This was the medical headquarters of Konoha's frontline base.
In past wars, this place would have been filled with wails of agony.
But this time—
When Yoru arrived, he found it eerily silent.
Many wounded Konoha ninjas lay there, their faces a mix of purple and blue, eyes tightly shut as if enduring unimaginable pain. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, yet they remained unconscious, unable to make a sound.
They could only endure this inhuman torment—
Until death slowly claimed them.
This silent hell—
Was even more terrifying.
Tsunade had been overwhelmed these past days.
In her eyes, this poison was absolutely something that could be analyzed —yet without a proper sample, progress had been painfully slow.
All she could do—
Was watch Konoha's ninjas die one after another in agony.
"Tsunade…"
As she furrowed her brows, deep in thought, a familiar voice reached her ears.
"Yoru, you're here?" A faint smile finally appeared on her otherwise stern face.
Yoru looked at her slightly haggard expression, a trace of concern flashing in his eyes. He stepped forward and gently smoothed out the furrow between her brows.
The soft touch made him reluctant to pull away.
"Stop that…" Tsunade's face flushed with a captivating blush under the public gaze.
"This poison from Sunagakure is far more lethal than expected. I didn't think that woman—Chiyo—had such terrifying mastery over toxins."
Tsunade's expression darkened again.
As Konoha's greatest medical ninja, she was inherently kind-hearted. Everything she did was to save lives.
But Chiyo's methods—
Were those of a poison witch.
The two stood on completely opposing paths.
It was no wonder they would eventually become rivals.
"Don't worry, Tsunade," Yoru said softly. "I'll bring back a sample of that poison."
"Hm?" Tsunade's dim eyes brightened slightly. "We've located a puppet master?"
Yoru nodded with a smile. "Yes. His name is Izawa Yūki."
"Izawa Yūki…" Tsunade frowned briefly before recalling the name. Even among the large number of Sand puppet masters, he was considered fairly notable.
"I'll leave it to you, Yoru," Tsunade said with a smile.
With Yoru handling it—
The poison sample would soon be in her hands.
The thought alone eased some of the exhaustion weighing on her.
As for the possibility of failure?
She didn't even consider it.
No one understood Yoru's strength better than she did.
In her estimation—
Within Konoha, Yoru already ranked among the top three strongest.
He had long since surpassed her.
And yet—
The stronger he became—
The happier she felt.
Tsunade, strong on the outside but gentle within, had fully accepted him.
Being protected by Yoru—
Was something she cherished deeply.
"This poison is neurotoxic," Tsunade explained seriously. "It appears purple in color. Once infected, the victim will die in agony within about two days."
"At most, I can extend their life to five days."
She took out a small test tube from a nearby rack.
Inside—
Was a faint purple liquid.
"This is what I managed to extract from an infected ninja," she continued. "But once the poison enters the body, a critical component dissolves into the system, making it impossible for me to fully analyze it."
"If I had more time, I could definitely crack it…"
"But by then, all these infected ninjas would already be dead."
A trace of pain flashed in her eyes.
Yoru took the test tube from her hand and placed it into his pouch.
"Don't worry," he said with a smile. "I'll bring back the real sample soon."
Then—
He gently kissed her forehead and turned to leave.
Tsunade froze.
Moments later, her face turned bright red as she quickly glanced around. Seeing no one paying attention, she let out a breath of relief.
Touching her forehead—
She could still feel the warmth he left behind.
A radiant smile bloomed on her beautiful face.
…
Leaving the base—
Yoru sped toward his target.
His expression grew serious.
Every day of delay—
Meant more Konoha ninjas dying from the poison.
Konoha—
Was already his territory.
He would never allow its ninjas to die to something like this.
According to the intelligence—
Izawa Yūki was stationed at a hidden Sand ninja outpost deep within a forest.
There were around fifty Sand ninjas there.
Most of them were puppet masters.
Their mission—
Was to support Izawa Yūki in harassing Konoha forces—
Using Chiyo's poison to inflict heavy losses.
Unfortunately for them—
Though well hidden—
They had still been discovered by Konoha's Earth Release scouts.
Maintaining peak condition—
Yoru sped toward the forest at full speed.
His Observation Haki spread outward—
Carefully avoiding detection by Sand patrol units.
If discovered—
There was a high chance Izawa Yūki would retreat.
After all—
Yoru's name was already infamous across the shinobi world.
Every Sand scout carried intelligence reports on Konoha's strongest combatants.
And Yoru's threat level—
Was five stars.
Meaning—
If encountered—
Unless led by more than ten elite ninjas—
Immediate retreat was mandatory.
As for numbers?
His past achievements had already proven—
Mass tactics were meaningless against him.
After evading several patrol units—
The forest finally appeared before his eyes.
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