Caught with Ease

Taiichi's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a thunderclap, silencing everyone else in the tent, even pausing the patients' wails for a moment.

"Really? Taiichi, so fast?" Director Fujita was also very happy, but the surprise came so quickly that it felt a little unreal to her.

"Of course!" Taiichi smiled confidently, "Just as I thought, this is the venom of the Red Scorpion. And with a target in hand, I can concoct the antidote in a day at most!"

"Good! Good!" Director Fujita paced back and forth excitedly twice, then, as if struck by a sudden thought, said to the doctors present, "Give all the painkillers to the injured. Don't be stingy anymore; let everyone catch their breath."

A cheer erupted from the entire tent as everyone thanked Taiichi and Director Fujita.

"Taiichi, hurry up and prepare the medicine. I need to inform Lord Jiraiya; he's been having a headache over this poison lately."

"Okay, Director, you can go now!" After saying that, he turned to Lin and said, "You stay here and help out, I'll go prepare the medicine!"

Lin nodded happily. Although she had only been fetching water and handing things to Taiyi, she felt honored when Taiichi received praise. At this moment, she felt as if she had found her goal, her Ninja Way!

Working tirelessly through the night in the medicine preparation room, Taiichi experimented with various drug ratios until he finally devised the antidote formula before noon the next day.

When the door to the dispensing room opened again, Director Fujita, who had been waiting at the door, immediately stood up and looked over. What came into view was Taiichi, whose eyes were bloodshot and whose clothes were stained with an unknown drug.

He excitedly waved the manuscript paper and a small bottle in his hand, and said happily to Director Fujita, "It's done, Director! Quickly arrange for someone to come over. I've made a few Antidote Pill; I'll test their effects."

As he spoke, Taiichi handed the small bottle and the manuscript paper in his hand to Director Fujita, who immediately ordered the two poisoned individuals to be placed in the hospital.

At the same time, he looked at the manuscript in his hand. This was the recipe for the antidote, which contained seven or eight kinds of medicinal materials and a complicated preparation method.

Director Fujita looked up at Taiichi, whose face was full of fatigue but still excited. She wanted to say Taiichi, but kept her mouth shut. She didn't know how to express her gratitude. She felt that whatever she said would be so frivolous.

Just then, a nurse helped two patients over. It was clear that these two patients were in a more subtle stage of poisoning, as they gritted their teeth and endured the pain without making a sound.

Seeing this, Director Fujita did not hesitate. He stepped forward in a few steps, poured out two pills, and handed them over.

Upon seeing this, the two quickly took it and stuffed it into their mouths without thinking.

Taiichi, who was behind them, wanted to remind them, but it was too late. He could only watch as the two of them swallowed the medicine whole.

The two had only swallowed half of the pills when pain flashed on their faces, making Director Fujita tense up and hurriedly turn to look at Taiichi behind him.

Taiichi calmly shook his head, indicating that there was no problem, before turning his gaze back to the patient.

At this moment, both patients had already swallowed their medication and simultaneously shouted to the nurse beside them, "Quick, quick, water, give me water!"

The nurse looked at them with surprise, but still turned to get two glasses of water, muttering to herself, "They're not little kids anymore, they need water to take medicine!"

The two patients didn't care about anything else at this point. They grimaced and snatched the water when it was brought to them, gulping it down in a few mouthfuls before finally plopping down on the stool as if relieved.

Everyone was confused by their exaggerated behavior, except for Taiichi, who had been watching quietly until he finally asked, "Does it stop hurting now?"

The two men, who had just sat down, snapped out of their daze when they heard the question. The taste of the pills they had just taken was so strong that they had forgotten what they were doing.

The two touched and pinched themselves, exclaiming, "Wow, it really doesn't hurt anymore! My head isn't dizzy anymore, and my body isn't numb anymore! This medicine works so fast!"

Another patient, however, inappropriately chimed in, "It's just so awful, I never want to eat it again in my life."

"Ah~ yeah, yeah, yeah! Me too, I never want to eat that again in my life."

"Alright, enough nonsense. Do you think this is candy?" Director Fujita was furious to see the two still chatting. "Since you're all better, get out of here! Don't you know the Medical Camp is already overcrowded?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The two hurriedly helped each other up and left the tent, one limping and the other hobbling.

"Taiichi, what were they doing just now?" Although he had reprimanded the two of them without any politeness, Director Fujita was still very responsible and asked Taiichi directly.

