The Yamanaka Clan—Yamanaka Inoichi was gathering the clan members. The Akimichi and Nara clans had already arrived in the courtyard.
"Tohru, you came back at just the right time. The clan meeting is about to begin." Yamanaka Inoichi had just been about to send someone to look for Yamanaka Tohru when he saw him return.
Yamanaka Tohru greeted the members of the three clans before taking his place among the crowd.
At the clan meeting, Nara Shikaku was still the main speaker. He gave a brief account of the village's arrangements for the members of the three clans.
After that came the distribution of war supplies. The Ino-Shika-Cho Clans shared a common bond, so no matter what they prepared, they always prepared enough for all three clans.
The Akimichi Clan had prepared Ration Pills: two for each Chunin and three for each Jonin. The Nara Clan had prepared various medicines and bandages.
The Genin of each clan generally performed support duties in the rear, and the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans were no exception. Thus, no supplies had been prepared for the Genin.
After the Akimichi and Nara clans finished distributing the Ration Pills and medical supplies, the members of the three clans prepared to disperse and return home to say goodbye to their families.
"Everyone, please wait a moment. The Yamanaka Clan's war supplies haven't arrived yet!" Nara Shikaku's voice made the members of the three clans fall silent again. The Nara and Akimichi clan members looked at their Yamanaka companions with questioning expressions.
The members of the Yamanaka Clan clearly knew nothing about the Healing Talismans either, and all of them looked bewildered.
"What the Yamanaka Clan is distributing to everyone is a Healing Talisman. A Healing Talisman is a special Healing Technique sealed into a piece of jade using Sealing Jutsu. It is Medical Ninjutsu that can be carried with you."
As soon as Nara Shikaku finished speaking, the crowd below grew noisy. Most of the Chunin and Genin were whispering among themselves. They had never heard of something like a Healing Talisman. Medical Ninjutsu that could be carried on one's person was practically another life on the battlefield.
The Jonin among the three clans had received Healing Talismans in the village earlier, so they knew about them. What they had not expected was that the Yamanaka Clan would purchase such expensive items and distribute them to everyone. This was especially surprising to some of the Yamanaka Jonin, who knew their clan's financial situation well.
"Clan Head Inoichi, have our clan's financial reserves increased recently? How could we afford to purchase Healing Talismans?" In the end, a veteran Yamanaka Jonin could not resist asking Yamanaka Inoichi.
"The Healing Talismans were made by our Yamanaka Clan." Yamanaka Inoichi had always been a taciturn man, so even his explanation was merely a dry, single sentence.
Yet that one sentence sent the members of the three clans into an uproar. Such an important item had actually been made by the Yamanaka Clan.
The Healing Talismans were originally a secret strategic reserve of Konoha and had never been made public. Only the Konoha High Command and the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans knew about them. As for who had made them, that was an S-rank secret of Konoha.
If the situation had not grown increasingly tense and the village begun distributing Healing Talismans to the Jonin, no one knew how much longer this secret would have remained hidden.
The members of the Nara and Akimichi clans congratulated their friends in the Yamanaka Clan one after another. The Ino-Shika-Cho Clans' shared bond was not just empty words. Every member of the three clans sincerely regarded every member of the other two clans as family and kin.
Yamanaka Tohru was deeply moved by the harmony among the three clans before him. In his previous life, he had been accustomed to deceit and scheming. Such sincere brotherly affection touched him profoundly.
The Yamanaka Clan's stockpile of Healing Talismans should not have been very large. Yamanaka Tohru had given Yamanaka Inoichi a total of 2,500 Healing Talismans. The village could distribute five to every Jonin, leaving at most around 500 for the clan.
There were roughly 500 shinobi in the three clans. With only 500 Healing Talismans, even after excluding the Genin, each person would receive fewer than several talismans. Thinking of this, Yamanaka Tohru felt somewhat annoyed. He should have hurried and made more of them back then.
