Time turned back to that same afternoon, after Tsunade had met with Shinichi.
She turned and left the field hospital, striding toward the Konoha main camp's command center. Konoha shinobi passed by from time to time, and whenever they saw her, they stopped respectfully to bow.
Tsunade did not slow her pace. She merely gave a slight nod, with no trace of emotion on her face.
In front of the command center, Jiraiya had long since been waiting at the entrance. His hands were folded in front of him, and the smile on his face was as ingratiating as could be, carrying a hint of fawning caution.
The moment he saw Tsunade approach, he hurried forward two steps.
"Tsunade! You're back? You've worked hard, you've worked hard! Did the mission go smoothly? Um..."
Tsunade glanced at him, still without slowing her steps, and said flatly, "That's enough. Let's talk inside."
"Ah? Right! Please, go ahead, go ahead!"
Jiraiya froze for a moment, then looked as if he had just been pardoned. He quickly stepped aside and personally lifted the tent flap for her.
As he held it open, he stole glances at Tsunade's expression, his thoughts churning.
Strange. This reaction isn't right.
Under normal circumstances, after learning that the brat had done something like that while she was away, and that he had watched it happen without stopping him, shouldn't Tsunade have torn into him the moment she arrived? Or maybe just beaten him up on the spot? He had even already prepared the posture he'd use to take the scolding and the beating.
Tsunade paid no attention to his little movements. She walked straight into the command center and sat down in a chair.
In truth, on the way here, she had already figured something out.
Even if she had been there at the time, what then?
That brat was usually warm and easygoing. He could smile and chat with just about anyone, looking especially easy to talk to. But once he decided on something, no one could stop him. He was as stubborn as a bull.
"Stop standing there with that miserable look on your face." Seeing that Jiraiya still looked uneasy, Tsunade said irritably, "Enough. Let's talk business."
Jiraiya let out a long breath of relief, hurriedly dragged over a chair, and sat down, putting on a posture of ready attention.
"I didn't catch her," Tsunade said bluntly. "This Pakura is extremely cunning. She never clashes with me head-on. Every time I was about to close in, she pulled her squad back. Her Swift Release really is fast. I couldn't catch up."
"And she's very cautious. She never gets drawn into a fight. I set bait several times, trying to lure her in, but she wouldn't take it. She withdrew cleanly and decisively every time, without giving me a single opening."
Jiraiya nodded, the awkward smile fading from his face as he returned to a more composed seriousness.
"It seems she understands her role very clearly—harassment, containment, guerrilla warfare. She keeps hitting our nearby squads and outposts. Even if she doesn't succeed every time, as long as she ties down our elite forces, then her mission is accomplished."
"Now that Chiyo has already arrived..." After a moment of thought, Jiraiya continued, "That old woman's poison really is troublesome. How about this—you stay here at headquarters and handle Chiyo's poison. As for Pakura, I'll think of another way to deal with her..."
"No need."
Tsunade cut him off directly.
"I'll continue pursuing Pakura."
Jiraiya was stunned. "But..."
"Even if I can't catch her, I still have to pursue her."
Tsunade looked at him and said in a low voice, "Even if I can't do anything to her, I still can't let her roam freely around us. Today she attacks the supply line, tomorrow the wounded transport team, the day after that she wipes out one of our outposts. As long as she's still active, she'll keep causing us losses without end. Someone on our side has to keep eyes on her."
"As for the antidote, leave it to that brat."
Jiraiya opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Tsunade raised a hand and stopped him.
"I just went to see it for myself. That old hag Chiyo's poison really is troublesome. Even if I had been there at the time, I could only have saved some of them. It would have taken me at least two days to develop the appropriate antidote."
"I looked at the antidote that brat made, and I analyzed it too. It was very good—no, more than that, it was practically perfect!"
"When it comes to medicinal substances... no, not just medicinal substances. It should be some kind of innate talent for sensing and understanding the subtle properties of all kinds of materials. He still has a great deal of room to improve in medical ninjutsu, but in pharmacology..."
At that point, Tsunade paused for a moment before continuing, "In pharmacology, there may be no one in the shinobi world today who can surpass him. You could even say that this brat is the number one person in the shinobi world in that field."
The number one person in the shinobi world today?
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
He knew the brat was a genius, but wasn't that evaluation a little too high?
But those words had come from Tsunade, and that left him no room for doubt.
If she said that brat was the number one person in the shinobi world in pharmacology, then he was.
Tsunade glanced at him and continued, "So leave dealing with Chiyo's poison to that brat. He'll do it faster than me, and better."
Jiraiya nodded. He had just been about to say something when Tsunade abruptly changed tone. Her voice suddenly turned icy, and her eyes locked straight onto Jiraiya.
