"Long live Lady Tsunade!!"
"As expected of Lady Tsunade! To think she developed an antidote in just a few days!"
"Let's see that old hag Chiyo act smug now!"
At the Land of Wind front, inside the Konoha camp, the atmosphere was electric with joy. The poison that had left the entire medical corps helpless had finally been neutralized. Thanks to Katsuyu's mass-distribution of the cure, the injured had fully recovered and were now stretching their limbs in the open clearings, bursting with renewed energy.
Seeing this, Nawaki and the others were stunned. They crowded around Ren Kurogane, whispering urgently, "Ren! This... this was you, wasn't it?"
Ren gave a modest smile. "Heh, I just got lucky and researched a new kind of medicine. Lady Tsunade is the one who actually formulated the specific antidote."
Despite his deflective answer, Minato and the others looked at him with even greater shock.
"Amazing! Master actually solved a poison that even my sister was stuck on!" Nawaki stared at Ren, his eyes gleaming. He suddenly felt that there was a bottomless well of things to learn from this "Master."
"Low profile! Stay low profile!" Ren basked in their admiration, even as he urged them to keep it down.
"Ren, with this kind of talent, you should have shown it earlier! You probably would have been assigned to the medical class from the start!" Choza remarked.
"Medical class? No, no, no," Ren laughed. "Compared to the hospital, I much prefer the battlefield. Medicine is just a side gig for me. This penicillin was just something I whipped up in my spare time—hardly worth mentioning!"
"Oh? Hardly worth mentioning, you say?" Tsunade's voice drifted in from behind him. Ren's smirk vanished instantly, and he turned around with a face of absolute military discipline.
"Lady Tsunade!"
Seeing his sudden shift to seriousness, Tsunade covered her mouth and chuckled. "Don't be so tense! I just came over to say thank you. If it wasn't for your penicillin, many people would have died today."
"It was my duty! Truly, it's nothing!" Ren lowered his head. Internally, he was calculating. Once Tsunade reported this to the Third, he'd have the perfect leverage to request access to Konoha's high-level laboratories to begin his "Artificial Otsutsuki Project."
Since the era of the Second Hokage, Konoha had conducted various biological experiments, so they didn't lack advanced equipment. If he could get inside, he was confident he could unlock his own Mangekyo Sharingan through genetic engineering in a very short time. And even if they lacked specific tools, he could simply state his requirements; someone in the village would be able to build them.
Tsunade shook her head slightly. "I've already sent word to the old man. Once we get back, feel free to ask for whatever you want. Even if the old man says no, I'll make sure it gets done for you!"
"Really?" Ren's eyes lit up. With Tsunade's backing, he might not even need the Hokage's direct permission to secure his own private lab.
"It seems you do have a request in mind~" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. "Follow me. Tell me what you need, and I'll see what I can do."
Once they reached a secluded spot, Ren went straight to the point. "I want an independent laboratory."
Tsunade looked at him with an "I knew it" expression. She wasn't surprised. Anyone who could produce penicillin under such primitive conditions wasn't going to stop there. Wanting a proper lab was the logical next step.
"Understood. I have my own laboratory at the Konoha Hospital. If you want to use it, you're welcome to it whenever you like. It usually just sits idle anyway."
Because you're usually busy at the gambling dens once we're back... Ren thought, though he didn't say it. Having a lab he could use freely made him incredibly happy. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade!"
"Hahaha! No need to be so polite!" Tsunade was in a fantastic mood today. She waved a hand dismissively. "I heard Nawaki has taken you as his master? I'm leaving him in your hands then. Train him hard; it's high time that brat grew up!"
Ren nodded, promising to whip Nawaki into a ninja who could stand on his own—or at the very least, one who wouldn't get taken out by a stray paper bomb.
When they returned, Ren saw that the White Fang had already led the main force to the front lines. Sakumo was clearly seizing the moment to boost morale to its peak while the enemy was reeling from the failure of their poison.
"The rest of you stay in camp today. Don't go to the front. I'm going back to get some actual sleep~" Tsunade stretched, her silhouette emphasized by the movement.
Ren watched her go, mentally noting, Truly "monstrous" proportions.
Lately, Ren's "Sage" training—internalizing natural energy through meditation—had become incredibly relaxed. While Nawaki was still struggling to slice his leaf (he had managed to cut it more than halfway through by now), Ren spent his days in deep "sleep-cultivation."
The time passed quickly. Before he knew it, Minato was shaking him awake. The sun was already setting.
"Let's head back. Tomorrow, we go to the front," Ren announced.
"Huh? So sudden?" Nawaki was startled. He thought he wouldn't see the front lines again until the war ended.
"The conflict here won't last much longer. I intend to gift the Sand a little something: a Rasenshuriken!"
Minato and the others stared at Ren, wide-eyed.
"Are you really going to use it here? Didn't you say the side effects were massive enough to classify it as an S-rank Forbidden Jutsu?" Minato asked, concerned.
"Don't worry. After absorbing natural energy these past few days, my physical durability has increased significantly. Using the Rasenshuriken won't be a heavy burden anymore." Ren flexed his arm, showing off a bicep that—while not bulky—looked incredibly dense. His face was full of confidence.
"Awesome! I can't wait to see Master show off on the battlefield tomorrow!" Nawaki shouted, hopping with excitement.
When they reached the mess hall, they saw Konoha ninja laughing and boasting. Even the wounded were talking about getting back out there in a few days to settle the score.
After dinner, the team retired to their tent.
"Ren, that 'Sage' thing you've been doing... how do you even start with that?" Minato asked as they settled into their sleeping bags.
"You just feel nature, and then you learn it." Ren's tone was casual. To him, this was a natural progression.
He wasn't a stingy person; if he managed to make real breakthroughs in this path, he planned to teach Minato and the others to see if they had the talent for it. And if they couldn't cultivate it naturally, he could always help them along—perhaps with a custom-tailored genetic serum.
Minato didn't know what to say to that. He had managed to cut his leaf two days ago, and his Wind chakra was sharp enough to shear steel. But the moment he tried to integrate that nature into the Rasengan, he realized just how terrifyingly difficult it was. Maintaining the high-speed rotation and the sphere's form while simultaneously injecting nature transformation was a mental and physical strain that had resulted in several failed attempts.
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