"Honestly," Tsunade said, studying Onoki's back with a critical eye, "an injury like this would be nearly impossible for anyone else to heal. Even I'm not entirely confident."
Onoki's face was a stony mask. "Fifty million. Is that enough?"
Tsunade considered it for a moment before giving a slight nod. "I'd say that gives me about a fifty percent chance of success."
'What?' Onoki stared, completely baffled. 'Is the success rate tied to the money? That's absurd. And she's counting in tens of millions.' Was this the great confidence of the world's foremost medical ninja? He felt a surge of anger, but the sharp retort died on his lips.
He had no other choice. He had to ask her.
Onoki understood the severity of his own injury. He knew Tsunade was right, no ordinary medical ninja could possibly fix this, or he never would have sought her out in the first place.
"Eighty million," he bit out. "That's my final offer."
"Well, I really only have about a seventy percent chance," Tsunade admitted, "but since you're offering eighty million, I'll waive the rest of the medical fees later."
With that, she placed a palm on his lower back, channeling her Mystical Palm Jutsu to carefully assess the damage. This was only a preliminary treatment to stabilize him, the real work would require a proper operating room, not some crude clearing in the wilderness. At the very least, it would ease his pain for now.
And it did.
After a few moments under her hands, Onoki felt the tension in his back release almost instantly. He felt so much better, in fact, that he thought he could probably jump up and swat that insufferable black cat. But then he remembered it was the cat's kick that had put him in this state, and he wisely restrained himself.
Takeshi was instantly on alert. Outside of Sage Mode, he couldn't pinpoint specific locations, but he could immediately perceive any malicious intent directed his way. It was a natural talent, the same one that had allowed him to sense the Iwa ninja hiding among the rocks earlier. And in that brief moment, he had definitely felt a flicker of ill will from Onoki.
*Thump*, a swift kick landed in the exact same spot.
"Ahhh!" Onoki grabbed at his back and howled in pain.
The cat's kick hadn't been particularly powerful, but his back was far from healed. The Mystical Palm Jutsu had only just begun to mend the tissue, and the impact sent a fresh wave of agony through him, undoing all the progress.
After landing the blow, Takeshi strolled away as if nothing had happened.
Onoki gritted his teeth, seething with a powerless rage. The cat was genuinely strong. Its Sage Art had completely suppressed Roshi, and its use of the Flying Thunder God and what looked like the Lightened Boulder Jutsu...
The thought alone made him miserable.
'Was that even the Lightened Boulder Jutsu?' It was impossible to tell for sure. He could only confirm it was an Earth Release nature transformation, but the specific principles were a mystery. It wasn't entirely out of the question for Konoha to have researched the technique, and while it was ridiculous for a ninja cat to have mastered it, plenty of powerful jutsu had been perfected by summoning animals first.
Because of that, Onoki had no grounds to accuse Konoha of anything. He could only commit the slight to memory and hope for a chance at revenge someday, though that felt increasingly unlikely. Far from being weakened by Danzo's death, Konoha seemed even more formidable with Tsunade's return and Orochimaru taking over Root.
'How frustrating,' he thought. 'Who was it that said Danzo's death was our great opportunity to attack?'
He couldn't recall at first, but then it came to him. 'It must have been Rasa!'
Onoki fumed. He hadn't considered giving up, but continuing the fight now would be a clear disadvantage for Iwagakure. There was no sense in clashing with both Konoha and Kumogakure head-on, it would only lead to more losses. He would, however, remember this grudge against the Kazekage. Even if Rasa died in some accident, Onoki swore he would find his grave and mock him thoroughly.
"Minato," Tsunade said with a yawn, "could you take us to the front line?" She sounded disappointed. 'I thought I could swindle a bit more out of Onoki, but he was too cautious. He just sent a bunch of his subordinates to their deaths instead.' Those men had walked right into their trap and were finished in a matter of moments.
Only then did Onoki seem to remember them. "Quick, save them! They..."
"I've already sent people to look," Tsunade said with a sigh, her tone softening with pity. "But they're probably beyond saving. My condolences."
Those were two full teams from the Explosion Corps, along with several other Jonin. No one would have held back against such a threat.
The words hit Onoki like a physical blow. Two Explosion Corps teams, and Gari, a wielder of Explosion Release and one of their core Jonin...
'I'm such an idiot. Truly.'
His heart ached with the loss, but a Kage couldn't afford to grieve for long. When you lose, you accept reality. He pushed the pain down and forced himself to think about how to minimize Iwagakure's losses from here on out. As long as they could recover, the village could be a force to be reckoned with again in another ten years.
