Seeing that Nawaki had survived, Indra did not linger any longer.
His soul sped back into his body.
As for wiping out the enemy ninja, Indra no longer needed to do it himself.
The commotion Orochimaru had caused, along with the flames shooting into the sky, had drawn all the nearby enemy ninja over.
Back in his body, Indra opened his eyes and carefully sensed the chakra surging within him.
"Just as I thought, when I use Astral Projection, I carry chakra with me as well.
"Chakra connects the body and soul. That's why I can use the talismans' magic power from afar."
Chakra's properties were far too unique. Powerful enough chakra could even be reincarnated.
It was precisely because of this trait that his chakra had taken the place of his true spirit in reincarnation.
Indra had a feeling that if his chakra grew powerful enough, he might be able to use ninjutsu even in his soul state.
Besides...
"This is Nawaki's chakra."
As Indra sensed the flow of chakra, he squeezed out several strands of unusual chakra.
They were not his own, but chakra that had clung to his soul after he possessed Nawaki.
Nawaki's chakra reserves were far too small, and Indra's chakra easily devoured them.
At the same time, Indra keenly sensed a slight change in his own chakra.
"My vitality seems a little stronger... It's the power of Yang Release!"
Everyone's chakra had its own nature, divided into [fire, wind, lightning, earth, water].
Apart from these ordinary natures, there were also the two special nature transformations of Yin Release and Yang Release.
Indra's chakra natures were fire and lightning, something chakra test paper could detect.
As for the "yin" and "yang" natures, one had to figure those out on one's own.
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, Indra felt that he could at most possess a "yin" nature transformation.
Mikoto might have a "yang" nature transformation. That was evident from how quickly she progressed in medical ninjutsu.
Yet after possessing someone once, he had actually stolen chakra with a "yang" nature transformation.
If he possessed a few more people, perhaps he could acquire other chakra natures as well.
The more chakra natures one had, the better. The Third Hokage and Orochimaru possessed such talent for ninjutsu largely because they were born with chakra of every nature.
Indra's gaze shifted involuntarily toward Tsunade, who was resting nearby.
Compared to Nawaki's meager chakra, Tsunade's chakra clearly possessed more nature transformations and was far more abundant!
The Sheep Talisman's magic could not only possess people, but also enter dreams directly.
Surely Teacher Tsunade would not mind if he borrowed a little chakra!
Just as Indra was secretly thinking this, sounds began erupting one after another in the distance.
"An explosion?"
Tsunade immediately opened her eyes and looked toward the flames rising in the distance.
An explosion on that scale must have taken an enormous number of explosive tags!
Though she did not know who had caused the explosion, Tsunade felt it was an opportunity.
"The disturbance over there must have drawn a lot of attention."
"We'll travel through the night and try to cross the Land of Fire's border before tonight ends!"
Tsunade looked at the awakened Indra, and together they roused everyone present.
The group set off at once. Following the safe route scouted by the ninja cats, they successfully reached the border of the Land of Rain before dawn.
As they emerged from the dense forest, their view suddenly opened up.
Tsunade could not hide the excitement on her face. Her group had finally reached the Land of Rain!
"Teacher, don't let your guard down. If I were the enemy, I'd definitely set even more traps in this area."
Indra quietly reminded her. He had no intention of repeating Nawaki's fate.
Tsunade's smile faded as she gave Indra a surprised glance.
Why did this bargain-bin disciple of hers seem more mature than she was? Who exactly was leading this team?
"I didn't expect you to be so cautious. You really don't look like someone who's stepping onto a battlefield for the first time."
Tsunade muttered, then ordered Kunugi Mokume to scout for traps together with the ninja cats.
It took the group half a day to cross the "minefield" before they truly entered the heartland of the Land of Rain.
Another two days passed before Indra's group reached Konoha's frontline camp.
Konoha currently had three main fronts in the Land of Rain.
They were Amegakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure.
However, Iwagakure's main forces were fighting Kumogakure, so its conflict with Konoha was far less intense than those with the other ninja villages.
The Konoha camp Indra had arrived at was in the war zone between Konoha and Sunagakure.
Relying on deadly poisons, Chiyo of Sunagakure had forced Konoha's front line to retreat repeatedly in recent days.
Looking out at the damp battlefield in the distance, Indra could still see pale purple poisonous mist lingering in the air.
Even after the war ended, the toxins left behind here would likely continue harming the living things on this land.
But having fought to this point, Sunagakure obviously would not consider such matters.
He was a kind-hearted person and could not bear to look at such a scene.
After looking away, Indra followed behind Tsunade and entered the largest tent in Konoha's camp.
The Konoha Jonin of this war zone had all gathered here to discuss the war.
Looking around, Indra saw that ninja from prominent Konoha clans such as the Hyuga Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Clan, and Nara Clan made up the overwhelming majority.
The minority of civilian Jonin had gathered around Hatake Sakumo, who bore the title of the Hidden Leaf White Fang.
There were also several Uchiha among these Jonin, but they had clearly been excluded from the discussion.
Seeing their haughty expressions, Indra could not tell whether they had isolated the other Jonin, or the other Jonin had isolated them.
"Lady Tsunade is here!"
"Lady Tsunade, you've arrived!"
"We've been waiting for you!!"
Seeing Tsunade arrive, the Jonin present eagerly greeted her.
Although the Senju Clan had followed the First Hokage's orders and stopped using the name "Senju," integrating themselves into Konoha instead.
Tsunade was still the First Hokage's granddaughter, after all.
Konoha had been built by her grandfather. From the First Hokage to the Third Hokage, which one had not been connected to the Senju Clan?
Anyone who wanted to become the next Hokage not only had to consider the Third Hokage's opinion, but in a sense, Tsunade's as well.
Only the excluded Uchiha did not join in the flattery.
Looking at the several Uchiha Jonin wearing disdainful expressions, Indra could hardly bear to watch.
The Uchiha Clan had indeed been openly and secretly excluded by the village, but their political skills were genuinely terrible as well.
Everyone else had come forward to greet her, yet they stood there with cold faces. Didn't that just make them look out of place?
This was not the Ninja Academy. Every Jonin seated here had influence in Konoha.
But considering that this was simply the Uchiha Clan's nature, Indra let it go.
He and Mikoto obediently walked over to the several Uchiha Jonin.
The entire Uchiha Clan had only a little over a thousand members. Because of intermarriage within the clan, everyone was more or less related.
Following Mikoto's lead, Indra called a few of them "uncle" and "great-uncle," then sat down with them.
After some discussion, word that Tsunade had arrived at the camp and could counter Chiyo's poison quickly spread.
The Konoha ninja fighting on the front lines had suffered repeated blows from Chiyo's poison, leaving their morale low.
The arrival of Tsunade, the renowned medical ninja, could raise morale to the greatest extent possible.
Especially after Tsunade brought out boxes upon boxes of antidotes, the entire Konoha camp erupted in excitement.
The ninja immediately began discussing how to launch a counterattack.
Before long, everyone reached a consensus: they would act immediately!
They would strike Sunagakure before it had fully received the news and catch them completely off guard.
Before you continue