As the Land of Rivers campaign began, Sunagakure also started operations in the Land of Rain. Konohagakure took notice, and Konoha ninja from the Second and Fourth Ninja Divisions, along with Amegakure ninja, stationed in the Land of Rain, all took action.
However, compared to the past, Sunagakure's actions this time were truly perplexing. The Land of Rain lacked fortified towns like the Land of Rivers, relying instead on its unique environment of constant heavy rain for defense. Ground battles in the open were far more frequent than the engagements in the Land of Rivers.
Nevertheless, because Sunagakure's gaseous poisons were weakened by the special environment of the Land of Rain, and Amegakure ninja were familiar with the terrain, the pressure on Konoha's ninja forces was actually somewhat less than in the Land of Rivers. Of course, Sunagakure's fierce attacks were still a headache.
This time, however, Sunagakure's ninja forces did not launch a direct, fierce assault as they had in the past. Instead, they emulated Konoha's ninja forces, employing flexible mobility to move around, making their true objective unclear. They could only guess where the attack would come from based on real-time assessments.
Due to the shift in the focus of the war, the commander in the Land of Rain was actually Inuzuka Shigeru of Konoha's Fourth Ninja Division. The Fourth Ninja Division's command camp also moved into the Land of Rain. Inuzuka Shigeru was encountering this kind of Sunagakure operation for the first time.
"What do you all think? Are they trying to learn from us, to use our tactics against us?" Inuzuka Shigeru asked those around him.
"Wouldn't that be like drawing a tiger and ending up with a dog?" Someone chuckled. "These tactics can't be mastered overnight. While the quality of Sunagakure ninja is indeed high, it's impossible for them to pick it up so quickly."
The others nodded in agreement with the previous speaker. Even if the individual quality of Sunagakure ninja was on par with Konoha ninja, tactics are something that require years of refinement to be used proficiently. Konoha ninja had been using these tactics for many years. Even with existing battle examples to reference, it would be impossible for Sunagakure to fully replicate them so easily, especially since the composition of Sunagakure's ninja forces was not entirely the same as Konoha's.
"Since they're so eager to learn, why don't we show them what true tactics look like," Inuzuka Shigeru replied.
Based on Sunagakure's current mode of operation, Inuzuka Shigeru judged that the enemy intended to learn the essence of Konoha's tactics to bridge the gap between them. Since that was the case, Inuzuka Shigeru was happy to meet their intentions and see who would win in this kind of fast-moving mobile warfare.
As someone who had studied these tactics for many years, Inuzuka Shigeru naturally had no doubt of victory. He believed that the only ones who could rival Konoha ninja in this regard were the Cloud ninja, who possessed even greater mobility. However, even against Cloud ninja, Konoha ninja had special ninja tools like explosive cannons to compensate for the difference. As for Sunagakure ninja, their chances of winning were much lower.
Thus, Konoha's ninja forces quickly launched an attack, engaging the equally fast-moving Sunagakure ninja forces. However, the enemy merely adopted a strategy of evasion without engaging, leaving everyone bewildered. What was the point of just running around? Even if they never fought a real battle, the wasted supplies would still benefit Konoha's ninja forces.
"Could it be that Sunagakure's ninja forces think they can compete with us in long-term operational potential? No matter how unwise, it wouldn't go that far—" Inuzuka Shigeru murmured, looking at the routes on the battle map.
Suddenly, as if a flash of inspiration struck him, Inuzuka Shigeru straightened slightly, resting his hand on his chin, and whispered, "Operational potential…"
"What's wrong, Lord Shigeru?" Someone beside him noticed his unusual behavior and asked.
"Show me all of Sunagakure's routes from the beginning until now," Inuzuka Shigeru said abruptly, after a moment of contemplation.
"Yes." Although he didn't know the exact purpose,
the others immediately brought the old, already filled-in maps to Inuzuka Shigeru. Inuzuka Shigeru quickly took them and began to examine them. After a while, someone reported the current war situation: small-scale clashes had begun between the two sides, but there was still no large-scale engagement.