In truth, Iwagakure wasn't the only one to have suffered heavy losses, Konoha's casualties were significant as well. When they arrived at the front, Takeshi saw Kakashi leaning against a tree, his clothes stained red. Not far away, Obito and Guy were lying on the ground, resting. Both had sustained injuries, but they had already been treated by Tsunade and Rin.
Genma, on the other hand, was mostly unharmed. The Shiranui clan's jutsu was incredibly useful on the battlefield, allowing them to create ninja tools from the earth itself. It consumed a bit more chakra, but they never had to worry about running out of supplies.
As for Ebisu...
Takeshi wasn't sure if the kid had managed to get any kills, but he looked pathetic. His clothes were torn and caked with dirt, and he looked even worse off than Guy. He was just sitting there, staring into space with a dazed, terrified expression.
"Meow~ What happened to you?" Takeshi asked, padding over.
"Well..." Ebisu started, but trailed off.
"Sensei, he failed to dodge an Iwa ninja's earth spike," Genma explained quickly. "It went right through his thigh, all the way to the bone. He's lucky Tsunade-sama's treatment was so timely."
It was clear the experience had shaken Ebisu to his core. Takeshi had been about to make a sarcastic comment, but seeing the kid's state, he felt a flicker of pity. 'He's already this terrified. Is there any point in provoking him further?'
Still, he was so useless. After all that training, he was taken out by a single earth spike. It would be embarrassing to take him on missions in the future. What if some random thug killed him and went around boasting about killing a disciple of "Konoha's black cat"? The thought alone was humiliating.
After a moment of contemplation, Takeshi spoke. "Ebisu, maybe you should consider becoming a teacher. I think being an instructor might be more suited for you, meow."
"Huh?" Ebisu looked up, stunned.
Kakashi, Obito, and the others glanced over, their curiosity piqued. It was a strange thing to suggest.
"Meow, let me ask you something," Takeshi continued. "Before a fight, do you have a million moves planned out in your head? Are all the details perfectly arranged, just waiting for you to execute them and defeat the enemy?"
"Yes, yes, that's exactly it!" Ebisu nodded rapidly, his dark sunglasses slipping down his nose to reveal small, focused eyes.
"But when it comes time to actually do it, you find that your body just doesn't quite move the way you planned, meow?" Takeshi finished, using a bit of Water Release to rinse his paws.
Everyone looked at Ebisu. Though his sunglasses hid part of his face, they couldn't conceal the faint blush rising on his cheeks. He hesitated for a few seconds before nodding heavily.
"Sensei... is there any hope for me?"
"Meow~ No hope," Takeshi said bluntly. "Your body can't keep up with your mind."
To put it plainly, the kid's theoretical knowledge was solid, but his reaction speed was poor, and he had little natural talent for taijutsu. While he could improve through hard work, his potential as a frontline combatant was limited. Of course, if he were a strategic genius, he could become a commander, but Ebisu didn't have that kind of mind either. All things considered, being a teacher really was the most suitable path for him.
"Is that so?" Ebisu murmured, then let out a long sigh.
What young boy didn't dream of becoming a Jonin? A teacher, no matter how skilled, had a ceiling. But he couldn't deny that what Takeshi said made perfect sense.
"Work hard! Train with me!" Might Guy declared, giving a thumbs-up and flashing his brilliant white teeth. "Even without much talent, you can still become a great ninja! Setbacks and flaws are what make for a passionate youth!"
This time, however, Ebisu wasn't so easily swayed. He had almost died, and the lesson, and the trauma, was deeply ingrained. Guy's simple-minded passion couldn't reach him. He understood the principles, he just couldn't make his body adapt.
Nearby, Kakashi remained silent. Before the black cat had beaten some sense into him, he would have definitely made a sarcastic comment, advising Ebisu to give up sooner rather than later. But now, he had learned it was better to keep his mouth shut.
Takeshi didn't press the issue. Ebisu was only ten, he had plenty of time before he had to make that kind of choice. It was just a casual suggestion. How he chose to move forward was his own business. Takeshi wasn't a real teacher, after all. He couldn't be expected to manage every little detail of his students lives.
After a short rest, Minato arrived with Tsunade and Onoki via the Flying Thunder God. The distance wasn't far, so it didn't consume much of his chakra.
"Can you release the Jinchuriki now?" Onoki asked, glancing over at Roshi, who was still pinned beneath the Sage Art gate, the enormous sign reading "Tomb of the Four-Tails Jinchuriki" looming over him. "Since we've agreed to a truce, shouldn't he be set free?"
