Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Something Seems Off
Sunagakure’s offensive ground to a halt on the fourth day.
The forest line ahead fell silent, and even the intermittent sounds of explosions vanished.
Kitahara Kaede stood on the high ground behind the stronghold, gazing at the silent silhouette of the distant ridgeline. He could more or less guess the reason.
Sunagakure’s original plan had likely been to use poison in tandem with puppets to paralyze the majority of the right wing’s combat power within three days, then tear open a breach in one swift move.
However, after four days of fighting, the actual casualties were nowhere near that level. Continuing to push along the same path would only result in a wasteful war of attrition. No matter who was in command, they would have ordered a pause.
Kaede wasn’t surprised by the outcome. He had barely rested over the past few days. Wherever there were wounded, he was there. Between carrying people out of the poison fog and providing support on the front line, he had made over a dozen trips back and forth.
Now that the offensive had stopped, the camp finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Kaede performed a final sweep of the area, confirming that no wounded soldiers had been left behind at the forward positions or the flank passages. Supporting a Chunin whose limbs were still numb, he pushed aside the curtain of the medical tent.
The tent wasn’t as crowded as it had been in previous days. Nonou was currently removing bandages and changing the medication for another Chunin. Hearing the commotion, she looked up, her gaze falling on Kaede from behind her round-framed glasses.
She set aside her tools and walked over.
"Mild paralysis. The deep-layer toxin didn’t take hold."
Kaede helped the soldier onto an empty bed. Nonou nodded, placed her fingers on the patient’s pulse to confirm, and then administered an antidote from her medical kit.
Once the patient was settled, she straightened up.
"Kitahara-kun, come sit for a moment."
Kaede had been preparing to leave, but upon hearing this, he sat down in a nearby chair. Nonou pulled up a stool and sat opposite him, remaining silent for a moment. She reached out and grasped Kaede’s wrist, her fingertips pressing against his pulse as she felt it quietly.
The frequency was normal—steady and strong. There was still no sign of any residual toxin.
It had been four days. He had entered and exited the front line over a dozen times, and he hadn’t been poisoned once.
Nonou released his hand and pushed up her glasses.
"Kitahara-kun, I want to ask you something."
"Please, Senpai."
"You’ve run back and forth to the front line so many times these past few days. Have you truly experienced no toxic reactions at all?"
Kaede glanced at her. It was a natural question.
"It might be my constitution," he replied with a natural expression. "I was bitten by several poisonous insects when I was a child. I haven’t been very susceptible to toxins since then."
Nonou stared at him. There was nothing inherently wrong with that answer; toxin-resistant constitutions did exist in the shinobi world. However, the degree of resistance Kaede was exhibiting was on an entirely different level.
The poison Sunagakure used this time was a composite neuroparalytic. Even she, if she had inhaled it directly without protection, would have experienced brief tremors in her fingers. According to the wounded, this boy had moved in and out of the poison fog as if it were nothing.
That wasn’t just "strong resistance." That was immunity.
She had only ever seen one such case mentioned in medical literature.
Nonou didn’t press further. She smiled and poured a glass of water, handing it to him.
"That’s for the best, then. I only asked because I was worried about you. Please remember to know your limits on the front line."
Kaede took the water, took a sip, and thanked her. He knew she didn’t believe him, but she was tactful enough not to keep digging.
He found it slightly strange that Nonou had been paying so much attention to him lately. Every time he entered the tent, she performed a routine check, and she often gave him extra warnings. That kind of attention felt like she had been entrusted with a task by someone else.
’Tsunade.’
Kaede already had his answer. No one else would specifically send word to a front-line medical lead to look after a Chunin.
He set the glass down and stood up. "Senpai, things have stabilized here. I’ll head back to rest."
Nonou nodded, watching him exit the tent.
As the curtain fell, she sat back in her place, not immediately returning to her work. Her gaze darkened slightly behind her glasses.
A constitution completely immune to toxins. A diagnostic path identical to Lady Tsunade’s during emergency triage. The technique he used when treating the wounded.
She pushed up her glasses again. When she returned, she would have to report these findings to Lady Tsunade. Since Lady Tsunade had specifically written to request care for this boy, she likely wanted to know these things as well.
Outside the tent, the sky had begun to dim. Kaede walked toward his own tent, stretching his neck and preparing to get some much-needed sleep.
Two figures approached him from the opposite direction. Golden hair was striking even in the fading light.
It was Minato. Beside him was Yuhi Shinko.
"Kaede."
Minato paused when he saw him. A warm, welcoming smile appeared on his face as he raised a hand in greeting.
"Lord Minato, Shinko-senpai."
Kaede stopped and gave a slight nod. Minato stepped closer, scanning him from head to toe.
"The medical team submitted a report stating that the casualty rate on the right wing over the past few days was forty percent lower than estimated."
Kaede didn’t respond. Minato looked at him.
"When you volunteered for the right wing, did you already have a plan to deal with this?"
Kaede blinked. He had chosen the right wing specifically to avoid Pakura. It had absolutely nothing to do with the poison.
"Lord Minato is overthinking it. I simply felt the right wing’s defenses were weak and needed more manpower."
Minato nodded, though his expression suggested he didn’t entirely believe him.
"Regardless of the reason, the result is a positive one." He patted Kaede on the shoulder. "The right wing is in this position largely thanks to your efforts. I will report your contributions accurately when we return."
Kaede nodded. "Thank you, Lord Minato."
Minato chatted for a few more minutes about the overall situation. The Sunagakure right wing had stopped, but there was still skirmishing in the center; they wouldn’t fully withdraw in the short term. As for the left wing, they were continuing to push deeper.
"Alright, get some rest." Minato gave him one last pat. "You probably haven’t slept in four days. Don’t push yourself too hard."
"I won’t," Kaede replied.
As he turned to leave, he caught a glimpse of Yuhi Shinko out of the corner of his eye. Shinko hadn’t spoken throughout the entire encounter, standing half a step behind Minato. But his gaze had remained fixed on Kaede.
Meeting that gaze, Kaede felt a strange tightening in his back. He couldn’t put his finger on why. There was no hostility in the look, nor was it exactly a scrutinizing glare. Shinko was simply watching him, as if pondering something.
Kaede gave a final nod and walked toward the tents. After taking a dozen steps, he frowned.
’What exactly was Yuhi Shinko looking for just now?’
He couldn’t figure it out.
’Forget it.’
He lifted the curtain and slipped inside.
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