Bait

Caught between the clashing pressure of the two, Uchiha Yū stood there in a daze as Orochimaru explained the situation on the front lines.

"Some time ago, a command error caused heavy casualties. There are too many wounded to transport to the hospital, so we need some medical ninja to head to the front lines of the war!"

In other words, they would be battlefield doctors, saving patients who had not yet died while facing enemy attacks.

Tsunade valued Uchiha Yū's talent. In her view, there was no need for him to take such risks. The role he could play in the rear far exceeded what he could do at the front.

Moreover, if he encountered danger and died on the battlefield, it would be a tremendous loss for Konoha. That was why Tsunade strongly opposed it.

Orochimaru saw things more comprehensively. Uchiha Yū's strength had to be taken into account as well; during his missions, he had already been able to kill a chunin alone.

They would certainly encounter jonin on the core battlefield, but aside from that area, things were relatively safe. There would also be people specifically assigned to protect them, so the chances of anything going wrong were slim.

After all, he was Orochimaru's disciple, and such an outstanding one at that. If the number of dead and severely wounded on the front lines had not been so high, he would never have allowed Uchiha Yū to go.

"I understand what both of you mean."

After hearing everything and understanding the full situation, Uchiha Yū stepped forward, faced Tsunade, and bowed.

"I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade, but I need to go to the front lines and serve my purpose rather than stay in the rear. The hospital has already become properly organized. Even without me, there will not be any problems."

"On the other hand, there are enormous casualties at the very front who cannot be brought back. I need to ensure their survival."

At that moment, Uchiha Yū felt Tsunade's terrifying killing intent. It was the pressure of a top-tier powerhouse; even he could not remain unaffected. Fortunately, Jiraiya beside him promptly held it back, then turned to glance at Uchiha Yū.

As an outsider, Jiraiya had to admit that Uchiha Yū was a qualified ninja. More than that, he had inherited the Third Hokage's Will of Fire. He was among the finest of the new generation!

"To withstand Tsunade's killing intent... not bad, kid."

Only Uchiha Yū understood the real situation.

The chance to go to the battlefield meant he would encounter enemies. With his current abilities, he could kill chunin. Even if he encountered elite chunin, he could rely on the power of radiation without any accidents.

He could stay hidden in the rear and earn himself a good reputation, but becoming renowned throughout the entire ninja world would be impossible.

"Do you even know what you're saying?! You haven't experienced the cruelty of war, and you want to go to the battlefield?!"

Tsunade shoved Jiraiya aside, grabbed Uchiha Yū, and met his eyes. Her low voice fell into his ears.

"People die! I've seen plenty of brats like you. They arrive on the battlefield and die before they even have the chance to see what it looks like."

Tsunade spoke bluntly. The war had not yet reached the point where genin were sent onto the central battlefield, but the area where injured ninja were treated was not far from it.

"Lady Tsunade, I believe in my own strength."

His gaze remained as calm as ever. No matter how Tsunade threatened him, Uchiha Yū had made up his mind and showed no intention of refusing.

In the end, Tsunade could only helplessly set him down. She turned toward Orochimaru and said with a hint of irritation, "He really is your disciple. Even his temper is the same. Once he sets his sights on something, he goes and does it without ever considering the consequences."

Orochimaru merely nodded slightly at being called out and did not refute Tsunade.

Since medical ninja were needed on the battlefield to provide rescue, Orochimaru needed to arrange a group of people to protect them.

Tsunade would also personally head to the battlefield. Medical ninja were not supposed to go onto the battlefield, but there was one exception: Tsunade herself!

As both the creator and inheritor of medical ninjutsu, she had never been bound by rules she had made herself.

Because the situation was urgent, they had to leave for the front lines immediately. The jonin were all fighting there, while the ninja left behind in the rear were still recovering.

Once everyone had assembled, Tsunade stood at the front. Behind her was a group of elite chunin squads responsible for closely protecting the medical ninja. After making the necessary preparations, Tsunade said with a grave expression, "The next mission carries an extremely high risk of death. We must save our injured comrades in the shortest time possible!"

After giving her instructions, Tsunade glanced at Uchiha Yū and coldly said, "Brat, follow me."

The other medical ninja watched Tsunade and You with puzzled expressions, unsure what had happened between them. Only Uchiha Yū understood that Tsunade was still angry with him.

Angry as she was, Tsunade led the way throughout the journey and constantly kept watch over their surroundings. She made Uchiha Yū stay close behind her so she could protect him if danger arose.

After leaving the camp, a member of the branch family in the group immediately activated his Byakugan, carefully observing the surroundings and continuously reporting what he saw.

There were also members of the Inuzuka clan, all sensory ninja. To prevent a surprise enemy attack, Orochimaru had made thorough preparations.

The sky was blanketed with dark clouds, as gloomy as their current mood.

Even the elite chunin who had carried out many battlefield missions were on high alert, their kunai never lowering from their hands.

They were about to enter the border region of the Land of Rain.

A raindrop fell and struck Uchiha Yū's face. He looked toward the distance and saw a massive black cloud gathered there.

Crack!

Amid the lightning and thunder, Tsunade stopped.

The ninja beside her drew their weapons and formed up, cautiously watching their surroundings.

Uchiha Yū also sensed that something was off. Just moments ago, a faint, elusive killing intent had drifted around them.

Tsunade threw a kunai into a puddle ahead. Sure enough, figures materialized from the water the next second. Two ninja from the Hidden Mist Village appeared, but rather than attack immediately, they prepared to flee.

"As expected of the famous Tsunade."

One of the Hidden Mist Village ninja watched Tsunade with a solemn expression.

They had recognized the woman before them. As one of the Three Sannin active on the battlefield, her appearance was something every ninja had to remember.

Rather than confront her head-on, the important thing was to report this valuable information to their forces.

But how could Tsunade possibly let them leave unharmed?

She dealt with both of them in an instant. Only after checking the surroundings and confirming there were no enemies did she continue onward.

What she did not know was that, in a forest some distance away, a shadow was rapidly emerging.

Tsunade had barely left when it followed after her.

"Just as my lord expected. If we only wound the enemy ninja without killing them, we can surely lure out the medical ninja behind them."

This had been a trap deliberately laid by the Hidden Mist Village, intended to draw out the medical ninja in the rear.

After investigating, they discovered that Konoha had reformed its medical ninja system. To ensure neither side's strength became too uneven as the war dragged on, the Hidden Mist Village leadership decided to kill the medical ninja first.

They reached the site before nightfall. Although Orochimaru had warned him beforehand, Uchiha Yū was still stunned when he saw the battlefield.

Most of the ninja were severely wounded, while another group had already died. Judging from their condition, they had not been dead for long.

"Were there not many deaths during the battle?"

Uchiha Yū sensed something was wrong. There were many wounded here, but those who had truly died had mostly succumbed afterward, from failing to receive treatment in time and losing too much blood.

Just as he wanted to report his findings, he saw Tsunade had already begun treating the wounded. With lives at stake, he could only wait until Tsunade had finished helping them before speaking to her.

After treating several critical patients, You came to Tsunade's side and briefly explained what he had noticed.

"You mean this was deliberately arranged by the enemy? There are so many wounded, yet they chose not to follow us and finish them off?"

Tsunade realized the severity of the situation, but it was already impossible to evacuate with all these wounded.

Meanwhile, a large number of ninja had already surrounded them. Their objective was clear: to kill every Konoha ninja present!