Boom!
A Cloud ninja, sent flying at breakneck speed, carved a straight path through the snow before being stopped by a cedar tree. The snow from the tree buried half of his body, and the blood oozing from his mouth and nose stained the snow crimson.
Crackle!
Electric light surged as a sharp blade sliced through the throats of one Cloud ninja after another. Cold, emotionless crimson eyes watched as enemies fell one by one. In mere moments, Sasuke's blade had claimed three or four more lives.
On the other side, Shikamaru, having overcome his fear of war, worked alongside Ino and Chōji to take down the last Cloud ninja. Shikamaru couldn't help but glance at Sasuke, who was casually wiping the blood off his blade using the corpse of a Cloud ninja. He couldn't help but think to himself:
This guy is the same no matter where he is...
Asuma, seeing that the enemies had been dealt with, signaled Sakura to bring over the body of the Cloud Jonin. Even the dead could speak, especially for the Yamanaka clan. The mind of a Jonin-level Cloud ninja would hold a wealth of valuable intelligence. And as luck would have it, Ino was the daughter of the Yamanaka clan head.
Sakura, visibly disgusted, grabbed the Jonin by the back of his collar and dragged him over to Ino. Ino, equally repulsed by the bloodied corpse, still placed her hand on the man's forehead. After Karin's earlier display, she wasn't about to let that red-haired octopus outshine her.
This Cloud ambush, though detected early by Karin, had still cost them one life. Five were lightly injured, and two were severely wounded. Without hesitation, Sakura retrieved a medical kit from the supply wagon and headed over to tend to the wounded. This was, after all, a supply convoy—they lacked nothing.
Sakura first approached a twenty-something Chunin who had been stabbed through the chest. The blade had nearly impaled him completely, and without immediate treatment, he wouldn't last long. Seeing the man gasping for breath, Sakura's hands glowed with a soft green light. She signaled a nearby Leaf ninja to pull the blade out in one swift motion, then immediately pressed her hands against the wound. Despite her efforts, blood still spurted out, splattering across Sakura's face. The gentle glow of her Mystical Palm Technique slowly pulled the man back from the brink of death.
This was precisely why the convoy hadn't been assigned a medical team—Sakura alone was worth an entire medical squad. Once the man's breathing stabilized, Sakura swiftly disinfected the wound, stopped the bleeding, applied medicine, and bandaged him up. By the time they reached the front lines, he would only need a week of rest, proper medication, and rehabilitation therapy to recover fully.
This was the role of a medical ninja. With timely treatment, even a wound as severe as this could heal in a week. This was also why Tsunade had advocated for every ninja squad to include a medical ninja. With prompt care, the casualty rate among Leaf ninja would drop significantly.
After finishing with the first critically injured ninja, Sakura rushed to the next. Meanwhile, Ino frowned as she delved into the Jonin's memories. After what felt like an eternity, she finally opened her eyes.
Asuma, eager for answers, asked, "Did you find anything?"
Ino, however, pouted and replied, "Nothing. Sakura kicked him so hard that his blood rushed to his brain, causing a hemorrhage. His mind is practically flooded with blood."
Asuma, who had been hopeful, was left speechless. He glanced over at Sakura, who was busy treating her comrades, and sighed. "Well, there's nothing we can do about that."
Once the wounded were treated and the battlefield cleared, the supply convoy resumed its journey. After the initial ambush, they encountered no further enemies. It seemed the Cloud ninja had gotten wind of the convoy's movements, especially Sakura's presence. While Karin could sense Cloud ninja, she couldn't detect the presence of the White Zetsu. Fortunately, the White Zetsu weren't particularly strong, or things would have been much worse. They were also lucky that Yamato's presence remained hidden; otherwise, the Cloud could have unleashed tens of thousands of White Zetsu, making the war unwinnable.
Once this is over, Sakura thought, I'll have to tell the old man to keep Yamato in the ANBU permanently—at least until the Akatsuki are dealt with!
