Masaki Amomori had no time to rest, as Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to take him, Satomi, and Danzo to familiarize themselves with the camp's layout. Tobirama had clearly defined every area and responsibility within the camp. Unless absolutely necessary, no one was to enter areas managed by others. If anyone truly violated this rule, even Tobirama's own disciples would face punishment.
Hiruzen Sarutobi led them along, explaining the assigned tasks and taboos of each area to Masaki Amomori and the others as they passed through.
As he listened, Masaki Amomori nodded inwardly. Under Tobirama's arrangements, the camp operated with clear divisions of labor, maximizing the war potential of the Ninja. Truly worthy of a master from the Sengoku era.
After passing through one section, Masaki Amomori and the others arrived at the rear area. Here, they saw a large number of wounded, none with minor injuries. Each Ninja was wrapped in thick bandages, and a strong medicinal odor filled the air, making one instinctively want to cover their nose.
"The Kumogakure Ninja really are fearless, striking at you even as they die," Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, pointing to some of the wounded inside. "Originally, they wouldn't have been injured this severely. They were caught off guard by the Kumogakure Ninja's last-ditch counterattacks before death."
"We've encountered that too. The fighting spirit of these Kumogakure Ninja is incredibly strong," Danzo said with a frown.
"I've heard the Land of Lightning has a fierce and martial culture. It's understandable that people from there would be like this," Masaki Amomori remarked. From the comics, one could see that the Land of Lightning's aggressiveness was the highest among the Five Great Nations. Though he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, it was likely that most people there were hawks favoring war.
The Second Raikage, as the leader of a Village, was killed by the rebellion of Gold and Silver Brothers while concluding a peace treaty. Even if those two relied on ambush, for them to easily lie in wait at the alliance site during such an international diplomatic situation... it seemed unlikely without some internal assistance from within Kumogakure.
"And as a result, these guys have caused us such heavy casualties!" Hiruzen Sarutobi led them further, showing them the rows of individuals covered with cloth before them. These were the Konoha Ninja who had died in the war, their numbers far exceeding those of the wounded.
Although everyone had anticipated it, they hadn't expected the frontline casualties to be so severe. Satomi gently covered her mouth. On those cloths were family crests; a large portion of the deceased here were from the Senju Clan.
Seeing this, Masaki Amomori gently patted Satomi's shoulder. She turned and leaned against him, softly sobbing. Although these Senju Clan Members were distantly related to her by blood, they were still part of the same clan, sharing the same blood. How could she not feel sorrow?
"What about the Kumogakure side?" Masaki Amomori asked. He didn't believe the Senju Clan could suffer such heavy casualties while the Kumogakure Ninja remained largely unscathed.
"Of course not. They've lost even more people than we have," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, then led them to another area. This place was different from the others, heavily guarded by Konoha Ninja. According to Hiruzen, this was where the Kumogakure Ninja captured on the battlefield were held.
The Kumogakure Ninja weren't much better off than the wounded. They bore not only injuries from the battlefield but also wounds from being "taught a lesson" by the guards due to their grief over fallen comrades. This repeated mistreatment had left them on the brink of death. Escape was out of the question; even survival was a struggle.
"Serves them right," Danzo said with schadenfreude. In his view, a cruel attitude toward enemy Ninja was necessary to deter others.
Though Satomi didn't speak, a flicker of satisfaction also flashed in her eyes—perhaps even she wasn't fully aware of it. These people likely had Senju blood on their hands. As pitiful as they looked, it felt deeply satisfying.
Masaki Amomori frowned slightly and turned to ask Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Have any of our people been captured by the Kumogakure Ninja?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "I don't know.
But there are indeed some missing. They might have died somewhere on the battlefield, or their bodies might be lost... Of course, it's also possible they were captured by the enemy."
"If they really were captured by the enemy..." Masaki Amomori glanced at the wretched state of these Kumogakure Ninja. Though unspoken, everyone understood his implication.
"In that case, we must defeat the Kumogakure Ninja sooner. If there really are prisoners in their hands, we can force them to return them," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
Masaki Amomori nodded, but inwardly he thought: even if those prisoners did return, the interrogations they endured at Kumogakure would likely leave unforgettable memories. And that pain would transform into hatred for Kumogakure, leading to even more brutal methods in the ensuing war.
At this moment, Masaki Amomori truly felt the beauty of the humanitarian spirit from another world. Starting from this point, international organizations established in modern times had protected countless people. If such principles could be implemented in this world, they should be able to protect many. Tragedies like Nagato's might not even occur.
Masaki Amomori felt he should try to promote such activities in the future. If all the Five Great Nations were willing to accept it, it would be a good thing for this world.
Of course, the foundation for this didn't exist yet. Any new concept needed widespread recognition to be accepted. Forcing it would only lead to misunderstanding, causing embarrassment and rejection. For now, focusing on protecting the people of his own Village was the priority.
As Masaki Amomori and the others passed back through the wounded area, he observed the treatment methods used on the injured. He found they were all unique secret formulas. Each Ninja clan had its own treatment methods, with varying effectiveness—some healed quickly, others slowly. Combined, it all seemed rather chaotic.
It was only after learning of her younger brother's death that Tsunade attempted to establish a medical system, proposing that each squad include a Medical Ninja. However, at that time, Konohagakure was facing attacks from other nations during the Second Great Ninja War and lacked the resources to undertake additional personnel training, so the plan was temporarily shelved.
It was around the later stages of the Second Great Ninja War that Konohagakure finally established a preliminary medical system. One had to admit that the emergence of Medical Ninja significantly reduced war casualties. Simultaneously, it made Medical Ninja prime targets for protection in every Ninja Village, as other nations would prioritize eliminating them.
Perhaps they didn't yet have the capital to establish a complete medical system, but Masaki Amomori felt they should start laying the groundwork. At the very least, they should standardize treatment methods and medicine usage. Once the war ended, Konohagakure could genuinely attempt to build a medical system.
In the comics, there was a twenty-year period of peace between the First Great Ninja War and the Second Great Ninja War. Not using that time to develop medical care or other areas would be a tremendous waste.
In the normal timeline, the medical system developed by the end of the Second Great Ninja War surpassed that of other nations. He didn't believe they couldn't achieve something even better with these twenty years. And the stronger the medical system, the greater the assistance it could provide when Masaki Amomori eventually tried to promote an international relief organization.