Chapter 201 - Jedayu's Revenge

"What do you choose? Live or die?"

Those words rang in everyone's ear like a drum. The 5 people standing outside the interrogation room were looking intently at Junichiro.

Several seconds after Daichi gave the ultimatum they saw tears falling down the man's face. And at that moment they knew what option he was going to choose.

Heiji looked at the boy with new respect and slight fear. 'He broke him. In just 15 minutes he broke him and with just words no less. That is some Ibiki level interrogation shit. Who the hell is this kid?'

The Royal court messenger Yondu looked at the boy in a new light. 'So this is a Sannin's apprentice. It seems he's picked up a lot more than just Medical skills from his teacher.'

Genma was perhaps the most surprised out of anyone. He was there on top of the Hokage Mountain when the 3rd Hokage first met the boy. At that time he never could have imagined the boy would have such a dark cruel side to him.

As the conversation progressed Genma was stopped by the minister and he had to watch the Genin kill the prisoner.

Daichi came out of the room and the Jonin couldn't read what was on his face.

"East Plaza. Kumoragi Mansion. We should move quickly."

Before the Jonin could even speak to him, Daichi walked away. He was about to follow but the Yamanaka ninja with them, who was silent until then spoke. "Give him some time. He needs to process this."

The usually cheerful Jonin was silent with a somber expression. He decided to do as his fellow shinobi said and waited for Daichi to get his head straight.

Yondu turned to Heiji and his fellow interrogator. "Inform the ninjas stationed to keep an eye on all movements in the Eastern Plaza."

Taji also gave his orders. "I need you to deliver a message to the guards at my Mansion. Tell them to only keep essential personals. The rest of them are to converge on Kumoragi Mansion. I don't want Jedayu to escape."

"Yes sir." Both ninjas vanished.

—-

The young Genin was standing near a window looking out at the city in front of him. His mind, still on the face of the man he just killed. He took a deep breath of air and then slowly let it out.

He looked at the numerous reputation increase/decrease notifications piled up on the corner and dismissed all of them without even reading them.

'He died for what he believed in… I can't fault him for that.'

Then he thought about the question that's been plaguing his mind. 'I wanted him to talk because I needed to successfully complete my quest. But... Would I have gone through with it? If he had decided to keep his mouth shut… Would I have put him through that unimaginable torture?... Do I actually have the capacity…? To become such a merciless monster… Am I becoming one of them?'

At that moment Daichi remembered the words Tsunade once told him.

"Don't change. Don't let this life consume you."

"I won't sensei." The Genin muttered to himself.

"Hey kid."

Genma's soft voice brought Daichi out of his thoughts. He turned to the side to look at his temporary Jonin instructor.

"Hey."

"I know this is a stupid question to ask considering the situation but are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Daichi's short reply brought a small frown to the Special Jonin's face. After a few moments of silence he began. "Daichi, what happened back there… You-"

"It wasn't my first kill if that's what you're wondering?" The Genin interrupted the man.

Genma was surprised at that information. "When did you…?"

"During my travels with Lady Tsunade and Shizune Senpai, we fought rogue ninjas. I had to take extreme measures during that fight."

The young man didn't elaborate more and Genma didn't ask. Both of them stood in silence for a few seconds before Genma spoke again.

"He was loyal to his master. His death was inevitable. Junichiro attacked a family member of the minister. If he hadn't gotten the death penalty, then he would have spent the rest of his life caged. I have a feeling he would have preferred this."

"Hn…" Daichi just grunted and didn't say anything else.

At that moment they were joined by Lord Taji and Yondu. The minister looked at Daichi with sympathy.

"I'm sorry you were forced to do something like that. But with the situation I'm in, I had no choice… I know you're a shinobi and this is part of your life but still, you're only just a Genin. You shouldn't have had to make such a difficult choice."

Daichi just nodded his head in response.

"Can I ask you something?" Yondu spoke looking at the boy.

Seeing Daichi's silence he continued. "Would you have really gone through with it?"

