Chapter 112: Seeds of Distrust
Inside the Medical Unit, the war had only just begun.
Every tent was brightly lit, and the thick smell of blood permeated the air. Only the most severely injured ninja were sent here, and Renji had been working non-stop since returning from the front line.
Sakura watched him, her expression pained as she observed his weary face. "Renji, take a break. You were on the front lines all day, and now you're working all night. Your body can't handle this."
Renji forced a smile, his hands never stopping as he channeled healing chakra. "I can rest. They can't. If I stop, many of them will die."
He and Sakura were the most skilled medics in the camp. The shinobi brought to them were often those whose lives were hanging by a thread. Those sent to Renji, in particular, often had only one breath left. If he stopped, they would die.
Sakura knew this. She bit her lower lip, unable to argue. The only thing she could do was work harder herself to lighten his burden.
Renji gave her a helpless look. She was telling him to rest, yet she had also fought on the front lines and was now planning to work all night.
The tent flap was thrown open.
"Renji-sama! He needs emergency treatment! His breathing has stopped!"
Two medics carried in a pale-faced shinobi just as the last one was carried out. His breathing had only just stopped; a weak pulse remained.
Renji's hand landed on the man's chest, and he quickly began to administer aid.
Suddenly, Renji's eyes flickered, a micro-expression so fast that no one noticed. In the next instant, he was back to work, pulling the patient back from the brink of death.
As the patient's eyes began to roll beneath their lids, Renji withdrew his hand. "He's stable. Take him to rest."
Just as the tent settled back into its grim routine, the flap was thrown open again. A ninja ran in, panting, his face a mask of terror.
"This is bad! Something terrible has happened!" he shouted.
Renji and Sakura's heads snapped up.
The man gasped for breath. "Toyosa, Takemaru, and Hino... they've all been killed!"
Sakura's heart jolted.
The medical ninja added, "They were assassinated!"
The news hit the tense camp like a boulder, shattering the fragile calm. Shinobi instantly tensed, gripping their weapons and scanning their surroundings.
Renji and Sakura walked out of the tent. Renji strode directly to the three cold bodies, his brows furrowed. "How did this happen?"
A nearby patrol ninja stepped forward. "We think an enemy spy infiltrated the camp."
Renji's expression grew even more serious. Experienced medical-nin like these were invaluable. Their loss meant more allied ninja would die on the battlefield, unable to receive timely treatment.
"But how did they get in so silently?" another patrol ninja muttered. "You have to pass a strict chakra verification to get into this camp!"
Renji glanced at the man. He knew the answer.
White Zetsu. Their mimicry ability was astonishing, capable of perfectly replicating a target's chakra signature. It was the same principle behind his own clones, which were so perfect that no one had yet realized Kakashi, Tsunade, and the others were his creations.
"It proves the enemy has a way to disrupt or fool our chakra-sensing," Sakura said, her delicate brows furrowed. Her eyes scanned the tense faces of the ninja around them. "In this situation, we can't easily trust anyone around us. Anyone could be the enemy."
The enemy's move was insidious. It didn't just kill crucial medics; it sowed seeds of suspicion and distrust, crippling morale at a critical time.
"Regardless, we cannot abandon the injured," Renji said, his voice loud and firm, cutting through the rising panic. "The treatment work must continue. Everyone, stay on high alert!"
"Yes!"
The medics dispersed, returning to their grim work. Renji walked back into his tent, only to find another severely injured ninja on his operating table.
Just then, a figure appeared silently inside the tent. It was a young ninja, his hand wrapped in thick bandages. He slowly approached Sakura.
Sakura was disinfecting her tools and turned, assuming he was a patient. "What's wrong? Did your wound reopen?"
The ninja just stood there, his eyes flickering, looking indecisive. After a long moment, he pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to her.
Sakura took it, bewildered.
The young ninja averted his gaze, embarrassed. "Actually... after you treated me today... your image has been lingering in my mind..."
Sakura's expression didn't change. She didn't need to open the letter. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on Renji.
He seemed completely detached, his focus entirely on the patient, as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Sakura silently withdrew her gaze.
"Next time... next time I go to the battlefield, I don't know if I can... come back alive," the young ninja stammered, scratching the back of his head as his cheeks flushed crimson. "So I wanted to tell you..."
Sakura gazed at the shy young man, a hint of apology in her eyes. After a moment, she said softly, "I'm sorry. I have someone I like."
Her tone was gentle but exceptionally firm.
"Ah! It's okay!" the ninja replied quickly, as if he'd expected it.
At that moment, Renji took off his white gloves, his patient now regaining consciousness. "Don't worry," Renji said, smiling at the man's grateful thanks. "I will do my utmost to ensure every injured ninja survives."
He then turned to the young ninja, a playful glint in his eyes. "Don't be so pessimistic. You have to believe there will be many more opportunities. Who knows, you might meet even more girls who make your heart pound."
Embarrassed, the young ninja scratched his head again and hurried away.
Sakura let out a soft laugh as he left, then turned to Renji. "Your medical box is almost full..."