"It's nothing, it's just that the medicine doesn't taste very good. You could add some honey when you make it to make it taste better," Taiichi said nonchalantly. Anyway, the Yakumi very good, and he was used to it.

Upon hearing this, Director Fujita immediately smiled. Looking at the three remaining Antidote Pill in the medicine bottle in his hand, he immediately summoned a nurse and instructed her to distribute the three Antidote Pills to the three people who were most severely poisoned.

She then picked up the formula again and began to study it carefully. However, the more she looked, the deeper her brows furrowed. She could easily make the antidote according to the formula, but she could only understand half of the pharmacology involved.

Shaking her head helplessly, she looked at Taiichi, who was already yawning beside her, and realized that he hadn't slept all night and had been engaged in such mentally demanding work as researching an antidote. She immediately felt apologetic.

"Taiichi, you should go and get some rest. Leave the task of making the antidote to me!"

"Well, then I'll go back and rest!" With that, Taiichi walked unsteadily toward his tent; he was indeed exhausted.

Watching Taiichi disappear from sight, Director Fujita picked up the prescription again and strode towards the medical Logistics Department, where there were doctors who specialized in dispensing medicines. After all, in a place like the front lines, you can't expect the village logistics department to support you in everything.

Battlefield situations are ever-changing, just like this poison. If you wait for the village to solve the problem for you, then half of the people on the front lines will probably be killed or wounded.

After explaining everything, Director Fujita hurried towards the Central Command Tent. Of course, she had to report such an important matter to the frontline commander.

"You mean the antidote has already been prepared so quickly?"

Jiraiya was overjoyed; this was the best news he had received in a long time. The Camp was filled with the wails of the poisoned, which was a huge blow to morale.

"Yes, Lord Jiraiya, Taiichi used one night, and now people are working overtime to make the medicine. I believe that in a day or two, all the ninjas who go out will be able to be equipped with a dose of Antidote Pill."

"Hehe!" Jiraiya chuckled smugly. "As expected of my disciple, he has my style; he excels at everything he does." Jiraiya paced back and forth in his tent, seemingly lost in thought, chuckling foolishly and muttering to himself, "My disciple."

Fujita Sana, however, couldn't stand it anymore. She remembered that Taiichi was clearly Lady Tsunade's disciple.

"Lord Jiraiya, I've already reported the matter. I still need to keep an eye on the pharmaceutical production over there, so I won't stay any longer." Without waiting for Jiraiya's reply, he left the tent on his own.

--

Inside the tent, Jiraiya snapped out of his smugness. Looking at the empty tent, he didn't seem to care and immediately shouted outside, "Shikaku! Shikaku! Come in quickly! Good news!"

Before long, a young ninja entered the Central Command Tent. It was Nara Shikaku, who served as Jiraiya's advisor.

Upon seeing his strategist arrive, Jiraiya went straight up to him, pulled him close, and with a broad smile, explained the antidote to him in just a few words.

"So, what do you think? Can we take this opportunity to Sunagakure?"

"The master's meaning is to feign weakness to lure the enemy in, then surround and annihilate them."

With each word Shikaku uttered, Jiraiya nodded repeatedly with a sinister grin. The two old foxes huddled together, whispering and discussing for an hour before finally refining their plan.

But in the end, Shikaku asked, "Sir, this plan involves withdrawing the Camp later on. Shouldn't we report this to the village first, otherwise we might face repercussions later?"

Shikaku meant well, but Jiraiya didn't see it that way. The plan was bold and risky, and if successful, the rewards would be enormous. The Konoha High Command, who were currently focused on stability, might not agree to execute it, given Orochimaru's cautionary tale.

But this opportunity is extremely rare. If we miss it this time, who knows when we'll get another chance like this.

"Don't worry about him, I'll take responsibility if anything happens!" This shows Jiraiya's role and sense of responsibility as a disciple of the Hokage and one of the Sannin.

Nara Shikaku was pleased to accept the order, as he himself had hoped for it, but he was of low status and could only rely on Jiraiya to carry it out.

Soon, gag orders were sent to logistics, medical personnel, and all ninjas who knew about the Antidote Pill. Those ninjas who had been cured were also ordered to disguise themselves as wounded and make a large-scale relocation to the rear.

When Taiichi woke up from his sleep, he immediately received the gag order, but at the same time he also learned the specific plan.

As expected, Konoha does have some masters who can create possibilities from the impossible and seize the key to breaking the deadlock from a myriad of problems. Jiraiya and his advisors are undoubtedly experts in this field.