The tactical strategists in the tent all watched Inuzuka Shigeru's movements. Inuzuka Shigeru seemed not to hear them, continuously looking at the battle maps. The others dared not disturb him; they believed Inuzuka Shigeru must have discovered something, otherwise, he wouldn't be acting this way.
"No way," Inuzuka Shigeru murmured softly at this point.
"No way what, Lord Shigeru?" The strategist closest to him immediately asked.
"Perhaps this time, the Sunagakure ninja are aiming for a sneak attack. We might have been misled by their superficial actions," Inuzuka Shigeru said.
"What do you mean?" The others were somewhat confused.
"This is just my personal intuition, but their true objective might not be to engage our main forces in battle, but rather to target our weak points," Inuzuka Shigeru said.
"Weak points? What weak points could we possibly have?" Someone chuckled in response, then suddenly his expression froze slightly as he looked at Inuzuka Shigeru, "Could it be—"
"Indeed, since a frontal assault against us would incur significant costs, it's better to cut off our logistical support—they're probably thinking along those lines," Inuzuka Shigeru said, looking at the map. "At least for now, our main forces are being tied down by them."
Everyone looked at the map together. The high-speed mobility of both sides had made the entire route intricate and complex. However, it was true that most of the forces had been drawn away, and while the overall defense of the situation couldn't be said to be lost, it had been weakened, and the emptiness in a certain area was thus exposed.
"The medical camp, but how could they know about its location? We've been very careful to protect the medical camp's position," someone asked.
"Any intelligence can be leaked, especially for such an important target as the medical camp. They wouldn't easily let it go," Inuzuka Shigeru said.
Compared to the surprise attack unit led by Uchiha Kagami, the medical camp was not only large but also very active. Even with intelligence protection, it couldn't be said that there was absolutely no possibility of a leak. However, under the protection of combat ninja, its safety was naturally very high.
The current defensive vulnerability of the medical camp was mainly caused by the movement of most of the combat units. Although it was a result of the overall situation, it couldn't be guaranteed whether the enemy had intended it or if it was unintentional. In any case, since the defensive vulnerability had appeared, reinforcing the deployment was necessary.
"I hope it's just my personal misconception," Inuzuka Shigeru couldn't help but say. "If the enemy truly intended this, they might have already begun their move. In that case, we can only pray that our actions are quick enough."
And just as Inuzuka Shigeru feared, thanks to Zetsu's leaked information, Sunagakure's ninja forces had already located the medical camp's precise position, saving them a great deal of effort and even allowing them to mislead their opponents, thus preparing for the upcoming counterattack. Now, Sunagakure's meticulously organized sneak attack unit had quietly arrived near the medical camp.
The medical camp naturally had combat units protecting it. However, compared to before, Konoha's ninja forces, whose energy was tied up by Sunagakure, had significantly reduced their defensive capabilities. Moreover, for the weak medical ninja, Sunagakure didn't need a large number of troops; just one or two elite squads could easily eliminate all the medical ninja. The only issue was the combat units still stationed near the medical camp.
For the elite Sunagakure ninja forces, who also held the advantage of a sneak attack, the Sunagakure ninja believed they would surely win. Even if they suffered losses, as long as one or two squads could get through, that would be enough.
This time, the sneak attack unit was led by Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law, showing how much was at stake. Even Chiyo herself was involved in the war to tie down Konoha's ninja forces. This sneak attack unit was undoubtedly the elite of Sunagakure's entire ninja force, and they didn't believe they would lose.
But what the outcome would be ultimately depended on the struggle between the two sides. No one dared to claim absolute victory on any battlefield. Even if one's strength seemed inferior, it didn't necessarily mean defeat. War isn't a personal battle, not two people competing in an arena, but the overall cooperation of a unit.
When the Sunagakure sneak attack unit launched its assault, the Konoha ninja responsible for protection, despite an initial disadvantage, promptly sent out a message to notify the medical camp to prepare for evacuation, ensuring the preservation of vital medical resources.
Tsunade received the intelligence immediately. She hadn't expected the enemy's sneak attack to come so close. The medical ninja beside her were already somewhat flustered. Medical ninja were weakest in combat ability, and due to the village's changes in ninja rank standards, even a medical ninja who had achieved the rank of Chunin might not necessarily win against a Genin who had survived on the front lines—of course, this was just a saying, as no Genin had actually entered the front lines yet.