"However!"
"Jiraiya, remember this well—under no circumstances are you to let him test poison on himself again."
Tsunade leaned forward, her tone growing even sharper. "If something like this happens again, then even if you have to knock him out and tie him up, you will stop him for me. Is that clear?"
Jiraiya opened his mouth, looked into Tsunade's unquestionable eyes, and in the end could only nod firmly.
"I understand."
...
The next day.
At first light, Shinichi came out of his tent and headed toward the operations office.
Tsunade had only come back for half a day. Before night had even fallen, she had already left again.
Pakura was still out there, wandering and harassing them like a ghost. Tsunade had to keep pursuing her to keep her pinned down.
So Shinichi was still the acting head of this massive medical logistics system.
"Morning, Shinichi."
"Shinichi-kun, you worked hard yesterday."
"Higashino-jōnin..."
Along the way, everyone who saw him took the initiative to greet him. Their steps had originally been hurried, but the moment they saw him, they slowed down, stopped on their own, and stepped aside to let him pass. In every gaze directed at him, there was now something more complex, something more deeply shaken, layered on top of the admiration they had once felt for a genius and the respect they had once felt for a capable man.
Shinichi knew what it was.
The hearts of the people.
What had happened yesterday had already spread through almost the entire southwestern front.
Higashino Shinichi, in order to save more than two hundred poisoned comrades, had tested the poison on himself and staked his own life on it.
From a rational point of view, as an acting chief supervisor, what Shinichi had done yesterday was extremely reckless—one could even say grossly irresponsible.
A qualified person in charge ought to stand at the level of the bigger picture, maintain absolute rationality, weigh the pros and cons, and look for a solution that might be slower, but safer and more reliable, rather than treating himself like a disposable asset that could be thrown away at any moment.
But that was not how people's hearts worked.
On the one hand, people hoped their leaders would always be wise, always calm, always mindful of the greater good—making the most rational and correct choices, and leading everyone to victory.
But on the other hand, when that leader truly cast aside the bigger picture, cast aside his own safety, and risked his life to protect the people under him—that kind of shock, that kind of impact, that kind of heartfelt identification, was something no rational decision could ever buy.
Because in that moment, what people saw was not a lofty decision-maker standing above them, but one of their own—someone willing to stand with them, even stand in front of them.
What was more, Shinichi was only ten this year.
At that age, in many people's minds, he ought to have a bit of impulsiveness, a bit of hot blood, a bit of youthful spirit that didn't stop to count the consequences.
Even when Konoha's upper ranks learned what he had done, they might feel lingering fear, they might be angry, they might scold him harshly—might even tear into him mercilessly for being reckless and irresponsible—but inwardly, they would only value him more.
Just as expected!
The moment Shinichi stepped into the operations office, a staff member handed him a document bearing the joint seal of Konoha's F4. The document first lavished high praise on the "extraordinary courage, unwavering will, and profound cherishing of his comrades' lives" that he had displayed during yesterday's emergency, declaring that his actions had "deeply embodied the essence of the Will of Fire and served as a model for all Konoha shinobi."
However, that section of praise was extremely brief. The several pages that followed were an unsparing and severe reprimand, condemning him for being extremely reckless and gravely irresponsible. In the end, it formally ordered him that from now on, he must prioritize his own safety and the stability of the command structure. Any high-risk personal action had to be reported in advance to headquarters and the village and receive approval, otherwise it would be treated as insubordination.
Shinichi calmly finished reading it, carefully folded the document back up, and placed it in the drawer.
But he knew very well that this document reprimanding him carried even more weight than the earlier one praising him.
...
At the same time, at Sunagakure's main camp—
"What!?"
Chiyo abruptly shot to her feet, staring fixedly at the intelligence officer before her as she spoke in disbelief, "You're saying Konoha had already prepared an antidote?"
The intelligence officer lowered his head and replied quickly, "Yes, Elder Chiyo. Following your previous deployment, we intensified the offensive before dawn today. All assault units were uniformly equipped with your Number One mixed toxin. But on Konoha's side... they seemed to have already prepared the corresponding antidote. Our poison did not achieve the expected results."
At that point, the intelligence officer paused briefly, then continued in a lower voice, "Elder Chiyo, our side's analysis is that someone on Konoha's side may have rapidly produced the matching antidote."
"Could it be that the person leading the pursuit of Pakura wasn't Tsunade at all, but someone else in disguise?"
Chiyo muttered to herself. Then she raised her head to look at the silent Fourth Kazekage and said, "Rasa, send orders to Pakura's squad. If she runs into Tsunade again next time, have her probe a little and confirm whether it's really Tsunade herself."
