Jishi

Yotsuki Ki recovered from his shock and keenly sensed the enormous benefits this plan would bring to the Yotsuki Clan. He also understood why Dada had summoned only the two of them. As he carefully considered the chain of changes it would bring, he showed why the future Fourth Raikage was by no means some brainless brute.

After understanding Dada's plan, Dodai checked the soundproof barrier several times. When he accepted the scroll Dada handed him, containing the detailed plan, it felt as though he had received an S-rank mission scroll.

This scroll was far more important than an S-rank mission...

"I've written all the other details in the scroll. Show it to Father when the time comes. As for Kitano Izumi, I'll use the order to keep him steady for now. His experience and skills are indispensable too, so there's no need to cut him out completely. The business network he's built over the years is valuable. If this succeeds, just give him the shares he deserves."

Given the overwhelming position of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Kitano Izumi might retain at most ten percent. But that ten percent could be worth far more than the Blacksmith Shop he currently owned.

"But the sooner, the better. Others may have already noticed something as well. The faster we act, the fewer variables there will be," Dada concluded.

"Young Master Dada, may I return to the village first and report this plan to the Raikage? This matter is of great importance to the village."

"No problem." Dada naturally had no reason to object.

"But if I leave, the guards around you will be insufficient..." Dodai hesitated again. Among the three jonin, he was considered the strongest. If he left, the team's overall strength would be greatly affected.

Dada said unconcernedly, "It's fine. The Land of Soup is so close to the Land of Lightning, what could possibly go wrong? Besides, even if you leave, there are still two jonin and several chunin in the group. Qi is also nearly as strong as a jonin. There's no problem at all."

Dodai thought so too. If he moved quickly, he could make the round trip in three or four days.

"Then I shall depart overnight."

"Go on, go on."

The day after Dodai left with the scroll, Dada's group finally arrived at the place where the old man Yotsuki Ki had mentioned lived: a small village beside the capital of the Land of Soup.

The village was tiny and shabby, with only a few dozen residents in total. That capable doctor clearly could not have lived here for long, or there would not even be any patients to see.

Though Dada had made plenty of assumptions beforehand, he was still startled when he saw the old doctor.

Yotsuki Ki had been far too conservative. This man was not merely at risk of dying from old age at any moment. He looked like a corpse that had climbed out of its coffin.

Age spots covered the man's face. Every wrinkle could hide a handful of coins, and only a thin layer of skin clung to his bones. When Dada saw him, the old man was trimming a potted plant at a rate of roughly one movement every ten seconds.

"Oh... you're that young fellow from before. Your companion has been here for quite a while. Have you come to take him away?"

The old man's voice trembled. By the time he finished one sentence, the phlegm in his throat seemed to have gone up and down several times.

Earlier, Yotsuki Ki had left a chunin from the team behind, partly to keep the old man from wandering off and partly to take care of him in case he suddenly died.

"Grandpa, I told you that my younger brother has some physical problems. This time, I brought him with me."

Yotsuki Ki remained very polite toward the elderly as he pulled Dada in front of him.

The old man looked Dada over and said, "Wait for this old man a moment. Let me finish trimming this pot of flowers."

"..."

That wait lasted more than two hours.

"Brother, this old man isn't going to die of old age while trimming those flowers, is he?" Dada said speechlessly.

"Mm... that's very possible..." Yotsuki Ki seriously considered it.

Just as Dada was about to collapse, the old doctor finally finished trimming the plant, though Dada could not see any difference whatsoever.

The old man led Dada and the others into the courtyard, then began wandering around on his own.

The group stood in a row, utterly baffled as they watched the old man pace back and forth.

Sometimes he went left, sometimes right. At times he entered the house, then came back out after a while. His eyes had no focus, yet he kept muttering under his breath, as though he were performing some kind of ritual. The line of people tilted their heads, their gazes gradually turning blank.

"What is he doing?"

"I don't know..."

"He isn't going to die of old age just from walking around like this, is he?" one jonin asked doubtfully.

Everyone else seriously considered the possibility.

At last, the old man stopped and pulled a chair out from behind a broken door panel. "I knew it had to be around here."

He had been looking for a chair!!!!

Just as everyone thought the old man was about to sit down, he placed the chair in front of them.

"Wait here. I'll borrow a few chairs from the neighbors."

No one dared let the old man go borrow chairs. Whether he could return before dawn would be another question entirely.

Someone immediately used Earth Release to make several small stools and pulled the old man back.

The others had figured it out as well. It was better to handle the old man's tasks for him.

They kept the old man settled, then served tea and water, fetching whatever he needed. They even tidied up the little courtyard. The efficiency immediately improved.

"Thank you, young people. You've helped me do so many things..." the old man said happily.

As long as your efficiency was low enough, someone would eventually be unable to stand it and do the work for you.

While waiting, Dada began chatting with the old man, filled with curiosity.

"Sir, how old are you this year?"

"Mm... let me think..." The old man fell silent as he thought. Dada secretly glanced at him, but there was simply no way to tell anything from that excessively aged face.

Still, Dada was willing to bet Uzumaki Hirohiko's life that this man had definitely been born in the distant Warring States Period, far older than even Hashirama Senju and the others he knew.

"Are you planning to stay here for a long time?"

"Ah, I've traveled to so many places that I no longer want to move. This place is very nice..." the old man said with a grin.

"Then how should I address you?"

"Call me Grandpa Jishi, hahaha."

At last, the servant team had prepared everything, and Dada could begin his examination.

Old Man Jishi had Dada remove his shirt, then extended an arm barely thicker than a mop handle and grabbed Dada's hand. Yet instead of checking his pulse as Dada had expected, he began feeling from Dada's hand upward, occasionally giving him a pinch. Only then did Dada remember that pulse-taking belonged to traditional Chinese medicine, while this was the Shinobi World.

"Sir, be careful. My condition is a little unusual. I discharge electricity uncontrollably, and sometimes it can be quite powerful."

After roughly examining Dada's body, the old man formed a hand sign in front of his chest. A faint white glow appeared at his fingertips.

Only then did Dada realize that the old man had formed a seal. His movements had merely been so slow that no one had thought in that direction...

One-handed seals? He was a ninja?