Upon hearing that the research on the antidote had encountered some difficulties, Inuzuka Shigeru and other high-ranking camp officials immediately gathered to discuss the matter.
Tsunade explained her research findings to everyone, stating that some ingredients in Chiyo's poison were unique to plants found within the Land of Wind, and to create an antidote, corresponding samples were necessary.
"So, you need to enter the Land of Wind to find these plants?" Inuzuka Shigeru asked, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Yes," Tsunade nodded, saying, "If I don't have them, I might not be able to create the antidote.
I've figured out how to detoxify, but I need the materials."
"Can't we substitute them with medicinal herbs from the Land of Fire? The Nara clan's medicinal fields should have some rare herbs," Inuzuka Shigeru pondered.
"While it's not impossible, it would take a very long time.
Uncle Shigeru knows that war is imminent, and as long as the poison problem isn't resolved, our army will face a disadvantageous situation," Tsunade said.
"Is it really that troublesome?"
"Uncle Shigeru isn't a medical ninja, so he might not know what it's like to find substitute medicinal herbs.
It's not something you can just find casually; it requires multiple experiments.
I estimate it could take years," Tsunade said seriously.
Upon hearing this, Inuzuka Shigeru realized that substituting other medicinal herbs to create the antidote was impossible.
Taking years was too long.
Now, the Hidden Sand Village was coming fiercely, and delaying for a year would cause untold losses, even potentially endangering allied nations.
They could only adopt Tsunade's earlier suggestion, but—
"Infiltrating the Land of Wind isn't too difficult, but rare medicinal herbs used to make poison are likely cultivated within the Hidden Sand Village itself.
Sneaking in to find them would probably be an impossible task," Inuzuka Shigeru said.
The others nodded.
They knew that finding medicinal herbs on the spot was the best method, but considering the dangers involved, they had considered finding substitutes.
However, Tsunade had just dismissed the possibility of substitute herbs, so everyone could only think about whether they could obtain the herbs from the Hidden Sand Village.
"The medicinal herbs also grow within the Land of Wind, right? There should be wild ones.
Can we go look for wild ones?" someone suggested.
"Idiot.
First, whether the Hidden Sand Village cultivates them or not, if it's a rare medicinal herb, how long would it take to find it in the vast desert?" someone immediately retorted.
"It's not a rare medicinal herb, but it's not common either," Tsunade said.
"I know infiltrating the Hidden Sand Village would be very troublesome, so we can approach it from other angles."
"Other angles?" The others looked at Tsunade, awaiting her answer.
"I've heard that in the past, when the Hidden Sand Village faced financial problems, they usually sold gold dust found in the sand to merchants in the Land of Wind.
But besides that, they had another export product: medicinal herbs cultivated by the Hidden Sand Village," Tsunade smiled slightly.
"Oh, that's similar to how our village establishes branch hospitals and sells medicine abroad, isn't it?" Inuzuka Shigeru immediately realized.
"Indeed, the Hidden Sand Village seems to have adopted a similar method.
Their medical standards aren't high, so they can only sell convenient medicinal herbs—I understand.
Obtaining medicinal herbs directly from the Hidden Sand Village is certainly very troublesome, but it's different if we get them from other people."
"Fortunately, it's not a rare medicinal herb," Tsunade was clearly relieved.
"I don't know the specifics of their sales, but the medicinal herbs I need should also be sold in considerable quantities.
I think we can have the Anbu or other intelligence departments within the Land of Wind create a list based on their gathered information, and find people who might acquire these medicinal herbs."
Everyone clearly agreed with this method.
Compared to entering the enemy's stronghold, the Hidden Sand Village, approaching from other places would greatly reduce the danger.
With the strength of a ninja, as long as they don't encounter ninjas of equal or greater strength, few people can contend with them.
Ordinary people who acquire medicinal herbs certainly wouldn't be able to protect them.
"Alright, I'll propose this to the Third Hokage." Seeing that everyone had no objections, Inuzuka Shigeru quickly agreed.
However, only the Hokage could command the Anbu, so this matter still needed to be brought to Fumori masaki's attention, as only he could fully mobilize the intelligence department's power.
Although Tsunade couldn't yet create the antidote, she could alleviate the symptoms and allow the poisoned individuals to hold on.
