Naruto: Reborn with the Tenseigan

"Again!"

With the Slug Sage and countless small slugs assisting him, as long as he didn't absorb too much natural energy at once, there was no risk of full-body petrification. Takashi gritted his teeth and continued his attempts.

Petrification.

"Again!"

Petrification.

"Again!"

"Damn it!"

Who said I was talented?

How many times did I turn to stone in just one night?

Takashi cursed, not realizing that the Slug Sage was watching in awe.

Little Takashi is this determined?

Why does he remind me so much of young Hashirama?

No, no—actually, his progress is faster than Hashirama's.

Takashi may have experienced more cases of petrification than Hashirama, but his speed in absorbing natural energy was far more impressive.

The Slug Sage didn't say anything about this; it simply watched as Takashi began to grow increasingly frustrated.

It doesn't understand, really doesn't understand.

Why is little Takashi so impatient when his progress is so fast?

Is that the essence of human nature?

After the Slug Sage ended the reverse summoning, Takashi returned to the rest area of the camp's medical unit.

Seeing the dim light of dawn, Takashi collapsed onto the bed.

"I'm exhausted."

Senjutsu really isn't for humans to train in.

Reflecting on the events of the night, Takashi closed his eyes in a daze. It had been exhausting and rough, but at least it was better than Naruto's experience.

At least he didn't have to risk sitting on sharp mountain peaks or eat revolting bug meals like Naruto had. He only had to endure being covered in sticky mucus. It wasn't poisonous—just a bit gross. Plus, it had a moisturizing effect on the skin; many people would love to have that.

Luckily, there weren't many patients being brought in today. Those who had already been treated didn't need Takashi's direct supervision; the medics and medical ninja could handle it.

Takashi focused on developing antidotes and treating severely injured patients. Otherwise, he'd be dead from overwork soon.

"Is the workload in the medical unit always this heavy?"

When Nara Shikashin saw Takashi's tired, dark-circled face, he was surprised.

Kid, are you okay? You're still young, yet you look even more worn out than me—an old man.

If not for the fact that the medical unit was peaceful, without any rumors or gossip, and that Takashi's relationship with Tsunade was well-known, Nara Shikashin would have suspected that Takashi was spending his nights getting cozy with the medics.

"Don't mention it. It's all Tsunade's fault."

Takashi yawned, still feeling drained.

He had to work during the day and train in Senjutsu with the Slug Sage at night, leaving him with less than four hours of sleep. Anyone would be exhausted.

It was impossible to describe how overworked he was.

"Tsunade-hime?" Nara Shikashin was taken aback.

Takashi waved it off. "There are things I can't really say, but just know that I have to work during the day and stay up late training at night."

"Alright, then."

Nara Shikashin wasn't one to press for answers. If Takashi didn't want to explain, he wouldn't pry.

"I came to tell you that Chiyo, one of the elders of Sunagakure, has led reinforcements into the Land of Rain. The situation will be even more severe from now on."

So, that old lady Chiyo had already arrived?

Looks like the medical unit will be busy.

It seemed like Takashi would be dedicating most of his time to cracking poisons and developing antidotes.

Chiyo was ruthless in her use of poisons, and her speed in developing new toxins was first-rate. If Takashi couldn't keep up, it would be a huge problem.

Nara Shikashin had come to remind Takashi to mentally prepare himself.

He couldn't afford to drop the ball—otherwise, everyone would suffer, and Tsunade would be in an even tougher spot.

"Ha~~~"

Yawning again, Takashi replied, "Don't worry, Shikashin-senpai. With Orochimaru helping me, there shouldn't be any problems. Even if Orochimaru and I can't manage, I can contact Tsunade and send the samples to her."

In the ninja world, there were countless ways to send messages and items.

Even if Takashi couldn't handle it, he could send Chiyo's new poisons back to the village via slugs, where Tsunade could analyze and develop antidotes before sending them back.

The speed was astounding, though it did mean making the slugs work overtime.

"That puts my mind at ease."

Nara Shikashin was confident in his ability to manage everything else, but Chiyo's poisons posed a significant threat to Konoha's ninja. If they could crack the poisons, Chiyo's effectiveness would be cut in half.

That wasn't an exaggeration—it was reality.

For ninja who specialized in poisons, if you could neutralize their toxins and produce antidotes, their capabilities were effectively halved.

Take Hanzo of the Salamander, for example. While his taijutsu, kenjutsu, and Body Flicker Technique were top-tier, his most feared weapon was his salamander's venom and its summon, the salamander itself.

If he lost his poison and the salamander, Hanzo would drop from being a demigod to a mere entry-level Kage-level ninja.

Even among Kage-level ninja, the differences could be enormous.

Unfortunately, the salamander's venom was so potent that no one in the ninja world had yet developed an antidote. Since even its host was affected by its own venom, most people dared not even try.

Having received the information he needed, Nara Shikashin got up to leave.

"Oh, and the village will be sending another group of medical ninja and medics, along with medical supplies, tools, and herbs. Your burden should lighten a bit."

Lighten a bit, my foot!

The patients he treated were all critically injured, and ordinary medical ninja couldn't handle them, leaving it all to him.

Unless the village sent exceptionally skilled medical ninja, it wouldn't ease his burden much.

"Let's hope so." Takashi didn't hold out much hope.

There weren't many medical ninja in the village to begin with, and Takashi knew most of them. Those capable of helping with his workload were few and far between.

So reducing his burden wasn't something Takashi expected. As long as they sent more medical ninja, it would be good enough.

He'd focus on treating critically injured patients and preparing antidotes—no need to stress over other things.

Looking at the current situation in the Land of Rain, the war wasn't going to end anytime soon.

It was almost funny—the Land of Rain was already in chaos, with Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure all fighting each other, while Amegakure got caught in the crossfire. Yet, none of the three great villages formally declared war.

No declaration—just silent action. The fight was on, but no one was willing to officially declare it.

Though Sunagakure initiated the conflict, they didn't want to bear the reputation of instigating a war. Konoha, being the reactive party, was even less likely to declare war.