The newly graduated children joining the battlefield gave ninja-starved Konoha a brief chance to catch its breath.
However, the casualty rate among these graduates—the future hope of Konoha—was equally staggering. Every death meant the village lost another exceptional ninja of the future. If he had any other choice, Hiruzen Sarutobi would never have sent them to the battlefield.
On the other hand, the medical ninja arrangement proposed by Tsunade during the previous shinobi war had proven its worth over time. The three-man squad model, with one medical ninja assigned to each team, greatly improved the survival rate of Konoha ninja squads.
Unfortunately, Tsunade-hime, one of the former Sannin and Konoha's strongest medical ninja, had yet to return. It was as though she truly no longer cared about Konoha.
Year 55 of Konoha. The third year after the Fourth Shinobi World War began. Iwagakure's fiercest offensive had already been withstood by Konoha, and the war had entered a stalemate. However, the front lines had been pushed westward, and Iwagakure was beginning to show signs of decline.
Yet no matter what, the fighting remained fierce.
Land of Fire, a prosperous town in the south.
The war in the shinobi world had not affected the ordinary people here too much. To most people, the shinobi battlefield was far too distant. This place lay toward the southeast, with only the mild Land of Tea bordering it, while even the Land of Wind was exceedingly far away. The common folk continued to live by their usual routines.
Of course, that was also because they were so far away. In the west of the Land of Fire, which had become the main battlefield, the formerly major towns had long since become almost entirely deserted.
Here, however, in a hall on the western side of a town,