The return to camp was much faster than leaving it. Kawakaze appeared at the camp gate with Shengshu on his back.
Some loyal Konoha ninjas still came out to ask questions, but their attitude was far warmer than when the group first arrived.After quickly confirming their identities, the three were allowed to pass.
Kawakaze went straight to the small earthen hut. Sakumo and Dai were still inside, studying the Eight Gates technique.
Since they couldn't practice it directly, the two practitioners were discussing its theory instead.
"What happened to Shengshu?"
Seeing Kawakaze carrying him, Sakumo stepped forward immediately. Because Shengshu would become his future relative, his tone contained genuine concern.
"Just a minor injury. It's his first time seeing blood. He'll be fine once he wakes up."
Kawakaze placed Shengshu onto a bed made of stacked blankets.
Minato sat quietly to the side.
"How many did you take down this time?"
Sakumo fully trusted Kawakaze's strength and was certain that every time Kawakaze returned, he would bring results.
"One jōnin and two genin subdued three chūnin."
"In general, it was a standard team."
Kawakaze's face remained calm. As an ordinary jōnin, this wasn't much of a challenge to him.
"Well done, Minato."
Dai grinned and gave Minato a big thumbs-up.
"Haha…"
Minato scratched the back of his head with a bright smile.
"Since you're back, stay and look after the camp."
"With only one jōnin here, the Rain ninja won't feel any pressure."
"Dai and I will go for another walk."
"We'll let the Rain ninja know how strong Konoha really is."
Sakumo could no longer hold himself back; protecting the homeland was never something an assassin should shy away from.
"Yes, Kawakaze-kun, Sakumo-san and I will head out again."
It was Dai's first time participating in a real war, and he wanted to prove his strength.
"Go, then."
Kawakaze didn't even bother to say "be careful." Since the Salamander Hanzō wasn't appearing, no temporary Rain-nin squad could defeat the duo of Sakumo and Dai.
"Let's go. See you later."
Sakumo stood up, and Dai followed him out of the camp.
These two, both possessing jōnin-level strength, moved far faster than Kawakaze and the two children had.
Sakumo also had much richer field experience and was better than Kawakaze at detecting traces and tracking enemies.
Together, he and Dai located five Rain-nin squads led by a jōnin.
None of the twenty Rain ninja survived Sakumo's blade or Dai's Eight Gates.
They died miserably.
With the addition of Kawakaze's group as well, the Rain ninja force suffered heavy losses.
Originally, Hanzō of the Salamander had assigned only harassment and delaying missions, with not many participants.
Suddenly losing twenty men was a result the squad leaders could hardly accept.
Their commander, Yamamaru, had no choice but to shrink his area of operations and send messengers to contact Hanzō, who was still fighting Chiyo of the Sand Village.
Upon hearing the news, Hanzō was furious and tore the letter into shreds.
He had expected Konoha's main forces to arrive later; he believed the front lines wouldn't be reached so soon.
But he didn't know that the ones who arrived first were merely Kawakaze's small team.
"Send reinforcements to Yamamaru. Tell him to stay alert and avoid fighting the Konoha forces for now."
"If Konoha's main force attacks, he must stall them until I return."
After issuing the order, the kneeling messenger withdrew.
At the moment, Hanzō was deep in Wind Country. He had chosen to attack Sunagakure proactively instead of defending.
One had to admire his audacity.
When the Sand realized Hanzō was present, they dispatched Chiyo with a large army to confront him.
Several battles had already taken place.
Both sides suffered heavy losses. Hanzō's poison devastated the Sand troops, while Chiyo's puppets slaughtered many Rain ninja.
"That damned puppet hag…"
Hanzō cursed under his breath. If not for Chiyo, Sand ninja were nothing but chickens and dogs in his eyes.
Meanwhile, in the Sand camp, Chiyo was carefully analyzing Hanzō's poison.
But even as an accomplished poison master, cracking Hanzō's formula was extremely difficult.
"That old man with the breathing mask is so infuriating…"
Chiyo muttered as she worked, her frown deepening at the thought of how many Sand ninja would die to Hanzō's toxins before she solved it.
"Mother, you've been working nonstop for an entire day and night. Please rest."
The speaker was a handsome man with striking red hair—Sasori's father.
"Yes, sister. You'll collapse if you continue like this."
Ebizō also tried to persuade her.
"If I don't solve this soon, I won't have peace of mind."
Chiyo sighed, rubbing her tired eyes.
She silently vowed that sooner or later, she would tear Hanzō into pieces.
Soon after, another ninja arrived to report that Hanzō had launched another attack.
Chiyo had no choice but to head out to battle again with her brother and son.
Rain and Sand ninja were beating each other to pieces across Wind Country.
Meanwhile, Kawakaze's group headed north for several days without encountering even a single Rain ninja.
He deduced the Rain ninja had withdrawn and spent the next few days quietly inside the camp.
A week later, Orochimaru arrived with a massive army.
Naturally, Kawakaze was notified when the main forces arrived.
He took Sakumo and the others to meet Orochimaru.
A vast amount of food, tools, consumables, and medicine was brought into the camp.
Under Orochimaru's command, everything proceeded in perfect order, and the camp expanded several times over.
Every tent and structure was arranged with strict precision—an area beyond Kawakaze's expertise.
After Orochimaru settled all Konoha ninjas, the group gathered in a newly built earthen hut.
The room was simple. Kawakaze and the others sat on the floor around a low table.
Fresh fruits and vegetables—recently delivered—were set upon it.
The two young boys kneeled quietly to the side.
"Teacher."
Shengshu's injuries had fully healed, and he was delighted to see Orochimaru.
"I heard from Kawakaze-kun that you performed very well."
Orochimaru smirked and patted Shengshu's head.
Shengshu smiled so brightly that his eyes squinted shut.
"Kawakaze-kun, any updates recently?"
Orochimaru began questioning, and the others immediately grew serious.
"The Rain-nin currently operate in small units, focused on assassination and harassment."
"My guess is that Hanzō the Salamander's main objective is not Konoha at all."
"He's only trying to buy time."
"The Rain-nin harassment squads seem afraid of being wiped out. They haven't shown up for three consecutive days."
Kawakaze summarized the events of the past week and presented his own deductions.
Given Orochimaru's intelligence, he didn't need to offer anything more.
Sakumo and Dai, meanwhile, could only listen in silence like mute men with ears.
Only Orochimaru's and Kawakaze's voices filled the hut.
"I believe Kawakaze-kun's deduction is very reasonable."
"Next, I'll send people to continue tracking Rain-nin movements."
"Then, we'll pretend to launch a large-scale attack and observe how they react."
"The truth will reveal itself at the proper time."
After pondering for a moment, Orochimaru devised a complete response plan.
"Understood."
Kawakaze had never commanded any troops nor desired political power, so naturally he had no reason to oppose Orochimaru's strategy.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "Naruto: Tsunade the Fugitive Healer" is 30 chapters ahead there