"Although his life was saved, the road to recovery doesn't look promising."
Before Nawaki's hospital bed, Tsunade looked exhausted despite the joy in her expression. Everyone could see that she was already utterly worn out.
In this special ward, aside from Nawaki lying on the bed, only Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were present.
Some of the confidential matters involved in their discussion were not yet something Satoru, Mikoto, and Nonō could take part in.
"Besides, the front lines are still the front lines. Even though the facilities are complete, medicine and care are relatively scarce, and as the situation worsens, it will only get more severe."
Not long after Nawaki escaped the danger of death, he fell into a deep sleep. His bodily functions were too weak, and he needed ongoing recuperation.
Or rather, if he had not possessed Uzumaki Clan blood, he would have had no hope of waking up at all.
Watching Nawaki's sleeping face beneath the oxygen mask, Orochimaru finally relaxed completely.
"Tsunade, I've already submitted a request to Professor Sarutobi for Nawaki to return to the village and recuperate."
A hint of emotion appeared in Orochimaru's golden slit pupils.
"Besides, our team has matters to report to Professor Sarutobi... This time, I'll return to the village with them."
Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged a glance and nodded lightly.
"That's right. We really do need to go back—or rather, your team needs to leave the front lines for a while."
"That child Satoru has become far more important now."
"In that case, I need to return to the village as well. I need to personally explain the state of the war's logistics to Professor Sarutobi."
Tsunade sighed. "I'd had the thought for a long time, but it wasn't until Nawaki's incident that I realized my worries weren't unfounded."