On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, the situation on the battlefield—where the fighting had been brutal and the air was filled with blood and the faint, sweet scent of toxic gas—suddenly reversed.
The turning point for everything originated from the highest person in charge of Konoha's frontline medical unit.
Princess Tsunade.
Facing Chiyo, the Advisor of Sunagakure and a master of puppetry and poison.
Due to her endless variety of treacherous and ruthless poisons, the Konoha Ninjas had once suffered heavy losses, with the number of non-combat casualties being shocking.
Many brave Ninjas did not die from blades or puppets, but fell under colorless, odorless, and fast-acting poisons.
This became the primary reason Sunagakure could hold out against Konoha for so long despite having relatively inferior numbers.
Otherwise, with Sunagakure's strength, how could they dare bare their teeth at Konoha Village?
However, Chiyo encountered one of the most troublesome opponents of her life.
Tsunade.
Not only did she inherit the massive Chakra and Monstrous Strength of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, but she also demonstrated world-shaking talent and resilience in the field of Medical Ninjutsu.
She led the Konoha Medical Corps, analyzing, testing, and formulating day and night without rest.
Countless failures, countless times risking herself, countless sleepless nights... finally, on a smoke-filled dawn, Tsunade's bloodshot yet exceptionally bright eyes.
Staring as the last trace of toxin in the test tube was completely purified by the newly formulated agent, her nerves, which had been tense for several months, suddenly relaxed, followed by an uncontrollable burst of excitement.
"It's done! The universal neutralizer and specific antidotes for Chiyo's primary poison series have all been successfully developed!"
Hearing Tsunade's words, Jiraiya, who was beside her, looked at her with pleasant surprise.
"Really, Tsunade? Have you really succeeded?"
Even a guy like Jiraiya understood the significance of developing an antidote for Chiyo's poison at this time.
This meant that the Ninjas of Konoha Village could fight without restraint in the upcoming battles and go all out.
One must understand that the quantity and quality of Konoha's Ninjas were incomparable to those of the impoverished Sunagakure; the reason Konoha hadn't defeated Sunagakure for so long was that this wretched poison had held them back.
Beside them, Orochimaru's lips also curled slightly.
He didn't want to continue this war either; during this conflict, his disciple Nawaki had died in battle, causing him to once again contemplate the meaning of life.
If Tsunade had developed the antidote, Konoha Village could easily win this war.
Upon hearing the news, the supreme commander of the Sunagakure battlefield, Sakumo Hatake, rushed to the tent of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
"Tsunade, I heard the news. You've succeeded, haven't you?"
Looking at the travel-worn Sakumo Hatake, Tsunade spoke with some fatigue.
"Yes, Senior Sakumo. I've already ordered my subordinates to begin mass production. We will have a sufficient quantity by tonight."
"Excellent!"
Sakumo Hatake slapped the table.
"Tsunade, get some good rest. Leave the rest to me."
These past few days, Sakumo Hatake, as the commander-in-chief, had been suffering from a massive headache.
Because of Sunagakure's poisons, he couldn't easily utilize his full strength, especially after killing Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law, as she had been constantly targeting him with poison ever since.
He was fine, but his subordinates couldn't endure it.
Soon, the news spread through the entire Konoha frontline camp like wildfire; hope in the midst of despair was more precious than gold.
"Long live Lady Tsunade!"
"We're saved! Our brothers are saved!"
"The Medical Corps is incredible!"
The morale of the Konoha Ninjas, like a spring compressed to its limit, instantly rebounded to its peak.
The haze of being restrained and constantly worried about poisoning was swept away, replaced by overwhelming battle intent and the fire of revenge.
In the subsequent battles, the situation was completely rewritten.
The Sunagakure Ninjas discovered with horror that the greatest weapon they relied on to counter Konoha...
Chiyo's poison had failed!
Whether it was the toxic mist covering the battlefield, the poison coated on puppet weapons, or various insidious trap poisons, they were all easily neutralized by the specialized antidotes or timely neutralizer injections carried by the Konoha Ninjas.
Without the threat of poison, Sunagakure's disadvantage on the frontal battlefield was infinitely magnified.
The blade of the White Fang of Konoha, Sakumo Hatake, was even more unstoppable; Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade each displayed their prowess. With their morale soaring, the Konoha Ninja coalition's offensive was like a raging tide, each wave stronger than the last.
