35, Discord

The new generation, having been drawn into the slaughter for the first time, was left to wallow in their own anxieties.

At the same time, Chosokabe Masayuki, sitting firmly in the command center, was not enjoying a moment of leisure.

Unlike the combat units that only needed to consider battle damage, countermeasures, and force deployment, the old Director had to shoulder the entire logistics burden of the Frontline Support Battalion. Furthermore, he had been privy to the Third Hokage's plans from the very beginning.

...In truth, it was not surprising when one thought about it carefully.

After all, there was an irreconcilable contradiction between the plan to establish a temporary field hospital and the construction of a semi-permanent forward base.

If the old man, as the chief executive in charge, had been unprepared during the mobilization phase, then even if the guard squad led by Nara Motonari had successfully completed Sarutobi Hiruzen's orders, the medical staff participating in this support operation would have had no way to "turn on a dime" and immediately commit to base construction without the necessary supplies...

Or, to put it another way: the reason this plan—to openly repair the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang—could be realized relied heavily on Chosokabe Masayuki's formidable organizational skills and the near-unshakable prestige he had accumulated over decades.

"How are the casualty statistics looking?" The old Director flipped rapidly through the reports at hand, asking Usami Hanbei, who had just stepped into the tent, without looking up.

The latter had already changed into comfortable, easy-to-move casual clothes, looking every bit the traveler who had been through the dust of the road: "Three minor injuries, no serious injuries or fatalities."

"I am asking about all members of the Frontline Support Battalion—what about the combat guard units?"

"Two minor injuries, including Commander Nara. Everyone has already recovered." Usami hesitated for a moment, but still provided a timely response.

"What is the status of the major medical equipment?" The old Director continued to press.

"Most of it was moved to a safe location in advance. What was affected in last night's battle was basically just daily consumables that are easy to replenish.

However, that straggler who slipped into the camp disrupted Commander Nara Motonari's plans. Before I could intervene, he destroyed two high-pressure steam sterilizers."

Doctor Usami paused longer than he had the last time.

He maintained a slightly bowed posture, covertly lifting his eyes to gauge the old Director's reaction, only to unexpectedly collide with the man's gaze.

—The sunken eye sockets and heavy dark circles indeed made this man, well past his fiftieth year, look more haggard than usual. But the prominent cheekbones and the bark-like wrinkles extending from the corners of his eyes only added to the aura of a "sick tiger"!

The old man's gaze was like two sharp scalpels, directly shredding the excuse Usami was about to offer.

"What exactly are you trying to say, Director Usami?"

The old Director's voice sounded hard and cold. Though it was a question, it left no room for the other to answer: "If equipment is destroyed, find a way to replenish it nearby. If the surrounding area cannot meet supply conditions, file a report to have it shipped from the village! Until then, have each unit coordinate and overcome their own difficulties!"

"But Director, the medical team's mission is to heal the sick and save the dying, not to fight and kill."

Although Director Usami, who said this, had personally taken action last night and killed a Waterfall Ninja assassin with a single blade, his words truly represented the inner thoughts of a significant portion of the volunteers.

...As specialized ninjas for medical technology, most of these doctors urgently transferred from Konoha Hospital did not possess the ability to engage in direct combat. Anomalies like Yamada Soji and Usami Hanbei were truly the minority of the minority.

If they lost the protection of the camp and the guards, these "healers" responsible for saving lives would have no ability to survive under the focused attention of the enemy's "DPS."

Precisely because of this, although the direct casualties caused by last night's battle were relatively limited, the shadows left in the minds of the medical staff could not be quickly dispelled...

Director Usami captured this subtle shift in mood.

And, clever as he was, he immediately thought of a way to resolve it!

—Hanbei knew well that at the birth of any interest group, there must exist a logically self-consistent bond of benefit distribution: a party that benefits the majority represents justice and progress, while the opposite represents exploitation and reaction.

No group is born willing to develop in the direction of the latter.

But long-term confrontation often blurs original pursuits, turning competition between different groups from a search for truth into a team-picking game of "us" versus "them," even to the point of subverting initial ideals for the sake of "victory"!

...The situation before him was exactly that.

The struggle between the hospital's younger generation and the conservatives grew more intense as the war approached.

During this period, the medical staff who volunteered or obeyed the draft to go to the border all harbored, to some extent, thoughts of building a career.

However, the decade-long peaceful transition period after the First Shinobi World War had changed these young people's basic understanding of war.

Many of them seemed to feel that the task of building the Jingu Forest Field Hospital was just working at a different location...

This gap between theory and practice led many to get cold feet after experiencing the slaughter of the ninja world at close range for the first time. If not resolved early, it would inevitably shake the internal stability of the new generation group.

To protect his own power base, Director Usami chose to take precautions, shifting the brewing conflict outward before more brutal struggles arrived.

To this end, he set his sights on the guard units, whose factional stance was similar to theirs!

...Although both sides stood under the banner of the Third Hokage, in order to ensure that the "we" composed of the vast majority of medical staff would not leave any stains in the struggle to seize power at Konoha Hospital, "they," led by Nara Motonari, became the most suitable scapegoats.

—Hanbei certainly did not intend to make a mountain out of a molehill over two damaged instruments and a few minor injuries to hold the guard units accountable.

But with this "preventative shot" already administered, if any more serious "pathology" were to occur later, Director Usami would have effectively formulated a "treatment plan" for his own people in advance.

He could shirk responsibility to the maximum extent in a way that most people could accept.

Even Director Chosokabe could follow the prescription and take the opportunity to preserve his lifelong reputation.

...However, contrary to Hanbei's expectations, this seemingly win-win plan did not receive a response from the old Director from the very beginning.

From his demeanor to his words, Chosokabe Masayuki had no intention of distancing himself from the situation!

He stared viciously at Usami, like an aged but fierce fighting dog, ready to bite at any moment...

"Have you ever been to war, Director Usami?"

"..."

Hanbei remained silent. He knew that since his previous argument had chosen the wrong direction, anything he said now would just be asking for a scolding.

And the old Director, as expected, did not let him off the hook for his keen ability to read the room...

He slammed his right hand, veins bulging and bones protruding, heavily against the desk before immediately switching to full-throttle output: "The last time! Even every war before the founding of Konoha was the same! Everyone fought with everything they had for survival against enemies who intended to annihilate us!

This is a cruel coliseum of life and death, a struggle for survival where one must risk everything!

So I warn you not to bring any superfluous thoughts to the battlefield—anyone who cannot distinguish who is a comrade has no qualifications to be anyone's opponent!"

"..."

Director Chosokabe's sudden outburst plunged the scene into an awkward silence.

Usami Hanbei did not fly into a rage, but asking him to just back down like this was clearly asking the impossible.

Fortunately, amidst the silence, the tent flap was lifted once again.

—Inoue Reina, a member of the Communications Squad with short, sharp hair, interrupted the conversation between the two directors at an inopportune moment.

"My apologies, but regarding the next phase of the operational plan, Captain Nara Motonari wishes to speak with the two of you."