"Won't infiltrating Amegakure be too risky?" Jiraiya said, worry on his face. "News that Iwagakure raided Amegakure will definitely reach Hanzō soon—he may even already be on his way back."
"If Iwagakure's slaughter and looting really were just a smokescreen, Hanzō will absolutely realize their true target is the antidote formula."
"Setting aside whether Amegakure has a dedicated pharmaceutical workshop producing the antidote, whether Hanzō has handed the formula to subordinates, and whether Iwagakure succeeded—afterward Hanzō will destroy the formula, and may even destroy the workshop, keeping the antidote entirely in his own hands."
"And once Amegakure is attacked, Hanzō will definitely change strategy and strengthen the village's defenses. Infiltrating Amegakure then would be far too dangerous."
"That's exactly why we must infiltrate Amegakure and confirm it," Tsunade shot back. "And I believe that's also why Sarutobi-sensei sent this Gojo brat here."
"Right now Hanzō may not have returned yet—or may not have reacted. This is our best window."
"There's no time to waste arguing here. Gojo Yoru and I will infiltrate Amegakure to confirm it. You lot—vote and decide, now."
Orochimaru and the others fell silent.
Gojo Yoru leaned close to Orochimaru's ear and asked softly, "Orochimaru-sensei… what exactly is Tsunade-sama trying to confirm?"
Orochimaru didn't hide it. "Not long ago, Iwagakure raided Amegakure and carried out large-scale slaughter and looting. But we suspect the Iwa-nin did it to create an illusion. Their real purpose was to find Amegakure's hidden pharmaceutical workshop and steal the salamander poison antidote and its formula."
"Because Sunagakure has already developed a formula to counter the salamander poison and can mass-produce antidotes. If Iwagakure also gets the formula—or gets a large supply of antidotes—they might be able to reverse-engineer the formula as well."
"Then, among the three nearby great nations, two would have the antidote. Hanzō might ally with them and declare war on the Land of Fire, or they might deliberately lure the salamander toward us."
"To prevent the worst-case scenario, we can't sit still. We must get the antidote formula as quickly as possible."
"Tsunade's idea is simple: infiltrate Amegakure amid the chaos and see whether Iwagakure succeeded."
"If they did succeed, we prepare for the worst—even if we're considered to have joined the war, we'll have to seize antidotes from the Rain and Sand. If they didn't succeed, then whatever part of Amegakure is currently most heavily guarded may be the secret workshop producing the antidote. We can seize the antidote and formula there."
"I see," Yoru murmured, and also realized that his own presence had already caused a butterfly effect.
Without his Flying Thunder God, Konoha would never dare be this proactive.
The outcome would likely become the worst case Orochimaru described: Konoha forced into three-front warfare, fighting Sunagakure, Amegakure, and Iwagakure at once.
Now, with Yoru's Flying Thunder God, Konoha dared to think—and dared to act.
So Yoru spoke up. "If Tsunade-sama infiltrates, won't that be too high-profile? Why not let me sneak in and check? Even if I'm discovered, no one knows my identity yet."
"If it were only simple infiltration, Anbu and the scouts could do it," Tsunade explained. "But our goal is to locate and confirm whether a pharmaceutical workshop exists. Any workshop—no matter what drug it was founded to produce—can't possibly produce only one medicine for camouflage, and it definitely can't have only one formula."
"This infiltration requires an outstanding medical ninja. In all of Konoha, no one is more suitable than I am."
"I understand," Yoru said again.
And Danzō finally stopped hesitating. "Since Hiruzen supports your decision, this mission is yours."
"Yes."
Tsunade and Yoru nodded together. Then Tsunade said sternly, "Whether this infiltration succeeds or fails, it's effectively the same as declaring war on Amegakure. You must prepare for the possibility of Hanzō's salamander being dropped in by summoning. We cannot let our combat units bunch together—we must scatter them quickly."
"At the same time, we must prepare to go to war with Sunagakure. If we can't obtain the formula and a large supply of antidote from Amegakure, then we'll move against Suna."
Orochimaru and the others all nodded with heavy expressions.
"Kid, let's go," Tsunade said to Yoru.
"Then we'll be off, Orochimaru-sensei, and everyone," Yoru nodded to them.
His body shifted in a blink—swapping position from beside Orochimaru to beside Tsunade.
He placed a hand on Tsunade's shoulder, and the two vanished from the meeting room instantly.
"T-this…!"
Jiraiya, witnessing it with his own eyes, went wide-eyed, mouth hanging open. His voice shook. "So this is the legendary Flying Thunder God…?! That speed is terrifying. If that kid had attacked us just now, would we even be able to react?!"
Even Hatake Sakumo—one of Konoha's top speed specialists, highly skilled in Lightning Release—felt his pupils tighten.
And he felt a wave of relief.
Good thing Gojo Yoru was on their side. Otherwise, against an enemy like that, unless you could kill him instantly, human-wave tactics would be meaningless.
Even scarier, this technique could teleport people and objects—its strategic deterrence was absurd.
As for Danzō, his fist under the table was already clenched tight, jealousy burning.
Only Orochimaru's mood was bright.
Even his smile carried a trace of playful satisfaction.
Flying Thunder God alone already shocked them this much… he truly looked forward to their faces when they learned Gojo Yoru had a space–time bloodline.
…
Rocky mountain region of the Land of Rain, inside a naturally formed cave.
The figures of Gojo Yoru and Tsunade appeared out of thin air.
"We're in Amegakure already?" Tsunade asked instinctively.
"Not yet. After learning Flying Thunder God, I haven't been to Amegakure," Yoru said. "This is outside a town in the Land of Rain. Tsunade-sama, please wait here a moment—I'll go buy two raincoats and straw hats."
"Be careful, and watch the ground," Tsunade warned. "Amegakure specializes in assassination. They're extremely good at poison and using terrain to set traps. Their explosive tag flame array is famous—Hanzō's signature. There may be traps like that everywhere in the Land of Rain right now. Stay alert."
"…Okay," Yoru nodded, though his expression was a bit strange—almost as if he was wondering whether Tsunade had ever warned Nawaki like this.
~~~
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