Nawaki's eyes widened in sheer disbelief as he stared blankly at Minato, trying to process the news. "Didn't the reports say Sunagakure was preparing for a massive attack?"
"Yeah, maybe they suddenly had a change of heart and decided to pack it in. They retreated again."
Minato nodded and spoke with a casual, effortless tone that masked the exhaustion of the battlefield.
"Give me a break—"
Nawaki's lip twitched with skepticism as he looked his friend up and down. "You definitely did something again, didn't you? There's no way they just left."
"I just used the Hiraishin to assist Senior Sakumo in a Decapitation Strike."
Minato paused for a moment, as if remembering a minor detail he had forgotten to mention. "And I released a couple of Ninjutsu along the way—"
"Is that so? Well, that's still great."
Nawaki sighed, his shoulders drooping as the weight of his own boredom settled back in. "It's better than me stuck here doing these useless chores."
"Don't think about it. Your strength isn't enough for the front lines yet. You need to focus on the basics before you jump into the fire."
As Minato spoke, he reached out and took Nawaki's hand. With practiced precision, he condensed a tiny blade of blue Chakra at his fingertip and made a light, swift cut.
Ssh—
A small wound appeared on the back of Nawaki's hand, and he winced sharply as the sting hit him. "Hiss—that hurts! What the hell are you doing?"
"Treating the wounded, of course. There are dozens of injured people in this tent. How long were you planning to take at this rate? We don't have all day."
Minato wiped the small droplet of blood off Nawaki's hand with his thumb. He quickly formed a series of Hand Seals, his fingers moving in a blur, not forgetting to tease his friend: "You have the Summoning Jutsu but don't even know how to use it effectively. How can I trust you on the battlefield if you can't even handle the logistics?"
With a sudden poof, a cloud of white smoke exploded in the center of the cramped tent.
A three-meter-tall Slug appeared, its massive body taking up most of the available space.
"Long time no see, you two~"
The Slug's antennae twitched as it scanned the room and the rows of injured shinobi. "Are we treating the wounded today?"
Minato nodded politely, maintaining his perfect public image of the respectful student. "Yes, I'll have to trouble you, Lord Katsuyu. We have a lot of work to do."
"Mm-hmm, leave it to me! I'm happy to help."
The Slug spoke cheerfully and quickly split its body into dozens of smaller copies that began to crawl toward the patients.
Noticing the sudden commotion and the presence of the legendary summon, the Medical Ninjas in the tent all stopped what they were doing and looked over.
"Oh? Isn't that the Slug from the Shikkotsu Forest?!"
A Medical Ninja dressed in a white protective suit looked delighted at the sight. "Young man, what is your relationship with Lady Tsunade?"
"Heh heh, Tsunade is my sister, and this guy next to me is my Older Sister's Disciple!"
Nawaki crossed his arms over his chest, his voice booming with pride. "Minato Namikaze, Konoha's number one Genius! You've heard of him, right? He's the real deal."
A small Slug landed softly on his shoulder. A warm glow of Yang Release Chakra was transferred over, quickly sealing the wound on the back of Nawaki's hand until it vanished.
"So you're Lady Tsunade's Disciple. Please excuse my lack of manners; I didn't realize who you were."
Hearing this, the other person's eyes were filled with genuine surprise and newfound respect for the young blond boy.
"Hey, hey, what is this thing? A Slug?"
A female Ninja with a heavily bandaged and injured arm felt a chill when she saw the creature and instinctively tried to dodge the slime.
"Everyone, don't move. This is Lady Tsunade's Summoned Beast, Lord Katsuyu. It has very powerful healing abilities that far surpass standard medical ninjutsu."
The Medical Ninja who had just spoken to Minato stepped forward. He picked up one of the Slug clones and pressed it onto the female Ninja's arm without saying another word.
"Ugh..."
The female Ninja pursed her lips in a grimace. "It feels incredibly slimy and cold."
As if sensing her distaste, the Slug's antennae twitched with a hint of playfulness. "If you keep being so disgusted by me, I won't treat you anymore~"
The female Ninja immediately felt ashamed for her reaction. "Uh—sorry. I'm just a bit scared of creepy-crawlies. I was bitten by a bug when I was a kid and never got over it."
"I don't bite, because I don't have any teeth!"
The Slug said. As if afraid the woman wouldn't believe it, it even opened its mouth wide to show the smooth interior. "See? Ah—"
Hearing the Slug's innocent words, the people around the tent burst into good-natured chuckles. The laughter greatly lightened the heavy, tense atmosphere of the medical ward.
