Chapter 115: Rin Nohara (Bonus Chapter 4/5)

In the izakaya, there had been only one table of guests all morning: Kahn and Tsunade.

Tsunade had come to the izakaya under the pretense of needing to discuss something with Kahn. However, upon arrival, she immediately ordered plenty of fine sake and began drinking slowly, avoiding the actual topic of conversation by constantly looking around.

Kahn initially suspected that Tsunade had discovered his connection with Orochimaru, but seeing her drink incessantly, he slowly realized the truth. "Tsunade, don't tell me you just dragged me here to sponge free drinks off me?"

"Idiot! I am one of the Sannin of Konoha; how could I possibly do such a thing!"

Tsunade slammed her empty glass onto the table with a loud thud, then spoke to Kahn with a righteous air. Kahn might have believed her act if she hadn't already downed several glasses, leaving her face flushed a deep red.

Kahn tapped the table and said, "I received a report from the casino a few days ago; you’ve lost a lot of money there lately..."

At these words, Tsunade nearly choked on the sake in her throat. She coughed, "Cough... I came to you to ask about the soothing potion. I heard about it from Kushina a few days ago."

"Not only heard about it, but you've also been researching it, right?"

Kahn exposed her decisively. Kushina was becoming like a daughter to him; the moment the potion was requested, she had come straight to Kahn to tell him about it.

"You won't be able to replicate it, Tsunade. This is a magical potion; many of the ingredients are extremely rare—so rare you've never even heard of them. Even I don't have much of it on hand; it's meant for emergencies. Did you really come to see me just for this? If that were all, why be so hesitant?"

"You guy, who are you calling hesitant? I just didn't know how to bring it up..."

Tsunade said indignantly. She was one of the Sannin, not some ordinary kunoichi. After bowing her head in thought for a moment, she finally looked up and asked, "You are now the Minister of Propaganda for the Land of Fire. Can you help me gather some information in the capital? What are the Daimyo's intentions, cutting funding right before a war..."

There was no need to even ask, Kahn thought to himself. If his instincts were correct, the Daimyo was the one who most hoped for White Fang to become the Fourth Hokage. With his samurai-like conduct and gentle personality, if Sakumo Hatake were to become Hokage, the relationship between Konoha and the Land of Fire would slowly change over the next decade.

The Daimyo could also slowly intervene in Konoha's affairs through Sakumo’s compliant nature, and Sakumo would likely not refuse. But now, it was impossible for Sakumo to become Hokage—or rather, the probability had been reduced to near zero.

Furthermore, since the Daimyo had suffered such a loss, he naturally wanted to recoup it from Konoha.

"I will do my best. But it’s quite surprising that you’d take the initiative to care about such matters... By the way, do me a favor as well. My newspaper wants to interview the three of you Sannin and publish a glorified piece about your deeds. I hope you'll cooperate when the time comes, Tsunade."

Kahn told her this, though his true intention was to promote Orochimaru. Promoting Orochimaru alone would be too obvious, but including Tsunade would prevent suspicion.

"No problem, leave it to me!" Tsunade said boldly, then licked her red lips and returned to attacking the food and wine on the table. Mostly the wine; she had already finished three bottles of shochu in no time.

This made Kahn suspect once again that Tsunade had simply made up an excuse to come here for free drinks.

While drinking, Kahn subtly probed Tsunade about the situation at the Konoha Hospital. Not long after, they parted ways, though before leaving, Tsunade secretly packed away several more bottles of the fine shochu.

With Konoha’s funding cut, if someone were to provide a little guidance, most ninjas would vent their anger on Sakumo Hatake.

However, it would be a pity if the White Fang of Konoha died like that. Kahn thought for a moment; it would be difficult to recruit Sakumo, but he could help him a little to prevent him from spiraling into such a dead end.

That night, Kahn contacted Orochimaru again. Regarding the matter of helping him become the Fourth Hokage, Kahn would be responsible for the Land of Fire’s Daimyo and the public reputation side of things. Orochimaru, however, needed a turning point; his current merits were still a bit thin, and as for his strength...

Kahn couldn't be sure of Orochimaru's true power. He had originally given Orochimaru a perfected Extremis virus serum. If Orochimaru had used it on himself, he would have gained an additional bloodline limit. Combined with the Sage Mode of the Ryuchi Cave’s snakes, Orochimaru could now be considered the strongest of the Sannin.

Finally, Orochimaru requested some test subjects and new research equipment, which was no difficulty for Kahn. In return, he asked Orochimaru to continue developing the Cursed Seal, focusing on the research of combining Sage chakra-enhanced physical bodies with the Super Soldier Serum.

This was a challenge for Orochimaru, but also a field of research that interested him greatly.

Having mastered Sage Mode, Kahn could easily cultivate a group of subordinates with Sage Cursed Seals. If combined with the Super Soldier Serum, they could surpass most Chunin based on physical fitness alone.

If he added the miniature reactor-powered individual combat armor he had envisioned, mass-producing Jonin-level combatants would be achievable—reaction speeds equal to a Jonin, no need for hand seals, diverse weaponry, and coordinated team tactics...

However, that goal was still a bit distant. The Vanko father and son still needed to continue researching the Arc Reactor, and Orochimaru hadn't even begun his part of that project yet.

