Today, all the villagers present would remember one thing: the boy they called the demon fox, Naruto Uzumaki, was incredibly skilled in medical ninjutsu.
Both fighters in the second match were severely injured. Sasuke Uchiha had two broken ribs, and his internal injuries were far more serious than his external ones. He was at the end of his rope. Rock Lee's injuries were also grave. He had overdrawn his body by opening the fifth gate, but his physique wasn't strong enough to support the strain of the Gate of Limit.
Anyone could see that these injuries were beyond what an ordinary medical ninja could heal. Rock Lee's future as a ninja might even be over.
Might Guy looked at the exhausted Rock Lee, his mood growing heavy. He knelt beside his student. "I'm sorry... Lee..."
"Guy-sensei." The boy in the green jumpsuit shook his head firmly, but his voice lacked its usual energy, and tears welled in his eyes. "I don't regret it. Thank you, Guy-sensei, for everything..."
"Don't worry." Naruto Uzumaki pressed his temples and looked at the two, who were on the verge of tears. He explained in a low voice, "Yang Power is enough to repair this kind of injury. Even if you had opened the Gate of Death, I could still bring you back."
"R-really?" Might Guy was doubtful, but when his eyes fell on the fully healed Neji Hyuga, he began to calm down.
"Then hurry up and do it!" Sasuke Uchiha coldly interrupted, turning to look at his teammate with a hint of disdain. He was annoyed by Naruto's slow movements.
"But..." Naruto pursed his lips and held out his palm. A small white light flickered at his fingertip. "The Yang Power I have left is only enough to heal one person..."
There were two severely injured people on the field. Sasuke was still standing, but the bloodstains on his body told the real story. Rock Lee was suffering the aftereffects of forcibly opening the Eight Gates.
One of them was destined for a hospital bed, while the other could receive the Yang Power treatment and continue in the Chunin Exams.
From a practical standpoint, Sasuke Uchiha had outlasted Rock Lee's Gate of Limit by using Shisui's Body Flicker Technique. He should be the winner.
According to Naruto's own logic, he should heal Sasuke first and let his teammate continue the exams. Rock Lee could wait until the Nine-Tails gathered more Yang Power. This arrangement was the most reasonable.
"Naruto, go save him," Sasuke said softly, then lowered his head. "I lost this battle. I don't want this kind of humiliating victory."
"Sasuke..."
"Sasuke-kun..."
"Tch. Besides, I don't have a sure chance of winning against Naruto right now anyway." Sasuke waved his hand dismissively at the others and turned to the proctor, Genma Shiranui, who had been fading into the background. "Hey, proctor, I give up."
"...Alright."
"Wait, why, Sasuke-kun..." Rock Lee struggled to lift his head and look at Sasuke.
The dark-haired boy cut him off impatiently. "I just want you to test out Naruto's strength. Your taijutsu isn't bad. You should be able to force him to use some of his hidden moves..."
"...I understand! Sasuke-kun, I will definitely do it!" Rock Lee nodded seriously and tried to stand, but fell back to the ground. He turned his head weakly. "Naruto-kun, please..."
Naruto's fingers froze. This whole situation feels messed up.
Sasuke and Lee were acting as if no one else was there, making plans for Lee to fight him next, all while waiting for Naruto to heal him. What kind of person did they take him for?
After a sigh, Naruto pressed the Yang Power at his fingertip onto Rock Lee's body. The burn-like marks on his skin rapidly faded. The power of life flushed through Lee's body, and the tendons and meridians that had collapsed began to slowly heal.
Might Guy slapped the blond genin on the back and gave him a thumbs-up. "Thank you for saving Lee, Naruto! Your medical ninjutsu is amazing!"
Kakashi Hatake rolled his eyes. What does the Nine-Tails jinchuriki's power have to do with medical ninjutsu?
"Whatever..." Naruto spread his hands and looked at Lee's healing body. "Sasuke giving Lee the chance to recover is actually a big help to me. Although I'm sure I would win either way, that guy Sasuke is too unpredictable in a fight. If my next opponent is Lee, it will be much simpler..."
He was telling the truth. Sasuke practiced a wide range of techniques, including ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and sword arts. Dealing with him in a non-lethal match would be tricky. Rock Lee, on the other hand, was only good at taijutsu, which was much easier to handle.
After all, the advantage of taijutsu was overwhelming an enemy with speed and strength, making it impossible for them to form hand seals.
Unfortunately for Lee, Naruto didn't need hand seals to perform jutsu.
"..."
Although Naruto was right, saying it so bluntly was a bit hurtful. Rock Lee visibly deflated. However, even if Naruto had a bad mouth, he had just saved his life, and Lee was still full of gratitude.
The two battles between Team 7 and Team 3 were thus declared over.
Two medical ninjas carried Sasuke away from the arena. From the audience, Sakura Haruno and Karin stood up and hurried after them.
"His injuries are too severe, he needs emergency treatment."
"This won't be easy. We don't have a medical ninja here who can handle this kind of chest wound. Let's get him to the hospital first!"
"Can I use medical ninjutsu to protect Sasuke's wound?" Sakura offered.
"No, it has to be a professional medical ninja."
"Perhaps I can help."
Two voices spoke at the same time. One was Karin's. The other belonged to the good-natured young man they had met in the Forest of Death.
"Senior Kabuto?"
"Big Brother Kabuto?"
The two girls looked in surprise at the hooded, glasses-wearing young man in front of them. It was because of Kabuto Yakushi's help that they had been able to study in the medical department.
"I saw Sasuke get injured from the audience and came to help," Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses. He examined Sasuke on the stretcher and added softly, "The injuries are indeed very serious. This is not something that can be easily handled..."
"Then..."
"Leave it to me." Kabuto smiled at them and spread his hands. "Sasuke's internal injuries are very serious. We must find a suitable place nearby, otherwise he might not make it to the hospital..."
"I understand what Big Brother Kabuto means." The red-haired girl bit her lip, then extended her arm and placed it in Sasuke's mouth. "As long as Sasuke sucks my blood, he can be healed!"
Kabuto Yakushi: "..."
Actually, that's not what he meant at all.