radicalducati Chapter 169 The Village After the War
Chapter 169 The Village After the War
Chapter 169 The Village After the War
Finding a tent to rest in, Taiichi went inside, took out paper and pen from his ninja tool bag, and immediately began writing a letter to his teacher, Tsunade.
Firstly, it was to express his longing. Of course, Taiichi's face turned red as he wrote this; he felt incredibly ashamed.
Secondly, he recounted his recent situation, the battles he had experienced, and greeted his teacher, asking him to visit Konoha when he had time.
Thirdly, and this was the main purpose of writing the letter, was to inquire about matters concerning the Yin Seal.
The letter stated that he had seen a description of the Yin Seal in the notes given to him by his teacher, which could effectively address his current situation of insufficient chakra.
During this period of battles, I have often been troubled by insufficient chakra. Yesterday, I was even more distressed because I had no chakra and could only watch helplessly as a seriously injured Konoha ninja died before my eyes.
Of course, Taiichi's writing here is a bit exaggerated. Although he has a sense of responsibility as a medical ninja, he will not take on responsibilities beyond his capabilities.
Looking at the completed letter, Tai read it through once and found it to be truly heartfelt.
He nodded in satisfaction, formed hand seals to summon a slug, and asked her to deliver the letter to Tsunade.
Next, we just have to wait for news from Tsunade-sensei.
As Taiyi stepped out of the tent and prepared to head to the medical camp, his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure not far away. The blond-haired Minato was giving orders to the assembled group at the camp entrance.
And the people he gathered were none other than Yohei, Saori, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin.
Everyone looks ready to go!
Taiyi approached with light steps, a hint of curiosity on his face.
Noticing his approach, Yangping was the first to look over, instinctively raising his arm high and waving: "Hey, Taiichi! You're finally out!"
Taiyi's face darkened. "I'm not going to jail, what do you mean by 'finally out'!"
"I just went to a meeting and wrote a letter, how come it sounds so awful coming from your mouth!" Taiichi complained helplessly, which made Saori and Rin cover their mouths and giggle.
His gaze swept over the group preparing to depart, then turned to Minato beside him: "Senior brother, are you preparing to take them on patrol?"
His tone was certain, after all, that was how it was arranged at the meeting just now, but he didn't expect Minato to act so quickly.
"That's right!" Minato nodded with a smile, his blue eyes as gentle as ever. "The perimeter of the camp urgently needs to be reinforced, so it's a good opportunity to take them on patrol."
After yesterday's battle, he clearly acknowledged the abilities of Yangping and the others. Even Obito and Rin's performance yesterday far surpassed that of ordinary genin, completely exceeding their status as graduates of the Ninja Academy.
Yangping put his arm around Obito's neck and smiled at Taiichi, saying, "Weren't you supposed to be helping out at the medical camp these days?"
He pointed to the busy scene over there, "The medical camp has never been idle for a moment. I heard that you just recovered some chakra last night and then went to treat the seriously wounded over there again."
"I was wondering why you got up so late this morning. Turns out you were working overtime last night!"
He spoke casually, but Taiichi could still detect a hint of worry in his tone.
Yangping patted Obito on the shoulder beside him. "Anyway, no one's going on missions with us. Captain Minato is short-handed, so it's perfect for us to go on patrol with him and find something to do. Otherwise, we'll just be sitting here doing nothing, right, Saori?"
Saori nodded slightly in agreement with Yangping's statement. Their team was incomplete, and their captain was absent. Going to take on missions on their own would be too restrictive. It would be better to follow Captain Minato, who was both familiar with them and powerful.
Obito, who was listening to their conversation, immediately puffed out his chest: "We're not a burden! Besides, Minato-sensei is leading the team now, there won't be any problems!"
Kakashi, with his hands in his pockets and his mask covering most of his face, nodded slightly to Tai.
He has gained a lot from this period of intense battles. Not only has his strength improved by leaps and bounds, but his lightning release has also improved significantly through his exchanges with Saori.
He now only wants more battles to test his use of his new powers.
Rin stood behind Kakashi, and upon hearing her companions' words, smiled somewhat shyly at Taichi.
Taiichi looked at these guys, and Yangping's expression that said "we're smart enough not to bother you with your business," coupled with the subtext in his words—that even without Taiichi leading the team, they could act independently, and had even found Minato to lead the team—made Taiichi smile.
It's true that fortunes change, back then Minato was too busy and left Kakashi and the others under his command.
Now it's Taiichi's turn to be unavailable, so he has to send Yohei and Saori with Minato.
Thinking of this, Taiichi wasn't embarrassed at all and smiled at Minato, saying, "Then I'll trouble you to look after them, senior brother. The front lines have just been secured, and it's hard to guarantee that there aren't any scattered Sand Ninja lurking around. Please be extra careful."
