Chapter 71

Sakamoto was seen at 9:00 AM the next day, when Bai Shi and his two companions arrived at the Konoha camp on the front lines of the Land of Fire.

There was not much change here compared to before. If there was any change, it was that the atmosphere here was even more tense than before.

However, the mission to cut off the supply lines of the Sand Hidden Village, although it failed due to the interference of the Root, was completed very well by Sakamoto.

He single-handedly destroyed the important supply points of the Sand Hidden Village, causing their offensive efforts to weaken.

"In other words, if we can just get through this winter, the Sand Hidden Village will collapse on its own, right?"

Bai Shi asked.

It was already early October, and the weather was gradually getting cooler, especially in December when the Land of Fire and the Land of Water would enter a harsh winter.

The Sand Hidden Village ninjas did not have enough supplies to survive the winter, and by the time spring arrived, the situation would become extremely unfavorable for them.

"Basically, that's correct, but we can't be sure if the Sand Hidden Village will really retreat. We can only say that the possibility is very high."

Sakamoto nodded.

In a situation of insufficient supplies, launching a final fierce attack to open a gap into the Land of Fire is also an option for the Sand Hidden Village.

After all, this time the leader is the Third Kazekage, and thorough preparations must be made.

The more critical the situation, the more attention must be paid, and the Sand ninjas must not be given any opportunity.

"What is our squad's assigned mission?"

"Still the same as before, to find and eliminate isolated Sand Hidden Village units, thereby reducing the pressure on the front lines."

Sakamoto replied.

He was very clear about his limits as a ninja. He did not have any large-scale ninjutsu attacks; all his strength came from taijutsu and sword techniques.

Therefore, he would be troubled by enemies with large-scale ninjutsu attacks, but on the other hand, his taijutsu and sword techniques were at the peak of perfection.

If they couldn't keep up with his speed and lacked the means to defend against the White Fang's short sword, for him, killing an enemy would only be a matter of one or a few strikes.

This was something Bai Shi and his two companions were very clear about.

He was a ninja with very obvious strengths and weaknesses.

He was suitable for small-scale battles, but in large-scale battles, his abilities would be limited.

On the front lines, he had to consider more things, such as dodging kunai and explosive tags flying from unknown directions. If he encountered many comrades in danger, deciding whether to save them or not was a serious issue to consider.

This would make his sword techniques hesitant and slow, unable to unleash their full power.

Sakamoto had no complaints about this.

Ninjas are assigned tasks suitable for their abilities and personalities.

He was only suitable for this kind of action, just as the Three Sages were not suitable for his tasks, and he was not suitable for theirs.

"You just arrived today, so rest here for a day. We'll start the mission tomorrow morning."

"Yes."

Before leaving, Sakamoto added, "By the way, if you have nothing to do, Bai Shi, you can go to the medical camp. The medical ninjas are currently in short supply, and even though it's just for a day, it can help ease the pressure there."

"I understand."

Bai Shi nodded and headed towards the medical camp.

Easing the pressure on the medical team was true, but how much pressure could be relieved, Bai Shi knew it was just Sakamoto's comforting words.

After all, treating patients is the duty of medical ninjas, and Bai Shi had no reason to refuse.

However, Bai Shi believed that the current shortage of medical ninjas in Konoha was due to a problem with his understanding and execution strategy.

Konoha's emphasis on medical education began a few years ago when Tsunade proposed medical reforms, which led to the training of medical ninjas.

But at the beginning, Konoha did not take the medical reforms too seriously.

In their view, it was better to allocate resources to training more powerful ninjas to strengthen the village's combat capabilities rather than to the weaker medical ninjas.

However, after the brutal war in the Land of Rain, they realized that the death rate was still high even with resources allocated to powerful ninjas, so they began to implement medical ninjutsu courses in the ninja academy.

Bai Shi was a member of the first batch of medical ninjas in the experimental class, and he was very clear about how lax Konoha was in training medical ninjas.

If it weren't for Tsunade's proposal... Konoha might still not value the profession of medical ninjas.

(PS: In the original, when Tsunade proposed the medical reforms, all the high-ranking officials and upper-level ninjas, including the Third Hokage, were uninterested. Only Kato Dan supported Tsunade, possibly because he was interested in Tsunade's body...)

Upon arriving at the medical camp, Bai Shi could hear the painful cries of the injured, and the smell of disinfectant and blood mixed together, entering his nostrils.

Due to the limited space in the camp, some of the injured had to lie outside and receive only basic treatment.

Priority was given to treating the most severely injured ninjas, followed by those with moderate to light injuries, according to the rules of the Konoha medical team.

