Southwest battlefield of the Land of Fire.
"Mikage-sama, the Sunagakure forces have halted their assault for now."
Inside the command tent, Commander Nara Mikage's tense expression eased slightly upon hearing the report. His tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.
"What were the casualties last night?"
"Reporting to Mikage-sama, last night we had a total of eighty-three casualties. Of those, twenty-seven were killed and fifty-six were seriously injured."
Nara Mikage's brows, which had just loosened, furrowed again. He spoke in a low voice:
"Why were the casualties so severe?"
The war had just begun and already the casualty rate had reached this level. That was undoubtedly a dangerous sign.
After all, those sent to the battlefield were the village's mid-to-high-tier forces.
Such losses would place enormous strain on the village.
It might not be obvious now, but as the war dragged on, more and more shinobi would die.
When that time came, there would be no one left to fight on the front lines.
He had to get to the bottom of this and find a solution.
"Mikage-sama, the poison developed by Sunagakure is very potent. As of now, we haven't found a way to neutralize it."
"Aren't there medical-nin on the front lines?" Nara Mikage frowned. "Can't they neutralize the poison?"
Medical-nin were considered elite personnel in every nation.
In wartime, aside from Jōnin, the most precious assets were the medical-nin.
In fact, their value could even surpass that of some Jōnin...
On the battlefield, injuries were unavoidable.
Without timely treatment, even a powerful Jōnin would be doomed.
So medical-nin played a critical role in battle.
Konoha placed great emphasis on training medical-nin, and those sent to the front lines were always the elite among elites.
Nara Mikage believed that with their medical expertise, developing an antidote shouldn't have been a problem.
It wasn't their first time fighting Sunagakure, and although Sunagakure was known for its poisons, they'd never produced anything that couldn't be countered...
But the next thing his subordinate said left him stunned.
"Mikage-sama, the antidotes developed by the medical corps can only slow the spread of the poison. They can't completely cure it."
"If we can't develop a true antidote soon, those wounded comrades will..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but Nara Mikage knew exactly what he meant.
"Why has Sunagakure's poison suddenly become so powerful?" Nara Mikage's face darkened.
"Inform the medical corps that they must develop an antidote—no matter what!"
Without an antidote, those who were wounded would be in grave danger.
And more would follow.
If this wasn't resolved quickly, the entire southwest battlefield would fall.
Nara Mikage summoned three shinobi from the reconnaissance unit and gave them an order:
"Find out the origin of Sunagakure's poison. I want to know who developed it."
"Understood!" The three responded and departed at once.
Mikage didn't sit idle either. He left the command tent and headed for the medical camp.
The medical corps had dozens of tents used to treat the wounded.
Inside one of them, a nauseating stench of herbs mixed with rotting flesh filled the air.
Dozens of shinobi lay moaning on their beds, their festering wounds tinged with black and green.
Medical-nin bustled about, working tirelessly.
"Haigu-sensei, have you developed an antidote yet?"
Haigu Minne shook her head.
"Not yet. The poison is... peculiar. We still need more time."
Hearing that, the medical-nin could only continue using healing jutsu to stabilize the patients.
The poison from Sunagakure was highly unusual, and ordinary antidotes were completely ineffective.
Their only hope was that Haigu-sensei could develop a cure...
At that moment, Battlefield Commander Nara Mikage pushed aside the tent flap and entered.
He looked at the groaning patients and unconsciously clenched his fists.
The situation here was worse than he'd imagined.
If they couldn't find a solution, they'd have no choice but to watch these shinobi die in agony.
And even more would follow...
As commander, he couldn't allow that to happen.
The medical-nin noticed Nara Mikage's arrival, but none of them greeted him. They were all fully focused on using medical jutsu to ease the patients' pain.
But this method only treated the symptoms. It couldn't cure the poison.
In a short time, it would flare up again.
Nara Mikage walked to Haigu Minne's side and asked in a low voice:
"Still no antidote?"
"No. We need more time." Haigu Minne didn't even lift her head. "This time, Sunagakure's poison is highly specialized. Cracking it in a short period is extremely difficult."
Nara Mikage's face was grim as he turned and left the tent.
He wasn't a medical-nin. Staying there would do nothing but hinder treatment.
But just as he exited the tent, a shinobi ran toward him in a hurry.
"Mikage-sama! Sunagakure is launching another attack!"
Nara Mikage's expression turned dark. They still hadn't developed an antidote to the poison, and now the enemy was attacking again.
If they didn't produce a cure in time, more comrades would fall victim to the toxin.
He immediately gave the order:
"Sound the alert. Prepare to face the enemy!"
...
Fifty kilometers from the southwest battlefield, in Sunagakure's camp.
"Hahaha! As expected of the village's genius poison maker!"
The Sunagakure commander looked at the silver-haired girl before him with admiration.
Her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall. Her amber eyes were clear and bright. Her pale skin and delicate features were striking.
Faced with the commander's praise, the girl only nodded indifferently, her face showing no joy from the compliment.
"The poison I developed cannot be countered by Konoha in a short time. Attacking now is clearly our best option."
"Well said. I've already ordered the offensive," the commander replied approvingly.
"I'm confident it won't be long before we seize complete control of the southwest front!"
"When that happens, you'll be the greatest hero of Sunagakure!"
"Serving the village is simply my duty."
————————
"Renya-kun, are you sure you can read the map now?" Utatane Koharu looked worried.
After they left last night, Renya claimed he had finally learned how to read a map. He'd snatched it from Danzo and took the lead.
"Renya, maybe you should give the map back to me," said Shimura Danzo.
"The front lines need our support. We can't afford any delays."
The two of them had followed behind Renya all night, hearts pounding with anxiety.
They were terrified he would get lost again like before...
"Relax. I really did learn how to read a map this time." Renya studied the map in his hands.
"We're still twenty kilometers from the destination. You'll know soon enough if I'm wrong."
He didn't want to argue further. Reaching the destination successfully would be the best explanation.
Danzo and Koharu exchanged glances, both seeing the same worry in each other's eyes.
At this point, all they could do was pray that Renya wasn't leading them astray.
Danzo swore to himself that no matter what, he'd never let Renya lead the way again—whether or not he understood maps!
This constant anxiety and fear of getting lost was unbearable.
Just then, a dense sound of footsteps echoed in the distance.
Without hesitation, the three of them immediately hid.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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