Chapter 37
Far away from Uzushiogakure.
On the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass.
In a massive encampment, dozens of tents were erected as Konoha shinobi moved swiftly about, executing their missions and daily tasks.
This was a primary Konoha outpost specifically positioned to combat the combined Suna and Iwa forces.
Inside the largest medical tent.
Tsunade sat at a wide table, poring over a massive medical text. All across the wooden surface, various dried herbs, vials, and mortar bowls were scattered in organized chaos.
She looked up at the rows of unconscious shinobi, all of whom had been afflicted by Chiyo's latest poison. She had already managed to halt the spread of the toxin through their chakra networks; now, she was working on the antidote to neutralize it entirely.
She raised her hand. From a desk in the opposite corner of the tent, another heavy medical journal lifted into the air and floated directly into her waiting palm.
Ever since she had received the Weapon Recalling Seal from Saki, Tsunade had applied it to everything from her combat kunai to her heavy books. It was incredibly convenient and saved her precious time in the ward.
She quickly flipped through the pages, noting down her observations and cross-referencing potential cures for the complex toxin.
She began grinding and mixing the various herbs, meticulously recording every single step of the process.
After hours of exhausting, failed attempts, she finally completed the serum.
"Give this to the second patient," Tsunade ordered, handing the vial to the medic kunoichi who was assisting her in looking over the ward.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
The kunoichi moved swiftly, administering the antidote to the afflicted shinobi.
Tsunade slumped back into her wooden chair and watched the process with intensity, her fists tightening slightly in her lap.
Slowly, she saw the dark purple veins bulging on the man's neck begin to recede to a normal hue, and his erratic breathing finally steadied.
She exhaled in relief, her tense shoulders relaxing. But her gaze drifted to the body beside the recovering ninja. The first patient.
The first and second prototype antidotes had failed to work on him. A flash of grief passed over her features. She had failed.
Synthesizing antidotes on an active battlefield was never easy, and casualties were inevitable—it was a bitter reality she had learned the hard way.
The first time she had ever clashed against Chiyo's poisons, many had died before she could successfully isolate the cure. From then until now, she had improved massively—both as a medical-nin and as a master antidote maker. But the losses still stung.
Tsunade shook her head slightly, forcing the dark thoughts away. She couldn't afford to wallow in her failures right now; there were still lives to save. She grabbed her pen and began rapidly writing down the exact symptoms and the finalized brewing process for the antidote.
"Here, take this to the main recovery camp. This scroll contains the symptom diagnostic, and this one details the exact process for brewing the cure. Tell them to start mass-producing it immediately," Tsunade ordered the kunoichi.
"Hai!"
With the scrolls secured, the medic bolted out of the tent to deliver the orders.
"It seems Chiyo is finally running out of original poisons," Tsunade mused quietly to herself in the empty tent.
This particular toxin was nothing more than a complex amalgamation of all the previous poisons Chiyo had deployed in the past. That was exactly why Tsunade had been forced to rummage through her older journals to isolate the specific base components and prepare the cure accordingly.
Finally, with the crisis averted, she could rest.
Now, the main recovery camp would handle the rest, from mass-producing the medication to distributing it among the smaller border camps. But first, she had to handle the patients remaining here.
Tsunade stood up, reaching toward a mortar bowl, when suddenly the heavy canvas of the tent flap was shoved aside.
She looked up to see Orochimaru stepping inside, his pale face set in a grave expression.
"Tsunade, there is an emergency meeting we must attend."
He briefly took in her clearly exhausted state—from the dark circles under her eyes to the bloodshot redness within them.
A deep frown marred Tsunade's face. She hadn't had a proper night's sleep in days, and now they were calling a meeting.
"Orochimaru? I thought you were deployed on the Iwa front."
"The Iwa forces have retreated. I was ordered by the village to regroup here," Orochimaru replied calmly.
They both walked out of the tent. On her way out, Tsunade quickly instructed the stationed medical ninjas to administer the fresh antidote to the remaining shinobi inside.
As they walked through the bustling camp, Tsunade asked, "Any idea what this meeting is about?"
"Hm. From what I've gathered, it concerns the Rain Village. Hanzo of the Salamander has personally taken to the battlefield. The situation there is dire, and Jiraiya will not be able to hold the line for much longer."
Tsunade nodded grimly, absorbing the information.
She had been so buried in her medical research and patient care for the past few days that she hadn't received any proper intelligence updates from the outside fronts.
Hanzo taking the field was catastrophic news for Konoha. They were already stretched thin in a three-way war. With their troop numbers dwindling, the arrival of Hanzo—a man infamous for deploying wide-scale, lethal toxins capable of wiping out entire platoons in seconds—was an absolute disaster.
Ugh… She was seriously beginning to hate poison from the very depths of her soul.
Finally, they arrived at the command tent.