...

"Boss, there are currently forty-six ninjas receiving our funding, but only seven are Chunin; the rest are all Genin..."

Yakushi Nonou handed a list to Kahn. This was the result of her efforts over the past few years. Learning medical ninjutsu from Tsunade while secretly developing a network of personnel—achieving this scale was already quite impressive.

Moreover, Jonin were not easy to cultivate. Every Jonin required the Hokage’s personal approval and had to be capable of handling various situations independently before being promoted.

Nonou hadn't had much time, so cultivating seven Chunin was already a great feat.

"Well done, Nonou. For those who truly lack ninja talent, you can suggest they transfer to administrative roles in Konoha. Otherwise, they’ll just be throwing their lives away on the battlefield."

Kahn looked at the list. It was incredibly detailed, noting even their hobbies and habits, as well as when they had received funding. To be able to achieve this much, Nonou already possessed the air of the "Walking Miko" she would become in a few years.

"Nonou, you should appropriately strengthen your own power. Relying only on medical ninjutsu will leave you very helpless if you encounter an accident. Sign this."

Kahn produced a summoning scroll—the individual summoning scroll for Ichikishimahime. He took it out, intending to have Ichikishimahime help Nonou train in Sage Mode.

Nonou did not hesitate at all and signed her name on the summoning scroll. Once she finished, Kahn immediately performed the Summoning Jutsu.

*Poof.*

A puff of smoke rose in the room. When it cleared, a petite girl appeared.

Nonou was slightly startled. Was the summoning beast she had just signed a contract with this young girl?

"Arah-rah, it took you so long to summon me... Hmm? No enemies this time?"

After appearing, Ichikishimahime complained first, then looked at the surrounding environment, realizing she hadn't been called out to fight. However, she noticed the still-open summoning scroll with a new name added to it.

"A new contractor? You summoned me just for this—"

Before Ichikishimahime could finish her complaint, her petite nose twitched. She watched as Kahn sliced his finger, and the powerful, alluring life energy flowing from the blood into a small cup made her unable to suppress her hunger. She even felt her stomach rumble. Blood formed from Hashirama cells, Phoenix genes, and Fire Dragon genes was simply too wonderful for her.

Kahn said to Ichikishimahime, "Help Yakushi Nonou learn Sage Mode and senjutsu, and you'll get more of this blood in the future..."

"Just this little bit? Don't use healing, don't waste it..."

Seeing Nonou about to grab a tissue to wipe Kahn’s finger, Ichikishimahime flew over in a hurry. One hand grabbed the cup, while the other stuffed Kahn’s finger into her mouth, and she sucked hard.

Kahn quickly pulled his hand back, no longer using chakra and magic to suppress the Extremis virus’s healing sensation, allowing the wound to vanish instantly.

The girl looked petite, but she was actually a snake. Kahn darkened his face and said, "You are one of the three goddesses of Ryuchi Cave, can you stop acting like a starving ghost..."

Ichikishimahime wasn't listening at all. After Kahn pulled his finger from her mouth, she went to enjoy the blood in the cup, licking it clean. Only then did she say indifferently, "The three goddesses are snakes, too. Talk to me about that when I’ve cultivated into a true Sage... Is she the one who wants to learn Sage Mode?"

Ichikishimahime floated over to Nonou and sniffed her, then looked disappointed. The new contractor didn't have the scent she hoped for; she was just an ordinary human.

"I know. Just summon me when she’s ready to learn Sage Mode. If things go smoothly, she can master it in half a month," Ichikishimahime said confidently. As long as she had the assistance of the three goddesses, Ryuchi Cave’s Sage Mode was undoubtedly the fastest to master among all the sacred sites.

Kahn sent Ichikishimahime back and introduced the Sage Mode and senjutsu of Ryuchi Cave to Nonou.

"Don't let that snake's behavior fool you; she’s quite powerful. When you have time, you can have her help you cultivate Sage Mode and senjutsu. It will be a significant boost to your strength once you succeed."

"I understand. Thank you very much, Boss, for your cultivation."

Nonou said gratefully. Funding her ninja school education, finding her the Sannin as teachers, and now even selling his own blood to help her connect with one of the three great sacred sites—such kindness was truly hard to repay.

Suddenly, Nonou remembered something. It wasn't very important, but it was worth developing.

"Boss, the medical classes Teacher Tsunade started at the ninja academy have been quite effective. There are quite a few students suitable to become medical ninjas. Should we recruit them?"

"Medical ninjas... how is their talent? Compared to you?"

"There are two students with great talent in the medical class. However, Shizune Kato is a relative of Jonin Dan Kato, so there’s no possibility of her joining us. The other student is Rin Nohara; she could be recruited. She comes from a civilian family, and her parents died in the war. Rin Nohara has great talent in medical treatment. If cultivated properly, she shouldn't be any worse than me."

Kahn looked at the file on Rin Nohara and nodded at Nonou. "In that case, give it a try. I trust your judgment. If she can be recruited and has that talent, then make her a priority for cultivation."

In the ninja world, powerful medical ninjas could be converted into biological researchers at any time. A powerful medical ninja would certainly have a deep understanding of human organs, tissues, cells, and blood, making them well worth the investment.