Early morning
Konoha Gate
Wearing the green vest of a Konoha jōnin and a white cloak, Li Yu stood before a dense crowd of shinobi of every height and build.
Li Yu, at the head of the group, checked the time. It was about time. He had several other shinobi in green vests count the troops.
The headcount came to 511: 350 Genin, 158 Chunin, and 3 jōnin. Including himself, there were 512.
Looking at the young faces, many of them fresh graduates of the Ninja Academy, he saw how excitedly they chatted with one another, as if going to war were no big deal.
Seeing this, Li Yu didn't waste time. He channeled chakra into his voice and shouted,
"I'm Senju Nawaki, the jōnin leading this unit!"
"Everyone, listen up. Stay with the group and don't fall behind!"
"Move out!"
The unit set out as planned. More than five hundred shinobi raced through the woods together, startling flocks of birds with the thunder of their passage.
To accommodate the many Genin and Chunin, whose speed and abilities varied, Li Yu slowed their pace, feeling gloomy.
That old Third Hokage sure knows how to make trouble for people. He said I should look after the village's future.
If you ask me, he's worried I won't give it my all. He wants me to use a hundred and twenty percent of my strength to end the fighting on the Land of Wind front quickly, without holding anything back.
He glanced back at the mass of shinobi, then at the three students following at an unhurried pace. My ties to the village keep growing stronger. Perhaps that's the Third Hokage's ultimate goal.
Uzuki Yugao, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma followed behind Li Yu, looking relaxed as they chatted from time to time.
"Kurenai, a while ago, I saw the teacher give you a jutsu scroll. How's the jutsu? Is it powerful?"
"That's right. This jutsu was developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju." Yuhi Kurenai blinked her red eyes and replied smugly.
"Yugao, you're already living at the teacher's house, and he's your brother-in-law. He'd never treat you unfairly."
She lifted her head proudly and tossed her long purple hair, smiling. "Of course not. I'm learning a jutsu developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, too."
Walking behind the two girls, Sarutobi Asuma wore a long-suffering expression. Watching the pair of proud little hens ahead of him, he couldn't help feeling bitter.
"Teacher, what jutsu did you teach them?"
The two girls turned around and answered in unison, "We're not telling you." They exchanged glances, then smiled at each other.
Watching them, Sarutobi Asuma muttered, "Teacher's so unfair."
The journey should have taken three days, but the sheer size of the unit stretched it to five. At last, they arrived at the front lines.
More than a thousand shinobi from the first unit had already established a camp there.
A shinobi in a green vest, stained with spots of blood, came over to them.
"Are you Senju Nawaki, leading the second unit? Nara Shikaku is waiting for you in the tent ahead."
As soon as Li Yu entered the tent, he saw a burly red-haired man wearing a green flak jacket with a large "Food" character on the front.
Seeing the man's distinctive attire, Li Yu guessed his identity at once.
"Akimichi Choza."
Two more shinobi were discussing a map inside the tent. He didn't need to guess who they were: Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku.
He hadn't expected the Ino-Shika-Cho of Konoha to be in charge of the fighting on the Land of Wind front. The original story had never explained exactly how Konoha won the Battle of Kikyo Pass. In any case, the Sannin had little to do with it. Tsunade and Jiraiya weren't in the village, while Orochimaru was absorbed in his research.
Seeing the Ino-Shika-Cho on the Land of Wind front, Li Yu finally understood why Konoha had suffered such heavy losses despite winning the Battle of Kikyo Pass.
The newly enthroned Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was fighting alongside Chiyo, who used puppets and favored poison, and Ebizo, who devised their strategies, as well as the entire force of Sunagakure.
Konoha's shinobi were highly skilled and killed large numbers of Sunagakure's forces, but the Fourth Kazekage and Chiyo also killed many Konoha shinobi. Once poisoned, those who couldn't be cured died in droves.
"Senju Nawaki, you're here."
"Excellent."
"We've had a few small skirmishes with the Sunagakure shinobi over the past several days," Nara Shikaku said, pointing to several spots on the map.
"Their reinforcements have arrived, too. They may make a major move in the next few days."
After hearing about the situation on the front, Li Yu waved a hand.
"Understood."
