Now that Konoha knows of her existence and her poison, they will definitely strengthen their defenses. They will adjust their patrol routes, shrink their reconnaissance range, and pay special attention to terrains where ambushes are easy to set up.
It's difficult to kill hundreds of ninja in one go again.
After all, ninja battles are mostly fought in small teams of three to five, scattered across a vast battlefront, carrying out various tasks such as reconnaissance, harassment, guard duty, and patrol.
A large-scale troop movement like yesterday's, involving more than 500 people, is a rare opportunity.
A carefully laid trap can only be used once.
The battles to come will only be small-scale skirmishes.
Three or five are lost here, seven or eight are injured or killed there, and so on, slowly eroding their numbers.
The advantage of poisons is that even a small scratch can be fatal.
"I will arrange it immediately."
Rasa replied in a deep voice.
...
Three days later, at the Village Hidden in the Sand's command center.
Rasa and Chiyo both looked extremely grim. On the table were the battle reports that had been sent back over the past few days. Each report contained similar content, but the more one looked at them, the more annoyed one became.
Three days.
Three whole days.
They confirmed one thing: the person who repeatedly chased Pakura outside the camp was indeed Tsunade herself.
Pakura's team made two close-range encounters, testing the waters, and the opponent's signature terrifying strength was undeniable.
This means that the person who repeatedly deciphered Chiyo's poison from the rear was not Tsunade.
It was someone else.
The no. 2 poison deployed on the first day, Konoha produced an antidote the very same day.
The no. 3 poison deployed on the second day was neutralized by Konoha within a few hours.
The no. 4 poison, deployed on the third day, Chiyo had adjusted the formula overnight, incorporating several more obscure materials, originally thinking it could at least last an entire day.
But by the early morning of the fourth day, the news from the front line was still: Konoha had already been equipped with a new antidote.
Every single one had been cracked.
And the cracking speed was getting faster and faster.
Those Konoha ninjas who were poisoned were quickly transferred to the rear, and within a few hours, the various units at the front would receive new antidotes.
The antidote arrived before the poison could spread.
Over the past three days, although the Village Hidden in the Sand intensified its offensive, the effective results achieved were far less than expected.
However, the number of troops they deployed and the amount of poison they consumed were enormous.
Rasa sat silently in the main seat, his face terribly gloomy. His original plan to use poison to break the deadlock had been thwarted, which meant that the subsequent hard battles and wars of attrition would be even more brutal, and the already strained national strength of the Village Hidden in the Sand would be under even greater pressure.
Chiyo frowned for a long time, then slowly spoke in a slightly hoarse voice: "Who exactly is it from Konoha?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the tent flap was lifted, and an intelligence officer strode in.
"Kazekage-sama, Elder Chiyo, we've found out."
Both of them looked at him at the same time.
"The batch of Konoha ninja who were previously poisoned, aside from a few who were deeply poisoned and died, the rest all survived. And the person who saved them is Shinichi Higashino."
"Shinichi Higashino!?"
Upon hearing this, both of them were taken aback.
Chiyo subconsciously turned around, while Rasa stood up directly from his seat, his expression changing from gloomy to astonished.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Rasa spoke, his voice much louder than usual: "Elder Chiyo's poison is unparalleled! Tsunade is one thing, but how could a ten-year-old boy possibly crack Elder Chiyo's poison so quickly..."
"Rasa!"
Chiyo interrupted him, saying each word clearly, "This Shinichi Higashino must die!"
In fact, on the Village Hidden in the Sand's intelligence department's watchlist of key figures and potential threats within Konoha's southwestern army, the top two positions were unquestionably taken by Jiraiya and Tsunade.
And the one ranked third was not some veteran Jonin or team leader in Konoha, but Shinichi Higashino!
Based on a compilation of various intelligence reports, there are too many unsettling things about this Shinichi Higashino.
In particular, after Elder Ebizo personally led an attack on Konoha's medical and logistics unit but suffered an unexpected setback and significant losses, the intelligence department urgently raised the danger rating of Shinichi Higashino, who played a key role in the incident.
This Shinichi Higashino is not only incredibly talented but also has an astonishingly fast growth rate. His very existence is a huge variable that will affect the future strategy of the Village Hidden in the Sand.
However, neither Rasa nor Chiyo had expected that this variable's threat would strike their trump card of poison techniques in such a direct and violent way, rendering it useless!
"His talent is terrifying! In all my decades of life, I have never seen such a young man with such terrifying talent, and he is extremely versatile. He has shown talent in every field that is difficult for ordinary people to match!"
"Whether it's Jiraiya or Tsunade, no matter how strong they are, they are still opponents we can see through. We know their limits and how to deal with them."
Chiyo paused, her gaze growing increasingly profound: "But this Shinichi Higashino! Rasa, I can't see his potential. He's only ten years old this year. Once he grows up, our Village Hidden in the Sand will never have a chance to rise again!"
"Therefore, he must die!"
"At all costs!"
At this point, Chiyo looked at Rasa and said, "Rasa, prepare to gather our forces and launch a decisive attack, forcing Konoha to fight us head-on! Even if we don't achieve any great results, as long as we can kill this Shinichi Higashino, it will be the greatest victory for the Village Hidden in the Sand in this war!"
Rasa remained silent for a few seconds.
He knew what this meant: to launch a full-scale attack ahead of schedule, disrupt the original plans, and take greater risks to change targets.
Even if that goal is Konoha's future hope, this decision is still too difficult.
But he knew even more clearly that Chiyo was right.
This Shinichi Higashino must not be allowed to live!
He nodded slowly.
"I understand."
...
Shinichi was unaware that Chiyo and Rasa were determined to kill him, and even less aware that the Village Hidden in the Sand was preparing a full-scale attack.
He has been busy these past few days, processing samples of poison from the wounded ninjas sent from various places. During this period, the Village Hidden in the Sand would switch to a new type of poison every other day.
The poisons became increasingly cunning, and the ingredients increasingly became complex, but in his eyes, they were still just a series of dark dishes with slightly more complicated recipes.
However, he could no longer analyze the poison instantly by personally testing it, just like the first time.
Therefore, he had to find another way.
Each time he receives a new toxin sample, he pretends to spend two or three hours analyzing it using conventional medical methods.