"I thought the boys' dorms would stink, but you seem to keep things pretty clean." Tsunade peeled off her cloak with casual abandon, wandering through Makiya's tent as if she were in her own home.
"This natural hot spring is nice and all, but the humidity it creates makes the whole room damp. It's not good for your health to sleep here," Tsunade remarked, eyeing the massive hot spring in the center of the tent.
Makiya rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about me. I set up a barrier around the bedroom area for dry and wet separation." He gestured toward the entrance. "If you've seen enough, go find a spot outside to pitch your own tent."
Tsunade placed her hands on her hips. "I can't do that. My movements are confidential. How could I just go out there and pitch a tent for everyone to see?"
"Didn't you already report in with the Third?" Makiya asked curiously.
Truth be told, Hiruzen Sarutobi was quite indulgent with his three disciples. All of the Sannin had long records of going AWOL and ignoring their duties.
Tsunade's case was somewhat understandable. Having developed hemophobia, she could no longer serve on the front lines. Combined with her resentment over the village's Wood Release experiments and her disgust with the higher-ups' dirty dealings, she had left the village in a fit of rage. In any other village, she would have been labeled a rogue ninja, but Hiruzen Sarutobi had simply spun it as her going on a 'long-term clinical tour,' allowing her to stay away for years.
Jiraiya was even worse. During the Second Shinobi World War, before the fighting was even over, he had stayed behind in the Land of Rain for three years to teach and care for Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan, all because of a fleeting sympathy and the Great Toad Sage's vague prophecy. After the Third Shinobi World War, under the pretense of investigating Orochimaru and searching for Tsunade, he also remained away from Konoha year-round.
Then there was Orochimaru. He had collaborated deeply with Root, causing harm to many, and had funneled public funds to secretly build numerous hideouts. It wasn't until his experiments on villagers were exposed that Hiruzen Sarutobi was forced to hunt him down—and even then, he ultimately chose to let him go, only issuing a wanted poster.
"The old man's permission is one thing, but keeping my presence hidden is another," Tsunade said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "In any case, from now until the assessment is over, I'll be staying here. Even a delicate beauty like me isn't complaining, so what's a grown man like you afraid of? Or do you not want that summoning contract anymore?"
"Fine, fine. The assessment... how do you plan to handle it?"
"The commander here is Jiraiya's student, Minato, right? I'll let him know when he returns and have him assign you or your shadow clone to the field hospital. You'll submit a daily diagnostic summary report to me. Don't even think about lying; I've seen more cases than you've eaten grains of salt."
Makiya spread his hands. "I'm afraid you might be disappointed. Konoha's situation is looking up right now. There aren't that many wounded in need of treatment."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a deafening roar of commotion erupted outside. Makiya poked his head out curiously, only to see a massive influx of wounded being carried in, flooding the field hospital in an instant.
Makiya: "???"
He looked back at Tsunade, then back at a passing stretcher. A ninja whose legs had been severed at the hip was howling in agony. Even with battlefield bandages and hemostatic treatment, his lower half was a grisly, saturated red.
More wounded streamed past the door—poisoning, burns, lightning strikes, severed limbs, half-destroyed torsos... The sheer variety of horrific injuries threw the entire camp into a frenzy. The ninjas remaining on duty watched their friends being carried in, the fires of hatred beginning to smolder in their hearts.
'Sister, is your mouth cursed? I've never seen such a perfect jinx in my life.'
Embarrassed by Makiya's stare, Tsunade watched the wounded being carted in until her hemophobia flared up. She hugged her chest and crouched down on the spot, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Makiya's expression turned grim. Ignoring the trembling Tsunade, he walked straight out of the tent to find Minato, who was busy organizing the medical efforts at headquarters.
"Minato, what happened?"
"Oh, Makiya. It's the Raikage... he's gone completely mad." After finishing his final orders, Minato pulled Makiya aside. His advisors tactfully moved away, giving the two some space.
