Such a well-prepared ambush from both sides was destined to end in mutual loss. Over three hundred Sand Village ninjas were routed by Konoha forces in less than an hour.
It seemed like a great victory for Konoha, but behind the glorious spoils of the battlefield lay the lives and tears of countless shinobi.
Orochimaru and Tsunade walked at the front of the column, discussing the aftermath.
"What are the losses on our side?" Tsunade asked, glancing toward Orochimaru, who was in charge of casualty reports, while she busied herself with reorganizing medical supplies.
"Including elite Jonin, we lost a total of twenty-five. Losses among Chunin and Genin total around one hundred and fifty," Orochimaru responded coolly.
Tsunade fell silent, shaking her head slightly. Each life lost on the battlefield weighed on her deeply. Sometimes, she had the impulse to storm to the gates of the Sand Village and hurl insults at the Third Kazekage.
Of course, that was just a fleeting thought. Getting herself captured would be a massive embarrassment.
"Stop shaking your head," Orochimaru said, noticing her reaction. "If we want to win, we have to take these risks. Death is inevitable. Strategically speaking, this battle was worthwhile. A few more victories like this, and Sand won't have the capacity to continue fighting."
He spoke with the clinical detachment of someone used to war, completely stepping into his role as a battlefield analyst—regardless of whether Tsunade wanted to hear it.
Of course, Tsunade understood the logic. Her family, the Senju Clan, had once flourished. Even though they had declined in recent years, she had received a solid foundational education—more than she could say for someone like Orochimaru.
Still, she hated war. She hated measuring the value of life in terms of strategic return. So as soon as Orochimaru began another of his long-winded lectures, she cut him off with a sharp: "Enough. Please shut up."
Orochimaru fell silent, visibly deflated. He felt a sense of frustration—wanting to share his thoughts but being silenced before he could finish.
Everyone wants to shine in their area of expertise, and Tsunade had just pulled the plug on his moment. It stung.
Why didn't this happen before? Ah, that's right—Jiraiya had been around back then.
Jiraiya was a slow learner and often needed things explained multiple times, which gave Orochimaru the chance to pontificate and, along the way, feel superior.
Now Jiraiya was gone, and Tsunade found him long-winded. Orochimaru suddenly felt a little lonely—and even missed that idiot.
He wondered if Jiraiya, currently in the Land of Rain, was also feeling just as bored, just as isolated.
Trying to make amends, Tsunade asked, "How's the medical unit holding up?"
It served a dual purpose—soothing Orochimaru's ego and changing the topic to her area of expertise.
"There are still over a dozen medical-nin operational. We should be able to finish treatment within half an hour," Orochimaru replied, his tone flat.
"That's too few…" Tsunade muttered. "If I propose a system to the Third Hokage—something like one medical-nin per squad—do you think he'd approve?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "That depends. Has the Hokage suffered a serious head injury recently?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsunade's expression turned dangerous.
"I mean, we're in the middle of a war," Orochimaru said, shaking his head. "We don't have enough medical-nin or combat-nin as is. Where are you going to find the time—or people—to start training them?"
"I know it's hard, but the return on investment is huge. It'll drastically improve team survivability. Our department's stats show most deaths come from lack of timely treatment," Tsunade countered.
"If every squad had someone capable of immediate first aid, survival rates would skyrocket. Take our team, for example—how many times did you and Jiraiya survive because I was there? You two treated me like a lucky charm."
Orochimaru wiped imaginary sweat from his brow. This wasn't a fair comparison.
Tsunade, after all, was no ordinary medic. She was physically the strongest of the three—no regular medical-nin could compare.
And still, Orochimaru couldn't easily refute her. Traditional squads focused purely on combat, but Tsunade's point made tactical sense. Medical ninjas were precious—but maybe not too precious to field.
Her idea would reduce combat power in exchange for improved survivability. But those medics would also become prime targets.
Still, Orochimaru didn't dare push back too hard—Tsunade's fist was practically touching his face.
"…Your idea's not bad," he finally said, vaguely.
"Is that so?" Tsunade asked, eyes lighting up. "Then how about you pitch it at the next Jonin meeting when we get back?"
"Why me?" Orochimaru asked, horrified.
"If they all shoot it down, at least I won't lose face," Tsunade replied with a shrug.
"Oh, so your pride matters—but mine doesn't?"
Tsunade went quiet, looking a bit glum. She'd finally come up with what she thought was a great system—even if the idea struck her while squatting in a toilet—and Orochimaru wouldn't help her push it through. It really stung.
Why didn't this happen before? Ah, yes—because that idiot Jiraiya was always around.
He may have been dense and unreliable, but if Tsunade asked for something, Jiraiya would leap to do it without hesitation.
Now he was gone. Orochimaru wouldn't take the hit for her, and she missed the old idiot. She wondered what Jiraiya was doing in the Land of Rain—probably just as lazy, bored, and idle as she felt.
Still, if Orochimaru wouldn't help, she had other options. There were plenty of Jonin in the village. She only needed one to present the idea.
She had an entire plan brewing in her mind. Reforming the medical ninja system was just the first phase.
For example—why not have the village fund her to travel to Wind Country's casinos and bankrupt their economy from the inside out?
Tsunade grinned at the thought. That was definitely going into the plan.
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