"Dosuke-sama! It's a success! It's a success!" Uchiha Kotaro's face was lit with excitement.
Reaching into the ninja pouch on his waist, he pulled out a sheet of paper densely packed with data and handed it to Dosuke.
"Dosuke-sama, this is the data we collected from this mission. The treatment effects are remarkable!" Uchiha Kotaro reported loudly.
Dosuke took the data sheet and scanned it line by line.
"Some of the data still has minor flaws, but overall it's acceptable," Dosuke muttered to himself, eyes fixed on the numbers.
"Fugaku-nii, I'm going to see Orochimaru-sama right away." Dosuke clutched the data-filled paper, turned his head to speak to Uchiha Fugaku, and then, without waiting for a reply, sprinted off toward the Konoha command tent.
As he ran, he waved back at Uchiha Kotaro and shouted, "Uchiha Kotaro, thank you for your hard work!"
Watching Dosuke's retreating figure, Uchiha Fugaku allowed himself a small, pursed-lip smile. "Kotaro, you've done well. Go and rest now."
"Young Master, all for the village and the clan!" Uchiha Kotaro replied with vigor.
Uchiha Fugaku turned and walked toward his tent, raising his right hand in a casual wave without looking back.
---
On the other side, Dosuke ran all the way to Orochimaru's command tent. He yanked the tent flap open.
"Orochimaru-sama!!"
Inside, Orochimaru was deep in discussion with Nara Shikaku and other tactical officers, planning the direction and layout of the next phase of the war. The sudden interruption made everyone turn in unison to stare at Dosuke, who stood frozen in the entrance, one hand still holding the flap.
"Ah… everyone's here." With his other hand, Dosuke rubbed the back of his head, a slightly embarrassed and shy smile appearing on his face under their collective gaze.
"It's quite alright, Dosuke-kun. What is it?" Orochimaru set down the pieces he was using on the sand table and spoke slowly, his voice a familiar rasp.
Seeing he had already interrupted the meeting, Dosuke simply walked past Nara Shikaku and the others straight up to Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru-sama, this is the experimental data brought back by Uchiha Kotaro and his team." Dosuke straightened his expression and placed the now-crumpled data report in front of Orochimaru.
Orochimaru took the paper and examined it with serious focus.
"Dosuke-kun… so you've succeeded?" The usually cold, hoarse voice now carried a detectable hint of feeling.
Dosuke nodded vigorously. "Some of the data needs refinement, but overall it's viable for deployment. The current problem is production."
The medical solution could currently only be made by Dosuke himself. The process of blending the base liquid required a level of chakra control so precise that, at this stage, no one else could replicate it.
Orochimaru's eyes moved line by line down the data. As a man of scientific rigor, while not a specialist in medical ninjutsu, parsing this data was elementary for him.
"Indeed. This can be classified as viable wartime supplies," Orochimaru said with a nod after finishing his review. His golden, vertical pupils fixed on Dosuke. "Dosuke, you must find a way to increase production. I will report this development to the village immediately."
During this period, Konoha had suffered significant casualties in the small-scale skirmishes with Sunagakure. A major factor was the inability to treat wounds in time. With Dosuke's medical solution, the casualty rate among Konoha's forces would drop dramatically. It would also be invaluable against Kumogakure and Iwagakure, or any other unforeseen emergencies.
"Then I'll return to my work," Dosuke said, taking his leave.
"Mm," Orochimaru acknowledged with a nod.
After Dosuke left, Nara Shikaku couldn't hold back his curiosity. "Orochimaru-sama, what was that about?"
Nara Shikaku was in the dark. The development of the medical solution had been known only to Orochimaru among the high command of the Konoha forces.
Without answering directly, Orochimaru handed the data sheet to Nara Shikaku. "The landscape of this battlefield is about to change."
"That concludes today's briefing. Shikaku, you and the others continue planning the next phase of the campaign." With that, Orochimaru left the command tent and headed for his private quarters.
---
A few days later.
Konoha.Hokage Building. The Hokage's office.
A sealed scroll lay upon the Third Hokage's desk.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep pull from his pipe and exhaled slowly, a cloud of smoke forming before him.
BAM!
"Old man! Did you call me here first thing in the morning just so I could breathe your second-hand smoke?!" Tsunade waved the smoke away from her face and slammed a fist onto the Hokage's desk.
The items on the desk jumped from the impact. A transparent crystal ball resting on a purple cushion rattled off its stand and rolled across the smooth surface.
The Third Hokage had no time to stop it. He could only watch as the crystal ball rolled off the edge of the desk.
CRACK!
With a crisp sound, it joined its predecessors in a glittering demise.
The Third Hokage stared silently at the shattered remnants for a moment. Then he picked up the scroll and a slightly crumpled piece of paper from his desk and held them out to Tsunade.
"This is from the front. It concerns you. Take a look," he said, his aged voice tinged with familiar resignation.
"What is it?" Tsunade asked, curiosity piqued.
Could the front lines be in trouble? But with that bastard Orochimaru in command, even if he can't win outright, he shouldn't be losing ground…
A quick glance at the paper snagged her full attention. She snatched the wrinkled sheet from his hand.
"That kid… he actually did it?!" Tsunade's eyes widened as she pored over each line of data. The image of a boy, tirelessly researching in a Konoha lab before the war, flashed vividly in her mind.
"Judging by your reaction, you were aware of this project. Dosuke is a genius. If this medical solution is genuine, our advantage on the battlefield will increase exponentially."
"The data is real," Tsunade confirmed, her tone turning serious. "But Orochimaru mentions in the scroll that output is the critical bottleneck. With Dosuke as the sole producer, large-scale manufacturing is impossible."
"That is precisely why I called for you," the Third said, looking at her with earnest eyes. "To see if you can solve that problem. No one in the village understands medical ninjutsu better than you."
"Let me… try," Tsunade said after a moment of hesitation, her voice uncertain.
"I believe in you, Tsunade."
"Alright, alright, old man. Stop with the flattery. I'm going!" With that, Tsunade turned on her heel and strode out of the office.