The cabinet where Renji kept his personal items was overflowing with letters. Not just from patients, but from other beautiful girls who admired him.
Renji had firmly rejected them all, but the box was still full. Some were thank-you notes, but most were love letters.
Sakura, not knowing what else to do with the letter in her hand, simply opened Renji's cabinet and stuffed it inside.
Tonton, Shizune's ninja pig, rubbed against Renji's foot. He picked her up.
"Ah, Tonton's foot is injured," Sakura pointed out. As a ninja animal, Tonton had been following them ever since Shizune's death.
"Sakura, can you treat her? I'm going outside to assist the other medics," Renji said, handing the pig over.
Sakura held Tonton helplessly, watching him leave. "Seriously," she muttered as she began treating the pig's wound. "There are no more seriously injured ninja left, and the other medics can handle the rest. Yet he still goes, not caring about his own body at all."
Tonton sniffed and nodded. A small smile curved on Sakura's lips.
As she finished, she and Tonton were suddenly swallowed by a thick, heavy shadow.
Sakura's pupils constricted. An unprecedented fear surged within her. She spun around, but it was too late. A razor-sharp kunai was falling, aimed directly at her eye.
Her mind went blank. She couldn't dodge.
Because the person attacking her looked exactly like Renji.
Bang!
With a loud crash, the real Renji's hands slammed against the imposter's head, driving it into the hard-packed earth.
When a White Zetsu suffers a powerful enough attack, it reverts to its true form. The imposter's head exploded, and the body dissolved into white, plant-like matter.
Renji slowly stood up, his face grim. He took a deep breath. "I've figured it out. Get me an Intelligence Ninja, now. I have crucial information for headquarters!"
Sakura, her hands still trembling, nodded vigorously and hurried away.
...
Ninja Allied Forces Headquarters Command Center.
Inoichi Yamanaka's eyes widened as he received the message. "Shikaku! Renji from the Medical Division has sent a message. He's found the reason for the assassinations!"
Shikaku's head snapped up.
"The enemy is White Zetsu," Inoichi relayed. "They're transforming into allied ninja. They can mimic chakra signatures, so they've infiltrated every unit. Their targets are the ninja whose chakra they absorbed during the daytime battles!"
The doubts were resolved, replaced by a new, horrifying problem.
"What do we do?" the Raikage's secretary, Mabui, said, her voice tight. "We can't distinguish friend from foe. This will cripple our preparations for the battle at dawn. The longer this drags on, the more severe our casualties will be!"
"It will lead to us fighting each other," Shikaku said grimly. "The daytime battles were just a prep-op. This was the enemy's real objective."
"Again!" another intel officer shouted. "Reports are coming in from all squads! Teammates killed! The scene is chaotic!"
Shikaku frowned, rubbing his brow as a headache pounded behind his eyes. But strangely, the more intense the pain, the clearer his thoughts became.
Various ideas collided in his mind.
Then, a bold, risky idea appeared. It was the only feasible method he could think of. It was flawed, and he knew it would cause strong opposition. No one would want to submit to it.
But they had no time.
Shikaku took a deep breath and stood. "Inoichi, immediately connect me to the Intelligence Ninja of all units!"
"Yes!" Inoichi responded, his hands moving to Shikaku's head to begin the jutsu.
In an instant, Shikaku's mind was connected to the core intel-nin of every division.
"This is the Headquarters Command Center. I am Nara Shikaku." His voice echoed in their minds, concise and urgent. He quickly explained the situation.
"The White Zetsu have infiltrated all units and cannot be distinguished by chakra. Currently, the only feasible way to solve this is to use Renji's unique Bloodline Limit."
He paused. "Renji's Bloodline Limit allows him to examine a person's soul state simply by direct physical contact. This way, we can quickly and accurately identify the White Zetsu hidden within our forces."
Shikaku knew what he was asking. "This will be an extremely arduous challenge for Renji, greatly depleting his chakra and mental energy. But we have no other choice."
His voice firmed. "This is an order! It must be carried out resolutely!"
The connection severed. Shikaku let out a long sigh. "Inoichi, contact Renji. Not a second to lose."
The connection was established. "Renji," Shikaku's voice said, "I have a special mission for you, and only you can complete it."
"Send your clones to each unit to help them identify the White Zetsu."
"Yes." Renji accepted without hesitation.
The connection cut. Renji turned to the Intelligence Ninja in his tent. "Thank you. You can go rest now."
Once the man left, Renji smiled. The White Zetsu's actions had actually made things much easier for him.
Five Wood Release clones emerged from his body.
"Go," Renji ordered.
The clones vanished.
At the same time, the orders were relayed from the intel-nin to their captains.
In the First Division, Darui nodded. "It's HQ's decision. Gather all ninja. They will be inspected one by one."
In the Second Division, Kitsuchi felt a slight resistance, thinking of his daughter Kurotsuchi, but he knew this was necessary. "Have all ninja gather."
The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Divisions all received the same order.
Renji's clones, using the Flying Thunder God marks he had scattered across the battlefields, appeared instantly in each division's command tent.
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