As November reached its midpoint, Konoha entered a period of rapid recovery.
This was where the village's foundation truly revealed its strength. Blessed with fertile land, convenient transportation routes, and a mild climate, Konoha seemed to recover at an astonishing pace, as if it had activated some hidden advantage.
Mission requests poured into the Hokage Building in endless streams, stacking up faster than they could be processed. The Third Hokage's aged face creased into a constant smile, blooming like a chrysanthemum.
When no one else was around, he even found himself humming a tune, one said to have been composed by a genin named Kurotsuchi.
"The spring breeze of reform blows across the land, Konoha's people are truly striving."
Yet even as he hummed, the Hokage could not help but sigh.
Too many missions were not necessarily a good thing.
Every shinobi the village could spare had already been dispatched, yet the pile of unclaimed missions on his desk continued to grow. If not for concerns about long-term development, he would have already implemented emergency measures and allowed Academy students to graduate early.
Still, this was a fortunate problem to have.
The other Kage would have killed to face such troubles.
Especially Ōnoki.
The Third Tsuchikage was reportedly so anxious that he had thrown out his back, wishing he could personally send ten thousand Iwa ninja to hang the Third Raikage and vent his anger for three days and three nights.
Previously, due to old psychological scars, Ōnoki always found Konoha unbearable to look at.
Now, compared to the Cloud Village, he oddly felt that Konoha looked rather pleasing.
That alone spoke volumes about how deeply he resented Kumogakure.
However, whether it was resentment or satisfaction had nothing to do with Hayashi.
At the moment, he stood quietly in the corridor of Konoha Hospital, waiting for news from the operating room.
He corrected himself inwardly.
Not the delivery room.
The operating room.
Still, the surgery was taking far too long. Even childbirth should have ended by now.
Hayashi had been waiting since nine in the morning.
During that time, he had only left once, heading to the hospital cafeteria at noon to buy lunch. He had even brought back a portion for Tsunade, just in case she emerged hungry.
It was not until nearly four in the afternoon that the light above the operating room door finally switched from red to green.
Hayashi immediately stepped forward.
The door opened, and Tsunade walked out.
For a brief, absurd moment, his mind imagined her shaking her head solemnly and saying they had done all they could.
He quickly dismissed the thought.
Wrong scene.
The real Tsunade walked out calmly, stretched lazily, her figure swaying slightly, and said in an even tone, "The surgery was a success."
"Thank you, Tsunade-sensei," Hayashi said sincerely.
"It's nothing," she replied loudly. "I already accepted your three hundred thousand ryo, so you are the client, right?"
Her voice carried through the corridor, as if she wanted everyone to hear it.
It did not matter.
Though Tsunade was greedy and shameless at times, her medical skill was beyond question.
Compared to her disheveled appearance a few days ago, she now looked radiant, like a completely different person.
No wonder even someone like Shikaku had once harbored feelings for her.
"…Kid, what kind of look is that?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
"Nothing," Hayashi replied, shaking his head. "It's just like seeing a friend who usually looks rough, only to realize that once they clean up, they are stunning."
"Exciting my foot," Tsunade snorted. "If you keep reading those perverted novels Jiraiya writes, do not ever step into my house again."
Silence followed.
As the two spoke, the hospital corridor gradually became lively.
Patients stepped out of their rooms, eager to catch a glimpse of the medical legend.
Every few minutes, another ninja approached to greet Tsunade.
Most of the people staying in Konoha Hospital had fought on the battlefield, and among them, very few had not been treated by her.
In comparison, Hayashi's presence faded into the background.
Does my Brother Hayashi not deserve respect anymore?
After a while, Tsunade, clearly losing patience, finished greeting another ninja and turned to him.
"I am going back to rest. I have surgery on the Hyuga clan head tomorrow."
"Yes. Thank you for your hard work."
Hyuga Hiashi had finally decided to undergo surgery.
As for where the replacement Byakugan came from, Hayashi did not know.
"It really is tiring," Tsunade muttered. "Maybe I should find a disciple to take over."
Hayashi's eyes lit up. "Speaking of disciples…"
Before he could finish, Tsunade cut him off. "Do not recommend anyone. I know exactly who you want to talk about."
She waved her hand dismissively. "I was only speaking casually. I will be leaving the village after the Chunin Exams, I do not have time to train anyone."
After taking two steps, she paused and tilted her head. "By the way, you are already the third person to recommend her. Are you all doing this on purpose?"
With that, she huffed and strode away.
Hayashi stood there, bewildered.
How did she know?
What if he had only been about to talk about disciples and then wandered off into something completely unrelated?
Truly rude.
After grumbling internally for a while, he sighed.
He had indeed intended to recommend someone.
Nono.
She was known in later years as the Walking Witch and had even become head of the medical department. Her talent was unquestionable, and she could eventually fill the gap Tsunade would leave behind.
Judging by Tsunade's words, at least two others had already made the same suggestion.
One of them was certainly Kushina.
She and Nono had been inseparable for the past two years, close enough that they might as well have been sisters.
Hayashi had mentioned it casually before, and Kushina likely took it seriously.
Then who was the other?
With that thought lingering, Hayashi entered the ward.
Because her right hand had just undergone surgery and the anesthetic had not worn off, Mikoto was still unconscious.
According to the medical ninja, she would need about four more hours to fully wake.
Before leaving, Tsunade had already instructed the nurse to prepare medicinal herbs for decoction.
Once Mikoto awoke, follow-up treatment would continue.
Time passed quickly.
The nurse came twice.
Once to check on Mikoto, and once to deliver the prepared medicine.
It was nearly eight in the evening when Mikoto finally stirred.
"You're awake."
Hayashi stood from the chair, raised the head of the bed slightly, and picked up the bowl from the bedside table.
"Tsunade-sensei said you should drink this as soon as you wake up."
Mikoto's right hand was wrapped in bandages and unable to move, so she allowed him to feed her spoon by spoon.
"The surgery went very well," Hayashi continued. "You should be able to leave the hospital in a couple of days, so do not rush."
"Kushina, Nawaki, and the others came by several times. I sent them back. They will come again tomorrow."
Mikoto looked at him and nodded gently.
"Finish this first," he said softly. "I asked the nurse to prepare a late-night meal. Eat it before sleeping."
"I will stay here tonight."
"Mmm…"
Half-asleep, Mikoto responded quietly.
____
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