[NTU] [ARC-06-WAR] Chapter : 67 (Patreon)

Dark clouds obscured the rising sun early the following morning, casting a gloomy shadow over the rocky mountain terrain.

After completing his morning training, Toshiro stretched, lifted the tent flap, and headed to his workstation. He had a strict regimen, practicing three times daily with the help of two shadow clones for physical training each session—morning, noon, and evening. In this harsh environment, strength was the only thing he could rely on, so he dare not relax.

He wasn't worried about being discovered practicing senjutsu in the camp. Jiraiya wasn't present, and even if he were, what could he do? Toshiro was an Uchiha, and any repercussions would be carefully considered by those who might oppose him. His contributions to the clan—such as finding summoned beasts and gathering data to reduce casualties—were for moments like these, to ensure protection when needed.

"Toshiro, you're here just in time. Help me!" A voice called out as he arrived at the medical tent.

He turned to see Uchiha Chiyan, an old acquaintance from the fight in the Forest of Death during their Chunin exams. "Oh! Chiyan, I didn't expect to see you here too!" Toshiro said as he began examining Chiyan's condition.

"I was recently transferred to the front line. I didn't expect to see you becoming quite popular here!" Chiyan replied.

Chiyan, three or four years older than Toshiro, had been transferred to the battlefield due to the front line's desperate need for personnel. Despite the dire situation, the clan had managed to keep children under twelve from being sent to the battlefield. As one elder put it, "We elders are still alive; how can we send these little brats to fight? If we do, what was the point of establishing Konoha?"

Despite the encouraging words, Toshiro knew that as the war dragged on, this resolve would eventually be tested. His popularity in the camp was due in part to his impressive summoned beast, which frequently transported much-needed supplies, earning him everyone's appreciation. Moreover, as a medical ninja, it would be foolish for anyone to antagonize him on the battlefield.

"Are you on a mission?"

"Yes, we have a supply transport mission tonight," Chiyan confirmed.

Despite Toshiro's summoned beast, many supplies, like food, ironware, and tents, still needed to be transported by regular ninjas. These missions could take ten days to half a month, or longer if complications arose.

In such cases, minor wounds like Chiyan's are usually left to heal naturally. While medical ninjutsu could speed up the process, it came at a cost, often depleting the patient's energy and potentially accelerating cellular aging. Given Chiyan's upcoming mission, Toshiro treated the wound swiftly. As green healing light emanated from his palms, he warned, "Chiyan, be careful not to aggravate the wound again."

"Really? I'll be careful, but it feels completely healed," Chiyan said. Then, with a mysterious air, he leaned in and whispered, "Toshiro, do you have any secret method to open the Sharingan? Can you teach me?"

Chiyan, approaching fourteen, was anxious about not having yet awakened his Sharingan. On the battlefield, this bloodline limit would significantly boost his confidence and strength.

Toshiro couldn't help but roll his eyes. 'These guys are really persistent...' he thought. He had no secret method to open the 'Sharingan.' From his knowledge, the Sharingan usually awakens during intense emotional stress, often negative. Without experiencing severe trauma or loss, there was little hope of unlocking it.

Since Toshiro had awakened the Sharingan, people frequently asked him about unlocking their own bloodline limit. Initially, only Asuka and Kirishima approached him. But as word spread that Toshiro had awakened his Sharingan at the age of eight, many clan members, unaware of the true circumstances, began seeking him out for advice.

These hopeful inquiries mostly came from younger members of the clan, eager to awaken their own bloodline limits.

"Well, to awaken the Sharingan," Toshiro said, trying not to dampen Chiyan's enthusiasm, "you need to increase your chakra. That should increase your chances."

"Really? If that's the case, I'll keep working on it!" Chiyan left with a satisfied look, while Toshiro shook his head helplessly.

Toshiro had initially tried to explain that there were no secrets to unlocking the Sharingan. But the others didn't believe him and accused him of withholding information. To appease them, he resorted to ambiguous advice, hoping to maintain peace.

Meanwhile, across from the Konoha camp, in the central tent of the Sand Village camp, the leaders were arguing about the war situation.

"The supplies from our country are dwindling. If we don't find a solution, we won't last much longer," said Ebizo, responsible for the logistics of the entire Sand Ninja army.

The Land of Wind, already the poorest among the five major countries, was struggling to support the war effort. The rear forces were running out of resources, and the front-line troops were failing to secure enough supplies from the Land of Fire due to Konoha's preparations.

"Have Iwa and Kumo made any moves? They're just stationing troops on the border, with no intention of joining the war!" one Sand Ninja executive questioned.

"Don't rely on others! They're using us to test Konoha's strength, treating us like expendables," another responded.

"But without their support, defeating Konoha will be very difficult," another elder lamented.

