"Are you okay?" Uchiha Huo approached the Konoha ninja, looking at his dangling left arm with blood dripping down one drop at a time.
"I'm fine, I'm alright!" The ninja wiped sweat from his face and slowly lifted his injured arm slightly to examine it.
"Shing!" Saitama Uchiha finished off an enemy and walked over, slowly sheathing his ninja sword at his waist.
"Your comrade is still alive! Hurry back to the camp—you might still be able to save him!"
Saitama glanced toward another Konoha ninja lying nearby and reminded his companion. He could sense that although this ninja had a penetrating wound in his left chest, fortunately his heart wasn't on that side.
The other two fallen ninjas, however, were truly beyond saving.
"Really?" This Konoha ninja lifted his head slightly, clearly surprised, before rushing toward the wounded ninja Saitama had pointed out, with Saitama following closely.
Touching the survivor's pulse point briefly, the injured ninja displayed a hint of happiness across his face.
"Back off a bit—I've got some basic Medical Ninjutsu training. Let me stabilize him first." Saitama squatted beside the wounded ninja, signaling him to move aside slightly while carefully laying the unconscious ninja flat on the ground.
"Oh, right!" He quickly obeyed Saitama's instructions.
"Ssgh!" As soon as Saitama placed his hands onto the unconscious ninja's chest, he let out a pained sound, but Saitama didn't stop—he continued channeling chakra, intensifying the green glow emanating from his hands until it fully covered the injury.
After maintaining this for several minutes, Saitama withdrew his chakra, and the previously unconscious ninja regained consciousness.
"Who are you?" His voice was weak as the ninja gazed at Saitama in confusion.
"It's me—Shigang!" The other ninja, seeing his comrade awaken, instantly rushed forward.
"Shixing?" Shigang squinted, trying to focus on the figure before him; opening his eyes fully seemed too painful, leaving his vision blurred.
"This is Saitama Uchiha—he's the one who saved us." Grasping his brother's wrist, Shixing spoke with clear excitement in his voice. He hadn't expected his brother to actually survive—this was simply wonderful.
"Don't waste time talking—we should return to the camp now. I've only temporarily stabilized his injuries; he's still seriously hurt and needs further treatment."
Standing up, Saitama addressed Shixing, who seemed ready to keep chatting.
"Right, I'll carry him back right away." So saying, Shixing went to lift his brother with one arm.
"Ssgh!" But as soon as he exerted himself, his face twisted painfully—the wounds across his body flared again, and fresh blood poured faster from his arm.
"Huo, come help him. His chest wound is stabilized—there's minimal bleeding now, so you can carry him safely."
Saitama waved his hand and called Huo over.
"You two should take care of the scene and head back first. Yan, go with them and watch your step. I'll manage the rest of the trip alone."
With determined steps, Saitama continued moving forward—fearless even when alone.
"Understood, Captain!"
Uchiha Yan nodded. They had absolute confidence in Saitama's strength. This wasn't the main battlefield, and if they were cautious, they wouldn't run into enemy ambushes. Especially since this mission was merely patrolling along the border of the Land of Fire without stepping into enemy territory.
"Mm!" Saitama kicked off the ground and leapt upward toward a tree, landing lightly on a branch. In a few swift bounds, he vanished into the forest.
...
"Tsunade-sama!" Uchiha Tianming nodded toward Tsunade who sat at the head seat.
"Mm! Have a seat for now; not everyone's here yet."
"Yes!"
This was inside the meeting tent. Most of the leaders had already arrived, though a few still hadn't due to various reasons.
As soon as Uchiha Tianming sat down, he felt someone watching him. He looked across and saw Byakugan eyes fixed on him.
"Hehe!" Uchiha Tianming remained unfazed. Ever since Saitama appeared, the Hyuga youth couldn't shine anymore. Even their own clan member, Hyuga Dun, fully respected Saitama. Yet despite vowing not to lose face, Hyuga Xin still couldn't stand his longtime rival, Uchiha Tianming.
"Hmph!" Reading the amusement in Uchiha Tianming's eyes, Hyuga Xin turned his head away.
"Cough cough!" Sitting nearby, Homura Mitokado cleared his throat a couple times.
"Alright, nearly everyone's here. Today, I've called you all together simply to deliver some news."
Tsunade raised the scroll she was holding, looking around the room.
"Everyone knows that our war with Sunagakure had dragged on for quite some time, but it's finally over now. This is the intelligence report we received today from Konoha Village. Everyone can take turns reading it."
Tsunade handed the scroll to Hyuga Xin while continuing to speak.
"The Battle of Jiegeng Mountain ended in Konoha's ultimate victory, and peace treaty negotiations between Konoha and Sunagakure have officially begun."
Tsunade spoke loudly and confidently.
Everyone broke into smiles when they heard the news. With one front settled, Konoha could now shift forces to reinforce other battlefields, especially where Mist forces were still a threat.
"That's all. Feel free to share this news with your comrades. Constant fighting has caused growing discontent among many shinobi. This information will surely act as a morale booster."
Homura Mitokado had learned about this news shortly after Tsunade did. Wearing his reading glasses, he observed silently, showing no visible reaction.
