The heavy smell of blood mixed with the scent of medicine and spread through the tent. The sound of suppressed moaning rose and fell without end.
The golden hair above Tsunade's forehead was soaked through with sweat and stuck to her pale cheeks.
The chakra scalpel in her hand precisely cut open the abdomen of a wounded soldier.
Three poison-coated senbon were embedded deep in the organs, and the toxin had already spread to the chest cavity.
"Forceps."
She extended her hand, her voice hoarse. The medical student beside her immediately passed the tool over, though their fingers were trembling.
Tsunade did not scold them. She simply extracted the hidden weapons quickly, and the healing jutsu light in her palm blazed brightly.
"Intravenous antidote. Prepare for a blood transfusion."
She ordered without lifting her head. The medical ninja beside her scrambled through the medicine box. The sound of glass bottles clinking was especially sharp inside the tent.
Suddenly, rapid footsteps approached from outside the tent, and the cloth curtain was thrown open violently.
"Tsunade, the front line casualties are not looking good. At least twenty critically wounded are on their way here!"
The messenger ninja's face was covered in blood, and his voice trembled.
Tsunade's hands did not pause for even a moment as she continued stitching the wound.
"Sort the critically wounded by priority."
Her voice was like a bowstring pulled taut.
"Have every wounded soldier who can still stand evacuate immediately."
Seeing no movement, Tsunade called out sharply.
"What are you standing there for? Go prepare the hemostatic bandages!"
Several medical ninja who snapped to their senses moved quickly outside.
New stretchers kept flooding in, and the narrow medical tent became hopelessly crowded in an instant.
A chunin who had lost his left arm suddenly grabbed the hem of Tsunade's clothing. Blood foam spilled from the corner of his mouth.
"Tsunade, my little brother is still at the front. I cannot stop..."
Tsunade pressed down on his torn artery. The faint green glow of her chakra flowed into the wound like water.
"You have to stay alive to see him."
Her voice was quiet, but it silenced the grieving wounded soldiers around her.
The medical student in the far corner suddenly broke down and cried aloud. The patient she had been caring for had just stopped breathing.
Tsunade walked over in long strides and pressed her blood-covered palm firmly onto the student's shoulder.
"Tears cannot save anyone."
She pulled a white cloth over the face of the deceased.
The most recently delivered wounded soldier was wearing a Konoha flak jacket, with three puppet blades stuck into his back.
'That build... looks a little like Chiya...'
"Chiya?"
The name was nearly squeezed out from between her teeth.
She rushed to the stretcher. When she looked at his face, she froze for a moment.
It was not Chiya.
Tsunade closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she had already returned to calm.
"Prepare for surgery. Prioritize the patients with penetrating wounds."
Just then.
From outside the tent, the sound of puppet gears grew closer and closer.
"Enemy attack!"
A sharp cry rang out from beyond the tent.
Tsunade did not react. Her fingers stitching the wound remained steady as stone.
When the thirteenth wounded soldier was out of danger, the tent suddenly shook violently.
Poisonous smoke from the Suna-nin seeped through the gaps. Some students began coughing severely.
"Take the wounded who can move and retreat through the back exit."
She reacted quickly, driving her fist into the ground. Spider web cracks spread outward beyond the tent, and the screams of Suna-nin who had just crept inside followed immediately.
She turned back, her expression grave.
"Evacuate now!"
"You are medical ninja. By whatever means necessary, you will survive. That is an order!"
The fires of the medical camp turned the sky the color of blood. Poisonous smoke drifted through the air. The sharp smell was suffocating.
The puppet corps of the Suna-nin surged forward like a tide. The wooden joints produced a bone-chilling clacking sound. The poison-coated hidden weapons gave off a faint cold blue glow beneath the moonlight.
"Damn it!"
Tsunade kicked over the puppet at the front of the charge. Shattered wood pieces flew in every direction, but more puppets were still closing in.
She looked back quickly. The wounded were being supported by the medical students as they retreated.
But they were too slow. If this kept up, everyone would be surrounded.
"Tsunade! We have been cut off!"
A medical student cried out in panic.
Tsunade gritted her teeth. A flash of resolve passed through her bright brown eyes.
She bit her thumb sharply, rapidly formed seals with both hands, then pressed one palm to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The earth shook. Dust and smoke rose. A massive white figure erupted from the ground and stood before them all like a mountain.
Katsuyu, Tsunade's summoning beast.
Her soft yet resilient body was an overwhelming presence on the battlefield.
"Tsunade, things seem to be in quite a bad state."
Katsuyu's gentle voice rang out. Her presence brought the Suna-nin puppet corps to an abrupt halt. Even the puppet masters showed expressions of fear and shock.
"Katsuyu, protect them for me!"
Tsunade commanded sharply, chakra boiling around her body.
"Understood."
Katsuyu's body rapidly divided. Countless smaller forms crawled toward the wounded and the medical students, wrapping them beneath her soft body and shielding them from the poisonous smoke and hidden weapons.
Tsunade stood alone at the very front. Her fists were clenched. The ground cracked beneath her feet.
She stared coldly at the Suna-nin puppets before her.
The next second, her figure shot forward like a cannonball and her fist struck into the mass of puppets.
BOOM!
The terrifying monstrous force erupted. Dozens of puppets were instantly blown to pieces. The Suna-nin fell back in fear, but Tsunade gave them no chance to catch their breath.
She grabbed a puppet by the head with one hand and smashed it into the ground. The shockwave sent all enemies in the surrounding area flying!
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
A Suna-nin commander finally understood. What they were facing was not merely Tsunade, one of the Sannin. It was an enraged beast.
But Tsunade would not give them that chance.
"Since you came, do not think about leaving!"
Her figure flickered across the battlefield. Every punch carried a force that swept everything away. The wreckage of puppets piled up like a mountain behind her.
Katsuyu's divided forms held firmly around everyone in the medical camp and ensured not a single person was harmed again.
When the last puppet master fell, Tsunade stood in the ruins, breathing hard.
She looked back at the people being protected by Katsuyu and confirmed there were no casualties. Only then did the tension in her nerves ease slightly.
"Tsunade..."
The medical students stared at her in awe, their eyes filled with reverence.
She let out a long breath. Even she, a member of the Senju clan, could not hold up under this kind of continuous drain.
Tsunade wiped the blood from her face and was about to pick up the medical kit from nearby.
"I did not expect the one leading this squad to be the princess of the Senju clan. That is quite a surprise."
A powerful, clear voice suddenly rang out from the distance.
Everyone looked toward the sound, and their hearts lurched.
One ninja after another appeared in view behind the middle-aged man at the front.
Then, on several surrounding mountains, a massive number of ninja appeared all at once.
Everyone's spirits sank to the lowest point.
Just one day earlier, Sakumo had received information and led the group to launch a surprise attack on the Suna-nin forces.
Now, in the camp, only the medical squad led by Tsunade and a few dozen combat ninja remained.
Facing a Suna-nin force of at least three to four hundred, they had become completely trapped with no way out.
"Princess Tsunade, you should surrender obediently!"
The middle-aged man at the front looked at Tsunade, his eyes full of confidence.