You Rely on Yourself

There were originally very few medical ninjas in the village. After most Sand Ninjas were injured, if they could still return to the battlefield, they would go straight back. If they could not... they could only stay in their tents and rest for the time being.

Fortunately, the Second Wind Shadow, a certain working man, had deeply understood Sunagakure's shortage of manpower and created the Puppet Technique. Otherwise... the sheer number of ninjas alone would have been enough for the Sand Ninjas to suffer a crushing defeat.

It could be said that... poison and puppets... these two Secret Jutsu of Sunagakure had truly held up a whole sky for the village~

The Puppet Technique was especially useful, even when applied to alchemy!

In any case, alchemy was not difficult, nor did it have any mandatory requirements. As long as they refined the amount he assigned each day, it meant they had completed that day's work.

Moreover, compared to war, alchemy... was already considered easy work.

However, Kumogakure did not seem to relax its attacks just because the Sand Ninjas were practicing alchemy. Every morning... the ninjas from both sides would gather on the battlefield, then charge at each other after a furious roar. As for morale-boosting music or anything like that... there was none at all!

After all, ninjas were full of uncertainty. Even on the battlefield, adapting to circumstances was their guiding principle in combat.

Of course, this was only the early stage. Later on... everyone would bring out their giant robots and charge headlong. As for tactical flexibility... it could not influence the duels at all.

In the early stage, they would use some minor tricks to set the mood. Later... they would simply clasp their hands and force everything upward. If they could not reach that stage... they could basically only become cannon fodder.

What serious ninja would still obediently form hand seals?!

But this was still the early stage. Those who did not form hand seals were not serious ninjas. The ninjas of this era still remained in the age of hand seals.

Although the Puppet Technique and poison helped, Sunagakure was not instantly crushed by Kumogakure of the shinobi world. But... going to the battlefield every morning as if clocking in, then struggling to hold the border with neither victory nor defeat... everyone's morale was somewhat low.

Especially as Sand Ninjas fell one after another, becoming crippled or losing their arms and never being able to become ninjas again... Sunagakure's combat strength kept declining~

He was in the Land of Wind, having just returned from the battlefield.

Rasa still felt extremely tired. After taking the pure water Kana had carefully stored and gulping down a mouthful, he headed toward the Alchemy Factory behind them.

Purification required fire, and it also required water. As a result... this place was even hotter than the camp.

Moreover...

The water consumed every day by this small number of ninjas working in alchemy alone already exceeded that used by the front-line soldiers.

It could be said that Kana had truly been exhausted during this period. After teaching halfway through, her teacher, Chiyo, had already gone to carry out a secret mission, leaving only her at the camp.

Although Chiyo seemed to have accepted Kana into Sunagakure in her heart, there still had to be the necessary surveillance.

Of course... Rasa was the one in charge here now. So although her workload had actually increased after her teacher left... at least she had considerably more personal freedom.

It was just that, because she was nominally Chiyo's disciple, although she had only been taught some basic medical knowledge...

She still had to perform the duties of a medical ninja, bandaging and treating injured ninjas every day.

Moreover, after systematic study and with so many patients available for practice, Kana said that she could recently feel her Medical Ninjutsu improving quite a bit again.

So...

Everyone was very busy~

Rasa gazed at Yashamaru in the distance. He was resting because he had been injured, yet he was still determined to contribute his own strength to Sunagakure's development.

"Everyone needs to work a little harder today, and try to refine a bit more!"

At that moment, Yashamaru was bare-chested. After being exposed to the sun for so long and doing such high-intensity alchemy work, he... seemed to have become much leaner and stronger. He had lost some of the delicate looks he possessed when he first arrived, and after spending time with a group of rough men...

He had indeed become much more robust!

He looked like a real man now!

Rasa nodded in satisfaction, a smile at the corner of his lips as he looked at Yashamaru.

Karura... I helped you raise your little brother into a real man!

Moreover... after several days of adjustment, Yashamaru had become completely familiar with the main procedures of alchemy. With his nominal brother-in-law watching his back, he had now... relied on his own strength to make the other Sand Ninjas obey his arrangements.

Sure enough... war was what allowed a man to grow up quickly.

He was no longer the somewhat delicate boy who had once wrapped a headscarf around his head. Now... he dared to work bare-chested. He had become a laboring ninja citizen!

Still... once his injuries healed in a few days, he would probably have to leave this position again and head to the front line.

After all... Sunagakure was truly short of ninjas!

And at that moment...

Just as Rasa was sighing with emotion...

"Big Brother Rasa!" Yashamaru wiped the sweat from his neck with his towel in a manly fashion, then shook the sweat from his delicate pale-yellow hair. With a smile, he walked over and said, "Has things ended on Kumogakure's side too?"

"Good! Not bad!" Rasa smiled and patted Yashamaru on the shoulder, looking at his somewhat more muscular body with gratification. "Looks like you've been working hard lately!"

"Of course! After what you said that day, Big Brother Rasa, I deeply understood that we aren't merely ninjas of Sunagakure."

Yashamaru looked at Rasa with a solemn expression. He took a deep breath, and his face seemed to radiate a brilliance so dazzling that even Rasa felt it was almost blinding.

That was... the brilliance of countless laboring ninja citizens who worked hard day after day!

He raised his fist with determination. His resolute eyes were no longer as bashful as they had been a few days ago, when he would feel embarrassed after only a sentence or two.

"How could we think that alchemy isn't something a ninja should do, and look down on it? Whether it's alchemy or fighting on the battlefield, it's all for Sunagakure's development. Even you, Big Brother Rasa, the future Fourth Kazekage, are panning for gold. We injured people..."

He raised his fist and took a deep breath.

"Why can't we do alchemy too?!"

"..."

Rasa looked silently at Yashamaru, who seemed to have inexplicably become a hot-blooded youth.

Could he have suffered heatstroke... Wait, no. Did I go a little too far?

What should I do if Karura sees that her little brother seems to have become abnormal?

Rasa remained silent for a moment, then sighed emotionally and shook his head. He patted Yashamaru on the shoulder and said with satisfaction, "You've grown up, Yashamaru!"

"It was all thanks to your teaching, Big Brother Rasa!" Yashamaru said seriously. "Without your guidance back then, Big Brother Rasa, there would be no Yashamaru today!"

"No, no, no! These are all insights you gained yourself." Rasa hurriedly shook his head. With a stern tone, he looked at Yashamaru and said just as seriously, "Although the teacher who leads someone through the door is extremely important, how far a person can go depends entirely on themselves! Yashamaru... you earned the recognition of the miners... ahem, the other ninjas through your own efforts. In you, I once again see Sunagakure's fine qualities of thrift, frugality, hard work, and perseverance! You are... amazing! You are a true ninja of Sunagakure!"

What am I saying? What does this have to do with me?

"Remember, I'm merely the guide leading you forward. As for how far you can go, that still depends on yourself!"

As soon as he finished speaking, suddenly...

"Big Brother Rasa!"

Yashamaru gazed at Rasa with gratitude and admiration.