12dz Chapter 696 Why?
Chapter 696 Why?
"Why?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, her tone tinged with displeasure. "Do you think I'd hold you back? Don't forget, I'm one of the Legendary Sannin!"
“I know your strength,” Zhang Hai said in a deep voice, “but the nature of this mission is very special. The reason why Teacher Baiya is in his current predicament is because he saved his companion. If I take you with me, and something unexpected happens and the villagers find out, then you will also be implicated. At that time, we will both be in trouble.”
He paused, his tone becoming even more resolute, "Besides, the village needs you now. If you leave too, what will happen to the village's medical system? What will happen to Shizune? What will happen to Rin Nohara? Lady Tsunade, you can't go."
Tsunade looked into Zhang Hai's eyes, which were filled with sincerity and worry, and her heart skipped a beat. She knew Zhang Hai was telling the truth. As a medical ninja of Konoha, she bore the heavy responsibility of protecting the village's medical system. If she were to leave with Zhang Hai, the entire village would be plunged into crisis.
She looked at Zhang Hai, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She hadn't expected that this usually carefree young man would show such maturity and responsibility at such a crucial moment.
"You brat..." Tsunade said softly, her tone tinged with both helplessness and admiration, "Alright, I'll listen to you. But you have to come back alive!"
Looking into Tsunade's sincere eyes, Zhang Hai felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He knew that although Tsunade appeared stern on the surface, she was an extremely kind and caring person who loved her comrades.
"Don't worry, Lady Tsunade," Zhang Hai said in a deep voice, "I will definitely come back alive, complete the mission, and clear White Fang's name!"
After saying that, Zhang Hai rushed out of Konoha without looking back, speeding towards the distant border of the Land of Wind. He knew he carried the trust of White Fang and the expectations of Tsunade. He had to win this battle! He knew very well that only by completing this mission in White Fang's place could he minimize the impact of this incident on White Fang and let the villagers see that White Fang's choice was not a mistake.
Just as Zhang Hai was about to disappear from sight, Tsunade suddenly called out to him.
"and many more!"
Zhang Hai stopped and turned to look at Tsunade.
Tsunade took off a necklace from her neck; it was her family heirloom and a precious keepsake. She walked up to Zhang Hai and placed the necklace around his neck.
"This is for you." Tsunade's voice softened, her eyes filled with worry and reluctance. "It will protect you. Remember, you must come back alive!"
Looking at the cool necklace around his neck, Zhang Hai felt a surge of warmth in his heart as he sensed Tsunade's deep care. He knew what this necklace meant to Tsunade.
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Zhang Hai's voice was a little hoarse.
He didn't say anything more, but nodded heavily to Tsunade, and then disappeared outside the gates of Konoha in a flash.
As he sped towards the Land of Wind, Zhang Hai pulled a scroll from his robes. He formed hand seals and channeled chakra into the scroll.
"Psychicism!"
"Oh!"
As the white smoke dissipated, a lifelike eagle puppet appeared out of thin air. The eagle puppet's eyes flashed red, and its wingspan was over two meters long.
Zhang Hai leaped onto the eagle puppet's back and whispered, "Let's go!"
The eagle puppet flapped its wings, let out a clear cry, and soared into the sky. It drew a graceful arc in the air and flew swiftly towards the Land of Wind.
On the back of the eagle puppet, Zhang Hai unfolded the mission information given to him by the Third Hokage. He carefully read the contents of the scroll, his brows gradually furrowing.
The scroll details the entirety of White Fang's mission. White Fang's objective was to destroy a secret base on the border of the Land of Wind, where Sunagakure was developing a new toxin. However, while gathering intelligence and preparing to evacuate, White Fang was attacked by the Hidden Cloud Village's Anbu.
"The Hidden Cloud Village's Anbu..." Zhang Hai's heart sank. The ninjas of the Hidden Cloud Village were renowned for their formidable taijutsu and lightning-style ninjutsu, and their strength should not be underestimated.
The scroll also mentions that during the battle with the Hidden Cloud Village's Anbu, White Fang obtained S-rank intelligence that could change the landscape of the ninja world. This intelligence concerned a secret plan of the Hidden Cloud Village, and its leakage would inevitably trigger a ninja war. However, during the evacuation, White Fang's teammates were seriously injured. To save his comrades, White Fang had to abandon the intelligence, leaving it on the battlefield. Ultimately, White Fang successfully evacuated with his wounded teammates, but the mission was deemed a failure.
"I see..." Zhang Hai finally understood the pressure that Teacher Baiya was under. He not only had to face the blame for the mission failure, but also the immense pressure of abandoning S-class intelligence.
The scroll also marked the location of the final battle between White Fang and the Cloud Village's Anbu—the Land of Hot Springs, at the border between Konoha and Cloud Village. Cloud Village dispatched a full thirty Anbu ninja in an effort to retrieve the intelligence.
“The Land of Hot Water…” Zhang Hai’s eyes darkened slightly. The Land of Hot Water is a small, neutral country located between the two major ninja villages of Konoha and Kumogakure. Its geographical location is complex, and it is an area where ninjas from both countries frequently clash.
He put away the scroll and gazed into the distance. He knew that to retrieve that S-rank intelligence, he had to go to Kumogakure. Given Kumogakure's cautious nature, if the intelligence fell into their hands, they would definitely send it back to the village immediately for safekeeping.
However, barging directly into Kumogakure would be like throwing lambs to the slaughter. He needed to first track down the movements of Kumogakure's ANBU before he could formulate his next plan.
The eagle puppet flew at high speed through the air, while Zhang Hai's Sharingan constantly scanned the land below. He searched for any area that might bear traces of battle.
Finally, above a dense forest, Zhang Hai discovered a clearing. The trees in the clearing had been cut in half, and the ground was covered with charred marks and knife marks of varying depths.
"This is it!" Zhang Hai thought to himself and immediately ordered the eagle puppet to lower its altitude.
He jumped off the eagle puppet's back, his Sharingan instantly activating. The three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, scrutinizing every detail of the open space. He saw the lingering chakra fluctuations on the ground, the distinctive footprints left by the Cloud Village's Anbu, and could even discern their chakra nature from the lingering scent in the air.
With the Sharingan's keen perception, Zhang Hai quickly located the movements of the Cloud Village's Anbu. They didn't seem to be returning directly to Cloud Village, but instead heading towards the heart of the Land of Hot Water.
"It seems they want to conduct intelligence analysis in the Land of Hot Water first, or wait for reinforcements," Zhang Hai thought to himself.