Day 292
Tobirama Senju stood stoically behind his desk, exuding a calm yet alert presence, arms crossed in a posture that betrayed deep contemplation. Despite Konoha's recent successes on the battlefield, a vague anxiety gnawed at him. It was as if he had a sense, elusive yet persistent, that something essential was slipping through his fingers like fine sand.
Konoha's forces had dealt a serious blow to their adversaries in the first battle, quickly establishing a solid defense line south of Hi No Kuni. This had forced the troops of Suna to retreat, futilely attempting to penetrate deeper into Konoha territory. Every day, reports reached the Nidaime Hokage, detailing the multiple attempts by the sand ninjas to break through Konoha's defense lines, all ending in bitter failure.
To the north, Uzushio's forces held their position firmly, repelling assaults from the Land of Lightning. Tobirama knew that this border would be just as difficult to breach. Uzushio, the Hidden Village of Whirlpools, harbored a formidable force in the ancient techniques of the Uzumaki clan. It would take a miracle for these warriors to be overwhelmed by the military forces of the Land of Lightning. The Uzumaki were renowned for their unmatched mastery of Fūinjutsu, ready to deploy any strategy to triumph over their enemies.
Furthermore, allied troops from Mizu No Kuni were poised to land on the shores of Kaze No Kuni in the coming days, promising to tip the scales of war in Konoha's favor and further destabilize Suna's position.
Yet, despite these favorable developments, Tobirama remained dissatisfied, his discontent simmering like a flame beneath the surface. The incessant raids perpetrated against his country, their perpetrators still elusive, weighed heavily on his mind. His best ninjas had been dispatched to investigate, but none had succeeded in identifying the culprits. Worse still, an Anbu unit had been lost during this pursuit, a loss made all the more bitter in a context where training new competent ninjas was a daunting task. The loss of these elite soldiers was a heavy blow, especially as he also had to send troops to support the rain country ravaged by Tsuchi No Kuni.
In this three-against-two war, Leaf forces were clearly understaffed. If Tobirama did not find a solution quickly, they risked losing the conflict despite their initial advantage. After long hours of meditation, Tobirama realized that the answer to their dilemma lay in an area hitherto underexploited: women.
When Hashirama became the first Hokage of Konoha No Sato, Tobirama and he established a system for recruiting elite shinobis. To select these exceptional ninjas, they had to choose from a vast population. During his brother's tenure, Tobirama had set up the Shinobi Academy to implement this selection, allowing children from renowned clans to begin their training at the age of five, to cultivate their mastery of chakra and techniques.
For six entire years, these young minds were forged in the crucible of discipline and war. But only the most capable among them would rise through the ranks to become accomplished Shinobi. From the first year, some were assigned to more specialized masters, while others, the less gifted, were either dismissed to civilian life or, for the luckier ones, instructed in the rudiments of combat without attaining ninja status.
In a time when women were often kept away from combat, Hashirama and Tobirama defied this age-old convention. For them, a woman could be just as formidable as a man on the battlefield. Their conviction was confirmed when they met Mito Uzumaki and other women of her clan, whose bravery equaled that of their male counterparts. Thus, Konoha No Sato became the first village to integrate kunoichis into its ranks.
However, despite these measures, Tobirama found himself compelled to make a drastic decision to prolong the war effort: requisitioning every aspiring ninja, regardless of age or gender, to serve in the struggle.
Thus, the ranks were filled with a multitude of children and women, assigned to missions of espionage, assassination, and infiltration. But would it be enough? The Nidaime Hokage was not certain, especially after facing another threat as insidious as the shortage of manpower: reserves.
The day before, Danzo Shimura had delivered an alarming analysis of Konoha's reserves, or rather their lack thereof. If the war dragged on, they risked running out of resources, doomed to defeat. This troubling news fueled Tobirama's suspicions about the nature of the numerous raids on their lands. The idea of a conspiracy enraged him, but he was abruptly interrupted in his reflections by a discreet knock on the door.
"Enter," ordered the Senju without even opening his eyes. He already knew who stood on the other side: his student Sarutobi Hiruzen, accompanied by his team consisting of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
Konoha's ninja team system was another singularity of the village. Based on the principle of a Jōnin guiding three Genin, it fostered cooperation and strengthened bonds between members. Tobirama saw revolutionary potential in this team. Tsunade, a member of the Senju clan, had been molded for excellence. Orochimaru, a child prodigy, had impressed during his trials. As for Jiraiya, he may have started unremarkably, but his determination to succeed and protect his own was undeniable.
