"Phew, this is all we can do for now."
Ren put down the reagent bottle in his hand and shook his head at Kana Maiko.
"It's not working…"
Kana Maiko's eyes dimmed slightly; after all, given the condition of those poisoned in the ward, they probably wouldn't last much longer.
"Auntie Maiko, this isn't an ordinary poison. The antidote we developed can only temporarily stabilize the toxins in the poisoned individuals' bodies; it can't completely cure them. This might be a new type of highly potent poison personally concocted by the Commander, Chiyo."
"Chiyo's… poison…"
Kana Maiko fell silent. Chiyo of Hidden Sand Village was not only a top-tier Puppet Master but also an all-rounder female Ninja with powerful Taijutsu, Sealing Jutsu, and Medical Ninjutsu.
However, regarding Medical Ninjutsu, besides healing the sick and injured, Chiyo was also proficient in poison research. Basically, Sunagakure Ninja, more or less, used the poisons Chiyo developed, coating them on Ninja tools or combining them with puppet mechanisms to cause greater lethality. Although Chiyo's mastery of poison was astonishing, Tsunade's medical skills were not inferior to hers, and perhaps even slightly superior.
"Auntie Maiko, please request the Commander to transfer Tsunade-sensei here. This kind of poison should only be solvable by her. All we can do right now is keep them alive, and this situation can't go on forever."
Ren said in a deep voice. He couldn't break down this level of poison and could only seek assistance. Fortunately, it was discovered early; otherwise, if it suddenly appeared during a large-scale war later, who could withstand it?
"Alright, I'll go apply to the Commander now. You go back and rest; you've worked hard today."
"It's fine. You go ahead."
Kana Maiko nodded at Ren, turned, and walked out of the tent towards the command tent. It would take time for Tsunade to arrive from Konoha Village, and the condition of the injured could not be fully guaranteed. Developing an antidote sooner might save more lives.
"Achoo!"
Ren took off his white coat and sneezed twice as soon as he stepped out of the tent, subconsciously raising his hand to cover his clothes.
Is the season changing…
Ren quickly walked out of the Medical Camp, a wry smile on his face.
Seriously…
War doesn't pick its timing for you. Looking at the current situation, it's highly likely we'll be spending New Year in tents this year…
…
"Must it be this way, Vice-Director Kana?"
At this moment, only Sakumo Hatake, Jiraiya, and Kana Maiko were in the command tent.
After listening to Kana Maiko's report, both fell silent, not expecting Sunagakure to deliver a harsh opening blow. All the Medical Ninja in the Konoha Camp were helpless against this new type of poison, so it seemed they could only report the situation to the Village and have Tsunade transferred over.
"This is the only way. Besides Tsunade, there's no one else here who can decipher the potent poison developed by Chiyo. If this potent poison is allowed to be used by Sunagakure Ninja in combat, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Sakumo Hatake said in a deep voice, turning his head to look at Jiraiya, who was sitting beside him.
"Without further ado, Jiraiya, go and bring Tsunade over. Depart now."
"Yes!"
Jiraiya stood up, took his orders, turned, and walked out of the command tent, preparing to return to the Village.
As for why Jiraiya was being replaced, all three knew perfectly well. Not only Hidden Sand Village, but also Iwagakure and Kumogakure were watching intently. Most of Konoha's forces were stationed on these two fronts, as Sunagakure had already acted, and their entry into the war was only a matter of time. As for Hidden Mist, they could only be put aside for now. Hiruzen Sarutobi was already preparing to transfer Orochimaru to the Kumogakure front as a preventive measure. After this transfer, Jiraiya would likely be sent to the Iwagakure front.
…
"Ren, you're back."
Ren, who had just returned to his tent to rest, ran straight into Shinnosuke, who had just returned as well.
"Yes, Captain. Is there a mission?"
Shinnosuke lay down on his bed, stretched widely, and then turned his head towards Ren.
"There aren't any missions for now today, but starting tomorrow, we'll be busy, so get some rest. I passed by the Medical Camp earlier and saw Vice-Director Kana take you. How was it? Is the matter resolved?"
"Hmm… the situation isn't good. I have some antidotes here; everyone should bring some tomorrow."
"Not good, huh… Got it. Get some rest early."
Shinnosuke mumbled, then turned over, falling into a light sleep shortly after.
Just as Ren was about to rest, he heard a sound from the tent entrance. Following the sound, he saw that Ryufeng and Hayama had returned.
However, both looked somewhat disheveled, covered in mud and scattered leaves. It was as if… they had been fighting someone.
"The Captain is resting. Where did you two go that you're returning so late?"
The two exchanged glances, walked to their respective beds, and sat down. Hayama spoke first.
"We went to spar."
"…"
Ren was speechless. Were these two so energetic that they ran off to spar at a time like this? It looked like a Taijutsu battle. If they had used Ninjutsu, the commotion would have been discovered by the patrolling Leaf Ninja. In a good scenario, they'd be caught and confined. If they were accidentally mistaken for enemies by their own people and severely injured, who would they complain to?
Seeing the strange look on Ren's face, the two also felt a bit awkward. After patting off the dust and debris from their bodies, they lay on their beds and pretended to sleep.
"Two blockheads…"
Ren mumbled, turned over, and just as he was about to rest, he noticed the empty beds nearby.
Strange, hasn't Anko's squad returned yet?
Although Ren was a bit puzzled, he didn't pay too much attention. A hint of drowsiness appeared in his mind, and he closed his eyes, falling into a light sleep.
…
The next day, Ren, who had rested peacefully through the night, had just opened his eyes when the other three members of his squad also woke up one after another.
Shinnosuke instructed them to wait a moment while he went to collect today's mission.
"They didn't come back last night?"
Ren said, puzzled, while tidying his wrinkled bed. Those beds showed no signs of having been slept in, and Ren hadn't felt anyone return in the middle of the night.
"Oh, they're the reconnaissance team. Yesterday, we saw their squad assigned a night patrol mission at the mission desk in the Konoha Camp. They should be back to rest soon."
"I wonder what our mission will be today."
Ryufeng nodded, and Hayama, who was meditating with his eyes closed beside him, also chimed in.
"So that's it. There are only a few types of missions we can do. We can't say for sure now; let's wait for the Captain to return and inform us."
The two nodded. After yesterday's sparring, the atmosphere between them seemed to have become much more harmonious. Ren was happy to see this; it was not a bad thing for teammates to have a good relationship.
Soon, Shinnosuke returned and stood before the three, announcing their mission for the day.
"Our mission today is…"
"Patrol."