Jiraiya opened his mouth as if to say something, but Tsunade stopped him by raising her hand.
"I just went to check. Chiyo's poison is indeed troublesome. Even if I had been there, I could only have saved some people's lives. It will take at least two days to develop an antidote."
"I've seen and analyzed the antidote that kid made. It's excellent, even perfect!"
"He seems to possess an innate talent for medicine... No, not just medicine, but rather for the subtle perception and insight into the properties of various substances. His skills in Medical Ninjutsu still have a lot of room for improvement, but in pharmacology..."
At this point, Tsunade paused for a moment before continuing, "In pharmacology, perhaps no one in the current Shinobi World can compare to him; it could even be said that this kid is the number one person in the Shinobi World in this field."
Number one in the Shinobi World?
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
He knew the kid was a genius, but wasn't that a bit too much of an evaluation?
However, since this assessment came from Tsunade, he had no choice but to believe it.
If she said that kid was the number one in pharmacology in the Shinobi World, then he was.
Tsunade glanced at him and continued, "So let's leave the matter of dealing with Chiyo's poison to that kid. He'll do it faster and better than I will."
Jiraiya nodded and was about to say something when Tsunade suddenly changed the subject, her voice turning cold as she stared directly at him.
"But!"
"Jiraiya, you remember this: you are never allowed to let him test the poison himself again."
Tsunade stepped forward, her tone becoming increasingly sharp: "If this happens again, even if you have to knock him out and tie him up, you have to stop him. Do you understand?"
Jiraiya opened his mouth, looked into Tsunade's unwavering eyes, and finally just nodded firmly: "I understand."
The next day, as dawn broke, Shinichi emerged from his tent and headed toward the office.
Tsunade only stayed for half a day before leaving again, before it got dark.
Pakura was still wandering outside like a ghost, harassing and attacking.
Tsunade had to continue pursuing her to keep her contained.
Therefore, Shinichi remains the acting head of this massive medical and logistics team.
"Shinichi, you're early."
"Shinichi-kun, you worked hard yesterday."
"Shinichi..."
Along the way, everyone who saw him greeted him. They slowed down the moment they saw him, stopped, and made way for him. The look in their eyes was different from the appreciation for genius and admiration for talent they had shown before. Now there was something more complex and more shocking in their eyes.
Shinichi knew what that was: the human heart!
What happened yesterday has spread throughout almost the entire southwestern front.
Shinichi Higashino risked his life by testing the poison on himself to save more than two hundred poisoned companions.
From a rational perspective, as an acting leader, Shinichi's actions yesterday were very impulsive and could even be described as extremely irresponsible.
A qualified leader should take an overall perspective, maintain absolute rationality, weigh the pros and cons, and seek a solution that may be slower but is more reliable, rather than treating themselves as a disposable expendable asset.
But people's hearts aren't calculated that way.
On the one hand, people expect their leaders to always be wise, always calm, always consider the big picture, make the most rational and correct choices, and lead everyone to victory.
On the other hand, when a leader truly disregards the bigger picture, disregards their own safety, and risks their life to protect their subordinates… That kind of shock, emotion, and heartfelt recognition is something that no rational decision can achieve.
Because at that moment, people didn't see the decision-maker high above them, but someone who was willing to stand with them and even stand in front of them.
Moreover, Shinichi is only ten years old this year.
At this age, many people believe that one should naturally be impulsive, passionate, and reckless with a youthful spirit.
Even if the higher-ups in Konoha find out what he did, they might feel scared, angry, and severely reprimand him, even scolding him harshly for being reckless and irresponsible, but deep down, they would value him even more.
Sure enough!
As Shinichi entered the office, a staff member handed him a document bearing the joint seal of Konoha's F4.
The document first highly praised his extraordinary courage, unwavering will, and extreme respect for the lives of his comrades during yesterday's emergency, stating that his actions profoundly embody the essence of the Will of Fire and serve as a model for Konoha ninjas.
However, the praise was extremely brief, followed by several pages of harsh reprimands that showed no mercy. He was reprimanded for being extremely reckless and seriously irresponsible, and was finally ordered to prioritize his own safety and the stability of the command system. Any personal actions involving high risks must be reported to the command center and the village in advance and approved. Otherwise, it would be considered disobeying orders.
He calmly read through the document, carefully refolded it, and put it in the drawer. But he knew that this document reprimanding him carried far more weight than the previous document praising him.
...
Meanwhile, at the Village Hidden in the Sand headquarters.
"What!?"
Chiyo abruptly stood up from her seat, staring intently at the intelligence officer before her, and said incredulously: "You're saying that Konoha had already prepared the antidote in advance?"
The intelligence officer, head bowed, quickly responded: "Yes, Elder Chiyo, as per your previous plan, we intensified our offensive early this morning. All assault units were equipped with the no. 1 mixed poison you assigned, but the Konoha side... Seems to have already prepared the corresponding antidote. Our poison did not achieve the expected effect."
At this point, the intelligence officer paused for a moment, then continued in a low voice, "Elder Chiyo, our analysis suggests that someone in Konoha may have quickly produced the corresponding antidote."
"Could it be that the person leading the pursuit of Pakura wasn't Tsunade at all, but someone else in disguise?"
Chiyo muttered to herself, then looked up at the silent fourth Kazekage and said, "Rasa, you sent a message to Pakura's team. If she encounters Tsunade again, test her to confirm if it is Tsunade herself."
"At the same time, have the people lurking around the Konoha camp find out what's going on with those who were poisoned yesterday."
"I understand."
Rasa nodded.
Chiyo then added, "Notify all frontline units to immediately switch to the reserved no. 2 series poison and continue increasing the intensity of attacks in all directions! I want to see whether it's Tsunade after all, or if Konoha has some other capable individual!?"
That's what she said, but she knew in her heart that this round of attacks could not replicate the results of yesterday.
Long before her arrival, the village had arranged for people to operate continuously in that area, creating the illusion that there was infiltration there, gradually luring Konoha's troops over.
After waiting for several days, the group of more than 500 people finally arrived. They planned to swallow them whole and then intensify their offensive to expand their gains.
That was a carefully laid trap; it couldn't be replicated in any casual attack.
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