Chapter 29

War has its own sorrows, but life must go on day by day.

In the village, the villagers, who had become restless and anxious again, found Bai Shi to be the most peaceful among them.

With the arrival of war, the medical instructor of the First Medical Ninja Experimental Class once again became the unnamed ANBU captain.

At the beginning of the war when Sand Hidden attacked the Land of Fire, Tsunade had already gone to the front lines to assist the Konoha ninjas in battle. Her younger brother, Nawaki, had also gone to fight, hoping he would be safe.

War is not a play, but a meat grinder.

A few months after the war began, in July, it was summer, and the gentle breeze carried a faint heat.

Bai Shi had successfully advanced to the fifth grade, and his training in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and natural energy research was proceeding in a very orderly manner.

The first batch of drugs developed using natural energy, after months of relentless effort and substantial funding, was finally developed by Bai Shi.

This was a light purple pill, about the size of a thumb, containing many herbs, and most importantly, infused with natural energy, which greatly increased the value and effectiveness of the drug.

Bai Shi's research had already shown that natural energy is a wild and extremely vital special energy.

If ingested directly without other substances to neutralize it, it would most likely cause immediate death.

Unless it is someone who is naturally compatible with natural energy, but Bai Shi had not yet seen such a special human, and even whether such a person exists is unknown.

The effect of this new drug can enhance Bai Shi's overall physical abilities, including self-healing and immune capabilities, as well as strength, reaction nerves, and resistance to impact, providing a comprehensive boost.

Due to its minimal side effects, only one pill needs to be taken daily, and the effects will gradually manifest after continuous use for over a month.

The saturation level of the drug varies depending on the individual's constitution and processing system. Some people can take it for seven to eight months before reaching saturation, and further use would not only fail to enhance physical abilities but also cause significant harm to the body.

Others can take it for over ten months before the body starts to reject it.

Based on the report generated from self-inspection, Bai Shi determined that his saturation period for this drug is eleven months.

Once the eleven-month condition is met, the use must be interrupted.

Ruri's saturation period is between eleven and twelve months, so Bai Shi set it at eleven and a half months to be safe.

After taking this drug, Ruri, after about six to seven months, could maintain the Sharingan for long periods without easily feeling fatigued or heavy.

Bai Shi also planned to find a time to deliver this new drug to Ayame, so she could take it. With the war imminent, being well-prepared would increase the chances of survival.

◎

Ayame was in the hospital at this time.

During training, she intentionally twisted her leg and needed to rest in the hospital for about four days.

Bai Shi had given her many important tasks that could only be completed in the hospital, so she had to use this method to enter the hospital for treatment.

For example—

When a pregnant woman gives birth, does the baby's chakra come from itself or from the mother's body?

Or, does chakra form when the embryo is created?

There were countless such strange questions.

This observation task made Ayame feel very embarrassed.

Although there were many pregnant women in Konoha, providing ample material for observation, still—

Who would assign such a perverted task to a girl?

Only Ayame, with her Byakugan's透视, far-sightedness, and insight, could handle such a task.

Ayame knew this, but she still wanted to criticize Bai Shi's research direction.

Are all medical ninjas this perverted?

Not only the issue of pregnant women giving birth, but there were many other strange observation tasks that Ayame had to write into a factual report and submit to him, saying it would be very useful for his research.

Ayame suspected that Bai Shi wanted to switch to gynecological research.

What a big pervert.

On the third day of Ayame's hospital stay, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in."

Bai Shi entered with a basket of fruit.

"Ayame, I came to visit you. These fruits are a small token of the classmates' affection."

Ayame sighed and said,

"Don't worry, there's no one around to monitor us. There's no need to be so secretive."

"Ah, Ayame, what are you talking about? I don't understand. I just came to visit you on behalf of the classmates..."

"Do you want me to burn those observation reports?"

"Please be merciful."

Bai Shi finally stopped pretending to be clueless.

He took the scroll with the observation reports from Ayame and put it in his ninja tool bag.

After placing the fruit by Ayame's bed, Bai Shi took out a palm-sized medicine bag from his pocket and handed it to Ayame.

"What is this?"

"This is a new drug I developed by extracting natural energy and neutralizing it with other herbs. Remember to take it after lunch every day. This is a month's supply, and I will provide the rest monthly. Take it for eleven months."

Bai Shi knew Ayame's body well, so it was easy to determine that her saturation period was eleven months, the same as his.

"It looks suspicious."

"The appearance is like this, but isn't the effectiveness the most important thing? Appearance doesn't really matter. By the way, is there anything noteworthy recently?"

"No, I've been living peacefully in the family as you required."

Ayame recalled her life in the family and reported to Bai Shi.

"That's good. Regarding the Caged Bird seal, I have some judgments, but I can't verify their accuracy. Can you get information about the Caged Bird seal?"

"You're overestimating me, Bai Shi. If I try to access that level of classified information, I'm more likely to be dealt with. That kind of information is not accessible to the branch family."

Ayame said with a helpless tone.

Bai Shi was not disappointed; he could have predicted this but still held out a glimmer of hope.

"It seems I'll have to figure it out myself. I won't disturb you. Spending too much time here could cause problems."

Ayame nodded and watched Bai Shi leave her hospital room.

◎

Nawaki died, and the news came suddenly.

It was as if the person who was laughing and talking with you yesterday was suddenly dead the next morning, leaving you at a loss.

It was said that he was eager to achieve merit, but in the battle, he did not follow his teacher Orochimaru's orders and recklessly fell into the enemy's trap, ultimately dying from severe injuries that could not be saved.

Bai Shi was also stunned when he heard the news.

Thinking of the confident and cheerful young man of the Senju clan, who died so young, Bai Shi felt a sense of regret.

In the face of war, even the bloodline of the First Hokage has no meaning.

The battlefield is a place where anyone must be prepared to die.

It has nothing to do with being a ninja or one's bloodline.

The enemy would not show mercy just because he was the grandson of the First Hokage.

"Tsunade-sensei must be very sad..."

Although he wanted to visit Tsunade and comfort her, he was in Konoha and could not do so.

Even a ninja of Nawaki's status died without value; what could he, a civilian, change?

Humans are creatures that seek benefits and avoid harm. Before his own safety is guaranteed, extending a helping hand to others would only make him more awkward.

The word "rescue" is only meaningful to the strong; the weak can only pity themselves.

Nawaki died, and Konoha would not hold a grand funeral for him.

Everyone was fighting the enemy to the last second, driving them out of the country, and there was no time to mourn a dead person, even if he was the grandson of the First Hokage.

Nawaki was a ninja, and whether he had the awareness or not, it did not matter.

This is the war of ninjas.

Bai Shi increasingly understood the ruthlessness of war.

In his previous life, he lived in a relatively peaceful era, far from the sounds of war.

In these few years in Konoha, he had not personally witnessed what war was like, but he deeply understood one thing.

Life is not worth rejoicing over.

Death is not worth grieving over.

Being born in a chaotic era is the greatest misfortune.