"Alright, you know what you need to know. I should go check on the injured first. Brat, lead the way."
Tsunade strode out, motioning for Ren to leave with her.
"Yes, Tsunade-sensei."
Ren waved to the members of his squad and, under their helpless gazes, trotted out after Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sensei, how are things with Iwagakure and Kumogakure?"
Tsunade glanced at Ren and spoke as they walked.
"The Old Man has already sent Jiraiya to the Iwagakure front, and Orochimaru has been sent to guard the Kumogakure front. Those guys are all restless; it won't be long until the war starts."
At this, Tsunade paused, turned, gave Ren a meaningful look, and continued.
"When I left, I heard Shinku Yuhi say that your little girlfriend is about to be deployed to the Iwagakure border."
"Huh?"
Ren's expression shifted slightly but quickly returned to normal.
Noticing Ren's change, Tsunade reached out and patted his shoulder.
"Don't worry. When I left, I told Jiraiya to look after her, and with her father going with her, her safety should still be guaranteed."
Ren breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this and scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"Thank you, Tsunade-sensei."
"Brat, why are you being so polite with your teacher?"
Tsunade scolded with a laugh.
Before long, the two had arrived at the Medical Camp. As they approached the injured tent, they saw Kana Maiko walking from a distance.
Kana Maiko was slightly startled when she saw them, but a joyful smile quickly spread across her face.
"Tsunade, you're finally here! I feel much more at ease now."
"Hahaha, don't worry, Maiko. Let me check on the injured first."
Kana Maiko nodded. After they entered, Ren noticed that the condition of the two poisoned individuals seemed even worse than when he last visited.
"The situation isn't too good. We can only use some antidotes to stabilise the toxins in their bodies, but using too much of this antitoxin will make the patients develop resistance. Given their current condition, they won't last much longer."
"Hmm…"
Tsunade walked up to the two, observing them while picking up their medical records to analyse and ponder.
"Desert Silver-Scaled Snake: Once bitten, it causes pain, swelling, and fever. Distributed throughout the Land of Wind.
Sand-tailed Scorpion: Hides its body in the sand, blending with the environment, waiting for prey to come to it. Its venom is not very potent but has a high rate of causing disability."
At this point, Tsunade paused, clicking her tongue in wonder.
"Eating Ground North Star leads to neurological disorders, eating Hundred Year Orchid causes strong hallucinations, and dried Poison Hemlock leaves are incredibly toxic. Tsk tsk tsk, that old hag is truly ruthless."
After speaking, Tsunade turned to look at the two.
"Do you have any extracted toxin samples? If all goes well, we can research an antidote within the next two days."
"This…"
Kana Maiko looked at Tsunade with some difficulty.
"Currently, we only know of the existence of this virus because of these two patients. As for samples… I'm afraid…"
"Wait! Just a moment!"
Ren's eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned and dashed out, leaving the two of them bewildered by his parting words…
Ren sprinted all the way to the command tent. After being announced by the guards, Ren immediately rushed in.
At this moment, only Sakumo Hatake and Nara Shikaku stood before the topographical map and sand table, discussing something. Seeing Ren rush in so frantically, both were a little confused.
"Ren, what is this?"
No sooner had Nara Shikaku asked than Ren anxiously inquired.
"Uncle Shikaku, where are those two Sand Ninja we captured?"
"They were sent to the Interrogation Department. What's wrong?"
Nara Shikaku said with a puzzled expression, unsure what Ren was up to.
"We have a direction for the antitoxin serum research, but we lack toxin samples. I remember those two Sand Ninja had poison on their Kunai, and they should still have some on them, so…"
"I understand. Come with us."
Before Ren could finish, the two understood his meaning. Sakumo Hatake said with a serious expression, then led the way out. The two followed closely behind.
The three arrived at the Interrogation Department. After finding Suzuki Shinji and Yamanaka Gen, both were still drowsy and disoriented. Ren stepped forward and rummaged through their bodies, pulling out a mess of items from their pockets.
A few scattered matches, half a pack of cigarettes, and… a photo of a girl.
Ren was silent for a moment before putting the photo back into their pockets. He picked up their ninja tool pouches, and after some searching, Ren's eyes lit up—he found it!
Sakumo Hatake and Nara Shikaku focused their gazes on Ren, eagerly asking.
"How is it? Do you have it?"
Ren held up a test tube, which came into view of the three. Inside, there was half a bottle of black, unknown liquid, which should be Chiyo's newly developed toxin.
"This should be it. I'll take it over now."
Ren nodded to the two, rushed out of the Interrogation Department in a hurry, and headed towards the Medical Camp. Soon, Ren arrived before the two. After Ren handed the test tube to Tsunade, he stood aside with Kana Maiko, watching Tsunade nervously.
Seeing Tsunade nod slightly after a series of tests, Ren and Kana Maiko both breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, they could continue with the research.
"We have the sample now. Let's go. If all goes well, we should have results in the next two days."
"Okay, then I'll go back and rest first. You two work hard."
Ren turned to leave. All he wanted was to rush back to his tent and get a good night's sleep. However, it seemed things wouldn't go as he wished.
"Where are you going, Ren?"
Ren felt his collar being grabbed, and then Tsunade approached him with a beaming smile.
"…Master, I think this matter…"
Before Ren could finish, Tsunade dragged him out of the tent.
"Less nonsense! Come and be my assistant. With you like this, when will you ever become Hokage? Maiko, where's the laboratory? Take me there. We'll be busy these next two days."
"Coming, coming."
Kana Maiko walked along, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. These two didn't act like master and disciple at all… rather, they seemed a bit like… siblings?
Kana Maiko shook her head, shaking off her jumbled thoughts. After leading the two to the laboratory, she left. After all, as the person in charge of the Medical Camp, she was also very busy.
"Then let's begin. Ren, don't even think about slacking off, or else… You know the consequences."
Looking at Tsunade's half-smile and clenched fist, Ren swallowed hard, feeling like crying but no tears came.
How could this be? I'm still a child. Is it too late to switch teachers now…?