"Lady Tsunade, we should leave here immediately," someone quickly said.
"That's true, but not everyone," Tsunade said calmly.
"What do you mean by that?" Everyone was a little astonished.
"It's impossible for the Sunagakure ninja to have arrived here by chance; they must have been targeting this place for a long time. The nearby defensive forces won't be able to hold them off." As a Jonin, even from the medical department, Tsunade was qualified to receive battlefield information. She already knew that Konoha's main combat forces had been tied down. Although she didn't know how many Sunagakure ninja there were, her intuition told her that the nearby forces alone wouldn't be able to stop them. "Someone must provide medical support to possibly delay the enemy, otherwise, even if we leave, we'll be caught."
"So, you mean for most of the medical ninja and the injured to leave, and for the elite medical ninja to go and assist in the support? But what if there are casualties?" someone asked. It was understandable for high-level medical ninja to provide high-level support, but if something happened to them, would the surviving medical ninja be able to compensate for their value?
"Not a single person will die, I guarantee it," Tsunade said. "Every single medical ninja, I will pull them back from the brink of death."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. Everyone understood Tsunade's medical abilities, but whether Tsunade could save everyone's lives seemed less certain. Regardless, everyone still agreed with Tsunade's judgment: that medical support had to be provided to extend the lives of the combat units, thereby delaying the enemy.
Once there were no combat ninja to assist, even if there were combat-capable ninja among the medical ninja, could they truly withstand the elite Sunagakure combat units? Everyone would have a question mark about that. So the problem still lay in who should provide support.
Tsunade held high prestige in the medical camp, and she had already stated that she would personally go to provide medical support. Other high-level medical ninja seemed to have no reason to refuse. Most people nodded in agreement; even if some felt it wasn't ideal, they couldn't offer dissenting opinions under the circumstances.
Tsunade nodded and said, "Good, let's get moving quickly."
Soon, news of the enemy invasion spread throughout the medical camp. The medical camp quickly mobilized. Without time to say anything, the evacuation began. This had been stipulated before, outlining how to retreat in the event of a sudden enemy sneak attack.
Upon learning that Tsunade and some high-ranking ninja would be rushing to provide support, some medical ninja immediately expressed their desire to go as well, but Tsunade refused them all. Tsunade left a portion of the high-ranking ninja to lead everyone in the medical camp away, while she herself, with other high-ranking medical ninja, quickly rushed to the front lines.
At this moment, due to the fierce assault of the Sunagakure ninja forces, the Konoha combat units remaining here were gradually unable to hold their ground. Just as Tsunade feared, because of the enemy's strength and the loss of manpower, it was likely that the medical camp would be overtaken by the breakthrough Sunagakure ninja forces before it could get far.
At that point, even with Tsunade present, the outcome would likely be total annihilation. After all, Tsunade was only one person, and even with other combat-capable medical ninja, they couldn't defeat the well-coordinated, battle-hardened Sunagakure ninja forces.
"Sometimes, people just can't do certain things," Tsunade said as she and the others arrived, seeing the defensive forces slowly retreating. Among them were many who, though alive, had lost their combat capability. Without timely treatment, only one outcome awaited them.
"So, at times like these, we must rely on the power of other creatures." As she spoke, Tsunade's fingernails were imbued with a layer of chakra, and she cut her finger, causing blood to seep out. Immediately afterward, she quickly formed hand signs and slammed her palm onto the ground, "Summoning Jutsu."
Accompanied by a colossal sound, a white figure appeared in everyone's sight—it was the summoning beast, Katsuyu. Immediately following Tsunade's next command: "Katsuyu Great Split—Katsuyu Jutsu."
The divided Katsuyu quickly landed on the Konoha ninja. Following this, Tsunade's immense chakra was transmitted to them through Katsuyu, promoting wound recovery and replenishing their stamina, allowing the Konoha ninja, whose defensive capabilities had been slowly diminishing, to erupt with renewed strength.
"This is battlefield medicine," Tsunade said. "It's not like treating one person at a time in a medical camp."