Now It Worked

Shamu pointed at Aoi Rokushō beneath his feet.

"Do you remember the umbrella Aoi Rokushō was holding?"

All three members of Team 7 remembered it clearly. They had nearly been injured by the poisoned senbon hidden inside.

Fortunately, they all had some skill. Otherwise, getting pricked by those poisoned needles would have been extremely troublesome.

"In the future, you'll encounter all kinds of unusual ninja. Many of them have unique weapons."

"Most of these ninja's abilities lie in their signature weapons. If you can destroy their weapons immediately, their combat power will drop sharply."

"Also, poisons are everywhere in the ninja world. You should think about how to deal with ninja who specialize in poison."

As he said this, Shamu looked at Hinata.

Hinata was not particularly strong in direct combat, but with her Byakugan, she was ideal as a support member.

Shizune had also said that Hinata possessed the Byakugan, which could see through chakra pathways, as well as fairly refined Chakra control.

Having her learn some medical ninjutsu early on would be a good idea.

After all, there were plenty of people in the Uchiha Clan who could teach Sasuke.

Naruto also had Minato to guide him.

Hinata could not be left too far behind either.

He had already sent Tenten to Tsunade. Sending Hinata as well did not seem like a problem.

Shamu had never planned out Hinata's future before, but the thought suddenly occurred to him.

He also had to ask whether Hinata was willing.

"Hinata, would you like to learn some medical skills?"

Hinata had just been thinking that, after returning to her clan, she would ask her father to find her a Medical Ninja so she could learn more about defending against poison.

She had not expected Shamu to ask her so suddenly.

Hinata froze for a moment, then asked, "Do you mean becoming a Medical Ninja?"

Shamu considered it. "You don't necessarily need to become a full-time Medical Ninja."

"The more medical ninjutsu you learn, the more secure your safety will be in the future."

Hinata secretly glanced at Naruto and found that he was looking at her too, waiting for her answer.

Hinata's little face flushed red.

"I'm willing, but I don't know whether I have the talent for it."

Hinata was right to say that. Not everyone had the talent.

Most people's medical skills only extended to cleaning wounds, bandaging, stopping bleeding, and the like.

That only counted as basic first aid. Learning healing techniques was generally very difficult.

Those with talent might not have the money to learn, while those with money might not have the talent.

That was why there were so few Medical Ninja.

Shamu knew that Hinata had the talent, and that she would even be able to use the Mystical Palm Technique in the future.

For Hinata, her future achievements might not reach Naruto and Sasuke's heights.

But this path was still a good one.

"You don't need to worry about that. You have the Byakugan, after all. You can see chakra pathways clearly, so your starting point is already higher than that of ordinary Medical Ninja."

"Since you're willing."

Shamu turned to Sasuke.

"Sasuke, when we return this time, hand Hinata over to the medical corps and let her build up her foundations first."

"If she has talent, I'll find her a teacher."

"I understand, Master."

Shamu stretched. They had been at this until well past midnight.

"These two are both wanted criminals of Konoha. Take them back and hand them over to Hizashi."

"Tell Hizashi that Morino Ida is Ibiki's younger brother. Hizashi will know what to do."

"This Aoi Rokushō once ordered Morino Ida to steal the Thunder God Sword."

Shamu took out the Thunder God Sword and poured Chakra into it. A yellow blade of light instantly formed.

"Mm. Just say that his Thunder God Sword was taken by an unknown person."

Team 7 nodded.

Shamu seemed to suddenly remember something and said to Naruto, "Naruto, there are plenty of interesting local trinkets here. You can bring some back for your friends."

This mission had ended ahead of schedule, so Naruto had some free time.

Naruto's heart stirred. He had never bought gifts for his friends before.

He had not contacted his old friends from the Academy in a long time either.

Now that he had traveled so far, the Land of Tea really did have plenty of interesting things. He could bring back some souvenirs.

"Got it, Senior."

"Kimimaro, Haku, let's go."

The two hurried after Shamu.

"Oh, right. For living captives like these, you'd better break their arms and legs. Otherwise, it'll be troublesome if they escape on the way."

Shamu gave the instruction casually.

Then he gradually walked away.

As they walked, Haku said softly, "Lord Shamu, I want to learn medical ninjutsu too."

Shamu was not surprised. Given Haku's nature, becoming a Medical Ninja suited him best.

Haku had considerable talent in ninjutsu, but Shamu was not sure about his aptitude for medical arts.

"When we get back, find Shizune and have her see whether you have the talent."

Mountain Graveyard

The White Zetsu half of Obito's right side had already fully recovered.

He had used a small amount of Hashirama Cells solution to restore the entire right half of his body.

The pattern in the Rinnegan in his palm was still very faint.

It still looked as if it might break at any moment. It had recovered very little.

Since the current Rinnegan was not connected to an optic nerve,

there was no mental backlash. Obito could leave it there for as long as he wished.

He had placed the Rinnegan in his palm so it could recover.

The Rinnegan was in poor condition now, and Obito could not use its abilities.

He could only rely on the White Zetsu half of his body to slowly nourish it.

Black Zetsu rose from the ground. "Is the Rinnegan showing any improvement?"

Obito shook his head coldly, as though the Rinnegan's damage was no big deal.

Seeing Obito's white hair, Black Zetsu increasingly felt that Madara had chosen the wrong person entirely.

Obito was simply not suited to be his agent.

Uchiha Shamu seemed to exist solely to counter him.

And he had left the Rinnegan in that state.

It had only been a little short of being completely ruined.

"When are we going to the moon?" Obito asked.

Black Zetsu glanced at the Rinnegan in Obito's palm.

"With the Rinnegan in this condition, even if we can reach the moon, we won't be able to bring back the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path."

Obito also looked at the Rinnegan.

"We don't need the Rinnegan. I have another way to bring back the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path."

Black Zetsu asked suspiciously, "Oh? How will you bring it back?"

Obito pointed to his Kamui Eye.

"With this."

"Kamui can do that?"

Obito replied stiffly, "Now it can."

Black Zetsu examined him carefully and discovered a cold, sinister aura emanating from Obito.

Black Zetsu looked at Obito with a complicated expression.

"The teleportation array leading to the moon can only be activated at a fixed time. I'll notify you when the time comes."

Obito nodded. "Understood."

A vortex appeared in midair, and Obito vanished at once.

Black Zetsu keenly noticed that Obito had become faster at opening the Kamui Dimension.

Black Zetsu could not understand Obito anymore. What exactly had happened to his mind?

Obito's inner convictions had clearly shattered. Black Zetsu had already regarded him as a discarded pawn.

Yet in such a short time, Obito had rebuilt his convictions. They were even firmer than before.

Even his Mangekyō Sharingan had improved considerably.

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path on the moon had always been a hidden danger. If Obito could bring it back through the Kamui Dimension,

that would be a good thing.

He would first squeeze every last bit of value out of Obito.

Black Zetsu smiled coldly.