Kimimaro's Condition

With Orochimaru, a top-notch scientist, now under his command, the Immortal Organization's strength had increased considerably.

Orochimaru also came with Sound Village, which had practically everything they needed. He even had his own Sound Ninja.

But to Feng Yao, they were still Orochimaru's subordinates. He had no intention of recruiting them into the Immortal Organization. He only needed the elite.

After returning, he gave the Mysterious Ring, Yellow Ring, Universe Ring, Cosmos Ring, and Flood Ring to Neji, Karin, Sai, Kabuto, and Tayuya, respectively. They were the real fighting force he needed.

As for Kimimaro, Feng Yao felt it was a great shame. The man was certainly strong enough, so Feng Yao went to Kabuto's medical room.

Kabuto's undercover mission had ended, and he was now naturally in Sound Village, in charge of research.

The Immortal Organization now had its basic personnel in place.

First, they needed people skilled in gathering intelligence and carrying out assassinations. Sai and Zabuza could handle that.

Second, they needed people to manage logistics, meaning medical care and the organization's finances. Karin, Kabuto, and Orochimaru could take charge of that.

Third, they needed people capable of leading direct assaults, which required great strength. At present, Feng Yao, Hideyoshi, and Orochimaru were probably the only ones who could fill that role.

As for the funds seized from Konoha, Feng Yao had already handed them all over to Orochimaru to manage.

Never underestimate Orochimaru. Establishing a ninja village required a great deal of money, and maintaining all those hideouts was no small expense.

What was more, Orochimaru also had to fund his research. The amount of money he needed was astronomical. Without the ability to manage finances, he would have gone bankrupt long ago.

When Feng Yao opened the door, Kabuto was studying cells in a test tube.

Seeing Feng Yao, he stopped working and smiled as he pushed up his glasses.

"Lord Feng Yao, what brings you here today?"

Kabuto probably knew more about Kimimaro's condition than anyone, so Feng Yao had come to ask him about it.

"Kabuto, I know you have a real talent for Medical Ninjutsu. I wanted to ask about Kimimaro's condition. How much longer can he hold on?"

"So that's why you came all this way. You really care about him, don't you? I'd estimate less than two months. It's an inherited disease in his clan—strictly speaking, a drawback of their Kekkei Genkai. Kimimaro uses Shikotsumyaku, which lets him manipulate the bones in his body. You know that, right?"

"Of course. I've seen his abilities firsthand. He's so powerful that it's a shame to lose him."

"Bones are primarily made of calcium. He creates and pulls out so many bones from his body, which shows just how much calcium he has in him. That leads to muscle failure, and since the heart is mostly muscle, the disease in his clan is chronic heart failure. I suspect that's why so many members of his clan keep dying."

"I see. So there really isn't anything else we can do?"

After hearing Kabuto's explanation, Feng Yao still wasn't ready to give up.

There were very few people in the world who could surpass Kabuto in Medical Ninjutsu, but a few did exist. Feng Yao suddenly thought of someone.

Tsunade. Among the Sannin, she was renowned for her Medical Ninjutsu. Her medical skills could even be said to surpass those of the Katsuyu Sage.

Look at the summoned creatures from Mount Myoboku and Ryūchi Cave. They all acted like royalty, demanding a hundred sacrifices at the drop of a hat.

Why did the Katsuyu Sage call Tsunade "Lady"? Because it admired her Medical Ninjutsu.

Now Feng Yao was thinking of seeking out Tsunade.

"Lord Feng Yao, from the look of you, have you thought of someone?"

Noticing Feng Yao's thoughtful expression, Kabuto spoke again. As a spy, he was very good at observing and analyzing people.

Feng Yao looked deep in thought. Had he really thought of someone who could save Kimimaro? Even Kabuto himself couldn't do it.

"Hmph. I suppose I have. Tsunade, one of the Sannin, along with Orochimaru."

Kabuto was surprised to hear that. As a medical ninja, he had long heard of Tsunade's reputation.

He had simply never had the chance to meet her. When it came to Medical Ninjutsu, Kabuto still couldn't match Tsunade. Otherwise, Orochimaru wouldn't have swallowed his pride and gone to her in the original story.

"Then, might I come along as well? I've wanted to meet the famous Lady Tsunade for a long time!"

Kabuto adjusted his glasses again. Perhaps he hoped to test himself against her.

Feng Yao replied with an amused smile, "Then come along. Let's go see Orochimaru too. I have a few things I need him to do."

The two left the medical room.

Feng Yao explained the whole situation to Orochimaru.

