Where are my teammates? Come save me?!

Returning to the present.

In the Land of Rain, on the southern Sunagakure front, Utatane Koharu had arrived at the temporary Konoha camp with a total of three hundred ninja from the Sarutobi and Utatane clans, preparing to relieve Tsunade.

Ever since Salamander Hanzo had departed the southern front, Tsunade and Chiyo had been locked in a tit-for-tat struggle. No matter how Chiyo updated or iterated on her lethal poisons, Tsunade was always able to neutralize them immediately. She even used herself as bait, injecting antidotes in advance and employing a "life-for-a-life" combat style to take down several high-level Sunagakure experts.

Upon seeing Tsunade, Utatane Koharu gave a slight nod and said:

"Tsunade, girl, hand over the data on the toxins Sunagakure has been using lately, along with the information on the antidotes. After that, head to the Amegakure front in the north of the Land of Rain as soon as possible. With Salamander Hanzo there, those two brats, Orochimaru and Jiraiya, are struggling to hold on."

Tsunade nodded and replied:

"Elder Koharu, you are already aware of the situation here. That old hag Chiyo from Sunagakure has plenty of tricks up her sleeve; you should remain vigilant."

Utatane Koharu responded:

"Rest assured, we will handle things with care."

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the camp. A ninja rushed over to report:

"My Lady, a Sunagakure squad has ambushed our supply transport team!"

Tsunade frowned, let out a scoff, and looked at Utatane Koharu:

"Heh, it seems that old hag Chiyo doesn't want me to leave so soon."

Utatane Koharu's eyes sharpened:

"Tsunade, girl, leave this to me and Torifu and the others. You must hurry to the Amegakure front to support those two brats, Orochimaru and Jiraiya."

Tsunade waved her hand, looking slightly regretful:

"Very well, I shall take my leave then. As for the data you requested, I've told my assistant where it's kept, so I'll leave her with you. I was hoping to teach those Sunagakure fellows another lesson, though..."

With that, the two parted ways, leading their respective ninja in different directions.

Compared to Utatane Koharu, who took a large force to reinforce the supply transport team in the rear, Tsunade's group consisted of only five people, including herself. Furthermore, out of the seventeen-member medical team originally in the camp, Tsunade took only one newcomer who had just begun learning medical ninjutsu, leaving behind all the experienced medical ninja she had painstakingly trained.

After several hours of travel, the five of them finally arrived at the northern Amegakure front from the southern Sunagakure battlefield.

"Yo~ Tsunade-ane-san, long time no see!"

Since there had been no large-scale conflict with Amegakure today, Qi Luna wasn't needed at the field hospital, so he was wandering around the temporary camp out of boredom.

He had been using his Kagura Mind's Eye to keep an eye out for any tricks from Madara and his White Zetsu, when suddenly, five chakra signatures entered his perception range. One of them was particularly familiar—his cousin, Tsunade, whom he hadn't seen in a while.

That was why Qi Luna had waved and called out to her.

"Is that you, kid? What are you doing on the battlefield? This is no place for children to play house! Do Grandma and the old man know? Don't tell me you snuck out here?"

Seeing who it was, Tsunade finally relaxed her guard. After all, Qi Luna's massive chakra was impossible to fake, and since they were near the Konoha camp, the possibility of the visitor being an enemy in disguise was virtually non-existent.

Approaching Qi Luna, Tsunade gave his head a vigorous "rua," quickly turning his long red hair into a mess that looked like a "scruffy puppy."

"Stop it, Tsunade-nee! If you keep this up, I won't be nice to you anymore! I won't teach you that new ninjutsu-taijutsu technique I developed, either!"

Seeing his hair in a total mess and struggling in vain under Tsunade's hand, Qi Luna hurriedly resorted to threats.

"Fine, fine. This isn't the place for idle chatter. Take me to that idiot Orochimaru and Jiraiya first."

