"Such a pity."
Jin lay on his back, using his arms as a pillow, resting in the ruins of the collapsed tent. Tsunade's punch wasn't strong enough to truly hurt him, and it was clear she hadn't meant to do him any serious harm.
Still, it was a shame he couldn't score a date with Tsunade.
Even Minato had his childhood sweetheart, yet here he was, all alone.
"Can you please leave?" came a voice trembling with restrained anger.
Jin turned to see a woman with long black hair, wet and covered in floral-patterned tattoos, wrapped in a towel and glaring at him furiously.
"Oh? Long, straight black hair," Jin muttered, his eyes lighting up. Though her figure wasn't the best, she definitely matched his aesthetic.
"Hey, beautiful, how about a date?"
That cheeky remark finally pushed the woman over the edge.
"Kuya, bite him!"
A large, black dog lunged at Jin, barking fiercely.
"A member of the Inuzuka clan, huh?"
Jin slammed his palms against the ground, using the force to propel himself back onto his feet. Seeing the incoming black dog, he quickly tried to explain.
"This is a misunderstanding!"
But his words only seemed to fuel the woman's fury.
"Attack him! Rip him apart!"
Seeing no other choice, Jin sighed and used Swift Step to vanish from sight.
Swift Step was incredibly effective for rapid movement, though it wasn't particularly suitable for combat due to its complexity. But in moments like this, it was the perfect tool.
Once Jin had disappeared, the woman reluctantly called off her dog, Kuya.
"What a senseless disaster," Jin muttered, reappearing at the same spot as before. Sakumo Hatake glanced at him but said nothing.
Nara Shikaku and the others had disappeared to who-knows-where.
Jin's eyes then landed on Tsunade, who was diligently treating the poisoned shinobi.
"So quick?"
Jin was surprised by how fast she had picked up the technique. Even with his knowledge and abilities, it had taken him an hour to master the Thousand Spiders Poison Hand.
"No, something's off," Jin narrowed his eyes.
This made Sakumo look over, concerned.
"What's wrong?"
Jin didn't immediately answer, his gaze focused on Tsunade's hands, which were now tinged with a faint blackness.
"Tsunade-sama is pushing herself too hard."
"What do you mean?" Sakumo asked, frowning. He wasn't a fan of cryptic answers.
Jin explained, "The Thousand Spiders Poison Hand is effective against most poisons, but it's difficult to master. Tsunade-sama hasn't fully grasped it yet."
"And what does that mean?" Sakumo pressed.
Jin thought for a moment before responding. "Tsunade-sama is currently enduring the pain of the poison herself. In other words, she's experiencing all the suffering these poisoned shinobi have gone through."
This kind of self-sacrificial method was something Jin admitted he couldn't pull off. But he certainly admired those who could.
After all, who wouldn't want selfless friends like that?
"Tsunade-sama is rushing things."
Judging by her current progress, Jin estimated that if Tsunade took half a day to train, she could fully master the technique.
Sakumo's expression darkened. He hadn't realized Tsunade was sacrificing so much.
He glanced at Jin, pondering her motives. He understood Tsunade's desire to save her comrades, but Jin's own detachment was unmistakable.
It wasn't just an Uchiha trait—it was part of who Jin was.
Sakumo closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then opened them to ask Jin, "What will happen if she continues?"
Jin did a quick calculation.
"Her body will absorb too much poison, weakening her physically. By the time Tsunade-sama finishes treating these patients, she'll be unable to fight."
"Will her life be in danger?"
Jin gave Sakumo a curious look, making the man feel puzzled.
"Doesn't Sakumo-sama know that the Basic Internal Energy Technique can expel toxins? Not to mention that the Thousand Spiders Poison Hand can neutralize poisons as well. Tsunade-sama will just be in some discomfort for a while."
For a ninja, that sort of pain wasn't a serious issue.
Sakumo let out a sigh of relief.
He was aware of the Basic Internal Energy Technique's detoxifying capabilities.
Together, they continued to watch Tsunade treat one patient after another.
As the poison left their bodies, the injured shinobi fell into deep, peaceful sleep.
After enduring so much pain from the toxins, their bodies had finally reached their limits, allowing them to collapse into restful slumber.
Ninjas don't snore, Jin thought idly, rubbing his chin. It's a habit they've trained out of themselves, since making noise during a mission could be fatal.
Meanwhile, Tsunade endured the pain surging through her body. She felt every ounce of suffering that the poison had inflicted on her patients.
Yet despite the agony, her hands didn't falter in their work.
Placing her hands on each patient, the water-based chakra within her seals formed a vortex, slowly extracting the toxins from their bodies.
This method was only effective against a specific type of poison.
However, due to the incomplete nature of the Thousand Spiders Poison Hand, some of the poison seeped into Tsunade's system. Fortunately, her modified Basic Internal Energy Technique allowed her to suppress it, preventing any major harm.
Once the poison had been neutralized, she switched to healing her patients with Mystical Palm Technique.
And so the treatment went on.
As the sky turned from blue to gold, then into the darkness of night, torches were lit around the camp, and the treatment continued until deep into the evening.
Only after curing the final patient did Tsunade let out a long breath.
But as soon as she stood up, a wave of dizziness hit her, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Tsunade!"
"Tsunade-sama!"
"Lady Tsunade!"
The surrounding medical staff rushed over, alarmed.
Tsunade, barely holding onto consciousness, managed to say, "I'll… make the antidote… tomorrow."
With that, she fainted.
Uchiha Jin, meanwhile, had quietly disappeared.
Sakumo surveyed the camp, seeing all the wounded shinobi resting peacefully on their cots.
He then looked down at Tsunade, now lying on a stretcher.
"You did well, Tsunade."
A woman with glasses, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, addressed Sakumo quietly.
"Sakumo-sama, now that the poison is under control, as soon as Tsunade prepares the antidote, we'll be able to launch a counterattack."
Sakumo's eyes sharpened, a fierce aura emanating from him.
The woman flinched under his gaze, feeling as though she was being slashed by a blade.
Sakumo-sama is growing stronger, she thought to herself.
"We don't need to wait for Tsunade to wake up," Sakumo said calmly. "I'll lead a squad and launch the attack myself."
The woman couldn't believe her ears.
"Sakumo-sama, that's suicide!"
Taking just one squad to fight all of the Sand Village forces? Even the Third Hokage wouldn't do that.
"I'm the commander here. You just need to follow my orders."
His cool gaze silenced any further objections from the woman, making her feel as if a blade was pressed against her throat.
"And what squad do you need?" she asked, suppressing her fear.
Sakumo didn't care about her thoughts and simply stated his requirements.
"A survival expert and a sensor-type ninja."
"And… Uchiha Jin."
---
You can read up to 20 chpaters ahead on patreon.com/DogLeading