The sun rose over the snowy plain as usual, just like any other day. At the Konoha's frontline camp, the fierce positional offensive and defensive battle had just ended.
Looking at the result, Konoha was temporarily victorious. But even with Sato Sakura's assistance, the war had still caused countless casualties.
The beast called war was still chewing on lives today, turning them into nourishment to strengthen itself.
In this brief intermission, squads formed by Ninjas carefully searched for the wounded on the scarred battlefield.
Occasionally, they would find some companions with severe injuries in the ruins and dirt craters. But that wasn't something to be happy about, because surviving meant facing this hell before them once again.
"Hey, there's someone alive over here!"
A Ninja wearing a green vest used a technique to sense signs of life underground, calling for his companions to come and rescue.
After some excavation, they pulled the wounded person out from under the dug-up ground. But the person's vital signs were very weak, seemingly on the verge of death.
"Quick, take him to Sakura-sama. He should still be saveable."
The more experienced Ninja calmly directed the panicked group, arranging for them to take the wounded back.
Such scenes were happening everywhere on the battlefield. A large number of wounded were concentrated in the hospital at the rear, so many that those the hospital couldn't accommodate were placed on the ground.
The air was filled with a strange smell of disinfectant mixed with the scent of blood, keeping Sakura so busy that she completely left Naruto's training to Leviathan.
"I'm so bored, Mother~" The emotionless girl, who was cold to outsiders, showed a soft and tender expression in front of Sakura, clinging to her and refusing to leave.
"If you're bored, go check on the patients. And review your Medical Ninjutsu while you're at it!"
Sakura straightened her microscope and covered what she was studying with a petri dish lid, then reached out to pinch Sato Sakura's cheek.
Who would have thought the emotionless girl would immediately show a disappointed expression as if the sky were falling, slide off Sakura to the ground, and retreat to the corner, her eyes losing their color.
"I don't want to learn those flimsy things..." Sato Sakura extended both index fingers and spun them around each other.
"Your power is very strong, so I don't need to teach you how to efficiently kill enemies anymore."
Sakura walked over, crouched in front of her, and rubbed her head. "The reason I brought you to the front lines is so you can learn the power to heal. That way, someday in the future, when you need to face this world alone, you can go further."
Hearing this, Sato Sakura showed unease, hugging Sakura's arm. "I don't want that. I want to stay with Mother!"
"Sato Sakura, people eventually grow up. Leaving the embrace of your parents to face the world alone is also a part of life."
Sakura pulled her daughter into her arms and gently patted her back. "You will personally experience this world and live your own life. That was the promise I made to you when I first left you on Marian Island."
"Hmph, you're so cunning, Mother."
Wrapped in Sakura's embrace, although it was a bit uncomfortable from hard bones pressing, Sato Sakura still happily narrowed her eyes.
Bang!
The tent flap was suddenly thrown open. A middle-aged Medical-Nin with a panicked expression barged in carrying a report, interrupting their rare moment of warmth.
"Sakura-sama, please take a look at this..."
Intimidated by the boundless Haki emanating from Sato Sakura behind Sakura, the Medical-Nin's voice grew smaller and smaller.
"Mm, Yugo? Let me see what you have!"
Sakura reached out to hold back Sato Sakura behind her while taking the report he handed her.
Her eyes scanning the contents at lightning speed, the atmosphere inside the tent immediately grew cold.
Putting the report back in Yugo's hand, Sakura asked with a grave expression: "When did the first cases start appearing?"
"It's impossible to determine who the first case was, but they started appearing after we engaged the allied forces!" Yugo, standing at attention, reported to Sakura in meticulous detail.
After hearing his report, Sakura's heart grew even heavier. Her gaze shifted to the petri dish placed next to the magnifying glass.
She had sensed something strange earlier when the fusion creatures appeared among the civilians, so she had taken some samples for research. From them, she had isolated a special virus.
After several days of analysis and research, she discovered that this virus had the ability to transform the genetic material of various life forms, then exhibit similar traits.
And when this virus proliferated to a certain level within a living organism, a very insane phenomenon would occur… fusion!
This insane squeezing of life through indiscriminate consumption, ultimately merging all life into one… the compatibility was just like...
"Wood Release... no, it's the Ten-Tails!"
Releasing Sato Sakura, Sakura immediately stood up. "Let's go. Take me to see the situation on site!"
"Yes!"
Helping Sakura lift the tent flap, Yugo ran ahead of her to guide the way.
The two walked through the normal medical area and hurried to a place several kilometers from the camp, an isolation ward where Ninjas had built walls using Earth Release.
Inside the facility, the two put on isolation suits, passed through several disinfection procedures, and entered the individual isolation rooms where patients were kept.
What met their eyes was a hell of patients wailing in agony. In each isolation room, Ninjas with bodily deformations were locked up.
Due to the special effects of the virus, these patients' bodies had fused and deformed with the severed limbs and dismembered bodies of other Ninjas. Pink appendages swung in the air as gravity turned them, and dripping blood pooled on the floor.
Many medical staff members trembled uncontrollably at the sight. Some even mechanically repeated the name of a god under their breath, hoping for some comfort.
Sakura was also a bit dazed, then murmured, "This is truly too malicious, Uchiha Obito..."
Yugo, who had retrieved the records, leaned close to Sakura's ear and lowered his voice. "Sakura-sama, there's something I need to tell you. Back when Orochimaru was... ahem, when Orochimaru took over the Root from Shimura Danzo..."
"Orochimaru? Shimura Danzo?"
The girl's exclamation interrupted Yugo's reminiscence. These two familiar names made her eyelids twitch involuntarily.
Who would have thought that after traveling so far, after so many years, she would still hear their names?
'Truly, the wicked live forever, don't they? These two bastards just have to cause trouble even after they're dead?'
All that can be said is: Of the thousands of blames in the Ninja World, Danzo carries half of them.
"Continue." Sakura coughed to signal him to go on.
Yugo nodded to show he understood, then continued: "At that time, I was responsible for experiment subject care at the Root's research institute. I saw experimental subjects with traits very similar to the current illness. The name of that experimental subject was: Chimera CX23."
"Are you saying this virus is caused by the Chimera Technique?"
Hearing these words, Sakura recalled the creator of that technique, a genius in biological genetics who was once friends with her teacher and the others… Hiruko!
"But there's one thing that can't be explained. Chimera is a technique. It can't spread spontaneously like a virus like this!" Yugo stroked his little goatee and shook his head in confusion.
"No, it's possible!"
Sakura, who had studied the tissue of the deformed individuals, looked up with certainty.
The essence of Yang Release secret techniques is to infuse form with life. But the viruses existing in the microscopic world of the human body are also a form!
If the principle of the Chimera Technique is to inject Yang Release into a certain virus and manipulate it, then use the virus's ability to replicate, transcribe, and translate to extract genetic material related to bloodlines from the host's cells.
Then, by reverse-planting these viruses already affected by the genetic material back into one's own body, wouldn't one avoid the genetic-level rejection reaction of different bloodlines while possessing multiple bloodlines?
Because the technique user's own genes haven't changed. They have simply been infected by a virus carrying the corresponding traits!
But according to previous research, the virus exhibited the nature of Wood Release. This also indicates that Hiruko had likely come into contact with Obito, using the Wood Release cells they provided to update his technique!
"This speculation is truly terrible!"
Sakura took a deep breath, then turned to Yugo beside her and ordered: "From today on, name this virus the Chimera Virus. Concentrate all of the medical unit's resources here. We must ascertain the virus's transmission path, infection symptoms, and lethality!"
"Also, send the intelligence back to Konoha in my name. Intelligence level: S!"