"Don't worry." Minato nodded solemnly, his gaze sweeping over the squad members in front of him. "I'll keep an eye on things. As for you, the medical camp is under immense pressure, so take care of yourself and don't overexert your chakra."
He knew Taiyi's importance in the medical camp. If it weren't for Taiyi, half of the twenty-odd seriously wounded soldiers from last night would probably have died.
"Yes, I know what I'm doing!" Taichi waved his hand, casually taking out several medicine bottles from his ninja tool pouch and handing them to Minato. "These contain my specially made soldier rations and antidotes. You know their effects, so take them just in case!"
Minato's expression stiffened for a moment, then he regained his composure, took the medicine bottle, poured out a few pills, and distributed them to everyone.
Yangping and Rin, on the other hand, remained calm. Having spent many years with Taiyi, they had taken quite a few of these pills and were somewhat accustomed to them. However, seeing Kakashi, Obito, and Rin accept the pills without any apparent awareness, their expressions turned strangely indescribable.
"Taiyi, you have such good medicine, why didn't you take it out sooner? I suffered a lot yesterday because I didn't have enough chakra!"
Obito was not polite at all. He took the pill, looked at it from left to right, and smelled it, his eyes full of curiosity.
Finally, he took out a soldier's ration pill, saying, "This head is huge!" and licked it with his tongue, wanting to taste how it was!
"No—" Minato opened his mouth to stop him, but it was too late. No one expected that some idiot would actually lick the medicine to taste it.
Kakashi and Rin were taken aback when they heard Minato's words of protest, and then turned to look at Obito.
Obito looked like he'd just eaten shit; his face changed drastically, and he kept spitting at the ground, frantically pulling out a water pouch from his waist and gulping water down his throat.
"This—what is this—even poison doesn't taste this bad!" Obito looked at the pill in his hand, his eyes filled with fear.
Kakashi and Rin were stunned by this scene, and they couldn't help but feel a bit more awe towards the pills in their hands.
"Hahaha~" Yangping was laughing so hard he was doubled over, and tears were streaming down his face.
Minato was speechless at his student's behavior. He was too reckless, daring to lick without knowing anything. He had no decency at all.
"Taiyi's medicine is very effective, more than twice as strong as similar medicines on the market, but the taste is not very good, so when you take it, please do not chew it, just swallow it directly!"
Minato explained to the three bewildered guys how to use Taichi's special medicine.
Kakashi and Rin, after hearing this, came up with a plan.
It was Obito, his face contorted with regret, crying, "Sensei, why didn't you say so sooner!"
Minato, speechless. You were too fast!
The others burst into laughter again!
After the medicine was distributed, Minato didn't linger. He nodded to Taiichi, then turned to the others and said, "Alright, let's go. Kakashi and Obito, you two will scout the left flank; Yohei and Saori, you two will be on the right flank; Rin and I will provide support from the center."
Minato quickly assigned positions, demonstrating his competence as a top-tier Jonin.
"Understood!" everyone responded in unison, quickly adjusting their formation according to the instructions. Soon, led by Minato, the team transformed into several swift figures and disappeared into the woods outside the camp.
In the open space in front of the gate, only Taiyi and the dust he had raised remained. He watched his companions disappear in the direction they had vanished for a moment, took a deep breath, turned around, and strode towards his other battlefield.
Apart from the blocking battle yesterday morning, the ambush battle in the afternoon actually lasted less than an hour, with most of the remaining time spent pursuing the fleeing soldiers.
The battlefield spread from the initial ambush point all the way to the vicinity of the Land of Wind's border, which made it difficult for the Konoha ninjas who were cleaning up the battlefield.
In addition to their regular duties, they also had to undertake search and cleanup work.
The primary objective is naturally to search for survivors from Konoha, and if they are corpses, to bring them back as well.
The second objective is to eliminate those Sand Village ninjas who are hiding in remote corners and barely clinging to life.
The third objective is the overt cleanup of the battlefield. If the corpses of enemies and animals are not disposed of in a timely manner, they can easily cause diseases in the hot summer.
For example, when Shuimen and Yangping were patrolling 4 kilometers southeast of the camp, a slight wail caught the attention of the team members.
Everyone immediately formed a defensive formation and stopped, listening intently to the source of the sound.
Soon after, a Sand Villager was found inside a hollow of a large tree.
"Minato-senpai, look." Yangping pointed to the Sand Village ninja who was unconscious and could only groan instinctively.
"Collapsed chest cavity, extensive fire-style burns—this person is beyond saving!" Kakashi concluded after just one glance.
"Judging by his age, he's about the same age as us!" Obito's tone was inscrutable, it was hard to tell whether it was sympathy or helplessness.
