Hemophobia

Above the sea, the Mist Village Camp.

Having just returned defeated, the Mist Ninja naturally depressed and needed to confide in someone, which led to trouble.

The news of Hozuki Hoshizuki's murder and Kaguya Kuma's disappearance spread quickly among their people.

Soon the ninjas left behind by both clans understood what had happened and clamored for revenge for their clan leaders.

The commotion immediately drew out Karatachi Yagura and Mizunuki Asuka, and their expressions turned grim as they looked at the chaotic Camp.

With Camp like this, let alone if Konoha attacks, they'd probably be on the verge of a mutiny in no time.

"What are you all doing? Are you still Mist Village ninjas? Have you lost all discipline?" Mizunuki Asuka's roar, amplified by Ninjutsu, drowned out all other sounds.

But this was only temporary. Not everyone gave him, the failed Commander, any face, especially the ninjas of the Hozuki and Kaguya Clans.

"Commander, I ask you, where is our clan leader? Why hasn't he returned yet!" The speaker was one of Kaguya's Jonin, who was clearly suppressing his anger.

As soon as one of them stepped forward, a barrage of questions immediately followed, mostly from Hozuki and Kaguya's clansmen.

Actually, you can't really blame them. They went out with you perfectly healthy people, and you came back perfectly fine, while their clan leaders all died outside. How are they supposed to feel?

As the scene grew increasingly chaotic, and Mizunuki Asuka lost control of the situation, Karatachi Yagura finally couldn't stand it any longer. He unleashed his full power, suppressing the entire scene without uttering a word.

"What's all the noise about! It was Konoha ninja who killed your clan leader!" He pointed to the opposite shore of the sea and said to the group in a low voice, "What kind of skill is this, venting your frustrations like this? Will the enemy lose a hair or a life? If you're so capable, get your spirits up and come with me tomorrow to wipe out their lair!"

Although Karatachi Yagura man, he spoke with great passion and fervor. His words calmed the ninjas of both clans, though the flames in their eyes burned fiercely.

"Yagura, you are telling the truth! Tomorrow, lead us to avenge our clan chief!"

"I, Yagura, have always kept my word; no one has ever said that I, Yagura, am untrustworthy."

Yagura spoke with great confidence, and the ninjas were momentarily infected by his heroic spirit.

"I believe Yagura's words, and I urge Lord Yagura to keep his promise and lead us to revenge tomorrow," said a Jonin from the Hozuki family, and the other ninjas echoed his sentiments.

"Alright, it's settled then. You all disperse now and go back to rest and recharge. There's another big battle tomorrow."

The crowd slowly dispersed after his persuasion, but everyone knew that this was just the calm before the storm.

As soon as Mizunuki Asuka and Karatachi Yagura returned to their tent, Asuka impatiently asked, "Are you really going to lead them to seek revenge tomorrow? Konoha's strength should not be underestimated. We just suffered a major defeat; it would be extremely unwise to attack now!"

Asuka's concerns were not unfounded. The Camp had suddenly lost two of its top combatants, which widened the gap between the two sides. At this point, they should have played it safe and used their naval advantage to wear down the enemy, rather than launching an offensive like this.

"What you said is true. If those were just Civilian ninjas, then of course it would be the same. But they are Ninja Clan members. You yourself are Ninja Clan. Surely you are aware of this?"

Karatachi Yagura looked at Mizunuki Asuka with great interest, but spoke with extreme coldness on his doll-like face, "They were already showing signs of rioting. If we don't take this opportunity to weaken a group of them, they will only become more difficult to control in the future."

This is Mist Village, the most cruel and cold-blooded of the Five Great Ninja Villages. No wonder it later became known as the Bloody Mist Village. This situation was not formed overnight; it must have been the result of long-term, subtle influence.

Mizunuki Asuka felt a chill run down her Yagura, was cunning, but she never expected him to be so cold-hearted.

The ninja from the same village sacrificed himself without hesitation; he was truly ruthless to the extreme.

But when he thought about how those were all ninjas from Kaguya and Hozuki Clans, he accepted it calmly.

After all, with the two other clans weakened, the Yuki Clan could gain greater benefits in the village; the three clans were the true competitors.

This is also a limitation of most ninja clans. They often prioritize the interests of their clan or themselves, and only then consider the interests of the village. This is especially evident among the Kirigakure ninja clans, and it was also a major reason why Shikigami later massacred these three clans.

Are you really going to go in person?

Mizunuki Asuka's words clearly indicated her agreement with Karatachi Yagura's suggestion. In situations where one can gain benefits simply by going with the flow, once one overcomes their mental hurdle, everything falls into place naturally.

