receiving Tsunade's letter, Aoyama Reiko did not give up on the research of the antidote. The moment she created the antidote would be the moment the enemy launched their attack.

The two enjoyed a breakfast meticulously prepared by the Daimyo Prefecture. The main ingredient was stewed fish of an unknown species. The fish was tender and nutritious. There were also two bowls of rich soup with a medicinal aroma, which replenished their energy. The staple food was crystal-clear rice that looked like white jade. Yakumo was extremely satisfied with this breakfast.

"Today I'll take you to the City of Fire."

Just when Yakumo thought that Aoyama Reiko was about to plunge into the laboratory again, Aoyama Reiko had already gone back to her room to change clothes, leaving Yakumo completely bewildered.

Half an hour later, as the two stood on the bustling street, Yakumo was still wondering if he hadn't woken up properly. The workaholic was, for once, neglecting his duties…

"Half a pound of glutinous rice cakes, individually packaged, with extra sugar and sesame seeds."

Reiko Aoyama was wearing a sky-blue dress and holding two paper cups containing small cubes of mochi.

"My master bought me two boxes of glutinous rice cakes here back then. I never thought that more than ten years later, this aunt would still be selling glutinous rice cakes here," said Aoyama Reiko, sticking a glutinous rice cake on a bamboo skewer.

"Soft, sweet, and not sticky," Yakumo said, taking his turn for the evaluation.

"Would you like to go check if there's a place where we can buy amulets?"

Reiko Aoyama happily ran to the side and began picking out amulets for herself. With her long dress accentuating her figure, she looked like a teenage girl, no longer caring about her image.

This situation resembled the final revelry of people at the end of their rope, and Yakumo could sense that he and Aoyama Reiko were under the surveillance of a mysterious person.

In the morning, the two ate glutinous rice cakes, drank sake brewed with cherry blossoms, bought square cakes made with osmanthus flowers, and then had a big meal at a barbecue restaurant in the Fire Capital.

Yakumo had a lot of fun and was very relaxed. Aoyama Reiko had a smile on her face the whole time. They tied their own wish slips to the huge tree trunk.

In the afternoon, Reiko Aoyama took Yakumo to the largest ninja tool shop in the Fire Capital. The transparent glass counter was filled with a dazzling array of exquisite weapons, but most of them started at 100,000 yen...

Reiko Aoyama walked straight to the counter and spoke to the clerk inside.

"A chakra metal short blade... do you have one?"

“A rich woman.” Yakumo’s eyes suddenly brightened.

"Big customer!" The staff behind the counter greeted him with a fawning smile.

“Our shop currently only has three chakra weapons, one of which happens to be a short blade.”

The waiter put on white gloves, knelt down, took out a red lacquered box from under the counter, and gently opened it.

Inside the box, lined with golden silk, lay a short blade with a purple blade and flame patterns on its surface.

"Purple Flame, a short blade made of chakra metal, twenty-seven centimeters in length, forged by the master blacksmith of the original ninja village..."

"The chakra conduction rate of lightning and wind types is as high as 90%..."

"How much?" Aoyama Reiko waved her hand to stop him, but the salesperson continued his sales pitch directly.

"3500 million taels."

"Okay, I'll buy it."

After taking out the storage scroll, Aoyama Reiko formed a hand seal, and stacks of neatly arranged silver notes appeared on the glass counter.

"Count..."

Her expression remained unchanged, as relaxed and carefree as if she were buying half a pound of chives at the market. Clearly, the salesperson also appreciated this generous customer, and provided a scabbard made of inkstone for the short blade free of charge.

What immense wealth must one possess to so easily pull out 35 million without batting an eye?

As the two walked back to Daimyo Prefecture, Aoyama Reiko handed the expensively purchased weapon to Yakumo, her expression still aloof.

"A gift for you."

"Sister Qingshan, this is too precious."

"Take this...it's a gift for becoming an apprentice." Without waiting for a reply, Aoyama Reiko stuffed the short sword into Yakumo's arms.

"If you have the chance... try to escape... escape back to Konoha and report the Daimyo's affairs to the Hokage."

Reiko Aoyama bowed slightly to straighten Yakumo's collar and whispered, "It turns out that spending tens of millions so casually wasn't because she was rich and powerful, but because she was prepared to die. Rather than letting the enemy benefit, she decided to spend the money cleanly."

"Sister Aoyama, how long will it take to prepare the antidote?" Yakumo asked in a low voice, putting away her purple flames.

“About two days…” Aoyama Reiko replied.

She could sense the almost undisguised malice; as the number of days the daimyo slept increased, the enemy no longer cared about being exposed.

"Sister Qingshan, I'm a little sleepy... Can we lie down over there for a while?"

Yakumo pointed to the stone benches under the cherry blossom trees by the roadside. A large number of cherry blossoms were swirling in the breeze, and most of the stone benches were occupied by loving couples. Clearly, this was a famous dating spot in the City of Fire.

“Okay.” Yakumo’s invitation was indeed a bit presumptuous, since an invitation in this kind of environment could easily be interpreted as a declaration of love. However, considering that the two of them might not have many days left to live, Aoyama Reiko readily accepted Yakumo’s invitation.

Yakumo leaned back on the stone chair and slowly closed his eyes, as if he really was just sleepy and wanted to find a place to lie down.

Active: Mist Concealment Technique Perfected 400/400 『Breakthrough』

Perfect: The cost of activating the Mist Concealment Technique is reduced by 60%.

"Perfect: Suppresses perception and speed within its range."

This morning, the Mist Concealment Technique met the conditions for a master-level transformation. In the current environment, every bit of increase in strength is essential.

With a slight thought, Yakumo clicked "Breakthrough".

Note: This process is irreversible.