By the third day of mass-producing the antidote, half of the straw mats in the field hospital had been cleared away.
By the fifth day, there were no longer any wounded lying outside the tents.
By the seventh day, the first batch of recovered Chunin removed their bandages, picked up their kunai once more, and were reintegrated into the frontline combat units.
Tsunade finished bottling the final batch of detoxifying serum, labeled them, and pushed the crates toward the dical team waiting at the entrance.
"Distribute according to the dosage. We have enough in stock."
The dical Chunin grabbed the boxes and hurried off.
Tsunade leaned back against the dicine cabinet and let out a long, heavy sigh. After ten days of relentless work, she could finally breathe.
Noise drifted in from outside. It wasn't the sound of an enemy attack—it was cheering.
Tsunade lifted the tent curtain and stepped out.
In the camp's open clearing, a group of newly discharged ninja surrounded a Chunin who had just returned from the front, slapping him on the back with loud, resounding thuds.
"Did you hear? The Sunagakure puppet corps retreated twenty kiloters!"
"Hagoromo Kaede led the counter-attack at the front and wiped out three strongholds in a single night!"
"Chiyo's poison isn't working anymore—we can finally fight with everything we've got!"
Tsunade listened for a mont before turning back toward her tent. Her step was significantly lighter than when she had walked out.
***
At the front lines, the tide of battle turned faster than anyone had anticipated.
The mont the antidote arrived, the morale of the Hidden Leaf ninja ignited like a bucket of hot oil poured over a fire. The frontline troops, who had been hampered and hesitant due to Chiyo's toxins, were now pushing forward with a frenzied intensity.
Kitahara Kaede stood atop a recently captured height, watching the plus of dust raised by the retreating Sunagakure forces in the distance.
Sakumo looped back from the flank, his white short sword still stained with blood.
"Southwest Stronghold Three is clear."
Kitahara Kaede nodded. "What about Chiyo?"
"She's pulled back," Sakumo said, wiping his blade. "Now that her poison has been neutralized, she can't recklessly flood the front lines with poison puppets like before. Sunagakure is contracting their entire line to wait for rear support."
Kitahara Kaede scanned the map. "Don't pursue too deep. Stop at the river valley line; our supply lines won't be able to keep up."
Sakumo glanced at him. "Your right arm still isn't fully healed."
"It won't affect anything."
Sakumo didn't press further and turned to relay the orders.
Kitahara Kaede flexed his right hand. Tsunade's detox plan had indeed been brilliant; it had saved his life and preserved his arm. However, the chakra pathways eroded by the toxin hadn't completely recovered, leaving his right arm at only seventy percent of its original strength.
***
Three days later, Sunagakure officially conducted a full retreat from the river valley defense line. The tug-of-war on the western front, which had lasted nearly a month, ended in a total victory for the Hidden Leaf.
The final large-scale clash occurred at the entrance of the river valley. The remaining Sunagakure forces attempted to organize an orderly withdrawal to cover the transfer of their wounded and supplies.
Kitahara Kaede led his team to cut off their flank, while Sakumo pressed the frontal assault. The battle lasted less than two hours.
But what truly left an impression on everyone at the front was what happened after the fighting ended.
As the final group of Sunagakure wounded were pushed toward the valley exit, Chiyo's puppet corps suddenly launched a suicide charge. It wasn't an attempt to reclaim ground, but a desperate move to buy ti for their rear guard to escape.
Thirty heavy-armored puppets, all packed with poisoned hidden weapons, charged in three rows like a wall of toxicity.
The Hidden Leaf ninja instinctively recoiled. The shadow of the poison had not yet fully faded from their minds.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
White smoke billowed from the rear as the figure of Katsuyu erged. Then, she began to divide.
One beca two, two beca four, four beca sixteen.
Hundreds of Katsuyu, each the size of a fist, peeled away from the main body, flowing forward like a white tide toward every single Hidden Leaf ninja. They attached themselves to shoulders, clung to backs, and pressed against arms.
Almost simultaneously, everyone felt a stream of gentle chakra flood into their bodies.
"Do not fear the poison."
Tsunade's voice drifted from the rear. It wasn't loud, but every soldier heard it clearly.
"If you are poisoned, Katsuyu will detoxify you instantly. Just keep charging."
There was a second of stunned silence. Then, the front line exploded.
The Hidden Leaf ninja let out a collective roar and surged forward. The thirty heavy puppets were reduced to splinters of wood within minutes. Whenever soone was hit by a poison needle, the Katsuyu on their body imdiately glowed with a green light, suppressing the toxin before it could even spread.
Standing on a distant hilltop, Chiyo watched this scene unfold.
Hundreds of Katsuyu were operating simultaneously, each independently performing detoxification and healing. The young Hidden Leaf kunoichi stood on a high platform in the rear, hands clasped, outputting a continuous stream of chakra. She was controlling hundreds of clones at once, providing real-ti dical support to over a hundred ninja.
Chiyo's lips moved slightly.
"The Slug Princess..."
She turned and vanished into the retreating Sunagakure ranks.
Within days, that title spread across the entire war front. The Hidden Leaf called her the "Slug Princess," and so did Sunagakure—though the latter's tone was laced with a deep sense of dread.
***
The cleanup took another four days: clearing the battlefield, tallying casualties, repairing defenses, and settling the wounded.
Kitahara Kaede handed back command and took one last patrol of the frontline positions before heading back. He passed through a valley that had been burned clean. The trees were gone, the earth was scorched black, and the distant ridgeline was barren.
Tsunade, carrying her dical bag, erged from the rear and walked up beside him. They stood side by side.
The wind blew up from the valley floor, carrying the scent of scorched earth. Tsunade looked into the distance, remaining silent for a while.
Kitahara Kaede asked casually, "What's the first thing you want to do once you're finished with all this?"
Tsunade tilted her head. "Why are you asking that?"
"Just wondering."
Tsunade looked back at the horizon. "See the ocean."
Kitahara Kaede didn't respond imdiately.
"Since I was a child, every ti I've left ho, it's been for a war or a mission," Tsunade's voice was flat. "I don't even know what the ocean looks like."
The wind blew her hair across her face, and she brushed it away. "When all this ss is over, I want to sit by the sea for a whole day. Do nothing. Just sit."
"Then I'll take you there when the ti cos."
Tsunade looked over at him. "Really?"
"When have I ever lied to you?"
Tsunade squinted against the wind and turned her face away. She didn't speak, but her expression betrayed her.
As they walked back, Tsunade, leading the way, suddenly spoke up.
"Exactly how much has your right arm recovered?"
"Almost all of it."
"What percentage?"
Kitahara Kaede didn't answer.
Tsunade didn't press him, nor did she stop or turn around. After a while, she tossed a comnt over her shoulder in a neutral tone.
"Every afternoon after we get back, co to the dical room. I'll give you acupuncture. Don't be late."
It wasn't a question. In the past, saying sothing like this would have prompted her to turn around and glare at him. This ti, she didn't even look back.
Kitahara Kaede watched her retreating figure. "Alright."
***
Upon returning to the rear camp, the curtain of Kitahara Kaede's tent was flung open. A ssenger ninja stood at the entrance, looking hurried.
"Hagoromo-Dono, an ergency order from the Hokage Tower—a recall order."
"The Third Hokage requires you and Lady Tsunade to return to the Hidden Leaf imdiately."
The ssenger paused, then lowered his voice.
"Sothing happened on the eastern front. The Village Hidden in the Rain has entered the war, and Hanzo has personally taken the field."
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