"Urgent news from the Land of Water—an enormous tsunami has engulfed the entire nation. The scale of the damage and casualties remains unknown."
In the Hokage's office, Naruto delivered the grim news to Kakashi and Sasuke, who had just returned to the village. Naruto and Shikamaru had recently held a remote meeting with the other Kage, but contact with the Mizukage was lost shortly afterward, cutting off any additional information.
The lack of communication weighed heavily on Naruto and Shikamaru. If even a video meeting couldn't be maintained, the state of Kirigakure was unimaginable.
"For now, all we know is that the Land of Water was hit by a catastrophic tsunami. But it wasn't just there—several coastal regions in the Land of Fire have also been flooded," Naruto explained.
Thanks to the relatively advanced communication network in the Land of Fire, Konoha had received the news by the next morning. The scale of the disaster was unprecedented—tsunamis had struck not only the Land of Water but also the Land of Waves, the Land of Whirlpools, the Land of Tea, and the Land of Rainbow. Even parts of the coastal regions of the Land of Fire were severely affected.
"What's the exact situation?" Sasuke asked. He had rushed back to Konoha after receiving the message from the village and had only just arrived that morning. Having heard about the events from Sakura, he understood why he was summoned.
"Have you consulted that Onmyōji?"
Naruto shook his head. "He only predicted a disaster would occur but couldn't specify what kind or where."
Shikamaru added, "I've already dispatched ANBU to investigate the Land of Water. We should have information soon."
"That's too slow. I'll go myself," Sasuke said calmly. "An ordinary ninja wouldn't be able to gather useful intelligence in such a situation."
"But you've just returned," Naruto objected. "You haven't even been home yet. I can send someone else—"
"There's no time to hesitate, Naruto," Sasuke interrupted. "Every delay means more victims. We must act decisively."
Naruto sighed. "You're right. I'll leave it to you."
Before leaving, Sasuke said, "There's something else I need to discuss—about the Ōtsutsuki."
Sasuke then shared the intelligence he had gathered during his travels, discussing it with Naruto, Kakashi, and Shikamaru. His findings corroborated Yoichi's earlier statements, further solidifying the credibility of his warnings.
Naruto nodded solemnly. "It's clear that the Ōtsutsuki remain a significant threat, but right now, we need to focus on the immediate danger—the disaster in the Land of Water."
"Sasuke, before you leave, pick up some secret medicine from Sakura," Naruto said with a small smile. "It's a gift from the village. If you get hurt, it'll help you recover quickly."
Sasuke glanced at Naruto and Sakura, then replied, "Fine. Let's go."
After collecting the medicine from the hospital, Sasuke prepared to depart. Meanwhile, Naruto sent messengers to summon Yoichi again, hoping to glean more information about the prophecy.
At that moment, Yoichi was in his alchemy room on the pharmacy's second floor, deeply engrossed in refining pills. Using his own blood, imbued with natural energy, and stones of pure nature energy, he was producing highly potent pills with a high success rate.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The furnace roared as energy surged within it, echoing throughout the room. After a while, the energy stabilized, and Yoichi opened the furnace to retrieve the Dragon Force Pills—though he humorously considered renaming them "Yoichi Pills," given the rare ingredients required, especially his blood.
Just as Yoichi stepped out of the alchemy room, he heard loud banging on the front door. Frowning, he descended to the first floor to find two Konoha shinobi pounding on the door.
Annoyed, he opened it.
Before he could speak, one of the shinobi said, "The Hokage requests your presence immediately. Please come with us."
"I'm busy. Don't knock on my door again," Yoichi replied curtly and slammed the door shut.
The interruption had soured his mood, and he had no intention of leaving. He could guess why they were calling him—the first wave of otherworldly beasts had likely made landfall, prompting Konoha to seek his advice. However, without revealing his full power, there was little he could do to help, nor did he have any interest in doing so.
Outside, the two shinobi resumed pounding on the door. Frustrated, Yoichi muttered, "So annoying. Kyuukyuu nyo ritsuryou."
He traced a control charm in the air, sending it into the minds of the two shinobi. They immediately froze, their expressions blank, before turning to walk back toward the Hokage's office.
On their way, they encountered Sasuke and Sakura.
Noticing something off, Sakura called out, "Aonami? Nitta? Where are you two going?"
The two didn't respond, their gazes fixed ahead.
"They're under some kind of control," Sasuke observed, activating his Sharingan. He placed a hand on Aonami's shoulder and tried to release the illusion.
"Release!"
Nothing happened. Aonami and Nitta brushed past him, continuing on their way.
Sasuke frowned. "It's not genjutsu. What's controlling them?"
"Let me check," Sakura said, placing her hands on Aonami and using medical ninjutsu to examine him. She quickly identified an abnormal energy affecting his mind and used her healing abilities to dispel it. Nitta was freed in the same manner.
"What happened?" Sakura asked once they were back to normal.
The two explained the situation, prompting Sakura to sigh. "You should've been more respectful when asking for help. Yoichi-san doesn't rely on the village—he's not obligated to assist us."
Sasuke offered, "Do you want me to speak with him?"
"No, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, smiling. "You focus on your mission. I'll handle Yoichi-san. He's… not the easiest person to deal with."
Sakura approached Yoichi's pharmacy and knocked gently on the door, waiting patiently outside. Hearing the knock, Yoichi came down to open it.
"You Konoha shinobi again? What is it this time?" Yoichi asked with a hint of irritation.
Sakura bowed slightly. "I apologize for the earlier disturbance. Aonami and Nitta were too impatient. Hokage-sama would like to discuss some urgent matters with you—please consider coming to the office."
"Is this about the prophecy? I've already told you everything I know. I can't predict the exact nature or location of the disasters, so there's no point in asking me again," Yoichi replied, shaking his head.
"Please, Yoichi-san. The situation is dire—several nations have already suffered catastrophic damage. For Ino's sake, could you help us?"
At the mention of Ino, Yoichi's expression softened slightly, though an odd look flickered across his face.
"I doubt I can help, but fine. Let's go," he said, locking the door behind him.
As they walked, Sakura's mind raced. Something about Yoichi's reaction to Ino didn't sit right with her.
There's something going on between them that I don't know about… I need to figure it out.
(End of Chapter)
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