The conflict with Iwagakure was fundamentally different from the border friction with Amegakure.
Against Amegakure, Sunagakure had mostly operated through harassment and sneak attacks, relying on small independent squads infiltrating enemy territory.
Both sides had fought that way. Aside from the major battle where Hanzo personally led his army against the Third Kazekage, Grandma Chiyo, and the others, large-scale warfare had rarely occurred on that front.
Even so, the frequency of individual combat had been high, Sunagakure shinobi stationed near Amegakure could find themselves clashing with the enemy several times in a single day.
Here at the border near the Land of Birds, it was the opposite. Engagements between Sunagakure and Iwagakure almost always exceeded a hundred people. Small-scale conflicts were rare.
After the initial engagement with Iwagakure, Yuji did not return to the battlefield for some time. Both sides shifted their focus to gathering intelligence on the other's war zone and personnel movements.
This did not mean the shinobi could rest, the security work here was tighter than anything near Amegakure. The border line covered a vast area, and the Stronghold headquarters had to coordinate and manage all its squad personnel continuously, tracking every movement of the enemy forces without pause, like a machine that couldn't afford even a moment of stillness.
Yuji filled his days regardless. He absorbed battlefield rescue experience from his seniors, attended regular military training sessions with the Squad Leader and others to work through battlefield knowledge, and made his way to the Medical Corps whenever he could to help Saori treat the wounded and pass on what he knew about treatment logic to the other Medical Ninja, not unlike the teaching he had done back at the hospital in the village.
He was busy without interruption, every day.
One afternoon, while working at the Medical Corps, a summons came. Shimizu wanted to see him at the Overall Commander's tent.
Yuji arrived, called out, received a response, and walked inside.
Sasori was already there. Shimizu had called only the two of them.
"Sit down."
Yuji sat.
"News came in," Shimizu said, his voice heavier than usual. "One of our Stronghold squads was ambushed by Iwagakure."
Yuji stayed calm. Both villages were past the stage of probing each other's deployments; they knew each other well enough now, and the current state of things was mutual attrition.
An Iwagakure squad crossing into the Land of Wind border to carry out a sneak attack would at most cost a few lives without producing any significant strategic effect.
But Shimizu had called him and Sasori specifically, which meant this had something to do with the two of them.
"The losses at the Stronghold weren't large," Shimizu continued. "But two people were captured alive."
Yuji understood immediately. If Iwagakure had taken prisoners rather than simply killing them, interrogation was the objective.
He glanced at Sasori, then looked back at the commander. "This is about us."
Shimizu nodded. "We also captured one of theirs. He didn't talk easily, but we got enough out of him. Because of your performance in the battles you both participated in, Iwagakure has already taken notice of you." He looked at Yuji directly.
"Many people on our front lines know your situation. Our own people may not leak anything deliberately, but we have no way of knowing whether the enemy has access to abilities like Mind Reading or Memory Extraction.
You should both operate from the assumption that your information has been compromised."
He let that settle for a moment before continuing. "The fact that they risked personnel to penetrate this deep into our territory for live prisoners, that's the kind of effort usually reserved for high-level military officials or key figures.
It tells us Iwagakure considers you a priority. From now on, when either of you appears on the battlefield, expect to be targeted. The pressure on your survival will be considerably greater than before."
"Doesn't matter," Sasori said.
"Haha. As expected of Iwagakure's elite, sharp enough to notice an inconspicuous Medical Ninja like me."
Yuji rubbed the back of his head and laughed easily.
Shimizu said nothing.
"Regardless... you must both act carefully on the battlefield from now on. Iwagakure shouldn't be strangers to you either."
He had spoken with Saori over the past few days after noticing how well she seemed to know Yuji, and had come away with a clearer picture.
Yuji's three-man squad had operated in the Land of Grass, using Iwagakure's own intelligence to cause trouble for Konoha. Word of two exceptional young shinobi emerging from Sunagakure had apparently reached even Iwagakure at the time.
Now their identities were confirmed. That would make their position on the battlefield considerably more dangerous going forward.
After a few more instructions, Sasori and Yuji left together.
Within the Land of Birds, inside the large Iwagakure force stationed there, the commander called in the Combat Leader who had lost to Sunagakure and placed the information sent from the village in front of him.
In their original battle reports sent back to the village, they hadn't emphasized Yuji and Sasori specifically. They had given the reason for the defeat simply, Sunagakure's Medical Squad had operated at a level higher than Iwagakure's, and the performance of one Medical Ninja in particular had been noteworthy. They described the situation briefly and left it at that.
After the village's reply came in, the commander had conducted his own investigation. He sent out a squad and captured two live Sunagakure prisoners.
He trusted his friend's eye for battlefield analysis. A Medical Ninja capable of catching his attention, even if just a child, was not simple.
Both sides had been deeply familiar with each other's situation since the beginning of this conflict. A variable appearing now, however small, could not be overlooked.
"A Medical Ninja capable of carrying out dangerous deep-penetration independent squad mission, that alone demonstrates how remarkable he is as a ninja, to say nothing of his age."
The Overall Commander took a slow breath and looked at his companion. "Your defeat also confirms that these two Sunagakure geniuses are genuinely extraordinary."
He continued. "Based on your battle report and records, this boy Yuji possesses combat skills far exceeding ordinary ninja. That is what drives his efficiency in saving people on the battlefield.
As for his healing ability, it can be assumed to be excellent; his Medical Ninjutsu proficiency must be high. There is no other explanation for the gap he created between his Medical Squad's output and ours."
He fell silent for a moment, studying the former commander. "If another clash of the same scale and composition occurs, based on your experience, with this boy present, what would our chances of winning be?"
"That cannot be calculated directly, because his immediate battlefield contribution isn't actually that obvious on its own..." His friend's frown deepened. "But what concerns me is what their presence means over time.
Sasori is a Genius Puppeteer assigned to Sunagakure's Puppeteer Unit. In the short term it may not matter, but if this drags on, as he absorbs battlefield experience and begins to find his footing, a talent like his could bring real improvement to the entire Puppeteer Unit.
And if Yuji raises Sunagakure's overall medical level even slightly, that accumulates across every engagement."
He looked up. "We are not fighting a Blitzkrieg against Sunagakure. This is a War of Attrition. From that perspective, eliminate them as soon as possible. The faster, the better."