Chapter 175: Answers and Realizations
"Can't you ask one at a
time?" Kakashi's tone was quite helpless. "You just woke up, so don't
worry about these things and rest at ease."
However, before he could finish
speaking, Kiba's voice came again: "Can you help me sit up first? It's so
uncomfortable to lie and talk like this, and I can't see anyone."
Kakashi glanced at Kiba lying on the
bed with his eyeballs rolling around, exchanged glances with Shiga Taketake and
Kiuchi Taketo, sighed, and said, "You never listen, do you?"
But despite his words, Kakashi,
Kiuchi Taketo , and Shiga Taketake helped Kiba sit up, placing a pillow behind
him to support him. Kiba's whole body was covered with thick plaster, making
him look quite bloated. Once upright, he resembled a mummy pulled from a
coffin, although his head wasn't injured and had fewer bandages.
Kiba frowned when he saw the three
of them, nearly bursting into laughter.
The
bandages on these two are terribly wrapped!
Shiga Taketake and Kiuchi Taketo looked like mummies with loose, messy
bandages, especially on their heads, where the bandages were stacked together,
tied from the chin, and topped with a bow, resembling a cosplay of Sakura.
Seeing Kiba's expression, Shiga
Taketake and Kiuchi Taketo narrowed their eyes simultaneously. Shiga Taketake
said, "Kakashi..."
"What's wrong?" Kakashi
asked, looking confused.
Kiuchi Taketo silently walked to the
side wall, supported it with one hand, and lowered his head, a shadow covering
half his body, displaying a "life without love" posture.
Kiba clearly read the word
"humiliating" from his back.
This was the result of Obito and
Kakashi's bandaging efforts. With the hospital understaffed, they had taken
care of bandage changes and dressings.
"Cough!" Seeing the
expressions of Taketo Kiuchi and Taketake Shiga, Kiba coughed lightly,
suppressing a smile, and asked Kakashi, "How long have I been in a
coma?"
"Three days," Kakashi
sighed.
Kiba frowned. "Where are
Hirohiko and Yukina? Are they okay? Are their injuries healed?"
"They're fine but still need to
be hospitalized for a while." Kakashi was also covered in bandages, but
because Rin had bandaged him, he looked much better. The bandages and dressings
were changed by Shiga Taketake and Kiuchi Taketo, who had similar skills to
Rin.
"From your appearance... the
forbidden surgery room and the hospital were attacked?" Kiba asked again.
"Yeah," Kakashi nodded.
"But we managed to block it. Xue Ying was seriously injured and is now in
a double ward a few rooms away. He woke up yesterday with Hirohiko. Obito is
over there keeping watch. The hospital is short-staffed, so we stayed."
Have they
been taking care of us?
Kiba looked at Kakashi, half-closing
his eyes, Taketo Kiuchi maintaining the "humiliating" posture, and
Shiga Taketake patting Kiuchi on the shoulder. Kiba sensed a feeling of
"relief" from their actions, estimating that before he woke up, their
hearts were hanging.
"Where is Yukina?" Kiba
asked, "Isn't she in the same ward as Hirohiko?"
Should I
tell him about Yukina's blood transfusion?
Kakashi pondered but said,
"Yukina has been moved to another ward. She's fine now, just
resting."
Kakashi subconsciously concealed the
part about the blood transfusion, feeling that it should only be discussed with
Yukina's consent.
Moved
wards?
Kiba was slightly taken aback.
Why move
wards?
However, this thought quickly
passed. Kiba asked again, "Can you tell me what happened in the
village?"
Kakashi looked at Kiba, sighed
slightly, and said, "When the forbidden surgery room and the hospital were
attacked, the village was attacked by a group of unknown ninjas. We were
dragged there. Later, Teacher Minato led the team back, and the unknown ninjas
retreated. Because of their attack, neither the forbidden surgery room nor the
hospital received support. However, as I told you, we managed to block it. The
Anbu ninjas sent to support you were killed by a group of Iwagakure ninjas, but
Iwagakure was beheaded by Minato-sensei."
