Fire Stealing Plan and Butterfly Wings

Just when Dada thought his first Chakra extraction would be a prolonged battle, A interrupted him.

"That's enough for now, Dada. Take a rest first..." There was a hint of helplessness in his tone.

Medical Ninjas were exceedingly rare in this era, and most were merely specialized doctors who knew a few secret techniques. Tsunade, who would truly establish a systematic medical system, had yet to make a name for herself.

To be honest, despite all these Kumogakure and clan elites gathered around to watch, if Dada's Bloodline Disease went wrong during his first Chakra extraction, they would all be at a loss. It was hard to say whether any of them had a way to save him.

After all, this was an undocumented Bloodline Disease and a brand-new suspected Kekkei Genkai. Out of caution, A stopped Dada's extraction. Chakra extraction was something ninjas did every day; since they could not be sure, they had to proceed slowly and not rush things.

A three-year-old child extracting Chakra for so long was already highly abnormal.

A carefully examined Dada's condition. Once he stopped extracting Chakra, the abnormality in Dada's spine also subsided, returning to its earlier bluish-purple state. The rapid arcs of electricity gradually vanished as well.

Even stranger, the small amount of Chakra that had remained was swiftly absorbed completely by his spine, leaving behind not a single trace.

After confirming that there was nothing else wrong with Dada's body, A handed him over to a maid to take home, while he stayed behind to hold a meeting with the clan members.

"Did anyone notice anything? Is this truly a bloodline ability, or perhaps a Bloodline Disease..." A rubbed his brow in frustration.

Ever since this Second Son had been born, he had caused endless worry for both A and the entire Yotsuki Clan.

Bloodline Diseases were already troublesome enough. More importantly, Dada might be the first member of the Yotsuki Clan to possess a bloodline ability, leaving them with absolutely nothing to use as reference.

"Actually, we are being too anxious. Whether it is a Kekkei Genkai or merely a Bloodline Disease, we will naturally know once Dada can practice ninjutsu or become a ninja. That is only four or five years away. We old men can afford to wait," said an old man with a white beard.

Another elder, even older and nearly toothless, shot him a fierce glare.

One look was enough to tell—they were people who could not afford to wait.

"A, what you did was right. Dada is too important to the Yotsuki Clan. We cannot afford to act rashly. Things will be better in a couple of years," the others echoed.

One person frowned and said, "That is assuming Dada has a Kekkei Genkai and not a Bloodline Disease. It is hard to say what is wrong with that child. If it truly is a Bloodline Disease with side effects, we should begin treatment early. Otherwise, things may spiral out of control in the future..."

A frowned without saying a word.

This was the hardest part for him. As a father, he did not want to leave everything to fate. Naturally, he hoped to discover the problem early and remedy it in time. But the issue was that neither the Yotsuki Clan nor Kumogakure possessed any medical methods worth mentioning. The village's few Medical Ninjas were fine at treating wounds, but expecting them to research an unprecedented Bloodline Disease was wishful thinking.

In the end, the village simply was not capable enough.

A sighed and summoned Dodai. "Activate the Fire Stealing Plan."

Dodai nodded without surprise, then vanished from A's sight in a Body Flicker.

The so-called Fire Stealing Plan had been formulated by A, the Raikage, after Dada's birth. Its core could be summed up in one sentence: seize the sparks.

It was meant to make up for Kumogakure's weaknesses in certain areas.

As a Martial Faction, Kumogakure was somewhat overly specialized at this time.

The transition from the clan system of the Warring States Period to the ninja village system meant that the structure had become more complex and its needs more comprehensive. They could no longer rely solely on their clan's secret techniques and survive on a single specialty. They had to cover every aspect.

The three major categories of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu aside, they also needed interrogation techniques, assassination techniques, Medical Ninjutsu, sensory ninjutsu, and more. They did not have to excel at all of them, but they had to possess them. Otherwise, the village's operations would suffer functional shortcomings.

Kumogakure had not enjoyed Konohagakure's blessed beginning, where powerful ninja clans filled every gap and not a single weakness could be found. Konohagakure had the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame for sensory abilities; the Uchiha, Kurama, and Yuhi for genjutsu; the Akimichi and Hatake for Nintaijutsu; and the Yamanaka Clan for interrogation, an utterly unfair advantage. Then there were countless other roundabout secret techniques—shadow techniques, the Spirit Transformation Technique, Transparent Release, and more. Other ninja villages could only envy them to tears. Even excluding the two overpowered monsters Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, Konohagakure's foundation far surpassed that of the other four Great Ninja Villages.

