"Ah, I finally succeeded!"
A loud shout came from a tent in the Medical Camp, almost giving the injured who were resting in the early morning internal injuries. They all struggled to get up, thinking Sunagakure had attacked again.
Inside the injured tent, Ren looked at the injured person whose complexion was slowly turning rosy, and excitedly waved a fist. His eyes also turned red.
It wasn't easy, it was too difficult. For three consecutive days, he went in energetic in the morning and came out exhausted at night. He assisted his teacher for three days, conducting countless experiments. Hard work paid off. He finally managed to decipher the poison of that old hag.
"Ah!"
Ren's eyes, which had just turned red, reddened again. He squatted on the ground, holding his head in his hands. He looked up and saw Tsunade's retracted fist, and Ren instantly felt a throbbing pain in his head, as if a bump had formed.
"Bastard, what are you yelling about? Do I need to teach you that you're not allowed to be loud in a hospital?!"
Tsunade said irritably. Ren could only force a smile. His teacher, if she hit him, she hit him. He couldn't afford to provoke her.
"Alright, go tell Maiko that they can start mass-producing the antidote. I'm going to get some sleep first, I'm dead tired."
Tsunade stretched, and after giving her instructions, she rubbed her eyes and walked out. She hadn't rested much these past two days, staying up several nights. Her dark circles were as heavy as if she had activated the First Hokage's Sage Mode.
"Yes, Tsunade-sensei!"
Ren responded. After handing the antidote to Kana Maiko, Ren was sent back to rest by Kana Maiko.
Upon returning to the tent, everyone else had gone out on missions, leaving the entire tent empty. Shinnosuke and the others knew that Ren had been assisting Tsunade in developing the serum these past two days, so they didn't call him.
In a daze, Ren fell asleep. When he woke up, the sky outside had already darkened. Ren suddenly got up, and as he looked around, a cold sweat broke out on his back.
Damn it, he accidentally fell into a deep sleep. If an enemy had snuck in and stabbed him, he wouldn't have known.
Ren pounded his head in annoyance, but it also served as a wake-up call for Ren. This wasn't Konoha, but a battlefield where one could easily lose their life. He had finally found a good teacher and learned great skills, but he hadn't yet made a name for himself in the Ninja World. It would be a huge loss if he died due to his own momentary laxity.
Ren sat back on the bed and felt a bit hungry. Too lazy to get up and find food, Ren pulled out a Soldier Ration Pill from his person. Just as he put it in his mouth, the tent flap was lifted. Several figures walked in one after another, and their eyes met Ren's as he looked over.
"Ren? Why are you back so early today? Are you done with Lady Tsunade?"
Shinnosuke asked, somewhat puzzled, as he saw Ren sitting cross-legged on the bed. Ryufeng and Hayama followed behind him. However, a few of them looked a bit dishevelled and had some minor injuries, but Ren saw at a glance that they were all minor and not serious.
"The mission there was completed, so I came back to rest for a while. Who knew I'd fall asleep? You guys just got back when I woke up. What's going on with you all?"
After Ren finished speaking, he focused his gaze on the three of them, sweeping back and forth. Shinnosuke scratched his head. He walked to the bed, sat down, picked up the water bottle, and chugged half a bottle of water before turning to look at Ren.
"Today, the Sand Ninja organised a small-scale group battle. The leader was Ebizo of Sunagakure, and on our side, it was Shikaku and Akimichi Choza. We didn't expect those bastard Sand Ninja to have a puppet master squad ambushed in secret. We suffered a small loss, and many of our comrades were poisoned, but fortunately, the casualties were not significant."
"So that's what happened, but with your strength, how did you end up like this?"
This was also a point of confusion for Ren. Logically speaking, with Shinnosuke's strength as an elite Jonin, plus Ryufeng and Hayama, even if they faced Chiyo, they should be able to hold their own. But judging by their appearance, they were clearly evenly matched with the enemy, or even somewhat suppressed.
"Don't even mention it."
Shinnosuke gave a bitter laugh.
"I was held back by a pair of puppet master brothers who countered me. Their strength was also good, and I don't have much experience fighting puppet masters. That's how it ended up. As for Ryufeng and Hayama, they're fine, just too much Chakra consumption. They'll be mostly recovered after a night's rest."
"So that's what it was."
Ren nodded with a hint of understanding. So they ran into Sunagakure's puppet masters. These things are not the strongest system among those of the same rank, but they are definitely one of the most troublesome. No, they are the most troublesome.
You never know how many disgusting mechanisms a puppet master will set up on their puppets. Not to mention spitting hidden weapons from their mouths or poisoning those weapons. Some puppets can even be freely disassembled under the puppet master's control, launching attacks from various unexpected angles, and then reassembling.
Various substitute puppets look exactly like the puppet master's main body. Powerful puppet masters can even control several puppets at once, combining offence and defence. For example, Chiyo of Sunagakure can control ten puppets simultaneously in battle. As of now, she is still the "Number One Puppet Master in the Ninja World."
The terrifying aspect of puppet jutsu lies in the constantly appearing mechanisms and hidden weapons. To deal with a puppet master, understanding the opponent's puppet's information basically wins you half the battle.
"Get some rest early. There might be another tough battle tomorrow."
After Shinnosuke finished speaking, he turned over and soon fell into a light sleep.
"Sleep, I'm actually a bit tired."
After saying that, the two nodded to Ren and then walked to their respective beds.
Ryufeng and Hayama both lie down. It was clear they were very tired, and soon they also entered a light sleep.
"Hmm? You're all asleep, what am I going to do…?"
Ren looked at the three resting people, somewhat dumbfounded. He had just woken up and seemed quite energetic, so he probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep anytime soon. He couldn't just knock himself out, could he?
"Forget it, forget it. I'll stand guard for you guys. I'll sleep when Anko and the others get back…"
Ren mumbled to himself as he picked up a small stool and walked out of the tent. After sitting down, he quietly watched the Konoha Ninja who were coming and going and were unusually busy in the night.
The Ninja on guard duty and patrol formed three layers of protection around the entire camp. Every ten minutes, there would be a Byakugan scan from the Hyuga Clan members or Inuzuka Clan members passing by with their large dogs. In the air, Kikai Bugs of the Oil Girl Clan would occasionally drift. With this kind of sensory lineup, no unfamiliar mosquito could fly in, except for Black Zetsu or those using space-time Ninjutsu.
It must be said that Konoha Village being the strongest in the Ninja World has its reasons: the best location, the best resources, and cultivating the most outstanding group of people.