But time was not on their side, as the Hidden Sand ninja forces were pressing closer.
Aside from the intelligence department, the combat units also had to go all out.
Inuzuka Shigeru sent a letter to the Konoha Second Ninja Squad in the Land of Rain, instructing them to attack with all their might to tie down the Hidden Sand Village's forces and threaten their homeland.
Due to the environment of the Land of Rain, the use of gaseous drugs would be greatly affected by the heavy rain and humidity.
Coupled with the terrain, the pressure on the Konoha ninja squad there was somewhat lighter than in the Land of Grass.
The subsequent matters were beyond Tsunade's involvement.
She was merely a medical ninja.
Even with the rank of a Jonin, she was still a medical ninja.
Even if she spoke, her words might not be taken seriously by everyone.
A ninja who had never participated in concrete war planning, no matter how high their rank, could easily be dismissed as an armchair strategist.
After leaving the tent, Tsunade went to check on Asuhina.
Asuhina's condition had improved significantly in recent days, and Tsunade's examination didn't reveal anything concerning, though she was still curious about why Asuhina had been in that state.
Because of her contract with Shikkotsu Forest, Tsunade was not entirely ignorant of Sage Arts.
Asuhina then explained the reason to her, mentally preparing herself for a scolding.
As expected, upon hearing that Asuhina's body was affected by excessive use of natural energy, Tsunade was greatly alarmed.
She knew the dangers of Sage Arts; even now, she had no desire to learn them.
Regarding Asuhina's impulsive actions, she didn't hesitate to reprimand her.
Asuhina had no intention of refuting, simply bowing her head and accepting.
She knew that in such situations, one shouldn't argue, as it would only make the other person angrier.
It would be better once their anger subsided.
And after Tsunade's reprimand, seeing Asuhina's repentant look, she said nothing more.
At this moment, Hatake Sakumo had finished the war meeting and returned.
Seeing this, Tsunade immediately pulled Hatake Sakumo outside and said to him, "What are you doing?
Asuhina is in your squad; you're supposed to protect her properly, but you almost let her die.
You shouldn't have let her use that jutsu, no matter what."
Hatake Sakumo was also very annoyed about this matter.
Although it was due to Asuhina's own choice and his inability to look after others, it was also, to some extent, caused by his own incompetence.
However, when Hatake Sakumo heard Tsunade mention that jutsu, he knew that Tsunade understood the power Asuhina had used.
He then asked what kind of jutsu it was, that it would have such a significant side effect.
"It's hard to explain in detail.
You just need to know that it's a jutsu called Sage Art," Tsunade said.
"This thing is very dangerous.
Don't let Asuhina use this power easily again.
Even if she does use it, it must be controlled within a certain range."
"I know.
In the upcoming operations, I'll let her rest well, and the rest will be handled by us," Hatake Sakumo replied.
"So, you've already decided on the operational strategy, then?" Tsunade's delicate brows raised slightly.
"Since I'm here, you don't need to worry.
Even if you get poisoned, I can temporarily save your lives.
Just go all out in battle."
"Speaking of which, Hirazou should be active within the Land of Wind, and gathering the information you need might be part of his mission," Hatake Sakumo said.
"Is that so? Then it'll be a long-awaited collaboration for the three of us," Tsunade couldn't help but smile upon hearing this.
Given the current situation, it was as if Hatake Sakumo was responsible for combat, Tsunade for medical care, and Hattori Hirazou for intelligence gathering.
Even though the three weren't in the same squad, they were still collaborating in other ways.
"I wonder how he's doing now." Speaking of Hattori Hirazou, Tsunade felt a bit nostalgic for this taciturn fellow student.
Because Hattori Hirazou worked in the Anbu, there was almost no chance of meeting him under normal circumstances.
Only Hatake Sakumo had seen him a few times when he was in the Land of Rain.
"Last I heard, he performed well in the Land of Earth.
After the Land of Earth officially joined the war, there was no need for him to remain there.
Although the Third Tsuchikage ordered the Hidden Stone Village's Anbu to pursue them without hesitation, his squad still managed to shake them off," Hatake Sakumo said.
"Ah, that guy is really amazing.
He always had a talent for this kind of thing.