After two uneventful days, the convoy finally arrived at the Leaf's front lines. Sakura was reunited with Jiraiya and Kakashi, though both looked worse for wear. Dark circles hung under their eyes, and they seemed utterly drained. Jiraiya, usually so lively, now looked as wilted as a frostbitten eggplant.
"Well, well, it didn't take long for you to start copying Kakashi, huh?" Sakura teased, crossing her arms as she looked at the listless Jiraiya sitting by the campfire.
"Uh..." Kakashi, who had been used as a comparison, could only sigh. He didn't look much better than Jiraiya. Though he wasn't the commander, he had been leading teams to intercept Cloud guerrilla units. Those dark-skinned and pale-skinned bastards never stopped—attacking at all hours, never engaging in direct combat, just endless harassment. The Leaf forces had suffered significant losses over time, and the cumulative toll was starting to weigh heavily.
"Ugh, don't even get me started. I've got a massive headache just thinking about it," Jiraiya groaned, slumping further into his seat.
"Enough chit-chat. Set up the barrier. Everyone else, clear out," Sakura ordered, her sharp eyes sweeping the room. Her tone immediately perked Jiraiya up. The Hokage's message had mentioned that Sakura would bring a solution to deal with the Cloud's guerrilla tactics, but it hadn't specified what that solution was.
"Karin, Ino, you two stay," Sakura added as the two girls began to leave. They exchanged puzzled glances before turning away from each other, pouting.
With the room cleared, only Jiraiya, Sakura, Kakashi, Asuma, Karin, and Ino remained. Jiraiya immediately activated a barrier to seal off the area. After Sakura's last mission, he had made it a habit to use barriers during meetings.
"So, what's the Hokage's plan for dealing with the Cloud?" Jiraiya asked eagerly the moment the barrier was up.
Sakura glanced around the room before laying out the plan in full. Jiraiya's eyes lit up as he listened, and his gaze eventually settled on the red-haired girl. The first time he had seen her, he had almost mistaken her for someone from his past—a red-haired girl whose memory had grown hazy over time.
Ino, meanwhile, shot Karin a sidelong glance. Of all people, I have to work with this red octopus? she thought, annoyed. But for Sakura's sake—and for the sake of the war—she decided she could tolerate it.
Karin, for her part, glared back at Ino. If it weren't for Sakura, I wouldn't be caught dead working with this arrogant wild boar, she thought, equally irritated.
"That's... actually brilliant," Kakashi murmured, impressed. The plan involved combining the Yamanaka clan's mind techniques with the Uzumaki clan's Sensor abilities to create a strategic network linking all allies, allowing them to pinpoint enemy locations and carry out coordinated strikes. This wouldn't be the last time Karin and Ino would work together. If Karin's Sensor abilities could be passed down, the Leaf would have a formidable duo for future wars—a combination far more potent than the Ino-Shika-Chō trio.
Hmm... What should we call them? Kakashi wondered, his mind drifting to his old sensei, Minato Namikaze. If Minato were here, he'd probably come up with something like... Infinite Divine Sensor Mind Transfer Link: Stage Two?
"Alright! Let's do it!" Jiraiya declared, slamming his fist on the table. If they could quickly neutralize the Cloud's guerrilla units, it would be a huge relief. The pressure from the front lines, the Hyūga clan, and the village had been crushing him. Every time he looked into the eyes of his comrades, he felt like he could barely breathe.
"However," Sakura interjected, "this only solves the guerrilla problem. To truly win this war, we'll need a decisive victory on the battlefield. Once the guerrilla tactics fail, the Cloud won't keep sending people to their deaths. Right now, we're fighting on two fronts, and both are showing signs of strain. We need a major victory to boost morale and stabilize the village."
Jiraiya nodded in agreement. The Leaf had always held a dominant position in the ninja world, and no one doubted that they would win. The question was how and when. If possible, they needed a victory as spectacular as Minato's legendary battle against fifty Rock Jonin.
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