"Of course, it's not just me. You and Fuguki and the others have to go too, otherwise people will immediately see through our scheme. Besides, I also want to see the true strength of Konoha, especially that Taichi Matsushita."

Gouju Yagura's eyes were lowered, his lips tightly pressed together, revealing a silent solemnity.

"Then you really need to be careful. That Taichi Matsushita the most troublesome opponent I've ever encountered. He even knows Ice Release."

With a single word, Ice Release, Yagura looked at Mizunuki Asuka with suspicion. The implication was clear: Are you kidding me? Isn't Ice Release a bloodline limit of the Yuki family? Is Taichi Matsushita someone's illegitimate son?

Seemingly understanding Yagura's suspicions, Mizunuki Asuka helplessly explained, "It should be an independently developed Ice Release. It's not a secret, but very few people can do it."

The two looked at each other in silence. Why was fate so unfair? All the geniuses were born in Konoha: the White Fang of Konoha Sannin, the Yellow Flash, the White Reaper—

While Konoha and Mist Village were dealing with matters related to the battle, time quietly slipped away.

The Tenten, while it was still barely light, the Konoha Camp quietly broke camp, and the entire force advanced to the seaside at an extremely fast speed, setting up a new camp one kilometer from the Coastline.

At this distance, even within the Camp, Hyuga ninjas could monitor the entire sea surface simply by activating their Byakugan. From this point on, Konoha sounded the horn for a full-scale counterattack.

Taiichi was patrolling the sky above the sea at this moment. This was the most vulnerable time for the Camp, as various defensive measures had not yet been fully set up. Naturally, they needed to be wary of another sneak attack from Mist Village.

Tsunade's arrangement was certainly not without effect; hiding on the high seas is inherently difficult, especially with such a large group of people.

From afar, Taiichi spotted a large contingent of Mist Village ninja speeding across the sea. Judging by their numbers, there must have been over a thousand, suggesting that the majority of Mist Village's fighting force was concentrated here.

Good heavens, is Mist Village planning a final battle?

Taiichi's face lit up with an excited smile. This was exactly what the Camp wanted right now. They didn't want the battle to drag on indefinitely, ending up in a situation like that of Sunagakure and Cloud Village.

Otherwise, Tsunade wouldn't have built the Camp right by the sea; she wanted a decisive battle as soon as possible.

This large-scale attack by Mist Village, while not necessarily intended as a decisive battle, undoubtedly plays right into Konoha's hands. If this battle is fought well, Mist Village will have little power to resist.

Taiichi sent a Shadow Clone back to report, while his Taiichi body remained behind to monitor the actions of the Mist Village.

In Konoha, following the news brought back by the Shadow Clone, the entire Camp sprang into action.

More than 800 combat ninjas, under Tsunade's command, assembled in front of the Camp and then, led by Fugaku Uchiha and Hyuga Hiashi, marched proudly toward the sea, where they were to have a head-on confrontation with Mist Village.

These ninjas were filled with anticipation, eager to achieve great things. Last night's victory gave them boundless confidence, and the counterattacks of their defeated opponents did not trouble them at all.

As for the Camp, work naturally continues. Tsunade herself will be stationed here, working with the remaining ninjas to complete the construction and defense of the Camp.

Watching the ninja team recede into the distance, Tsunade felt helpless. As the Commander, she should have been heading to the battlefield with the main force; that was where she should have been.

Unfortunately, Hemophobia is like a demon in her heart, binding her tightly. Not to mention the battlefield, she hasn't even been to the Medical Camp since arriving at the Camp.

Fortunately, she was the Commander and had a good apprentice; the former could be said to be in charge of the Camp, while the latter could take her place in medical work.

If the ninjas from the same village knew that their Commander was a useless coward who trembled at the sight of blood, the morale of the Konoha front would surely plummet.

"Taiichi, do you think I'm really suited to be this Commander, a rubber stamp who can only issue orders from the tent?"

Tsunade's eyes were filled with resentment, and her tone was full of dejection.

Taiichi turned his head and looked at Tsunade with surprise, but after a moment's thought, he understood her troubles.

Hemophobia is a truly troublesome psychological illness, and even with Taiichi's current medical expertise, there are no effective treatments.

Either the patient comes to terms with it on their own, or time heals the trauma.

"Teacher Tsunade, why belittle yourself? If it weren't for your mediation, the Hyuga and Uchiha would still be constantly at odds, and how could they have worked together to deal with the Mist Village's attack?"

