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Malaria couldn't help but clear his throat and say, "The list is for the materials of this orange potion right here," taking out one of his repellents from the grenade belt and holding it up. "The 'healing medicine' is only a by-product after distillation that looks like blue sludge."

Taking out the last tin he has of the stuff, Malaria popped the cover open to show what it's like. "Prepare the materials according to instructions, boil the 'Eucalyptus Cinnamon'-fungus before extracting its essence with a syringe. Mix with the rest of the materials and after distillation, what's left is the healing medicine."

Glancing back at the low-quality medical team, Malaria continues, "The actual liquid solution is something I want to keep for myself. It's a mosquito repellent, but it doubles as blinding spray, torture liquid and incapacitation drug. I need it for other purposes, so I want it as my renumeration for the formula."

Orochimaru nodded his head without complaint. It's not often by-products of experimental items turn out to be useful, but this is a rare exception. 'Also, mosquito repellent? What could this kid possibly use that for, drink it and leave his insects homeless? No matter.' Orochimaru thought.

Now that Malaria finally got some financial backing through his 'familial'-tie with Danzo, he figures he could 'export' mosquitoes instead of using them inside of Konoha. Being the good Samaritan travelling merchant, he could show up with repellent and 'help' the populace by selling the bottles.

'Win-win situation. If Orochimaru betrays the village like in canon, and I somehow get stuck and have to leave with him, that could be my method to earn more funding.' Malaria thought.

Danzo nodded his head after getting a confirmation from Orochimaru. The war was still in its early phases, and they just chased out the Iwa ninja who infiltrated inside the Land of Fire. He needs to return to the border and manage infiltration and spy activities, keeping Konoha up to date.

Glancing at Malaria, he turned around and left the tent. Leaving the brat with Orochimaru can only be positive for that little demon. If anything, he looks forward to what he'll invent in the future with Mr. Snakes guidance.

Standing next to the table and barely able to regain his sanity after a few minutes, Suzuki Yamaha watched all of this going down. The surprise that Malaria managed to give him today was simply too much!

After Danzo finally left the encampment, Uchiha Fugaku returned to the tent with Inabi, laughing loudly. "Haha! I didn't know that the little devil had such a wide heart, sharing his creation with everyone in the village. I misjudged the brat!" Fugaku was immensely pleased that Danzo didn't accept his prior deal.

"Since your clan isn't going to participate on the battlefield, Patriarch Fugaku, you will be the last to receive the healing medicine." Orochimaru gazed with slight derision at the smug Uchiha Patriarch. Some of Danzo's ideals have indeed rubbed off on him.

Fugaku snorted and displayed a scroll he had received from a messenger just now. After he left the tent with a patented Orochimaru™-snake clone, that only hissed for replies he almost turned insane in anger. "This is a document that Hokage-sama himself sent as reply to my enquiry regarding the medicine. I haven't read it yet, let's look together!"

Opening the scroll that was partially sealed and written full of code names, Fugaku started reading its contents aloud for everyone in the tent to listen to like some sort of imperial edict. Everyone understood what was removed and hidden from the scroll even if it was in code.

-

Guru Pink Eye,

I have received the message and I understand the value of, and your need, for Hazard's [REDACTED].

I trust that the Snake and Darkness can come to a joyous conclusion for you and your clan to get some [REDACTED], but as it is a turbulent time, [REDACTED] must be kept under strict supervision so its [REDACTED] won't leak out.

We can't give [REDACTED] to everyone at first. Once the most in need receive plenty of [REDACTED], I can promise you on the Bush's canon, the Mind of Flames, that you too will receive plenty of [REDACTED].

For now, listen to Snake and Darkness. Those two will give some [REDACTED] to you at the opportune time. Hazard should learn from Snake under the supervision of Darkness, so you can get a large and thick amount of [REDACTED] at the fastest pace.

Signed – Monkey King

-

"…" Fugaku wanted to stop reading after the second redaction, but he simply couldn't as he had already began narrating the contents to the others. His dignity didn't allow it, but now his dignity got tossed in the mud anyway…

Everyone in the tent sported some wry smiles, "So many innuendos… I've heard rumours that Hokage-sama might be a closet-pervert, but this…" Yamaha couldn't help but murmur to himself. Listening to the missive, the seed in Orochimaru's heart that sides with the unethical was growing.

"Reading that cursed scroll aloud, Guru Pink Eye, how do you feel?" Malaria couldn't help but squint and hold his laughter with a massive grin on his face. He thought he would never see someone more shameless than himself, but here's a prime contender!

Fugaku's face was rock-solid, not showing a single expression. The faint bloodshot veins that were starting to creep over his eyes on the other hand was giving his inner state away. "Perfectly normal message. It seems everything is in order; I shall return to Konoha at once."

Turning around and grabbing Inabi by the scruff of his jacket, Fugaku flickered out of the tent. Unable to hold out anymore, Malaria started laughing hysterically. After they left, Yamaha said with some concern, "Orochimaru-sama, it's obvious the Uchiha clan won't let the matter of the medicine rest."

"Fugaku truly is an enormous idiot." Orochimaru couldn't help but chuckle. "Malaria has already become 'family' with Shimura Danzo, not to mention that he's now my, Orochimaru's, student." Licking his lips with his outstretched tongue, Orochimaru didn't say more on the matter and continued going through documents to get this campaign back on the right track.

--

Sooner rather than later, Uchiha Fugaku with Inabi in tow arrived back in Konoha before dusk. Hurrying along, they went to visit the Akimichi clan to discuss the matter of Malaria's healing medicine with Akimichi Narute.

