Border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers.Konoha's forward camp.
With the war raging, what had once been a hidden outpost was now a full-fledged frontline base.But the mood here was anything but victorious.
The camp echoed with groans and screams.
At the center, two starkly different scenes unfolded:
On the left, rows of stretchers—ninjas with bluish faces twisting in pain, their bodies racked with poison.On the right, others sat cross-legged, just as blue-faced but calmer, forcing their breathing into steady rhythm.
Suddenly one of the seated shinobi coughed up a mouthful of purple blood. The dark hue drained from his face, leaving him pale but alive.
Hatake Sakumo appeared at his side in an instant."How is it?"
The man opened his eyes, still shaky, and forced himself to explain."Basic Internal Arts do purge the poison, sir. But… most of my chakra's burned out with it."
Sakumo's stern face eased ever so slightly.A few months' recovery was a price he could accept. Better than a grave.
Ever since some of his soldiers had exchanged techniques for this crude but effective "basic internal energy" style, casualties had slowed. Their chakra reserves collapsed, but they lived. For now, that was enough.
A bespectacled kunoichi hurried over, voice sharp."Commander Sakumo, if more can't learn the internal skill soon, this camp will collapse."
Sakumo's expression grew heavy."…There's no antidote for Chiyo's poisons yet?"
"They're too complex," she admitted with a bitter shake of her head.
The truth was ugly.Ever since Sand's Chiyo had appeared on this front, Konoha had been forced into retreat after retreat. And it wasn't because Sakumo lacked the strength to strike back—he had deliberately chosen to preserve his men's lives rather than hold territory.
As a result, the entire Land of Rivers front had been ceded.
The kunoichi bit her lip.Orochimaru would never have made that choice. The price of regaining ground would only climb higher now. And with so many poisoned shinobi clogging the camp, the collapse felt inevitable.
Only a handful of untainted or partially recovered soldiers kept the line standing.
She glanced at Sakumo, his face carved in stone but his eyes far away."…The only ones who can turn this are Lady Tsunade and Uchiha Jinzō."
"Tsunade-sama could counter the poisons. And Uchiha Jinzō… the genius who creates ninjutsu—he might be able to develop a countermeasure."
The words sparked something in Sakumo's gaze."Send word to the village. Request Tsunade immediately. And contact Jiraiya—tell him to dispatch Uchiha Jinzō here. Now."
"Yes, Commander!" The kunoichi half-knelt and vanished in a puff of smoke.
Sakumo turned his eyes toward the Sand's direction."If it can be lost," he murmured, "I'll take it back."
He knew what she thought of him—that he valued lives over land. And she wasn't wrong.
Sand Front.
Chiyo, still in her prime, scowled over the war map of the Land of Rivers. She'd plotted every path into the Fire Country, but each route had been crushed by Sakumo.
Smoke curled beside her—Ebizo appeared."Sister. I couldn't stop Orochimaru. A… troublesome person appeared. And he's mastered an equally troublesome jutsu."
He delivered his report.The troublesome figure was Might Duy—a man mocked for years as a lifelong genin, who'd suddenly revealed terrifying power.
As for Orochimaru's "new clone jutsu"? Ebizo's analysis was skeptical. If it were truly a standard clone technique, Orochimaru wouldn't be the only one with it. More likely it was a specialized ninjutsu that let clones continue fighting unnaturally.
Chiyo pinched the bridge of her nose."Bad news, one after another…"
Her plan had been simple: use poison to wipe out eighty percent of Konoha's forces.Instead, Konoha's "antidote" didn't cure her venom, but it let their shinobi cling to life. Some could even purge it outright.
The line hadn't broken. And the one opportunity for a breakthrough—the Rain front—was now sealed off by Konoha's elites.
Meanwhile, the Third Kazekage couldn't spare men. Iwagakure's threat loomed too large. Sand was stretched thin as well.
"Shift some forces here," she ordered at last. "We'll press this front. The Land of Rain can be weakened a little."
Orochimaru and Sakumo were both dangerous. But the Rain front was a snake pit—rival villages, shifting powers, and whispers of new monsters rising from Amegakure itself.
Here, at least, Sand still had leverage.
Iwa Front.
Three Iwa chūnin moved like shadows through the forest, aiming to circle Konoha's lines and cut their supply routes.
Steel glinted.
Namikaze Minato appeared with a kunai strike—fast, but the three scattered, slipping past.
Only to find three figures blocking the paths ahead.
Team Seven.
Jinzō stood with a lazy grin, resting his long blade on his shoulder."Sorry, fellas. Dead end."
Kushina was stone-faced, sealing off another path."You picked the wrong border to cross."
"Shame. Guess you die here," Jinzō added lightly.
The three of them surged forward. The fight was over almost before it began.
Blood dripped from Jinzō's blade. Their team's hands were already stained with war.
But the aftermath was heavy.
Kushina no longer laughed like before. Minato's face carried quiet doubt.
"How long are we going to stay stuck here?" Jinzō leaned back against a tree, watching leaves fall. They'd been intercepting stragglers for days—fishing out leftovers while the real battles raged elsewhere.
"When the war's over… it's over," Minato said, but his voice wavered.
Jinzō tilted his head at the sky. He remembered too well: in history, the Second Great Ninja War had lasted for years. This was just the opening act.
The three fell into silence, each tangled in their own thoughts.
Until a puff of smoke broke it.
An ANBU operative appeared, mask gleaming, scroll in hand."New orders. Uchiha Jinzō is to transfer to the Sand front immediately."