Chapter Ninety-Five: Brambles and Rats
Konoha Hospital, Tsunade’s office.
Whether the vine blossoms from the Land of Rain really carried auspicious luck, as the people of that country believed, Kato Yukaze did not know.
But the process by which he had just absorbed that fragment of a White Zetsu clone’s soul had indeed gone very well.
Absorbing that fragment was equivalent to absorbing the soul fragments of five of the “patients” in the Spring Base. In the ninja system, the progress of his life-vitality constitution jumped by five all at once, amounting to nearly one-sixth, almost one-seventh of the work he had previously put in at the Spring Base.
More importantly, that soul fragment contained pieces of memory, along with two precious insights into ninjutsu.
One was White Zetsu’s signature technique, the Mayfly Technique. The other was a Wood Release technique born from the Outer Path Demonic Statue: Wood Release: Thorn Binding, Thorn Killing.
The Mayfly Technique merged one’s flesh with the earth and vegetation to achieve astonishing speed, allowing one to become one with the ground. By interfacing with the network of roots, underground watercourses, and other organic matter existing beneath the earth, one could move at high speed to any location, severing all traces of presence while the technique was active.
Whether the Mayfly Technique counted as a Wood Release technique, Kato Yukaze still could not say for certain, but it was unquestionably connected to Wood Release, or more precisely to the Outer Path Demonic Statue, and to White Zetsu’s special physiology.
What was more, to use the Mayfly Technique, one needed not only a special constitution, but also a considerable mastery of Earth Release and Water Release chakra.
As for Wood Release: Thorn Binding, Thorn Killing, that was the vine Kato Yukaze had seen in the Land of Rain when he infiltrated Uchiha Madara’s lair and looked through the ventilation opening.
It was a comprehensive Wood Release technique, with functions ranging from attack and restraint to defense and surveillance.
Even in the memories of that White Zetsu clone, the branches and roots in Madara’s underground lair were also variants of Wood Release: Thorn Binding, Thorn Killing.
Only, those subterranean branches and roots were products of the Outer Path Demonic Statue using that technique.
To obtain these two precious techniques, Kato Yukaze was naturally delighted. But for now, he still could not learn them.
At present, he had not yet mastered the power of Wood Release. At the very least, before the life-vitality constitution in his ninja system had awakened, he could forget about learning and wielding these two techniques.
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The important matter of absorbing the soul fragment was done, and the result had been excellent. Kato Yukaze was very satisfied, and in a splendid mood.
Whether it was because of the luck buff from Tsunade’s kiss, or the luck buff brought by that bottle of vine-flower perfume, he was thoroughly pleased. In the end, was not all of it the luck brought by Tsunade, who was now in his arms?
Kato Yukaze held the sleeping Tsunade, breathing in the scent of that vine-flower perfume, along with a faint, elusive trace of something else...
He could bear it no longer. The nameless fire within him would no longer allow him to content himself with simply holding Tsunade properly.
Since they were already embracing so intimately, there was no need for him to wait foolishly for Tsunade to make the first move, nor to keep pretending to be a gentleman. Better to...
As Kato Yukaze moved closer to Tsunade, he lifted one hand to smooth back the hair that had fallen loose, then tidied her ponytail.
The instant his lips were about to touch Tsunade’s, his ever-alert soul-sensing ability detected the aura of a stranger far away, rushing swiftly toward Tsunade’s office.
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Damn it! Which bastard was ruining his good fortune? Not earlier, not later, but at exactly this time—he really knew how to pick his moment!
Kato Yukaze cursed the intruder in his heart, then promptly and lightly separated himself from Tsunade and quickly returned to his seat in the office area.
After a moment’s thought, he still felt that it did not look normal enough. From the bookshelf beside Tsunade, he took out a medical-ninjutsu scroll, unrolled it, and placed it on the desk in front of him, pretending to be deep in study.
Then he turned to look at Tsunade, who was still sleeping soundly on the sofa in the lounge area, especially her devilishly perfect figure and that seductive sleeping posture.
Kato Yukaze slapped his own forehead, cursing himself for nearly forgetting about Tsunade. With a body like that, with a sleeping pose like that, she could only be admired by him alone. How could he let a stranger feast their eyes on her?
He then rummaged through the cabinet beneath Tsunade’s bookshelf, quickly found a thick blanket, and covered the sleeping Tsunade completely and properly.
Only then did Kato Yukaze return to his seat in satisfaction, pick up the medical-ninjutsu scroll on the desk, pretend to be studying and researching ninjutsu, and wait with feigned calm for the visitor to arrive.
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Whoosh!
An ANBU ninja of short but compact build, wearing a black rat-head mask, abruptly appeared inside Tsunade’s office.
Not one of the ANBU under that old Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, then it could only be... Kato Yukaze thought silently.
The ANBU in the black rat-head mask looked over the office, glanced at Tsunade, who appeared to be sleeping on the lounge sofa, and then quickly found the person he was looking for in the office area: he had come for Kato Yukaze.
“Konoha jounin Kato Yukaze, I am an ANBU ninja belonging to Konoha’s Root Organization. On behalf of Lord Danzō Shimura, advisor elder of Konoha, I order you to proceed to the Spring Base immediately upon receiving this command. Lord Danzō is waiting for you there now.”
The ANBU in the black rat-head mask walked up to Kato Yukaze’s desk, gave no salute at all, and delivered the order in a rigid, icy voice. Then he stood there stiffly, waiting for Kato Yukaze’s reply.
Kato Yukaze thought to himself.
As expected, it was that underground mole Danzō Shimura, always ruining his good fortune. He would have to make a note of this in his little black book first.
And damn it all, this Root ANBU before him, with his black rat-head mask, was only a chuunin, yet he did not even salute when facing a jounin. So lacking in manners—worthy indeed of a subordinate of Konoha’s underground king, Danzō Shimura.
Kato Yukaze did not immediately answer the order. Instead, he set down the medical-ninjutsu scroll in his hand and watched the Root ANBU in front of him with great interest.
This fellow had just ruined his moment. The dark fire in Kato Yukaze’s heart had nowhere to go, and now this Root ANBU was so impolite that he had practically walked right into the line of fire.
Still staring at the black rat-head mask in front of him, Kato Yukaze quietly set his chakra in motion, releasing the power and killing intent that belonged to a Konoha jounin.
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