The young Gamer sighed hearing that question. "It's something I've been asking myself this whole time… And after thinking about it long and hard. I have an answer…"

Seeing their silent gaze waiting for his answer, Daichi spoke. "I wouldn't have done it. Because it wasn't personal for me… But if he had done the same to someone close to me… Then… I don't know… I don't know if I have the capacity for such cruelty. Time will tell I suppose."

Yondu nodded and seemed satisfied with that answer while Lord Taji gave a small smile.

"Kumoragi Mansion. Is that his home here?" The Genin asked changing the subject.

Lord Taji shook his head. "No. In Fact that's home to one of Wakamu's enemies. The fact that Jedayu is there means…"

"He's either coerced the people inside the home or he killed them." Genma finished the sentence for the minister.

"In hindsight that's a smart move. You wouldn't look for someone in their enemy's home." Yondu spoke.

"We can capture him but we shouldn't forget our main objective." Taji clenched his fists thinking about the situation.

"We need to trick him into revealing if he has more of the poison or not. And we have to be very careful with our intentions. And we don't know if he's already left the mansion since we captured Junichiro." Genma spoke.

Daichi crossed his arms and looked at the minister. "So what's the plan? How do you want us to proceed?"

"We have no choice but to move on the assumption that he's there. Orders have already been given. My guards and the ninja stationed here will converge on Kumoragi mansion. The entire area will be surrounded. If he's still there, he won't escape." Taji said.

As he said those words Daichi tilted his head as if he was remembering something. A few moments later he uncrossed his arms and nodded his head. "So that's how it is… Not a bad plan." Daichi muttered to himself.

Genma nodded. "Yeah. Let's meet this guy."

"You guys go on ahead. I need to use the bathroom for a minute." Daichi said and separated from the group.

Genma waited for his ward while the other two adults left.

A minute later Daichi rejoined him and both of them headed to their new destination. On their way they saw several Imperial guards and ninja stealthily moving towards the location, swiftly but quietly moving through the roof tops.

Soon they reach a large compound with a big villa in the middle. A few minutes later Yondu and Lord Taji arrived with their guards.

"Um, are you sure you want to be here sir?" Genma asked the Minister.

"Yes. He went through quite a lot of trouble and brought me here. I should see this through."

Genma nodded and turned to Daichi. "How many people are inside?"

Daichi checked the whole area with Chakra sense and Mana scout. He looked at the whole place and frowned. "Strange. There are no guards here. I can only sense one person. He's in the middle of the house. Civilian and quite old or weak based on his chakra."

Genma nodded and turned to look at the other two.

"Well then, since it's only just one, you two will be enough. Have the guards stay outside." Taji gave the order.

Genma and Daichi took the lead with the minister and the Royal court messenger following them. As they went inside they encountered no traps or tricks from the enemy. Soon the two ninjas stepped into a large room and saw an old man sitting on a sofa almost as if he was waiting for them. He didn't have any hair and had pale skin. He had dark circles around his eyes and looked like he was about to kick the bucket any second.

Jedayu's eyes locked onto the minister the moment he set foot in the room. "I didn't think… you two would be so…. early(cough cough)."

Daichi looked at the man on the couch and immediately used 'observe'. The information he read made him cautious. 'This guy has an incurable disease. He's dying. And dying men can often be dangerous.'

"You were waiting for us?... You don't look so good, Jedayu." Taji saw the miserable state the man was in and he understood that his enemy was ill. "You're dying aren't you? So you decided to take your anger out on someone I see as my own son. Just because yours died of the poor decisions he made."

Jedayu's face turned furious after hearing that. "You took… far more than my son."

"Enlighten us. It was a foolish move to attack a member of the Royal court. Whatever happened to your son was brought on by his own cruel actions. You must know that at some level. So why go through with this?" Yondu asked the man.

The man was silent for several moments and then answered the messenger. "Do you know… (cough) how my son died? They(cough cough) tortured him. Tore him to pieces. My wife… My beloved Anya… She couldn't bear what happened to her child. Her gentle heart couldn't take it. She soon followed him… And… Now I'm all that's left."

