Chapter 142: Balance of Yin and Yang

The defense line of the Soup Country.

"In this direction, there are four people approaching us!"

In a dense forest on the front line between the Konoha and the Cloud Village, a member of the Cloud Village squad glanced toward a direction, his complexion changing, and hurriedly warned.

The four immediately scattered, hiding themselves carefully within the forest.

However, before the enemy appeared, the squad's reconnaissance ninja shouted abruptly, "Bad, there are people surrounding us from other directions too; we've been discovered!"

"What? Isn't this our Cloud Village anti‑reconnaissance defense line? How could we be besieged? Where are the other squads?" The three were startled, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.

"Now's not the time to discuss this; they're moving so fast—damn, they're coming!"

Swoosh swoosh swoosh~ As soon as the words fell, no one appeared, but hand‑thrown blades shot out from the shadows, heading straight for their respective hiding places. The four sensed trouble and immediately jumped to evade.

Almost simultaneously, three figures brandishing long swords rushed at the three of them at breakneck speed.

The three were startled, drew their weapons in a hurry to meet the enemy, and under the massive force were knocked to the ground, though uninjured; as they prepared to fight again, their bodies suddenly froze, and their faces changed.

The three above seemed to have anticipated it; without any hesitation they struck, and the three Cloud Village members were instantly splattered with blood, their lives ending on the spot.

The Cloud Village four‑person squad was reduced to one in the blink of an eye. He looked terrified, cold sweat streaming, wanting to turn and retreat, but the Konoha forces had already reached him; he should have relayed the intelligence back.

Unfortunately, he was the only reconnaissance ninja among the four; in his perception he clearly saw himself surrounded by twelve ninjas, and with his abilities there was no hope of escape.

He hesitated only a moment, then understood his fate, promptly drew a detonating talisman, his gaze resolute as he charged toward one of them.

Yet a moment's hesitation can often change many things.

"Naïve."

A cold voice echoed in the Cloud Village ninja's ear; his sprinting body suddenly halted, unable to move a fraction.

Before he could react, the ninja before him's eyes instantly changed, three tomoe appearing; the two locked gazes, and the Cloud Village ninja's eyes quickly lost focus.

"It's already under control; time is limited. You should go gather intelligence."

As the words fell, a Hyuga ninja stepped out behind him; from other directions two squads also emerged simultaneously, the three squads totaling twelve men appearing, oddly each squad containing a Hyuga ninja.

"Leave it to me."

One of the squads, besides the Hyuga, also included members of the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akido clans.

The ninja who had just ambushed and controlled the four were from the Nara clan, while the one speaking now was from the Yamanaka clan.

"This is already the 12th squad; we've cleared the surrounding Cloud Village. I must say, with the Hyuga's Byakugan, moving around is indeed easy."

Once the Hyuga's Byakugan awakens, it grants reconnaissance abilities beyond those of ordinary ninjas; the most frightening part is that Hyuga awakenings are relatively easy, allowing large‑scale deployment on the battlefield. With Hyuga assistance, the Konoha can easily dominate the visual field.

"It's been seven days; according to the mission orders, we should withdraw now."

"Indeed, the Cloud Village's reconnaissance squads have been dwindling, and small‑scale ninja forces have appeared ahead; we can no longer approach."

Among the twelve, the commander remained a Nara ninja; he did not decide immediately, but looked toward Yamanaka Seiya.

Yamanaka Seiya withdrew his hand from the Cloud Village ninja's head and said, "They received orders to conduct reconnaissance near that forward ninja force, and the Cloud Village's reconnaissance squads have suffered such heavy losses that they're preparing to temporarily abandon infiltration battles."

"It seems the other teams have also achieved considerable results."

"Given that, we should return quickly to report back."

The Nara ninja, hearing this, looked at the Uchiha clan member, who merely said coolly, "You're the squad leader; you decide."

The Nara ninja breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said, "Mission accomplished, disband!"

"Roger!"

They set off; by the time they returned to the camp it was evening, and each squad gradually came back to report intelligence.

Jiraiya, after listening to the assistants' summary of the intelligence inside the main camp, looked at Sima Yi and said, "The Cloud Village finally reacted, but our objective has been achieved; shall we proceed to the next step?"

Sima Yi observed for a long time and found that among the many ninjas, one type of ninja, aside from sheer power, could most influence the battle's outcome.

That is the reconnaissance ninja! In battles between ninjas, enemy intelligence can largely determine victory or defeat.

In conflicts between ninja villages, the intelligence gathered by reconnaissance ninjas can also greatly affect the result.

And the Konoha possesses the finest reconnaissance ninja clan, the Hyuga! Even a slightly stronger Hyuga ninja, after activating the Byakugan, can effectively observe beyond a kilometer.

Realizing this, Sima Yi suggested concentrating Elite Forces and superior troops to strike the Cloud Village's reconnaissance squad at a fixed point while they were unprepared.

The reconnaissance squad is the ninja army's first line of defense; its importance is self‑evident.