Tsunade pushed the heavy canvas flap aside and stepped in, Orochimaru trailing silently behind her like a shadow.
As she walked inside, her gaze swept over the numerous figures gathered around a massive wooden table, upon which lay a comprehensive, heavily marked map of the battlefield and its surrounding territories.
Sakumo Hatake stood at the head of the table, a finger resting thoughtfully on a marked coordinate.
Tsunade quickly assessed the room. There was an Uchiha representative flanked by two subordinates; a Hyūga—clearly a main branch member judging by his lack of a forehead guard—along with his own guards; and the current heads of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio.
Then, her eyes caught a blue-haired man. The renowned user of the Spirit Transformation Technique.
She had a very favorable impression of him. He had been one of the few jōnin to actually stand up and support her proposal to include a medical-nin on every four-man squad.
Ultimately, the motion had been rejected due to the extreme pressures of the ongoing war and her lack of a finalized infrastructure to implement it, but she remembered his support.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly. All the leaders directing their respective clan forces on this front were present in this single room. It was either a very good sign, or an incredibly ominous one.
"Tsunade, Orochimaru. Come in. We were just waiting for you two," Sakumo said, looking up.
At his words, every gaze in the tent shifted toward them. She offered a curt nod and walked forward to join the circle.
Sakumo had been the supreme commander of this front from the very beginning of the war. For a brief period, Danzō had arrived to usurp the post, but following Danzō's spectacular strategic failures, Sakumo had rightfully reclaimed the mantle of supreme commander.
She had to acknowledge that Sakumo was a brilliant leader. He commanded respect from every ninja in the camp. Even the notoriously proud and arrogant Uchiha listened to his orders without a hint of resistance.
What she admired most about him, however, was his deep, genuine care for his comrades. Even in this brutal war, he did everything in his power to minimize casualties. But alas, this war had begun to be called a "meat grinder" for a reason.
She gave her head a minute shake. She needed to focus.
"We have some good news," Sakumo began, his tone steady.
A heavy weight instantly lifted off Tsunade's chest. 'Thank God', she thought inwardly.
"Suna forces have begun a full retreat following our decisive victory earlier today. During the clash, I personally took down Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law on the front lines, effectively shattering their chain of command and destroying their primary base of operations in the Land of Grass."
A collective wave of relief washed over the room. Several clan heads nodded with grim satisfaction. With the Suna leadership crippled, they could finally see the light at the end of this long, grueling tunnel.
"I would like to give special credit to this man: Dan Katō," Sakumo continued, gesturing toward the blue-haired jōnin. "Using his unique jutsu, he infiltrated enemy lines and provided vital intel on the base's exact location and its defensive traps."
Sakumo initiated a round of applause, and the rest of the commanders quickly followed suit.
The man in question rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly under the praise. He briefly locked eyes with Tsunade as she clapped, offering her a polite, modest nod.
"Now, with both Iwa and Suna retreating, the only active threat remaining on this front is the Land of Rain," Sakumo stated, his expression hardening as he looked directly at Tsunade and Orochimaru. "Both of you will deploy toward the Rain borders the day after tomorrow. You will take a few specialized squads, including Uchiha and Hyūga elements, to reinforce our lines there. I will remain here to hold this front and ensure Suna doesn't attempt a counter-offensive. These are direct orders from the Hokage."
Tsunade and Orochimaru nodded simultaneously, accepting the mandate.
"Fresh supplies from the village have just arrived," Sakumo added. "Submit your requisitions to logistics, and they will be distributed immediately."
"We would like to request maximum allotments of Explosive Tags and Healing Tags."
Both the Uchiha and Hyūga representatives spoke up at the exact same time. The other clan leaders quickly echoed the sentiment, clamoring for various equipment, but the overwhelming priority for everyone was the Explosive and Healing Tags.
Normally, the village adequately supplied the frontlines, but the major clans possessed enough wealth and internal resources that they rarely needed to beg the central military for basic fūinjutsu tags.
The cause of this severe shortage was, unironically, Uzushiogakure.
Following the brutal invasion of their island, Uzushio had entirely halted their external exports—especially their premium military supplies. This had indirectly forced Konoha and the other major villages to rapidly burn through their own strategic reserves. This multi-front war was just the rotten cherry on top.
It wasn't that the other villages couldn't produce their own fūinjutsu. They could, and they tried.
Konoha had ordered its own native seal masters to ramp up production to meet the demand, but reality had quickly slapped them in the face. Konoha simply didn't have enough masters; they couldn't keep up with the sheer volume required, and the drastic drop in quality was dangerously noticeable on the battlefield.
It was only months later that Uzushio finally reopened their military trade—and exclusively for Konoha. It was the primary reason Konoha had managed to maintain the upper hand in this devastating three-way war. They simply had superior supplies and equipment.
