Chapter 143

"Six days ago. The news took some time to reach the main camp, and only then did the dispatched genin reinforcements bring the news to us."

"Number of attackers? Casualties? Damage?"

I tried not to think about how my overworked friend Saya would eagerly jump into the thick of the fight as soon as the opportunity arose, rather than staying behind to defend the clan quarter. Over the years, I had come to know her restless nature quite well.

"Currently, nothing specific is known, including how the enemy managed to get so close without the patrols detecting them until the last moment," the chunin shrugged, clearly not too concerned about the matter.

Well, he has no relatives at home and his girlfriend is in the camp, so he has no reason to worry. There's no need to be concerned about Mito, and Kushina-chan has a battery for instant regeneration and enhancement, not to mention the protection for jinchuriki. Saya, however, is just an ordinary kunoichi without the vast chakra reserves and enhanced durability of the Uzumaki. And something tells me that she'll definitely get into trouble at the first opportunity.

"Alright, if anything else comes up, don't forget to let me know. I'm always out of the loop with the infirmary," I sighed, feeling even more tired. "For now, I'm going to get some rest, and thanks for the update."

One thing I didn't doubt was the speed at which rumors and news circulate among shinobi. In the absence of my usual TV and radio, news spreads verbally, turning real killing machines into gossiping aunts. And the profession sort of justifies it, even though shinobi here aren't spies and assassins but rather overly showy mages with a Japanese flair, even though there are hardly any of those with narrow eyes around. It was different back at Konoha's main hospital—news practically came directly from the primary sources on the field.

"Alright, Ryo, I'll keep you updated," my partner clapped me on the shoulder. "Rest up."

Nodding at him, I noticed a bit late that the guy no longer needed to stretch just to reach my shoulder—somehow, I had missed the fact that Rotaro had already grown to a solid meter seventy and change, while just a year ago he hadn't even reached a meter fifty-five and was the shortest in the team. I barely had time to blink and he'd turned into such a tall guy.

Watching my partner's retreating back, I tiredly stretched my shoulders and shuffled back to my tent. I was incredibly tired, but before sleeping, I needed to write a letter to add to the pile that would be sent by courier to the main camp and then to the village. It's not very fast, but much more reliable than sending it with a bird.

The following days dragged on at a snail's pace, despite the fact that there was enough work for two people. The persistent feeling of anxiety in my chest was slowly and steadily eroding my bastions of calm and discipline. Not to mention, it was impossible to fall asleep without thoughts of a specific nature invading my mind.

The only consolation was the impossibility of being taken captive in my own village, but that was a weak comfort compared to the worst-case scenario. I certainly didn't want to attend another funeral upon returning to Konoha, especially not Saya's. As usual, the accumulating emotional fatigue led to mistakes.

Hissing in pain from a kunai wound in my leg, I accelerated with a burst of chakra and, slashing the chunin with a katana that emerged from a seal, rolled to the side, dodging several more attacks sent by his partner. Though the injury had weakened me somewhat, reducing my speed, blocking out the sensations wasn't difficult. After sealing my weapon, I unleashed a storm of iron on the remaining enemy using palm seals.

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