The further west one traveled from the central part of the Land of Fire, the drier the climate became.[1]
From dense forests at the start, the tall trees gradually thinned out, giving way to sparse shrubs, and finally turning into grasslands, which meant that Kyuushin and his group were finally nearing their destination.
After crossing the border of the Land of Rivers and traveling for another half a day, Konoha's frontline camp was already in sight, and after more than ten days of long-distance trekking, the weary eyes of the Konoha genin finally lit up again.
"Come out, Jiraiya-sensei, you should really practice your stealth techniques better."
As they passed a hill, a familiar chakra fluctuation appeared within Kyuushin's mind, and he immediately shouted towards the hill ahead.
"Hahaha, as expected, I can't hide anything from you, kid!"
A white-haired man with painted oil on his face suddenly appeared from behind the hill. It was Jiraiya, carrying a wild animal, he said to them:
"You guys are really lucky today; I just caught this wild goat. I'll treat you to shabu-shabu tonight."
Kyuushin hadn't expected Jiraiya to be so carefree even on the battlefield, but he didn't refuse, merely saying:
"I'll hand over the group I brought to logistics first."
Only then did Jiraiya look at the group behind the three of them, and he couldn't help but say:
"I didn't notice just now, but the genin you brought are all very high quality; when I appeared just now, they instinctively became alert."
"There was no other way; the journey here wasn't very peaceful. Besides bandits and robbers, we also encountered one or two Sunagakure shinobi squads specifically sent to ambush us. They should have been trained by now."
Kyuushin explained, and Jiraiya's expression became serious. As he led them forward, he said:
"That's true. Not just you, but our patrol squads here are also frequently attacked. A whole squad was sacrificed a few days ago, which is why I was assigned to patrol, to see if we could, in turn, eliminate a few Sunagakure squads."
Kyuushin nodded. He had also been wondering why Jiraiya was doing something as trivial as patrolling; so this was what had happened.
"Haven't we thought about sending people out to ambush Sunagakure shinobi squads as well?" Kyuushin asked; he wasn't the type to take a beating without fighting back.
But Jiraiya shook his head and said:
"Our overall troop strength on the front line is inferior to Sunagakure. We also have to defend several other fronts. Relatively speaking, Sunagakure has more personnel.
They can use this tactic to wear us down, but if we use the same tactic, the risk is too great."
Kyuushin nodded in understanding. Sunagakure's constant dispatch of small squads to harass them also carried risks; they wouldn't necessarily achieve results every time, and there was a greater chance of suffering more losses.
However, Sunagakure had ample troops, so even if they exchanged two of their own for one Konoha shinobi, it was a gain for them, but Konoha couldn't do the same.
Soon, they entered Konoha's camp. With Jiraiya leading the way, no one questioned them on the road.
Kyuushin was about to take his leave, but Jiraiya stopped him, saying:
"Nawaki and Minato can handle the handover. You come with me; I have something to ask of you."
Seeing Jiraiya being so mysterious, Kyuushin's curiosity was piqued. After turning and handing some documents to Minato and the other, he followed Jiraiya to a secluded spot.
Jiraiya rubbed his hands, somewhat awkwardly, and said:
"That fellow named Dan Kato has been around your sensei a lot lately. Can you help me find out what their relationship is?"
That's it?
Kyuushin looked at Jiraiya speechlessly. He had thought Jiraiya had some secret mission to entrust to him, but it turned out to be such a trivial matter. Jiraiya's face turned crimson under Kyuushin's gaze, but he still forced an explanation:
"I'm just concerned about a teammate, lest she puts her trust in the wrong person. Don't get any wrong ideas!"
The more he said, the more speechless Kyuushin became. He directly said:
"If you want to pursue my sensei, then go pursue her openly. But with your approach of all talk and no action, what girl would be interested in you?"
Jiraiya's face was flushed, and he stammered, unable to speak. Seeing him like this, Kyuushin could only helplessly say:
"Alright, I'll go check for you, but I remember my sensei telling me before that she doesn't like people who lack manliness."
Seeing Jiraiya's face turn from worried to happy, Kyuushin continued:
"But girls usually just say things like that, it's not to be taken seriously. Even if sensei doesn't think much of Dan Kato now, if you don't change your behavior, you won't have any chance either."
Although Jiraiya was always flirtatious with his words, he had never actively pursued Tsunade. Over time, Tsunade naturally became very annoyed with Jiraiya.
In Kyuushin's opinion, Jiraiya probably had no hope. Even if he changed his ways now, Tsunade probably wouldn't accept it anytime soon.
But since Jiraiya was also his sensei, he had to help. As for how the two would develop later, that was none of his business.
"Alright, I'll go see my sensei first and let you know if I hear anything."
