Year 40 of the Leaf Era.
The final days of the Second Great Ninja War.
In the depths of the Land of Wind, several silhouettes cut through the air, moving at breakneck speed across the vastness of the desert.
"Listen well, all three of you. Just because this is a routine border patrol doesn't mean you can lower your guard."
"Things might have calmed down in the Land of Rain, but Hanzo's thirst for expansion hasn't been quenched... Amegakure only signed a truce with Konoha, their conflict with us is very much alive."
The team leader, a young man with brown hair, issued the warning coldly without breaking stride.
"Understood."
They were a squad of five.
However, Sajin knew perfectly well that warning wasn't directed at the red-haired boy running beside him.
The prodigy of Sunagakure. The future member of Akatsuki. Sasori of the Red Sand.
The architect who would eventually light the fuse of the Third Great Ninja War.
Losing his gaze instantly, Sasori returned the look.
"Apart from Amegakure, the guys from the Land of Water haven't stopped causing trouble during this war... always looking for a gap to infiltrate our borders. Those fleas are even more irritating than the ones from the Leaf."
"It's your first official mission for the Village, for the three of you. Focus on absorbing experience, but if things get ugly... retreat immediately."
The leader fell silent again after his warning.
Apart from Sajin and Sasori, the other two Genin kept their expressions rigid, although a trace of poorly disguised euphoria shone in their eyes.
After all, they were Sunagakure ninjas, stepping onto the battlefield and proving themselves was the moment they had been dreaming of since their academy days.
'Rasa… future father of Gaara and wielder of the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai.'
Sajin watched his back in silence.
At this moment in history, Rasa was already a Jonin, one of Sunagakure's most lethal combat pillars.
"Sajin... you are a Medical Ninja. If combat breaks out, I don't want you throwing yourself to the front, your place is behind your comrades, making sure they stay on their feet. Do you still remember the academy principles?" Rasa asked without slowing down, casting a glance at the black-haired, freckle-faced boy.
"First: a Medical Ninja never abandons treatment while an ally breathes. Second: a Medical Ninja never stands on the front lines. Third: a Medical Ninja must be the last to die," Sajin replied without much fluctuation.
"Good." Rasa nodded. "On the battlefield, a medic is the axis that supports the squad's survival. You have talent... even Chiyo has spoken of you."
Sajin gave a faint smile, hiding his thoughts.
"Even so, with Sasori on the team, I doubt this mission will pose a real challenge for you."
Speaking, Rasa shifted his gaze toward the red-haired boy. Sasori, who hadn't altered his indifferent expression the entire journey, received a look loaded with expectations.
It was evident that Rasa fully trusted him.
Despite not having turned ten yet, Sasori's talent already placed him in a league of his own within the Village.
It wasn't just potential, at his short age, he already carried the success of numerous missions and combat experience that would shame many Chunin.
An hour later, they left behind the vastness of the desert to enter a canyon of steep cliffs and rocky formations that rose like arid giants above them.
Upon arriving at the meeting point, a Sand Chunin, with his face partially hidden behind the folds of his turban, appeared from between the rocks to receive them.
"Rasa-sama."
The ninja bowed with respect.
"Here are the reinforcements... they are just kids, but they are in your hands."
Without wasting time on unnecessary pleasantries, Rasa issued a couple of orders, turned around, and disappeared into the sand. As one of the pillars of Sunagakure, his agenda was saturated with state affairs, he couldn't afford the luxury of playing babysitter, not even for the brightest ones.
"Follow me."
After Rasa's departure, the Chunin locked his gaze on Sasori for a long second before taking off running. The four followed him, stringing together agile jumps between the canyon ledges until, a few minutes later, they stopped before the entrance of a grotto camouflaged in the rock face.
The wind whistled forcefully as it rushed through the cracks of the gorge, creating a loud atmosphere.
Inside the cave, half a dozen ninjas obviously from the Sand were resting in silence.
They barely flinched at the arrival of the newcomers, however, upon recognizing Sasori, there was a slight exchange of glances.
Sajin watched every gesture.
It was inevitable, in Sunagakure, Sasori's fame was blinding. Not just because he was a prodigy, he was Chiyo's grandson.
Unlike Konoha, which at that moment was teeming with geniuses, including the so-called 'Golden Generation' led by Minato Namikaze, the Sand couldn't afford the luxury of ignoring a talent of that caliber.