Kakashi couldn't help thinking, If Kiba hadn't seen the clues and made
arrangements, the consequences would have been disastrous! The forbidden
surgery room would not have been protected, and the hospital could have fallen.
Kiba contributed greatly this time.
Kiba was surprised to hear this.
So much
happened! No wonder the support was delayed!
Iwagakure,
Kumo ninjas, the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, and unknown ninja
troops... whoever could hold back Konoha's guard troops and Anbu should be from
a Great Ninja Village.
It's
uncertain if it's a ploy from the Land of Thunder, another plan from the Land
of Earth, or the participation of a third country.
I don't
know if this was Yotsuki bi's trick or if Iwagakure used Yotsuki bi...
A series of thoughts passed through
Kiba's mind, finally converging into one.
The
balance and peace treaty between the great powers have begun to break, and the
Third Ninja World War is coming.
At this moment, Kakashi asked,
"How did you find Kushina-sensei? When Minato-sensei rescued you and
Kushina-sensei, you were also seriously injured. You should have found the ones
who kidnapped Kushina-sensei."
Hearing Kakashi's question, Shiga
Taketake and Kiuchi Taketo also looked
over, obviously curious.
"Actually, I didn't discover
the trail of Kushina-sensei, but the Anbu ninja who was guarding one
place," Kiba said. "I just followed that Anbu ninja."
At that time, after Kiba left from
the telegraph pole, he was considering the fourth possibility: "one person
takes Kushina away, and two people attack the forbidden surgery room and the
hospital." Initially, it seemed impossible because if one person took
Kushina, they wouldn't need to turn back.
But later, he realized it was
possible. They left one person to block the path that Yukina and Hirohiko took.
It should be the escape route on the false information they made. If one person
followed this path, it was likely to be discovered by Konoha's pursuit force
who received false information. Taking a person would slow down the journey.
So, turning back together, waiting for the pursuit and rescue troops to set
off, and following them meant the pursuit troops would be in front, making it
harder to find the kidnapper.
The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is so
important, these pursuit and rescue troops would definitely not turn back
halfway. The kidnapper could follow the road to their own country, making it
much more convenient.
Secondly, they might have acted
according to one of the previous "three possibilities," but something
happened, and they had to transfer Kushina first, leading to the fourth
possibility.
Kiba arranged to guard against the
possibility that this person would take the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki first.
He thought of two possible routes:
the escape route Yukina and Hirohiko took and the route to Kiba's own home.
When he rescued Yukina, the route taken by Iwaki was a shortcut to leave Konoha Village,
making Kiba's cabin accessible and on the village's edge.
He separated a shadow clone, going
to the house area himself, while the clone went to the escape route of the Kumo
ninjas. He learned their route from Hirohiko's narrative.
Before long, he found Anbu sending a
message with a psychic beast, confirming the escape route used by the Kumo
ninjas. He took the first step and went to ambush them.
The shadow clone wasn't released
until he exhausted the chakra. Then he took the second ration pill and opened
the Eight Gates.
Kakashi, who heard Kiba's words,
nodded slightly, exhaled, and said, "However, now that the dust has
settled, the village has stabilized, and the defense forces and Anbu who fought
the unknown ninja have been treated. They have all returned to the village in
secret. According to the Third Hokage's orders, we must keep this matter a
secret."
Afraid of causing panic?
The Third Hokage should have already started pre-war preparations...
Kiba thought in his heart, nodded,
and said, "I understand. Do the others know too?"
"Some staff, including those
in the hospital, already know about the secrecy order," Kakashi said.
This order was passed on through
Anbu, and everyone who needed to know had already received the order. Kakashi
had received the news three days ago from his teacher, Minato Namikaze.
At that moment, Shiga Taketake
looked at Kiba with a faint sadness in his eyes.
Sure enough, Kiba is very
thoughtful... He is treating himself as insurance. I can't compare to him.
Kiuchi Taketo on the side also
asked himself.
If it were me, would I go
to ambush after knowing that Anbu had gone after him? Do I have the courage to
face an invading ninja who can hide from so many great ninjas in the village?