Once again set off to the front line, Chao Yanqian felt very relaxed.
The last time Chao Yanqian, as an ordinary ninja, went to the front line to perform a mission, he faced death at any time.
But this time, as Tsunade's disciple, Chao Yanqian went to the front line as a medical ninja. As long as Konoha's ninjas could hold the blockade and not be surrounded by Sunagakure (Sand) ninja, the medical ninjas would not be in danger.
He came to Konoha's gate to gather and looked around. There were not too many ninjas supporting the front line—probably only around two hundred—but each was an elite.
These ninjas were all handpicked elites drawn from various Konoha clans. Most of them were Chūnin or higher. Among them, the Uchiha and Hyūga clans were the most conspicuous.
The Hyūga clan was easiest to recognize, and their Byakugan—white eyes—clearly identified them.
As for the Uchiha clan, they were even more conspicuous. Uchiha ninjas often didn't wear standard Konoha uniforms. The fan-shaped Uchiha clan emblem was enough to identify them.
The arrogance of the Uchiha clan made many uncomfortable, but Uchiha ninjas typically kept to themselves. They gathered only with their own and rarely interacted with outsiders, often appearing aloof.
Standing next to Tsunade, Chao Yanqian could clearly see the furrowed brows on her face. As a member of the Senju clan, Tsunade also had little affection for the Uchiha.
The Senju name was once glorious. They were extremely influential in shaping the shinobi world. Konoha was established by Senju Hashirama, who defeated Uchiha Madara. At that time, the Uchiha clan had to lie low under the shadow of the Senju clan's power.
However, time passed. The First and Second Hokage were gone. The Senju, burdened by their own past glory, slowly faded—suffering heavily in wars and dwindling over time.
Eventually, Nawaki died in battle, and Tsunade's fear of blood delivered a crushing blow to the already declining clan.
The Senju clan, once central to Konoha's power, had nearly faded from memory. Meanwhile, the Uchiha rose to become the most powerful clan in the village. Their natural pride grew, and they started disregarding others—even the Hokage.
The Uchiha were different. Even after Madara's apparent death, no one awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan again, but even basic Sharingan users far outmatched average ninjas of the same rank.
Once a Sharingan evolved to the three-tomoe stage, that ninja could already be considered Jōnin-level and among the strongest in that class.
The Byakugan of the Hyūga and the Sharingan of the Uchiha were two of the Three Great Dōjutsu. But compared to the support-oriented Byakugan, the Sharingan had a far more direct impact on combat strength.
At this time, even the powerful Hyūga clan had to accept being overshadowed by the Uchiha.
However, life for the Uchiha wasn't easy. Without a true powerhouse among them, they were forced to listen to Konoha's leadership. They were stuck in the awkward position of being the village police while simultaneously under constant suspicion and suppression from Konoha's higher-ups.
The Uchiha followed orders while quietly hoping for the emergence of a new leader who would restore their clan's position and power within the village.
Once all the ninjas arrived, Tsunade shouted, "Go!" and then led the troops toward the front line.
This time, Konoha had dispatched many elite ninjas, clearly signaling their intent to fight Sunagakure to the bitter end.
Konoha also had to remain wary of Iwagakure and Kirigakure. And more dangerously, the ever-ambitious Kumogakure hovered nearby, ready to strike from behind at any time.
Konoha needed to eliminate Sunagakure's threat swiftly and reserve its forces to handle the others.
One day later, Tsunade arrived at the front line with the reinforcements, replacing Jiraiya and assuming the role of Deputy Commander.
As Tsunade's disciple, Chao Yanqian became the deputy leader of the medical unit, covering for Tsunade and hiding her hemophobia.
The medical unit's camp was set up behind Orochimaru's main force, in a hidden and secure location. Spies from Sunagakure had not yet discovered the camp's whereabouts.
Just after entering the medical camp, Chao Yanqian frowned at the tragic sight.
There were too many wounded. Every bed in the camp was taken. Many wounded lay directly on the ground, waiting for treatment. And this was after Konoha had already sent back the most critically wounded who couldn't return to the battlefield. If all had stayed, there wouldn't even be room on the ground.
It was unbearable.
Even though half of the medical ninjas from Konoha Hospital had been sent to the front line, the numbers were still far from enough.
Fortunately, Tsunade had arrived. While she couldn't enter combat directly, her summoned slugs could provide healing to most of the injured.
Even in the midst of a decisive battle, Tsunade could use Katsuyu to treat battlefield casualties.
After instructing the medical team to group patients by severity of injury, Chao Yanqian took out a vial of blood and a scroll. He opened the scroll, poured the blood onto it, and began a sequence of hand signs.
[Ninpō – Summoning Technique!]
Boom!
In a huge puff of smoke, a slug over ten meters tall appeared—nearly draining all of Chao Yanqians chakra.
As the slug split apart, dozens of miniature slugs crawled onto the wounded and began healing them with Tsunade's remote control.
Seeing the slug being summoned, several ninja recognized it and shouted, "Tsunade-sama is here!" "We're saved!" Their faces lit up with hope.
Tsunade's presence meant fewer lives would be lost.
Chao Yanqian and all the other medics at the scene watched in awe. Lightly wounded soldiers recovered in moments. Moderately wounded ones took a bit more time. As for the critically wounded who couldn't even move, they had to wait until Yanqian recovered some chakra for surgery.
In less than thirty minutes, most of the wounded were healed. The remaining ones only needed some recovery before returning to battle.
Damn, this is a total cheat code.
No wonder Tsunade could leave Konoha for more than ten years and still return to be accepted as the Fifth Hokage. With her unrivaled medical ninjutsu, she earned the respect and gratitude of nearly every shinobi.
Scenes like this ignited everyone's fighting spirit. At that moment, no one doubted that Konoha could defeat Sunagakure.
Tsunade's medical prowess gave every Konoha ninja a reason to fight fiercely—because as long as they were still breathing, they could be saved.
Chao Yanqian was left speechless.
Originally, he naïvely believed that with a few more years of training, he could reach Tsunade's level. But now he realized—without Katsuyu as a summoning partner—no matter how long he trained, he might never catch up.