After a period of stalemate on the front lines, the Konoha shinobi judged that the Sunagakure shinobi had nearly exhausted their chakra, and decisively launched an attack.
Faced with Konoha’s assault, the Sunagakure forces retreated step by step.
Even using ninjutsu couldn’t stop the advancing Konoha shinobi.
Seeing the Konoha forces closing in, the Sunagakure shinobi didn’t even have ti to form hand seals—they were forced into close-quarters combat.
But they had no advantage in close combat either. They were completely helpless against the poison developed by Renya.
As ti went on, the number of Sunagakure casualties only grew.
...
Commander Matsuda couldn’t sit still after receiving the latest reports.
After dispatching additional Sunagakure forces from the camp to provide support, he sought out Chiyo.
"You still haven’t developed the antidote?!"
This ti, his calm deanor was gone. Anxiousness was written all over his face.
If they still couldn’t develop the antidote, their defeat was inevitable!
The poison used by Konoha was simply too lethal—Sunagakure had no way to resist it.
Hearing Matsuda’s urgent tone, Chiyo’s hands trembled slightly as she worked on the antidote, unable even to hold the herbs steadily.
"Just a little longer... I’ll have it soon."
Matsuda looked at her pale face and frowned.
"How much longer do you need?"
Chiyo bit her lip, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
She truly was doing everything she could to develop the antidote.
She hadn’t slept a single mont in over twenty-four hours, constantly trying to decipher the components of the poison—but she couldn’t make any progress.
If she couldn’t analyze the poison’s composition, she’d have to start with the antidote directly.
But she had already developed dozens of antidotes, and none of them worked.
The pressure was imnse—especially with the battlefield commander breathing down her neck.
The lives of all the Sunagakure shinobi rested on her shoulders alone.
And yet she still couldn’t produce an antidote...
The combined physical and psychological strain was on the verge of breaking her.
Seeing that sothing was off about Chiyo’s state, Matsuda raised his voice:
"I can wait here—but the warriors on the front line can’t!"
If the antidote wasn’t created in ti, the Sunagakure forces would be at risk of dying at any mont.
A single misstep, and their entire army could be wiped out!
As the battlefield commander, he couldn’t allow that to happen.
All he could do now was hope that Chiyo could develop the antidote.
Hearing those words, Chiyo dropped the herbs in her hands.
She turned her head to look at Matsuda, eyes bloodshot and voice trembling:
"Matsuda-sama... I can’t develop the antidote..."
Matsuda’s pupils contracted sharply, his expression turning to shock.
"What did you just say?!"
He hadn’t expected Sunagakure’s poison genius to fail to create the antidote.
How could that even be possible?
Matsuda had always assud that since Konoha could counter Sunagakure’s poisons, then naturally they could counter Konoha’s too.
It had never occurred to him that Chiyo might not be able to do it.
After all, both sides were geniuses—their abilities shouldn’t differ that greatly.
It should have just been a matter of ti.
But Chiyo’s words had just shattered that illusion.
"I’m sorry, Matsuda-sama... I really can’t develop the antidote!" Chiyo clenched her fists in frustration, tears streaming down her cheeks.
She had truly done everything she could to crack the poison’s formula, but there was just no progress—she couldn’t identify its exact composition at all.
Let alone co up with an antidote...
Sotis she wondered—was the person who made this poison even human?
Matsuda stared blankly at the girl in front of him, his mind completely frozen.
If they couldn’t make an antidote, that ant they had absolutely no counter to Konoha’s poison.
The only path left before them seed to be surrender.
And this war had only just begun—not even a week had passed!
If they surrendered now, how would the Kazekage view him?!
As the battlefield commander, his life would be forfeit.
No matter what, they couldn’t surrender—not yet, at least!
Thinking this, Matsuda looked seriously at the girl.
"I don’t care what thod you use. You must develop an antidote for !"
After a mont of silence, his tone softened.
"If worst cos to worst... at least make sothing that can lessen the effects of the poison."
He no longer held any hope of a complete cure.
Chiyo wiped away her tears.
"I understand, Matsuda-sama."
Matsuda patted her shoulder gently and said:
"The lives of our comrades rest in your hands."
With that, he turned and left the tent.
...
Frontline battlefield.
With the arrival of Sunagakure reinforcents, Konoha ceased their offensive.
The two sides entered a long stalemate.
Although Renya’s poison was powerful, it couldn’t completely alter the course of the battle.
Once the Sunagakure shinobi pulled back and kept their distance, close-quarters combat was no longer viable.
Shuriken and poisoned needles flew constantly across the battlefield.
The explosions of paper bombs echoed without end.
And so, Konoha and Sunagakure entered a prolonged tug-of-war.
...
Three months passed.
During this ti, reinforcents continued to flow into the battlefield from both sides.
Yet even after three months, the Sunagakure forces still hadn’t developed an antidote.
In the end, they had no choice but to switch up their strategy.
The Konoha shinobi were infuriated by Sunagakure’s turtle defense tactics.
They wanted nothing more than to charge in and fight face-to-face.
But this suggestion was rejected by Nara Mikage.
Currently, Konoha had a clear advantage on the southwestern battlefield, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
Given the current situation, Konoha was bound to win eventually.
That’s how war worked—unless one side had overwhelming strength, victory ca down to attrition.
The Land of Fire was surrounded on all sides and didn’t have enough troops to launch a full-scale offensive.
Their only option was to chip away at Sunagakure’s strength gradually.
Especially now that the southwestern battlefield was stabilized, most reinforcents were being sent to other fronts.
This ant Nara Mikage had to be even more cautious in his decision-making—one mistake could cost them dearly.
There was no need for risky action. All they had to do was wear Sunagakure down at the lowest possible cost.
This war wouldn’t end anyti soon...
The four great nations were dead set on carving up the Land of Fire’s resources—they wouldn’t give up their invasion easily.
Ever since Sunagakure adopted their turtle defense, there had been no more large-scale battles.
Each day, it was just repeated ninjutsu exchanges and thrown shuriken.
It was so slow-paced, it barely felt like a battlefield anymore.
Renya leaned against a tree, flipping through a theoretical book.
With no fighting going on for the ti being, he finally had ti to read and study.
"I wonder how long this war will drag on?"
Just as Renya was pondering how many years this war might last, Commander Nara Mikage walked up to him and handed him a scroll.
"Renya-san, the Hokage-sama has ordered your squad to return to the village imdiately."
Renya opened the scroll and, after reading the contents, frowned in confusion.
"What does that old geezer want us back for now?"
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