"Long live Lady Tsunade!"
"As expected of Lady Tsunade! She actually created an antidote in just a few days!"
"Let's see how that old hag Chiyo shows off now!"
The cheers of victory rolled across the Konoha camp stationed on the front lines of the Land of Wind.
The atmosphere was electric joyous and full of renewed hope.
The reason was simple.
The deadly poison that had paralyzed Konoha's medical corps for days had finally been neutralized. Thanks to Tsunade's antidote and the Slug Queen's assistance, the wounded who had been on the brink of death were now standing tall once more, testing their strength under the desert sun.
Ropes of laughter and relief spread through the tents like wildfire.
Seeing the scene, Shane Mountain and Rope Tree were equally stunned. Rope Tree nudged Shane's arm, whispering, "Shane! Don't tell me you had something to do with this?"
Shane smiled modestly. "Heh, I just got lucky. I developed a new medicine, that's all. The antidote itself was Lady Tsunade's doing."
The group's eyes widened in shock. Even Minato's usually composed face betrayed astonishment.
"That's incredible! Even my sister couldn't solve that poison, yet you managed to create something that helped her crack it!" Rope Tree's admiration was written all over his face. He suddenly felt that he still had a lot to learn from his teacher.
"Keep it low-key," Shane said, clearly pleased by their admiration but pretending to be humble.
"Shane, with your skills, you should've been assigned to the medical corps from the start!" said Dingza, folding his arms.
"The medical corps? Nah," Shane replied casually. "I prefer combat. Healing's just my side hobby. That penicillin thing was something I made on a whim. Not really worth mentioning."
"Oh? Not worth mentioning, huh?"
Tsunade's voice came from behind him. Shane immediately straightened up, his casual smile vanishing as he turned to face her with a serious expression.
"Lady Tsunade!"
She covered her mouth and laughed. "No need to be so tense! I came here to thank you. Without your penicillin, many of our people would have died."
"It was just what I should've done," Shane said quickly, though his mind was already racing. If Tsunade reported this to the Third Hokage, he might finally have a legitimate reason to enter Konoha's advanced research labs and begin his own secret project the artificial Ōtsutsuki initiative.
Konoha had conducted countless biological experiments since the days of the Second Hokage. What Shane needed wasn't theory or expertise it was equipment. And once he had access, he was confident he could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan within a short time.
Tsunade smiled faintly, as if seeing through his thoughts. "I've already told the old man about your contribution. When we return to the village, whatever you need, just ask. Even if the Hokage refuses, I'll see to it myself."
"Really?" Shane's eyes lit up. With Tsunade's backing, he might not even need the Hokage's approval to get his own lab.
"You do have something in mind, don't you?" Tsunade teased, raising an eyebrow. "Come on then tell me what you need. Let's see if I can help."
They walked to a quieter spot behind the tents. Shane didn't bother hiding his ambition. "I want a private laboratory."
Tsunade chuckled softly. "I figured as much."
It didn't surprise her. Anyone capable of creating penicillin from scratch in a makeshift tent was clearly no ordinary medic. Of course he would want proper facilities.
"I have my own lab at Konoha Hospital," she said. "You can use it anytime. It's not like I'm in there often anyway."
"Right… because you'll be too busy gambling once we get back," Shane thought privately but kept a polite smile. Having a lab of his own or at least one he could freely use was more than enough to make him happy.
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade."
She laughed and waved it off. "Don't mention it. Oh, and I heard Rope Tree's officially apprenticed under you now? Then I'll leave his training to you. Make sure you toughen him up. It's time that boy learned how to stand on his own."
Shane nodded firmly. "I'll make sure he grows into a shinobi worthy of his name. At the very least, I'll make sure he doesn't die to a stray explosive tag."
When they returned to camp, White Fang had already led a large unit to the front lines. It seemed he planned to capitalize on their rising morale now that Tsunade's antidote had reversed the tide, victory was within reach.
"You all stay put today," Tsunade said, stretching lazily, her figure casting a graceful silhouette in the dim sunlight. "Rest well. Tomorrow, we'll move again."
Everyone nodded, though most were disappointed not to join the front line.
As Tsunade walked away, Shane allowed himself one last glance before muttering under his breath, "What an overwhelming presence…"
In recent days, his training had shifted toward absorbing natural energy cultivating the art of Sage Transformation. To him, it was effortless; his meditation sessions were more like naps that fueled his strength.
Rope Tree, meanwhile, was making visible progress in his chakra nature training. His wind release exercises slicing leaves with chakra had improved drastically. He could now split a leaf halfway, which filled him with pride and motivation to keep going.
Time blurred as Shane meditated. Before he knew it, Minato's voice woke him from his trance, the evening sun already painting the camp in hues of crimson.
"Let's head back. We'll be joining the front lines tomorrow," Shane said as he stood.
"Huh? So soon?" Rope Tree blinked, caught off guard. He thought he'd be stuck in the rear until the war ended, not returning to battle so soon.
Shane nodded. "This war's almost over. I plan to finish it in style with a Rasenshuriken."
Minato and the others froze in disbelief.
"You're going to use it here? But you said that jutsu's recoil is massive! It's practically an S-rank forbidden technique!" Minato protested, genuine concern in his voice.
"Relax," Shane replied confidently, flexing his arm. "I've been absorbing natural energy these past days. My body's far stronger now. The Rasenshuriken won't hurt me this time."
Rope Tree's excitement was palpable. "That's awesome! I can't wait to see you in action, Master!"
As they returned to camp, they passed rows of Konoha shinobi laughing and sharing food, their morale soaring higher than it had in weeks. Even those still bandaged spoke eagerly about returning to battle once healed to take revenge on the Sand shinobi who'd poisoned them.
That night, after dinner, the group settled in their tent.
"Shane," Minato began thoughtfully, "that training of yours this 'cultivating natural energy' thing how exactly does one even start?"
Shane yawned. "Just… feel nature, I guess. The rest comes naturally."
To him, it truly was that simple a happy accident that turned into a revelation.
He smiled faintly. "Once I've perfected it, I'll teach you and the others. Who knows, maybe one of you has the talent for it."
He wasn't a selfish teacher. For those he considered friends, he'd share his discoveries freely perhaps even help them along with a dose of genetic enhancement, though such gifts would be rare.
Minato didn't reply immediately. He was too busy reflecting on his own struggles. Two days ago, he had finally managed to cut a leaf cleanly in half, mastering the Wind Release chakra transformation. But when he tried fusing it into the Rasengan… he realized just how insanely difficult that task truly was.
Holding the Rasengan stable while simultaneously adding elemental nature?
It was like trying to control a storm in the palm of his hand.
And every time he tried, it ended in failure.
Yet watching Shane's confidence reignited something within him the quiet determination to keep pushing forward.
Tomorrow, the battlefield would witness more than just victory.
It would witness the birth of legends.
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