The defining difference makers were the Uzushio-crafted explosive and healing seals, which the village's logistics division now hoarded and directly controlled. Hell, the civilian sector of Konoha hadn't even seen a single healing tag; every last one of them was instantly shipped to the frontlines.
The healing seal, as the name implied, was a marvel of medical fūinjutsu. While it couldn't instantly cure severe, life-threatening trauma, slapping one over a wound would immediately stop major hemorrhaging and drastically slow the spread of poisons. It was an absolute lifesaver.
And it had been invented by none other than Saki Uzumaki.
After the invasion, Saki had offered the patent to the Uzumaki clan, who in turn gifted a massive supply to the Senju clan as a token of gratitude for their aid. The Senju, naturally, funneled them directly into Konoha's military supply lines, forging a lucrative, exclusive new trade agreement between Uzushio and Konoha.
'Seriously, that woman is crazy,' Tsunade thought with exasperation and there was a reason why she called her crazy.
She had personally witnessed Saki use those exact seals to heal her own injuries in battle, regenerating everything from minor lacerations to deep, serious wounds in seconds. Saki's insane fūinjutsu application was actually one of the primary inspirations Tsunade was currently trying to reverse-engineer and integrate into her own ultimate jutsu: the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
"—nade?"
"Tsunade!?"
She blinked, ripped from her thoughts. She looked up to see Sakumo staring at her. In fact, the entire room had gone silent and was staring at her.
"Are you alright?" Sakumo asked with genuine concern, having finally noticed the dark bags under her eyes.
"Ah! Sorry, I haven't slept in three days," she replied apologetically, aggressively rubbing her tired eyes to wake herself up.
Sakumo sighed softly and shook his head.
"It seems we are depending on you far too much."
"No, no. It's fine. I'm just fatigued. What were you saying?"
Sakumo offered her a sympathetic look but continued nonetheless.
"I was saying that we have already forwarded the specialized medical supplies directly to your ward. You can review the inventory and inform logistics if you need anything else. You have saved countless lives in this war, Tsunade. Once the ward is stable, I expect you to get some actual rest."
Tsunade nodded gratefully, saying nothing more as the tactical discussions shifted back toward battle strategy, projected troop movements, and whether Suna's sudden retreat was genuine or an elaborate trap.
Suddenly, an Anbu appeared beside Sakumo, whispered something in his ear, and handed him a scroll.
She saw a frown appear on his face as he read the parchment, and he glanced directly at her. A sudden, cold unease coiled in her chest.
Sakumo said nothing about the scroll. He simply folded it and addressed the room.
"With this, the meeting is dismissed."
Some raised their eyebrows, but nobody questioned the abrupt end. They quietly filed out of the tent.
Just as she was about to leave, Sakumo spoke.
"Tsunade, you stay."
He stopped her in her tracks, and her unease multiplied.
Once everyone else had left, only she, Sakumo, and Orochimaru remained.
Sakumo looked at Orochimaru for a moment,
but ultimately said nothing to him.
"I received new intel. In the Land of Rain, a Senju squad was caught in a deadly trap during a secret mission," Sakumo's voice was grim. "They were surrounded on all sides. Luckily, almost all of them managed to survive… but at the cost of the squad leader's life, who held the line and took the brunt of the attacks so his comrades could escape."
Tsunade felt her whole world darken.
"W-what was his name?" she barely whispered.
"Akamitsu Uzumaki."
And just like that, another person close to her was lost to the flames of war.
"H-how? This was not supposed to happen," she murmured to herself, her hand gripping the back of a wooden chair for support.
He had promised to help her with her medical-nin proposal and her unfinished Yin Seal. He couldn't simply be dead.
After the invasion, where she had learned that Akamitsu was actually older than her grandmother, their relationship had improved immensely. She had sought his advice multiple times, and she had truly begun to see him as a grand-uncle. Now, just like that, he was gone.
She turned and walked toward the exit.
Suddenly, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"Please… I need some time… alone," she whispered.
Orochimaru released his grip, and she walked outside.
The first person she saw outside the tent was the blue-haired man, Dan Katō. Her eyes instantly narrowed.
"Tsunade-sama… I-I didn't mean to—"
Before he could finish, she interrupted him.
"Move," she said coldly.
"I rea—"
"I. Said. Move." This time, she emphasized each word with lethal intent.
He quickly stepped aside, and she continued walking toward her personal tent without looking back.
A moment later, Orochimaru stepped outside. He looked down at his pale hands and murmured quietly to himself, "Life is so fragile."
***
Tsunade now lay on her makeshift bed, her forearm thrown over her face, covering her eyes.
All those negative emotions from this war, the crushing weight of the lives she had failed to save, everything was pouring out of her as fresh, silent tears flowed from beneath her arm.
She heard a faint rustle of movement outside her tent.