"A Commander's primary responsibility is to oversee and direct operations. As for the rest, I, as your disciple, will handle it. I can't expect you to be at the forefront for everything."

Taiichi is right, and this applies to ordinary people as well, but the mistake lies in the fact that Tsunade is not ordinary.

As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the disciple of the Third Kazekage Hokage, and Sannin of Konoha, she possessed so many dazzling accolades that she was forced to strive for the best.

Simply sitting at the Camp is definitely unacceptable.

Seeing that Tsunade's condition hadn't improved at all despite his advice, Taiichi felt helpless.

"Does the teacher also want to go to the front lines?"

Tsunade nodded subtly.

"I have an idea, but I don't know if the teacher would be willing to give it a try!"

Tsunade turned around abruptly, her eyes gleaming as she stared intently into Taiichi's eyes, her face filled with suppressed anticipation.

"You have a way—what way!"

Her hurried tone clearly revealed her unease.

"Teacher, have you tried Genjutsu? I can try hypnotizing you to make you ignore the bloodstains; maybe it will work."

Tsunade's bright eyes dimmed again after hearing Taiichi's suggestion.

"I've tried this method too, and even sought out Yuhi Shinku for it, but it didn't work. With my current strength, even if I actively cooperated, Shinku couldn't maintain the Genjutsu effect on me for long. And he's already the most skilled Genjutsu user in Konoha."

Taiichi smiled upon hearing this.

"In other words, it's not that hypnosis is useless, but that it's impossible to hypnotize someone!"

Tsunade nodded, but having already turned away, she didn't see the joy in Taiichi.

"Teacher, why don't you let me try? Senior Shinku may be highly skilled in Genjutsu magic, but whether Genjutsu can succeed depends not only on the skill of the Genjutsu, but also on the caster's own qualities."

Taiichi is right about this. If your mental attribute is only 10 points, even if you have a pair of Mangekyo, you still can't hypnotize a ninja with a mental attribute of 20.

On Taiichi's stats panel, 20 points in mental attribute is the basic requirement for Jonin, and 30 points is the Kage Level. This 10-point difference is several times greater than the 10-point difference between a Genin Jonin.

Taiichi to Taiichi's own Scout, Yuhi Shinku's mental attribute is at most around 26 points.

Although Tsunade primarily uses Taijutsu attacks in combat, she relies on Chakra manipulation, particularly Chakra Enhanced Strength. She is also skilled Taijutsu Medical Ninjutsu, and even if her mental attribute doesn't reach 30 points, it should be very close.

Even if you send Shinku, who has 26 points, to hypnotize Tsunade, who has 30 points, it won't be easy for her to succeed, even if one side doesn't resist and the other has a higher level of Genjutsu.

But Taiichi is different. His 32 points in mental attribute already overwhelms Tsunade, and coupled with his extensive training in Genjutsu techniques...

With the Yin Release Nature Transformation at Lv11 and Tsunade's proactive cooperation, it really might be possible to succeed.

Tsunade turned to look at her disciple again, the disciple who had always brought her surprises and warmth, and hope seemed to rekindle in her eyes.

But she didn't dare yet. Too many disappointments had made her afraid of the feeling of hope being shattered.

"Teacher, I'm confident. Give me a chance, and give yourself another chance."

Taiichi was sincere and pure. He held Tsunade's slightly cold hands, hoping that his body heat could give her more confidence.

Sensing Taiichi's sincerity, Tsunade suddenly smiled, pulled out both hands, and flicked Taiichi's forehead with a flick, "You little brat, trying to take advantage of me?"

Taiichi covered his forehead, looking at Tsunade with a wronged expression. What kind of thought process did you have to come up with something like this?

Tsunade just laughed and scolded, and just when Taiichi thought she was going to refuse, she suddenly asked, "How long do you need?"

Taiichi was slightly taken aback, not yet realizing what Tsunade meant by asking the question.

"I mean, how long will it take you to prepare to cast a healing spell, and will you be able to participate in this battle?"

Taiichi was overjoyed; Tsunade had agreed to his suggestion. "No need to prepare. Just release the Genjutsu. You can do it anytime. Wait a moment, I'll have my main body return."

As he spoke, he took out a Flying Thunder God Kunai, shoved it directly into Tsunade, and without waiting for Tsunade's reply, he vanished into white smoke with a "poof".

Tsunade's lips twitched. This brat, he's really good at using Shadow Clones now. Every time he comes to see her, it's a Shadow Clone, making it impossible for her to tell the real one from the fake. And he can just leave whenever he wants. Doesn't she, as his teacher, have any dignity?