As the four steam vents appeared, the rotating water spear emitted an even sharper, high-pitched whine. Under Dosuke's control, the buzzing water spear did not fire. Instead, a third pair of steam vents slowly began to form at its base.
As the third pair of vents started to open, the rotating spear spun even faster. The sharp buzzing sound echoed throughout the entire Forest of Death, startling the birds from the previously quiet trees.
Bang! Bang!
Before the third pair of vents could fully form, the water spear exploded completely under the pressure of its boiling internal molecules.
The light blue water film covering his body slowly receded. Dosuke looked at his injured right hand. "It seems with my current chakra control, I still cannot directly manage a six-vent water spear."
He formed a hand seal, and the glow of the Mystical Palm Technique covered his injured hand. The swelling slowly subsided before his eyes.
"The close-range explosion has a powerful impact, and the victim would be burned by the steam," he observed as the injury healed. Feeling the chakra consumption in his body, the loss was not significant.
The water spear, originally only a C-rank ninjutsu, had been mutated under Dosuke's control into a technique with A-rank power. But further enhancement could not be achieved through chakra control alone. He could barely maintain it, but not for long.
He took it easy. With a flick of his hand, in the blink of an eye, several buzzing water spears were hovering around him. "Go."
The water spears, shrieking sharply, shot out in all directions with white shockwaves, blasting a series of bottomless pits into the surrounding area.
Looking at the pockmarked landscape he had created, Dosuke smiled faintly. Finally, even on the battlefield, he had a reliable means to protect himself.
With hand seals, Dosuke vanished silently, appearing directly inside his home. He had long since placed Flying Thunder God marks there. Not only at home, but he had also left marks in many places throughout the village.
The incident with Tachie had made him realize how insignificant his current influence was. If not for him being Tsunade's disciple and showing talent beyond the ordinary, the last incident would never have been brushed aside so easily. Even if it was not his fault initially, it did not matter. He needed to make plans for himself early.
Back home, looking at the empty kitchen and the dusty rooms, he could not help but think of the figure in clogs, and the clicking sound they made.
He hastily ate dinner. Dosuke sat at his desk, holding a scroll and beginning to study the combinations of various herbs. Whenever he had time now, he researched healing potions.
Unknowingly, time passed like flowing water. In the blink of an eye, several months went by.
One early morning, Dosuke emerged from the laboratory with heavy steps. Tsunade stood not far away, watching him.
"Dosuke, have you not gone home yet?"
"No, teacher. I finally have an idea," Dosuke said, his voice slightly hoarse but his bloodshot eyes shining brightly.
Just as Tsunade was about to say something, a resounding hawk cry spread throughout Konoha. Both Tsunade and Dosuke looked up sharply at the ninja hawk circling in the air.
"This is..." Tsunade said solemnly.
"It is the Jonin summoning order. Teacher, you should go," Dosuke said, staring at the hawk.
"Okay, I am leaving. You remember to get more rest." With that, Tsunade vanished instantly.
It looks like the war is about to start.
From a shadowy corner he could not see, a small figure hid most of its body, peeking out with half its head to look at him. Seeing Dosuke's tired figure, its eyes quietly showed distress.
As Tsunade left, Dosuke turned and re-entered the Konoha lab. Recently, he had been spending all his time there.
Walking back into the laboratory, its appearance had changed from before. This lab had been assigned to him by Tsunade after he began his research into therapeutic potions. On the floor, a series of sealing arrays were drawn, with a light green test tube placed in the center of one.
Dosuke stepped forward and pulled out the test tube from the sealing array. It did not take long for the reagent inside to vanish at a visible rate. His research had made great progress, but judging by today's events, the Third Great Ninja War was imminent.
That evening, Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocked on the laboratory door.
Dosuke got up to open it and found Tsunade standing there, looking at him. "Teacher!" He stepped aside to let her in.
As soon as she entered, Tsunade was startled by the sealing arrays covering the floor. "Dosuke, are you really researching healing potions?"
It was no wonder she asked. The dim dusk light shone into the room, and with the dense magic circles on the ground, it did not look like he was engaged in legitimate research.
"Teacher, do not worry. It is all normal research," Dosuke assured her confidently.
"Teacher, you came to see me right after the meeting today. It is about the war, is not it? Has it started?" Dosuke asked Tsunade, who was sitting on a stool with her legs crossed.
"Sigh, I knew I could not hide it from you. Not that I wanted to. According to scout intelligence, Sunagakure has already begun to mobilize its troops."
Since the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, the entire upper echelon of Sunagakure had been extremely tense. Moreover, due to the nature of the Land of Wind, the funds allocated to Sunagakure had been continuously reduced. As a result, the number of elite ninjas in Sunagakure had been unable to increase, and the village's missions were decreasing year by year.
On the other hand, Konoha, also one of the Five Great Nations, had always ranked first in the number of missions, and a large number of missions that should have gone to Sunagakure were flowing to Konoha. Consequently, Sunagakure held great hostility towards Konoha. In the view of the hawk faction in Sunagakure, Konoha was the chief culprit behind their village's plight.
The disappearance of the Third Kazekage meant Sunagakure urgently needed to assert its presence in the ninja world. With the unanimous consent of its elders, the village needed an outlet, and the neighboring Konoha was the best target.
Especially after Konoha noticed Sunagakure's movements, the constant scouting by reconnaissance teams kept irritating Sunagakure's nerves. The friction on the border between the two countries had been constant, and now it was finally about to explode.
Tsunade clasped her hands on her knees. "The village has decided that in three days, the combat troops will head for the border of the Land of Fire. I have already suggested to the old man that you lead the medical team to the front."