Leaving the Land of Wind

In the world of the Hokage, energy is divided into three types.

They are spiritual energy, physical energy, and natural energy. Spiritual energy and physical energy are contained within the human body, while natural energy exists in the natural environment.

Among these, physical energy is the Yang Release energy used by the Sage of Six Paths, though physical energy is not Yang Release itself and requires conversion. However, an abundance of physical energy can also enhance the body's self-healing capabilities.

Life force, meanwhile, is a special power that relates to a person's lifespan and vitality, and it also encompasses physical energy.

Senju Genma and Karura sat opposite each other across a table, Genma holding Karura's hand.

"Your body has recovered for the most part; what remains is to restore your physical energy."

"You can even restore physical energy?"

As a ninja, Karura naturally knew that physical energy originated from the tens of thousands of cells in the human body.

"In truth, it is simply a matter of directly channeling life force to indirectly replenish your physical energy."

"But this must be a significant burden on you!" Karura said with concern. "My body has recovered, and my physical energy is sufficient; I only need to refine it slowly."

The scene of Genma treating her yesterday was still vivid in her mind; it was the first time she had seen a look of "fatigue" on his face.

Genma raised a hand to refuse. "That won't do. I am leaving soon, and I wouldn't be at ease leaving you to refine life energy slowly. By replenishing your life force, we can skip the process of refining physical energy from within your body, allowing you to refine chakra much faster."

Refining physical energy is a gradual process, and Genma did not intend to stay in the Land of Wind for long. If Karura were to encounter danger after he left, wouldn't everything he had done be in vain?

Without waiting for Karura to refuse, Genma activated Oonamuchi and began channeling life force into her.

In just one day, Karura's chakra reached the level of a Jonin. Genma was finally able to leave with peace of mind.

The next day, for the sake of caution and with Karura's consent, Genma placed a Wood Clone Seed on her.

This seed could last for at least a month, which was enough time for Karura to recover to her peak state.

The two parted ways in the town. Under the glow of the setting sun, they gazed at each other before Senju Genma headed toward the Land of River, while Karura remained in the small town.

It took one day for Senju Genma to travel through the desert and cross an oasis in the Land of Wind, returning to the Land of River.

Standing on the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of River, Senju Genma looked back at the barren land that needed nourishment, looking forward to his next meeting with her.

The battlefield in the Land of River.

Konoha camp, command room of the medical ninja station.

Danzo Shimura sat in a chair with a furrowed brow, his expression gloomy.

He was currently very displeased.

The reason was simple: earlier that day, he had finally had an opportunity to lead his troops in an offensive against the Sand Ninja.

However, they had encountered a Sand Ninja force led by Chiyo, who had developed a new poison that rendered the antidotes carried by the Konoha ninja useless.

Danzo Shimura's troops had suffered heavy casualties and significant losses.

He had come to participate in this war not only to defend Konoha from the standpoint of a hawk but also to gain military merit and prestige.

But now, let alone merit and prestige, he would be lucky if he weren't held accountable upon his return.

Beside him, Tsunade had various reagents laid out before her, all of which were antidotes intended to counter various toxins.

"Tsunade, how is the progress on the antidote? If we don't obtain an antidote soon, our losses will continue to mount," Danzo said coldly. "You cannot bear the responsibility for delaying the war effort."

Tsunade swirled the reagent in her hand and replied indifferently, "This defeat is entirely your own responsibility."

"If you hadn't been reckless and impetuous, there wouldn't have been such heavy losses."

"I will have Orochimaru and Sakumo report your failure truthfully to our teacher."

Tsunade summoned a medical ninja from the side and extended her hand, offering two items.

"This is the antidote for the Sand Ninja's poison and the formula for it. Take these, gather some men to prepare the antidote, and then distribute it."

"Understood, Lady Tsunade." The medical ninja took the formula and the antidote sample, nodded, and turned to leave.

"Danzo, you are the supreme commander of this battle. I do not wish to question the orders you issued during this operation, but your decision-making was far too rash. You didn't take the lives of our Konoha ninja into account at all!" Tsunade said bluntly, showing no regard for Danzo Shimura's status as an elder.

Why had she actively pushed for the improvement of the medical ninja system during the war and proposed in high-level meetings that a medical ninja be added to every three-man squad on missions?

It was precisely to increase the survival rate of ninja and the success rate of missions!

Yet now, Danzo had caused Konoha to lose so many ninja for the sake of his personal merit, which made Tsunade despise him even more.

Danzo's anger flared, but he did not show it. Instead, he spoke with an unchanging expression, "For the greater good, this is a necessary sacrifice."

"For the sake of the village, everything is worth it! If necessary, I, too, could sacrifice myself for the village."

Tsunade said with disdain, "Don't try to gild your own lily. This was simply letting the village's ninja die in vain; it was a pointless sacrifice."

"Lady Tsunade." A medical ninja's voice suddenly came from outside the tent.

"Come in."

"Lady Tsunade, Lord Genma has returned."

"I know. You may leave for now."

"Yes."

"Chiyo's poison has been neutralized," Tsunade said, speaking to herself. "I have urgent matters to attend to, so I won't be keeping you company."

Having said that, Tsunade left the tent without looking back.

Danzo let out a cold snort and remained silent, his gaze fixed coldly on Tsunade's retreating back.

Senju Genma naturally had no way of knowing what had transpired in the medical ninja command room; having just completed an S-rank mission, he was currently walking toward Tsunade's tent.

Along the way, the Konoha ninjas who saw Senju Genma stopped in their tracks, standing where they were to watch him pass.

This was the treatment reserved exclusively for a legend of the ninja world; they did not even show this level of reverence when facing Sakumo Hatake.

Upon arriving at Tsunade's tent, Senju Genma noticed that the interior was spotless, clearly indicating that Tsunade was a clean person who tidied up frequently.

However, the piece of clothing belonging to Genma on the bed was somewhat of an eyesore.

Looking closely, the garment had been crumpled, and one could even faintly discern what looked like traces of drool.

Senju Genma had already guessed roughly what Tsunade might have been up to.

Senju Genma sat on the bed and took out his payment for this mission.

It was a thick stack of bills, all in denominations of one hundred thousand ryo, totaling nine million ryo.

Two million of that was the mission reward, while the other seven million was the bounty on Makima.

Although Makima was an elite Jonin of the Hidden Sand Village, her status could not compare to the Asuma of the future, so her bounty was not high—only one-fifth that of Asuma.

"Since when have you been so interested in money?"

Feeling the small, soft form behind him, Genma curled his lip and said, "Isn't it because of you? Do you have any idea how much of a burden you've placed on the clan?"

Only after taking the seat of the Senju clan head did Senju Genma realize how difficult it had been for Uzumaki Mito to support this family.