Shun observed the changes in the Land of Fire using Divine Eye.
He discovered that Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure had all attacked refugee camps in the Land of Water to varying degrees.
In the northern refugee camp of the Land of Fire, smoke and dust blotted out the sky.
Choza's massive body, like an iron tower, stood in front of Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino. His arm trembled slightly from continuously activating the Partial Expansion Jutsu, and sweat dripped from his cheeks onto the ground.
"Choji, don't push it. Your Partial Expansion Jutsu consumes too much, you'll hurt your body if you keep this up."
Choji bit into the military ration pill in his mouth, his cheeks flushed red, and his previously swollen arm had returned to normal.
"Father, I'm fine. These Iwa ninjas are going too far, attacking refugees. I can't let them succeed."
Just now, to protect the children hiding in the tents, he had taken a direct hit from an Earth Release: Earth Spear. His abdomen still throbbed, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.
He remembered Shun saying that a ninja's duty is to protect the weak, and now was the time to uphold that statement.
Shikamaru squatted on the ground, his fingers quickly tracing lines on the tactical map, his brows furrowed deeply.
His Shadow Imitation Jutsu had just ensnared an Iwa Jonin when the opponent's teammates rescued him.
"No, they have over a dozen Jonin, our Chakra won't last five minutes. Ino, try the Mind Transfer Jutsu again. Even if you can only control one, we'll get a breather."
He knew that in their current state, they couldn't withstand Iwagakure's attack and could only hope for Ino's support Ninjutsu.
Ino's situation was worse than the other two. Her Ninjutsu was already geared towards support, and after several consecutive Mind Transfer Jutsu were interrupted by the Iwa Jonin, her face was as pale as paper.
She looked at the trembling refugees around her, her heart filled with guilt. If she were stronger, she could protect more people.
Just then, an Iwa Jonin's Earth Release: Earth Spear suddenly broke through Choza's defense and thrust towards Choji's back.
Choji was too exhausted to dodge. He could only watch as the spear tip approached, a hint of despair flashing in his heart.
Am I really going to fall here today?
"Who gave you the audacity to touch the people of the Land of Water?"
A cold voice suddenly rang out, and a pale golden pillar of light descended from the sky.
The pressure around him swept across the entire field like a tsunami, and the Iwa Jonin's movements instantly froze. Even the Ninjutsu in their hands began to dissipate.
Shun waved his hand, and a dozen ice cones shot through the air, piercing the hearts of every Iwa Jonin with pinpoint accuracy.
The Iwa Jonins didn't even have time to scream before they fell straight to the ground, their blood instantly staining the camp's dirt.
The entire process happened in an instant, too fast for anyone to react.
Choza was the first to recover, his tense body suddenly relaxed, and he couldn't help but gasp for air. "Shun-sama, you came just in time. Another moment later, and we might have..."
Shun waved his hand, and four gentle wisps of Chakra floated towards Choza and the other three.
"Replenish your Chakra first, don't overexert yourselves."
The moment the Chakra merged into his body, Choza felt most of his fatigue dissipate, and Choji's abdominal pain also eased considerably.
Ino looked at Shun's tall figure, her cheeks instantly flushing. She clasped her hands to her chest, her eyes full of stars.
"Shun-sama is so handsome. So strong and charismatic, I really want to marry him."
She grew up hearing stories of Shun, and seeing him in action today made her completely smitten.
Who wouldn't be moved by such a powerful and gentle man?
Shikamaru rolled his eyes and retorted, "Ino, stop being a lovesick fool. He's the Daimyo of the Land of Water, he has so many consorts around him, what are you thinking?"
He felt Ino being lovesick at this moment was completely unreliable.
Choji nodded, his mouth full of dried meat, saying indistinctly, "That's right, Ino, Shun-sama is here to save us, we have to complete our mission first."
Ino's cheeks flushed even redder upon hearing their advice. She was about to say something more but was pulled by Shikamaru. Shikamaru gave her a look, signaling her not to disturb Shun.
Shun saw it but didn't point it out, merely instructing, "You all should remain vigilant. Iwagakure likely won't return. I still need to go support other camps."
"Understood, Shun-sama."
The four responded in unison, watching Shun's figure disappear within the pale golden pillar of light.
In the eastern refugee camp of the Land of Fire, the battle had just ended, but a strange purple poisonous gas permeated the air.
Aoba, 28 years old, wearing a dark ninja uniform, his left arm wrapped in a bleeding bandage, leaned against a tent pole, gasping for breath.
His face was an abnormal bluish-purple, and each breath brought a stinging pain. His Chakra was in disarray, making it difficult to use even basic Ninjutsu.
Aoba asked, "Fu, Suigetsu, how are you? This poison is more potent than I imagined, my medical Ninjutsu can't neutralize it at all."
Fu's skirt was stained with dirt, and there was a cut on her calf from a puppet, the area around the wound already blackened.
