After school, Taiichi hurried home to check on the chickens and fish he was using for his experiments.
He compared the two chickens first. Both wounds had clearly improved, but the swelling and redness around the wound on the chicken given Allicin had disappeared. The inflammation was already gone.
He checked the three fish next. Their wounds had improved too, and the fish given the highest concentration of Allicin was already showing signs of healing.
My god, is Allicin really this effective? Or is Allicin in the Ninja World just that incredible? Taiichi marveled. Either way, his plan to make money finally had a chance.
After celebrating for a while, Taiichi picked up yesterday's tools and got to work on the fresh garlic he had bought that day. It took him some time to produce a small bottle of Garlic Oil.
Looking at the bottle in his hand, he could almost see piles of money beckoning to him. Then he had second thoughts. If he handed it over as it was, wouldn't someone recognize it with a single sniff?
Taiichi searched the house and found a few harmless liquids with pungent smells. He poured them into the bottle, shook it thoroughly, then opened it for another sniff.
The smell was a bizarre mixture of odors. If someone asked him to identify any one ingredient in it, he couldn't have done it.
That would do. He didn't have to go to Ninja Academy tomorrow, so he could visit the Orphanage and talk to Nonō about how to make money.
But first, he couldn't skip his daily training.
The next day, after finishing his usual morning training, Taiichi went home to get the bottle of Allicin and headed for the Orphanage.
When he arrived, Nonō had taken some of the older children out to buy supplies. Taiichi gathered the younger children who were still there and told them a story.
Morning sunlight filled the Orphanage courtyard. Taiichi sat cross-legged beside an old tree, surrounded by a dozen children with shining eyes.
"Sun Wukong could travel a hundred and eight thousand li in a single somersault!" Taiichi waved his arms to show them, and the children's mouths fell open.
"Was he even faster than a ninja?" asked Yami, a little girl with pigtails.
"Much faster! He could pull out one of his hairs and turn it into lots of monkeys!" Taiichi grinned and mimicked Sun Wukong scratching his head, making the children giggle.
"But... when monsters ate children, could he get there in time to save them?" Jiangtai, the youngest, asked softly, clutching the hem of his shirt.
"Of course!" Taiichi ruffled his hair. "One bang from the Golden Cudgel, and the monster was down!" He sprang up and swept his arms through the air. The children cried out and leaned back, then bombarded him with questions. "What happened next?" "Did Tang Seng scold him?"
The morning breeze rustled the leaves. Taiichi's voice mingled with the children's laughter, startling a bird that had been dozing under the eaves.
The courtyard gate opened. Taiichi looked up to see Nonō and several children carrying bags and bundles inside.
"All right, go play. I'll tell you the rest next time." Despite the children's protests, Taiichi sent them off and headed for the gate.
"Sister Nonō, why did you buy so much?" he asked, taking a bag from her hands.
"Taiichi, you're here early." Nonō smiled. "The Orphanage is running low on money, but the shop had a sale today, so I bought a little extra."
Taiichi's heart sank. Whenever the Orphanage ran short of money, Nonō would disappear for a while. He knew she was carrying out missions for Root.
Then he remembered why he had come to see her, and his spirits lifted again.
"Sister Nonō, there's something I want to discuss with you. It might solve the Orphanage's money problems."
"Oh? Really?" Nonō looked surprised.
That was only natural. Anyone would have trouble believing a six-year-old could solve a problem like that.
Nonō put the supplies away, took Taiichi to her office, and closed the door.
Once she had shut it, Taiichi took the little bottle from his pocket and began the explanation he had prepared.
"You're saying what's in this bottle works better than the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory medicines hospitals use now?" Nonō asked in disbelief.
"Much better, to be precise. I tested it. A chicken with an infected wound had no inflammation left after just one day of treatment."
Nonō stared at the bottle in her hand, speechless for a long time.
"Taiichi, what do you want to do?" Nonō asked.
"Sister Nonō, do you think the Orphanage could make this ourselves?"
"Definitely not. If we turned this into a product, it would be worth far too much. We couldn't protect it," Nonō said firmly.
"That's what I thought. We'll have to work with someone important—someone with a good reputation whom we can trust." Taiichi paused. "Do you know anyone like that, Sister Nonō?"
Nonō thought for a long time, but no one came to mind.
"What about Lady Tsunade?" Taiichi suggested. "She's the Third Hokage's student and an outstanding Medical Ninja. She'd understand exactly how valuable this Allicin is."
Nonō considered it, then nodded. "But neither of us knows Lady Tsunade. We don't even know where to find her."
"I might know..."
After taking care of a few matters at the Orphanage, the two went to Konoha's largest gambling house and found a suitable spot to wait outside.
"Taiichi, do you really think Lady Tsunade will be in there?" Nonō asked uncertainly.
"We'll see. If we're lucky, she'll come out today." Taiichi wasn't certain himself. "Sister Nonō, do you remember everything we discussed?"
"Yes."
"Then you'll do the talking with Lady Tsunade. I'll back you up."
By noon, a beautiful blonde woman emerged from the gambling house. One look at her distinctive clothes and unmistakable figure was enough. Taiichi and Nonō exchanged a nod and followed her.
They trailed Tsunade into a narrow alley. As soon as they turned the corner, they found her waiting ahead with her arms crossed.
"Hey, you two. You've been following me since I left the gambling house. You don't think I'm going to skip out on my debt, do you?" Tsunade asked with a hostile look.
Taiichi winced. She must have lost a lot in there. She won't take our "invention" without paying, will she?
Nonō stepped forward. "Lady Tsunade, I'm Yakushi Nonō, director of the Orphanage. This is Taichi Matsushita, a former resident."
"This is what happened..."
"So you want me to put you in touch with the Hokage and recommend this new medicine," Tsunade said, her face unreadable.
After losing her younger brother and the man she loved, Tsunade had developed Hemophobia and reached the lowest point of her life. She had no interest in getting involved with village affairs.
"Find someone else." With that, Tsunade turned to leave.
Nonō faltered, at a loss for words.
Taiichi stepped forward. "Lady Tsunade, you're the First Hokage's granddaughter and one of the Sannin. Are you really going to stand by while patients who could be saved die because they can't get proper medicine? Is that what the First Hokage would have wanted?"
If an adult had said that, Tsunade probably would have ignored it. But when she turned and looked at Taiichi, she seemed to see Nawaki as he had been back then. He had been just as... "annoying."
"Let me see this medicine of yours."
Taiichi nudged Nonō, who stood frozen beside him.
Coming to her senses, Nonō took the little bottle from her pocket and handed it to Tsunade.
Tsunade uncorked it and sniffed. An indescribable stench rushed up her nose. She quickly replaced the cork and held the bottle at arm's length, then gave Taiichi an exasperated look. "You're a crafty little brat."
Taiichi smiled sheepishly. He had known his little trick wouldn't fool her.
"Fine. I'll test it when I get back, then come find you."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade. Sorry for the trouble." Taiichi and Nonō both bowed in thanks.
By the time they straightened up, Tsunade was gone. She really was one of the Sannin.
"Taiichi, that was far too bold. I was afraid Lady Tsunade would beat you up," Nonō said, patting his head.
"Haha, I panicked. I wasn't thinking straight." Now that it was over, Taiichi felt a little scared himself.
"All we can do now is go back and wait. I'll head home, Sister Nonō. I still have training this afternoon."
"All right!"
Before you continue