Tatsuma realized the depth of Orochimaru's concern a bit late. It wasn't that he lacked the intelligence to see it earlier; it was simply a matter of temperament. He understood the potential for human malice, but he didn't subscribe to the idea that people were inherently evil, nor did he live his life thinking "there's always a traitor out to get me."
After leaving the commander's tent, Tatsuma spoke with Uchiha Fugaku and Minato. He didn't divulge Orochimaru's specific attitude regarding the Iwa findings, but he informed them that the Commander was aware of the situation. He also relayed Orochimaru's temporary orders to Fugaku, as the squad leader.
Upon hearing the instruction to move to the rear to tend to the wounded, Uchiha Fugaku didn't even consider obeying. He rejected the idea without a second thought.
He wasn't a medical ninja, and he had no desire to play nurse. Moreover, he knew that doing so wouldn't win him an ounce of goodwill from the other shinobi. If anything, it would lead to people whispering behind his back about whether the Uchiha were up to something, or if the young clan heir had finally lost his mind.
Fugaku hadn't been an Uchiha for just a day; he was well aware of the baseless prejudice many in the village held against his clan. Asking him to "put his warm face against a cold butt" and seek approval through service was absolutely out of the question.
Tatsuma didn't push the issue. After bidding Fugaku farewell, he and Minato headed to the rear to join the medical unit. The person currently in charge of the unit was still Mitokado Kano—who, ironically, still barely knew how to dress a wound properly.
When Kano saw Tatsuma volunteer to join the rotation, she nearly burst into tears of gratitude. She didn't even hesitate to hand over the command of the unit—a responsibility she had found entirely useless—to him on the spot.
"Tatsuma! Sew me up first! I took a blade to the backside!"
"Tatsuma, ignore that idiot Hefeng! He's been complaining about constipation for days; that stab wound probably did him a favor. Heal me first!"
"Yeah, yeah, heal him first, Tatsuma. If you wait any longer, his wound is going to close on its own out of pure spite!"
As soon as Tatsuma pulled out his medical kit, the injured ninjas started clamoring for his attention. As Tsunade's apprentice and someone who had previously helped in the camp, Tatsuma was a familiar face to many.
Although he repeatedly insisted he wasn't a "true" medical ninja, his clinical skills had earned their respect. He might not be on the level of Tsunade or an elder like Koharu Utatane, but compared to Mitokado Kano...
In terms of field surgery, Tatsuma's proficiency was remarkably high. Between surgical suturing and the Mystical Palm Technique, he could resolve the vast majority of external traumas. If things got truly hairy, he'd just summon Katsuyu to lend a hand.
When Tsunade spoke of "specializing" in medical ninjutsu, she wasn't talking about basic field medicine. She meant the study of complex diseases, bloodline-limit illnesses, and even spiritual or soul-based trauma. To her, learning jutsu to fix a common gash was as basic as breathing; it didn't even qualify as specialization.
Faced with the soldiers' enthusiasm, Tatsuma maintained his infectious, supportive smile. In terms of "bedside manner," he was leagues ahead of his hot-tempered teacher.
Tatsuma summoned Katsuyu to assist in the triage, and Minato joined in as well. Watching Minato's practiced movements and his proficient use of the Mystical Palm, the wounded ninjas realized their "delivery boy" was far more than just a courier. The kid who brought them hot lunch boxes and a cheerful "Enjoy your meal!" every day was actually a hidden medical talent.
However, in the shadow of these two prodigies, Mitokado Kano felt... well, as she watched the soldiers' gazes turn increasingly skeptical toward her, she really wanted to cry. It wasn't her fault nobody had taught her! Being the unit leader was a village assignment, not something she had campaigned for.
Kano had tried to learn. She'd even spent several days lurking outside Tsunade's tent, hoping for a lesson. Unfortunately, Tsunade had been buried in the lab cracking Chiyo's poisons and hadn't come out once. Now that Tsunade was back on the front lines, the chances of a lesson were slim. Was she supposed to ask Tatsuma—the kid who refused to call himself a medical ninja—to teach her?
In just half a day, Tatsuma and Minato effectively replaced the workload of dozens of medical staff. They performed better, too, clearing the entire backlog of surgeries and treatments. For the few ninjas with internal organ damage or spinal injuries, Tatsuma performed emergency stabilization and wrote detailed diagnostic notes and recommendations, making it easier for Tsunade or the Leaf Hospital staff to take over once they were transported back.
Tatsuma saw himself as an ER doctor: stabilize the critical cases quickly, and pass the complicated ones to the experts. There was no need to play hero and waste everyone's time trying to do a specialist's job.
As they were working through a fresh batch of casualties, word came for a general withdrawal. It was much earlier than the usual rotation, and while the others were confused, Tatsuma knew exactly why. He didn't ask questions; he simply followed the unit back to the main camp and continued treating the remaining patients. Tsunade swung by for a quick inspection, telling Tatsuma to find her as soon as he was finished.