"That's the situation. Can you find her, Orochimaru?"

After hearing Feng Yao's request, Orochimaru stopped his research.

He hadn't expected Feng Yao to care so much about Kimimaro. He himself had considered asking Tsunade to examine Kimimaro's condition.

But he couldn't bring himself to ask a former friend for help on someone else's behalf. He hadn't expected Feng Yao to become concerned about it just days later.

"Of course. One of them used to be my student, after all. It'll only take a little time."

Hearing Orochimaru's answer, Feng Yao nodded. If he wanted Tsunade to help him, he would have to offer her something she couldn't refuse—and do it before Naruto talked her into coming back.

Inside Konoha Ninja Village

Jiraiya had temporarily become Acting Hokage, handling Konoha's affairs, big and small.

Konoha's forces had been weakened to the extreme.

The Fifth Hokage was dead, Root had been wiped out, Anbu had lost 42 members, Konoha had lost 7 Jonin, 104 Chunin, 564 Genin, and around 3,000 civilians.

Mitokado Homura, one of the two senior advisers, had been killed.

All the forbidden books of Konoha's ninjutsu had been stolen. The High Command had kept this tightly under wraps. Although they had no money, the Land of Fire's funding would keep them afloat.

Fortunately, Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin, was stationed in Konoha, which reassured everyone.

After holding a memorial for the civilians who had died in the war, Konoha Village began making preparations to rebuild.

As discussions got underway, the most contentious issues were what to do with Sunagakure and how to deal with the crimes of the rogue ninja Feng Yao.

There was no need to explain Sunagakure's actions. It had started the war and attacked Konoha. Now the Fourth Kazekage Rasa had been captured, and countless Jonin and soldiers from the invading forces had been killed or injured.

All the survivors had been thrown into Konoha's prison. Some people argued that they should retaliate and seize the chance to wipe out Sunagakure once and for all.

Even Jiraiya had begun to entertain the idea. But the peace faction, led by the Third Hokage, still wanted to release the Kazekage.

They wanted to form an alliance with Sunagakure to defend against possible invasions from other nations.

"Third Hokage! We can't keep showing them such leniency. Look at how much damage Sunagakure has caused us this time. If we form an alliance with them, what will the people in the village think? That we should stand alongside our enemies?"

A Jonin slammed his fist into the ground, gritting his teeth. His student had been killed by Sunagakure's ninjas. The boy had only been thirteen. They had stabbed him several times and dumped him in a street corner. It took a whole day to find his body.

"Alas, I understand everyone's pain. But isn't Sunagakure suffering too? War only creates new hatred. And if we attack in Konoha's current condition, Kumogakure might take advantage of the situation. We saw their forces during this war."

Looking at the tearful man before him, the Third Hokage silently took a puff of his pipe. His cloudy eyes made it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Utatane Koharu, the other of the two remaining senior advisers, spoke up beside him.

"The Land of Fire has already held two emergency meetings this year. This time, they've ordered us to stop all fighting and restore our strength as quickly as possible. We need a leader, Jiraiya. The Land of Fire's council has decided to appoint you as the Sixth Hokage."

The others in the hall were excited to hear this, but Jiraiya simply held up a hand and refused.

"I'm really sorry, but I'm not suited for the position. I already have someone in mind. I'll bring her back. She's more suited than I am to become the Sixth Hokage—the princess of Konoha, Tsunade!"

The name caused an uproar in the hall. Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu and her reputation as one of the Sannin were widely known throughout Konoha. If she had been there this time, the village wouldn't have suffered such devastating losses.

"That girl certainly has the qualifications and the stature. Then I'll leave it to you to bring her back."

Utatane Koharu sighed. There was no need to worry about Jiraiya running away now. He was someone who understood the greater good, and Konoha could no longer afford any more turmoil.

"What about Feng Yao? He's a rogue ninja, and he's done so much to harm Konoha. He killed the Fifth Hokage, destroyed Root, a branch of Anbu, and stole Konoha's funds. If we don't eliminate him, he'll become another Orochimaru in the future."

A Jonin suddenly spoke up. Only the High Command and some of Konoha's Jonin knew about the High Command's collaboration with Feng Yao and the stolen ninjutsu.

"We don't need to discuss this any further. Withdraw his wanted notice for now. If we push him too far and he attacks Konoha again, we'll have gained nothing."

All the senior officials were in agreement on this matter. Even Kakashi and the other Jonin remained silent.

The fact that they had allied with a rogue ninja to kill the Fifth Hokage was a terrible scandal. It could only be buried in history and kept secret.