"Mokgetsu, today's battle was thanks to you. Otherwise, if that tail had come down on me, I'd be in big trouble," Akimichi Chouza laughed heartily in gratitude.
"If you ever need help with anything, feel free to let me know. Although I can't compare my strength to yours, Mokgetsu, I do have many channels for cultivation elixirs."
Mokgetsu's mind stirred. He recalled that the Akimichi Clan seemed to have some secret medicines specifically used with their secret techniques, and they had considerable research on them. In partnership with the Akimichi Clan, the Nara Clan was involved in the herbal medicine business.
"We're all comrades here; helping each other is only right," Mokgetsu initially responded with a gentle smile, then showed a slightly troubled expression.
"I don't really have much need for secret medicines, but there are some wild herbs I want to buy lately, some of which are quite rare and difficult to procure."
Mokgetsu had a recipe for a repairing elixir and could brew it himself. However, some of the ingredients were indeed too rare, and money alone couldn't guarantee their purchase.
Akimichi Chouza chuckled and slung his arm around Nara Shikaku's shoulder, saying, "Now you've found the right person. Konoha's medical system relies on Shikaku's family to supply the herbs, so you can't go wrong asking him."
Nara Shikaku nodded slightly, "Mokgetsu, if you have a list of herbs you want to purchase, you can give it to me, and I'll have someone prepare it."
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio is united; Mokgetsu saving Akimichi Chouza meant saving them Nara too. Nara Shikaku didn't mind lending a helping hand.
Even without this situation, Nara Shikaku would likely help because he believed in Mokgetsu's potential future.
"Thank you so much, Shikaku. I'll write up the list and give it to you when I have time," Mokgetsu smiled in gratitude.
He only planned to have Nara Shikaku acquire some of the rare herbs, while he would purchase the common ones himself.
This stuff is just too outstanding, and releasing it could easily cause trouble.
After that, Orochimaru did not have the troops pursue the Hidden Mist overnight but instead allowed them to rest for a night. It wasn't until daylight that he dispatched a large number of Konoha ninja to sweep the East Coast.
Karatachi Yagura seemed to anticipate that Orochimaru would choose to strike at the drowning dog. He led the Hidden Mist Squad back to the Land of Water, so Orochimaru only found a few Hidden Mist Ninja left behind to gather intelligence.
With that, the war at the East Coast battlefield concluded with a decisive victory for the Konoha Ninja Squad.
...
Konoha Village.
Hokage Building, conference room.
"Hiruzen, if you had sent Mokgetsu to the battlefield earlier, perhaps our Konoha would have achieved even more significant results," Danzo stood up excitedly and unleashed his frustration at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He had advocated for sending Mokgetsu to the battlefield to assist Orochimaru for a long time, and it wasn't until Orochimaru was transferred to the East Coast battlefield that Sarutobi Hiruzen relented.
Now, the better Mokgetsu's performance, the more it was a win for him, Danzo, and at the same time, it was a slap to Sarutobi Hiruzen's face, strongly proving that Danzo's foresight was better than Sarutobi Hiruzen's.
Danzo knew he was getting a bit carried away; after all, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still the Hokage, but he couldn't help it, as he couldn't suppress his smile.
Danzo couldn't help it; to him, this was truly a satisfying moment of vindication. All of Sarutobi Hiruzen's past criticisms had come back to him like a boomerang.
At this moment, Delighted Danzo's goodwill towards Mokgetsu peaked, feeling that Mokgetsu was practically a perfect creation of the Root, his most accomplished work since founding Root.
Because no Root member had ever allowed him to one-up Sarutobi Hiruzen like this.
"Without that period of foundation, Mokgetsu might not have shone as brightly on the East Coast battlefield," Sarutobi Hiruzen retorted.
While Sarutobi Hiruzen was indeed a bit embarrassed, he didn't feel too much like he was being slapped in the face because Mokgetsu was somewhat like his half-disciple.
If a disciple excels, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't possibly feel embarrassed; instead, he felt it proved the effectiveness of his teachings.
When Mokgetsu emerged from the Root, his strength wasn't weak. He was among the elite Jonin but not as strong as he is now.
Mokgetsu's current strength couldn't be entirely attributed to him, but he had contributed. Many of Mokgetsu's ninjutsu were his rewards, and he had taught Mokgetsu nature transformation.
"Or maybe Mokgetsu would have gained experience on the battlefield and become even stronger than he is now!" Danzo asserted confidently.
He was brimming with confidence now because sending Mokgetsu to the battlefield was the result of his persistent recommendation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Danzo with exasperation. If it weren't for Danzo's merits, Sarutobi Hiruzen might have already wanted to throw him out of the conference room. Sticking to one point continuously, anyone could mistake it for Danzo having killed the Jinchuriki.
"Let's not argue too much about this issue; both of you have merits. Danzo, you discovered Mokgetsu, and Hiruzen cultivated Mokgetsu," Mitokado Homura chimed in to mediate.
Under normal circumstances, he would side with Sarutobi Hiruzen, but today it would be inappropriate to criticize Danzo too much.
"Let's discuss the main issue at hand. How do we handle our relationship with the Hidden Mist from now on?" Utatane Koharu followed.
Danzo's expression gradually returned to calm as he nodded slightly.
Knowing Sarutobi Hiruzen well, Danzo realized he might be on the brink of anger, so he needed to stop, lest Sarutobi Hiruzen truly got upset and went after Root.
Although Danzo believed that everything he did was for Konoha, many of his actions didn't comply with Konoha's regulations and couldn't withstand scrutiny.
"Make the Hidden Mist Village compensate for the war losses; otherwise, continue the war," Danzo outright voiced his opinion.
Not only did they kill the Three-tails Jinchuriki of the Hidden Mist, but they also slew Hidden Mist powerhouses like Minazuki Kan and Hozuki Zangetsu. It was a complete and total victory. If it weren't for the other battlefields, Danzo would be chanting to flatten the Hidden Mist Village.