"Dismissed!" Tsunade clapped her hands, signaling that everyone was dismissed.
The group hurriedly stood up to leave. They were still in wartime — time was precious. They needed to convey this message to their subordinates and calm their restless spirits.
"Tsunade!" Just as Tsunade was about to rise, Homura Mitokado called her back.
"What is it, Advisor?" Tsunade asked with slight confusion.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll return to Konoha. I'm leaving this place in your hands. Also, regarding the reinforcements from Konoha, I will personally expedite their deployment once I get back to the village. Rest assured."
Maintaining his usual serious demeanor, Homura Mitokado spoke.
"Mm, thank you then, Advisor." Nodding, Tsunade agreed. She indeed felt slightly anxious about receiving those reinforcements.
"Phew, finally some good news! Now I'll head back to Sunagakure for some drawn-out negotiations. Since Tsunade can keep things stable here, we should be able to hold on!"
Homura Mitokado looked at Tsunade's back and adjusted his glasses.
"Shizune, get me something to eat. I'll go back and review the documents first."
After exiting the Meeting Tent, Tsunade gave instructions to Shizune, who had been waiting by the entrance, before heading toward her own tent.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune nodded and walked in another direction.
...
"Whoosh!" Saitama moved swiftly through the forest, unburdened by teammates, his figure gliding quickly through the air while scanning everything around him.
He finished patrolling his assigned area without spending much time and started returning.
"Hmm?" With increased strength, his perception had grown incredibly sharp, rivaling even professional Sensor ninjas.
Just as he turned around, he felt a gaze brush over him. But when he reacted and tried to locate the source, that presence vanished instantly.
"Who was it?" Saitama frowned. He was certain he hadn't imagined it—someone definitely stared at him.
Lightning flashed beneath his feet as Saitama sped back home. He already had a rough idea of who the stalker might be. Throughout the Shinobi World, only a few possessed such concealment abilities, and among them, only one would have reason to observe this place.
In an instant, Saitama disappeared from sight, and the forest returned to its calm silence.
"Ssiss!"
From the middle of a huge tree, a Venus flytrap-like entity slowly emerged, revealing the so-called "yin-yang man" inside.
"That Uchiha definitely has strong perception!"
A playful voice chimed in, clearly impressed.
"This ninja named Saitama indeed possesses tremendous strength—at one point, even we nearly got discovered!"
A more mature voice followed.
"I left a spore on him earlier. Now we can track his movements without showing ourselves again!"
White Zetsu said to Black Zetsu, referring to the moment when he released the spores—when he almost got caught but fortunately managed to attach them onto Saitama.
"Madara noticed this individual early on. This mission is to fully understand what he'll do next," Black Zetsu explained, glancing in the direction Saitama departed.
"Huh?" Just as the plant prepared to sink back into the branch, White Zetsu let out a surprised sound.
"What's wrong?" Black Zetsu asked with slight confusion.
Meanwhile, Saitama accelerated away from that area, already having figured out who the unseen observer was.
Once he judged himself far enough away, his body erupted with intense electric current. The current didn't damage his clothes but coursed along his skin surface, covering every inch of his body within moments.
"Tch! Better safe than sorry!" Saitama knew the stalker must have been White Zetsu. Knowing White Zetsu's spore parasitism technique could steal intelligence or control enemies, he zapped his entire body with electricity after speeding away, eliminating anything on his skin surface!
White Zetsu widened his eyes, disbelief spreading across its half of the face.
"My Spores have all been destroyed! I can no longer detect them!"
"Tsk! This Saitama's tough to handle. No wonder Madara warned us to be careful before we set out!"
Black Zetsu's pitch-black eyes revealed none of his thoughts.
After saying this, Zetsu vanished without a trace, leaving nothing behind on the tree.
"Should be gone, I guess?" Saitama glanced at his scorched clothes—thanks to the extra charge he'd added just to be safe—and frowned.
"Let's head back first. Zetsu moves like a ghost; staying on guard constantly won't do."
Shoving the thought aside, Saitama made his way back to the camp at the same pace. This version of Zetsu wouldn't expose itself yet either; he'd figure out how to deal with it later.
...
He got back to camp just past five-thirty in the evening. Smoke curled into the sky from the Konoha encampment.
The entire camp was heavily guarded—anyone approaching within one and a half miles of the perimeter would trigger an alert. Whether through [Byakugan] or the insects of the Aburame clan, surveillance over Konoha's surroundings remained active twenty-four hours a day, ensuring the safety of the main encampment.
"Saitama, back already?" As he entered the Uchiha district, several fellow Uchiha members greeted him. Right now, Saitama was practically the shining star of the Uchiha clan—the ideal every young member looked up to—and wildly popular.
"Yeah, I'm back." A brief nod acknowledging the respect in their eyes, Saitama kept walking.
"Look at Saitama—back home sharp as a tack the second his mission ends. What about you lot? Always slacking off like there's no tomorrow."
Passing by a tent, Saitama heard the scolding words of a squad leader reprimanding his Chunin subordinates. A hint of amusement flickered in Saitama's eyes, though otherwise, he remained impassive.
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