Reinforcements Arrive, Prepare to Counterattack

Creak.

The door to the inner room pushed open, and Shizune and Yakushi Nonō hurriedly turned their heads toward the entrance.

Uchiha Iori and Tsunade walked out side by side; traces of tears still lingered on Tsunade's face, while blood trickled from Uchiha Iori's eyes.

"Lady Tsunade, has your hemophobia been cured?" Shizune stood up. She had already guessed the result, but she still hoped to hear the answer from Tsunade's own lips.

"Mm, I have fully recovered. Now, let us go find Orochimaru; it is time to begin formulating a counterattack plan. Both of you must also prepare yourselves, as the support work of the Medical Unit will become increasingly vital."

Having overcome her hemophobia, Tsunade had returned to her former spirited self—decisive, swift, and heroic.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade." Shizune and Yakushi Nonō nodded in unison, then turned to head toward the Medical Unit to coordinate their work.

Tsunade turned her head to look at Iori, asking with a hint of concern, "Do you need to rest for a moment? Your Sharingan is still bleeding."

She reached out to wipe the blood-tears from Iori's face, but the blood continued to flow from his eyes.

"One moment, I will heal myself now." Iori projected his staff and cast a heal on himself, simply stabilizing his injuries before stopping.

Tsunade watched the scepter in Iori's hand with great astonishment. "What kind of ninjutsu is this? It feels vastly different from our current medical ninjutsu. You must let me study it later."

This was a system of medical ninjutsu entirely distinct from the current one, and as the strongest medical ninja in the Ninja World, she was deeply curious.

She did not stand on ceremony with Iori, asking for it directly, intending to see if she could learn from its strengths to achieve a new breakthrough in her own medical arts.

"No problem. When we return, I will hand it over to you. Study it as you please; it doesn't matter if it breaks."

Iori was always generous with his own people, and localizing his Noble Phantasm was one of his original goals anyway.

As he spoke, Iori took several talismans from his person, each sealed with the Gold Healing, Silver Healing, and Platinum Healing from his healing magecraft. He handed the talismans to Tsunade and said.

"These are one of my research results. You can use them as a reference and see if you can offer me any suggestions. Also, can the sealing arts of the Uzumaki Clan be passed on to me?"

Iori did not stand on ceremony with Tsunade either, directly asking for the essence of the Uzumaki Clan's sealing arts that he had coveted for so long.

"I can pass on the more elementary ones to you directly, but I do not know the deeper ones myself. They are with Kushina. I will speak with her after we return to the village, and she will agree."

Tsunade agreed to Iori's request without a second thought, even helping him figure out the subsequent steps.

"Then let us go. We shall find Orochimaru to formulate the plan. Now it is our turn to strike back."

Tsunade clenched her fist and said confidently.

"Chiyo can be left to me, but the Fourth Kazekage, the One-Tail Jinchuriki, and that Ketsuryūgan ninja must be dealt with separately. You cannot handle all three alone."

"If necessary, it is not impossible." Uchiha Iori leaned toward Tsunade and whispered.

"It is just that I do not wish to display too much power right now. The timing is not yet right. If I appear too powerful, it will be inconvenient for me to see certain things clearly."

Tsunade was silent for a moment. "Spare my teacher's life; do as you please with the rest."

Tsunade was no fool. Part of the reason she left Konoha was to escape politics, and she was well aware of the conflict between the Uchiha and the village.

It appeared now that Iori intended to use a two-pronged approach, distinguishing between those who could be won over and those who must die.

Tsunade had no desire to protect the high-ranking officials of Konoha, but Hiruzen Sarutobi, as her teacher, still held a certain place in her heart.

If possible, she did not want her lover to kill her teacher, as it would cause her great pain.

"No problem, I will spare his life." Iori nodded in agreement. He did not want to do it himself either; the Third Hokage's influence was too great, and killing him directly would lose him quite a bit of public support.

But if he does not know what is good for him, he cannot blame me if he dies in an "accident." Iori thought calmly.

Tsunade sighed as she looked at Iori's expression but said nothing, merely hoping that her teacher would know when to concede after his defeat and not seek his own death.

"Lady Tsunade, have you recovered?"

"Lady Tsunade, are you alright now?"

"It is wonderful, Lady Tsunade can lead us once again."

As Tsunade walked along, ninja after ninja bowed and greeted her. This was not due to bloodline or power, but because over a decade of healing the sick and saving the dying had benefited countless people.

In the hearts of the Konoha ninja, she was a banner that unified their spirits.

"Orochimaru, it is time for us to strike back. Summon the remaining Jonin." Tsunade strode forward, entering the tent without announcement, and spoke in a loud voice.

Seeing several unfamiliar ninja standing before Orochimaru, Tsunade asked, "Are you here as reinforcements from the Land of Water?"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade. After the Kirigakure Ninja retreated, we gathered a portion of our combat strength and came to support this front." A ninja with white eyes stepped forward and said.

Judging by the formation, this man appeared to be the leader of the five reinforcements.

"I am Hyuga Hideki, Jonin."

"I am Hyuga Tetsuya, Jonin."

"I am Hyuga Yoichi, Jonin."

The three Jonin of the Hyuga Clan introduced themselves in turn. Although only three had come, the Hyuga Clan were the finest scouts, and the long-range vision of the Byakugan was a strategic weapon for Konoha.

"I am Uchiha Shisui, Jonin."

"I am Uchiha Naoya, Jonin."

The remaining two ninja also introduced themselves. They were elite ninja of the Uchiha Clan. Slightly different from the original timeline, Shisui had been promoted to Jonin early in order to support the Land of Wind.

"Long time no see, Shisui. I heard you shone brilliantly on the Land of Water battlefield."

Uchiha Iori stepped forward to embrace Shisui, speaking with affection; throughout their childhood, Shisui and he had relied on each other for survival, making Shisui one of the few kin Iori truly cherished.

"It seems you've grown quite a bit, Shisui." Iori felt a wave of emotion; although he had long known Shisui would achieve great things, seeing him as he was now still stirred his heart.

"Very well, I have already sent men to find the jonin currently in the camp; let us begin formulating our counterattack plan shortly," Orochimaru said, tapping his fingers against the table.

As the jonin filed in one after another, the people in the tent began to quiet down.

"Now that everyone is mostly here, I shall begin the meeting. Since reinforcements from the village have arrived, we can begin preparing for a counterattack."

Orochimaru announced the official start of the meeting.

"As before, we remain at a disadvantage regarding top-tier combat strength. I have lost my ability to fight, leaving only Tsunade and Uchiha Iori as our peak combatants, so we must allocate them carefully."

"If any of you gentlemen have ideas, you may propose them here." Orochimaru was not familiar with the strength of the reinforcements from the Land of Water, so he intended to let them offer their thoughts first, filling in the gaps as he saw fit.