Being in that position suits him very well," Tsunade said.
Just as they were discussing Hattori Hirazou, Hattori Hirazou, who was active within the Land of Wind, also thought of the two of them.
He knew the trouble the Hidden Sand Village's poison was causing the village's forces.
He heard that Tsunade had already arrived in the Land of Grass, and believed that Chiyo's poison would be neutralized soon.
Hattori Hirazou was naturally very confident in his fellow student's abilities.
He had never doubted Tsunade's ability to detoxify.
Therefore, he focused all his energy on his own mission.
Currently, his squad's mission was to gather intelligence on officials within the Land of Wind, paving the way for assassinations when necessary.
Fumori masaki's strategy for the Land of Wind involved a dual pressure of military and political means.
War, after all, is a continuation of politics.
To resolve the problems of the Land of Wind, it was not enough to simply suppress the Hidden Sand Village; the political issues of the Land of Wind also needed to be addressed.
The Hidden Sand Village was able to instigate the war entirely due to the sudden death of the previous Daimyo, and the new ruler was a complete warmonger, which led to the current situation.
Fumori masaki believed that despite the seemingly seamless cooperation between the Land of Wind and the Hidden Sand Village, it was actually due to the alignment of the new ruler's needs with those of the Hidden Sand Village.
Because the previous Daimyo's death was very sudden, it must have left behind considerable political problems.
In his view, the Land of Wind's court was certainly not without grievances regarding this newly enthroned ruler.
According to the intelligence currently gathered by the Anbu, many in the Land of Wind's court suspected that the previous Daimyo's death was part of a conspiracy, possibly orchestrated by the new ruler of the Land of Wind.
Regardless of whether the Daimyo was truly killed by conspiracy or died naturally, this was a narrative that could be exploited.
Compared to other countries, the relationship between the Land of Wind's court and the Hidden Sand Village was very delicate.
They had been in opposition in the past, and now stood together due to shared needs.
But as soon as problems arose again, it would, to some extent, affect the Hidden Sand Village's strategic policies.
Therefore,Fumori masaki placed great importance on the political developments in the Land of Wind, ordering the infiltrating intelligence personnel to fully gather relevant information.
If the goal was merely to end the war, finding the main war faction in the Land of Wind or eliminating the new ruler could quickly achieve that.
However,Fumori masaki intended to completely remove the Land of Wind from the equation in this war.
The post-war political landscape of the Land of Wind had to be influenced, requiring very detailed information.
The stance and thoughts of every local noble and official, who could be utilized and who could not, all had to be clearly understood.
And the intelligence personnel operating in the Land of Wind soon received a direct order from the Hokage—due to the need for detoxification, the intelligence personnel were to immediately gather information about the medicinal herbs exported by the Hidden Sand Village, find the information on the medicinal herbs Tsunade needed, and find a way to seize them.
This order slightly stunned the intelligence personnel.
They hadn't expected that detoxification would require their involvement, but after a moment of surprise, they all threw themselves into the mission.
Hattori Hirazou also received this order.
He was somewhat surprised and felt a bit of admiration for Chiyo of the Hidden Sand Village, to cause such trouble for his fellow student; she indeed had some skill.
But that was all.
Since Tsunade needed information about the medicinal herbs, he would go and get it done.
The Hidden Sand Village had already gone all out in this war.
Just maintaining the forces on the western front had left the Hidden Sand Village's main base vulnerable.
If another strong force could be deployed, they could directly attack the vulnerable Hidden Sand Village.
However, due to the Hidden Sand Village's full-scale operations on the western front and their gas warfare tactics, the Hidden Leaf Village was very cautious.
Precisely because of this, the Hidden Sand Village couldn't fully dedicate itself to controlling domestic espionage.
At most, they could protect important personnel, while ordinary people or those of slightly lower status wouldn't have extra protection.
And conveniently, the medicinal herbs Tsunade needed were not extremely rare; anyone with a certain status could purchase them.
Through the efforts of the intelligence personnel, the purchasing channels for this medicinal herb were found.
Many of the buyers were ordinary merchants with little protective capability, and it was confirmed that they also had stored medicinal herbs.
This undoubtedly relieved the intelligence personnel; if all of them had been used up, it would have been truly troublesome.