Chapter 44: The Sand Ninja Frontline

At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, Konoha's camp stood solemnly. With the onset of war, what had once been a covert outpost had now become a full-scale frontline base. However, the atmosphere in the camp was grim.

The air was filled with groans and cries of pain, echoing throughout. The camp was divided into two distinct areas. On the left, rows of stretchers lay, each carrying a ninja with a pale, sickly complexion, their faces contorted in agony. On the right, ninjas sat cross-legged, their faces equally pale, though they were in less distress, focusing on their breathing techniques.

One of the seated ninjas suddenly coughed, spitting out a mouthful of purple blood. As he did, the dark hue on his face slowly faded away.

Hatake Sakumo appeared beside the ninja in an instant. "How are you feeling?"

The ninja opened his eyes, his face still pale but showing signs of recovery. Despite his exhaustion, he forced himself to speak. "The basic internal energy technique(Foundation Technique) does purge the poison, but it also drains a significant portion of chakra."

Hearing this, Sakumo let out a breath of relief. The ninja who had expelled the poison seemed to accept the cost as a small price to pay, thinking to himself that he could recover his chakra over time. Ever since he and others had exchanged for the basic internal energy technique, running out of chakra had become a rare issue.

However, returning to a state where they couldn't use ninjutsu right away was disorienting.

"Lord Sakumo, only a few of us have learned the internal energy technique. If this situation continues, we're going to be overrun," a female ninja with glasses standing nearby reminded him.

Sakumo's expression darkened. "Can we not develop an antidote for the poison of Sunagakure's Chiyo?"

"The composition of the poison is too complex," the woman shook her head.

Ever since they had encountered Chiyo of Sunagakure, the battle had been a series of bitter defeats. Most of their losses stemmed from Sakumo's efforts to preserve the lives of his men, which had forced him to abandon critical positions in the Land of Rivers. 

The female ninja didn't know how to assess the situation. She suspected that if Orochimaru, often referred to as the "Cold Lord" by other ninjas due to his ruthlessness, were in charge, he would have made a very different decision. After all, regaining lost ground was always harder than defending it. 

Now, not only had they lost territory, but most of their forces had been poisoned. If they couldn't find a cure soon, the camp itself would be overrun. They were only hanging on thanks to the few ninjas who had mastered the internal energy technique and the handful who had yet to be poisoned.

The woman glanced at Sakumo, who remained calm but clearly deep in thought. She sighed. "The only ones capable of countering this poison are Lady Tsunade from the rear lines and that genius jutsu creator, Uchiha Jin. Lady Tsunade could treat the poisoned, and Uchiha Jin might be able to develop a jutsu that prevents poisoning altogether."

Sakumo's eyes brightened at her words. "Send word to the village. We need Lady Tsunade to assist us. And inform Jiraiya—request that Uchiha Jin be sent to this front."

"Yes, sir!" The female ninja knelt and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakumo turned his gaze toward the direction of the Sunagakure forces. "What we've lost, we can reclaim."

Sakumo, known for his ability to see through people, was well aware of what the female ninja had been thinking. But to him, the lives of his men mattered more than land.

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Sunagakure Frontline

The still-vibrant Chiyo studied the map of the Land of Rivers, tracing the newly secured routes into the Land of Fire. Unfortunately, many of the routes into the Land of Fire had been sabotaged by Hatake Sakumo.

As smoke suddenly billowed to her side, Ebizō appeared. "Sister, I couldn't stop Orochimaru. There was also a troublesome individual alongside him, and Orochimaru's mastery of a particularly vexing jutsu."

Once back in Sunagakure, Ebizō had compiled all the information on Konoha. The troublesome figure was a ninja named Might Duy, who had long been considered a mere genin after repeatedly failing the chunin exams. But now, he had suddenly emerged as a formidable opponent.

As for Orochimaru's jutsu, after analyzing the battle, Ebizō concluded that it wasn't a new clone technique. Otherwise, more than just Orochimaru would have used it. Instead, it was likely a technique that allowed a clone to continue fighting for an extended period.

Chiyo massaged her temples. "Bad news, one after another."

Originally, she had hoped to incapacitate 80% of Konoha's forces with her poison. But although Konoha couldn't completely cure the poison, they had found a way to suppress its effects, and some were even able to expel it entirely. As a result, Konoha's resistance hadn't weakened as much as she'd hoped, and their front in the Land of Rain had been reinforced.

Meanwhile, the Third Kazekage had to remain on guard against Iwagakure, and Sunagakure couldn't spare more forces.

Though Konoha was in a precarious position, Sunagakure wasn't faring much better.

"Move some of our forces here. We can afford to pull back from the Land of Rain," Chiyo decided.

Both Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo were dangerous. But the situation in the Land of Rain was too complex, with not only Iwagakure's presence but also the growing strength of Amegakure. Here, they still held the advantage, and this was where they needed to break through.

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Iwagakure Frontline

A small squad of Iwagakure ninjas moved quickly through the forest. It was a three-man chunin team on a mission to scout out Konoha's supply lines, bypassing the frontlines.

Suddenly, Minato Namikaze appeared in front of them, kunai in hand. The three quickly split up to evade his attack, but their retreat was blocked by two other Konoha ninjas.

Team 7 had trapped them in a triangular formation.

"Sorry, this road is closed," Jin said with a smile, casually spinning his blade.

Kushina stood expressionless, blocking the other path. "You should have known better than to charge into our defense lines."

"Too bad for you—you'll die here," Minato added, as the three members of Team 7 launched their attacks on the Iwa ninjas.

The battle was over in an instant. Jin wiped his sword clean, flicking off the blood. By now, the three of them had grown used to the scent of battle.

However, Kushina had become noticeably quieter since stepping onto the battlefield, her usual lively demeanor subdued by the weight of war.

"How long are we supposed to keep holding this position?" Jin asked, leaning against a tree as he watched the leaves flutter down.

They had been stationed there for days, tasked with intercepting stragglers, while the real battles raged farther up the front.

"Until the war is over," Minato replied, a hint of uncertainty crossing his face. The war had shaken both him and Kushina.

"Over…" Jin mused, gazing up at the sky. He remembered that the Second Great Ninja War dragged on for years. This was only the beginning.

The three of them fell into a somber silence, each lost in their own thoughts. 

Just then, a puff of smoke appeared, and an ANBU member in a mask stood before them, holding a scroll.

"New orders. Uchiha Jin is to be immediately transferred to the Sunagakure front."

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