Fox stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Lady Tsunade, Anbu Squad C Five reporting as ordered. We are responsible for your security and the protection of this base."
Tsunade turned around and swept her gaze over the four members, Sora and his team. Her eyes lingered for a moment on Fox's missing arm and Grey Wolf's noticeably weakened state, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
"The old man is really overdoing it."
Tsunade's voice carried a trace of impatience. "This place is very safe. I don't need any special guards."
Despite saying this, she did not outright refuse, clearly understanding Sarutobi Hiruzen's intentions.
Her gaze then fell on Sora, who was standing slightly behind the others in the formation. He seemed somewhat familiar, especially that head of white hair. After a brief thought, she remembered.
"Oh? It's you, kid?"
Tsunade crossed her arms, which accentuated her ample chest, and walked towards Sora with interest.
"Grown quite a bit taller in a few years, haven't you? What, after graduation, the old man tossed you into the Anbu?"
Sora had never met Tsunade face-to-face before. After a moment's consideration, he understood. It was obvious she had noticed him during the Ninja Academy entrance exam.
Especially since, like Tsunade, he possessed part of the Uzumaki clan's bloodline. Given the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, there was a slight sense of kinship.
But not much. Although the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, there were still many members of the Uzumaki clan across the ninja world. From what Sora knew, there were Nagato, Karin's mother, and in Konoha, there was also the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina.
Sora quickly processed this in his mind, then removed the monkey mask from his face and responded calmly.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade. It has been a long time."
Tsunade looked Sora over a few times and nodded.
"Hmm, you look much sturdier than before. Since you're here, perform your duties well. The camp rules will be explained to you by Shizune."
After speaking, she seemed unwilling to say more and turned to walk into the large tent.
Shizune, who had been following Tsunade, hurried forward and politely explained the camp's layout, security zones, and some key points to Squad C Five.
Sora listened to Shizune's explanation while using his peripheral vision to observe the surroundings and the direction Tsunade had gone.
'Tsunade's hemophobia should be very severe by now. The fact she can still stay here to command is probably only because of her sense of responsibility and her bonds with Konoha supporting her.'
'But this state definitely cannot last. The psychological trauma from witnessing loved ones die horribly is not something willpower alone can overcome.'
Sora analyzed silently in his heart. According to the original timeline, the Third Shinobi World War would continue for about four more years, ending only after the Battle of Kannabi Bridge.
Tsunade's complete departure from Konoha should occur around the end of the war, or shortly after it concludes.
'Calculating it, the time she has left in Konoha probably isn't long.'
Sora was not surprised by Tsunade's eventual departure; he even felt it was inevitable.
After experiencing so much pain, leaving this place of sad memories might be a form of liberation for her, until she finally encountered Naruto's "Talk no Jutsu."
...
"Alright, that's the basic situation. Your resting tents are over there. If you have any questions, you can come to me anytime."
Shizune finished her explanation and politely pointed towards several smaller tents at the edge of the camp.
"Thank you." Fox expressed thanks on behalf of the squad.
After assigning guard duties, Squad C Five officially began their security work at the medical base.
...
Life at the medical base was much calmer compared to the life-and-death undercover mission in the Land of Lightning.
Squad C Five's main tasks were daily patrols, security, and checking the identities of personnel entering and leaving the camp.
This medical base primarily served the northwestern front where Konoha clashed with Iwagakure. The battlefields were scattered between small nations like the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass.
However, in Sora's view, the Land of Rain had probably already fallen under the control of the Akatsuki organization led by Nagato. Hanzo the Salamander had been personally killed by Nagato a year ago.
The overall commander of the northwestern front was Jiraiya. The northeastern front was held by one of the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama's former guards, Akimichi Torifu, who was responsible for its defense.
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained in Konoha, overseeing the overall situation.
Although Orochimaru was also on the northwestern front, Sora did not know his exact whereabouts.
He speculated that while Orochimaru might superficially hold a high-ranking command position, in secret, he was likely still conducting various unknown experiments.
Tsunade spent most of her time in the main tent of this medical base, directing operations through Shizune and other experienced medical Jonin, rarely personally treating wounded.
Even when she occasionally needed to assess difficult injuries, she tried her best to avoid direct contact with blood, relying more on receiving reports and giving instructions.
A few times, Sora saw from a distance that when severely wounded, blood-soaked soldiers were carried near the main tent, Tsunade's face would instantly turn pale, her body would tremble, and she even needed to hold onto something to steady herself before quickly turning and leaving, leaving to Shizune.
'The hemophobia is worse than I imagined.' Sora confirmed his guess.
...
This peaceful routine lasted for about ten days.
One evening, as Sora finished a patrol shift and was resting at the camp's edge, he saw Fox and the other two walking towards him quickly with grave expressions.
"Green Snake, during our patrol to the northwest, our squad discovered and intercepted an Iwagakure reconnaissance team."
Fox said solemnly, explaining the situation concisely. "There were five of them, quite strong. We took care of four, but one was very slippery and got away."
Night Owl added, "That guy's escape technique was very good. We couldn't stop him."
Sora felt a chill. Fox and Grey Wolf's strength had declined due to severe injuries from previous missions. Night Owl, while fast, was weaker in direct combat. They had clearly encountered a strong ninja team.
And at this moment, only Iwagakure would be coming here. He inquired,
"Have you informed Lady Tsunade?"
"We were just about to go. The situation is bad. We need to make plans early."
Fox nodded in reply. Then, the group immediately reported the situation to Tsunade.
Inside the main tent, after hearing the report, Tsunade frowned deeply.
"Iwagakure is moving this fast? It seems the pressure on the front lines is indeed great. They've even started targeting rear medical bases."
Shizune said worriedly,
"Lady Tsunade, should we evacuate immediately? The base's location is exposed. It's too dangerous."
Fox also suggested,
"Lady Tsunade, what Miss Shizune says makes sense. Although evacuation would be troublesome, it's better than being attacked by the enemy's main force."
Tsunade was silent for a moment. Her gaze swept over the ninja receiving treatment outside the tent. She shook her head.
"No. Evacuating now would be too much for these critically wounded. The mortality rate during transport would greatly increase. Moreover, finding a suitable new location and establishing a base temporarily also takes time."
She took a deep breath and made a decision.
"Strengthen the vigilance, reinforce the defensive works, request reinforcements from the village. Until the reinforcements arrive, we hold our ground here."
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