Abnormal Occurrences

Since there were few comrades who mastered Medical Ninjutsu, there were even fewer who mastered advanced Medical Ninjutsu. As for comrades who mastered advanced Medical Ninjutsu and could appear in time for treatment after battle, it was only possible to encounter them by sheer luck.

Today, they were unfortunate, but also fortunate. Some ninja whose aortas were injured or who were at risk of amputation no longer had to worry about becoming disabled. Some critically injured ninja who couldn't hold on until they returned to the village would no longer die.

The situation where they survived the battle but not the subsequent medical treatment would no longer occur. The oppressive atmosphere in the camp gradually eased, and at the same time, Xing Ran gained the respect of his new comrades in the new environment.

Indeed, as long as you have the ability, you will shine quickly wherever you are.

In just half an hour, Xing Ran had treated all the injured in the camp. He had long run out of the bandages he carried with him. Fortunately, the supplies in this camp were not completely destroyed. Under the circumstances where they were barely enough, Xing Ran still used most of the hemostatic and wound-healing herbs he had gathered along the way.

After Xing Ran had made arrangements for all the injured, Might Guy started crying again, shouting that youth blossoms in blood and fire, and kept expressing his gratitude for having a doctor like Xing Ran. He then hugged Xing Ran, smearing him with his snot and tears.

What happened next was truly miraculous. The Jonin here were dead, and among the Chunin, only Might Guy was in the best condition. Therefore, Might Guy, who had just come to report, temporarily became the person in charge of this camp.

Fortunately, although Might Guy was sometimes eccentric, when it came to actual work, he was absolutely worthy of his strength. Coupled with the help of the quick-witted Nara Izumi, the dilapidated camp quickly began to recover.

This situation continued for another hour until reinforcements from nearby arrived. The arrival of fresh troops accelerated the recovery of the camp. Before nightfall, the camp at least looked functional from the outside.

However, the wooden houses in the camp had all been replaced by tents.

It was only then that Xing Ran and the others understood the whole story. The attackers were Cloud Ninja. Since the Third Shinobi World War entered its final stages, the battles between Kumogakure and Konoha had been like this, with continuous small-scale raids and counterattacks.

However, some of the older ninja remarked that this attack was different from previous ones. Although one side launched a strong assault and the other defended while awaiting reinforcements, the enemy had acted unusually in several aspects.

Firstly, they attacked without regard for expenditure. Secondly, they broke into the camp but did not focus all their energy on annihilating the Konoha ninja. Several Cloud Ninja were destroying and searching within the camp, as if they were looking for something or simply trying to understand the purpose of these houses. Their behavior was very strange.

The "without regard for expenditure" here did not refer to sacrificing lives to overcome the camp's defensive facilities, but rather to the massive consumption of Chakra. They had practically leveled the camp's outer perimeter and walls. While this approach avoided casualties, the result of such massive Chakra consumption was that the subsequent attackers who entered the camp had very limited Chakra reserves. In business terms, it was like waking up early but arriving late; the return on investment was too low and disproportionate to the risk.

This was also why the enemy, despite breaking into the camp, chose to retreat proactively first. Although the enemy was numerous, their condition was poor. Rather than engaging in a desperate fight with the remaining ninja in the camp, it was better to cut their losses.

The enemy commander was clearly a shrewd businessman. They suffered no casualties, while the Jonin in charge of the camp died. Although they were all injured as a result, it was worth it. It was better to break a finger than to injure a hand.

Furthermore, the early warning measures they had arranged detected Xing Ran and the others approaching rapidly. Mistaking them for reinforcements arriving early, and to avoid being bogged down, even though they only detected three people, they could not rule out the possibility that Konoha reinforcements would arrive immediately behind them. To be cautious, the Cloud Ninja chose the safer option of securing what they had gained.

Xing Ran naturally couldn't understand why these Cloud Ninja went to such lengths for this operation. In his opinion, this raid by the Cloud Ninja was undoubtedly very successful. They inflicted as much damage as possible on the enemy without suffering any casualties themselves, embodying the profound wisdom of the "sixteen-character mantra." However, this fighting style was entirely based on luck. They had consumed too much Chakra on the camp's outer defenses. If things had gone slightly wrong, they could have been counter-killed after entering the camp. This behavior was very irrational.

If it weren't for the incorrect intelligence from above indicating that the Cloud Ninja would likely not make any moves in the near future, and the border defense receiving orders for a troop rotation, leading to a certain degree of laxity, being counter-killed would have been a high probability event for the Cloud Ninja.

Xing Ran was not interested in dwelling on such issues lacking necessary intelligence. As a result, the next day, the camp received news from the rear that three Konoha camps had been attacked at the same time yesterday, and the methods were identical: pushing through the camp's defensive forces without regard for expenditure, then prioritizing the destruction of facilities within the camp, with killing not being the primary objective.

The message indicated that this might be a warning from the Raikage. The lack of heavy casualties was intended to express a certain degree of sincerity, with the goal of quickly prompting Konoha to make concessions and reach a ceasefire agreement. All units were to strengthen their vigilance, and the matter was within the expectations of the higher-ups.

However, upon seeing this message, Xing Ran inexplicably had a bad feeling. He had transmigrated to this world, and every word and action he took could cause a butterfly effect. Especially after his trip to the Land of Earth, participating in a mission that affected international relations, and even changing the fates of Kabuto and Nonō, could it be that the Land of Earth's decisive stance of staying out of it and not engaging with the Land of Fire had sent some wrong signal to the Land of Lightning, leading to a major shift in subsequent events?

Xing Ran felt that his speculation might be possible. Although he was unaware that his gambling in Iwagakure had led to the influential figures behind the casino pressuring Onoki, as a transmigrator, he was inherently sensitive to the butterfly effect. Now that he had just arrived at the front lines, the front lines had presented contradictory news from Konoha's high command twice, which was very abnormal.

If Konoha had just issued orders for troop rotation based on negotiation reasons, then Xing Ran, combining it with the plot from his previous life, could basically judge that it was consistent with history. But now, the Cloud Ninja's actions seemed to be paving the way for subsequent operations. Otherwise, their meticulous investigation of the camp could not be fully explained. If they wanted to destroy it, why would they search inside the houses? A single Explosive Tag would suffice. There wouldn't be any valuable items or key figures in a front-line camp. Searching inside houses was likely to determine the purpose of that house, to confirm the location of the arsenal and supply depots?

To be continued