The Cruelty of War

Southern Front, Konoha Camp.

Jiraiya stood not far from the Medical Camp, watching the people coming and going at the tent entrance.

There were Medical Ninja, nurses, but mostly wounded patients.

The fighting these past two days has been so intense that he hasn't really paid attention to the situation here. Mainly, Taiichi has always managed the Medical Camp, so he doesn't have to worry about it.

Since Taiichi left, the Southern Camp has rarely experienced large-scale battles, and the Medical Camp at that time was able to handle it.

However, as the intensity of the battle here decreased, many skilled personnel in the Camp were transferred to other battlefields, and the Medical Camp was no exception.

This has led to the current situation.

Jiraiya stood outside the Camp for an hour and called over the current head of the Medical Camp to inquire about the situation. This was the conclusion he received.

Even with 24-hour full-capacity work, it still can't keep up with the rate of increase in wounded; this is the current situation at Medical Camp.

Jiraiya now misses the days when Taiichi was around terribly; back then, he wouldn't have had this headache.

Thinking of Taiichi, Jiraiya immediately turned and walked towards the Central Army Tent.

"Shikaku, Shikaku!" Jiraiya's voice came through the tent flap before anyone was even seen.

"My lord, you're back. What happened this time?" Shikaku quickly stood up and went to greet Jiraiya was hurrying in.

"Do you know about the Medical Camp? We have too few Medical Ninja, and the speed of medical treatment simply can't keep up with the rate at which the wounded are being treated."

Shikaku was also stunned when he heard this. Like Jiraiya, he had been either out fighting or buried in the Central Army Tent for the past two days.

I only heard about the Medical Camp during work reports; I never actually went to investigate it.

Judging from Jiraiya's current appearance, the situation over there must be extremely bad.

Jiraiya knew the outcome just by looking at Shikaku's expression, so he didn't waste any time and gave the order directly.

"Report to the village immediately and request Medical Ninja support."

At the same time, send someone to Tsunade and tell Taiichi to come over as soon as possible. He has the Flying Thunder God, so he'll be there faster and can help us solve our immediate problem.

"This... Lord Jiraiya, transferring people across regions... this isn't a good idea!" Shikaku hesitated.

"Bullshit! It's an emergency, why are you worrying about these things? Just do it, I 'Jiraiya take full responsibility!"

"Yes, sir." At this moment, Shikaku no longer hesitated; Jiraiya's sense of responsibility filled him with fighting spirit.

Soon, two messenger ninjas left the Camp one after the other. One was rushing to Tsunade's Camp to ask Taiichi for help, and the other was heading back to the village to seek assistance.

The place where Tsunade were stationed Jiraiya's, and the reason for choosing this location was to help and support each other.

The ninja who came looking for Taiichi worked tirelessly and found the Eastern Front Forces' Camp in just one day.

After identifying himself and explaining his purpose, the ninja arrived at the Central Command Tent amidst the surprised gaze of the ninja who was leading the way.

The moment he saw Tsunade, he handed her Jiraiya's letter.

Seeing Tsunade opening the letter, he anxiously explained his purpose directly.

"Lady Tsunade, the Southern Front is extremely short-staffed due to repeated transfers from the village, especially the Medical Camp, which are now completely unable to keep up with the treatment needs of the front."

Lord Jiraiya sent me here this time so that Taiichi could go and help alleviate the shortage of medical personnel.

The messenger was speaking urgently, but he didn't notice that Tsunade paused slightly in opening the letter after hearing his words.

However, after only a moment, Tsunade continued to open the letters and read the entire letter at a glance.

The general meaning is the same as what the messenger ninja said, only the letter is more detailed.

Tsunade slowly refolded the letter, her gaze towards the messenger ninja filled with pity.

Now, even the slowest person can spot the problem.

The messenger ninja noticed the strange looks he was receiving from everyone in the tent, and his heart began to pound.

"What do you mean by looking at me like that, Lady Tsunade? Is it because Taiichi is busy and can't get away?"

The messenger ninja forced a smile and even cracked a small joke to ease the tension.

But after hearing his joke, everyone looked at him even more strangely.

Tsunade sighed deeply. "You're too late. Taiichi was transferred back to the village a few days ago. Even if I wanted to help, I can't find anyone to assist you."

"How could this be?" The messenger ninja was stunned. He knew very well that it would be difficult for the village to provide support in the short term, and the support that Jiraiya really wanted was Taiichi.