Here, Bai Shi also saw Tsunade, but he did not go to catch up with her. Tsunade was using medical ninjutsu to treat the injured.

Bai Shi explained his purpose to the deputy commander, who was very pleased. At this time, having one more medical ninja meant that more injured could be saved.

Especially since this medical ninja was the one assigned to Sakamoto's team, a student from the first batch of the medical experimental class at the ninja academy, his medical ninjutsu skills were expected to be quite good.

Therefore, he immediately assigned Bai Shi to treat over ten moderately to lightly injured patients and provided him with some medical supplies, urging him to get to work.

Bai Shi walked to an open area where many injured Konoha ninjas were lying on the ground, about a dozen in total.

Along with Bai Shi, there were three other medical ninjas, the oldest being in their thirties and the youngest a few years older than Bai Shi.

Even among medical ninjas, there was no time for communication or interaction.

Bai Shi focused on using healing techniques, skillfully and methodically treating the wounds of the injured.

During the treatment, Bai Shi also engaged in conversation with the injured to reduce their mental stress and better treat them.

"It's done. You just need to rest for two days."

"I know you, you're a member of Sakamoto's team, and your medical ninjutsu is really impressive."

The treated Konoha ninja praised Bai Shi in a friendly tone.

"No, compared to the seniors, I still have a lot to improve."

Bai Shi humbly smiled at the praise.

After all, compared to medical ninjas of Tsunade's level, he still had a lot to improve.

From morning until evening, Bai Shi finished his medical work.

Because most of the tents were used by the medical team, even so, some of the injured did not have tents assigned to them. When Bai Shi returned to meet with Ruri and Ayane, they were only given an open area to rest.

The next morning at 5:00 AM, it was still dark, and Bai Shi and his two companions were already awake.

Some Konoha ninjas were still sleeping, while others were patrolling the perimeter of the camp, mainly sensor ninjas and members of the Hyuga clan.

When Sakamoto came to find them, Bai Shi and his companions were ready, equipped with soldier pills, antidotes, kunai, explosive tags, sealing scrolls, and medical kits.

As the only support medical personnel in the team, Bai Shi's task was to carry as much supplies as possible, so he also packed emergency food and water in his backpack.

Sakamoto's team's next mission could also be said to have no specific content.

Eliminate enemies when encountered, support allies when encountered, and if they happen to encounter a Sand Hidden Village supply convoy, destroy it.

Just like the elite units the Sand Hidden Village sent to disrupt the interior of the Land of Fire, to distract Konoha's attention and prevent the front-line Konoha ninjas from moving freely.

Sakamoto's team's mission this time was the same.

Deep into the Land of Water, and even into the territory of the Land of Wind, to carry out rear-area sabotage, allowing Sakamoto's team to adapt to the situation on the ground.

The higher-ups gave Sakamoto's team considerable freedom, which also meant that this mission was highly dangerous.

Not to mention Bai Shi and Ayane, Ruri was already eager to go.

After the last battle, her ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu had grown significantly, and her Sharingan had advanced to the three-tomoe stage.

This growth was evident, and Sakamoto was very satisfied, thinking that he could no longer take Ruri lightly.

◎

Mid-November.

The Sand Hidden Village camp in the Land of Water.

The Third Kazekage looked grimly at the intelligence reports from his subordinates. In the past month, frequent reports had come in about Sand Hidden Village squads being eliminated while on patrol in the Land of Water.

"Konoha's White Fang!"

The Third Kazekage slammed his fist on the table, his eyes burning with anger.

Even without looking at the information in the reports, he knew who was responsible.

Apart from the White Fang, none of the current Konoha jounin had such a terrifying elimination speed.

His speed was like a tornado, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.

Whether it was a jounin squad, a chunin squad, or even a genin squad, all were eliminated without mercy.

Apart from the famous White Fang, the Third Kazekage could not think of any other Konoha jounin capable of such a feat.

His most trusted puppeteer squad, two of its elite members, were also eliminated by the White Fang's team in the Land of Fire, and their bodies were still in Konoha's hands.

The Sand Hidden Village did not have significantly more forces to deploy than Konoha. The only variable was the Kazekage himself and the unused trump card, Shukaku.

The poison attack strategy of the Sand Hidden Village was neutralized by Konoha's Tsunade.

In direct combat, he had no problem, but the overall quality of the Sand ninjas was inferior to Konoha's, and the shortage of medical ninjas in the camp led to a higher death rate.

Now, with the White Fang disrupting the rear, Konoha's next move...

