In the battle just now, Dosuke spent a lot of chakra on the Great Waterfall Technique at the beginning to stop Ye Cang's Scorch Style ninjutsu.
In addition, when he used the water barrier to defend against Ye Cang's Giant Lava Fist, he consumed a huge amount of chakra.
Although his chakra capacity is close to that of a Jonin, it is not quite at that level yet.
When the feeling of weakness in his body passed, Dosuke resisted the discomfort and stood up.
"Uncle Yamamatsu, what about the casualties in the medical department?"
The first thing Dosuke did was to ask about the casualties. He hadn't been able to focus on anything else during the battle just now, so he had entrusted the evacuation to Yamamatsu, Ayase, and the others.
"Don't worry, Dosuke. Ye Cang didn't cause us too much harm because of your timely action. Several medical ninjas died in the initial attack because they were not evacuated in time, and now we have to find another location."
Dosuke nodded. "Is Lord Orochimaru back yet?"
"He should be back," Yamamatsu said, shaking his head to indicate he didn't know for sure.
"Uncle Yamamatsu, Aunt Ayase, please oversee the cleanup. I will report to Lord Orochimaru." Dosuke looked at the messy camp and the huge magma pool as he made his request to the two of them. The medical department had been attacked, and as one of its heads, it was his responsibility to report to Orochimaru.
Yamamatsu Taihe and Ayase Asami nodded.
This battle had given Dosuke a clearer understanding of his own strength. Sunagakure's Scorch Style user, Ye Cang, was a well-known figure in Sunagakure, known as the "Hidden Hero of the Sand."
Although Dosuke wouldn't lose outright against such a character in a short period of time, he knew his own situation well—the fight had basically drained his chakra. If the battle had lasted a little longer, he would have had no chance at all. If it weren't for the arrival of Konoha's reinforcements, Dosuke would have been in serious danger.
The six-hole Buzzing Finger Gun was the most penetrating and fastest technique he could control so far. But Ye Cang, a strong fighter who had been battling in the ninja world for years, possessed an unparalleled sixth sense for danger. A ninjutsu that cannot hit the enemy, no matter how strong it is, is useless. "You have to find a way to change this!" Dosuke thought to himself, mentally simulating the battle as he walked.
After running through many simulations in his mind, Dosuke found helplessly that no matter what, if the battle lasted for a long time, his defeat was inevitable.
Of course, he wouldn't be killed—the existence of the Flying Thunder God technique naturally made Dosuke nearly invincible in terms of survival. He could be defeated, but it was very difficult to kill him. As long as he wanted to escape, there was basically no possibility of him being killed.
But this very confidence, this knowledge that he could escape at any time, also meant Dosuke lacked the life-or-death pressure that forces a ninja to grow.
Compared to a ninja like Ye Cang, who had been famous in the ninja world for many years, he was still a little immature. But for someone of Dosuke's current age, being able to retreat safely after a battle against Ye Cang was already commendable.
After sorting out his thoughts, Dosuke arrived at the Konoha Ninja Army's headquarters. As soon as he reached the door, he found Shikaku holding a stack of papers, opening the tent flap and walking out.
Dosuke stepped forward. "Uncle Shikaku!"
Shikaku heard someone calling him and looked up. "Dosuke, you are here."
"Uncle Shikaku, is Lord Orochimaru there? I have something to report to him," Dosuke asked.
"Yes, he's here! Go on in!" Shikaku pointed toward the tent.
Shikaku left after speaking.
Dosuke walked to the door and called out, "Lord Orochimaru, Dosuke has something to report!"
"Hiss, come in!" Orochimaru's characteristic hoarse voice sounded from inside the tent.
Dosuke walked into the tent. There was no one else inside except for Orochimaru.
"Dosuke, what is it?" Orochimaru sat at the desk in the tent, wearing a standard Jonin vest. The Konoha forehead protector restrained his long hair, making him look exceptionally capable.
"Lord Orochimaru, I am here to report to you about the attack on the medical department. This time, the medical department suffered losses due to the attack by Sunagakure's Scorch Style user, Ye Cang..."
Dosuke hadn't finished speaking yet when Orochimaru raised his hand and stopped him.
"As for the reason why the medical department was attacked, I learned about it from the members of the Sunagakure assault team we captured this time," Orochimaru's slightly hoarse voice came faintly.
"This time, you were able to withstand the attack of Scorch Style user Ye Cang, which really impresses me! This attack happened because I didn't think carefully enough. I guessed that people from Sunagakure would come to attack, but I didn't expect Ye Cang to use this method to find the medical department. Dosuke, thanks to you. I have already added this incident to the battle report and will send it to the Third Hokage-sama."
After saying this, Orochimaru stared at Dosuke with curious and excited eyes.
"Dosuke, ever since we met in the Forest of Death, I never expected to see you again. Apart from your medical achievements, you can still give me such a surprise! Even I, your teacher Tsunade, and that white-haired idiot—at your age, we were just barely at the Chunin level. Dosuke, you are really a genius!" Orochimaru's icy golden eyes stared closely at Dosuke.
"Thank you for the compliment, Lord Orochimaru. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time," Dosuke said. Seeing the excited look in Orochimaru's eyes, his whole body felt uneasy.
This... Orochimaru won't have taken a fancy to my body, will he?
However, during this period, Orochimaru had not yet started human experimentation, and he still held a slight longing for the position of Konoha's Fourth Hokage. At this time, within Konoha, apart from the late Konoha White Fang, only the Sannin were qualified to become the Fourth Hokage.
As for the legendary "Konoha Green Pot," as long as the Third Hokage remained in power for one more day, he would never allow his own student, the "Konoha Green Pot," to take the stage.
Among the Sannin, Jiraiya was used to being undisciplined and rarely stayed in Konoha Village. He would only remain in the village when major events occurred or when the Third Hokage forced him to return.
Dosuke's teacher, Tsunade, had created the medical ninja system single-handedly and even influenced other great nations to follow suit. As the founder of the medical ninja system, Tsunade's reputation was definitely sufficient. However, because Tsunade had witnessed the deaths of her younger brother, Senju Nawaki, and her beloved, Kato Dan, during the Second Great Ninja War, she had developed hemophobia under the successive blows.
As a result, Dosuke had to participate in the battle between Konoha and Sunagakure. For the leader of a village, Tsunade's hemophobia would be a fatal flaw.