Before long, under the Slug's efficient treatment, most of the patients were recovered. Only a few severely injured shinobi required more intensive care.
As news of the Sunagakure forces' retreat spread through the camp, people's moods relaxed completely, and the fear of an imminent massacre faded.
After thanking the Slug for its assistance, Minato released the Summoning in a puff of smoke. "Alright, we should head back to our post too."
"Thank you for your hard work, Minato-kun."
Hearing that Minato was planning to leave, the captain of the Medical Squad hurried over to see him off. "Oh, if it weren't for you this time, we wouldn't have known how long we'd be busy. You saved us hours of labor."
Minato nodded gently, his smile warm and reassuring. "Not at all, you're too kind. I'm just doing my duty for the village."
"By the way, are you stationed here at the front-line camp, Minato-kun?"
"No, our current mission is to stand by at the Outpost and handle intelligence work for the commanders."
"I thought so—"
The Medical Squad captain nodded understandingly, looking at the boy's youthful features. "While I think the Medical Squad would suit your talents better, your age indeed makes you unsuitable for a place as dangerous as the front lines."
"It's fine. The Outpost isn't far from here. If you're ever truly overwhelmed by casualties, you can send someone to find me anytime."
Minato said politely, "Although I'm not nearly as good as my teacher, I still know the basic Mystical Palm Technique."
His words were mostly polite, but internally, his thoughts were far more calculated.
When he acted as a Medical Ninja, he represented more than just himself; he also represented Tsunade's reputation and her lineage.
Although Minato wasn't personally obsessed with fame, he hoped Tsunade's name would become even more renowned throughout the Land of Fire.
After all, an identity bonus can be quite useful at times when manipulating people or securing resources.
For example, queens, teachers, investigators, and so on—each role provided a layer of protection or influence.
"Basic Mystical Palm Technique—"
The captain paused. Is that thing really considered basic to him?
Hearing Minato's humble words, the Medical Squad captain couldn't help but sigh with deep emotion. "As expected of Lady Tsunade's Disciple! Your standards are on another level."
It's an A-rank Ninjutsu, kid!
Once you learn it to a functional degree, you can immediately take a high-ranking position at the Konoha Hospital!
And it's just 'basic' to you?
At this time, although Tsunade's medical skills had reached the top level, her fame was far from what it would be in the future. People's understanding of Tsunade was mostly limited to her legendary beauty and her terrifying Monstrous Strength.
Only these professional Medical Ninjas knew just how exquisite the medical skills of the First Hokage's Granddaughter truly were.
"Minato-kun!"
Hearing someone calling his name from across the camp, Minato looked toward the sound and saw Shirakumo Kazeta waving at them from a distance.
Minato walked up quickly to meet him. "Senior Shirakumo, is everything settled?"
"I'm so glad you're okay. I was worried sick."
Seeing Minato safe and sound, Shirakumo Kazeta breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
He had been brought to the front lines by Minato using the Flying Thunder God, flashing through the landscape at speeds he couldn't even comprehend.
When he learned that Minato had received the Hokage's direct order to support Sakumo Hatake alone, he felt at the time that the Hokage had truly gone mad for sending a child into such a meat grinder.
Although he had seen the powerful mobility of the Hiraishin, Minato was still just a child, about the same age as his own son. This reality inevitably made him worry for the boy's life.
But fortunately, the genius had returned without a scratch.
"An order was just issued from the command tent; we are to stay here temporarily until the support troops arrive to bolster the defenses."
Shirakumo Kazeta said, "Go rest in the tent for a while. The support troops should arrive by evening at the latest."
Minato nodded, and the group walked together toward the designated resting area.
But as soon as they stepped inside the tent, the three of them were immediately driven back out by a suffocating, strong smell of old sweat and blood.
"The smell is a bit strong in there. After all, it's the front-line battlefield, and washing isn't very convenient for the soldiers—"
Shirakumo Kazeta said somewhat helplessly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Besides, the Land of Rain is constantly rainy, and the environment is harsh and damp, so everyone has to stay huddled in the tents."
"How about we go find something to eat first?"
Nawaki forced a weak smile, clearly affected by the stench. "Minato, don't you have a huge appetite? You must be hungry after all that fighting, right?"
Minato shook his head slowly. If the living conditions were this poor, how good could the food possibly be? It was likely just bland rations and cold rice.
It seems the Four-Pillar House Technique will have to make a long-awaited appearance to provide some much-needed comfort!
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