"At the same time, have the personnel lying in wait around Konoha's camp find a way to investigate the condition of those who were poisoned yesterday."
"I understand." Rasa nodded.
Chiyo then added, "Notify all frontline units to immediately switch over to the stockpiled Number Two toxin series and continue increasing the intensity of attacks in all directions! I want to see for myself whether it's Tsunade there—or whether Konoha has some other capable figure!"
That was what she said, but she knew it clearly in her heart.
There was no way this round of attacks could reproduce the kind of results they had achieved yesterday.
Even before her arrival, the village had already arranged for personnel to operate continuously in that area, creating the illusion of Sunagakure infiltration and gradually luring Konoha's forces over.
They had waited several days before that force of over five hundred finally arrived, intending to swallow them in one bite and then intensify the offensive to expand the results.
It had been a carefully constructed trap, not something that could be replicated in just any engagement.
Now that Konoha had become aware of her presence—and of her poison—they would certainly strengthen their defenses. Patrol routes would be adjusted, reconnaissance ranges would be tightened, and terrain suitable for ambushes would be placed under strict watch.
Trying to wipe out several hundred people in one go again would be difficult.
After all, ninja combat was mostly conducted in small squads—groups of three to five—scattered across the vast battlefield, carrying out reconnaissance, harassment, guard duty, patrols, and other tasks.
A large-scale troop movement like yesterday's, with more than five hundred people, had been a rare opportunity to begin with.
A meticulously laid trap could only be used once.
The battles to come would be nothing but one small-scale encounter after another.
Three to five lost here, seven or eight casualties there—fragmented, piecemeal, slowly grinding each other down.
The advantage of poison lay in the fact that even the slightest scratch could be fatal.
"I'll make the arrangements immediately," Rasa replied in a low voice.
…
Three days later, Sunagakure main camp.
Both Rasa and Chiyo wore extremely grim expressions. Spread across the desk were the battle reports that had been sent back over the past few days. Each report was nearly identical in content, yet the more one read, the more aggravating it became.
Three days.
A full three days.
They had confirmed one thing: the person repeatedly pursuing Pakura on the outskirts of the camp really was Tsunade herself.
Pakura's squad had made close contact twice, probing cautiously, and that signature, terrifying monstrous strength of hers could not be faked.
That meant the person in the rear, repeatedly countering Chiyo's poisons, was not Tsunade.
But someone else entirely.
The second-type poison deployed on the first day had been countered by Konoha that very same day.
The third-type poison used on the second day had been matched within a few hours.
The fourth-type poison deployed on the third day—Chiyo had stayed up through the night adjusting the formula, blending in several rarer materials, believing it would hold for at least a full day—yet by the early hours of the fourth day, the reports from the front lines were still the same: Konoha had already equipped a new antidote.
Every single one.
Every single one had been neutralized.
And the neutralization was getting faster and faster.
Those Konoha shinobi who had been poisoned were swiftly transferred to the rear, and within just a few hours, frontline units would receive a newly developed antidote.
Before the poison could even spread, the cure had already arrived.
Over these three days, although Sunagakure had intensified its offensive, the actual results achieved had fallen far short of expectations.
Meanwhile, the manpower they had committed and the amount of poison they had expended were both enormous.
Rasa sat silently at the head seat, his expression dark to the extreme. The plan to open the situation through poison had been frustrated, which meant that the brutal head-on battles and wars of attrition to come would be even harsher, placing even greater strain on Sunagakure's already limited national strength.
Chiyo frowned for a long time before finally speaking slowly, her voice somewhat hoarse: "On Konoha's side… who exactly is it?"
Just as she finished speaking, the tent flap was lifted and an intelligence officer strode in quickly.
"Kazekage-sama, Elder Chiyo, we've found out."
Both of them looked at him at the same time.
"The batch of Konoha shinobi who were previously poisoned—aside from a few who were too deeply poisoned and died, the rest all survived. And the one who saved them… was Higashino Shinichi."
Higashino Shinichi!?
Hearing this, both of them were stunned. Chiyo turned instinctively, while Rasa rose directly from his seat, the expression on his face shifting from gloom to shock.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Rasa spoke, his voice rising higher than usual. "Elder Chiyo's poison is second to none! Tsunade would be one thing, but how could a ten-year-old brat possibly crack Elder Chiyo's—"
"Rasa!"
Chiyo cut him off, enunciating each word clearly: "This Higashino Shinichi must die!"
In fact, on Sunagakure's intelligence department's list of primary figures and potential threats within Konoha's southwestern army, the top two names—Jiraiya and Tsunade—were beyond dispute.
And the third was not some veteran jōnin or commander of Konoha.
It was Higashino Shinichi.
