Bait

Under the pressure of the two confronting each other, Uchiha Yuu stood there in a daze as he heard Orochimaru explain the situation at the front lines.

"Some time ago, a command error caused severe 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, saving patients who had not yet died while enduring enemy attacks.

Tsunade valued Uchiha Yuu's talent. There was no need for him to take such risks when 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 vehemently opposed it.

Orochimaru took a broader view. His strength had to be considered as a whole, and Uchiha Yuu had already been capable of killing a Chunin alone during missions.

They would certainly encounter Jonin on the core battlefield, but aside from that area, it was relatively safe. There would also be people specifically assigned to protect them, so the chances of something 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 at the front had not been so high, he would not have sent Uchiha Yuu there.

"I understand what both of you mean."

After hearing the full explanation and understanding the situation, Uchiha Yuu stepped forward, bowed directly to Tsunade, and said:

"My apologies, Lady Tsunade, but I need to go to the front lines and do my part rather than stay in the rear. The hospital is already operating in an orderly manner. Even without me, there will not be any problems."

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

At that moment, Uchiha Yuu felt Tsunade's terrifying killing intent. Even he could not remain unaffected by the pressure directed at him from a top-tier expert. Fortunately, Jiraiya beside him promptly withstood it and turned to glance at Uchiha Yuu.

As an outsider, Jiraiya had to admit that Uchiha Yuu 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 Yuu understood the true situation.

A chance to go to the battlefield meant a chance to meet enemies. With his current abilities, he could kill Chunin. Even if he encountered an Elite Chunin, he could rely on the power of radiation without any mishaps.

He could earn a good reputation by hiding in the rear, but it would be impossible for his name to resound throughout the Shinobi World that way.

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

Tsunade shoved Jiraiya aside, lifted Uchiha Yuu up, and met his gaze. Her low voice reached his ears.

"People die! I've seen plenty of kids like you. The moment they arrive on the battlefield, they die before they even have time to see what's happening."

Tsunade spoke bluntly. The war had not yet reached the point where Genin were sent to the central battlefield, but the area where ninjas were wounded 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 Yuu had made up his mind and showed no intention of refusing.

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 temperament 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 work, Orochimaru had to arrange a group to protect them.

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

As both the founder and inheritor of Medical Ninjutsu, she had never been bound by rules she herself had made.

Because the situation was urgent, they needed to depart for the front immediately. The Jonin were all fighting at the front, while the ninjas left behind were still recuperating.

Once everyone had assembled, Tsunade stood at the front. Behind her were several Elite Chunin squads responsible for protecting the medical ninjas at close range. After all necessary precautions had been taken, Tsunade spoke with a grave expression.

"The coming mission carries an extremely high risk of death. We must save our injured comrades in the shortest possible time!"

After giving them instructions, Tsunade glanced at Uchiha Yuu and coldly said:

"Brat, follow me."

The other medical ninjas looked suspiciously at Tsunade and Yuu, unable to understand what had happened between them. Only Uchiha Yuu knew that Tsunade was still angry with him.

Angry or not, Tsunade led the way throughout the journey and kept constant watch over their surroundings. She had Uchiha Yuu stay close behind her so she could protect him if danger arose.

Once they left the camp, a member of the branch family activated his Byakugan, carefully observing the area and constantly reporting what he saw.

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 present mood.

Even the Elite Chunin who had carried out numerous battlefield missions were fully alert, their kunai never lowered from their hands.

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

A raindrop fell onto Uchiha Yuu's face. He raised his head and looked into the distance, where a massive cluster of dark clouds had gathered.

Crack!

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

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

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

Tsunade threw a kunai into a puddle ahead. Sure enough, the next second, figures emerged from the water. Two Kirigakure ninjas appeared, but rather than attacking immediately, they prepared to flee.

"As expected of the renowned Tsunade."

One of the Kirigakure ninjas watched Tsunade with a solemn expression.

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

Rather than clash with her head-on, the crucial thing was to report this valuable information to their forces.

How could Tsunade possibly let them leave safely?

She disposed of 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 within a distant forest, a shadow was rapidly taking shape.

The moment Tsunade left, it followed after her.

"Just as my lord predicted, if we only injure the enemy's ninjas rather than kill them, we can lure out the medical ninjas behind them."

This had been a deliberate arrangement by Kirigakure, intended to draw out the medical ninjas in the rear.

After investigating, they discovered that Konoha had reformed its medical ninja system. To prevent the balance of power between the two sides from widening as the war dragged on, Kirigakure's higher-ups decided to kill the medical ninjas first.

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

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

"Were there not many deaths during the battle?"

Uchiha Yuu sensed something was wrong. There were many injured here, but the ones who had truly died had only succumbed afterward, when they had not received treatment in time and bled out.

However, when he wanted to report his findings, he saw that Tsunade had already begun rescue work. With lives at stake, he could only wait until she had treated these people before speaking to her.

After dealing with several critical patients, Yuu came to Tsunade's side and briefly explained what he had noticed.

"You're saying this was deliberate? There are so many wounded, yet they chose not to follow up and kill them?"

Tsunade realized the severity 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 objective was clear: kill every Konoha ninja present!