Chapter 363: Identity and the Sensory Ceiling of the Ninja World
"Thank you for saving me! Yagura Karatachi is eternally grateful... Perhaps you would consider staying in Kirigakure?"
On the coast of the Land of Water, the Fourth Mizukage spoke with genuine sincerity.
Standing on a small boat was a tall, bald man. He could have been twenty, thirty, or forty—his face was hard to place. He looked quite ordinary, with only his smooth, shiny head drawing any real attention.
The bald man didn't seem fond of speaking, merely offering a polite smile.
Yagura watched as the small boat drifted further away, feeling a pang of regret. This extraordinary man had saved his life, yet he was unwilling to stay in the Mist...
Yagura still didn't fully understand what had happened during the time he was controlled. Even now, it was hard to believe that as a Perfect Jinchuriki, he could be puppeted by Genjutsu. It was terrifying to imagine how powerful that visual prowess must have been.
If he hadn't crossed paths with this bald man by chance in a small town, he likely would still be trapped in that waking nightmare.
Beyond the shame, he felt a deep, lingering fear. The consequences of a village's Kage being controlled were catastrophic. It was this very fear that had shaken the Mist to its core, forcing them to realize they could no longer remain isolated and compelling Elder Genji's secret diplomatic mission.
Yagura watched the boat disappear over the horizon. "The ninja world truly hides countless wonders... The Land of Water has been closed off for far too long."
That mysterious bald man had simply patted his shoulder, and the horrific Genjutsu had shattered...
To be precise, he had dispelled the Genjutsu on the Three-Tails within him, and the Tailed Beast had then helped Yagura break free.
On the small boat, the bald man sat quietly, watching the ferryman row.
He had finished seeing the Land of Water. Along the way, he had incidentally dispelled the Genjutsu on some unlucky fellow. His next planned stop was the Land of Wind.
Taking advantage of the ferryman's distraction, a white snake the thickness of a child's arm poked its head out from the man's bosom. Its cold, white pupils held an unmistakably human expression—a mix of wariness and confusion.
"Who the hell are you...?"
The bald man didn't answer. In fact, he spoke so rarely that his words were worth their weight in gold.
Orochimaru had gone from rage to confusion, and now to a sense of creeping dread. He called the man a wooden idiot, yet the man knew how to shave his head and alter his facial features to hide his identity.
Jiraiya's memories hadn't returned in the slightest, yet the creature possessed countless strange methods that even Orochimaru didn't recognize.
What kind of thing did I pull out of the Pure Land...?
This was absolutely not Jiraiya.
If it weren't for the fact that the snake was only a living clone, Orochimaru would have fled as far as possible.
The ferryman suddenly stopped rowing, set the oars aside, and lit a stick of incense, planting it into a crack in the wooden bow.
The bald man, who rarely spoke, suddenly asked, "Why?"
The ferryman, thinking the guest was rushing him, explained, "My father died in these waters... so every time I pass through here, I light a stick of incense to pay my respects. Don't worry, guest, we won't stop for long."
"Shipwreck?" the bald man pressed.
The ferryman shook his head, a look of reminiscence on his face. "No... he was killed by a ninja. Years ago... a ninja hired my father to search this area for an island that could move. He paid very generously every time. But on the last trip, they never returned. I suspect the ninja found what he was looking for..."
The ferryman gritted his teeth and whispered, "I told him ninja were never to be trusted... why didn't he listen?"
A long silence followed, eventually broken by the sound of the waves.
The bald man said, "The Cloud-Thunder Federation... they are ninja too."
The ferryman was a citizen under the Federation's rule.
"No... they're more than just ninja... No, wait, that's not right. No ninja is any good!"
Perhaps due to limited worldliness, the ferryman couldn't articulate his thoughts further.
Hours later, the boat reached the shore. The bald man paid the fare, gave a slight nod of thanks, and stroded away.
Once out of the ferryman's line of sight, the bald man rubbed his head. Where his palm passed, lush white hair grew rapidly.