After introducing themselves briefly to the veterans, the group looked for an empty corner in the grotto to settle down.
"...."
The atmosphere was tense.
The two Genin barely dared to breathe, cowering under the weight of a pressure they had never felt. Sasori, for his part, didn't even bother to open his mouth. He simply sat near the entrance, unfurled a scroll, and after a subtle cloud of smoke, began to manipulate puppet parts.
"Don't be so tense," said Nomura, the Chunin who had escorted them, trying to lighten the mood upon noticing the boys' anxiety. "Our patrol zone is still far from the border. Technically it is the second line of defense, so the risk is minimal compared to the front."
"Our mission is to intercept infiltration squads that manage to bypass the first perimeter. If things get really ugly, we'll receive the warning from the vanguard patrols with plenty of time to react and even if enemies appear, they won't be anything more than a couple of infiltrating rats."
Nomura spoke with the calm of someone who has already gotten used to the horror. For Sajin and the others, this was the baptism of fire: the moment when academy theory crashed against the raw reality of war.
Of the four, Sasori was, as expected, the only one who seemed to feel at home in this hostile environment.
However, Sajin also maintained an imperturbable calm, which set him apart drastically from the other two graduates, who barely managed to disguise their anxiety.
'No danger? How naive.'
He knew better than anyone that the Second Great Ninja War was far from being a closed chapter. Even if an official armistice was signed, the scars and constant border frictions between the Villages never let up.
Any period of peace would be brief, fragile, and above all, a simple countdown before the Third Great Ninja War broke out.
While these thoughts crossed his mind, his gaze settled on a figure lying in the darkest corner of the grotto.
It was another Chunin.
His face was sunken in pallor and his breathing was irregular. He had his arm wrapped in soaked gauze, the bandage was rudimentary, and blood kept seeping through persistently.
Judging by the smell and appearance, infection was already starting to gain ground.
"Senpai, may I take a look?"
Under the attentive gaze of those present, he approached the wounded man while opening his medical kit.
"I'm a medic," he added with a calm that seemed out of place for his age.
He crouched down in front of the man and gave him a small reassuring smile. The Chunin, although doubtful, nodded slightly.
Upon removing the blood-soaked gauze, Sajin confirmed his suspicions: the flesh around the wound was beginning to necrose and pus was already visible.
"A kunai slash, right? It's deep... From the angle, it looks like an attack from the flank at close range. Whoever did it was looking to cut your carotid," he analyzed quickly.
While he spoke, his fingers executed an imperceptible movement. A small silver scalpel spun in the air before ending up perfectly slotted between his fingers.
This brief observation left the Chunin stunned.
Sajin had hit the nail on the head.
"This is going to hurt a little. Try not to move."
Almost before finishing the sentence, the glint of the scalpel traced an arc of light over the man's arm. Sajin moved with terrifying dexterity, excising the necrotic tissue with such speed that his hands seemed to leave afterimages in the air.
The Chunin barely had time to frown at the first prick of pain and by the time he wanted to react, Sajin had already applied the disinfectant and sealed the wound with a bandage.
The whole process had been a display of perfection: fast and clean.
"Impressive..."
The man couldn't help but praise him. Although he hadn't used Medical Ninjutsu, this level of technique for treating external wounds was, simply, astounding.
[Congratulations, Sajin. Treatment successfully completed. Hit Points +5... Keep it up: the more experience, the larger the catalog of medical skills and items available will be.]
Upon finishing the bandage, the usual synthetic voice resonated in Sajin's mind.
He ignored it naturally.
At the entrance of the grotto, Sasori watched Sajin's back with a strange glint in his eyes.
It was impossible to know what was crossing his mind.
Both were the same age... they even shared their birthday, and had been classmates, but Sasori had never been interested in the other children of the village.
His own personality kept him isolated, in a world apart.
However, Sajin was the exception.
His grandmother mentioned him from time to time in her conversations, and that had been enough for that boy's name to remain engraved in his memory.
________
Time: If you're craving more (and I know you are!), I have just what you need. On my Patreon, you'll find exclusive chapters. Join our community and be the first to discover what happens next!
👉 [patreon.com/Athome790]
Your support fuels me. Thank you for the support! 💖