"Tsunade, new orders. We are moving out early tomorrow morning," Orochimaru stated simply before flickering away.
Tsunade's fists tightened in the sheets.
"Grandma would be devastated," She whispered hoarsely.
****
The Land of Fire.
Meanwhile, on the road to Konoha
A caravan was slowly moving through the forest. Atop the roof of the lead carriage sat a young, white-haired woman with striking red eyes.
She wore a white off-the-shoulder top and a long red skirt with multiple high slits for better mobility. Around her neck hung a gold, five-petal sakura pendant that gleamed in the sunlight.
Suddenly, in a flicker of lightning, another girl with raven-black hair that reached just above her shoulders landed on the roof.
She wore standard chūnin attire that consisted of a green flak jacket over a form-fitting black top, a pair of fingerless gloves, and standard black pants with a pouch strapped to her bandaged thigh.
She carried two katanas hanging from either side of her waist.
Hanging loosely around her neck was her forehead protector, displaying the Uzushio symbol.
The same symbol was carved onto a metal plate hanging from the waist of the white-haired girl.
They were Hiyuki and Mikasa, who were currently escorting the convoy to Konoha.
"They have been dealt with," Mikasa said calmly.
"Hmn," Hiyuki acknowledged.
It was the fifth time they had been attacked by bandits on this trip. At first, Hiyuki had found it odd. She had traveled this specific route multiple times in the past but had never been attacked with such frequency.
It was the merchants traveling with her who had explained the anomaly: because of the escalating war, civilian traffic had stopped using the routes near the borders, forcing desperate bandit groups to migrate deeper into the Land of Fire to find targets.
"Hiyuki-sama is still the best," a merchant driving the carriage directly behind theirs said admiringly.
Among the merchant guilds, Hiyuki already had a stellar reputation long before she earned her alias of the 'White Death.' She was known for her calm demeanor and reliability.
On whatever escort mission she took, not a single person or piece of cargo was ever harmed on her watch.
She was famous enough that merchants specifically requested her for their escorts. It was only much later that they learned she had been prohibited from leaving the village, but now, it seemed she was finally back in business.
***
A few hours later, they finally reached the towering gates of Konoha.
Once inside, the convoy was escorted directly to the designated warehouse district.
"Hiyuki-sama, now we just need to unload these supplies and pack the new goods. It will be finished by the evening, and we can move out tomorrow morning," the lead merchant said with a warm smile. His gaze then shifted to Mikasa, who was looking around with poorly hidden curiosity. "So, you are free to roam around and show your companion the Hidden Leaf."
At the sudden attention, Mikasa—who had been staring in amazement at the distant Hokage Monument—instantly perked up, a slight blush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.
Hiyuki simply nodded, and turned towards Mikasa.
"Let's go. I have been here a few times. I know some places you might enjoy." She said with a small smile.
Mikasa nodded, returning the smile and the two kunoichi turned to walk toward the village center.
***
Inside the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen sat at his heavy desk, carefully going through the various documents piled before him.
In front of him stood Danzō Shimura. He wore thick bandages over his right eye, his right arm was completely missing, and his left hand leaned heavily on a wooden cane.
"So, you want to restart the unfinished project of Tobirama-sensei?" Hiruzen asked, lifting his eyes from the formal proposal.
His gaze instinctively dropped to his old friend's missing arm. A trace of sorrow passed over the Hokage's weathered face.
"Yes. It will immensely help those shinobi who have lost their limbs in the war and been forced into early retirement. Furthermore, there is a distinct chance that we can even unlock the secrets of the Wood Release," Danzō replied calmly.
The project in question was the highly classified research on Hashirama cells, which had been abandoned following the Second Hokage's death.
After several seconds of heavy hesitation, and with one final glance at Danzō's missing arm, Hiruzen relented.
"Fine. You may restart the research. But I want detailed progress reports on my desk every single month."
At the stipulation, Danzō's fist tightened imperceptibly around the handle of his cane. He forced his muscles to relax and replied with a single word.
"Fine."
"Hm. I will have the Anbu send you the preserved samples before this evening."
Danzō nodded, turning to leave with an impassive expression. Inwardly, however, he was immensely pleased with the situation.
Because of his loss on the battlefield—and paying the physical price of his right arm in the process—he had managed to extract a great deal of sympathy and concessions from Hiruzen.
The very tragedy of his defeat had now become the perfect foundation for his Root to grow. Playing on Hiruzen's guilt had even allowed him to quietly recruit from the second-tier clans within the village.
And with this specific project approved, he would finally be able to regenerate his right arm—if the Second Hokage's theoretical notes proved correct. Beyond that, there was a real, tangible chance they could successfully replicate the fabled Wood Release.
Just as Danzō reached for the handle, the office door suddenly burst open, and a shinobi rushed inside.
"Hokage-sama! The White Death has been spotted in the village!"