Unexpectedly, this most likely source of support has now run into problems.

The messenger ninja looked dejected, but he quickly rallied, bowed to Tsunade, and took his leave. "In that case, I must hurry and relay the message back so that Lord Jiraiya can prepare as soon as possible."

Tsunade nodded in approval at the messenger's performance; his ability to recover from the blow so quickly demonstrated his excellent mental fortitude.

After a moment's thought, she made up her mind and called out to the messenger ninja who had already turned around.

"Since Jiraiya has asked you for help, I can't just leave without offering any assistance. Here's what I'll do: I happen to have a group of Medical Ninja here. I'll have my disciple lead them to Jiraiya's place. That would be a small favor."

Tsunade was referring to the group of Mist Village Medical Ninja trained by Taiichi. They were not part of the Konoha Ninja organization, so there was no need to worry about the negative impact of cross-front mobilization. Moreover, they were prisoners of war, and the power to dispose of them was entirely in Tsunade's hands.

She planned to have Shizune take them with her to Jiraiya's place, partly to provide support, and partly to give Shizune some training.

"Is this... really?" The messenger ninja was so excited he was incoherent. Taiichi hadn't brought back any, but at least he had brought back a batch of support, which could alleviate the immediate crisis to some extent.

"Alright, you look like you haven't rested in a long time. Go and rest for a while. I'll have someone organize some men right away."

While Tsunade was helping Jiraiya prepare manpower, on the Southern Front, Jiraiya and Shikaku were anxiously awaiting reinforcements from Taiichi.

According to their estimation, Taiichi should have arrived by now, but three hours have passed since then and they still haven't received Taiichi. Now they are starting to feel uncertain.

"Lord Jiraiya, could it be that Taiichi just happened to be out on a mission?"

Shikaku was also helpless, and at this moment he was just trying to find a topic to ease the atmosphere.

He had previously visited the Medical Camp, and as the fighting continued, the number of wounded there without treatment was increasing.

Many wounded could only lie on makeshift stretchers outside the Medical Tent, waiting for treatment.

Many minor injuries have thus become serious injuries, and limbs that could have been saved now face the risk of amputation.

"Lord Jiraiya, what are your plans if Taiichi can't provide timely support?"

Jiraiya remained expressionless. He glanced at Shikaku, then continued with his work.

"Shikaku, war always involves sacrifices. From the beginning of this war until now, we have been winning with minimal cost, which is gratifying, but it is not the norm."

What we're about to face is the normal mode of warfare, where death is commonplace, and those who can be saved by Medical Ninja are extremely rare.

Jiraiya's tone was heavy, as if he had returned to the meat grinder-like battlefields of Second Shinobi World War. Back then, Konoha did not have such an excellent medical system as it does now. Although Tsunade's medical abilities were strong, she did not yet have the kind of abilities that Taiichi has now.

Silence fell once more in the Central Army Tent. Shikaku knew that Jiraiya was no longer planning to include Taiichi's aid in his plans, and was beginning to prepare for the worst.

The battle at the front lines continues. On the intertwined front lines, fighting takes place every moment, and ninjas are injured or even killed.

Taiichi still didn't arrive, and it would be impossible for Jiraiya and Shikaku not to be disappointed.

With Taiichi present, even if he doesn't participate in the frontline battles, the Camp's combat strength can be increased by at least 30%. That's the ability of a top-tier Medical Ninja.

Unfortunately, reality is cruel.

The following day, the Sunagakure's attacks became even more ferocious. They seemed tireless, launching wave after wave of attacks on the Konoha Ninja.

Rasa himself took to the field, manipulating the falling Magnet Release Gold Dust to launch a wide-ranging attack on the Konoha Ninja.

With the desert as his home ground and Magnet Release, a bloodline ability that gives him a significant advantage, Rasa's presence each time he appears is no less intimidating than that of a Tailed Beast.

More importantly, unlike the Tailed Beast, Rasa understands cooperation and what Sunagakure wants.

Therefore, every time Rasa appears, he strives to inflict the greatest casualties on Konoha.

Facing Rasa, only Jiraiya is currently capable of confronting him on the Southern Front.

However, Jiraiya's fighting style couldn't completely stop Rasa from attacking the Konoha Ninja under these circumstances.

After several battles, Konoha's losses not only did not decrease, but actually increased.

