Peace Amid War

In the late autumn of Konoha Year 42, the year was nearly coming to an end.

Setting everything else aside, autumn in the Land of Wind was actually quite beautiful from a purely scenic perspective.

The setting sun illuminated the desert. The originally pale-golden sands were instantly dyed with a dazzling golden glow, stirring Rasa's heart and making him want to try his hand at gold panning again.

But...

There was ultimately just too much sand~

Summer had already passed, and the desert days no longer felt as scorching as they had in summer. Of course... the temperature began to plummet as soon as evening arrived.

Autumn nights were still colder than summer nights.

The Sand Ninja continued to bundle themselves up tightly.

The war had now continued for nearly a year. Although Grass Ninja and Stone Ninja still had not launched a full-scale offensive, the occasional small-scale battles had still caused many familiar faces to disappear from the Sand Ninja's ranks.

Once they became Ninja...

They had already prepared themselves for sacrifice.

But... beneath the bleak autumn sky, Rasa still felt somewhat melancholy, even a little stifled. Although the autumn wind was refreshingly comfortable in a way the summer wind was not, it still could not soothe the disappointment in everyone's hearts.

It was only the ninja qualities they had learned since childhood that forced them to stand strong.

Everyone knew that this stalemate was highly advantageous to Sunagakure, which was fighting on its home turf. But... constantly taking hits and eating sand was still irritating.

Today, Rasa had not gone out gold panning first thing in the morning as usual, nor had he asked Kana to prepare water for his bath at this hour.

He...

Was getting a little fed up too.

Especially after the small-scale battle some time ago. Moomu had been wounded and was now resting, wrapped in Band-Aids from head to toe.

No one knew... whether they would still see their familiar companions the next day.

Feeling the tranquility that differed from the battlefield, Rasa was filled with emotion. He murmured, "When will this ever end~"

As time passed, the atmosphere in the shinobi world also gradually grew tense. Many Ninja villages began joining the battlefield, while Konoha—the village representing peace in the shinobi world—still had not entered the war. It remained perched high in the position of the strongest Ninja village, watching from the sidelines.

Kusagakure seemed to have begun considering a retreat, but Iwagakure's... recent offensive seemed to have intensified quite a bit.

Rasa knew... the true Great Shinobi War was about to begin!

And... with the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, the Daimyo's Office refusing to provide funding, and the number of Ninja steadily declining... would Sunagakure really be able to regain peace simply because he put on a show on the battlefield by Kumogakure when the time came?

No matter how he looked at it, this war could not possibly be as simple as he imagined.

"Lord Rasa, have you been feeling a little irritable lately?"

Rasa heard a gentle voice. He paused, then looked at Kana, who was sitting quietly beside him. After a moment of silence, he shook his head and said, "Anyone would feel terribly irritable facing a war like this, wouldn't they~"

Besides... he had been in this world for less than a year.

Looking at Kana, who said nothing and gazed at the sky with the same gentle smile, Rasa also fell silent.

His irritations probably could not compare with her... tragic life, from the destruction of the Whirlpool Country to drifting through the shinobi world and being used as a medicine pack by Kusagakure.

Looking at Kana, Rasa noticed that the bite marks on her hands seemed to have faded considerably because of his Band-Aids.

In the end, he had given all six packets of Band-Aids to Kana. In fact, not many had remained after the Ninja treated her wounds that day, but... being able to help erase some of the shadows from her past was still quite worthwhile.

It was just Moomu... if he had used the Band-Aids, Rasa believed he would have recovered even better.

Kana's help during this period had been invaluable. Although he had promised her that he would absolutely never use her as a medicine pack if she was unwilling, she had still done her best with the logistical work. She had also used her incomplete and unsystematic Medical Ninjutsu to treat the Sand Ninja. It could be said that, with so many patients during this period... Kana's medical skills had been improving by leaps and bounds. Now, all she needed was a renowned doctor to guide her through the basics.

Of course...

She probably would not be able to apprentice under the greatest doctor in the shinobi world. Even if she joined Konoha now, Tsunade would leave by then.

Moreover, the village would never let a Ninja of unknown origin who carried the title of the Uzumaki Clan study under their strongest medical Ninja.

Unless Tsunade herself approved of her.

But Tsunade probably was not in the mood for that right now either.

So... this matter would have to rely on Chiyo. Although people saw her as someone who played with poison and puppets, Chiyo's medical skills were still quite impressive in the shinobi world.

"I'll find you a Teacher when the time comes~" Thinking of this, the corners of Rasa's mouth lifted slightly as he looked at Kana sitting beside him. "You can study Medical Ninjutsu systematically."

Chiyo was already quite old. She served as a Sunagakure adviser and the head of its medical department, but... over the past few years, she had gradually let go of her duties. Unless something was important, she no longer paid much attention, especially after Sasori disappeared. Her heart had grown even more disheartened, and she wanted to retire as soon as possible.

Rasa knew... the two sisters had already built a small leisure cabin beside the little lake behind Sunagakure that supplied the entire village with water. Once Sunagakure stabilized, they would probably spend their days fishing and sleeping in leisurely contentment.

"Otherwise, getting bitten by others all the time isn't a solution~"

After saying this, he looked suspiciously at Kana beside him.

"You haven't been doing anything reckless lately, have you?"

"No, I listened to you." Kana gently shook her head with a faint smile and said, "I haven't told anyone else about my ability."

"Good!"

This sort of thing could not be allowed to get started. If people were unfamiliar with it, then at most they would hear some rumors and would not think it was anything particularly miraculous.

But once someone had actually tried it, as a Ninja from an outside village, there would be no other option for her than to become a tool. And by then... those other Ninja, or the families whose loved ones had sacrificed themselves, would resent her for deliberately hiding it.

Although... this was not some miracle cure, what if it worked?

What if one bite could save my son, my father, my grandfather, or my brother?

Why not try it?!

So, if everyone in the village had the same constitution, perhaps it would not matter much. But... if she was the only one... this ability could become a Pandora's box that brought disaster, unless... people directly treated her as a medicine pack.

With a solemn and serious tone, he said, "Remember, you absolutely must not let anyone else know about your ability."

"Mm, I know." Hearing Rasa's words, Kana's eyes curved as she revealed a gentle smile. "Thank you, Lord Rasa."

"Don't mention it. If it hadn't been for you back then, I would've been in quite a bit of trouble too."

At the very least... he would have had to sell out his teammates to escape.

"Actually..." Kana hesitated, then looked at Rasa, who was yawning, and said softly, "My ability could let Sunagakure..."

"Stop!"

Rasa interrupted Kana without hesitation. He more or less knew what she wanted to say.

But...

You're trying to get me killed here~

He rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Your ability can't decide the outcome of this war!"

This war that had swept across the entire shinobi world!

"So listen obediently, find a good Teacher, and study Medical Ninjutsu properly."

Just make a proper contribution to Sunagakure's impoverished medical industry!

And just then...

"Lord Rasa, these..." Moomu walked over with Band-Aids wrapped around him and a crutch in hand. With a respectful expression, he handed the package in his hands to Rasa. "These were all obtained from the Grass Ninja and Stone Ninja who died. I know Lord Rasa is short on money right now, so..."

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