Sunagakure retreated steadily.
Their defensive lines were constantly torn open, outposts were lost one after another, and casualty numbers rose sharply.
Even though the Third Kazekage was powerful and his Magnet Release: Iron Sand Technique provided both offense and defense, it couldn't reverse the overall decline.
Chiyo herself was even more devastated; having her life's work in toxicology broken by an opponent was a heavy blow to her confidence.
Coupled with the fact that her son and daughter-in-law were already dead, she no longer had the time or energy to research the next poison and continue to go toe-to-toe with Tsunade.
The scales of war tilted completely toward Konoha.
After another round of fierce fighting, Sunagakure's remaining forces were compressed to their final line of defense; defeat was certain. Continued resistance would only bring even more tragic losses that could shake the very foundation of the nation.
Finally, amidst the Third Kazekage's extreme reluctance and helpless sighs, Sunagakure dispatched an envoy to present a Surrender Document to Konoha.
The main battlefield between Konoha and Sunagakure ended in a total victory for Konoha.
When the news reached Konoha, the entire village rejoiced! The streets and alleys were filled with celebratory cheers, and the families of the fallen found a sliver of solace amidst their grief.
Within the Hokage Building, the haze of the past few days seemed to have thinned slightly.
However, the joy of victory was soon dampened by practical problems.
As the losing party, Sunagakure needed to pay massive War Reparations to Konoha to compensate for Konoha's losses in the war.
But when Konoha's envoys arrived at the devastated and naturally resource-poor Sunagakure with a thick list of claims, they were met with the Third Kazekage's face full of exhaustion and bitterness, as well as an empty treasury and storehouses.
"Everyone from Konoha, it's not that we in Sunagakure don't want to pay."
The Third Kazekage's voice was hoarse, filled with deep helplessness.
"The Land of Wind is naturally barren, and this war has exhausted our very last reserves. Food, medicine, minerals, funds... we truly cannot produce the amount you're asking for."
"If you forcibly collect it, only internal collapse and famine await Sunagakure. At that time, all your village will receive will be a worthless ruin and countless refugees full of hatred."
Konoha's Advisors looked at the emaciated villagers, the dilapidated buildings, and the suppressed despair and resentment in the eyes of the Ninjas in Sunagakure, knowing the other party spoke the truth.
Sunagakure was truly penniless.
Mainly, the location of Sunagakure was also poor—extremely desolate—and Konoha Village had no use for this land.
After several rounds of difficult negotiations, Sunagakure could only promise to pay a small amount of reparations in installments at a very low rate over the next few decades, and to give Konoha priority on certain specific minerals and mission commissions; however, they were simply unable to bear the immediate, substantial reparations.
When the news reached Konoha, at the high-level meeting, Danzo Shimura slammed the table and roared, demanding more pressure and even suggesting using Sunagakure's Tailed Beast as collateral.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi weighed the options repeatedly and vetoed the overly extreme proposals.
Forcing a Ninja village that was already at its wits' end could likely trigger an uncontrollable backlash and even damage Konoha's image of benevolence.
More importantly, Konoha itself had suffered significant losses from this war and urgently needed to recuperate; it really had no spare energy to thoroughly exploit and control a collapsing Sunagakure.
"Forget it..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi finally rubbed his brow tiredly and made a difficult decision.
"Since Sunagakure is truly unable to pay, the matter of reparations... shall be put aside for now."
"The focus should be on ensuring the effective implementation of the Peace Treaty and the future stability of the border. Additionally, Sunagakure must publicly admit defeat and promise not to take the initiative to provoke us again."
This was undoubtedly a choice made out of necessity.
A victory achieved at a great cost had ultimately failed to yield the expected bountiful spoils, making it feel more like a bitter victory.
Konoha appeared to have won the war, but failed to gain enough practical benefits; the consumption and internal conflicts generated by the war still needed to be resolved internally.
When the news broke, there were naturally dissatisfied voices within Konoha, but most ordinary villagers and Ninjas, having experienced a long period of warfare, yearned more for peace and recovery. Regarding the reparations they couldn't obtain, though there were regrets, they could only accept it.
The Sunagakure battlefield finally came to a close. Konoha's flag fluttered at the border, but the fruit of victory carried a hint of indescribable bitterness.
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808