Nawaki Attacked

"Here, this is for you." Tsunade handed him a kunai.

"Uh, thanks." Jing Hang accepted the kunai with faint disdain, unable to stop himself from grumbling inwardly. She's the princess of the Hidden Leaf Village, and for my birthday she just gives me a kunai? Isn't that a little too perfunctory?

As if she had seen through his thoughts, Tsunade said unhappily, "Don't underestimate this kunai. It's an heirloom left behind by my second granduncle, and it even bears his Flying Raijin Formula! I wouldn't have given it to you if it weren't your birthday!"

"Oh, really? An heirloom from Lord Tobirama? That's incredibly precious!" Jing Hang immediately took the kunai seriously. Sure enough, the handle bore the Second Hokage Tobirama's distinctive formula. It was absolutely genuine!

"By the way, I'm returning to the Hidden Leaf Village tomorrow," Tsunade said.

"Huh? Didn't you say you were supporting our Hidden Sand Village for three years? It hasn't even been a year yet, so why..." Jing Hang was confused.

"I'm only going back temporarily. A letter came from the village saying that Lord Torifu Akimichi's old injury has flared up, and apparently it's rather dangerous. The Hokage wants me to take a look. I performed his surgery, so I have to see it through," Tsunade explained.

"Mm, then you do need to go back. I'll arrange for someone to escort you."

"No need, it's not that troublesome. I'll go back alone. If all goes well, I'll be back in half a month." Tsunade smiled.

"Fine. Submit the travel expenses to me for reimbursement," Jing Hang said.

"Okay, thanks." Tsunade's smile became even brighter.

Hourglass Ninja Tools Factory, Shule River, Hidden Rain Village

Rasa carefully ground the blade, occasionally lifting it to test its sharpness before sprinkling on some water and continuing. His management style differed from Jing Hang's. Jing Hang simply set down the rules, and everyone followed them.

Rasa was different. He always felt that he lacked talent, so he led by example and handled every task personally. Whenever he had no administrative work to attend to, he would go to the production line and eat and work alongside the laborers. As a result, he enjoyed immense prestige among the skilled workers, and nearly every employee in the factory respected him.

"Done! Take it and fit the handle." At last, Rasa was satisfied with the blade blank in his hand and passed it directly to the next worker responsible for fittings. He wiped away his sweat with a towel and gave up his station to another worker. After all, he was the factory director and had many other important matters to handle. He could not truly spend every day working production in the workshop.

This assembly-line production method had also been proposed by Jing Hang. The making of a ninja blade was divided into the forging team, hammering team, grinding team, and fittings team. This entirely new system not only greatly increased efficiency, but also ensured the secrecy of Damascus Steel forging to the greatest extent possible.

The factory's most core technology—the casting technique for Damascus Steel blanks—remained firmly in the hands of the dozen or so senior craftsmen whom Jing Hang had personally trained at the very beginning. This forging workshop was closed to outsiders, and Jing Hang had even specifically assigned ten Sunagakure Jonin to handle its security full-time.

Every senior forger also received extremely high wages and generous benefits. At the ninja tools factory, they ate special meals and lived in private rooms. Every senior craftsman owned a standalone private apartment in Moon Lake New District, while their family members were given village-arranged jobs there.

Their children could also receive free education. The forging workshop workers rotated through three shifts, and each shift received three months of leave to reunite with their families in Moon Lake New District. This was an era of war, after all. Many people still suffered beneath the ravages of conflict, while many more struggled on the brink of starvation. To receive such treatment was practically a life among immortals.

Without exception, every senior craftsman was deeply grateful to Jing Hang and Rasa and utterly loyal to the factory. During this time, the Land of Crafts had sent several batches of corporate spies to poach senior craftsmen and pry out the secret of Damascus Steel, but the workers had voluntarily captured them all. What a joke. The paltry sum they offered would not even buy enough toilet paper, and they wanted to poach a dignified senior craftsman like him? In their dreams!

"General Manager, Mr. Shibuya, the representative of the Lightning Country caravan, has arrived. He's waiting in the reception room." Karura, serving as the general manager's assistant, came to find Rasa while carrying a stack of documents.

Rasa immediately put on a warm smile. "Have them wait a moment and make them some good tea. I'll change clothes and come over."

"Keep working. Tell the kitchen to stew fish for lunch as an extra meal." Rasa turned and instructed the workers, who burst into cheers.

"What?! Two thousand ninja blades, three thousand pairs of tactical boots, five thousand tactical vests, and thirty thousand cans of food? And you want them delivered in three months? Mr. Shibuya, are you joking with me? Do you know how far our orders are booked? Until June next year! It's not that I don't want to make money—I really can't do it."