"What about Junichiro? There was still someone who cared for you. Loved you." It was Daichi who asked this question.

At that name, the anger on Jedayu's face dimmed and he looked down at the floor. "I truly wanted him to leave me… But he… was adamant to… stay by… my side(cough cough). He loved me. I know. But… It wasn't enough. My love… for Wakamu and… (Cough Cough) my wife was greater."

He then looked up at Daichi and Genma. "Junichiro wouldn't have talked. And(cough) you couldn't have… entered his mind so quickly. (Cough)I saw to that."

Genma narrowed his eyes at that admission, confirming his suspicions. "So you did get someone from the Yamanaka clan to put barriers inside his head. How?"

"Yes. (Cough cough). It was… A rogue ninja… Fleeing from your village… several years ago. I helped him. (cough) In exchange for a favor… It's my turn to ask a question. How did you.. get this information from him so quickly?(cough cough) I'm well aware of his loyalty and his special condition…. What did you do to him?" Jedayu was gripping his cane hard and taking several deep breaths as he tried to calm his breathing. Blood was slowly falling from the corner of his lips.

Daichi had a grim look as he answered. "I told him a story. And then gave him a choice."

"Must have been… One hell of a story… He would have held out for… as long as he could… Just on the hope(cough) that I would escape from here…"

"But you didn't. Why?" Yondu narrowed his eyes and asked the man in suspicion.

"I'm… a dead man walking. Even if I escape, I don't have… much time left… I'm not… going to waste my energy… Is he… Is Junichiro still…alive(cough)?"

Daichi took a deep breath of air and let it out. "No. I made sure to end it quickly."

Hearing that news, Jedayu lowered his head and several drops of tears started falling down the man's face. "Forgive me… Junichiro. I hope… you find peace… in your… next life."

He was silent and the others didn't interrupt him. Moments later Jedayu lifted his head and looked at the Genin. "Daichi Hekima I presume. Student… of Lady Tsunade Senju… I've heard quite a lot about you(cough)."

"Wow. Didn't know I was so famous…" The Genin said with a mocking grin.

"Yes. Your reputation… precedes you. That's why… I went through the trouble… of having such a precise custom poison made…(cough cough). I needed something… that even you couldn't heal."

Daichi stepped forward and looked at the man with a grim face. "Who made it? Something like that isn't easy or cheap."

Jedayu grinned at that question. "It was created by Sasori of the Red sand… And you're right. It cost(cough) me my fortune."

Genma and Daichi's eyes simultaneously widened. They knew that name.

Jedayu continued with a grin "I knew that anything less… and you'd be able to… save them."

Daichi and the others did a double take when they heard the last word.

"Wait, them? What are you talking about?" Lord Taji's eyes narrowed.

Jedayu gave a cruel smile as he looked at the minister. "You fool… Did you… really think(cough) I would sit here and blather… (cough) for no reason at all? I was stalling you."

Taji's teeth grinded in anger when he heard that. He rushed towards the man and punched him in the face. Jedayu fell to the side spitting out a wad of blood.

Genma quickly stepped forward and stopped the minister from inflicting any more damage to the man. "Please sir, stop. We need to know what he's done?"

Taji looked in anger at the Jonin and then turned to the man on the floor. "What did you do? Who else have you poisoned?"

Jedayu grabbed the cane and slowly got himself up. He took a white handkerchief and wiped the blood off his lips. "I lost my beloved Anya. So now you're going to lose Fuyi as well… My assassin was keeping an eye on your home. The second… you pulled the guards to get to me, my assassin struck... She's probably infected by now... The poison is the same with two key differences. It's created just for her(cough) and it works… much faster than the one…(cough) used on your nephew. In less than an hour she'll be dead..."

"You bastard! I'll kill you…" Rage filled the minister's face and he tried to lunge towards the man but Genma kept a hold on him.