Thus Jiraiya did not agree immediately, but asked others for their opinions; the various ninja clans also wished to end the fight quickly, and after further understanding Sima Yi's plan they chose to agree.

Subsequently Sima Yi set a localized outnumber‑the‑underdog plan, gathering Elite Forces from each division and taking Hyuga ninjas to strike together.

The tactic is a localized outnumber‑the‑underdog, using strength to overwhelm weakness.

Ten squads, 120 mid‑to‑high‑rank ninjas, were dispatched swiftly, killing the first batch of reconnaissance ninjas while the Cloud Village was unprepared; thereafter Jiraiya, following Sima Yi's suggestion, mobilized the main army to create a show of force.

This made the loss‑suffering Cloud Village become alert, forced to react immediately and send out a second wave of reconnaissance ninjas.

After seven days of continuous fighting, the Cloud Village finally sensed trouble, began pulling back ninjas, abandoning both reconnaissance and anti‑reconnaissance lines, and dared not probe in squad formations any longer.

"No hurry; have the reconnaissance ninjas keep a careful watch for a while, and avoid their small‑scale ninja army."

The larger their early actions, the longer the subsequent silence, the more it breeds unease.

Although the Cloud Village's reconnaissance ninjas suffered heavy losses, they were not fools; realizing the issue, they began forming a small‑scale ninja army, numbering between fifty and a hundred.

"If the Cloud Village conducts reconnaissance with squads of this size, their movements will be conspicuous; we could also mobilize forces to wipe them out entirely."

Someone spotted the drawback of the Cloud Village's approach and immediately suggested.

Jiraiya did not agree at once, but looked toward Sima Yi.

"There won't be many of these Cloud Village squads; too many would risk splitting forces, making them easy to defeat one by one, and they wouldn't last long; prolonged presence breeds complications..."

Jiraiya, seasoned in battle, quickly grasped the Cloud Village's intent and said, "They want to see our movements?"

Such sized squads, if too close to our main army, fail to serve reconnaissance; if too far, the Konoha can easily encircle them. Only for special missions would they risk such danger.

"Fine, set up some obstacles and let them come in; we'll keep building momentum so the Cloud Village knows we're about to deploy troops."

Everyone nodded at the words, busied themselves, and the army moved accordingly.

At night, Sima Yi was still reading in the camp; Hui sat beside him also reading, though he was perusing Sima Yi's compiled ninjutsu compendium, which recorded numerous ninjutsu traits and countermeasures.

At that moment, a crow flapped its wings and landed outside the tent, then stuck its head in and slipped into the tent.

Hui sheathed his weapon, stood up, and went to the ninja crow's side to receive the letter.

"Shisui has written again."

Sima Yi sighed, took the letter, and said he already knew about Shiliuye; if he had been beside Shisui earlier, he would have scolded him.

Shisui's desire to raise the clan's strength is correct, but this time he was too reckless, picking pits for his own subordinates; if these few all fail, the rear will inevitably become unstable.

Fortunately the other few can recover; only Shiliuye's fate—whether misfortune or luck—is uncertain.

However, his knowledge of medical ninjutsu is only superficial, so he can't offer advice and thus hasn't replied for now.

Upon opening the letter, Sima Yi discovered it had been delivered at noon, and then saw Shisui's Shadow Clone Jutsu had already arrived in the Land of Fields, not far from here.

He skimmed quickly, and Hui also stuck his head out, wanting to know Shiliuye's condition.

After a moment, Sima Yi returned the letter to Hui and sighed lightly: "Yin Release chakra."

He has read about Yin‑Yang Release in texts, but the records are scarce, so his knowledge is limited. "Can see it but not use it; if you truly swap eyes it would be too painful—never mind, at least you can stay alive."

Hui shook his head, his expression complicated.

"Uncle Yi, do you have any method? That's a kaleidoscope; it can't just disappear like this!"

Sima Yi shook his head and replied, "I only have a superficial grasp of medical ninjutsu, and my knowledge of human anatomy is merely introductory; I truly have no solution for this."

"However—"

"However what?"

"There is no method, but I have a suggestion: write a letter to Shisui."

"Alright, go ahead."

"The ancients said: when Yin is level and Yang hidden, spirit governs; when Yin and Yang separate, essence and qi are cut off. He is currently Yin‑dominant and Yang‑depleted; if Yang is replenished to balance Yin and Yang, perhaps it can be restored."

"Supplement his Yang Release chakra, letting Yin‑Yang Release chakra reach balance; that should be correct, right?"

Hui wiped the fine sweat from his forehead; Sima Yi looked at him in surprise, as if the long‑studied book hadn't been in vain.

"Let's write it like that."

"Alright!"

After sending the letter, the two, having matters tomorrow, rested early.

Meanwhile, on the Tōkaidō, Shangcun Yizhi's luxurious villa.

"Ha ha, we already control seventy percent of the entire Tōkaidō market; even after the nobles' cut, we still earn sixty million taels per month. In two more months, once business stabilizes, it should reach ninety million."

"The clan chief would be delighted to hear this!"

