"So, does everyone agree with Lady Tsunade's new defensive deployment proposal?"

In the meeting room adjacent to the command center, Tameo and the others had finished their discussion and were entering the decision-making phase.

"I agree!"

"I agree too!"

"I support it!"

Just like that, the new defensive deployment plan was unanimously approved. As soon as everyone left the meeting room, they immediately sprang into action, adjusting the camp's defenses through the night.

Tameo walked out of the meeting room with resentment in his heart.

Good for you, Tsunade. I offered you command, and you refused, only to pull this stunt on me.

But don't get too comfortable. It won't be long before Shin and the people sent by the clan leader begin their support operations from the outside. The border will soon descend into chaos. I'll be watching to see how you clean up the mess then.

He lifted the flap of the tent and strode in. But the next moment, he froze.

The tent was completely empty, there was no sign of Dan.

All that remained was a pool of fresh, strikingly vivid blood on the ground, making a chill run from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.

---

Meanwhile, inside the tent shared by Tsunade and Minato, the mood was quite different.

Listening to Minato's report, Shin now had a complete understanding of the current situation on the border.

Thanks to the sensory amplifiers he had set up in various locations, Minato could stay within the tent and still receive detailed intel from the border through the sensory receivers.

"Hiruzen and Danzō really are something, losing again and again, yet never giving up," Shin sneered.

Just earlier, they had heard him reveal that the two old schemers had tried to poison and ambush him.

Tsunade had been ready to rush back to the village and settle the score with them on the spot, but Shin had managed to calm her down. After all, this was just another stage in the game he had planned. If the enemies didn't keep struggling, the game would lose its thrill.

"What should we do next?" Tsunade asked, now aware that Minato had been under surveillance during the day and couldn't speak freely.

"Since those two have made their move, I should return the favor," Shin smiled. "Someone will be dropping some 'medicine' into Hiruzen's eyes first thing tomorrow morning. As for the situation at the left flank camp that Minato mentioned earlier, I'll go handle that myself."

He playfully pinched Tsunade's soft, fair cheek. "Don't worry, while I'm around, chaos won't have a chance."

With that, hevanished on the spot.

Watching the man who could tunnel through space, going wherever he pleased, Minato's face was full of admiration.

Flying Thunder God Technique!

He was close to mastering it himself, but still couldn't help feeling a bit envious.

"Haha!" Tsunade chuckled affectionately as she mimicked Shin and ruffled Minato's hair. "If you want to master it faster, go train. No one's watching you now, anyway."

"Yeah!" Minato nodded vigorously and headed off to find Katsuhiko for a pass.

After all, his training wasn't exactly age-appropriate, and he still needed to keep a low profile. He had to find a quiet spot outside the camp to train properly.

As for her, she claimed to be fully rested and headed to the camp hospital.

Calling it a "hospital" was a bit generous, it was really just a cluster of connected tents.

The large tent on the far left had been divided into five operating rooms. The tent on the far right served as a temporary rest area for the medical-nin. The ones in the middle were used to house injured patients.

Her arrival had already stirred up quite a commotion in the hospital.

A person's reputation precedes them. Whether it was the medical-nin or the wounded, everyone had been eagerly awaiting her.

Tsunade didn't let them down, she began checking on each previously treated patient one by one, offering them rehabilitative care.

Following behind her were seven or eight medical-nin, all eager to witness her legendary healing techniques in action.

People naturally strive to improve, and medical-nin have their own dreams and ambitions within their field.

She wasn't stingy at all, while treating the injured, she simultaneously conducted live instruction for the observing medical-nin. Every time they learned something new, the excitement on their faces was obvious, and they were all itching to put their newfound knowledge into practice.

The patients she treated couldn't stop expressing their gratitude as they felt noticeable improvements in their condition.

This scene made her feel as if she were back at Konoha Hospital again.

The next step was to lead these medical-nin in creating a new type of antidote, based on the poison released by Hanzō.

---

At the northern region of the Land of Rivers, two Suna ninjas were frantically fleeing like frightened birds startled by a bowstring.

Just moments ago, they had been on patrol when twelve Konoha ninjas suddenly emerged from the area and attacked without warning. Completely caught off guard, their four-man patrol team was quickly reduced to just the two of them.

Fortunately, the kunoichi leading the Suna group was incredibly powerful and quick to react, facing 1 vs. 12, she actually managed to hold her ground.

However, it seemed like the enemy already knew how formidable she was. They kept their distance and only circled around her, launching sneak attacks from the perimeter, making it incredibly difficult for her to fight back effectively. In the end, even someone as strong as her was seriously wounded while protecting her comrade during the fight.

Ninjas were typically high in offense but low in defense, not even Madara was an exception, well, if you didn't count on Susanoo...

Had she not been injured, she might have been able to take out the ambushers single-handedly, or at the very least, escape unscathed. But due to a moment of carelessness and her resulting injuries, not only was a counterattack impossible, even escaping was now a struggle.

Just when the two thought they were surrounded and doomed, a figure suddenly burst onto the battlefield and began slaughtering the Konoha ninjas.

Yes, slaughter.

A completely one-sided massacre, which stunned the two Suna ninjas into silence.

Once they snapped out of it, they immediately seized the opportunity to flee, intending to report everything that had happened. But at that moment, the one who had killed over a dozen Konoha ninjas gave chase, clearly intent on silencing them.

"Lady Pakura, what do we do?" the Suna ninja asked the kunoichi next to him.

Pakura's heart was heavy, and she sighed. "I'll hold him off. You must get word of this back to the village."

"No way!" the male ninja objected immediately. "There's no way you should die here. I'll stop him."

But before he could finish his words, a voice suddenly rang out from ahead of them, mocking: "What a touching little scene. But... did I say you could leave?"

The two froze mid-run, immediately assuming battle stances, eyes warily scanning the direction of the voice.

From behind a large tree, a man in a pitch-black robe stepped out slowly, a faint smile on his face, strolling toward them at a relaxed pace. He stopped about ten meters away.

"Oh? Isn't this Pakura? You're kind of cute, you know. What a shame, though... I'm already engaged. Looks like you won't be getting a chance."

Pakura had intended to strike the moment she saw him, but the forehead protector on his head gave her pause.

He was wearing a Konoha forehead protector.

But... didn't he just finish slaughtering a dozen Konoha ninjas?

Could they not have been on the same side?

What the hell was going on?

And more importantly... why did he look so familiar?

---

200 = +1 bonus chapter

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Completed at Chapter 278!

100+ Advance chapters!