[NTU] [ARC-26] Chapter : 345

As night fell over the battlefield, the White Zetsu clones—once thought to be a threat—had proven ineffective. The coalition forces were cutting through them with ease.

Outside one of the larger medical tents, the flap was pulled aside as Tsunade stepped in.

“How are the wounded here? Stable?” she asked, her sharp eyes scanning the makeshift infirmary. “Need your sensei’s help?”

Inside, four med-nin were tending to patients, moving quickly but carefully. Tsunade’s presence made them freeze for a split second, out of both respect and nerves.

As the Supreme Medical Commander of the Allied Forces, she had been tasked with overseeing the entire medical operation. There was no room for slacking off—though truthfully, Tsunade herself would rather not have been micromanaging. Still, orders were orders.

Despite having recently become a mother, Tsunade hadn't changed her appearance one bit. She still wore the same open-front jacket, the same confident smirk, the same unshakable swagger.

In fact, if anything, she looked even more imposing than before. Her already-impressive figure had only grown more commanding.

The three girls in the tent—Karin, Sakura, and Shizune—visibly lowered their heads, sneaking quick glances at Tsunade’s curves, then exchanging awkward, defeated looks with each other.

Tsunade arched an eyebrow.
“You three…”
She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Still not focusing on the job.”

“Tsunade-sensei, the patients here are stable,” Haku said with a gentle smile. He stood out in his crisp white coat and standard green vest. “All thanks to Karin’s chakra detection and medical prowess. And of course, Sakura and Shizune-senpai have been amazing too.”

“Good,” Tsunade nodded, satisfied. But as she turned to look at the three girls again—each still distracted, gazing enviously—she couldn’t help but feel a mix of pride and exasperation.

“Why is the world so unfair?” Karin muttered under her breath, pulling her gaze away from Tsunade’s impossible figure and glancing down at her own modest chest. “Is the gap between women really this huge?”

“Yeah…”
“Seriously…”
Sakura and Shizune echoed the sentiment, their expressions equally tragic.

“Enough, you three!” Tsunade barked.

She raised a hand and gave each of them a light slap on the head—not hard enough to hurt, but sharp enough to sting their pride.

“Get your heads on straight. You're medics on the front lines! Learn from Haku—he’s actually focused.”

Tsunade shook her head, only half-joking.

Haku was a blessing—gentle, talented, dependable. He had even started experimenting with combining Ice Release and medical ninjutsu, something Tsunade found truly impressive.

But then she sighed.

Why does the most competent one have to be a soft-spoken boy with the temperament of a shrine maiden?

Meanwhile, two of her disciples were knee-deep in teenage crushes. One of them was clearly infatuated with Haku, blushing every time he spoke. The other—Sakura—was still obsessed with that Uchiha kid, as if he were the last man on Earth.

So much emotional drama. I don’t have time for this nonsense.

Just then, a young ninja burst into the tent, holding a half-dried message scroll.

“Haku-senpai! A message from headquarters! Something serious is happening!”

The panicked voice belonged to Han, one of the communication staff assigned to the medical corps.

“Han!” Tsunade snapped. “Don’t barge in here flailing like a civilian! Calm yourself!”

She stepped forward, hand outstretched to take the scroll—but before she could reach it, Karin suddenly stiffened.

Her crimson eyes widened.

“Sensei—watch out!”

In the blink of an eye, Han’s demeanor shifted. His expression went cold, calculated. With a flick of his wrist, a kunai slipped into his hand and darted toward Tsunade.

“You’re courting death.”
Tsunade’s voice dropped an octave, cool and lethal.

Her fingers snapped forward with pinpoint control.

Clink!
The kunai was deflected mid-air, slicing clean through the tent canvas and whizzing into the darkness outside.

Her open hand curled into a fist—and without a shred of hesitation, she drove it directly into Han’s face.

The tent shook.

“Ahhh!”

With a sharp, pained scream, Han’s body was sent flying from the tent, following the trajectory of the kunai that had been meant for Tsunade.

“Tch. Pathetic.”
Tsunade snorted coldly, flicking the blood off her wrist. Her footsteps were steady and commanding as she strode out of the tent, heading toward the collapsed figure.

“Tsunade-sama, are you hurt?”
Shizune finally snapped out of her daze. Her eyes darted to Tsunade’s hand, noticing the blood, and her expression turned pale in an instant.

For a moment, panic overtook her—memories of Tsunade’s past trauma with blood flashing through her mind. But then she hesitated... and breathed a cautious sigh of relief.

She quickly caught up, voice laced with concern.
“That blood… it’s not yours, right?”

“I’m fine,” Tsunade replied without breaking stride. “I’ve moved past all that. It doesn’t affect me anymore.”

During childbirth, she had no choice but to confront her long-standing fear of blood. The trauma had nearly caused complications, but the overwhelming will to protect her child had given her the strength to conquer it.

“I’m glad,” Shizune whispered, falling in beside her. The worry still lingered in her eyes, but Tsunade’s calmness was reassuring.

A few steps later, Tsunade paused and turned her head.

“Karin, how did you sense something was off with Han just now?”

The question came without warning. Tsunade’s tone was curious, but sharp. She had been impressed—Han’s impersonation had been almost flawless. His chakra flow, expression, demeanor… all seamless. Yet Karin had detected the deception instantly.

“You’ve awakened Kagura Eye, haven’t you?”

“Yeah. Ages ago,” Karin replied, rolling her eyes slightly. “Shows how much attention you pay to your students, huh?”

Still, she wasn’t really angry. She stepped closer, voice serious now.
“I can read emotions through chakra. That guy’s chakra gave off this subtle, but clear sense of hostility. Even if he acted calm, something just didn’t sit right.”

As she finished, they reached Han’s limp form on the ground.

But before they could examine him, hurried footsteps approached from the distance.

“Tsunade-sama! Urgent intel from headquarters!”

Another ninja sprinted into view, scroll in hand.

Tsunade’s eyes briefly flicked to Karin, who gave a quick nod of confirmation. She accepted the scroll and read its contents swiftly.

Her expression darkened.

“This complicates things.”
She turned to Karin with resolve. “I need you to sweep through the medical corps. We might have more infiltrators.”

She gestured to the unconscious White Zetsu, whose true form had finally begun to surface.

Karin narrowed her eyes.
“Alone, my scanning range is limited. I can only pick up on overtly hostile chakra… If they’re hiding well, I might miss them.”

“Don’t worry,” Tsunade said, waving a hand. “Kushina and Naruto will be joining us shortly.”

Her gaze lingered on the exposed face of the White Zetsu, lips tightening.
There was something about this one… something familiar. She couldn’t quite place it yet, but the sensation gnawed at her.

“With Kushina and Naruto helping?” Karin relaxed slightly. “That’ll work. Their sensory skills are leagues above mine—especially when it comes to malicious intent.”

With that, she closed her eyes and began to focus. Threads of chakra spread outward from her, scanning the camp for anomalies.