War Mission

After leaving Kushina's mental space, Senju Genma said a brief goodbye to Mikoto and the others before heading to the battlefield.

"Heading to the battlefield" wasn't quite accurate.

Since he used the Reverse Summoning Technique, it took less than three seconds to get from home to the battlefield.

Whoosh—

Senju Genma appeared at the Konoha forces' base in the Land of River.

The Konoha medical ninja base in the Land of River.

Tsunade's bright brown eyes lit up excitedly at the sudden sight of Senju Genma, but her voice remained calm. "You're finally here. I missed you!"

Senju Genma gave Tsunade a long look and replied with a hint of exasperation:

"Don't I come see you every week? We last met two days ago."

"Have you ever heard of a day feeling like a year? Two days apart is practically like not seeing each other for two years!" Tsunade exclaimed, her hands never slowing as she quickly sorted the reagents on the table.

As the head of logistics for the Konoha forces, she had come to the Land of River mainly to deal with Chiyo.

Chiyo's poison was formidable and had cost the Konoha forces dearly, so they needed the antidotes Tsunade prepared.

Tsunade sorted the medicines, comparing them carefully.

Genma sighed. "Hurry up and finish. If we're late, Sakumo will nag us like an old woman!"

"I know. I'll be quick!"

Though Senju Genma wasn't entirely convinced by Tsunade's excuse, he could see how hard she was working.

Genma worried about Tsunade, too. A balance between work and rest was what mattered most, so, worried she might exhaust herself, he offered to help her make the antidotes.

Genma found a chair and sat beside Tsunade.

Genma had learned Medical Ninjutsu from Tsunade. He wasn't an expert at making medicine, but he could certainly act as her assistant.

With Genma's help, Tsunade worked even more efficiently. It took her only a few hours to make the antidotes.

Tsunade suddenly said, "Come to think of it, your constitution really does seem unusual."

"What's wrong?" Senju Genma asked, looking at her in confusion.

Tsunade explained, "I used to think it was just my imagination."

"But now I can definitely feel that my constitution and chakra have grown stronger, and I have more energy, too."

Senju Genma was dumbfounded.

Hadn't System given me the Sage Body and Sage Eye in that beginner's gift pack?

I'd never heard of either the Sage Body or the Sage Eye having this kind of ability!

Could System have slipped in something extra?

No wonder it said it had broken the rules when it suddenly died!

I'm sorry, System. I shouldn't have said you were embarrassing.

When I get back, I'll have to burn some incense in your memory.

Senju Genma swallowed and said, "Maybe I'm just unusually talented!"

"Let's leave it at that. I'm going to find Sakumo. He must be getting impatient after waiting so long!" Senju Genma pursed his lips.

After putting on his combat uniform and armor, Genma left the tent.

Since he often came to visit Tsunade, Senju Genma knew his way around. The ninja he encountered along the way all knew him, so no one stopped him.

Senju Genma entered the command tent and saw Hatake Sakumo seated at the head of the table.

He was the overall commander of this war. Danzo, standing to one side, served as his deputy.

Orochimaru sat in the second seat, making him the third-in-command of the forces.

Orochimaru was clearly more gloomy now than he had been on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

Orochimaru was a sensitive man.

Although Nawaki was still alive, the lives constantly being lost on the battlefield were steadily wearing down his resolve.

"Genma, you're finally here!" Hatake Sakumo gritted his teeth. "We've been waiting for you for ages!"

The moment he saw Senju Genma, Hatake Sakumo could tell he was in a good mood.

He was late and still smiling so happily. It made Sakumo want to punch him in the face.

Senju Genma adjusted his expression and said irritably, "I only did it to deal with the Sand Ninja. I put a lot of effort into preparing those antidotes for you."

Shimura Danzo's gaze shifted, but he said nothing.

He was desperate to become Hokage, but he wasn't stupid.

Senju Genma was currently one of Hiruzen Sarutobi's favorites, and he was powerful. Being late wasn't enough to bring him down.

Sakumo raised a hand, unwilling to hear Genma make any more excuses.

"Sit down. I'll brief you on the situation."

Over the next half hour, Sakumo gave Genma a detailed explanation of the current state of the battlefield.

It was much as Tsunade had told Senju Genma: on the battlefield in the Land of River, Konoha had the upper hand overall.

After all, Konoha had four Kage Level powerhouses stationed there: Hatake Sakumo, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Shimura Danzo.

That was a much stronger lineup than Sunagakure's.

Sunagakure had only two Kage Level powerhouses stationed there, Chiyo and Ebizo. Their strongest fighter below them was the Elite Jonin Rasa, leaving them at a disadvantage in terms of top-tier combat strength.

However, Karura, the prodigy Jonin who had once made a name for herself on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, hadn't appeared this time.

Furthermore, Chiyo specialized in Medical Ninjutsu, poisons, and the Puppet Technique. Tsunade had neutralized all of her poisons, leaving them ineffective on the battlefield.

On top of that, Hatake Sakumo had killed her son and daughter-in-law, leaving her heartbroken and exhausted. As a result, she had made one poor decision after another in commanding the war.

After half a year of fighting, Sunagakure had little territory left in the Land of River.

At the end of the meeting, considering Senju Genma's strength, Hatake Sakumo assigned him an S-rank mission.

The mission was to join the war at the village's request and assassinate an important figure in Sunagakure's forces, the Elite Jonin Makima.

Ninja warfare was different from conventional warfare.

In an ordinary war, a leader gave the order and the soldiers marched off to battle. Ninja warfare, on the other hand, was conducted through war missions: the village issued missions, and ninja accepted them before heading to the battlefield.

However, since the fate of the country and village was at stake, the mission rewards were mostly just a formality. Most ninja went to the battlefield without expecting payment.

Missions were simply a way to manage the forces.

Hatake Sakumo hadn't assigned Senju Genma a team.

He knew what Genma could do. His perception and combat skills were both top-notch, and he had the Flying Thunder God Technique, a Space-Time Ninjutsu that let him leave whenever he wanted. He was an all-around ninja.

Having a team would only hold Senju Genma back.

Senju Genma gladly accepted the mission.

Before leaving, Senju Genma glanced at Orochimaru.

In truth, Senju Genma had always wanted Orochimaru on his side.

But not the Orochimaru who could only lament how fragile life was. He wanted the future Orochimaru, the one devoted to exploration and discovery, whose scientific knowledge would far outstrip anyone else's.

When the Otsutsuki Clan eventually arrived, a specialist like Orochimaru would be more valuable than a Super Kage Level powerhouse.

After accepting the mission, Senju Genma found Nawaki outside and gave him a few words of advice, telling him to stay safe. Then he returned to the tent.