Post-War

Chapter 123 Post-War

As the sun set behind Mount Gecheng, its afterglow painted the scarred mountainside a dark red.

Yang Xiang sat cross-legged on a flat rock, the green light of his Palm Immortal Technique flickering in his palm. His injuries were mostly healed—the charred fist mark on his chest was closing, and the cut from his shoulder to his waist had stopped bleeding. However, his spiritual energy was greatly depleted, his dantian was empty, and he felt somewhat weak.

Nawaki ran up the mountain, carrying a bundle of bandages and ointment in his arms, followed by several medical ninjas from the Senju clan.

"Yang Xiang! Don't move! Don't move!" Nawaki squatted down and began wrapping bandages around his body. "You're more seriously injured than Jiraiya, don't pretend you're fine."

"External injury".

"A mere superficial wound," Rope Tree rarely swore. "If that mark on your chest were an inch deeper, your heart would have shattered."

You think I can't see through it? Do you think you're made of iron?

Yang Xiang looked down at the fist mark on his chest, then at Sheng Shu's face, which was filled with worry.

"You're right," he nodded, "I should wear a breastplate."

Rope Tree paused in his movements, his face darkening.

"Is that what I meant?"

Yang Xiang didn't reply, but pointed to his shoulder: "Wrap it up over there too, it's a bit drafty."

Rope Tree rolled his eyes and continued bandaging.

On the other side of the mountainside, Whirlpool Light leaned against a rock, covered in injuries. His arms were wrapped in bandages, and several ointments were applied to his chest. He looked as if he had been run over by a truck.

Yan and Yuto sat beside him, one lost in thought, the other sensing with his eyes closed. Ayaka squatted beside him, carefully feeding him water.

Yi was still unconscious. The backlash from the wrath of the heavens was too severe; the cracks on his skin hadn't completely healed, and his breathing was so weak it sounded like he was counting ants. But his life was saved.

"Chief Yakumo will be alright." Koichi's voice was hoarse. "The Tsuchigumo clan's physique is stronger than we imagined."

Ayaka nodded, put the water bottle away, then squatted down, hugged her knees, and looked at the distant sky.

"Brother Guangyi," she suddenly said, "can Boss Yangxiang do anything?"

Guangyi was taken aback for a moment.

"When the Raikage came today, I thought we were all going to die," Ayaka said softly. "But then Boss Yangxiang came, and then the Raikage ran away."

"That's not running away," Koichi corrected her, "that's retreating."

"What's the difference?"

Koichi thought about it.

"Running away is out of fear, retreating is out of necessity," he said. "Lei Ying isn't afraid of Yang Xiang, he's afraid of losing all his men."

Ayaka tilted her head and thought for a moment.

"What is Boss Yang Xiang afraid of?"

This question stumped Koichi. After thinking for a long time, he finally managed to say, "He's afraid we'll die."

Ayaka was stunned.

"That's why he came." Koichi looked up at the figure on the mountainside, bound like a mummy by ropes and trees. "That's why he rushed up alone. Because he was afraid of us dying, he wasn't afraid of dying himself."

Ayaka's eyes were a little red.

"That Yang Xiang is so great."

"Great my ass." Koichi rolled his eyes. "He just thinks we're too bad and doesn't want to play with us."

Colorful flowers:

It doesn't seem to make any mistakes.

At the foot of the mountain, Tu Zhu Zhi Gui Yan was leading a team to clean up the battlefield.

The crater created by the wrathful explosion was still smoking, the surrounding trees were charred, and the ground was littered with the corpses of Cloud Ninja and scattered ninja tools. Some Cloud Ninja were not quite dead yet, lying on the ground groaning.

Gui Yan crouched down and examined the corpse of a Cloud Ninja. The headband belonged to Cloud Ninja; the man was young, in his early twenties, and his face still bore an expression of terror.

"Lord Guiyan," a member of the Earth Spider tribe approached, "what shall we do with the prisoners?"

Gui Yan stood up and dusted off his knees.

"Tie them up and wait for the people from Konoha to come and collect them. One Jonin for ten million taels, one Chunin for two million, and one Genin for one hundred thousand. Prices are clearly marked, and there's no deception."

The clansman's lips twitched.

"Is this... reasonable?"

"How is it unreasonable?" Gui Yan retorted righteously. "Raikage brought his men to vandalize our house, what's wrong with us charging some compensation for emotional distress?"

The clansmen nodded silently, finding it to be very reasonable.

"Oh, right," Gui Yan suddenly remembered something, "how's that idiot Yi doing?"

He just couldn't understand it. He led his men to charge up, but they were blown away down the mountain by the shockwave unleashed by the Raikage.

When he rushed back, he saw that the character was shouting things like "Kizuna yo!" and "Best friend yo!"

"Still unconscious, but his life has been saved."

"It's good that he's alive." Gui Yan breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned again. "That guy, he'd been holding back for thirty years, and he almost killed himself right off the bat. I'll give him a good scolding when he wakes up."

The clansmen hesitated to speak.

"What's wrong?"

"Lord Guiyan, you were scolding Lord Zaiyi for half an hour while he was unconscious."

"That was just a warm-up," Gui Yan waved his hand. "We'll talk about the real thing when he wakes up."

Clan members:

He suddenly felt that it would be better for Lord Yi to remain unconscious for a few more days.

Late at night.

A bonfire was lit on the mountainside, its orange flames dancing in the night.

Jiraiya leaned against the fire, the wound on his shoulder still throbbing slightly.

His right hand was in a sling, and he looked like a toad with a broken leg.

Rope Tree came over carrying two bowls of hot soup and handed him one.

"Brother Jiraiya, have some. It was brewed by Koichi and the others, with herbs added, it's good for your wounds."

Jiraiya took it and drank a sip, grimacing from the heat.

"It's so hot!"

"Hot is the right thing to do." Rope Tree sat down next to him. "Yang Xiang said that hot things are good for wounds."

When did he say that?

"Just now."

Jiraiya looked at him suspiciously.

"His exact words were, 'Hot things can make you forget the pain of a wound,' which I think makes a lot of sense."

Jiraiya paused for a moment, then took another sip.

Indeed, you forget the pain when you're burned.

"Rope Tree," he suddenly said, "do you think I'm very useless?"

Rope Tree was stunned.

"In the Land of Hot Springs, I was tricked by the Cloud Ninja's feint attack and didn't even know when the Raikage left." Jiraiya's voice was very soft. "At Mount Katsuragi, I couldn't even withstand a single attack before I was sent flying."

"If it weren't for Yang Xiang, I would be dead here today."

Rope Tree paused for a moment, then patted him on the shoulder.

"Brother Jiraiya, do you know what Yang Xiang thinks of you?"

Jiraiya looked at him.

He said you were lucky.

"Just lucky?"

"Hmm." Nawaki nodded. "He said if the Raikage's punch had hit you on the head, you would be seeing the Toad Sage by now. The fact that it hit your shoulder means you're lucky to be alive."

Jiraiya's lips twitched.

"Is this a compliment or an insult?"

"Of course he's praising you!" Rope Tree said matter-of-factly. "Yang Xiang doesn't usually praise people. He said that your survival is the greatest achievement."

Jiraiya remained silent for a long time.

"Fine," he finally said, "then I'll just have to rely on luck from now on."

"That's more like it!" Nawaki grinned. "Come on, have another bowl. Koichi cooked a whole pot, it would be a waste if we couldn't finish it."

Jiraiya took the bowl and drank a sip.

This time he didn't feel the heat.

It's probably because I'm used to it.

It might also be because it feels so good to be alive.