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Chapter 71: The Revenge Plan!
Chapter 71: The Revenge Plan!
"Looks like... we won’t be getting any reinforcements. And there’s a rumor going around the village that the fall of the border camp was due to your poor intelligence, Tomo."
Shorin said, relaying the message he received from the messenger hawk.
This was a devastating blow.
No reinforcements!
They had hoped that if they could just hold on a little longer, help would arrive. But now, it seemed they were on their own.
And, of course, the blame was being pinned on Tomo.
Anyone else might have felt responsible. But Tomo, who had been through the events firsthand, knew the truth.
Facing an attack by a powerful opponent like Yugao, without another ninja of the same caliber, no one could have held their ground. The responsibility clearly lay with the village’s higher-ups.
The Sand Village had been showing signs of unrest for some time, yet the village leadership had done nothing beyond mobilizing supplies. Who else could be blamed?
Tomo remained unfazed, completely unaffected by the news.
No way!
Why should he be affected?
With Taichi at his side, he could easily escape the encirclement. Whether or not reinforcements were coming didn’t matter to him.
As for the smear campaign?
Sorry, but he wasn’t White Fang, and he wasn’t like those prideful Uchihas. He wasn’t about to take the blame for rumors.
Rumors were effective against ninjas with a strong sense of duty and morality. But Tomo had long since abandoned those principles, embracing a life of moral flexibility. How could such rumors possibly affect him?
"Alright, let’s focus on how we’re going to break through the encirclement!"
Shorin, though puzzled by Tomo’s calmness, shifted the topic. Regardless of who was to blame, they needed to find a way out first.
"..."
No one spoke.
They all knew that, given their current situation, breaking through the Sand ninjas’ encirclement and making it back to Konoha was nearly impossible.
As for abandoning the convoy and fleeing alone, no one even suggested it. Even if they managed to escape and return to Konoha, they would be dead men walking.
"There is actually a way!"
Tomo broke the silence, unwilling to continue the awkward tension.
"Our mission is to escort the convoy back to Konoha, but there’s no time limit or specific route, right?"
He made it clear.
They could take a different route and lie low for a while.
This would make it much easier to escape the encirclement.
"That won’t work. The poisoned shinobi won’t last much longer; they need to be treated in Konoha as quickly as possible!"
Shorin rejected Tomo’s suggestion.
Doing so would mean abandoning the poisoned shinobi, effectively giving up on the mission.
The idea wasn’t the problem; reality made it impossible.
The Will of Fire wouldn’t allow them to do such a thing.
Konoha ninjas were raised under the influence of the Will of Fire, and their loyalty to the village was unwavering.
"What if I can slow down the effects of the poison?"
Tomo’s words made everyone’s breathing quicken.
No one wanted to die!
Before, they had no choice, but now that there was a way out, how could they not be excited?
"Really?"
Shorin’s eyes gleamed with hope as he pressed for confirmation.
"I have a bit of experience in developing medicines; slowing down the poison’s effects shouldn’t be a problem!"
Tomo modestly assured them.
And he wasn’t worried about revealing his skills.
The healing potion had been his creation. If he claimed he couldn’t develop medicines, that would be a lie.
So, there was no risk in showing his capabilities.
In a way, Tomo owed this to Tsunade.
She had imparted a wealth of medical knowledge to him, including methods for antidotes.
With this knowledge, it was no wonder he felt confident in his assurance.
Curing the poison might be difficult, but slowing it down was a different story.
If it were a highly lethal poison, the ninjas wouldn’t have survived long enough to be transported back to Konoha. So, the difficulty of slowing the poison’s effects wasn’t as great as they imagined.
Gathering materials isn't difficult; they are abundant in the forest.
"Which direction should we head?"
Xiao Linping dispensed with pretense and spread out the map, asking for a specific destination.
"Here!"
Tang Ping traced a line on the map and pointed to a spot.
"River Country?"
Everyone looked at the point Tang Ping had indicated.
It was a small nation located in the southern regions of Wind Country and Fire Country.
Due to its mostly unarable rivers, the population was sparse, and the situation was chaotic and disorganized.
Ironically, River Country bordered Wind Country.
One lacked water, while the other had rivers that overflowed, making the contrast stark.
"Exactly. The Sand shinobi won't expect us to flee to River Country. We can hide there for a while, and once the Konoha forces arrive, we can return the same way!"
Tang Ping laid out the plan.
"Agreed!"
Xiao Linping nodded immediately, and the other two Chunin had no objections.
The plan made sense.
However, to buy time, someone had to act as a decoy and divert the Sand shinobi's attention.
"I'll take care of it!"
Tang Ping volunteered without hesitation.
It wasn't out of selflessness but because this was a rare opportunity.
In the past, whenever he left the village, it was either for a mission or with someone else, leaving no chance for independent action. This time, the opportunity was perfect.
With the freedom to act, he could take care of some important matters.
For example, relocating the Fushou Tree!
This tree was no longer suitable to keep in Konoha. To restrict its growth, Tang Ping dared not invest more resources, fearing it would grow too large to transport.
Once he took on the decoy mission, Tang Ping would have the time to move the Fushou Tree to a location he had already scouted.
"Agreed!"
Xiao Linping nodded, accepting Tang Ping's offer to be the decoy without hesitation. He was in no condition to take on the task himself; it would be suicide. Tang Ping had already proven his strength, making him the best choice for the job.
After the discussion, Tang Ping set out under the cover of night.
Or rather, he spent the night gathering medicinal herbs, creating a large supply of antidotes, and then actively diverted the Sand shinobi's attention.
Acting with the convoy was restrictive, but alone, he could unleash his full potential.
If not for the need to conserve his strength, Tang Ping could have led the group out of the encirclement and back to Konoha.
But that would be foolish.
Back in the village, he would have endless missions waiting for him. It would be insane to rush back.
Better to use this time to cause some trouble.
He would take the blame, and anyone could guess who was responsible.
Eye for an eye!
Tang Ping wasn't the type to endure insults silently.
Just as he had decisively wiped out the Root squad sent to capture him, he would now teach Root a lesson and seize the valuable item he had coveted for so long.
Life and death were trivial to him; if he couldn't stand something, he would act.
Before crossing over, Tang Ping had detested phrases like "for the greater good" used to manipulate the lower ranks.
When they attacked him, they ignored the greater good, but when he retaliated, he was supposed to consider it?
The greater good was their concern, not his.
Enduring when he was weak was one thing, but enduring when he had strength made him a pushover.
With power, his mindset had shifted.
If he had just crossed over, Tang Ping might have sacrificed himself for the "greater good."
Now, with strength, he couldn't even bear to wait.
With a sharp mind, the urge to strike arose!
This saying was indeed true.
Relocating the Fushou Tree and taking revenge on Danzo could both be accomplished while diverting the Sand shinobi's attention.
This way, he would have an alibi.
(End of Chapter)
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