She leaned on Aoba's arm, her voice so weak it sounded like it might break at any moment. "Aoba-sensei, I... I'm a bit dizzy, I can't gather Chakra, and my body is starting to feel numb."
Her heart was filled with regret. If she had been a little more careful, she wouldn't have been cut by the puppet and wouldn't have been poisoned.
Suigetsu knelt on the ground, his body unable to maintain its liquified state, his skin unnaturally stiff.
He tried to dilute the poison with the Hydrification Jutsu but to no avail. Instead, the poison entered his internal organs along with his Chakra, making him cough.
A trace of black blood spilled from the corner of his lips as he said, "Damn it, these Sunagakure puppeteers are too despicable, to coat their puppets with such potent poison. Yakumo, are you alright? Luckily, you weren't injured by the puppet."
He looked at Yakumo, feeling a bit relieved.
Although Yakumo's Genjutsu was powerful, she had no ability to defend against poison. If she had also been poisoned, the situation would have been even worse.
Yakumo leaned against the tent. She wasn't poisoned but was pale from overusing Genjutsu just now.
She looked at Aoba, Fu, and Suigetsu, her eyes filled with worry.
"I'm fine, but... I can't help you detoxify. My Genjutsu can only attack the mind, it's useless against poison."
Her heart was filled with self-blame. If she had learned some medical Ninjutsu, she could be helping now.
Just then, a pale golden pillar of light descended.
Fu was the first to see him, her eyes instantly reddening, her voice filled with grievance and reliance. "Uncle Shun."
She was a child Shun adopted in his early years, living in the palace for a period when she was young. Later, because she wasn't used to the palace's restrictions, she went to the Ninja Academy in Konoha.
Shun quickly walked in front of the three, his brows slightly furrowed. The poison had already invaded their Chakra pathways.
"Don't worry, I'm here to help you detoxify."
Without saying more, he condensed pale golden Chakra on his fingertips and pressed them onto Aoba's, Fu's, and Suigetsu's foreheads respectively.
The Chakra, like a warm stream, slowly flowed into their bodies, traveling along their Chakra pathways, neutralizing and expelling the poison bit by bit.
Fu felt the warmth of the Chakra, her eyes reddening even more. "Uncle Shun, I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble again."
Her heart was filled with guilt. Shun was so busy, yet he still had to rush to save them because of her mistake.
Shun ruffled her hair, his tone gentle. "Silly girl, it's good that you're alright. Next time you encounter a puppeteer, remember to avoid poison attacks first, don't fight head-on. Your abilities are more suited for long-range support, not close combat, understand?"
He remembered Fu as a child, small but always full of energy. Now that she's grown up, she's still so reckless.
"I understand, uncle Shun, I'll be careful from now on." Fu nodded, her heart warm.
Although Shun was strict, he always cared for her so much.
A moment later, the bluish-purple on Aoba's face gradually faded, and his breathing became steady.
He stood up and bowed to Shun, his voice filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Shun-sama, for saving us. As the team leader, I failed to protect my team members, causing you trouble."
Shun waved his hand, his tone approving. "You did very well. To protect your team members and the refugees under the siege of so many puppets is already very difficult. Don't blame yourself, Sunagakure's poison is tricky. For anyone else, they might not have lasted until I arrived."
Suigetsu regained his liquified state, moved his arms, and felt much lighter.
"Thank you, Shun-sama. These Sunagakure puppeteers, if I encounter them again, I will definitely teach them a good lesson."
Shun smiled, said nothing more, and turned his gaze to Yakumo.
Yakumo met his gaze, her cheeks instantly flushed, and she quickly lowered her head, whispering, "Thank you, Shun-sama."
Her heart pounded rapidly, and images from her childhood involuntarily flashed in her mind. Shun had suddenly appeared and saved her life. From then on, she secretly hid this gratitude in her heart, and it slowly turned into a secret crush.
However, she knew that the gap between her and Shun was too great, and this feeling would forever remain hidden in her heart.
Shun noticed her unease but didn't point it out, merely saying gently, "Your Genjutsu just now was very effective, it tied down many puppeteera, you worked hard."
Yakumo's cheeks flushed even redder upon hearing Shun's praise. She buried her head even lower, her voice extremely faint. "I... I just did what I had to do."
Shun looked at the four of them, nodding with satisfaction. "You all rest first, the people from Sunagakure won't be back for a while. I still need to go support the eastern camp, there are still Kumogakure ninjad causing trouble there."
His Divine Eye had been constantly monitoring the situation in the Land of Fire, and the Chakra fluctuations in the east were becoming increasingly obvious. He couldn't delay any longer.
"Uncle Shun, please be careful." Fu quickly urged, her eyes filled with worry.
"Shun-sama, take care." Aoba, Suigetsu, and Yakumo said in unison.
Shun waved his hand, and the pale golden Chakra once again tore through space.
***
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