Chapter 96: Training and a Visitor
After Natsu left, Dana returned to his daily routine: monitoring the liaison office, gathering and analyzing intelligence at the "Special Strategy Division's" secret base, and training.
In a spacious and secluded training room, Dana, bare-chested and wearing only training pants, held a gleaming tachi. The sword was from United Iron & Steel. It had no fancy name, but its quality was that of a masterwork. Dana was not one to believe in the legends of "famous swords." In his view, as technology progressed, a new sword would always be better than an old one.
The tachi was forged with expensive chakra-conductive metal. He assumed a stance and slowly infused it with his lightning-natured chakra, mimicking the sharpness of his Thunder Severing Wave.
The sword began to hum and vibrate, and a white arc of electricity flashed along its edge. He threw a kunai into the air and let it fall. He then held the glowing tachi in its path. Under the force of gravity, the kunai was effortlessly sliced in two. He barely felt the impact.
A look of joy crossed his face. He was trying to use his unparalleled control over lightning to replicate the sharpness of the White Fang's blade.
But he soon noticed that the sword's temperature was rapidly rising, and the blade was becoming unstable. He hesitated for a moment, then decided to increase his chakra output.
The hum grew louder and louder. The blade began to glow red, as if it had just been pulled from the forge, and it started to show signs of melting. The temperature in the room shot up, and molten metal dripped to the floor with a sizzle.
He shook his head and stopped the flow of chakra. The tachi slowly cooled, but it was now warped.
"It seems the White Fang's blade has something special to it," he mused.
The legendary short sword of the White Fang was said to be thin and short, with a wide blade, a very different form from a conventional sword. It was likely designed to dissipate heat. But that also meant that without chakra, it was very fragile.
He suspected that the Hatake clan's ancestral blade had some special formula to accommodate its unique chakra application.
It was easy for him to imbue a sword with his lightning chakra, and to mimic the properties of hardness and sharpness. But the material of the sword could not withstand it. This was an area he was not familiar with.
With his absolute control over lightning, he could use most lightning jutsu just by seeing them. Lightning was like clay in his hands. He could shape it at will. The mimicry of the thunder dragon, the cutting power of the Thunder Severing Wave, and even a Lightning Release Rasengan were all easy for him to master.
Of course, this was limited to lightning. He couldn't even use a regular, non-elemental Rasengan.
On the battlefield, he would often use his lightning jutsu as he pleased, sometimes making up the names on the spot. Now, he wanted to develop more complex techniques.
Just as he was about to continue his training, one of his subordinates came to report. "Lord Dana," he said, "someone has contacted us at the underground exchange using the Ashen Bandits' code."
Dana's eyes lit up. The only people who knew that code, besides themselves, were...
After finishing his training, he disguised himself with a Transformation Jutsu and went to the underground exchange in the capital of the Land of Hot Water.
A dilapidated tavern on the surface, a gambling den in the basement, and an exchange even deeper underground. When he had first found out, he had thought the owner was quite clever.
He ignored the noisy drunks, passed through the smoky casino, and went down to the third level.
The people in the exchange were all shady characters, each one wary of the other. They would naturally be observing any newcomers.
He ignored their gazes and went to a private room in the back, a place for discussing the most secret of commissions.
The moment he lifted the curtain, a kunai shot out at him without warning. He seemed to float backwards a few inches, dodging the strange attack.
A woman was standing there, on guard.
"That's dangerous," he said, pushing aside the kunai that was pointed at him.
"Just verifying that you're the leader of the Ashen Bandits."
"You can drop the transformation," he said, sitting down.
"You're using one too. Why don't you drop yours?"
"You're not in a position to negotiate," he said calmly.
The woman hesitated for a moment, then released her jutsu. It was Tsunade.
"Where is Dan?" she asked, her eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.
"Did you bring it?" he said with a playful smile. "You didn't just bring yourself, did you?"
"Take me to him," she said, her voice low. "And I'll give it to you."
"Lady Tsunade," he said, his smile fading, "have you forgotten the terms of our deal? My part was to save Dan Kato. Your part... was yourself."
She was silent.
After a long moment, she took out an old-looking scroll.
"This is the training method for the Strength of a Hundred Seal," she said. "The rest... please, let me see him first."
He took the scroll and glanced at it. "I understand your feelings," he said. "But the situation is not what you think. You'll understand when you come with me."
They left the exchange and headed out of the city.
Tsunade followed him in silence. She had figured out that they were heading for the Land of Lightning. She had assumed he was taking her to the Ashen Bandits' secret base. But as they went deeper and deeper into the Land of Lightning, she began to panic.
This seems to be... the direction of the Hidden Cloud.
He didn't take her directly to the village. Instead, he led her to a rocky mountain not far from it.
There was a hidden entrance on the back side. This was an important laboratory of the Cloud's research department. When he stopped, guards appeared, but after verifying his identity, they disappeared again.
"Who are you?!" Tsunade said, her face pale, her voice trembling.
He had someone open the gate, then released his transformation and made a "please, come in" gesture.
"Allow me to introduce myself," he said. "I am the leader of the Ashen Bandits..."
Seeing his true face, Tsunade was a mixture of shock and anger. "You're Yotsuki Dana!" she interrupted. "You're from the Hidden Cloud!"
The open gate looked like a giant, devouring mouth.
Dana stood up straight and looked at her.
"Does it make a difference?"