Each of these three young disciples was ten years old, under Sarutobi Hiruzen's tutelage for four years now. Together, they formed Team Seven, and Tobirama placed great hopes in their future... if indeed there was still a future.
"Master," Sarutobi began respectfully, immediately followed by his students.
"Hokage-sama," Jiraiya and Orochimaru said, inclining their heads slightly.
"Greetings, great-uncle Tobirama!" Tsunade exclaimed joyfully, blatantly ignoring protocol.
"Tsunade!" Sarutobi reprimanded her for this blatant disrespect. But it drew a thin smile from Tobirama. Each day tore a member of his clan away from him, and seeing a hint of cheerfulness did him good, especially since he had taken on the responsibility of watching over his late brother's descendants.
"But sensei..." Tsunade sighed, pouting.
"There's no 'but'! You don't address the Hokage like that," Sarutobi explained as the Hokage in question opened his eyes.
"Nyah nyah nyah nyah," Tsunade muttered, sticking out her tongue when her sensei wasn't looking.
"Listen to your sensei, Tsunade-hime," Tobirama intervened calmly, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Very well, great-uncle," Tsunade conceded with a slight bow, but without pronouncing the title of "Hokage-sama."
"Sarutobi, you and your team are going on a mission," announced the Hokage in a more serious tone.
"Destination?" Sarutobi asked, grabbing the parchment handed to him by his military leader.
"The rearguard of the front is setting up toward the Land of Rain," Tobirama explained as Sarutobi unrolled the parchment to read the details. "Danzo is already on-site and waiting for you to proceed with the operations."
As the Nidaime Hokage detailed the instructions, Sarutobi's face was focused, absorbing every word written on the parchment. He took a minute to digest the details before fixing his master with a gaze.
"Are you sure they're ready, Hokage-sama?" he asked, casting a discreet glance at his students.
"We are at war, Sarutobi, and in such circumstances, exceptional measures are necessary," explained the man approaching his forties with gravity.
"But sensei..."
"Hiruzen, your team promises to be exceptional," Tobirama intervened, delving back into memories of his own youth. "Where were you at their age? Were you not already fighting to defend your clan?"
"I understand," Hiruzen conceded, realistic about his superior's implicit request. He himself had been plunged into the throes of combat at a very young age, and he knew that Tobirama Senju had been confronted even earlier with the horrors of province wars.
"Once you arrive on site, you'll take command and await further orders," the Nidaime continued.
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
"I have absolute faith in you four," Tobirama affirmed with a slight smile, addressing each member of the team with a glance. Each of them was unique in their own way, whether it was the mysterious Orochimaru, the exuberant Jiraiya, or the direct descendant of Hashirama.
A moment of nostalgia washed over Tobirama as he watched Tsunade. He remembered his brother, and his wife... his woman.
"You may go."
As the team left the office, Tobirama pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing deeply. This war was a true nightmare! And Tsunade Senju's face only exacerbated his discomfort, reminding him of the news he had learned the day before: the disappearance of one of his most eminent Shinobi, a key figure in maintaining a crucial alliance. Since then, Tobirama had ordered the announcer to keep absolute silence on this information, under penalty of death: Mito Uzumaki had vanished!
Day 300
Eight days had passed since Team Seven began their journey through the lands of Hi No Kuni towards the Land of Rain. The biting cold of late winter slowed their progress, the icy wind creeping beneath their clothing. For an ordinary individual, walking in these conditions would be a mere nuisance, but when moving at high speed through chakra control, every gust of wind was like a blade of ice tearing through the air.
"Sensei," Orochimaru began, leaping from tree to tree with ease thanks to his chakra control.
"Yes, Orochimaru?" responded Hiruzen, vigilant. Even in the peaceful lands of the Fire Country, they remained exposed to a potential enemy attack.
"Do you think this war will drag on?" queried the pale-skinned adolescent.
"I couldn't say, Orochimaru," admitted Hiruzen, aware of the looming uncertainty. "It's an unprecedented war... a world war. It could follow the same pattern as the provincial conflicts."