"You lost your nephew…(cough) and now you're going to lose your wife." The mad grin on the man's face only made the minister more enraged. Before things could get out of hand Genma quickly turned to Daichi. "Leave. You need to get to Lady Fuyi. You need to save her."

Daichi shook his head at that order. "No."

Genma and the others were shocked at that response.

"What? Daichi, you need to save her life?" The minister shouted at the Genin.

"I don't need to save her life because she wasn't poisoned to begin with. She's fine." That claim surprised everyone in the room.

"What are you… talking about?" Jedayu was the one who was most confused.

"I had a clone waiting near Lord Taji's home. That woman you sent to poison Lady Fuyi, I took her down before she even got into the room." The Genin had a smirk as he looked at the man.

Jedayu was shocked. "You… But how could you have known…"

Daichi's grin only widened at that question.

(Flashback.)

"We have no choice but to move on the assumption that he's there. Orders have already been given. My guards and the ninja stationed here will converge on Kumoragi mansion. The entire area will be surrounded. If he's still there, he won't escape." Taji said.

As Daichi heard these words a memory quickly came to the forefront of his mind. It was the memory of a shogi match he had with his grandfather a few months ago.

'During that match Kensei sacrificed his one remaining Gold General and exposed his King. I was so eager to gain a victory, that I surrounded his king from all sides. But that left me exposed. And at that last moment he used a knight to capture my King.'

'Could it just be a coincidence? Or is there something more?'

Daichi quickly had the map of the whole capital in his mind. He had spent a long time at the capital and had memorized every street and corner. He put the East Plaza and compared it to the location of the minister's home.

'The minister's home is on the other side of the city. He's drawing all the guards and ninjas to one side of the Capital and leaving the other exposed. He specifically chose to stay in the East Plaza…'

That revelation surprised Daichi. 'That bastard. His target is Lord Taji's wife.'

"So that's how it is… Not a bad plan." The Genin couldn't help but appreciate a good strategy.

(Flashback End.)

"In my Shogi match with my grandfather, he let me take the General, a valuable piece. And he intentionally exposed his King. But I was too eager to win to see the trap that was set. He drew my forces to concentrate on one area while he moved one of his more agile pieces to capture my king who was on the other side."

With a wide somewhat sadistic grin, Daichi looked at Jedayu. "I didn't know for sure if this was your plan or not? And I knew that if it was and I told the minister, he would have had some more guards stationed at his home and it would have tipped off the assassin. So I created a shadow clone in secret and had him wait. As a contingency. And a few minutes ago, I just got confirmation from my clone that your assassin had been captured."

Jedayu gritted his teeth as he looked at the grinning Genin. "You…"

Genma, Yondu and Taji were surprised at the Genin's plan.

Yondu looked at the boy from the corner of his eyes. 'He keeps surprising me again and again. His medical skills, interrogation tactic, his foresight to put a counter in case something went wrong… He's on a completely different level than any other Genin.'

"This kid…" Since everything worked out, Genma couldn't stay mad at the boy.

Lord Taji breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the boy with a smile. "Thank you Daichi. I'm not happy you didn't share your plan with me, but I understand."

"You think you've won?" Jedayu's angry voice drew everyone's attention. "I may not have gotten your wife…. But your nephew… is dead."

After his outburst, Jedayu expected anger from Taji but was surprised to see a smile forming on everyone's faces.

"Yeah about that… The death of my nephew may have been exaggerated…" The minister had a smile as he looked at his enemy's shocked face.

"What? But he died." Jedayu couldn't understand what was happening. He turned his head towards Daichi. "You couldn't save his life."

"Yeah. We lied." Daichi chuckled.

(Flashback)

Daichi looked at his new patient's condition. 'There is a lot of pressure on me. I can't let anything happen to this guy on my watch. So to heal him, I have to know everything about him…'

The gamer ninja used 'observe' and it showed everything about his new patient. 'Leorio Mayima, 24 years old with a Level of 18. Stats slightly above normal civilian standards. He must have had some training.. His physical stats are weakened. Condition: poisoned. Critical.

