After repelling this group of Suna (Sand) shinobi, Chao Yanqian became more vigilant. Now that Sunagakure had begun targeting the medical squad, they would definitely not abandon their plan easily. The next wave of attacks from the Sand could come at any time.
Fortunately, Chao Yanqian had already disguised most of the medical-nin as ordinary shinobi in advance, mixing them into some combat squads, so they could treat the wounded at any time.
As long as these medical-nin treated patients in secret and didn't expose themselves, they wouldn't face too much risk.
As for the people around Chao Yanqian, most were ordinary ninjas disguised as medical-nin. Of course, they were all elites. The purpose of these people was to wait for elite Sand shinobi to attack the medical squad and then wipe them out.
The continuous treatment had caused Chao Yanqian to use up a lot of chakra, but with too many wounded, he didn't have time to rest.
Fortunately, Tsunade had taken on most of the medical corps' pressure, or else Chao Yanqian would've been overwhelmed.
The nature of a decisive battle is that, unless one side retreats and concedes defeat, the fighting continues.
The battlefield situation remained intense. When most of the shinobi had expended nearly all their chakra, combat reverted to primitive hand-to-hand clashes. Even so, Chao Yanqian noticed something odd.
Rasa's location seemed to be inching closer to the medical corps!
Upon noticing this, Chao Yanqian became instantly alert. He stopped his work and called the person in charge of guarding the medical squad to his side.
"What's the matter?" The one in charge was Uchiha Tenzuru, a powerful Uchiha clan member.
"Captain Tenzuru, look at that golden sand,it's moving in our direction," Chao Yanqian said in a low voice. "That's Rasa of the Sand, who can manipulate gold dust. He's the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, the highest authority there. He's powerful, and his ninjutsu has a wide range. I recommend we relocate the medical squad immediately and avoid him."
"Hm?" Hearing this, Uchiha Tenzuru squinted toward the battlefield and spotted Rasa, indeed moving closer. He sneered and said excitedly, "So it is Rasa. Great! If he dares come over, I'll make him die an ugly death!"
"Captain Tenzuru, Rasa's jutsu has wide coverage. If he gets close, none of the wounded here will make it out alive!" Chao Yanqian said gravely, his expression already darkening.
Damn it. This guy has no sense. Even with the Sharingan's three tomoe, do you have any jutsu that can break the absolute defense of gold dust?
And if Rasa unleashes a large-scale sand attack here, not just the twenty medical-nin, but none of the wounded will escape.
"Hmph!" Uchiha Tenzuru scoffed. "Our mission is to lure out Suna's elites and destroy them. Didn't you already assign roles to the medical-nin? It's only twenty medics. If Rasa shows up, you can run. We'll hold him off."
"Captain Tenzuru, I'll repeat this. Rasa is not like regular shinobi. His sand control covers a wide area. If he strikes, we won't survive. We must relocate now," Chao Yanqian said firmly.
"You underestimate the Uchiha?" Uchiha Tenzuru said coldly, full of contempt.
Damn it! Chao Yanqian realized these arrogant Uchiha just couldn't be reasoned with. Luring out Suna elites was one thing—but Rasa was another level.
If the attackers had been Chiyo or Ebizō, Chao Yanqian wouldn't be this tense. But this was Rasa.
If Rasa unleashed a massive gold dust wave, none of the wounded would escape. His defense was nearly unbreakable. Unless you had a technique that pierced through his gold dust, or speed like Rock Lee's, regular shinobi were no match for him.
Seeing Uchiha Tenzuru begin discussing tactics with his team, Chao Yanqian could only curse him silently_idiot.
But as the deputy leader of the medical corps, Chao Yanqian was responsible for the safety of the medics and the wounded.
Taking a deep breath to calm his fury, he summoned the twenty medical-nin and said, "Rasa of the Sand is closing in. We must move immediately. Lightly wounded shinobi will help carry the heavily wounded. Follow me."
Chao Yanqian still held some authority in the corps. Hearing his command, the medics began packing their supplies and preparing for relocation.
Scanning the battlefield, Chao Yanqian thought: Although they couldn't leave the front entirely, as long as they avoided Rasa and stayed under the protection of other shinobi, even if Suna's puppet brigade showed up, they had a real shot at surviving.
Looking at the terrain, he noted the presence of rocky ground beneath them.
Sunagakure had likely prepared for this location well in advance. If Rasa generated more gold dust, his jutsu's power would drastically increase, posing immense danger to average shinobi.
Though Konoha had gathered some intel on Rasa, it wasn't nearly as detailed as what Chao Yanqian knew from the manga.
Thinking of this, Chao Yanqian called over a lightly wounded ninja. "Senior, I need you to immediately report something critical to Lord Orochimaru. Rasa of the Sand can manipulate gold dust, and this rocky terrain could let him generate even more. Warn Lord Orochimaru to stay alert and if possible, eliminate Rasa early."
"I understand. Leave it to me." The ninja trusted Chao Yanqian. It was only an intel report. Even if Rasa didn't pose a threat, there was no harm in taking precautions.
"Captain Yanqian, everything's ready," a medical-nin reported after packing up the supplies.
"Good. Everyone, follow me!" Chao Yanqian signaled and prepared to move the unit to safety.
"Wait!"
At that moment, Uchiha Tenzuru halted the squad and said coldly, "Your medical team can move, but not yet. If we move now, Rasa might sense something's off. We need him to attack first. Once he strikes, we'll pin him down. Then you can retreat."
"Are you stupid?" Chao Yanqian shouted, furious over the life-or-death situation.
"What did you say?" Uchiha Tenzuru grabbed Chao Yanqian by the collar, glaring angrily.
Boom!
Chao Yanqian knocked Uchiha Tenzuru back and yelled to the others, "Ignore him—follow me!"
"You little punk! Don't you dare—!"
RUMBLE!
Before Uchiha Tenzuru could finish, a massive surge of golden sand erupted from the ground, crashing toward the medical team like a tidal wave of gold.