Hearing that there was a benefit to be had, Tsunade decisively stopped, stiffly changed the subject, and followed Qi Luna into the camp.

Once inside, Tsunade dismissed the four Konoha ninja who had accompanied her, then followed Qi Luna's guidance to the main command tent.

Hearing the commotion at the entrance, Orochimaru and Jiraiya looked up with reflexive alertness.

"Tsunade, you've come just in time. There are so many problems here that need your help, especially the Salamander's toxin! More than half of our casualties have died by his hand!"

"Aside from those who were corroded to death by the poison mist on the battlefield, quite a few have been tortured to death by the lingering toxins after returning..."

A person's name is like the shadow of a tree.

Because of Tsunade's arrival, the deathly atmosphere in the tent became less oppressive. It had to be said, she truly lived up to the title of "Medical Saint" earned on the Sunagakure front!

Tsunade instantly grasped the severity of the situation on the Amegakure front. Looking at the expectant and trusting smiles finally appearing on the faces of the weary jonin, she knew the weight of their hopes rested on her shoulders.

Time was as fleeting as a white horse passing a crevice, every second precious; the mission was as heavy as a towering mountain, pressing down on the "Medical Saint."

She immediately summoned the medical staff and began the rapid development of an antidote for the Salamander's toxin.

Inside the infirmary, her gaze was firm and her voice steady as she instructed Qi Luna to assist her. After all, Qi Luna's massive chakra reserves were invaluable when it came to catalyzing the medicinal agents!

Orochimaru, who was not yet proficient in toxicology, watched as Tsunade dove into her work the moment she arrived. He realized that once this war was over, he would need to brush up on his knowledge of antidotes, poisons, and human anatomy...

"Strengthen the camp's perimeter defenses and arrange for dedicated patrols, especially on the key access routes. This is a critical moment for Tsunade's research; we cannot afford a single mistake!"

"At the same time, the intelligence team must step up their efforts. I want to know every action Salamander Hanzo has taken over the past few days, down to the smallest detail! I have a premonition... the final battle is coming!"

Orochimaru's words were concise and powerful, clarifying everyone's responsibilities.

That night, with no unexpected incidents, Tsunade—with Qi Luna's assistance—quickly produced an antidote capable of effectively suppressing the Salamander's toxin. However, due to the time constraints, this version could not provide a permanent cure.

"These Salamander toxins are too tricky. They are far beyond the diluted venom mixed with various poisons that old hag Chiyo uses."

"Although I could create a permanent cure, the time required would be significantly longer. Most of the poisoned ninja wouldn't survive until then. For now, this is all we can use to keep them alive..."

Tsunade distributed the newly developed medicine to the poisoned ninja. After explaining the situation to the others with a heavy heart, she stepped out of the temporary medical research tent.

Night fell, and Tsunade dragged her exhausted body back to the temporary camp quarters. Moonlight spilled over her, yet she did not slacken in the slightest, still poring over various scrolls, searching for information, and contemplating how to produce a large quantity of the medicine needed to cure the salamander toxin in a short amount of time.

She knew clearly that she carried the trust of everyone in Konoha on her shoulders. She had to race against time; perhaps finding a solution even a minute earlier could save the life of one more comrade...

Supplementary notes:

In this book's setting, Kushina and Qi Luna are cousins, with Kushina being the elder cousin.

Their grandfather was the elder brother of Uzumaki Mito and the eldest son of Uzumaki Ashina. Therefore, Uzumaki Mito is the great-aunt of Kushina and Qi Luna, and naturally, Tsunade becomes the cousin of Kushina and Qi Luna.

Also, regarding the issue of Orochimaru not being adept at detoxification, my personal setting here is that he is currently in a period of rapid growth in strength and has not yet performed human experimentation on himself. He will only begin researching crooked paths—scratch that, he will only begin to believe in science after the battle that made the Sannin famous, the death of Kato Dan, and Tsunade's development of hemophobia, which leads him to deeply realize the fragility of life!