From the accumulated intelligence, there were simply too many unsettling factors surrounding this Higashino Shinichi.
Especially after Elder Ebizō personally led a raid on Konoha's medical logistics unit, only to be unexpectedly repelled with significant losses, the intelligence department had urgently raised Shinichi's threat level once again.
This Higashino Shinichi not only possessed terrifying talent, but his growth speed was equally astonishing. His very existence was a massive variable that could influence Sunagakure's future strategy.
It was just that neither Rasa nor Chiyo had expected that this variable's threat would manifest in such a way—so direct, so violent—smashing head-on into their trump card of poison and rendering it useless!
"His talent is too terrifying! I have lived for decades and have never seen a young person with such frightening talent—moreover, he is extremely well-rounded. In every field, he displays a level of talent that ordinary people cannot hope to reach!"
"Jiraiya, Tsunade—they may be strong, but they are opponents we can see. We know where their limits lie, and we know how to deal with them."
Chiyo paused, her gaze growing deeper and more solemn.
"But this Higashino Shinichi! Rasa, I cannot see his limits. He is only ten years old. Once he grows up, our Sunagakure will never again have a chance to rise!"
"So he must die!"
"At any cost!"
At that, Chiyo looked at Rasa and said, "Rasa, prepare to gather our forces and launch a general offensive. Force Konoha into a direct battle with us. Even if we achieve no great results, as long as we can kill this Higashino Shinichi, it will be Sunagakure's greatest victory in this war!"
Rasa fell silent for a few seconds.
He knew what this meant—launching a general offensive ahead of schedule, disrupting their original deployment, taking on greater risks just to trade for a single target.
Even if that target was Konoha's future hope, the weight of such a decision was immense.
But he also knew that Chiyo was right.
This Higashino Shinichi absolutely cannot be allowed to live!
He slowly nodded.
"I understand."
…
Shinichi had no idea that Chiyo and Rasa had already marked him for death, nor that Sunagakure was preparing to launch a full-scale offensive.
Over the past few days, he remained just as busy as ever, processing the poisoned casualties being sent in from all directions. During this time, Sunagakure had been switching to a new type of poison every other day.
The poisons were becoming increasingly tricky, their compositions more and more complex—but in his eyes, they were still nothing more than a series of dark cuisine dishes with slightly more complicated recipes.
The only difference was that he could no longer use the same method as the first time—personally testing the poison to instantly break it down.
So he had to switch to another approach.
Each time a new poison sample arrived, he would put on a show—spending two or three hours first, using conventional medical methods to analyze it.
Then, just when everyone else was at their wits' end and starting to think this time it might not be solved anytime soon, he would finally find a breakthrough in some minor detail, follow that thread, and piece together the full formula step by step.
Sometimes it took two hours, sometimes three. The longest instance took nearly four hours.
But every single time, he produced the antidote within what appeared to be a reasonable timeframe.
Before that, there were inevitably people who couldn't hold on.
For that, Shinichi could only say he was sorry. After all, if he no longer tested the poison on himself yet could still instantly break down its composition like before, people would inevitably suspect that his previous actions had just been a performance.
It's not me who killed you—it's Sunagakure. It's this chaotic world that killed you.
Shinichi sighed inwardly and continued making his rounds through the ward.
At that moment, something stirred faintly in his mind. His steps paused slightly as his consciousness sank into the personal panel that only he could see.
The words [Medical Proficiency] trembled faintly, then blossomed with a gentle glow. The light grew brighter and brighter, shifting from emerald green to a deep azure, until a new entry formed and settled steadily within the talent panel, radiating the distinct aura of blue-grade quality.
[Medical Mastery (Blue): Your medical knowledge and practical ability have reached an exceptional level. You can draw inferences from one instance to another, and based on your deep accumulation of knowledge, independently derive and experiment with more optimal treatment plans or techniques. In emergency care, your judgment and execution are efficient and flawlessly precise.]
"Oh?"
Seeing this, Shinichi felt a trace of surprise—but not that much.
What surprised him was that, based solely on the awareness of the people on the southwestern front, it shouldn't have been enough to push a green entry into blue.
What didn't surprise him was that, in the strategic report he had previously submitted to Konoha's higher-ups, he had specifically mentioned the importance of publicity.
He had suggested that if there were any commendable good news on the front lines, as long as it did not involve military secrets, it could be appropriately relayed to the rear and properly publicized to boost morale and public sentiment.
Now it seemed that Konoha's higher-ups had indeed taken that advice to heart—and the first person to benefit from it was himself.
Shinichi withdrew his gaze, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly into a barely noticeable smile. He continued walking forward at an unhurried pace, his expression as gentle as ever.
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