After a day of fighting, both sides ended their large-scale battle and returned to the mode of small-scale skirmishes. Jiraiya covered in dirt, returned to the Camp with the main force.

"Lord Jiraiya, this fighting can't go on. Why don't we retreat back to the Land of Rivers?"

One of the staff officers was also taken aback by the Sunagakure's momentum today. If this continued, their small force would be wiped out.

Jiraiya glanced at him, sighed helplessly, and said nothing. He simply returned to his seat and closed his eyes to rest; a day of fighting had left him utterly exhausted.

Seeing this, Shikaku stepped forward to explain, "The village's order is to force Sunagakure to surrender. Now that we've come this far, there's no turning back. At this point, we and Sunagakure are like bulls locked in a tug-of-war; whoever retreats first will be considered to have surrendered."

Everyone understands this principle, but the staff officer still clung to a sliver of hope.

Just as silence fell over the tent, a report filled with surprise reached everyone's ears.

"Lord Jiraiya, I'm back."

Jiraiya had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and looked towards the entrance of the tent.

There stood the messenger ninja who had gone to fetch Taiichi, and behind him were Shizune and 22 Medical Ninja who had come with him.

Taiichi wasn't there, but those who came along were probably Medical Ninja sent by Tsunade as support.

Jiraiya made a preliminary judgment with just one glance, but since he hadn't been counting on Taiichi anyway, these extra surprises were a slight relief for their immediate predicament.

Sure enough, after a brief explanation, Jiraiya and the others understood the specific situation.

It can only be said that things are unpredictable. Who could have imagined that the village would recall Taiichi at this time? For these ninjas on the front lines, this was undoubtedly like cutting off their own arm, which was simply incomprehensible.

Jiraiya was able to guess some of the Hokage's thoughts, which were nothing more than the same old tricks of suppression and balance.

"Shizune, and this Chunin Mizuki, there's no time for a welcome dinner. New wounded people are dying or having limbs amputated at the medical camp every moment, so please go there to help as soon as possible."

Although Jiraiya's words were just to Tsunade, Shizune was still honored. However, she also knew what was important. After thanking Jiraiya for his kindness, she led 22 Medical Ninja and headed to the Medical Camp under the guidance of the messenger ninja.

It wasn't until she actually saw the Medical Camp on the Southern Front that Shizune realized how dangerous the Southern Front had become.

The tents simply couldn't accommodate so many wounded, and many were simply bandaged and left in the open.

They had only a simple tarpaulin over their heads to shield them from the emerging cool breeze.

This was the first time Shizune had witnessed such a horrific scene; the cries of the wounded filled the air.

Some wounded soldiers lay listlessly on stretchers, clutching their severed limbs, as if they had completely lost their vitality.

Some of the wounded soldiers' wounds had already become infected, and the Medical Ninja would simply walk past them quickly.

All this was because there were more critically injured people waiting for treatment.

Shizune had been stationed on the East Front since the start of the war. Taiichi was in charge of the Medical Camp. Although there weren't many Medical Ninja, everything was in perfect order with Taiichi in charge.

She never imagined that the Medical Camp would be such a hell on earth.

Shizune felt a light touch on her arm and turned her head in confusion, only to see Mizuki's expression of complete indifference.

"Lady Shizune, please hurry and help!"

Mizuki whispered a reminder that all of this was still relatively good for her. You see, in Mist Village, those with serious injuries that were difficult to treat or not worth the effort to save were often dealt with with a single strike, euphemistically called "saving him from suffering."

With the addition of 23 new recruits, the Medical Camp finally breathed a sigh of relief, but everyone knew that this was only a temporary solution.

Without strong ninja support or additional troops, this place will only become a battlefield meat grinder, with more and more wounded in the future.

At the same time, Jiraiya's plea for help was also delivered to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After quickly reading the battle report, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply. He truly hadn't expected Sunagakure to react in such a way—too decisive and too resolute.

He handed the letter to Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, who quickly huddled together and read its contents.

"This is difficult. According to Jiraiya's letter, he basically has no chance of winning against Sunagakure."

"It's not just that he can't win; the fact that he can maintain his undefeated record is already an extraordinary performance. That's the desert, the home ground of Sunagakure."

The two spoke in unison, but their message was the same: they didn't believe Jiraiya could win the battle.

"How about... we ask Taiichi go and help?" Utatane Koharu suggested softly, her eyes fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"No!"