"What has brought you here?" Narute patted Fugaku heartily on the shoulder. It has been troublesome to close the familial ties between the Akimichi and Uchiha, but he won't stop until they're close enough to be called siblings.

Fugaku smiled at the warm reception, feeling glad that the Akimichi were so accommodating. "I'm here to visit you and discuss about certain matters relating to Malaria and Danzo."

Narute was briefly stunned. Then, he realised what this matter was about. "You're here to ask about that healing medicine the little devil somehow created?" The news that Malaria had created another drug, but a beneficial one this time, had already spread among the leadership of the top clans.

Fugaku nodded his head. "If my observations have been correct, you should be close with that little demon. So, I'm here to ask if you could help my Uchiha clan get an earlier quota of the stuff. That child has deeper ties than I thought with Shimura Danzo, and my request was rejected to get a speedy delivery."

Akimichi Narute said in a low voice, "It's good that you didn't do anything to the source of this matter but rather came to me, or something really bad might've happened to you and your clansmen."

Greatly shocked, Fugaku asked, "Who is this brat, really? From what I got from Danzo's own mouth it seems there might be some truths in their blood relation, but nothing got confirmed."

"I can't say!" Akimichi Narute shook his head vehemently. Seeing that Fugaku was unwilling to leave it at that, he could only remind him, "I can only tell you that somebody scrubbed the Anbu records clean about his origins – and it wasn't the Hokage."

"Was it Danzo?" Fugaku and Inabi were dumbfounded. The Anbu records are under the strictest protection and secrecy, only second to the Scroll of Seals itself. If it wasn't Danzo, who could possibly alter, and even remove parts of that library?

"No, it can't be… Was it Hatake Sakumo?" Fugaku asked tentatively. Sakumo was the only person in the village other than the Hokage, Danzo and Fugaku himself to have proper Kage-level combat strength at this point in time. Why would he go out of his way to do such a thing? How was he connected to Malaria!?

Akimichi Narute nodded and reminded him again, "Why do you think nobody dares to mess with Malaria? First, Shimura Danzo has always been looking after him from the shadows. Second, Hokage-sama treats him like the young Jiraiya. Third, Malaria is a friend of Kakashi, Hatake Sakumo's son. I've even heard that Malaria helped Sakumo get over his depression over 'that matter'."

'Gulp.'

Fugaku and Inabi swallowed and started to have cold sweats running down their backs. Three out of the four Kage-level powerhouses of Konoha had the back of that little devil. The reason Narute kept warning him was obvious, there would be no place for the Uchiha clan if those three acted together.

"Do you still want to know Malaria's actual background?" asked Narute with a mysterious vibe.

Fugaku and Inabi shook their heads in tandem. Their hearts were already beating fast enough, some things are better to remain unknown. The less one knew, the safer one would be when it comes to certain matters. As the head of Konoha Police Department and Patriarch of his clan, Fugaku knew this logic very well.

Wiping his forehead, Fugaku felt lucky he didn't kick Malaria out of Dobito and Himawari's wedding when he spotted him. Otherwise, he would be covered in an endless amount of future trouble once the brat managed to find his backing.

After collecting his nerves that were about to have a break down, Fugaku returned to the Police Station and released an internal announcement, claiming that Malaria was a super-VIP hero of the village that requires their protection whenever and wherever he's seen. No matter what, do not antagonize him!

The whole station seethed when the announcement came out. They couldn't believe what their own Patriarch was up to, especially when they saw Dobito walk by the station and heard the news. His sunken and pale face somehow turned even more ghastly.

Recollecting himself, Dobito rushed to the outskirts of Konoha to find the mountain-side villa Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina lives at. He must get out of the village and fight on some battlefield right this instant! He needs to vent; he must kill – he wants to absolutely destroy some people while imagining the Patriarch- and Malaria's faces!

--

Malaria, in the meantime, couldn't stop grinning happily. The best living researcher in the Shinobi world as a teacher? Get. The second darkest pot in the Shinobi world as an adoptive parent? Get. Endless research funding, emotionlessness techniques, experimental documentation, rare materials – it's all in his pocket!

"…"

In the end, though, he was still stuck on the battlefield. Hopefully Mr. Snake won't send him out to fight and rather left him to his own devices. Now that he gave away the formula and the simplicity to create it didn't need his direction, he was pretty free for the moment. Malaria wiped his drool as he returned to his senses, thinking he better keep some distance from his two squad mates.

If they knew he didn't have to go out and fight, he's sure they'll try and take advantage of him and muck about as his 'assistants' when he's experimenting. As they say, when there's work, let the assistant do it, when there's no work, do the assistant – but he doesn't have the ability for that!

As Hikari and Yamana just woke up from their knockout by the Root Anbu and rushed to the command tent to report Malaria's abduction, they spotted the brat acting like a weasel outside the tent. Looking at his fiendish grin, both girls couldn't help but move a few steps back.

Hikari and Yamana rubbed their eyes and stared at Malaria for a second. He apparently wasn't abducted. Wait, where did that devilish glint in his eyes disappear to? For a second they could've sworn he looked like a true little imp.

'It must have been an illusion.'

When they looked more closely, Malaria's eyes went from innocent like a rabbit one second, before returning to his usually shameless look. For some reason they felt he was having some sort of obscene ideas about themselves before he spotted their arrival.

When Malaria was about to greet the two girls as if nothing happened after their blackout, the medics came out from the command tent. Malaria and his two squad mates turned around to look at the entrance of the tent. The medics walked out and looked at Malaria, eyes filled with derision and disdain.