Seeing Jiraiya's dejected face, Kyuushin didn't want to discourage him further and turned to walk towards Tsunade's location.
Ever since Tsunade arrived at the frontline camp, she had been staying in the medical camp, not for treatment, but to continuously research antidotes for Sunagakure's poisons.
The use of poisons by shinobi from the Land of Wind was an old tradition. In this land, it was difficult to grow crops, but various poisonous flowers, plants, insects, and beasts were countless, making it a natural treasure trove of toxins.[2]
Therefore, shinobi who grew up in this land were adept at using various toxins, and among them, Chiyo of Sunagakure was the master.
In this battle against Sunagakure, the ability to develop targeted antidotes was extremely important, and the burden on Tsunade was heavy.
Kyuushin walked to a sealed tent and saw several medical-nin carrying a shinobi whose body was purple, entering it. Clearly, this was the camp specifically for treating poisoned patients.
Just as Kyuushin was about to step inside, a gentle voice suddenly rang out from behind him:
"This... little brother, this is the medical camp; outsiders are not allowed to enter without permission."
Kyuushin turned his head and saw a light-blue haired man with a gentle face and delicate features. When the man saw Kyuushin's hair color and appearance, he seemed to recognize him and hesitantly said:
"You are... Tsunade's disciple, Uzumaki Kyuushin?"
"Dan Kato, Jonin?"
Compared to Dan Kato's hesitation, Kyuushin was very certain of the identity of the man in front of him.
"It's me, I apologize for my abruptness. You are Tsunade's disciple, so you naturally also know medical ninjutsu." Dan Kato said somewhat awkwardly.
It must be said that Dan Kato in front of him was indeed a very approachable person, much like Minato. Kyuushin had no prejudice against him, but he also didn't plan to become close friends. He nodded and intended to enter the camp.
Unexpectedly, Dan Kato took out a bento box and said to him again:
"This is the meal I prepared for Tsunade. She's been busy with research lately and hasn't had time to eat, so I bring her meals whenever I have time. But since you're here, you can give it to her."
Looking at the bento box in front of him, Kyuushin couldn't help but sigh that Jiraiya's loss was not unjust. The other person knew to bring Tsunade meals, while Jiraiya only knew to go hunting himself. No wonder he would end up alone.
Kyuushin took the bento box, thanked him, and then turned and walked into the sealed tent.
It was the familiar smell of disinfectant, but there was also a faint stench. The doctors inside the tent were all focused on treatment, and for a moment, no one noticed him.
Kyuushin didn't disturb them and went directly to the back of the tent, where there was a small door. He pushed it open and saw Tsunade in a white lab coat and a mask.
"Sensei?"
Tsunade turned around, and seeing Kyuushin, she was also surprised, asking:
"Kyuushin? When did you arrive?"
Her voice was somewhat haggard, and there were some bloodshot veins in her exposed eyes, showing that Tsunade had not rested well in the past few days while developing the antidote.
"I just arrived. Sensei, is there anything you need my help with?" Kyuushin handed over the bento box he was holding.
"How can you help me? You haven't studied anything about antidotes."
Tsunade took the bento box, opened it, and began to eat. After a couple of bites, she said:
"However, you can help with those injured people outside. They are all poisoned, and you can use the Delicate Illness Extraction Jutsu."
Kyuushin nodded. Seeing Tsunade in her current state, he naturally didn't intend to bother her with Jiraiya's private matters. Just as he was about to go out and start treating, Tsunade suddenly spoke:
"Since you're here, when you see that Dan Kato fellow later, tell him not to bring me meals anymore and to go busy himself with his own things."
Kyuushin paused, turned around, and said with a smile:
"Isn't it good that someone is willing to bring you meals, Sensei?"
"A jonin, running to bring me meals every day, what kind of behavior is that! And you, you brat, you're starting to tease your sensei now." Tsunade said, annoyed.
"Okay, I understand. I'll tell him when I see him later."
Kyuushin nodded in agreement, then picked up a white lab coat, put it on, and donned a mask before going outside. He pricked his finger and directly summoned Katsuyu.
Subsequently, a busy figure was added to the medical camp. Because he had taught medical ninjutsu to everyone in the Land of Rain last time, the doctors were naturally very happy to see Kyuushin.
Katsuyu's healing ability was unquestionable. Even when facing poisoned shinobi, it was sometimes enough to save their lives, and it also allowed the medical-nin to breathe a sigh of relief.
Normally, while extracting toxins, they also had to try their best to preserve the shinobi's life, which put immense pressure on them. But with Katsuyu's assistance, they only needed to focus on extracting toxins, and their workload was significantly reduced.
Kyuushin spent his first day on the front lines in the medical camp.
**