Daichi recalled the information he read in the chart. 'The doctors here did every test they could. He tested negative for all known viruses. Only positive for pneumonia. But this is much more than that.'

Daichi stepped forward and placed his palms on top of the unconscious man's chest. The young medic's hands glowed green and he began examining the patient. Daichi's medical techniques were developed by Tsunade and augmented by his gamer system. So those jutsu were much more precise and thorough than even the best.

'His kidneys, liver, lungs are all slowly shutting down. His fever has spiked in the last hour. Based on my estimates he has less than two hours before complete body shutdown and heart failure. The first thing I need to do is see if this thing is contagious or not. If this has the potential to spread, it could become chaotic.'

Daichi analyzed the body right down to the cellular structure and took a look at the major organs. As he examined the patient his lips slightly curled up.

'Hmm… So that's how it is. Clever move… Whoever made this poison is certainly no amateur…'

Daichi studied the man for several minutes and then the green chakra faded from his hands. He took three vials from his inventory and took the nearby syringes. One vial had a light blue liquid while the other two had red and brown liquids.

'The three life saving concoctions of my own design. I was only able to complete this with the spring water I took from Tonika village and my own formula. This should help you out for the moment.'

Daichi took the first Blue vial in his hand and inserted the contents into the syringe. 'X Purge shot. Capable of removing foreign particles and diseases.. I've only been able to test it on a few animals so far.. But since all my calculations are right and Observe didn't show any defects with it, this is the best option.'

Daichi came near the unconscious Leorio and spoke. "These medicines are just prototypes. But I guess you're not gonna mind are you…" Without wasting another second he injected the contents into the man's veins. Once the contents of the first syringe was emptied he placed the used needle in his inventory and waited a few minutes.

As Daichi stood observing every inch of the man, he saw some of the blisters and red patches on the skin receding and slowly return to normal. It was a slow process that took about 20 minutes. At that moment Daichi took several skin and blood samples from the patient and safely stored them.

He then placed his palms on the man's chest and they once again glowed green. Daichi examined the state of the body and nodded his head. 'Just as I expected. The poison isn't completely purged from his system. It's progress has been slowed down but it's still there. With time it will spread again. Whoever did this created this poison specially with this guy in mind. Time for the other two shots.'

The next vial the medic ninja took contained a brown liquid. 'The Booster Shot. This will boost your immune system and give you the necessary energy. It will also buy me time to find a permanent solution.'

Daichi injected the liquid and after several minutes took samples of his blood and checked his condition. 'His immunity system is responding well and vitals are beginning to stabilize. That spring water is no joke. It's life-giving properties are incredible. Now time for the final one.'

Daichi took the last vial with the red liquid and soon injected the man. He looked at the sleeping Leorio with a small smile. "Life Blood. I know it's not the coolest name. But it does its job well. This will heal the injuries your organs suffered and restore your health. If I were to sell this in the open market, I would never have to work in my life again…"

'Well, that is if I was a normal person.'

Daichi sighed and once again paid close attention to Leorio's vitals. His hands glowed green and checked the man's status.

Daichi spent over two hours in the room healing the man and bringing him from death's door. With his special medicine and using the Health Manipulation skill which is at Level 7, Daichi was able to considerably improve his vital status.

'But the problem is, the more potent or complicated the poison the weaker the effect of my drug. These medicines are still in their early stages of development.. I can't proceed further and improve these drugs without a proper lab…'

As he was thinking about the status of his medicines and their effects a new system message showed up.

[Quest 'Save the Nephew of the Minister' Completed.]

[Rewards:]

[12000 Exp.

1800 Exp.

+1 Level in Health Manipulation.

+1 Wisdom Stat

+1 Intelligence Stat.

Reputation increases with the Client.

Reputation will massively increase with Genma Shiranui, Hiruzen Sarutobi and people in Fire Capital.]

[You have leveled up.]

'Ok. That's one headache down.'

[2nd Quest.]

[Quest created - Identify the Culprit.]

'Aaand here comes the second headache.'