Humanoid Medkit

"It seems that must be Karin's mother, but where is Karin?" Hyuga Gen watched the wounded entering and exiting, lost in thought. He could not spot Karin anywhere in the entire camp.

However, this was for the best; it meant Karin had not yet been harmed, which brought Hyuga Gen a sense of relief.

In Shippuden, it was only after Karin's mother passed away that the Grass Village forced Karin to take her mother's place as the new "human medical kit."

Just as dawn broke, the Rain Ninja and Grass Ninja began their battle. Naturally, this was a welcome sight for Hyuga Gen; the more intense the fighting, the better, as it increased the likelihood of Karin and her mother appearing on the battlefield.

The fighting remained fierce throughout the morning. Hyuga Gen could see the Rain Ninja attacking aggressively, charging forward as if they had no fear of death, while the Grass Ninja were forced into a steady retreat, their casualties mounting continuously.

Seeing this, Hyuga Gen could not help but feel anxious. He had yet to spot any reinforcements for the Grass Ninja, and if these men were wiped out by the Rain Ninja, it would not be a good thing for him.

"Could it be they didn't call for reinforcements this time?" Hyuga Gen frowned. Based on his knowledge of the Grass Village from Shippuden and their reliance on Karin and her mother as "human medical kits," it was impossible for them not to have requested aid.

Just then, Hyuga Gen noticed a group of people rapidly approaching from behind the Grass Ninja lines. Seeing this, his brow finally smoothed out.

Yes, the Grass Ninja reinforcements had arrived.

Hyuga Gen knew that the person he was looking for should be within that group, but he did not observe them closely, instead keeping his focus on the battlefield.

At this moment, the battle between the Rain Ninja and the Grass Ninja had reached a white-hot, intense stage. Hyuga Gen was worried that the Grass Ninja on the front lines might collapse before their reinforcements could arrive, being wiped out by the Rain Ninja—after all, the reinforcements were still some distance away.

It had to be said that the Grass Ninja were truly tenacious. Although they were at a disadvantage in overall strength, they were still fighting desperately. With such resilience, it shouldn't be a problem for them to hold out until the reinforcements arrive, Hyuga Gen thought to himself.

Watching the Grass Ninja skillfully use the ninjutsu of various nations, Hyuga Gen couldn't help but admire their ability to learn. While copying others' ninjutsu was somewhat shameful, as long as it could increase one's own strength, what did it matter if one was a bit thick-skinned and shameless?

"What a hardworking bunch!" Just as Hyuga Gen sighed, another Grass Ninja fell.

"Captain, the casualties are getting worse, the brothers can't hold on much longer. Should we just retreat?" a Grass Ninja asked.

"No! If we retreat, they'll pounce on us, and the casualties will only be higher. Brothers! Hold on a little longer, our reinforcements are almost here!" With that, he charged out first and spat out a Great Fireball Technique.

Although the pose was cool, it was useless; it was blocked by the Rain Ninja's Water Release ninjutsu, and in a moment of carelessness, a kunai pinned his shoulder. This was why, if one lacked sufficient strength, one should never charge into a team fight alone.

"Haha, I told you last night was just a fluke! They are definitely no match for us. Brothers, follow me! Slaughter them all and avenge our brothers who died last night!" Seeing the enemy leader injured, a Rain Ninja shouted.

Led by him, a dozen members charged forward, preparing to wipe out these struggling Grass Ninja in one fell swoop.

But just then, the Grass Ninja reinforcements finally arrived, dealing a heavy blow to the Rain Ninja who thought victory was within their grasp. The Rain Ninja went from advancing to retreating, and in no time, they were routed, suffering heavy losses.

Seeing that the Rain Ninja had fled, the Grass Ninja did not pursue, instead carrying their wounded back to the camp to rest and regroup.

They weren't stupid; they understood the principle of not chasing a desperate foe. This decision was clearly the right one, as the Rain Ninja's own reinforcements had also reached their camp, albeit a step too late.

The battlefield returned to calm, and both sides began to rest. It seemed as if they had agreed upon it beforehand, both sides ceasing hostilities. Hyuga Gen knew this was merely the silence before the storm.

Of course, Hyuga Gen didn't care about that. He was currently focused on observing where the Grass Ninja were taking their wounded. Before long, he confirmed the location, leading to the scene he had witnessed earlier.

When he saw a Grass Ninja bite the woman, Hyuga Gen confirmed she was indeed Karin's mother, and there was no need to watch the rest.

"How should I get close to that place?" Hyuga Gen pondered, watching the wounded enter and exit the tent.

Looking at the two guards stationed outside the tent, Hyuga Gen was lost in thought. It would be best to become one of them; that would make things much more convenient.

Hyuga Gen began to observe the two guards carefully, wondering if there was an opportunity to take one of them out and impersonate him.

With this in mind, Hyuga Gen began to study the two guards in earnest.

In the afternoon, both sides clashed again, but the scale was small, seemingly just probing each other to gauge their opponent's strength.

Naturally, Hyuga Gen paid no mind to this, remaining focused on observing the two guards. Time slipped away, and the night passed.

Of course, Hyuga Gen did have a breakthrough that night: he discovered an opportunity. He noticed that the two guards would go behind the tent to relieve themselves. This was his chance, and he prepared to make his move the following night.

The next morning, the fighting between the two sides became intense. Nearly one hundred and fifty people from both sides were committed to the battle; the scale of this conflict was not small.

One had to realize that there were not many ninjas in this world. Take the Land of Water and the Land of Grass, for example—the entire nation only had about six or seven hundred ninjas, perhaps even fewer.

The Five Great Nations were the strongest; Konoha, for instance, had nearly fifteen thousand ninjas in total. The other four nations each had about thirteen thousand. The Fourth Ninja World War involved over eighty thousand ninjas, with the Five Great Nations contributing sixty-seven thousand, and the rest being volunteers from various smaller nations.

Casualties continued to rise, and more and more people went to that tent. Some even returned multiple times. She truly lived up to the name of a human medical kit, supporting an entire squad on her own.

At this point, Hyuga Gen's mind began to race. He planned to sneak in and take a look, primarily to observe the two guards and prepare for his plan to swap places with one of them.

Looking at the woman who was nothing but skin and bones, Hyuga Gen was speechless for a moment. She was a truly pitiful woman, and he could tell she was not far from death; she could pass away at any moment.

He intentionally stayed a little longer, and after the two guards reminded him, Hyuga Gen quickly exited. He hurriedly apologized, claiming his chakra consumption had been too severe, which was why he had taken a few extra sips. The two guards gave him a stern warning but said nothing more.

Hyuga Gen had now memorized their voices; all that remained was to wait for nightfall.

Emerging from the camp, Hyuga Gen let out a sigh of relief. He had actually been quite nervous just moments ago. However, it seemed that sneaking in wasn't as difficult as he had imagined—though, of course, it might have been because his Transformation Technique was so exquisite that it was hard for others to spot any flaws.

Hyuga Gen couldn't help but marvel at how useful the Transformation Technique was. This jutsu really shouldn't be classified as a basic technique; it was practically an S-rank divine skill.

Meanwhile, after two days of travel, Might Guy and his party had already caught sight of the Hokage Rock in Konoha.