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Chapter 135: The Treasure Boy: White Zetsu!
Chapter 135: The Treasure Boy: White Zetsu!
Half a day!
Tang Ping returned to Mount Kikyo in just half a day. And that was without summoning Taiyi; otherwise, he could have been back in just a few hours.
Upon his return:
"Lord Tang Ping!"
Naragata, who was waiting at the entrance, hurried over.
"What's going on? Couldn't you have put it in the letter?"
Tang Ping was clearly irritated. His experiments had just started, and being called back so abruptly naturally put him in a bad mood. If it had been an invasion by the Sand shinobi, that would have been understandable. But this mysterious summons, with constant urging to return, left him frustrated.
Naragata didn't explain, only leading Tang Ping to the meeting hall. Inside, Tang Ping noticed something was off. Not only was Mifune present, but so were Asuma Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and others.
Trouble! This thought flashed through his mind. However, he wasn't worried and simply found an empty seat.
"I wonder what wind has blown the advisor elders here. Could it be the sandstorm from the Sand shinobi?"
This was both a jab and a probe. While Mifune remained unmoved, Asuma, Koharu, and others clenched their fists.
Too much! Clearly, he was using their previous defeat at the hands of the Sand shinobi to mock them.
"Uchiha Tang Ping, this is an order from the village!"
Mifune sternly presented a mission scroll, which his aide, Mifune's son, handed over.
It was an official order, meaning it would be recorded in the village's archives, not a personal request. Tang Ping had no choice but to accept it and unrolled the scroll.
The order was straightforward: to lead a team to escort Mifune and the delegation to negotiate with the Sand shinobi. The specifics of the negotiations were not his concern; his job was to get them to the meeting point and bring them back.
The mission was procedural and not targeted at him, so Tang Ping had no objections. However, the task was classified, which was why it couldn't be communicated in writing and required his personal presence.
One piece of information caught his attention: the delegation included Sand shinobi prisoners.
Trouble! Something was definitely off. Negotiations implied no prior agreement, so the prisoners wouldn't be brought along unless...
A backroom deal had already been struck. The public negotiations were just a cover, and the real goal was to use these prisoners to exchange for something.
Looking at the lineup of the delegation, which included all the top ninja, it was obvious what they were exchanging for.
Asuma Sarutobi! His capture was known to only a few, and a gag order had been issued. If they could bring him back secretly, they might wash away this disgrace.
Disgusting! Tang Ping had a glimpse into the dark side of the village's leadership. Thankfully, he hadn't been naive enough to believe that all the village's leaders were as noble as the "Will of Fire" suggested. Otherwise, he would have been in deep trouble.
But it was fine; it didn't affect him, so he would just do his job for the pay.
"About the things I need...?"
If they hadn't brought what they promised, he wouldn't hesitate to give them a "righteous backstab."
"In the warehouse!"
Mifune answered bluntly.
"Good, let's get ready and leave!"
Upon hearing that everything was in place, Tang Ping stood up, pretending to be eager for the mission.
Ha! This was a perfect opportunity to watch the drama unfold from the front row. He couldn't wait.
As for the preparations, he didn't need to worry about them; he could leave that to Naragata. It was a shame that Yurikaze Shizukana had been taken by Orochimaru; otherwise, he would have had even more help. As for Nara Shikaku, even if he were in Mount Kikyo, he wouldn't interfere without Tang Ping's permission.
Before leaving, Tang Ping visited the medical ward and distributed the diluted healing potion, bringing tears to the eyes of the medical ninja.
What a kind man! With so many injured, they could barely treat a fraction of them in a day. Now, with the healing potion, they could take care of most of the injured, and the rest would be easy.
Tang Ping wasn't one to spend resources without expecting a return.
Here is the rewritten chapter with non-English characters replaced with their English equivalents or transliterations:
These clan ninjas have been tested by blood and fire, and they are the elite of the clan. Once the Southwest Ninja Army absorbs them, their combat strength will skyrocket.
To Douhei Uchiha, the fact that they are loyal to the Hokage and not to him is not a flaw, but an advantage. He has no intention of subduing the Southwest Ninja Army. The stronger these people are, the easier it is for him. And since they aren't loyal to him, using them won't cause him any heartache, right?
It didn't take long for the team to be ready. Over a hundred Sand shinobi with sealed chakra, along with a hundred clan ninjas from the Southwest Ninja Army. This was a secret mission, so the fewer people who knew about it, the better.
"Lord Douhei!"
Seeing Uchiha Douhei appear, everyone bowed respectfully. Douhei didn't respond; he wasn't the type to be ‘people-friendly.’ His gaze swept over the assembled ninjas before he climbed onto the roof of a carriage and lay down. The carriage wasn't for them but for the Sand shinobi captives.
Ninjas!
A powerful yet fragile profession. They have terrifying destructive capabilities, but they are also vulnerable enough to be killed with a single stab (Angle, Hidan: Note: Replaced with a descriptive term as the original text seems to be incomplete/inaccurate _Hidden Assassin, Hidan_).
And without chakra, they are not much stronger than ordinary people. That's why they needed the carriages. A few carriages were enough for over a hundred Sand shinobi, as the destination wasn't too far away.
Rustle!
The convoy slowly moved forward.
For some reason, Douhei felt a nagging sense of unease. It was as if someone was watching him. In his previous life, he would have dismissed it as a mere illusion. But this was the ninja world, a world of chakra where intuition could sometimes be more reliable than sight.
Wait!
A name suddenly popped into Douhei's mind.
White Zetsu (no change, as it's already a widely accepted transliteration)
If he remembered correctly, Madara Uchiha hadn't been unplugged yet, right? The man had been monitoring the ninja world all along, and the Mist Village was under his control. That meant this new ‘Sage’ would definitely be within his field of vision.
So, was there a White Zetsu nearby?
The thought of White Zetsu being around first startled Douhei, then filled him with wild excitement. Compared to the difficult-to-cultivate and dominant Hashirama Cells, White Zetsu was the true ‘treasure boy.’ He could be transplanted without rejection, enhance chakra, and boost recovery, all without any side effects. It was practically a miracle!
With so many benefits, he certainly deserved the title of ‘treasure boy.’ Unfortunately, while White Zetsu wasn't strong in combat, his ability to escape and disguise himself was unparalleled. Even the Byakugan couldn't detect him. His ‘Mayfly Technique’ was too powerful, allowing him to move at incredible speeds while blending his aura with the surrounding environment.
At this stage, White Zetsu was still a hot potato. Madara Uchiha was still alive, and if Douhei captured White Zetsu, Madara Uchiha would likely show up to have a ‘heart-to-heart’ chat.
The more Douhei studied biology, the more he realized the limits of human potential. Unless he stopped being human, of course. The Otsutsuki Clan were aliens, which is why their bloodline was so powerful.
While these thoughts swirled in his head, Douhei showed no outward signs of his internal turmoil and continued lying on the carriage roof. However, he could faintly hear the sound of an argument.
"I'm going too!"
"No matter what, I won't give up! That's my ninja way!"
"Even if you don't take me, I'll follow!"
...
Even though they were being held back by Sarutobi Kousuke, the lead young ninja showed no signs of giving up.
This was going to be fun!
Douhei jumped down from the carriage roof, waved to Kousuke to indicate everything was fine, and walked to the back of the team. Even though he couldn't recognize them at first glance (in the real ninja world, appearances differ from the anime), their words were enough to identify them.
The youngest son of a wealthy family... no, the youngest son of the Hokage. A truly terrifying presence, Konohamaru Sarutobi (inferred based on context, as the original text only mentioned "youngest son of the Hokage").
(End of Chapter)
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