Shindai helped Kakashi out of the tent and followed his guidance toward Tsunade's tent.
The distance wasn't far. After a short walk, Kakashi said they had arrived.
Kakashi called weakly, "Lady Tsunade, Chunin Kakashi Hatake reporting!"
However, his voice was too soft. There was no response from inside the tent—the person hadn't heard him.
Kakashi coughed slightly and tried again. Still nothing.
Seeing this, Shindai couldn't take it anymore. He raised his voice and shouted, "Lady Tsunade! I'm Shindai from Team Namikaze! I have an urgent report for Lady Tsunade!"
A few seconds after he finished shouting, the tent flap lifted open.
"Holy crap! That's... massive!"
Due to his tall stature, the first thing Shindai saw wasn't her face, but rather something he definitely shouldn't have been looking at.
Suddenly, Shindai sensed a chilling killing intent.
Looking up, he met Tsunade's furious glare. A vein throbbed on her forehead as she snapped, "What did you just say?"
A cold shiver shot up Shindai's spine all the way to the top of his head. He trembled involuntarily and quickly stammered, "I meant—you're really tall and strong—truly live up to being one of the Konoha Sannin!"
"Thud!"
Shindai crouched on the ground, furiously rubbing the huge lump forming on his head, tears welling up in his eyes from the pain.
Tsunade blew on her fist and scoffed, "Brat, next time it won't be just a bump."
With Shindai no longer supporting him, Kakashi swayed unsteadily, nearly collapsing onto the ground.
Seeing Kakashi's pale face and blood seeping through his bandages, Tsunade's eyebrows furrowed deeply. Her hands clenched into fists, trembling slightly.
Just as Kakashi was about to fall, Tsunade reached out and grabbed the back of his collar, yanking him into the tent.
Once the pain on his head subsided a bit, Shindai shamelessly stepped into the tent behind them.
Tsunade laid Kakashi down gently on a small cot and covered him with a black cloth to hide the bloodstains.
Then Tsunade activated her Medical Ninjutsu to begin treating Kakashi.
While healing him, Kakashi reported, "While monitoring the Cloud Ninja encampment earlier, we discovered they plan to attack our Stationed Camp within the hour.
"I sent the Ninja Hounds Ninken back to the camp with the report. I wonder if Jiraiya and Orochimaru have already received it?"
Tsunade replied firmly, "Don't worry about it. Jiraiya and Orochimaru already got the reports. They've taken people out and set up ambushes ahead of time. Even without your intel, everything's under control."
Shindai, hearing Tsunade's words, immediately showed dissatisfaction and complained, "What? If it wasn't important, why did you have us monitor them in the first place? That's like cutting off your nose to spite your face—completely unnecessary!"
Tsunade and Kakashi looked at Shindai at the same time.
Feeling the intensity of their stares, Shindai lowered his head slightly and mumbled softly, "I'll shut up now."
After a while, Tsunade stopped performing Medical Ninjutsu and told Kakashi, "I've stabilized your condition enough with the Mystical Palm Technique, but since you lost quite a bit of blood, you'll need some rest."
Shindai excitedly clenched his fist and whispered happily, "Rest for a while? Yes! That's great!"
Once again, both Tsunade and Kakashi turned their gazes toward Shindai.
Tsunade looked at him with an increasingly dangerous expression and asked Kakashi, "This kid from Sunagakure has always been this annoying, hasn't he?"
Kakashi nodded slightly in response. "More or less."
Shindai panicked and immediately protested, "Hey, Kakashi, how could you say that? Who was it that went through all that trouble to rescue you from the enemy? It was me!"
Tsunade examined Shindai up and down, her eyes filled with interest. "Oh? You saved Kakashi when he was severely injured? So does that mean your strength surpasses Kakashi's?"
Shindai immediately deflated and forced a smile. "Not really. What I meant earlier was that I helped Kakashi escape. When the Cloud Ninja weren't paying attention, I carried Kakashi on my back and ran—that's how I saved him."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes as she looked at Shindai.
In fact, she had already learned about Shindai from Jiraiya before.
She already knew Shindai was a hidden operative and stronger than Kakashi and his peers.
Tsunade glanced at Kakashi. Kakashi gave her a slight shake of his head, which Tsunade instantly understood.
Mockingly, Tsunade said, "So you're just a chicken-hearted little brat who only knows how to run away. How boring. Alright then, help Kakashi leave."
Shindai obediently approached Kakashi, shot Kakashi a fierce glare, and then supported him as they left Tsunade's tent.
...
Five kilometers outside Konoha's base camp.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru stood together, waiting for the Cloud Ninja to come right to them.
While Shindai and others were away monitoring the Cloud Ninja encampment, Orochimaru had already arranged many ninja to lay ambushes, placing Sensor Ninja in well-hidden positions to maintain constant surveillance.
As Tsunade had said, even without intelligence reports from Kakashi and his team, Konoha's base camp would remain safe.
The reason they sent Kakashi and others out for observation was mainly to check whether the Cloud Ninja were planning anything else.
After all, the assumption that the Cloud Ninja might attack Konoha's base camp was merely a guess based on the map Shindai had seen—it wasn't confirmed fact.
Jiraiya gazed into the dark forest and said, "According to the intelligence reports from the Ninja Hounds Ninken of Kakashi, the Cloud Ninja should arrive soon."
No sooner had Jiraiya finished speaking than a ninja ran over and reported to him and Orochimaru, "Lord Orochimaru, Lord Jiraiya, we've detected enemy activity! A large number of unknown ninja have appeared ahead of our ambush positions."
A cruel smile curled on Orochimaru's lips. "Don't act rashly. Wait until they enter the ambush zone, then strike immediately. No need for prisoners—kill them all!"
The reporting ninja visibly stiffened, glancing at Orochimaru with fear before quickly lowering his head. "Understood!"
Jiraiya asked, "Are you sure we shouldn't keep a few alive to extract information?"
Orochimaru replied coldly, "That would be meaningless. These ninja likely don't know much about Kumogakure's inner workings. At most, they might know only a few forward bases we have in the Hot Water Country. Killing them all and leaving their bodies at the enemy's doorstep—that is what will make them feel true pain. That is what holds meaning. Once they receive this warning, the Cloud Ninja won't dare to move recklessly again."
Jiraiya raised his eyebrows. Though he knew Orochimaru's orders were correct, he still felt uneasy about his ally's ruthless method.
Without another word, Jiraiya fell silent, waiting for the outcome of the battle.
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