"Lord Matsuda, Konoha has developed an antidote!"
"What?!" Commander Matsuda's mouth dropped open in shock, his expression as if he'd seen a ghost.
He had only launched his attack less than an hour ago, how could Konoha have already developed an antidote?!
"This... how is this possible?" The silver-haired girl's face turned pale.
This was a poison she had refined after a long time of research.
Was it really cracked so easily?
Commander Matsuda quickly calmed down and looked at the Sunagakure Ninja who had delivered the report.
"Are you sure the information is accurate?"
"Reporting, Lord Matsuda, the information is absolutely accurate. The Konoha Ninja who were previously poisoned have fully recovered after taking the antidote!"
Upon hearing this, Commander Matsuda's expression grew even uglier.
He suppressed his anger and looked at the silver-haired girl, "This is the poison you refined? It was cracked in less than half an hour!"
The silver-haired girl pursed her lips and said nothing, clenching her fists in frustration.
Her proud poison techniques, which she had always relied on, were so easily countered.
This was difficult for her to accept.
Commander Matsuda no longer paid attention to the girl, turning instead to the reporting Sunagakure Ninja.
"Notify the reconnaissance squad to investigate who in Konoha developed the antidote!"
"Yes, Lord Matsuda!"
Watching his subordinate leave, Commander Matsuda's killing intent was barely concealed in his eyes.
"No matter what, we must eliminate the person who developed the antidote!"
He looked at the girl, who was still looking down, and his tone softened, "As long as we kill the opponent, no one will be able to develop an antidote."
The girl stubbornly raised her head, her expression serious: "I will develop an even stronger poison!"
Saying that, she turned and left the camp.
...
After Renye developed the antidote, Sunagakure lost its advantage.
They were forced to retreat steadily under the furious assault of the Konoha Ninja.
Ultimately, they had no choice but to withdraw.
Sunagakure's second offensive ended in failure.
Even though Konoha had gained the upper hand twice, their casualty rate was also very high.
Only a small number of the poisoned Ninja were sent back to the rear; most died during Sunagakure's attacks.
There was simply no time for treatment.
...
Inside the Konoha Commander's tent.
"Lord Honwa, the casualty statistics for the past two days are out."
The Ninja responsible for battlefield statistics handed over the document.
Nara Honwa took the document, and his brows furrowed tightly when he saw the casualties listed.
【A total of 41 deaths in two battles, including 4 Jonin and 37 Chunin, with 35 severely wounded.】
Currently, there are less than two hundred Konoha Ninja in the Southwest Battlefield.
In just two battles, nearly a fifth of them had died.
And over thirty more were severely wounded, directly losing their combat capability.
The brutality of the battlefield was evident...
However, Sunagakure's losses were definitely far more severe than Konoha's.
War, to a large extent, is a competition of overall national strength, requiring continuous supply of everything from troops and weaponry to rations and supplies.
When one side suffers heavy casualties, depletes its material reserves, and has its logistical supply lines cut off, it often chooses to surrender due to its inability to continue fighting.
The outcome of a war is often determined this way.
In a prolonged war of attrition, one side will always run out of resources first.
The Land of Fire's current situation is extremely difficult, with four countries attacking simultaneously; a slight misstep could lead to defeat.
The Commanders on all four battlefields are constantly on edge, fearing that a mistaken decision will lead to heavy casualties.
Nara Honwa left the camp and found Renye, who was developing the antidote.
"Renye Jonin, what are you doing?"
Renye's desk was covered with various medicinal herbs, and he didn't even look up. "I'm developing an antidote that can neutralize most poisons."
Sunagakure's poison masters would definitely develop other types of poison.
He couldn't possibly be passively developing antidotes all the time, could he?
It would be better to take the initiative and develop stronger antidotes in advance.
That way, he wouldn't have to stay here every day.
He wasn't working hard to become stronger just to be a medical Ninja on the battlefield.
Since Renye had already figured out the Sunagakure poison master's methods, developing corresponding antidotes based on their approach wasn't difficult for him.
If all else failed, he would mass-produce the antidote for his own poisons.
Using it to counter such rudimentary poisons would be incredibly easy.
Hearing this, Nara Honwa did not disturb Renye further and discreetly exited the tent.
After he left, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled upwards, and even his eyebrows showed a hint of a smile.
If Renye truly managed to develop an antidote that countered Sunagakure's poisons,
Konoha's casualty rate would definitely decrease significantly.
Nara Honwa had no doubts whatsoever about Renye's words.
He believed that since Renye said it, he could achieve it.
After all, Renye's performance these past two days had completely convinced him.
"No, I must write a letter to Hokage-sama right now to report!"
Nara Honwa returned to his tent and began writing about Renye's deeds.
Thousands of words, all praising Renye.
He rolled up the intelligence report and tucked it into the bamboo tube on the Ninja pigeon's leg, patting the pigeon's head, "Deliver this intelligence to Hokage-sama."
Nara Honwa began to formulate the next battle plan.
He believed that it wouldn't be long before Renye developed an antidote specifically for Sunagakure's poisons.
Coupled with the reinforcements from the Village that were about to arrive,
By then, they could sound the horn for a counterattack.
Nara Honwa was full of confidence.
Perhaps, the Southwest Battlefield would be the first battlefield to achieve victory.
And all of this was inextricably linked to Renye!
--------
Konoha Village, Hokage Office.
Senju Tobirama sat at his desk, his face grim as he read the intelligence reports from the front lines.
【Northeast Battlefield: Hokage-sama, Hidden Cloud Village is too strong, difficult to resist, requesting reinforcements!】
【Southeast Battlefield: The Kaguya clan are all madmen, our side has suffered heavy losses, requesting reinforcements!】
【Northwest Battlefield: Currently in a stalemate with Iwagakure, the enemy has not launched an attack.】
The war had only just begun.
Out of three battlefields, two already required reinforcements.
Senju Tobirama rubbed his temples, a headache forming, and sighed helplessly.
The situation in the Land of Fire was extremely difficult...
"By my reckoning, that kid should have reached the battlefield by now, right?"
Two days ago, he had dispatched several Jonin and hundreds of Chunin to support various battlefields.
The battlefield each Jonin was sent to had been carefully considered.
Sunagakure specialized in poisons, and that kid happened to be skilled in them too.
And so, Renye was sent to the Southwest Battlefield.
With Renye's ability to use poisons, he should be able to play a significant role on the battlefield.
...
Suddenly, a Ninja pigeon flew in through the window.
Senju Tobirama took the intelligence report from the bamboo tube, and when he saw its contents, he instinctively rubbed his eyes.
"Wait... am I seeing things?"
He read the intelligence report five times in disbelief before confirming that he hadn't misread it.
The entire report was a praise of Renye.
It recounted his deeds on the battlefield in detail.
It even praised Senju Tobirama for his excellent guidance.
After an unknown amount of time, Senju Tobirama reluctantly placed the intelligence report on the desk.
The corners of his mouth were almost impossible to keep down, and his eyes were filled with satisfaction.
"That kid..."
PS: Still owe nine chapters, will make up one to two chapters every day from now on.
Everyone, don't worry, I won't run away.