Despite the Sand Village's invasion of the Land of Fire, Konoha had taken precautions, removing or destroying supplies to hinder the enemy. This made the Sand Ninjas' situation even more precarious. Their logistics lines were overstretched, and Konoha's ninjas frequently harassed them, worsening their plight.

In the midst of this chaos, Chiyo, calmly asked, "Are there any young ninjas who have performed well in this war?"

Unlike the others, who focused solely on the war, Chiyo was interested in identifying future leaders. For her, the war was a test to find capable successors for the Sand Village. She was ready to promote any promising young ninja she found.

"Younger ones who perform well..."

"Sister, are you suggesting...?" Ebizo and the others looked at Chiyo in surprise.

'The opportunity has come' thought a red-haired man, excited by the prospect. He had been preparing ever since the Third Kazekage's disappearance, confident that, as the successor of the Magnet Release, he was the most qualified candidate for the Kazekage position.

"During this war, we will identify and promote those who show outstanding performance to secure the future of the Sand Village," Chiyo announced.

The room buzzed with shock and excitement. Chiyo's announcement was an unexpected and thrilling development. The elders had little choice. With the Kazekage gone and the war dragging on, they needed a way to boost morale and ensure the village's future leadership.

"Thank you for your hard work, Yamawashi!"

Toshiro patted his summoned beast's huge head affectionately before jumping off its back, watching as the people began unloading the goods. Besides helping his family transport supplies, he sometimes took emergency trips for the village. Today, most of the cargo consisted of emergency medicines brought from the village. He didn't refuse such tasks; after all, he still wore Konoha's forehead protector.

After completing the handover, Toshiro didn't return to his tent to rest as usual. Instead, he headed to the medical tent to offer any assistance he could. For the past two weeks, the Sand Ninjas have been launching relentless and suicidal attacks, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. The sharp increase in injured ninjas had strained the frontline hospital staff, and Toshiro, as an extra pair of hands, had to seize every minute to help.

"Toshiro! You're just in time. This is the antidote sent from the rear hospital. It has a good inhibitory effect on the latest toxins used by the Sand Ninja. Please deliver it to the medical tent. It's urgently needed there!"

Before setting off, the logistics personnel handed a big box to Toshiro, requesting that he deliver it to the medical tent. Seeing the ninja, who had rushed over at the sight of Yamawashi, Toshiro didn't refuse. He took the box and prepared to deliver it to Mei. Knowing the contents were life-saving, he hurried on his way.

Tsunade had been generous with her contributions. After Mei accepted the medicine, she would occasionally send some of her own antidotes for the Sand Ninja's poisons. The exchange of these crucial supplies momentarily set aside the old rivalries between Uchiha and Senju.

On the battlefield, the most troublesome aspect of fighting the Sand Village wasn't their wind-based ninjutsu but the various poisons prepared by the puppetry ninjas, especially those concocted by their elder, Chiyo. Some antidotes couldn't even delay the effects of these poisons. It was almost fatal; without effective treatment within half an hour, death was certain.

Adding to the challenge, these poisons weren't only used by puppet masters but also by ordinary Sand Ninjas who applied them to their weapons. As ninjas, they had no qualms about using such tactics to ensure victory. This made Konoha ninjas wary, unable to fight at full strength, as even a minor scratch could become a major issue. Only Tsunade's personally prepared antidotes could alleviate the effects of these poisons, but often, it was merely a temporary relief.

Chiyo's constant innovation in poisons kept Tsunade perpetually on the back foot. Preparing an antidote was far more energy-consuming than creating a new poison. Tsunade had to extract samples, analyze the ingredients, and confirm the ratios before preparing a targeted antidote. Despite her relentless work, she remained at a disadvantage, always reacting to Chiyo's moves.

Fortunately, the previously prepared antidotes still had some mitigating effects on new poisons, allowing poisoned ninjas to hold on longer until medical ninjas could rescue them. Tsunade had gradually figured out some of Chiyo's methods and habits, adding ingredients to her antidotes that could inhibit the new poisons.

"Don't worry! I'll make sure these reach the right people!"

Toshiro didn't delay, and he quickly made his way to the medical tent. However, upon lifting the curtain, he was surprised to find no one there, not even his sister.

"Strange, where is everyone? Are they in the treatment room?"

The medical tent was quite large, with a treatment room, a material storage area, and a patient rest area. But all these places were eerily quiet.

"Mei-neechan! Everyone..."

"Is something wrong?"

While calling out, Toshiro walked towards the treatment room. If he hadn't seen that the camp was calm from the outside, he might have thought the Sand Village had already attacked, or he was trapped in a genjutsu.

Before reaching the door of the treatment room, he saw a large group of people gathered around it.

'Did something happen to someone important?'

Seeing this, Toshiro slowed his pace, not wanting to attract attention. It was better to keep a low profile. If a distressed family member lost control, it could cause trouble. This kind of emotional outbreak was common in the treatment room, and Toshiro had grown accustomed to it.