"Originally, the Fourth Raikage and I were evenly matched. Neither of us could do anything to the other, so we were stuck in a stalemate. But then, Killer B suddenly appeared on the battlefield..."
Through Minato's explanation, Makiya gradually pieced together the truth of the battle.
To put it simply, because the Two-Tails, Yugito Nii, was presumed dead and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B, was temporarily sidelined, the Raikage had chosen a war of attrition, trading lives for lives with Konoha.
The Raikage certainly couldn't keep up with Minato's speed, but Minato couldn't break through the Raikage's defense either. Consequently, the Raikage simply ignored Minato and began a large-scale slaughter of Konoha's ninjas. He moved like a ferocious beast wreathed in lightning, crashing through Konoha's defensive lines and leaving a trail of blood and severed limbs in his wake.
Minato had acted decisively and began slaughtering the Cloud's forces in return. Both sides were essentially 'Kings' hunting 'Pawns,' making the battle a one-sided massacre from the start.
As a result, Konoha suffered heavy losses. With so many wounded needing care, the main force was entering a recovery period. The long defensive line was now dangerously understaffed, and the strategists had determined they needed to significantly shrink their perimeter and pull troops from the other two fronts.
The Cloud ninjas had suffered as well. Minato couldn't pierce the Raikage's defense, but his efficiency in reaping common soldiers even exceeded that of the Raikage. While Konoha had many wounded, the Cloud ninjas on that field were almost all dead.
Both sides had walked away bloodied, retreating to lick their wounds. This brief ceasefire didn't mean the war was over; both sides were silently gathering strength, waiting for the other to show a weakness they could exploit for a fatal blow.
Overall, the current situation was unfavorable for Konoha. The Hidden Cloud Village was militarily strong, and with only the Hidden Stone and Konoha to worry about, their forces were highly concentrated.
Konoha was truly surrounded on all sides now. After their brief defeat, the Hidden Mist Village in the east seemed to have regained its vitality. Intelligence suggested they were amassing troops, intending to push into the Land of Fire once more.
The sky had cleared, the rain had stopped, and the Mist was feeling confident again.
Two days ago, Hiruzen had swallowed his pride and approached Fugaku, asking the Uchiha to hold the line against the Mist.
Sending the fire-specialist Uchiha to fight at the moisture-rich seaside against a village that specialized in the Hidden Mist Technique—a direct counter to the Sharingan—it was hard to say what the old man's true intentions were.
And then, Fugaku had agreed.
What Makiya didn't know was that Fugaku had sent a secret letter to Shisui via messenger hawk the previous night, hoping Shisui would transfer to the Mist front to rack up military merits.
In Fugaku's eyes, with his Mangekyo, Shisui would have no equals on the Mist battlefield; he would be an unstoppable force.
Furthermore, Fugaku even stated he would personally lead the clansmen to the front and bring his son along, intending to let the young Itachi Uchiha experience the cruelty of war firsthand.
With a Mangekyo user nearby, plus Fugaku's own eyes, Itachi's safety was essentially guaranteed. In another two years, he could begin attempting missions with the clan.
With the war dragging on, Konoha's finances were nearly depleted. Hiruzen wasn't like Tsunade; his relationship with the Daimyo was only average. Having begged for funding twice already, he had reached his limit. The high-intensity warfare had to end soon.
As the Cloud reorganized their lines and the Raikage and Killer B waited in the shadows, Konoha pulled back to treat its wounded. In this environment, Makiya naturally joined the field hospital, becoming one of the lead physicians.
Ever since Tsunade left, the training of medical ninjas in Konoha had been lackluster at best.
Practice brings true knowledge. Once he started, Makiya realized that while the knowledge was in his head, it was useless if he couldn't recall how to apply it in the heat of the moment. However, as patient after patient recovered, Makiya's medical skills grew at an incredible rate.
Tsunade's reaction shifted from initial indifference to surprise at his learning speed, finally settling into a numb, mechanical state as she answered his questions. She had gone through quite the mental journey.
Makiya was like a sponge, sticking close to Tsunade and soaking up every drop of her vast knowledge.