"Shikaku, find someone to take me to the Wounded Soldier Camp. I want to have a look."
Yamanaka Inoichi looked at him in surprise. "Nawaki, are you—"
Li Yu smiled. "Since Tsunade didn't come to this war, I'll visit the wounded shinobi on my sister's behalf."
"I've also brought ten members of the Senju Clan to serve in the Medical Unit." He put extra emphasis on the words "Senju Clan."
The three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho couldn't help their eyelids twitching. Nara Shikaku recovered first and replied somewhat stiffly,
"Then that's wonderful."
Li Yu had said this to test the reactions of Konoha's clans on a small scale and prepare for the Senju Clan to step back into the public eye in the future.
The war with the Land of Wind posed no threat in Li Yu's eyes. The Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, Rasa, was at the lower end of Kage Level in a one-on-one fight.
If Li Yu wanted, he could take on all of Sunagakure's shinobi by himself. Unfortunately, the Senju Clan stood behind him, so he wasn't fighting alone. For now, his priority was to win people over.
Taking the Senju Clan's medical shinobi with him, he also called his three students and headed to the Wounded Soldier Camp.
They had barely reached the camp when they heard screams and groans from inside, along with the cries of shinobi who had only just graduated and barely survived. The place was in utter chaos.
It was no wonder the camp had been set up far from the others. They didn't want the wounded to affect the morale of the shinobi at the front.
At the entrance, Li Yu lifted the flap and strode inside. The ten medical shinobi of the Senju Clan followed close behind.
Uzuki Yugao and Yuhi Kurenai stood at the entrance, unable to bring themselves to step inside. Their faces had gone pale at the sounds. Sarutobi Asuma, at least a man, forced himself to ignore his discomfort and strode in.
Seeing Sarutobi Asuma go inside, the two girls gritted their teeth, exchanged a glance, and entered together.
Inside the tent, they heard Li Yu instructing the ten medics as they treated the wounded.
"Healing Jutsu can't cure the poison. Extract it, then study it and prepare an antidote."
"Stabilize the more serious injuries. Once the Supply Corps arrives, send those patients back to Konoha Hospital with them."
Li Yu turned to the three students who had just come in and beckoned them over.
They passed the injured shinobi, listening to their pained cries, and hurried over to Li Yu.
The three looked even paler now, each one whiter than the last.
Li Yu smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting. With a mischievous glint, he said, "Yugao, Kurenai, I just realized you're both looking even paler."
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
The two girls gasped. They hadn't expected Li Yu to say that. Once they recovered, they snapped indignantly, "Teacher, what are you talking about? We're not speaking to you anymore!"
Standing between them, Sarutobi Asuma covered his mouth and snickered. Before he could even lift his head, he got a knock on each side of it.
"Ow!"
Clutching his head, Sarutobi Asuma peered timidly to either side, only to get a cold look from each girl.
"Hmph!"
Uzuki Yugao and Yuhi Kurenai folded their arms across their chests, pushing their still-developing breasts into a curve. Their chins slowly lifted, like two proud little hens.
Seeing the three of them like that, Li Yu felt relieved. He wouldn't have to worry about them getting along. After clearing his throat twice, he said,
"I was only joking to lighten the mood."
His smile faded, and he spoke with solemn seriousness.
"I'm quite pleased with how you've all done."
"The Wounded Soldier Camp is the best place for newcomers to adapt to the battlefield quickly. You can't let the horrors of war keep you from performing to the best of your abilities."
"That's your first lesson from the battlefield. The second is that joking can help dispel negative emotions."
After hearing Li Yu's explanation, the three nodded in agreement, understanding their teacher's good intentions.
"Teacher, we understand."
"Good. Now go help out."
Within a few hours, they had treated more than a dozen lightly wounded shinobi and stabilized the injuries of the more seriously wounded, who were ready to be sent back to Konoha.
The Medical Unit earned the gratitude of many shinobi. Quite a few of the patients would be able to return to the unit and keep fighting. The medics' remaining task was to use the extracted poison to make Antidote Pills.
Li Yu only supervised this time and didn't personally treat anyone. He had brought the Senju Clan's medics so he wouldn't have to waste his own chakra.
For the past several days, the two sides had only exchanged small-scale probing attacks. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and Chiyo had yet to appear.