At this point, Shinichi paused, looked directly into Tsunade's eyes, and said seriously: "And, Tsunade-sensei, one week ago, in the square in front of the Hokage building, I personally called on the entire village to unite and fight to the end. If even I, the one who made that call, hid in the safe rear for various reasons, what would the ninjas on the front line think? What will the villagers think of me? How can the village's morale be maintained?"
"I think perhaps the third Hokage approved my inclusion in the first batch of reinforcements for precisely this reason."
Of course, these were only the surface reasons. Shinichi's true consideration was to accumulate merit on the battlefield against the Village Hidden in the Sand and quickly advance to Jonin.
Once promoted to Jonin and having enough recognition to generate a Jonin occupation, he would gain a chance to draw a purple-quality talent.
Purple quality was a level he had never obtained before, and the qualitative change it could bring would undoubtedly be a tremendous boost.
Hearing this, Tsunade fell silent and quietly looked at Shinichi.
At that moment, she suddenly felt that he was somewhat different. The warmth and youthful vitality he once radiated seemed to have settled down.
In its place was an indescribable steadiness that instinctively inspired trust and reassurance.
After a long time, she let out a long breath, as if making a difficult decision.
"Fine. You can go!"
But before Shinichi could respond, she immediately raised a finger and continued in a firm tone: "Remember this! When you go to the front line this time, your identity is that of a professional Medical Ninja, and only a Medical Ninja! Your responsibilities are strictly limited to field hospitals, emergency stations, and the safe zones I designate!"
"Your work will be to treat the wounded, allocate medicine, manage medical supplies, and carry out research or analysis tasks I assign! Without my explicit permission, you are absolutely, absolutely not allowed to leave the logistics area, nor are you allowed to participate in frontline combat as a combat ninja! Do you understand?!"
"Yes, Tsunade-sensei."
Shinichi nodded. "I understand, and I will strictly comply. My identity on this mission to the front line is Medical Ninja Shinichi Higashino. All actions will follow your command, and I will focus on my medical duties."
Hearing his firm reply, Tsunade nodded and said no more, only giving him one last deep look.
"Go back and prepare. Tomorrow at six in the morning, assemble at the village entrance. If you're even one second late, I'll personally throw you out. I mean it."
With that, she pulled open the door and strode away without looking back, her footsteps quickly fading down the corridor.
...…
The next morning, at daybreak, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and the air was biting cold.
In front of Konoha's main gate, a force of more than five hundred people had already assembled.
The crowd was making their final farewells to their respective family members, friends, and comrades. The air was filled with low voices, brief instructions, and suppressed worries.
"Sensei, Shinichi, you must be careful!"
Shizune and Kurenai Yuhi stood at the front of the crowd, seeing them off, their faces full of worry.
They knew that, given their status as Genin and current abilities, they were not yet qualified to be assigned to such an important frontline support unit. They could only remain in the rear hospital to continue their studies, and this sense of powerlessness made their farewell especially heavy.
Shinichi looked at them, a familiar gentle smile on his face. "Don't worry, we'll be careful. You two should also work hard while staying in the village. Learning at the hospital is just as important. Only by building a solid foundation can you play a greater role in the future."
Tsunade, on the other hand, was much more direct. She patted her two students' shoulders, her gaze sweeping over their youthful faces. "That's enough, don't act like it's a life-and-death separation! You two, while I'm gone, stay in the hospital and study properly. Master all that professional knowledge and Medical Ninjutsu! When I come back to check, if you haven't improved, just see how I deal with you!"
"Yes! Tsunade-sensei!"
The two girls quickly responded while nodding vigorously.
Seeing that the time had come, Tsunade said no more. She turned to face the assembled force, her gaze sharp as lightning as it swept across faces that were either tense or resolute.
After taking a deep breath, she shouted loudly: "All personnel, move out!"
With the order given, the force began to move. The ninjas stepped forward, merging into a silent yet determined current that extended toward the road outside the village.
Among the crowd seeing them off, countless worried gazes followed their departing figures until they disappeared around the bend in the road.
Farther away, on the edge of a rooftop of a building, stood a silver-haired figure.
Kakashi Hatake stood there alone, silently watching the direction in which the force departed, his fist clenched tightly.
"Don't you dare die, you bastard!"
After saying this, Kakashi suddenly turned around and, with a few leaps, disappeared among the rooftops.
As soon as they left the village, this force of more than five hundred medical and logistics personnel quickly broke into smaller units according to prearranged tactical formations, splitting into twenty highly mobile companies.
Using the ninja's unique high-speed movement, they leaped through the forest and sprinted across the ground, advancing toward the western border of the Land of Fire.
The entire force moved in an orderly, silent, and efficient manner, demonstrating Konoha's proficiency and discipline in wartime mobilization.
The unit Shinichi was in had a clear structure and well-defined responsibilities.
Among the more than 500 personnel, about 100 were experienced frontline combat elites, specifically transferred from various combat units.
They were distributed around the perimeter and key points of the formation. Their task was to maintain high vigilance during the long march, scout for enemy movements, and respond to possible infiltration or ambushes by small Sunagakure ninja units, vowing to ensure the safe arrival of this crucial medical and logistics force at all costs.
Within the formation, three Hyuga clan ninjas could even be seen active in reconnaissance positions.
With their Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan, once activated, the flow of chakra and signs of life within several kilometers could not escape their perception.
This configuration alone was enough to show how much Konoha's leadership valued Tsunade and this unit's safety, which carried a large amount of precious medical supplies and gathered numerous medical talents and logistical resources.
As for the remaining 400+ personnel, although their primary responsibilities were battlefield medical treatment, medicine preparation, equipment maintenance, and logistics management, every single one of them was a registered Konoha ninja with a name on record.
Among them were many veteran ninjas who had withdrawn from the front lines for various reasons and now relied on their rich experience to engage in logistical support, as well as Medical Ninjas who specialized in Medical Ninjutsu but had also received full combat training.
Their individual combat power might not match that of dedicated combat personnel, but they were by no means helpless burdens without the ability to defend themselves.
Overall, this was a comprehensive support force that combined professionalism with considerable self-defense capability.