After suturing the last patient and handing the list of non-treatable cases to Kano for transport, Tatsuma grabbed Minato and Fugaku. Together, they headed to the command tent.
They were called inside almost immediately. Both Orochimaru and Tsunade were there, their brows furrowed in thought. Orochimaru looked up, his oppressive, raspy voice filling the space.
"Tell me exactly what happened during your patrol."
Uchiha Fugaku glanced at Tatsuma. Since Tatsuma was the one who had made the discovery, it was only right for him to speak. But Tatsuma offered a subtle shake of his head, gesturing for Fugaku to take the lead.
Fugaku was the squad leader. Reporting the mission—especially one that promised a significant merit—was a privilege that belonged to the leader. Tatsuma knew when to let his "boss" have the spotlight.
Fugaku pursed his lips and nodded before turning to Orochimaru. He recounted the morning's encounter with total honesty. He didn't exaggerate his own role; he explicitly stated that Tatsuma was the one who detected the anomaly and was the first to react.
After the briefing, Orochimaru nodded slowly. "You handled the situation well. This information must not leave this room. Continue your reconnaissance as usual, but intensify your vigilance. I will handle the rest."
Tsunade added, "Go back and rest. We move out again tomorrow. Tatsuma, stay behind."
Fugaku and Minato caught the hint immediately and excused themselves. Once they were gone, Tsunade looked at her student. "How did you find it?"
Tatsuma couldn't exactly say his system hadn't given him a reward, which made him suspicious. He thought for a long moment before answering, "Intuition."
Crackle—crack.
Tsunade, who had been waiting for a profound analytical breakdown, felt her patience snap. Her knuckles turned white, and her joints popped like roasted beans.
Even Orochimaru's stoic mask flickered with a brief moment of bewilderment, followed by a sigh of resignation. Seeing their reactions, Tatsuma quickly tried to justify himself. "It really was a premonition! I seem to be very sensitive to bad news."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Like that time with the Hyuga?"
Before Hyuga Miyako's squad had even gone missing, Tatsuma had been camping out in the communications unit waiting for news, as if he knew something was going to happen. Orochimaru had investigated the timeline of that incident and found it odd at the time. Hearing Tatsuma mention "intuition" now made the pieces click into place.
Tsunade relaxed her fist, staring at her student. Tatsuma nodded. In his past life, he'd heard a theory that "intuition" was just the brain processing subtle, fragmented information subconsciously. When the conscious mind can't grasp the logic, the subconscious provides the answer in the form of a gut feeling.
The incident with Miyako was exactly like that. The system's anomaly was the direct cause, but his subconscious had sensed the "wrongness" of reality, leading him to investigate.
Since Tatsuma had a track record of being right, Orochimaru accepted the explanation. How he found it wasn't as important as the fact that he did.
"From now on, you are to personally inspect every enemy corpse you come across," Orochimaru ordered. "Report any further anomalies directly to me."
Tatsuma immediately understood. Orochimaru didn't fully trust the Uchiha. He supposed that was the "Hokage Faction" instinct at work—it was practically a reflex for them at this point, even if Orochimaru didn't realize he was doing it.
"Understood, Orochimaru-sama. If there's nothing else, may I be excused?"
Tatsuma had no intention of arguing. He lacked the standing to defend the Uchiha, and there was no reason to.
Tsunade nodded, but as Tatsuma turned to leave, Orochimaru spoke again.
"Prepare yourselves. If this information is verified, you, as the primary scouts of the first discovery, will likely be sent back to the village to give a formal report."
Tatsuma didn't voice an opinion. He simply acknowledged the command and left. Once he was gone, Tsunade looked at Orochimaru with confusion.
"Is it really necessary for them to go back? Even if the village wants a face-to-face debrief, it should be one of us. Besides, isn't Jiraiya already investigating the other villages' movements? Let him handle the proof."
Orochimaru's golden eyes shifted toward her. "It's just a face-saving way to get them off the front lines. Without us here to protect them, who do you think Sunagakure's primary target will be?"
Tsunade blinked, then slapped her forehead as the realization hit. A sheepish smile crossed her face. "I didn't think of that. I didn't expect you to be so... thoughtful, Orochimaru."
Orochimaru sighed internally. Tatsuma was so mature and sensible that sometimes it was easy to forget his age. But with a teacher like Tsunade...
For a moment, Orochimaru regretted being so dismissive years ago. If he'd known Tatsuma would turn out to be such an exceptional talent, he would have happily taken him as a second student. After all, a student like Tatsuma didn't require much "teaching"—a master just had to sit back and soak up the reflected glory of his growth.
"I'll have the village send over the latest Iwa equipment for comparison," Orochimaru said, shifting back to business. "You may need to take command of the main unit for a while."
With the logistical arrangements made, command briefly passed to Tsunade. Over the following month, Tatsuma and the Uchiha squad continued to find small, almost invisible clues. Finally, a month later, the official order arrived: Tatsuma was to return to Konoha.