The students of the Ninja Academy have just graduated and become Genin. According to general rules, they do not participate in ninja battles. Their missions mainly focus on building a solid foundation and mastering the use of their strength. Moreover, the battle on the Western Front has just begun, and there are still enough personnel...
Under these circumstances, Yuhi Kurenai and her group of children do not need to participate in the war!
The following day, after bidding farewell to Yuhi Kurenai, Sato Hideaka led his "Blue" team to assemble at the West Gate of the village at 10:00 AM on the third day. They began the escort mission entrusted to him by the Third Hokage: to ensure the safe arrival of the Medical Department on the battlefield.
The Medical Department consisted of 225 people. Due to the need to gather medical supplies such as bandages, medicines, medical equipment, and ninja scrolls, they only set out slowly the day after the main army departed. The Medical Department needed protection from the combat personnel, Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, specifically assigned this task to Sato Hideaka...
On the western battlefield, during Orochimaru's initial probing battle against the Sunagakure, casualties had already occurred. Now, it was time for the Medical Department, having been trained in the Medical Ninja System, to demonstrate its effectiveness.
Yakushi Nonō, now dressed in a green vest and wearing round, black-rimmed glasses, looked quite dashing as she moved among the Medical Ninja. The Medical Ninja, carrying their equipment, were slowly advancing through the West Gate of Konoha towards the Land of Rivers...
At this moment, the atmosphere in the Medical Department was not so cheerful. After all, they were not specialized combat personnel, and this was their first time entering a battlefield fraught with danger and peril. They couldn't help but feel a sense of inexplicable trepidation and fear. The unknown danger was the most frightening thing...
From the crowd, a female Medical Ninja carrying medical equipment timidly approached Nonō, her eyes blinking with some hesitation, and asked, " Nonō, are we really going to the front lines? Won't it be dangerous...?"
"There will definitely be dangers, but compared to the bloodshed and fierce fighting of the ninjas on the front lines, the dangers for us behind the lines will be much greater. Besides, we'll gradually adapt from the rear first. As long as we're careful, there won't be any problems!" Yakushi Nonō smiled gently and said to her, " Saki- chan, don't worry. Also, remember how to use the scrolls I gave you before; they can play a crucial role at critical moments..."
"Yeah, yeah, Saki- chan, don't look at me like that. I've been carefully taught by my seniors, and my chakra perception can reach a range of two kilometers. As long as a ninja enters my perception range, I can foresee the danger and help you avoid it."
Beside the timid Saki, a short, neat-cut Medical Ninja made a hand seal with great flair and then encouraged Saki with great enthusiasm.
Saki nodded, her head bobbing up and down as she earnestly addressed the two of them, as if trying to bolster her confidence. "Yes, yes, I believe in Nonō, and I believe in you, Mina- chan."
There was a slight sense of unease and anxiety among the members, stemming from the uncertainty of the battlefield. However, with the reassurance of Yakushi Nonō and several senior members of the Medical Department, these Medical Ninja, who had been trained over the past two years, gradually calmed down.
Compared to the rapid march of the support troops on the Western Front, the Anbu forces marched day and night. The Medical Department, carrying various cumbersome equipment and only recently established, was indeed slower in terms of marching speed. What should have been a two-mile journey took them three.
Within three hours, they traversed the dense forests of the Land of Fire, as well as numerous villages and cities, finally arriving at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers. However, the battlefield was not within the Land of Fire, but rather in the Land of Rivers, which possesses continuous mountain ranges.
Based on sporadic reports of Konoha Ninja movement, the Medical Department entered the mountainous Land of Rivers. The once flat terrain became rugged and difficult to traverse, with towering peaks and dense forests making everything even more unpredictable...
"This mountainous terrain is so strange; it's even altered my perception range."
Mina formed a hand seal, closed her eyes to sense her surroundings, and said somewhat dejectedly to the Yakushi Nonō in front of her.
Yakushi Nonō looked around and nodded, saying, "Yes, such complex terrain must be detrimental to both the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind ninja forces. I wonder how far the battle has progressed...?"
" Nonō, we've already arrived in the Land of Rivers, how much longer until we reach the camp?" Mina asked, wiping the sweat from her face as she climbed over a large, protruding rock, panting slightly.
Yakushi Nonō helped Mina up, looked at the map, and said, "And... according to the intelligence report from the frontline ninjas, they're about 20 kilometers away from this... the place I'm pointing to!"