"Meow~ Let's keep him pinned for now," Takeshi replied casually. "He might go on a rampage if I release him, and I don't have enough chakra to deal with that right now."
The reason was simple: whatever the enemy wanted, he would oppose. It was the surest way to earn points.
Onoki was speechless but didn't argue. A different question occurred to him. Konoha had ceased hostilities here, but what about the battle against Kumogakure? The Third Raikage was a stubborn mule who wouldn't stop fighting without a direct order.
"Regarding Kumogakure," he said, "could I trouble Konoha to speak with them?"
"Meow, but..." The black cat extended a paw, a clear gesture for payment.
"No problem," Onoki said, his face impassive as he took out a scroll. "You just handle the Raikage. As for our men over there... give him this." He was already used to it. These newcomers from Konoha were all bloodsuckers, you couldn't expect them to lift a finger without getting something in return.
But with incentive, it worked.
Seeing Tsunade nod her approval, Takeshi snatched the scroll and darted off. It had been a while, so a heart-to-heart with his old buddy, the Third Raikage, sounded nice. Besides, who knew? Maybe he could get the Raikage to come back with him and help swindle Onoki together. Kumogakure was also a participant in this war. Why should Iwa get to surrender without giving them any benefits? Konoha would take the meat, but Kumo should at least get the soup. The Third Raikage had been an agreeable guest back in the Konoha camp, straightforward and nothing like the drama queens Onoki and Rasa.
Takeshi had a Flying Thunder God mark on the Raikage, but teleporting directly to him would be unwise. If the Raikage knew the markers didn't disappear, he might become wary. Fortunately, the front where Kumo was fighting wasn't too far. At his speed, it would take an hour at most.
--**--**
Eastern Land of Earth.
The Iwagakure forces here were also numerous. Though not as strong as the southern army, they had managed to hold off Kumogakure's offensive with their geographical advantage and superior equipment. But the Ay-Bee squad was powerful, and without reinforcements from Onoki, the Iwa ninja were gradually starting to struggle. And that was without the Third Raikage even joining the fight.
"Raikage-sama, we've been wearing them down for long enough. Should we..." a shinobi began.
"No, why fight so hard?" the Third Raikage said with a grin. "It's better to let Konoha and Iwa tear each other to pieces. We'll wear them down slowly while keeping our own forces safe. By the way, what's the latest from Sunagakure? Have they surrendered yet?"
It took time for news from the western front to travel, so he didn't yet know that Suna had fallen or that Onoki's southern forces were under attack. But just then, a Kumo Anbu appeared with an intelligence report.
The Raikage took the scroll and scanned it, his eyes lighting up. "Konoha has launched an all-out attack. Excellent. It's time for me to make a move. It would be embarrassing if they won on their side before I've even broken through here."
He threw off his robe, revealing his battle attire underneath, and charged out of the tent.
On the front line, Ay and Bee were leading the Kumo ninja in a fierce battle. They had been fighting for days, always ending with Kumo holding a slight advantage. Today was supposed to be no different, but as they were preparing to wrap things up for the day, a sharp sound of crackling lightning filled the air.
*Crackle!*
Everyone turned to see the Third Raikage, his body cloaked in his Lightning Release Armor, charging toward them at incredible speed. He blew past them like a hurricane and slammed directly into the Iwa main camp.
A barrage of jutsu erupted, aimed squarely at him. But his defense was too strong and his speed too great. Explosive tags, ninja tools, and ninjutsu were completely ineffective, washing over him without leaving a scratch. He tore through the Iwa camp like a force of nature, unstoppable. Without Onoki or elite units like the Explosion Corps, the ninja stationed here stood no chance. Before, the Raikage had just been going through the motions. Now, he wasn't holding back.
Takeshi arrived just in time to see the Raikage rampaging below. He didn't descend immediately, instead choosing to wait. He watched as the Raikage and the Kumo forces cut down nearly half of the remaining Iwa ninja. Only then, after eating some cat food and a Military Ration Pill to recover his chakra, did he finally rush down from the mountain behind them.
He was incredibly fast, and his timing was perfect. By the time he reached the battlefield, the Iwa forces were decimated.
"Meow~ Stop fighting, stop fighting! Iwagakure has already surrendered!"
If the killing continued, Iwa would be truly crippled. And that, he decided, wouldn't be a good thing. What if Kumogakure expanded and became too powerful?
===============
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