Everyone knew it was just for show—as long as appearances were kept up, that was enough.
Orochimaru returned to Konoha without any fuss.
And Tōji knew that even after he got back, under the Third Hokage's watchful eye, Orochimaru would still be quietly continuing his human experiments in secret.
Orochimaru certainly knew that walls had ears. So maybe this was all part of his act—playing along to the very end. He couldn't possibly be thinking of seizing the opportunity to cut ties and flee the village, could he?
And the Third sending Tsunade over was actually a good thing—at least for Tōji and the others… Orochimaru had never cared about the lives of insignificant people.
What Tōji didn't expect was that Tsunade's first order upon arrival was to announce—all shinobi under sixteen could participate in battlefield first-aid training, and those who excelled would even be taught some basic medical ninjutsu! Even those over sixteen could sit in and observe, as long as they had no active missions.
This was probably part of Tsunade's long-advocated "medical-nin reform"—which, even after the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War, still hadn't been fully approved by Konoha. For now, the most she could secure was a bit of basic first-aid training for the younger generation.
『At this rate… it really looks like Tsunade is about to leave the village for good.』
Having just watched his teammates die from poison on his very first mission, Tōji didn't hesitate to sign up for the first-aid training. He even dragged Natchi along with him.
As a result, Rawari's squad was effectively disbanded on the spot. And that was exactly what Tōji wanted. Following Rawari wasn't bad, but having that shady Jakkō around was a different story.
So Rawari and Hitsuchi Jakkō joined the main returning force, helping transport the shinobi who needed long-term recovery care.
Tōji and Natchi stayed behind at Kikyōyama to take the first-aid classes. The instructor, however, was Shizune…
Shizune had only learned the basics from Tsunade—but even that was enough to teach the class.
Thus, Tōji never got to see the big names like Orochimaru or Tsunade in person.
"At least next time we run into poison-wielding enemies, we might have a chance to save ourselves!" That was Tōji's pitch to Natchi—and he genuinely meant it.
So Tōji paid close attention in class, never once looking down on Shizune, who was only three years older than him.
The yet-unborn Sakura Haruno would later study under Tsunade for only three years—and still become a top-tier medical-nin. A combat medic who could even uproot a giant tree!
So if Tsunade had chosen Shizune, Shizune's medical skills were certainly good enough to teach this class. She wasn't just picked because she had an uncle named Kato Dan.
The Academy had covered some basic first-aid instructions—but that common knowledge was practically useless. It was mostly just how to clean wounds and apply bandages. And with the Third Great Ninja War heating up, the Academy's curriculum had only gotten more streamlined…
During the time Tsunade was stationed at Kikyōyama, she was essentially waiting for Suna and Konoha to finalize their ceasefire agreement. Tsunade commanding such a large force here was meant to keep the pressure on Suna, ensuring Konoha could secure favorable terms as the victor.
Tōji couldn't care less about all that. Staying at Kikyōyama came with some minor risks, but compared to the looming Iwa invasion of Hi no Kuni, this was practically a safe haven.
Because even if he went back to the village now, there was a good chance he'd be sent to fight Iwa-nin anyway… and the Kannabi Bridge operation was going to need a ton of sacrificial cannon fodder!
Konoha really was scraping the bottom of the barrel—stretched thin everywhere!
Shizune's teaching wasn't all that detailed, to be honest—the schedule was too tight, leaving little time for the students to properly absorb the material.
Tōji found it a bit tough going. As for Natchi—he couldn't seem to follow at all…