"Meaning until one side gives in?" suggested Tsunade, recalling her great-uncle's tales of yore.
"Yes and no," clarified Hiruzen. "The death of Tobirama Senju or the Nidaime Tsuchikage would certainly change the game. But there are other factors to consider."
"Such as?" interjected Jiraiya.
"Resources, troops, but also morale," explained Hiruzen. "At a certain point, weariness and fear could push for a ceasefire. At least, I hope so."
"You seem to think we're in a bad spot," observed Orochimaru, the most attentive of the three.
"Let's just say we're navigating troubled waters, Orochimaru," admitted Hiruzen. "We're outnumbered, and a failure of our allies would be fatal. Then, we would be forced to negotiate."
"Negotiate?" repeated Jiraiya, perplexed. Not having had the same education as his comrades, he was ignorant of the subtleties of politics.
"Negotiate to preserve Konoha, to avoid the destruction and suffering of the people, in short... negotiate for our survival," declared Hiruzen gravely. It was a scenario he feared, a future he wanted to avoid at all costs. He hoped that his village and country would remain strong, powerful, invincible.
"But we haven't lost yet," he added, trying to maintain a semblance of optimism.
"Of course not, because we'll give them a run for their money!" exclaimed Jiraiya with overly pronounced enthusiasm.
"Don't rush to the frontline, Jiraiya," cautioned Hiruzen, recalling the many comrades fallen in battle.
"Why?" asked the interested party. Sarutobi turned his gaze to his three students. He saw in each of them the future of the village.
"Who is the true leader of Konoha?" he asked.
"Huh?" Jiraiya was surprised by this question, caught off guard. "Um... the Hokage... the most powerful ninja in the village, so he must be the leader."
Young Sarutobi remembered the teachings of his master Tobirama. When he had asked the same question, he had given the same answer as Jiraiya. But over time, Sarutobi had grasped the true meaning of the question, and more importantly, the correct answer: it was the children of Konoha. They were the future of the Leaf and its most precious resource.
"We'll talk about this later, Jiraiya," concluded the team leader, raising his fist. All four of them froze on a tree branch, attentive.
The face of the team leader froze into a warlike expression. He had detected something that deeply concerned him. Even though he wasn't a sensory ninja, his keen observational skills told him that something was amiss.
"Sensei?" whispered Tsunade, a kunai already in hand, ready to fight. Her two teammates also stood ready, listening for any sounds around them. Seconds passed, the hearts of the four shinobi racing, until Sarutobi lowered his hand... Nothing happened. The three students breathed a sigh of relief.
"TAKE COVER!" Sarutobi suddenly yelled, perceiving the characteristic whistle of a sharp weapon slicing through the air.
The three students immediately reacted to their sensei's command. When your superior gives an order, you obey, especially if you value your life.
They managed to take cover just in time, narrowly avoiding a volley of projectiles that shot towards their previous position. In an instant, enemy shinobi appeared.
Faced with this situation, Sarutobi had only one thought: ambush.
"Orochimaru, use the wind!" he ordered, seeing a group of earth ninja looming before them. He quickly performed the hand seals, then concentrated a quantity of chakra in his lungs before exhaling. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"
"Futon: Daitoppa!" Orochimaru followed up, manipulating a large amount of chakra. They had rehearsed this exercise many times, aiming to surprise their enemies with a devastating attack from the outset. The combination of the two techniques made Sarutobi's fireball even larger and more dangerous. Orochimaru only mastered this ninjutsu technique and had to put all his chakra into it to use it just once.
The fireball shot out at lightning speed, and the addition of wind propelled it even faster, engulfing a large number of enemy shinobi. Despite this success, Sarutobi remained on guard, aware that he must not underestimate his adversaries.
"In support position! Assist me and watch our backs," ordered Sarutobi before throwing a kunai in front of him. "Kagemane Kunaï no Jutsu."
It was a Kinjutsu, normally forbidden, but in the face of the enemy, all strategies were allowed. This was the essence of the shinobi profession: to use all available resources.
As the soldiers in front of them dodged the devastating fireball, many did not see the projectiles coming towards them. There were a few additional casualties before they finally reached the Leaf team.