One month later, in the field hospital.
Inside a temporary operating room, the screams finally died down. Makiya emerged drenched in blood, wiping sweat from his brow as he hurried toward the ward for minor injuries, a group of medical ninjas trailing behind him.
Through a month of emergency surgeries, Makiya had conquered the camp in a different way. Since skill command respect, a large group of knowledge-hungry medical ninjas followed him to observe and learn, considering themselves his students.
"...Look here. His symptoms stem from the wound on his right leg, which has already reached the bone marrow. The toxin spread from the marrow into the bloodstream. This situation cannot be delayed; the best course of action is immediate amputation," Makiya said, pointing at Asuma's right leg.
The group of young ninjas immediately bowed their heads to take notes.
Hearing this, Asuma pleaded desperately, "Makiya, Lord Makiya, please, you have to find another way. Being a ninja is my life's dream. If I lose my leg..."
Makiya immediately comforted him. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. I'll definitely cure you."
He turned back to the medical ninjas. "The medicine you used slowed the toxin's spread, but it couldn't eradicate it. To completely remove poison hidden deep in the marrow without amputating, we must use highly aggressive drugs. This medicine has a bit of a side effect, though; it damages the kidneys and urinary system, which might result in... a loss of manhood."
Before Makiya could even finish, Asuma's righteous voice rang out: "Lord Makiya, please proceed with the amputation immediately! I've given it some thought, and losing a leg is nothing. Teaching the next generation at the Ninja Academy is also a dream of mine!"
In the face of the big things that really matter, men always see the path clearly.
Makiya: "...Let me finish. The dose makes the poison. As long as we handle the dosage correctly and combine it with other medicines to mitigate the side effects, it'll be fine. I'll write down a few prescriptions for you."
With that, Makiya patted the medical ninja on the shoulder. "Work hard. Whether Lord Hokage gets to hold a grandson or not depends entirely on you!"
The medical ninja: "Amazing."
After finishing his rounds, Makiya returned to his seat and gulped down a jar of water, chewing on the goji berries inside.
A white snake slithered out from a corner unnoticed, spitting out a scroll under Makiya's curious gaze.
Looking at the mucus-covered scroll, Makiya's mouth twitched. This style was unmistakably Orochimaru's; the man was as disgusting as ever.
Using just his fingertips to open the scroll, he found only a location and a single sentence: 'I know your secret.'
"What is this supposed to be?" The cryptic message left Makiya baffled.
He had traded with Orochimaru a few times, but because their philosophies didn't align, they hadn't exactly hit it off. The fact that this guy was suddenly reaching out meant he definitely had something up his sleeve.
However, being confident in his own strength, Makiya decided to go to the location and see what kind of game Orochimaru was playing.
Somewhere in a valley on the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire.
Makiya leaped dozens of meters into the air, landing easily on a high branch. After surveying the surrounding terrain, he began moving through the dense forest. Suddenly, he stopped and turned toward the back of a large tree. "Stop hiding and come out."
The atmosphere in the quiet forest grew heavy. Birds on the branches chirped and took flight. After a few seconds of silence, a figure slowly emerged from behind the tree.
"Heh heh heh, Makiya Uchiha, the insight of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan is indeed impressive." The unique, raspy voice made Makiya's skin crawl. Orochimaru, with his long black hair, made no effort to hide his thoughts, scanning Makiya's body with a burning gaze.
"Ugh." Being scanned by a gender-ambiguous creep with that kind of look made Makiya shiver in disgust. "Orochimaru, put away that revolting stare. What do you want, dragging me out here?"
"Naturally, I'm thinking of your best interests, Makiya-kun." Orochimaru took a step closer, a wicked smile playing on his lips as his golden pupils suddenly constricted. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Countless massive black pythons surged from the shadows of his sleeves, each one radiating a chilling aura.
Their muscular bodies tensed, scales shimmering with a cold luster in the dim forest light. Their maws hung open to reveal sharp fangs as they swept toward Makiya, instantly covering him and the surrounding ground.
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