Chapter 31: Arrival
The base they arrived at looked, at first glance, like just another ordinary military camp. But in truth, it was the central command post.
Every newly arrived ninja was required to report here first. Additionally, this was Konoha's most important medical outpost in the region.
The camp consisted of dozens of tents of various sizes. The largest among them clearly served as temporary hospitals—dedicated to treating the wounded. There was also a medium-sized tent, larger than most others, which likely served as a makeshift operations center or war council room.
The remaining smaller tents were probably used as dormitories for the ninja and logistics storage units.
Despite its importance, the camp lacked any particularly strong defensive structures. It was surrounded by only a simple wooden palisade fence—something that wouldn't pose any challenge at all to trained shinobi capable of leaping across rooftops and walls.
At first glance, the camp might seem completely vulnerable.
But anyone who assumed that would be gravely mistaken.
The entire compound was under tight, overlapping patrol patterns—guards stationed every few meters in a precise, rotating system with no blind spots. From elevated positions, members of the Hyūga clan with Byakugan and Uchiha clan with Sharingan watched vigilantly in all directions.
Forget sneaking in—even a fly would struggle to get past undetected.
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Originally, this wasn't how the camp was structured. The medical and command centers were kept separate, for good reason.
The command post was a high-value target and likely to be attacked. If battle broke out and the frontlines couldn't send reinforcements back in time, the command center would need to relocate swiftly. But wounded soldiers would inevitably slow down such a retreat.
However, things changed after an incident that struck painfully close to home—
The Sand's surprise attack on a Konoha medical outpost… the very assault that took Nan's mother's life.
From that point on, Konoha began to realize that medical units were just as high-priority targets as command centers.
So, if both required heavy protection anyway, it made more sense to combine them and consolidate their defenses. Instead of spreading resources thin, they centralized their forces.
Additionally, smaller scattered camps were merged into larger, more heavily defended hubs—usually placed near or within medical bases.
That way, even if one was attacked, the others could provide immediate support.
This improved, more efficient defensive system soon spread to other war fronts, and was quickly adopted by other shinobi units.
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Upon reaching the battlefield, Nan finally got a better understanding of the current situation in the Wind Country front.
The war between Konoha and Sunagakure had been going on for quite some time.
What started as small skirmishes and border friction gradually escalated into full-blown conflict.
The turning point came recently—
The Third Kazekage suddenly vanished.
Sunagakure suspected Konoha's involvement, though Konoha denied any connection. With tensions boiling over, war was declared in full.
But Nan knew the truth.
The Third Kazekage had been kidnapped and killed by Sasori, who then turned him into a human puppet.
In their desperation to retrieve their leader, Sunagakure deployed vast manpower, which left their own borders dangerously under-defended.
Iwagakure, having been monitoring the situation, tried to exploit Sunagakure's weakness—but in the process, suffered serious losses themselves. Now, they had little strength left to resume conflict with Konoha.
Still, caution was necessary.
Sunagakure might be preparing for a final, all-out assault, and the most brutal phase of the war seemed imminent.
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Under Orochimaru's command, Nan and his teammates quickly completed registration and were assigned missions based on their respective abilities.
Fresh graduates like them—just promoted to genin—were usually assigned to simple logistics and support tasks. Even being Orochimaru's personal disciples, Anko and Hayate were no exceptions.
Thanks to his status as a medical ninja and Orochimaru's strong endorsement of his abilities, Nan was officially assigned to the medical unit, which was exactly what he had hoped for.
During his time on the battlefield, Nan's healing skills earned consistent praise from both patients and fellow comrades.
In his previous life, he had been a highly skilled doctor, with a deep understanding of human anatomy—perhaps unmatched across the entire ninja world.
Now, combined with his training in medical ninjutsu, his healing capabilities had improved tremendously.
At the Konoha Hospital, Nan gained extensive hands-on experience with various healing arts: the Healing Palm Technique, Mitotic Regeneration, Hemostasis Jutsu, and more.
He also discovered something crucial—
The Sharingan enhanced medical ninjutsu.
Its microscopic perception and analytical power allowed Nan to diagnose conditions with speed and accuracy—even without medical tools or scans. In this regard, he surpassed most other medical ninjas.
His only weak spot was surgery—a skill he'd never been particularly good at in his past life, and rarely practiced during his time at the hospital.
However, being on the front lines gave him plenty of opportunities to perform battlefield surgery, and he was improving steadily.
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Orochimaru, to his credit, had taken a keen interest in Nan's progress. In between missions, he spent time teaching the trio—except for Hayate.
Hayate didn't seem interested in Orochimaru's ninjutsu, focusing solely on mastering his swordsmanship.
Anko, due to her heavy mission load, didn't get to learn much either.
But Nan learned quickly—even while juggling his busy medical duties, he absorbed a wide range of knowledge. It became clear that Orochimaru intended to cultivate Nan as a personal apprentice.
From Orochimaru, Nan learned several Water Release and Earth Release techniques. He even began to grasp the fundamental chakra nature transformations of both elements.
When Nan tested his chakra attributes, he confirmed what he already knew—Fire, Earth, and Lightning. But now, he also had Water.
This likely belonged to the original Uchiha Nan, whose body he now inhabited.
That meant Nan now possessed six of the seven chakra natures—everything except Wind.
But instead of being satisfied, Nan felt annoyed.
In his mind, someone as talented as he was couldn't afford to be one element short—it was laughable.
He made a silent vow:
"One day, I'll find a wind-style expert... and absorb them to fix this flaw."
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In addition to elemental techniques, Nan also learned Orochimaru's signature serpent summoning jutsu, greatly expanding his arsenal and compensating for his previously narrow combat options.
However, despite all the training, he hadn't seen real combat yet. Without actual battle experience, he had no way of knowing just how far he'd come.
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Lately, though, Nan found himself increasingly troubled.
Orochimaru had begun subtly—but persistently—trying to indoctrinate him.
He would often talk about how fragile life was, and how only by attaining eternal life could one find true meaning.
Nan quickly realized Orochimaru's real motive for taking him in.
He didn't just want a student—he wanted an assistant for his twisted experiments: his forbidden immortality techniques and inhuman biological research.
Orochimaru believed that, no matter how tough Nan appeared, he was still just a six-year-old who had lost everything. He thought Nan's seemingly composed exterior was just a mask, and that with time and care, he could completely win him over.
But Orochimaru was wrong.
Nan wasn't a real six-year-old.
He was nearly thirty in his previous life—
Shaped by twelve years of education, and a decade of grinding through real-world hardships.
He had developed a powerful will and a strong sense of ethics. No amount of persuasion could bend him.
Especially not into doing something as monstrous as experimenting on living people.
As a doctor in his past life, such things were absolutely repulsive to him.
So when Orochimaru rambled on about "transcending mortality" and "unlocking life's full potential," Nan just smiled and nodded, pretending to agree.
Outwardly compliant, inwardly disgusted.
Orochimaru, unaware, only grew more pleased with Nan.
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Initially, Nan had hoped to learn as much as possible from Orochimaru.
But now, his only desire was to get as far away from him as possible.
And after months of waiting, he finally found his chance.