Sure enough, the Yamanaka Clan had only 500 Healing Talismans left. There were eleven Jonin among the three clans. Each of them received five Healing Talismans, while the remaining nearly 200 Chunin received two each. The Genin still received none.
"The Healing Talismans were only developed recently, so there aren't many of them. For now, they can only be given to the Jonin and Chunin. Genin who belong to their own action squads can register with Shikaku and receive one as well," Yamanaka Inoichi told the members of the three clans.
None of the members of the three clans complained. Clan resources should go to those who needed them most. That was only right.
After the clan meeting ended, Yamanaka Inoichi stopped Yamanaka Tohru. Together with Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Choza, they went to the Yamanaka Clan's reception hall.
"Tohru, you've truly been a great help this time," Nara Shikaku said.
"Brother Shikaku, you're too polite. I'm also a member of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans. Contributing to the clans is only natural."
"All right, you two, stop acting like this. Listening to you makes me uncomfortable!" Akimichi Choza was very displeased by their formal exchange, and Yamanaka Inoichi nodded beside him.
"You two always have to say something, don't you? What a hassle!"
"That's more like you! Shikaku, don't be so serious! Here, have some potato chips!" Akimichi Choza handed Nara Shikaku a bag of potato chips.
"You had me specifically stop Tohru. Didn't you say there was something to discuss?"
"Right, right. Tohru, there's something I wanted to tell you." Yamanaka Inoichi's reminder made Nara Shikaku remember the important matter.
"Go ahead, Brother Shikaku."
"Tohru, you're Kushina's disciple. Lord Jiraiya should have told you as well, right? About Sunagakure."
"Is it about the Third Kazekage's disappearance?" Yamanaka Tohru asked.
"That's right. I knew you were aware of it. Once the war begins, Sunagakure will be Konoha's first enemy. The puppeteers of Sunagakure are skilled in using poison, so Medical Ninjas from Konoha Hospital will have to provide support. This time, I want you to compete for the position of captain of the medical team," Nara Shikaku said.
"Brother Shikaku, why?" Yamanaka Tohru did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked for the reason.
"First, more than half of our three clans' shinobi will be on the Sunagakure battlefield. If the captain of the medical team is one of our three clans' shinobi, their chances of survival will be much greater. Second, the Sunagakure battlefield will receive more than seventy percent of Konoha's Medical Ninjas each time. If you become their captain and gain their trust, it will also greatly benefit the development of our three clans within the village." After Nara Shikaku finished speaking, he looked at Yamanaka Tohru and waited for his response.
Yamanaka Tohru had originally intended to go to the Land of Earth battlefield if he got the chance. He had never forgotten Four-Tails and Roshi. But Nara Shikaku's words also made sense. Between the interests of the three clans and his personal grudge, Yamanaka Tohru ultimately chose to compromise.
"All right, then. Tohru, go back and prepare for now. We still have matters to discuss." Seeing Yamanaka Tohru agree, Yamanaka Inoichi told him to leave first.
After Yamanaka Tohru left, Yamanaka Inoichi let out a long breath. "Shikaku, luckily you remembered my father's matter. Otherwise, I would have overlooked this problem. If Tohru really went to the Land of Earth, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
"I only remembered it just now myself. Tohru isn't strong enough yet, so we have to do everything we can to protect him. Everyone has seen his talent. He is the future of our three clans," Nara Shikaku said.
As it turned out, the matter of having Yamanaka Tohru serve as captain of the medical team had been a performance arranged by Nara Shikaku after he remembered that Yamanaka Akito had died at the hands of Four-Tails. Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza had acted it out to protect Yamanaka Tohru and stop him from impulsively seeking revenge against Four-Tails.
Yamanaka Tohru, however, thought that the three clans truly needed him to become the medical team's captain. At that moment, he was considering how he could secure the position.
I went to pay respects at a grave, so this chapter came a little late. Sorry.
Before you continue