Shangcun Yizhi looked at the ledger in his hand and burst into a hearty laugh.

Uchiha Pan stood nearby, and upon hearing this, said, "Those salt merchants and minor nobles have calmed down lately; the number of assassinations has been decreasing."

"I've sent people to keep an eye on them; they may be plotting something. Also, your bounty has been raised to eighty million taels by them."

"What?"

Shangcun Yizhi's complexion changed, and he hurriedly asked, "Wasn't it only twenty million before? How did it jump up so much at once?"

"The ones who came before were bounty hunters, fairly strong; after I killed them, your bounty gradually rose to forty million."

"Now those salt merchants are probably driven to desperation by you, so they've doubled it for you."

Shangcun Yizhi's heart raced uneasily; he also made his fortune in private salt, so he knows the tactics of his peers well.

Because of that understanding, he retained thirty percent; before the Uchiha could fully back him, he didn't want to force those people into a dead end. Now it seems pointless, and he truly fears that eighty million taels will summon a strong adversary.

Thinking this, he looked anxiously at Uchiha Pan.

Uchiha Pan let out a light snort, his expression disdainful.

"Don't worry, with me here, you won't have any trouble."

"Hehe. Perhaps write a letter to report to the clan chief?"

"As you wish."

"Yin‑Yang balance?"

The next day, deep within Orochimaru's laboratory, Shisui received Sima Yi's reply; the letter contained only this single sentence, yet it gave him much to ponder.

Orochimaru, holding two test tubes, stood behind him and peeked; Shisui glanced at him but made no move to block.

"Yin‑Yang balance!"

Orochimaru licked his lips, his neck stretching longer and longer until it pressed against the letter; his eyes glittered as if deep in thought.

Shisui tilted his head, kept his distance from him, thought for a moment, then sighed, "Medical ninjutsu seems related to Yang Release chakra; looks like we still need to ask Lady Tsunade for help."

"No!"

Orochimaru set the test tube aside, took the letter from Shisui's hand and flipped it back and forth, decisively rejecting Shisui's idea.

"The erosion is ongoing; Lady Tsunade's medical ninjutsu can at most provide relief, unless you gouge out both eyes to cut off this Yin Release chakra, or keep Lady Tsunade constantly by Shiliuye's side."

Shisui frowned, thought carefully, and had to admit Orochimaru was right.

"Then let Shiliuye train on his own."

"The medical ninjutsu isn't the key; the key lies in constitution. Yin‑Yang attributes are innate; the Uchiha's Yang attribute is stronger than ordinary people's, yet still insufficient to supply the powerful Yang Release chakra needed to counter this erosion."

Orochimaru finished speaking and moved to Shiliuye's side; at that moment, many devices were attached to Shiliuye's body to monitor his condition.

"Your odd philosophy, old man, actually aligns with my method; I happen to have a way to boost Shiliuye's constitution!"

"What method?"

"Heh heh heh~"

Orochimaru didn't answer immediately, but let out a sinister laugh.

"Shisui, you already know."

Shisui raised an eyebrow, a thought flashing, then said, "First generation."

"Not bad. If it were before, my grasp wasn't great, but now I have a new idea. You wait over there; I need to conduct some experiments."

Finishing his words, Orochimaru wore an excited expression, ignored Shisui and slipped alone into the laboratory.

He was busy for a full two days.

Two days later, Orochimaru ran out, face alight, grabbed Shisui and headed toward his laboratory; his grip was so strong it nearly crushed Shisui's Shadow Clone Jutsu.

"Take it easy, this is just my clone."

Orochimaru didn't care about that; he only wanted to share his discovery with Shisui.

"I transplanted cells from the First and the corrupted cells of Shiliuye into these lab mice in a certain ratio. After two days, three mice survived."

Orochimaru pointed at the three mice as he explained; Shisui, after looking, turned his gaze to some potted plants nearby.

"Hehe, as you see, Shisui, these are all failures, devoured by the First's cells."

"However, Shisui should know that previously, even using test subjects with stronger bodies—ninja—failed many times; this time, using only weak mice, it succeeded."

"This shows that Uchiha cells indeed have the ability to resist the First's cellular invasion."

"If Shiliuye were transplanted with the First's cells, I am confident he could survive."

"Moreover, as you see, Shisui, the three surviving mice have a greatly increased chakra level, vigorous vitality, and after some training might become spirit beasts."

Orochimaru whispered in Shisui's ear, constantly urging him, his breathing a little rapid.

After hesitating for a long time, Shisui turned again to ask Shiliuye's opinion; receiving his affirmation, he said to Orochimaru, "My clone can't hold any longer; keep an eye on these three mice. In half a month I'll return, and after I see the results I'll make a decision."

Orochimaru was startled, understood Shisui's meaning, licked his lips excitedly and said, "I'll be waiting, Shisui~"

"Regarding Uchiha Shiliuye's eye technique, it is indeed imperfect; there should be both group and single‑target versions. The single‑target is set to be usable only on oneself, and after use causes two years of blindness. This is a notice."

(End of chapter)