At this moment, the Konoha camp, under the efforts of many ninja, had begun to take shape.
There were trenches in the front, tents in the back, and guards stationed all around.
Torifu Akimichi was organizing personnel to improve the camp. When he saw Tsunade return, his face lit up with joy, and he quickly rushed forward to greet her.
"Tsunade, how did it go?"
"Huh? What's wrong with this kid?"
He had also seen Gekko Chizan's miserable condition, and his expression immediately turned serious. But he was puzzled—why was it that in a four-man squad, only he ended up like this?
"Find me an empty tent first. This kid's still hurt."
The emergency treatment just now had only alleviated Gekko Chizan's pain; his injuries were far from healed.
"There is one. Head back that way. There's an empty tent I had someone prepare especially."
Tsunade nodded, and then Hizashi helped Gekko Chizan as they headed toward the rear.
Soon, under Tsunade's treatment, Gekko Chizan was honorably wrapped in bandages.
His arms were bandaged, and his whole body was wrapped up.
"Come on, it's just a fracture—why wrap me up like a mummy?"
Tsunade glanced at him and calmly replied:
"Your body's covered in tiny wounds from lightning damage. Aside from the fracture, your hands have serious burns too. Can't you feel it?"
Gekko Chizan shook his head. All he could feel was the pain from the broken bones.
Everything else felt numb.
"Enough. Rest up. While Healing Jutsu accelerates recovery, overusing it can harm the body's natural functions."
"Your hand bones are already realigned. The rest should heal on their own."
"Your physical condition isn't bad. I'd say you'll recover in about half a month."
Half a month? That long?
But when he thought of the side effects of overusing Healing Jutsu, he begrudgingly accepted it.
"What medicine did you take on the battlefield earlier?"
Tsunade finished bandaging him and suddenly asked about the medicine.
"My teacher Orochimaru made it. Some boost chakra temporarily, some restore chakra, and some help heal physical wounds."
"Let me tell you—my teacher's number one in research. I admire his skills."
"I only got those pills after practically cleaning out his lab!"
"If it weren't for that damned gorilla going too far, I wouldn't even have used them."
That medicine was an excuse Gekko Chizan had prepared for himself. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken it right in front of Tsunade. He even had Chōmei monitor his physical condition—after all, most of Orochimaru's concoctions came with side effects.
But soon he realized he had overthought it. The medicines genuinely worked and had almost no side effects—just a bit of dizziness and nausea, which he easily ignored in the face of the pain.
"Can you give me some? I'm a medical ninja too, and I'm curious."
Tsunade was being honest. When Gekko Chizan had taken the pills, his chakra had surged from nearly zero with incredible speed. If such medicine could be widely produced...
"Ah? That might not be possible..."
"Why not?"
"I already took them all... There were only a few. Look—"
Gekko Chizan struggled to pull out the pill box from his clothes. Sure enough, it was completely empty.
"Sigh. I'll have to go ask Orochimaru myself then."
Tsunade shook her head with a helpless smile, but she wasn't giving up. In her eyes, those pills were too valuable.
...
Konoha Village, Root Base.
This was an underground facility, cloaked entirely in darkness.
"Orochimaru, I called you back because the preliminary experiments have all failed."
"The fifty adult ninja Sarutobi selected were completely unable to withstand the First Hokage Hashirama-sama's cells. They all died."
Shimura Danzō's voice was low and his expression indifferent, as if the deaths of fifty people meant nothing to him.
"If that's the case, then use gifted children for the next round of experiments."
"Children's bodies are in rapid development and might better accept the fusion with the First Hokage's cells."
Orochimaru glanced at the experiment report in his hands, face calm as ever.
"Fine. In a few days, I'll send you suitable candidates."
"I need you to begin the experiments immediately."
Orochimaru nodded. He should've been on the frontlines at the Land of Rivers, but had received a message from Root days ago summoning him back.
He had even allowed himself to be injured during the battle against the One-Tail, just to escape the battlefield.
Currently, Jiraiya was overseeing things at the Land of Rivers along with other elites, so there shouldn't be any major problems.
"Also, Orochimaru, I know Gekko Chizan is your student."
"I want you to hand him over to me. A talent like that belongs in Root."
Orochimaru's face, originally calm, shifted slightly upon hearing Danzō's words.
Danzō noticed the change, but before he could speak, Orochimaru beat him to it.
"Danzō, our cooperation is between you and me. Don't drag Chizan-kun into this."
"If I find out you've involved him, our collaboration ends here."
"Hehehe, and when that happens, how exactly do you plan to explain all this to the Hokage?"
Orochimaru's face turned cold as he casually flipped through the report in his hands, his tone unwavering.
Danzō had never expected Orochimaru to take such a stance for a student.
"Hmph. Let's prioritize the experiments for now."
Unwilling to tear things apart just yet, Danzō let out a cold snort and left.
Orochimaru remained where he stood. His snake-like eyes flickered repeatedly—he was clearly deeply troubled.
...
Back on Gekko Chizan's side—
After their return, Shirakumo and the remaining teams had also arrived. Based on their reports, Konoha had gained a significant advantage in this skirmish.
There were casualties, of course, but compared to Kumogakure's losses, it was a great victory.
After the battle, both sides entered a temporary lull.
As the moon climbed into the sky and night fell—
Gekko Chizan's eyes snapped open, and in the next second, he vanished from the tent.
"Chizan, in your condition, you're still going out?"
"Why not just rest?"
Chōmei, seeing Gekko Chizan already in the forest, couldn't help but speak up.
"Hmph, Chōmei, don't bother trying to talk me out of it."
"That damn guy from Kumogakure went too far. I couldn't go all out with people around during the day."
"I've waited all day for night to fall. If I don't teach him a lesson now, he'll think I'm easy prey!"
As he finished speaking, Gekko Chizan perched on a tree trunk, eyes fierce. He pressed his bandaged hands together, chanting softly:
"Coiling Serpent Technique..."
"Tagitsuhime... I need your help!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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