Despite their young age, their coordination and cohesion compensated for their lack of experience and speed. Each of the three had an apparently modest and simple role, but it allowed Sarutobi to focus on a 180° angle rather than 360°.
"Nine o'clock!" announced Tsunade, signaling an attempted flanking maneuver by the enemy on their left. Hiruzen engaged in combat with his katana, forcing his opponent to dodge, allowing Jiraiya to take action. Slipping between his sensei's legs, he neutralized his opponent with a stab to the stomach.
Reacting to Tsunade's alert, they reorganized to face the enemy coming from the left.
"Kunai!" Orochimaru shouted behind his sensei. Sarutobi turned sharply upon hearing the warning. With his experience and their training, he easily parried or deflected the attack coming from behind, then turned back to face his opponent: a teenager. But when it came to protecting his own, Sarutobi showed no mercy.
He feinted with his weapon, destabilizing his opponent, who forgot about Tsunade. Taking advantage of the situation, she seized his arm and prepared to neutralize him with a kunai. His opponent instinctively tried to strike her with his sword, but Sarutobi deflected his attack, allowing Tsunade to neutralize him.
"Get down!" Jiraiya ordered this time, seeing a large Fuma Shuriken coming towards them. Not that he doubted his sensei's abilities to parry or deflect the attack, but it was better not to take unnecessary risks.
All four of them crouched down, letting the weapon pass over them.
"Two to nine o'clock!" Tsunade signaled as she straightened up.
"One to six o'clock," Orochimaru followed, ready to face his opponent.
"Jiraiya, with Orochimaru!" Sarutobi ordered, unable to handle two fronts simultaneously. With a quick glance, he had assessed the opponent at six o'clock and decided that his two students could handle it together, while he would deal with the two in front of him with Tsunade.
"Understood!" they responded together before Orochimaru, the more agile of the two, took the lead.
"Seven!" announced the young man with pale skin to his teammate Jiraiya, who didn't contest the formation to take. As Orochimaru approached his opponent, the young man with white hair drew two shurikens from his rear pouch and threw them to the sides of his teammate. These projectiles narrowly missed both him and his enemy, with whom he engaged in a duel.
As soon as the two shurikens were far enough away, Jiraiya pulled on the thin attached wires to bring them back to the back of the Earth Country ninja, who never saw the attack coming.
During the war, no one boasted about their techniques, skills, or even their Dōjutsu. All that mattered was neutralizing the enemy as quickly as possible to survive. As Sarutobi defeated his last opponent, Jiraiya issued a new warning.
"Ninjutsu at twelve o'clock!"
Sarutobi immediately placed his hand on the blonde's chest to propel her towards her comrades, out of the trajectory of the Earth Ninjutsu. At the same time, he moved away from his position by channeling chakra into his legs. He had just saved his student from certain death, but now he had to dodge the attacks of three opponents.
That wasn't a problem for him. After all, he was Tobirama Senju's student. At twenty-three years old, he remained an extremely talented Shinobi. He trusted his students and prayed that they would manage without him while he was separated from them.
"We're buying time! Don't stay still!" Orochimaru ordered, taking command in their sensei's absence. It was their best chance of survival, given the number of opponents approaching their position.
For the next few minutes, it was a cat-and-mouse game between the three students and the ninjas from Tsuchi No Kuni. But this mouse was dangerous this time. It set traps, threw projectiles, placed explosive tags—anything to buy time until their sensei returned.
However, after a while, a series of kunai was sent towards them, unfortunately spotted too late. Announcing their arrival would serve no purpose, so Jiraiya acted instinctively: he pushed Tsunade with his own body, taking the kunai meant for the blonde straight to his chest.
"Argh!" Jiraiya groaned, feeling the metal piercing his flesh.
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade exclaimed, realizing her teammate had taken the projectile in her place. Orochimaru immediately halted his course, positioning himself in front of his two teammates now on the ground.
The future snake summoner mentally prepared, calculating in his head how to feint his swiftly approaching adversary. They would be upon him in barely five seconds.
However, just as the blade was about to gleam in the air to start its deadly dance, a silhouette inserted itself between the two combatants.
