Bait

Under the crushing pressure of the two opposing each other, Uchiha You stood there in a daze as he heard Orochimaru explain the situation at 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 ninjas to head to the front lines of the war!"

In other words, they would be battlefield doctors, braving enemy attacks to save patients who had not yet died.

Tsunade valued Uchiha You's talent. In her eyes, there was no need for him to take such risks. The role he could play in the rear far exceeded what he could accomplish on the front lines.

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

Orochimaru saw the matter more comprehensively. Uchiha You's strength had to be taken into account as well. During his missions, Uchiha You had already been capable of killing a Chunin alone.

The core battlefield would certainly have Jonin, but aside from that area, the front lines were relatively safe. There would also be people specifically assigned to protect him, so the chance of anything going wrong was low.

After all, he was Orochimaru's disciple, and such an outstanding one at that. If the number of dead and critically wounded at the front had not been so high, Orochimaru would not have sent Uchiha You there.

"I understand what you both mean."

After hearing the full explanation and understanding the situation, Uchiha You stepped forward and bowed directly to Tsunade.

"My apologies, Lady Tsunade, but I need to go to the front lines and fulfill my role rather than remain in the rear. The hospital has already entered a stable routine. Even without me, there will be no problems."

"On the other hand, there are countless casualties on the front lines who cannot be transported back. I need to protect their lives."

At that moment, Uchiha You felt Tsunade's terrifying killing intent. It was the pressure of a top-tier expert, something even he could not ignore. Fortunately, Jiraiya beside him promptly withstood it, then turned to glance at Uchiha You.

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

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

Only Uchiha You understood the real reason.

An opportunity to go to the battlefield meant encountering enemies. With his current abilities, he could kill Chunin. Even if he encountered an Elite Chunin, the power of radiation would ensure that nothing unexpected happened.

Staying hidden in the rear would certainly earn him a good reputation, but becoming renowned across the entire Shinobi World would be impossible.

"Do you even know what you're saying?! You have never experienced the cruelty of war, yet you want to go to the battlefield!"

Tsunade directly pushed Jiraiya aside, grabbed Uchiha You, and forced him to face her. Her low voice fell into his ears.

"People die! I have seen many brats like you. The moment they reach the battlefield, they die before they even have time to see what is happening."

Tsunade spoke her mind bluntly. The war had not yet reached the point where Genin were sent to the central battlefield, but the areas where injured ninjas were treated were 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 You, having made up his mind, showed no intention of backing down.

In the end, Tsunade could only helplessly set him back down. She turned to Orochimaru and said with some irritation.

"He really is your disciple. Even his temper is the same. Once he decides on something, he does it without ever considering the consequences."

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

Since medical ninjas were needed on the battlefield for rescue operations, Orochimaru had to arrange for a group of people to protect them.

Tsunade would also personally go to the battlefield. Medical ninjas were not supposed to enter the battlefield, but there was one exception: Tsunade!

As the founder and inheritor of Medical Ninjutsu, rules had never applied to the one who made them.

Because the situation was urgent, they had to depart for the front lines immediately. The Jonin were all fighting at the front, while the ninjas left in the rear were still recovering.

Once everyone had assembled, Tsunade stood at the very front. Behind her was a group of Elite Chunin squads responsible for closely protecting the medical ninjas. After making the necessary preparations, Tsunade spoke 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 them a round of instructions, Tsunade glanced at Uchiha You and coldly said.

"Brat, follow me."

The other medical ninjas looked suspiciously at Tsunade and You, unsure what had happened between them. Only Uchiha You understood that Tsunade was still angry with him.

Angry as she was, Tsunade led the group from the front the entire way and remained alert to their surroundings. She made Uchiha You stay close behind her so she could protect him if danger arose.

After they left the camp, a member of the branch family in the team immediately activated the Byakugan, carefully observing the surroundings and reporting constantly.

There were also members of the Inuzuka Clan, all sensory ninjas. To prevent a sudden enemy ambush, Orochimaru had made thorough preparations.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky, as gloomy as their current mood.

Even the Elite Chunin who had completed many battlefield missions were now on high alert, their kunai never lowered.

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

A raindrop struck Uchiha You's face. He raised his head and looked into the distance, where an enormous mass of black clouds had gathered.

Crack!

Amid the flashes of lightning and rolling thunder, Tsunade stopped walking.

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

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

Tsunade's kunai struck a pool of water ahead. Sure enough, in the next second, figures emerged from the water. Two ninjas from Hidden Mist Village appeared, but instead of attacking immediately, they prepared to flee.

"As expected of the famous Tsunade."

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

They had recognized who the woman before them was. As one of the Legendary Sannin active on the battlefield, she was someone every ninja had to remember by appearance.

Rather than confronting her head-on, the important thing was to deliver this useful information to their forces.

How could Tsunade possibly let them leave safely?

She dealt with the two of them in an instant. Only after looking around and confirming there were no enemies did she continue onward.

What she did not know was that, in a forest some distance away, a mass of shadow was rapidly taking shape.

The moment Tsunade left, the other side followed after her.

"Just as my lord expected, if we only wound the enemy ninjas without killing them, we will definitely draw out the medical ninjas behind them."

This had been a situation deliberately arranged by Hidden Mist Village, intended to lure out the medical ninjas in the rear.

After investigating, they discovered that Konoha was reforming its medical ninja system. To prevent the gap in strength between the two sides from becoming too great as the war dragged on, the higher-ups of Hidden Mist Village decided to kill the medical ninjas first.

They arrived at the scene before nightfall. Although Orochimaru had warned him in advance, Uchiha You was still stunned when he saw the battlefield.

Most of the ninjas were severely injured, while another group had already died. Judging by their condition, they had not been dead for long.

"Were there not many deaths during the battle?"

Uchiha You sensed something was wrong. There were many wounded here, but those who had truly died had only succumbed afterward because they had not received treatment in time and lost too much blood.

But when he wanted to report this information, he saw that Tsunade had already begun the rescue effort. Lives were at stake, so he could only wait until Tsunade had treated these people before speaking to her.

After dealing with several critical patients, You came to Tsunade's side and briefly explained what had happened.

"You mean this was deliberate on their part? There are so many wounded, yet they chose not to track them down and finish them off?"

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

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