Rasa looked at the order in front of him, rolled his eyes, and made a helpless gesture at the visitor. Karura, standing beside him, covered her face with a folder to hide her suppressed laughter, afraid she would actually laugh aloud. In her eyes, Rasa had always been someone grim-faced and unsmiling. Yet after less than a year as general manager, he had somehow become so worldly and smooth.

"General Manager Rasa, I know this puts you in a difficult position, but the war at the front is urgent. The Hidden Cloud soldiers desperately need these supplies. I gave the Third Raikage my word, so please, you must help me. I beg you." Mr. Shibuya gave Rasa a deep ninety-degree bow.

"Ah, Mr. Shibuya, there's no need for this. You and I are old friends. By all rights, I should help you, but supplies cannot simply appear out of thin air."

"I'm willing to pay a twenty percent premium!" Shibuya's eyes were already bloodshot. This matter had clearly placed enormous pressure on him.

"More money..." Rasa stroked his chin and secretly signaled Karura with his eyes. Karura considered it, then gave a slight shake of her head.

"No need to increase the price." Rasa appeared to have made an immense decision. Mr. Shibuya froze upon hearing it.

"Mr. Shibuya is no stranger to me. He is a friend I treasure and an important business partner. I won't let Lord Raikage chop off your head. Karura, notify Factory Director Yura and all workshop supervisors to convene a meeting. The Hourglass Group is taking this order!" Rasa slapped the order with authority.

"Thank you, thank you." Mr. Shibuya excitedly clasped Rasa's hand, tears seemingly welling in his eyes.

"The price won't increase, but there will be no discount either. Your order is too urgent, and the workers will have to work overtime."

"Of course, of course." Mr. Shibuya still would not release Rasa's hand.

"Of course, it would be even better if you can pay in cash."

"I brought the payment with me. I can pay immediately."

"Ah, Brother Shibuya, you can finally sleep soundly. I'm the one who won't be sleeping now." Rasa rolled his eyes and looked up at the sky. Beside him, Karura was trembling from holding back her laughter. Using the excuse of notifying people about the meeting, she went straight to the warehouse to count the inventory. What a joke—how could such a large factory function without stock on hand?

"Get up! Get up, Nawaki! Get up!" Tsunade screamed hoarsely in the rain. At any cost, she desperately poured out chakra with both hands and performed the Palm Healing Jutsu.

The half-grown boy beneath her was already breathing faintly, taking more breaths out than in. Blood flowed endlessly from his chest and abdomen. The horrifying wound in his chest was especially terrible; some of his organs could even be vaguely seen twitching inside. He clearly would not survive.

"Give up, Tsunade. Don't waste your chakra. Nawaki cannot be saved." Orochimaru spoke sadly behind her.

Hiruzen, Danzo, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane slowly gathered around as well. Their faces were full of sorrow as they watched Tsunade, who still refused to give up, and their gazes were filled with sympathy.

Nawaki was the grandson of the First Hokage, Hashirama, and this group had watched him grow up. Everyone had liked the child who aspired to become Hokage. Yet his dream was about to be extinguished before it had even begun. It was truly regrettable.

"Those damned Hidden Mist scum act no differently from bandits! I say we send troops to punish them directly and wipe them out!" Danzo ground his teeth in fury, wishing he could devour those responsible alive.

This was what had happened. To punish the Hidden Mist Village for its repeated provocations against the Hidden Leaf Village, the Third Hokage had organized a targeted purge. In a short time, the Hidden Mist's secret strongholds and bases throughout the Land of Fire had been swept away.

No one had expected the Hidden Mist Village to retaliate so frantically so quickly. Unable to defeat the Hidden Leaf Village's regular forces, the Hidden Mist ninjas had turned their attention to civilians and children who lacked the ability to protect themselves. Nawaki, who had been playing outside the village, had accidentally stepped into an explosive tag trap set by Hidden Mist ninjas. He was now at death's door.

"Give up. It's useless. Let the child go peacefully," Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed helplessly.

"Shut up, you old bastard." Tsunade paid no heed to Hiruzen's advice.

"His heart and liver are severely damaged. It seems his kidneys and spleen are injured too. Even if you exhaust all your chakra, this child will live for at most another hour—unless you can immediately gather every compatible organ and transplant them into Nawaki. That's a fantasy. Give up, Tsunade." Orochimaru rested a hand on Tsunade's shoulder and tried to persuade her.

"What did you say?!" Tsunade looked at Orochimaru with eyes that seemed ready to devour him. That icy killing intent made even these battle-hardened people shudder.

"Organ... transplant. Organ... transplant..." Tsunade muttered to herself. Then her eyes suddenly lit up as she looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Old man! You three, quickly use the Flying Thunder Formation Technique and send Nawaki and me to the Hidden Sand Village! My second granduncle's Flying Raijin marked kunai is there, and I have a laboratory in the Hidden Sand Village. I can save Nawaki! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"