A shockwave accompanied the contact of the woman's fist with the soldier from the Earth Country's face, and Orochimaru distinctly perceived the sinister crack of cervical vertebrae, followed by the jerky sound of the jaw dislocating. The man couldn't even grasp the meaning of what was happening before life left him, while the three adolescents watched, their wide eyes testifying to their astonishment at this woman who had taken a life with disconcerting ease.
An aura of power, mixed with brute strength and latent danger, emanated from this mysterious figure.
Hardly had she incapacitated her opponent than her eyes landed on the others, who were already targeted by a second assailant.
Who were they then?
It took just a few seconds for these two protagonists to eliminate the three other Shinobi who were pursuing them. One sported a mane of brown hair, concealed under a straw hat that veiled his face, while the other was a woman with pink hair.
The ninja with the brown hair remained in the background while the woman approached them, her arms hanging by her sides, her weapons neatly stowed away.
Orochimaru remained on guard, well aware that he stood no chance against these two individuals. Their speed, their strength, everything seemed innate to them, and their superiority was evident.
"Don't make another move!" the adolescent called out, attempting to conceal his own turmoil behind a mask of firmness.
"Peace, Leaf Shinobi," Sakura replied, observing the boy who, in the near future, would cause much suffering to her team and conduct atrocious experiments. She pushed these thoughts aside, as none of it had happened yet, and perhaps it never would. Her gaze then fell upon the blonde and the young man.
The boy lay there, his chest marked by a serious wound, and Sakura quickly assessed its severity by observing the amount of blood spilled on the ground, as well as on the blood-stained weapon. It was a wound that his future master should be able to treat... but she intended to manipulate the future to her advantage.
"We are allies," she declared.
"If you're truly our allies, then go help our sensei," Orochimaru insisted, still on guard.
"And who is your sensei?" Madara questioned, remaining in the background.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi," Orochimaru replied.
"In that case, you should be more concerned about his adversaries than about himself," commented Madara, recalling the young Sarutobi whom Tobirama had taken under his wing.
"Jiraiya, you'll be okay," Tsunade announced.
"Well, they say scars are the sign of a seasoned man, don't they?" joked Jiraiya, attempting to lighten the mood with the one he loved.
"Don't joke about that, idiot!" Tsunade retorted before placing her hands on the wound and activating her Medical Ninjutsu. It was the first time she had used this technique in front of someone. It was something she had tried to reproduce after reading one of her clan's books, especially those of Hashirama Senju. She had grasped the basics and trained on small animals, hoping earnestly to be able to save her teammate, or at least stop the bleeding so she could then dress the wound.
Her hands glowed with a faint green light, to Jiraiya's amazed gaze. Slowly, the wound stopped bleeding, but it remained gaping.
"What you're attempting is both extremely dangerous and noble, young lady," Sakura commented, observing from afar. "I can help you..."
"How could you possibly help me?" Tsunade asked, skeptical. After all, no one in her clan was aware of this book written by Hashirama.
She received no answer, except that Sakura approached them.
"Don't come any closer!" Orochimaru warned.
Ignoring the threat, Sakura stepped forward with determined strides. The pale-skinned adolescent raised his arm to strike, but was quickly subdued by the young woman who disarmed him with a skilled movement. She tossed his weapon away from him before circling the obstacle to stand by Tsunade's side. With one knee on the ground, she placed her hand on the future master of Naruto's wound.
Channeling her chakra, Sakura delivered a pulse through the injured man's body. Her palm lit up with an intense green glow, and the wound closed up in mere moments, much to the astonished gaze of the three adolescents. With a sure hand, the woman with pink hair gently wiped the area of the wound: there wasn't a single scar.
"Ho... How?" stammered Tsunade, completely astounded.
"What you aspire to is commendable, young lady, but of extreme difficulty," Sakura replied in a serious tone.
"Sakura," Madara began, sensing Sarutobi's chakra approaching rapidly. "We must leave..."
With a swift motion, Sakura conjured a book with a green cover in a puff of smoke, which she handed to Tsunade.
"When you're ready, come find me," she said enigmatically before rising and walking away with her companion in another direction.
As the two figures faded into the distance, Tsunade wondered if these individuals were the two ninjas who were aiding the most vulnerable during the war.
The blonde and Jiraiya cast their eyes upon the cover of the book to read the title, while their sensei appeared by their side.
How to Become a Medical Ninja, Volume 1 by Sakura Haruno.