"Ah, twenty kilometers in the rolling mountains must be farther than twenty kilometers in our Land of Fire!" Mina muttered to herself after hearing Yakushi Nonō's words.
Although Saki was also panting and her face was flushed beside Mina, she still encouraged her, " Mina- chan, come on, come on... We've arrived in the Land of Rivers, and we're very close to the base camp now. Once we reach the base camp, we'll be safe..."
The Medical Department was transporting specialized equipment for treating severe internal injuries. Carrying these through the mountains slowed their progress considerably, and the Medical Ninja, who had not undergone such forced march training, were all exhausted.
The once desolate forest was thrown into chaos by the arrival of the Medical Department. Birds and beasts scattered in all directions. Startled birds took flight, circling lingering on the hillside. Squirrels leaped from treetop to treetop, and rabbits dug into the soil and ran swiftly into the distance...
In a valley, more than twenty ninjas wearing windproof hats, with their faces painted and inverted exclamation marks on their foreheads, stood orderly on the treetops of large trees. Each of them had a different angle of view, ensuring that they could perceive everything that was happening within a 6° radius of their feet.
Their posture and manner of movement clearly indicate that they are highly trained elite ninjas!
Among the crowd, several ninjas were holding binoculars, slowly shifting their view. However, a group of birds caught their attention. These three flocks of birds had been circling halfway up the mountain for a long time, yet they hadn't landed...
Only after the three flocks of birds, led by their leader, flew off towards other peaks did the mountain return to its former tranquility.
"Captain, something seems amiss in those mountains."
After noticing the anomaly, the ninja leaped over to his captain's side and pointed to the deep mountains where Yakushi Nonō was, asking a question.
This leader had a square face, and on his right cheekbone was a fresh scar, the skin torn open to reveal flesh and blood, and one could even see his menacing cheekbone. His eyes were filled with a cold expression, as icy as the snow-covered landscape of winter.
"Is this... the direction of 10:30? Konoha's Medical Ninja squad... are they trying to wear down our Sunagakure this way? If it's not a fair fight, I, Sukehiro of the Yellow Sand Eagle, will not allow it... those guys who killed the Third Kazekage."
Jie You Sukehiro square face, bit his right index finger, then Hand Seals his hands together on the ground in a mudra. Immediately, a dark brown eagle soared into the air, its wingspan reaching hundreds of meters, before flying into the mountains with swirling updrafts.
Sukehiro extended his right index and middle fingers, placed them above his right eye, and said coldly, "Now, by connecting the visual cells with 'Shun,' I can share his visual range!"
As the chakra in his right hand flowed into his right eye, Sukehiro vision became completely aligned with that of the dark brown Flying Eagle above. The eagle's yellowish-brown eyes moved slightly, taking in every blade of grass and every tree in the forest. Through the dense treetops, it could even spot a mouse on the ground.
One, two... Konoha's professional Medical Department actually has nearly two hundred people?
That's really scary...
Sukehiro was an experienced elite Jonin. He knew the difference between having Medical Ninja on either side during a battle. In a normal battle, both sides would suffer casualties, allowing the fight to continue...
However, if one side has Medical Ninja who can treat the seriously wounded and send them back to the battlefield, this is tantamount to having a continuous supply of troops. This would disrupt the balance of battle losses and put the side without Medical Ninja at a serious disadvantage.
Even if two hundred Medical Ninja can heal three hundred combat ninjas, under prolonged and continuous combat, this number is still extremely terrifying!
"Alright, let's silence these Konoha Ninja were passing on the message. Let's make it clean."
Separating his visual cells, Sukehiro pointed to six people under the tree, bound by ropes as thick as a thumb, wearing green Forehead Protector, headbands made of Konoha, and gags sealed with tape. He spoke menacingly, causing them to widen their eyes, their hearts pounding with fear, and they began to whimper and writhe like caterpillars, trying to struggle!
If Yakushi Nonō were here right now, she would recognize these six ninjas as the ones who had just reported the exact location of the Konoha base to them. Now, all six of them have been captured by the Sunagakure.
After a series of muffled screams, the pupils of the six ninjas began to dilate rapidly.
Seeing his subordinates bury the six Konoha Ninja in the forest without leaving a trace, Sukehiro's murderous gaze fell upon the mountain at 10:30, and he roared, "Target: Konoha Medical Ninja Unit! All troops move out!" (To be continued.)