Naruto: Tsunade's Apprentice

Chapter 10: Aftermath of an Invasion

The enemy had been driven back with combine loss of their giant snake summon and will of the rallied defenders. Once the large beast was slain, the shinobi of Konoha had nothing that stood before them they could not beat.

The casualties were high but they could have been higher if not for the efforts of the Red Headed Angel that had managed to save many civilians and shinobi as the fighting raged on. Stories such as "As I lay against a wall, I thought I was going to die. As my sight was fading this beautiful woman with blazing red hair appeared before me. She told me I was going to be alright. The next time I woke up I was in a field hospital receiving treatment. I'm telling you I was save by an angel!"

Or other versions such as, "I was struck by four kunai through the flak jacket before I was buried under a building. It didn't crush me but I sure wasn't being seen by anyone that wasn't looking for me. As I was losing consciousness I heard some kind of noise. The next thing I could see was light coming through the ruble. She was bathed in light as she stared down at me. She was strong enough to clear the ruble that buried me. I lost consciousness soon after. The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital."

Many stories like those were told by the survivors. There was also a major push back against the Medical Corp. Those who had friends who died due to their lack of intervention during the conflict were angered with the Corp. Many claiming that they had fallen in ability since Tsunade was in charge. Numerous veteran shinobi that had been through war while Tsunade was in charge had words with many of the senior staff and supervisors about their ability to operate in such a combat heavy environment.

Excuses were made such as, "We were taken by surprise" or "The area beyond the hospital was full of fighting." These words only seemed to anger many of the shinobi more. "Where were the brave medics that Tsunade-sama had trained who would leap into combat zones to retrieve the wounded so they could be taken to field hospitals or receive emergency aid so they could live to see tomorrow? Where were the great doctors of Konoha who were renowned for being the best? We were on our home turf and we didn't see any of you until after the fighting was over! And you don't get the same excuse as when the damn Kyuubi struck. There was no towering beast that could flatten the village in a single swing. And even with the snakes, after they were slain where were you after?"

Most of the staff either had no words to say or refused to argue with individuals distraught over losing a comrade or someone important to them. Though some of their words did hold true.

Six Chunin and Kakashi Hatake were making their way towards the last known location of what appeared to be a larger version of Katsuyu. They were thoroughly confused but full of hope. Some were aware that Tsunade often avoided returning to Konoha but many were just aware she just wasn't in the village. So to see a massive slug that bore a striking resemblance to the one that Tsunade herself often summons, well it got people hoping she had returned. As they set out however the massive summon went up in a rather large plume of smoke, forcing the search party to guess where the summoner was by where they had last seen the gastropod.

As they traveled, they saw Sasuke huddled over a tree branch, looking like a deer in headlights. Not too far from him was the Suna kunoichi Temari who appeared to be unconscious. What made them understand what had frozen the Last Uchiha though was the massive trench that appeared to have been made by the slug's tail.

Once they realized Sasuke had seen the massive summon, the experienced shinobi were in complete understanding of why he was so frozen. When you first see an animal that is either as large as a person or something that towers over the trees around you it can leave you awe struck if you are allied to it or terrified if you have to fight it.