In the battlefield hospital on Mount Kikyo, Tsunade finally let out a deep breath of relief. After two exhausting days, she had successfully finished formulating antidotes for all the various poisons.
"Shizune, Rin," she called out.
"You two, use the herbs we just gathered and follow the dosage instructions to start preparing the antidotes."
"Once they're ready, administer them directly to the poisoned shinobi."
Clearly drained, Tsunade slumped into a nearby chair and addressed Shizune and Rin.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama. You've worked so hard!"
"Leave the rest to me and Rin!"
Shizune rushed to reassure her mentor, watching the exhausted Tsunade with concern.
During this time under Tsunade's guidance, Rin had learned a great deal. With Tsunade's direct instruction, her skills in medical ninjutsu had improved dramatically.
"That's right!" Rin added with a smile. "Tsunade-sama, Shizune and I will take care of everything. Please get some rest."
Tsunade waved a hand dismissively. "No rest for me. I need to head to the command center for a meeting. I'm leaving the antidotes in your hands."
She rubbed her temples, then stood up and walked out of the tent.
"Take care on the way!" Shizune called after her, concern etched on her face.
She couldn't help but worry, Tsunade hadn't slept properly in over two days. Whether she could keep pushing on like this was anyone's guess.
Tsunade wasn't alone. All the medical-nin in the battlefield hospital were exhausted. They'd barely slept as they desperately worked to save the Konoha shinobi being brought in from the front lines.
Elsewhere, after sparring with Kakashi, Veigar glanced at the time and turned to Minato.
"Sensei, we should head to the command center for the meeting."
Minato nodded. "Yes, let's go now."
Then, turning to Kakashi and Obito Uchiha, he added, "You two go on ahead. I'll find you after the meeting."
"Yes, Sensei," the two replied in unison.
Minato and Veigar then set off toward the command center together.
As they walked, Minato looked at Veigar and couldn't help but marvel.
"Veigar, your strength surprises me. When I was your age, I was still just a genin."
Veigar gave a modest smile. "You flatter me, Sensei. I've just been lucky, that's all."
Minato shook his head. "No… power like yours isn't something you gain through luck alone."
He then shifted the conversation. "But enough of that. How have things been under Orochimaru-sama's tutelage?"
Veigar replied, "It's been fine. Though, Orochimaru-sama's been so busy that he hasn't had much time to guide my training."
While chatting, the two soon arrived at the command center, just in time to see Tsunade approaching from the opposite direction.
"Tsunade-sama."
"Tsunade-sama."
Both Minato and Veigar greeted her simultaneously upon seeing her.
"Oh, it's you two, Minato, Veigar."
"You just arrived too?"
Minato smiled warmly. "Yes. And thank you, Tsunade-sama, for everything you've done for Rin lately."
Tsunade waved it off. "No need to thank me. I like that girl. She's got talent in medical ninjutsu."
"Come on, we can catch up later. Let's get this meeting started."
Minato and Veigar nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
As they followed Tsunade into the command center, Orochimaru and Shikaku were in the middle of a heated discussion about battlefield strategy, surrounded by several other jōnin.
"We need to teach the Sand ninja a lesson," declared Regan Shimura, his voice sharp with indignation. "They've been the aggressors until now. It's time for us to strike back."
"That's right," agreed another jōnin who had just arrived with a reinforcement unit the day before. "They need to understand Konoha's strength."
"No," Shikaku countered calmly. "Our forward position was just ambushed by the Sand ninja. Even with 2,500 reinforcements, we can't afford to go on the offensive recklessly."
"Our top priority must be saving the wounded in the hospital. Any counterattack must be carefully planned."
Beside him, Choza Akimichi and Inoichi Yamanaka stood firmly in agreement.
Orochimaru remained silent in his central seat, watching the debate unfold like a detached observer.
When he noticed Tsunade, Minato, and Veigar enter, he adjusted his posture slightly and gave Tsunade a small nod of acknowledgment.
Tsunade's eyes locked onto Regan, silencing him instantly.
Though she wasn't a battlefield commander, Tsunade's reputation commanded deep respect. No one wanted to get on the bad side of one of the most skilled medical-nin alive, especially not after she'd saved countless Konoha lives, directly or indirectly, during this war.
Tsunade casually took the seat next to Orochimaru, crossing her arms and resting them on the table.
"Still yelling?" she asked flatly. "Why the sudden silence?"
"I could hear you all the way from outside. Go on, keep shouting. Let me hear what all the noise was about."
She wasn't targeting everyone, just Regan Shimura. Tsunade had long since lost patience with the Shimura clan.
When she heard Regan shouting, she was instantly irritated.
Faced with her fury, Regan clammed up, terrified that she might punch him again. It wasn't the first time.
And after that infamous incident, getting decked by Tsunade and then healed by her, Regan had developed a lasting trauma.
Orochimaru watched as the once-boisterous Regan shrank down like an ostrich, burying his head. A quiet chuckle escaped his lips.
"Heh heh..."
"Minato, Veigar, stand off to the side for now. We'll start the meeting once everyone's here," he said smoothly.
"Yes, sir."
The two complied and stepped back.
Tsunade shot Orochimaru a look, her face clearly saying:
"I'm not in the mood. I'm pissed off, and I might just punch someone."
Orochimaru felt a chill under her glare. Though he wasn't afraid of Tsunade per se, taking a few of her punches was not something he looked forward to.
After all, unlike Jiraiya, he wasn't a masochist.
Fortunately, Tsunade knew how to prioritize. She wasn't about to throw fists in the middle of a strategic meeting, at least not yet.
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