"He's not worth being a prisoner. Give him a quick death!" Minato stepped forward to check him over. At his age, he would only be cannon fodder on the battlefield. Not everyone is like Taichi, Yohei, or Kakashi.
Yangping nodded, walked up to the other person, and looked at the Sand Village ninja who was still in pain even in his unconscious state: "I'm here to relieve your suffering and reduce your pain. This is the greatest mercy I can show you."
As he spoke, he thrust his kunai into the man's jaw, piercing straight into his brain. The Sand Shinobi twitched once, then fell silent.
Such things can happen at any time on this vast battlefield. Most often, it's the enemy, but it could also be one's own people. Those who can't make it back to camp for treatment are forced to do this out of desperation to alleviate their comrades' suffering.
And so, another day passed, and news of the ambush in the Land of Rivers finally reached Konoha and Sunagakure through the fastest means.
The Hokage's office.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Jiraiya's report detailing the battle in the Land of Rivers and the post-battle arrangements, his face initially lit up with joy, but then darkened.
While victory in war is certainly good, the fact that such a large-scale battle broke out so quickly was truly beyond his expectations.
If the previous skirmishes were merely small-scale conflicts between border ninjas, then this battle can be considered a formal declaration of war by Sunagakure.
At the same time, a sense of unease also arose in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart, even though Jiraiya kept saying in his report that he was only acting in self-defense.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't blind, so how could he not see that this was a conspiracy meticulously planned by Jiraiya and his advisors?
This conspiracy likely began the moment Taiyi developed the antidote pill. For nearly a month, the entire southern camp remained unreported to him.
a long time.
"Notify advisors Shimura Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura to come to a meeting immediately!" A deep voice came from the swirling smoke.
"Yes!" a voice rang out, then faded into the distance.
Not long after, the three arrived at the Hokage's office, only to be met with a familiar scene: the room was filled with smoke, obscuring even the figures of people. Since the border situation had deteriorated, Hiruzen Sarutobi's smoking had increased significantly, and this was often the case in his office.
Koharu, the only woman in the room, angrily fanned herself with her cigarette smoke, walked to the side, opened the window, and gestured to Danzo standing nearby.
As expected of a long-time team member, Danzo waved his sleeve, and a gust of wind was generated, carrying the smoke from inside the room out the window, instantly clearing the office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't say a word, just watched quietly until they stood still, then he handed them Jiraiya's report.
The three of them noticed Hiruzen Sarutobi's unusual behavior, but they didn't understand why, so they could only take the scroll and start reading.
After watching just the beginning, the three men's expressions revealed their differences.
Danzo's face lit up with joy. As a representative of the martial arts faction, he would be happy to see Konoha win battles against foreign powers, no matter what.
Koharu and En were different; they both frowned deeply, worried about Sunagakure launching such a large-scale battle.
After reading the entire report, the scroll was returned to Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands, and the office fell silent as everyone pondered the consequences of this incident and its impact on themselves and Konoha.
"First of all, regardless of the circumstances, the battle was won, and it was a great victory. We also captured the frontline commander of Sunagakure. This is something that must be commended at this time!" Seeing that everyone was still silent, Koharu Utatane thought for a moment and spoke first, expressing her opinion.
Everyone nodded in agreement. It was a fact that couldn't be changed. Konoha was now facing a situation similar to World War II, surrounded by enemies on all sides. This great victory would greatly boost their morale and also deter other villages.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, his expression grew increasingly grim.
The other three were also shrewd. With such a long buffer period, and recalling some details in the report, they naturally understood why Hiruzen Sarutobi had such a displeased expression.
Danzo's expression remained calm, but a hint of contempt lurked deep in his eyes. He couldn't even control his own disciple, and was still wary of him. Hiruzen, you're really getting old. It's time to give up your position as Hokage.
Xiao Chun and Yan exchanged a glance, saying nothing more. This concerned the relationship between master and disciple, and it was inappropriate for outsiders like themselves to interfere. Otherwise, once the matter was over, their bond would remain strong, leaving them, the outsiders, in a lose-lose situation.
Seeing that none of the three mentioned Jiraiya, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and had no choice but to speak up himself. "Victory certainly deserves recognition, but for such a large-scale operation, the village didn't receive any prior notice. This is a dereliction of duty on the part of the frontline leadership."
"What if they lose? The village was completely unprepared. How will they face the future situation? What if the Sand Village directly invades the Land of Fire?"
With Hiruzen Sarutobi setting the tone, the remaining three naturally knew what to do.
Not long after, a commendation order was drafted, praising and rewarding all the ninjas on the front lines while subtly mentioning the necessity of reporting all actions to the village immediately. At the same time, a group of support personnel was dispatched to serve Jiraiya.
Of course, two Jonin were directly appointed as strategists to participate in all decision-making on the front lines, which is a clear example of decentralization.
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