He thought for a moment, and without any visible movement, the hair automatically turned blond.
Rocking a spiky blond short-cut, he smiled and resumed his journey.
Cloud City.
Upon realizing that the Mizukage might not be the only person controlled by Genjutsu, Dana immediately mandated that all Federation high command must undergo a Genjutsu screening every 72 hours. No exceptions. If a result was older than 72 hours, the official was barred from work until a new test was completed.
This included himself and the Third Raikage. Fortunately, nothing was found.
Furthermore, he figured that since he was already dealing with one "sheep" (the Mist), he might as well herd two. Since Kirigakure wanted to join the Federation, he decided to ask the Rain Village as well.
Dana wrote a letter to Hanzo the Salamander, informing him of an upcoming visit to the Land of Rain to discuss the feasibility of joining the Federation and to verify if Hanzo was under any Genjutsu control.
Simultaneously, the Third Raikage wrote a secret personal letter to further probe Hanzo's current state.
Given the Land of Rain's critical strategic position and its years as a staunch ally of the Cloud, Dana wouldn't be surprised if Black Zetsu had set his sights there as well.
The Third Raikage's attempts to sense Natural Energy were still going nowhere, but he refused to give up—or rather, refused to admit he wasn't cut out for it.
Dana remembered a certain "yellow-haired hero" took more than ten days or so to master it, so he decided to give his Old Man some time. Since the first stage of sensing Natural Energy held no risk, Dana left a technique formula and instructed Ichikishimahime to come daily to assist his father's training. Meanwhile, Dana departed for the Land of Rain.
However, considering this was a serious mission, he didn't bring the Consul Guard Squad Two (the Kakashi trio).
They were fine for show at headquarters, but he wasn't going to take the three brats out to embarrass him; they weren't particularly useful yet.
Instead, Dana brought the legendary Guard Squad One—the squad that had always been on the roster, always paid, but never actually assembled until now.
Um... one of the members (Hiroto) was out on a mission, but his sister would fill the gap.
Early that morning, at the gates of Heavenly Transfer Base No. 3, Nagato and Kushina arrived at the meeting point.
Kushina was nervously counting on her fingers, trying to remember if she'd forgotten anything.
Nagato sighed beside her. "You're way too tense! You weren't even this nervous when we were on the run..."
"I'm acting as a guard for the Consul! And this is my first mission since joining the Federation. I have to complete it perfectly, or I won't be worthy of the generous salary Dana-sama pays me."
Bored while waiting, Nagato started doing push-ups. With his powerful arms, he propped his entire body up on a single finger.
Must open the Seventh Gate soon!
A deep voice echoed in his mind: "I don't understand why, with eyes like those, you are so obsessed with Taijutsu... What a waste!"
After a while, an exceptionally tall figure flew in from the distance.
Looking up, they saw Yotsuki Dana dressed formally, seemingly carrying someone in his arms.
Kayo jumped down from Dana's embrace with a blushing face and ran over to whisper to Kushina.
Yes, the members of Guard Squad One were the three redheads: Hiroto, Kushina, and Nagato.
When Dana told Kakashi's team that any single member of Squad One could wipe them out, he wasn't exaggerating.
With Hiroto currently away, only Nagato and Kushina were present, but Kayo filled in as the third redhead, keeping the team's "aesthetic" intact.
For this trip to the Land of Rain, Kayo's Mind's Eye of the Kagura was vital.
Combined with Kushina's Malice Sensing and Dana's own "Pulse" Vision and lie detection... these four together were effectively the sensory ceiling of the ninja world. If there was anything wrong with the Land of Rain, they would find it.
Dana looked at Kushina, who was carrying a massive backpack.
"Everyone here? Then let's move out. Travel light; a standard ninja pouch is enough."
She must be really nervous...
Kushina subconsciously clutched her pouch.
Inside were ten sealing scrolls she had prepared...
Bought with money she borrowed from Minato.