Sure enough, not long after, a jounin came to report that a thousand Konoha ninjas had left their camp and were advancing towards the Sand Hidden Village's position.

However, as soon as they crossed into the Land of Water, the Konoha force stopped moving, as if they were just on a parade.

But the Third Kazekage understood that Konoha intended to pressure the Sand Hidden Village on the front lines, creating an opportunity for the White Fang's team to attack.

If the Sand Hidden Village pursued the White Fang's team at all costs, Konoha's main force would advance from the front.

"Is Fuku still refusing?"

The Third Kazekage looked at a Sand jounin, his expression serious.

"No, no matter how we persuade him, he refuses to use Shukaku's power. He says that peace is best for the Sand Hidden Village and that the war should be stopped."

The jounin replied.

"Is stopping the war really best for the Sand Hidden Village?"

The Third Kazekage looked towards the Land of Fire.

The land there was richer than the Land of Wind, and Konoha produced a steady stream of talented ninjas, like the White Fang, the Three Sages, Kato Dan...

There were the Ino-Shika-Cho clans and other prestigious ninja clans, such as the Sarutobi, Shimura, Inuzuka, and Aburame.

More terrifying still, the most complete and ancient bloodline noble families in the ninja world, the Uchiha and Hyuga, were in Konoha.

Thinking about this powerful lineup, the Third Kazekage felt a heavy heart.

Now, if they did not take advantage of Konoha's weakened state after the war in the Land of Rain and raid resources in the Land of Fire, it would be extremely difficult to gain any benefits once Konoha recovered.

As Konoha grew stronger, it was already putting significant pressure on the surrounding countries and ninja villages.

If this continued, with Konoha growing stronger, the survival space for the Sand Hidden Village would become smaller and smaller.

They would have to constantly reduce military spending and the number of ninjas, and could only watch as Konoha's number of ninjas increased and their military spending grew, making them the dominant force in the ninja world.

At that time, the Sand Hidden Village would be forced to survive under Konoha's shadow.

The Third Kazekage did not want to see the Sand Hidden Village in such a state. Even if Konoha was powerful, the war must continue.

As long as Konoha's strength could be weakened, the Sand Hidden Village could catch its breath and see a glimmer of hope for prosperity.

Without the war, there would be no hope at all.

Therefore, Fuku's 'peace is best' ideology, while just in a personal sense, was not applicable in the realm of nations. There was no right or wrong, only strength and weakness, and only gains and losses.

"He is not suitable for this ninja world. Although Shukaku is well-behaved in his body, if not provoked, there is no risk of it going berserk. But it also means that the Sand Hidden Village cannot use this weapon. Not being able to use a weapon is the greatest tragedy in war. It seems we need to replace the jinchuriki..."

Hearing the Third Kazekage's words, the jounin was shocked.

"Kazekage-sama, this..."

"Relax, I was just saying it casually. After all, transferring a tailed beast is a major matter and must be decided by the high command."

The Third Kazekage said, but it did not reassure the jounin.

"What should we do now?"

The jounin was helpless.

This was the most difficult situation for the Sand Hidden Village.

Compared to Konoha, not only was there a gap in overall quality, but also in top-tier ninjas.

Just the White Fang alone was a significant headache. Allowing such a dangerous ninja to wreak havoc in the rear was a source of constant worry for the Sand ninjas.

Recently, many Sand ninjas were hesitant to take patrol missions in the Land of Water.

Facing the White Fang, many Sand ninjas were already intimidated.

"I already have a plan. This is a private letter from the Iwagakure's Daido. He will secretly assist us."

"That Tsuchikage? To be honest, I do not recommend that the Kazekage-sama cooperate with that Tsuchikage."

"This is our only chance."

The Third Kazekage said.

He sat down at his desk and drafted two letters.

After finishing, he handed them to a trusted jounin and said, "Deliver one letter to Konoha's commander Orochimaru, and the other to the Konoha White Fang."

"What is this..."

The jounin looked at the Third Kazekage in confusion.

"Go."

"Yes."

Although confused, the jounin went to carry out the task.

"This is all for the sake of the Sand Hidden Village... Konoha..."

The Third Kazekage muttered, a fierce look in his eyes.

◎

Western region of the Land of Water.

At the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Water.

Sand ninjas supporting the Land of Water from the Land of Wind would pass through this road.

Sakamoto's team of four was executing their elimination strategy here.

Eliminating all the Sand ninjas they encountered without leaving any survivors.

After eliminating a squad, they would quickly withdraw, not lingering, and find a hidden location to hide. After some time, they would continue