Weaknesses or even outright absences in certain fields were common problems among every ninja village besides Konohagakure. Kumogakure had also been gradually making up for them. Previously, this had not been a clearly defined plan so much as a general tendency and direction, but Dada's physical problems had highlighted Kumogakure's shortcomings in certain areas.

Clearly, Dada's situation had become an important driving force behind the Fire Stealing Plan.

From this perspective, one could say A was suspected of using public power for personal gain. But A—and the successive A of Kumogakure—were not public servants. They were Kumogakure's leaders, men who led the village through personal charisma and martial prowess. Thus, some of the plan's details were visibly biased in certain directions.

A spoke in a deep voice, issuing his first order:

"Dispatch an elite team to the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools to search for any surviving Fuinjutsu records. In addition, all ninjas going on missions are to watch for the movements of Land of Whirlpools survivors. The moment any are found, bring them back to Kumogakure. The Uzumaki Clan's Fuinjutsu is extremely powerful and has many miraculous applications. Records also state that some members of the Uzumaki Clan are born with unusual healing abilities, though whether that is true remains uncertain."

There was no need to explain the value of Fuinjutsu. Rumor had it that the Uzumaki Clan possessed tailed beast sealing techniques more suitable than Kumogakure's Iron Armor Seal. As one of the highest-priority forms of ninjutsu in the Shinobi World, Fuinjutsu could solve many obscure problems, possibly including some that could help with Dada's condition.

After the Land of Whirlpools had been destroyed, many forces had coveted its legacy. But the Land of Lightning was too far away, so Kumogakure had not paid it much attention before. That would be different from now on.

With a wave of A's hand, three Anbu appeared before him. After a brief pause, he issued his second order:

"Send people disguised as merchants to make contact with the Land of Water. There are many Kekkei Genkai Families there, and some have not yet joined the Mist Village. Approach them. If negotiations go well, recruit them. If they do not, report back and we will think of another way."

The Mist Village could be said to be a place where bloodline abilities gathered in abundance. Though many were not particularly famous, they still held great value. The power and bloodlines of those clans were highly valuable, and some of the older clans might have achieved unique results in their research into bloodline abilities.

In particular, many small Kekkei Genkai Families had become extremely precarious by this point, with only two or three people left. Even forcibly bringing them back to Kumogakure would be better than allowing them to disappear from history.

Other forces might have reservations and would not dare pressure these small clans too harshly, because such actions could make the ninja clans within their own ranks wary or give them other unpleasant ideas. But Kumogakure had no such concerns.

Kumogakure was united internally, and its voice was highly unified. In the original story, it did not even have a single named rogue ninja.

A force with such internal unity would not become suspicious and distrustful because of aggressive actions abroad. Besides, Kumogakure could guarantee that they might not be particularly polite when taking people, but once they arrived, everyone would be good brothers.

The third order:

"Offer bounties in the underground world for Medical Ninjutsu. When the time is right, I will find a way to establish a special medical unit."

Kumogakure naturally had medical personnel, but most specialized in treating external injuries. They could save lives, but curing diseases was difficult. They lacked both research capabilities and the ability to handle special circumstances.

Kumogakure's foundation in this area was poor, so it needed to absorb relevant ninjutsu and experience from across the Shinobi World.

A hoped Kumogakure could have its own special medical unit—or hospital—that would not only handle treatment, but also possess a certain degree of research capability.

Well, it would be best if they could figure out Dada's problem...

At the end of the day, A was a leader, not a public servant. As long as the village's core interests were not harmed, everyone could fully accept orders that carried a degree of personal interest.

Not only would the Yotsuki Clan devote themselves wholeheartedly, the rest of Kumogakure would also treat it as their own matter, because this was A's order.

"Everyone, the Shinobi World is still at peace, but Kumogakure must continue accumulating its strength. The Fire Stealing Plan is an important long-term undertaking. Do not let your guard down!"

"Osu!~" The impassioned response echoed through the Yotsuki Clan shrine.

Meanwhile, Yotsuki Dana, who was currently at home roughhousing with Yotsuki Ki and stomping his feet in anger, had no idea that his butterfly wings had started flapping so early—or so fiercely.

Completely unaware, he also did not know how much this Fire Stealing Plan, so full of the Third Raikage's personal motives, would change.

"Dammit, you stupid Qi Qi! Put me down! I'm telling Mom!"

Well, in any case, let us hope his mind could soon escape the influence of his immature body.