At the Iwagakure army camp, the short-statured Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales, with his large nose and a face weathered by time, floated in mid-air, leaning forward in shock as he looked at the Anbu in front of him.
"One of the Three Legendary Sannin, Tsunade-hime, is suspected of having hemophobia." The reporting Anbu repeated his words.
"Hemophobia? What a joke! Does Konoha think they can fool us with such a ridiculous claim?"
Ōnoki found it hard to believe. Tsunade-hime was the most famous medical ninja in the shinobi world. Could she really have an illness? Even if she couldn't heal herself, Konoha had plenty of skilled medical ninjas. Were they unable to cure her?
Just from the name alone, Ōnoki understood what this meant for a ninja. If this was true, Tsunade could no longer function as a shinobi. She wouldn't even be able to serve as a medical ninja!
After all, whether it was a regular shinobi or a medical ninja, both had to deal with battles and blood.
"Although it's not confirmed yet, the credibility of this intelligence is very high. According to the report, Tsunade's hemophobia is severe—to the point where she becomes fearful and retreats at the mere sight of blood, completely unable to resist." The Anbu respectfully presented a scroll containing the spy's report.
"Utter nonsense! This must be a trick by Konoha!"
Ōnoki floated closer, snatched the scroll, and unrolled it while muttering to himself.
However, as he read through the records and analysis, his resistance to believing the information gradually weakened. Eventually, he fell silent.
Standing beside him, Kitsuchi watched his father's ever-changing expression with curiosity. He rarely saw Ōnoki looking so conflicted.
This meant that deep inside, Ōnoki was struggling with a serious internal dilemma.
Seeing Ōnoki holding the scroll in deep thought for a long time, Kitsuchi finally stepped forward and called out softly, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Take a look as well." Ōnoki shoved the scroll into Kitsuchi's arms and floated back to his chair, landing lightly.
Although he still had doubts in his heart, the information written on the scroll made him waver in his firm belief that this was a conspiracy.
Kitsuchi took the scroll and skimmed through it quickly.
After reading it, he understood why his father showed such hesitation.
According to the intelligence, Tsunade had behaved normally ever since she arrived at the front lines. But this very "normalcy," when examined closely, was itself abnormal.
The information in the scroll even answered some of his lingering doubts.
Why was Tsunade only summoned to the battlefield when Konoha's forces started to weaken at the front lines?
After arriving, why did she, one of the legendary Sannin, not engage in the war as expected but instead take on the heavy responsibility of medical support in the rear?
Although this greatly reduced Konoha's casualties, according to spy reports, Tsunade had not personally performed any surgeries or used medical ninjutsu on any ninja since her arrival.
Even for seriously injured patients, she only gave guidance while other medical ninjas carried out the procedures. It was always a joint effort.
When they first heard that Tsunade had returned to Konoha and was heading to the battlefield between Iwagakure and Konoha, Ōnoki and his men were worried.
They feared her arrival would change the tide of battle, which Iwagakure had gradually been gaining the upper hand in.
Because of this, under Ōnoki's orders, Iwagakure had even prepared for the possibility of facing two of the Sannin at once.
But contrary to their expectations, Tsunade did not participate in the battle at all and remained in the rear.
For this reason, Iwagakure's spies had been constantly gathering information about Tsunade, trying to figure out what she—or rather, Konoha—was really planning.
After all, a Sannin-level fighter who remains hidden cannot be ignored.
Especially after Tsunade's arrival, her presence had a significant impact on Konoha's morale—something Iwagakure had already suffered from before.
"Lord Tsuchikage?" Kitsuchi handed the scroll to the others in the room.
Everyone present was a trusted high-ranking member of Iwagakure, so Ōnoki and Kitsuchi had no concerns about information leaking.
If even the people here could betray them, then Iwagakure's entire strategy and plans would have already been exposed to Konoha and Orochimaru, allowing them to counteract accordingly.
Kitsuchi might not be as skilled as his father, Ōnoki, but his battlefield experience told him that if there truly was a leak, Konoha—who was already at a disadvantage—wouldn't just sit idly by. They would have set traps or made arrangements in response.
"Lord Tsuchikage, should we send an assassination squad to eliminate Tsunade-hime?"
A veteran Iwagakure Jōnin, Hokō, took the initiative to suggest after reading the information on the scroll.
"That's right. If we can kill Tsunade-hime, it would be a huge blow to both Konohagakure and the Konoha forces on the front lines!" Another Jōnin, Tōshinin, also recommended.
Lately, the survival rate of Konoha's shinobi had increased significantly.
Even though Tsunade hadn't personally stepped onto the battlefield, her use of Katsuyu and her medical expertise alone had dramatically improved the survival rate of Konoha's shinobi—especially the Jōnin.
This was something Iwagakure, which primarily relied on Healing Tags as their main medical technique, simply couldn't match.
After all, Healing Tags could only provide basic treatment for external wounds, closing cuts and offering mild detoxification effects.
But when it came to fatal injuries or complex poisons, they were far less effective than having an actual medical-nin treating the patient directly.
Because of this, Iwagakure—and even the other major villages—deeply envied Konoha's medical system and the fact that they had a medical-nin of Tsunade's caliber.
In the past, they could tolerate it, but this was now the era of the Shinobi World War. The two nations were fighting with everything they had.
When Tsunade was absent, things were still manageable, but now that she was here, her presence had become a serious obstacle.
"What if this is a trap?" Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on NoveI★Fire.net
Ōnoki was not lacking in decisiveness, but he also understood that the location of the wounded would undoubtedly be in the heavily guarded core area of Konoha's forces.
Infiltrating such a place to carry out an assassination of this level would require several highly skilled jōnin, each with their own specialties, to ensure even a minimal chance of success.
If they succeeded, it would be beneficial. However, if they failed, not only would the entire assassination squad likely be wiped out, but it would also boost the morale of Konoha's ninjas, making them fight even harder.
Although Iwagakure currently held the upper hand in the war against Konoha, that was only because Konoha was fighting against two or even three opponents at once.
First, they had clashed with the Land of Lightning in localized conflicts. Then, they had to face a full-scale invasion from Iwagakure, which had rallied several smaller hidden villages and hired mercenaries. At the same time, they were contending with the nearly all-out assault from Kirigakure's elite forces.
Under the combined pressure of three major hidden villages, Konoha was undoubtedly stretched thin, teetering on the brink like a collapsing building.
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