With nothing else to do, Taiichi headed towards the Medical Camp. Neither Yohei nor Saori were there; they must have already gone on a mission, as they had agreed beforehand.

The squad is too strong; if it weren't a mission assigned by the village, there would be no need for the entire squad to go on a mission together.

Especially when they encounter Captain like Taiichi who has many responsibilities, and who also has to go to the Medical Camp to lead shifts whenever he goes to the front line, the two of them don't need to wait for Taiichi for everything.

As Taiichi entered the Medical Camp, he saw Lin there from afar. It seemed that his Senior Disciple Brother Minato had not yet returned from his mission. After a day of getting acquainted, Lin was gradually adapting to the work at the Medical Camp.

Taiichi quietly came up behind Lin and watched as she used her fairly skilled Mystical Palm Technique to stop the bleeding of the patient, and then picked up a bandage to bandage it. Although the whole process was a bit clumsy, she didn't make any mistakes.

When she finished treating one patient and got up to treat the next, she realized that Taiichi was standing right behind her, and a surprised and happy smile appeared on her face.

Taiichi gave her a thumbs up and praised, "Very good, Lin, it seems you're adapting well here!"

"It's all thanks to Director Fujita that everyone took extra care of me, Taiichi! I really have to thank you!" Rin said gently, raising her hand to tuck a strand of hair that was covering her eyes behind her ear.

"Okay, I'm relieved to see how well you've done. Now just do it your way, and come to me if you have any questions. I'll go see if I need any help."

After saying that, Taiichi turned around, waved, and walked towards the area with the most patients.

In the following days, things unfolded exactly as Jiraiya and Shikaku had planned. As more and more ninjas were poisoned, they were all gradually sent back to the rear and hidden away.

This resulted in a shortage of manpower at the front, and casualties on Konoha's side gradually increased.

Over the past few days, Taiichi has seen more and more wounded people coming and going from the Medical Camp, and he has gradually felt a pang of pity. But he also knows that this is part of the plan, and that necessary sacrifices are inevitable in order to achieve victory.

On that very day, Taiichi Squad received orders from their Commander to advance and intercept the Sunagakure squad and reinforce their own defeated team.

This was actually part of the plan: sending elite squads to the front lines to create the illusion that Konoha was short-handed and had to send elites to the front lines to stabilize the situation.

The Land of Rivers is located on the side closest to the Land of Wind. The forests here are relatively sparse, and the terrain is mostly hilly. Various tributaries extending from the Shinano River are scattered throughout this land.

Taiichi and his two companions traversed the forests and rivers, constantly surveying this vast area.

Due to a shortage of personnel, Konoha's regular ninjas are rarely sent to this position now, since this area is already within Sunagakure's defensive perimeter.

Not long after he began his patrol, a Sunagakure Village squad appeared in Taiichi's senses.

"At 1 o'clock, 2 kilometers away, there's a Sunagakure Village squad. They look like just a Chunin squad. Let's take them out with Ninjutsu and make a big commotion."

Taiichi, who was in charge, changed direction and simultaneously deployed a battle plan.

The 2-kilometer distance would only take three or four minutes for a ninja to run at full speed.

Before they even got close, Yohei and Saori, reminded by Taiichi, prepared their Ninjutsu.

They held hand seals, their Ninjutsu poised to be unleashed.

Once the distance was sufficient, as Taiichi's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet pierced the air, Yohei's Great Fireball and Saori's Lightning Net followed closely behind, blasting towards the horizon.

Meanwhile, the Sunagakure squad, on their way, remained completely unaware of the approaching danger. Their recent battles against Konoha had been going increasingly smoothly, which had led to a decrease in their vigilance.

Until they were engulfed in flames and lightning, they still didn't understand where the enemy's attack had come from.

Two of the ninjas reacted quickly and managed to escape the range of the Ninjutsu, but the remaining two were not so lucky.

Paralyzed by lightning and then roasted by flames, by the time the Ninjutsu ended, the two were already beyond dead.

On the other hand, the two who escaped were simply a little luckier.

They had barely steadied themselves, and before they could even turn around to see what had happened, two figures appeared on either side of them, followed by a knife slit in the throat and Kunai the heart. They died without a trace of pain.

The battle ended, Taiichi looked back at the scene. He had taken down the group of ninjas in less than 20 seconds, requiring almost no effort. There was no need to clean up the battlefield; the goal was to get Sunagakure to discover it.

The three regrouped, left the scene without a second thought, and continued their killing spree.