Splash...
It was midnight. Inside the medical camp, Tatsuma stood hunched over a washbasin, his face dripping with water. The tap from the water tower continued to pour, but he didn't move to turn it off.
He didn't dare sleep. Every time his eyelids grew heavy, the scene from the day before flashed across his mind—the memory of leading six people straight into their graves.
Not far away, Tsunade watched from the shadows. She hadn't slept either. She observed her "cowardly" disciple, wondering why his reaction was so visceral. After all... wasn't this the life of a ninja?
And yet, she couldn't find it in herself to be disappointed. Perhaps it was because she was a medical ninja herself. Their duty was to cherish life, to snatch it back from the brink. It made sense that her student would feel the weight of every life lost.
As the flow from the tap slowed, Tatsuma felt another wave of exhaustion. He quickly cupped another handful of water, splashed his face, and finally turned the handle. He rubbed his face rhythmically, trying to stimulate blood flow.
Including yesterday, he had gone forty-eight hours without sleep. Combined with the grueling, non-stop sprint back to camp, his body was screaming for rest. He knew he needed to sleep, but he had to admit it... he was afraid.
Thud!
Tatsuma slammed his fist into the basin in a fit of frustration. Water splashed over his clothes, but at least he had avoided making enough noise to wake the camp.
Seeing this, Tsunade finally stepped out of the darkness. "It's the middle of the night. Don't disturb the patients."
"Sorry, Teacher."
Seeing her, Tatsuma hurriedly wiped his face with his sleeve.
Tsunade studied him for a moment before speaking coldly. "You aren't cut out for this life. Follow the next transport of wounded back to the village. Dedicate yourself to being a hospital medic. Or, if you prefer, go to the Sealing Corps. Your talents won't be wasted there."
"I'm not going back." Tatsuma shook his head.
Tsunade scoffed. "And why should I let you stay? So you can keep dragging everyone down with that funeral face of yours? Every person here has to fight for victory. We don't have room for a coward who can't even get over the guilt of killing."
"I'll get over it."
"When? When you've infected the entire camp with your misery? I don't have the time to wait for a coward to grow a spine."
Her tone was biting, almost cruel. Tatsuma took a deep breath and looked up. "I'm not a coward. It's just... the person I used to be couldn't reconcile with this reality."
"Then hurry up and conquer yourself."
"Heh..." Tatsuma gave a hollow laugh. "It's not exactly easy to conquer someone as exceptional as me. But... I think I'm almost there."
"How long?"
"Now." Tatsuma looked her in the eye. "Believe it or not, I've already moved past it. Take me with you into the next battle."
"Fine."
Tsunade's immediate, clipped agreement caught him off guard. He blinked. "You aren't worried I'm lying?"
"If you're lying to me, you can just go die out there!"
With that, she turned to leave. As she walked away, she tossed one last command over her shoulder. "Go to sleep. I don't have time to wait for you. The front lines need me."
"I will," Tatsuma said firmly to her retreating back.
[Ding! Praise and conquer yourself. Limited Talent acquired: [White Yaksha +100%]. Would you like to pick it up?]
The sudden system prompt left Tatsuma rooted to the spot. It took several seconds before he recovered enough to summon the system panel and check the description of this new, unique talent.
[White Yaksha]: A special physical-type talent that grants multiple layers of buff effects.
[Berserk Awakening]: When taking damage, the "Battle Soul" is awakened. Greatly increases physical resistance and reduces the impact of injuries during combat by 50%. Accumulated damage effects will trigger once combat ends.
[Combat Transcendence]: While [Berserk Awakening] is active, experience gain and talent realization are accelerated. Ignores standard periodic growth limits during combat.
[Death Defiance]: After disengaging from combat in a near-death state, the impact of fatal wounds and illnesses is drastically suppressed. This effect is significantly enhanced if the host is submerged in water (rivers, lakes, seas, etc.).
[Graveyard Phantom]: Temporarily increases all physical attributes based on the number of casualties on your side during a battle. Max increase: 100%. If the host is the sole survivor, all attributes receive an additional 100% increase.
A "Limited Talent"... not just a limited edition of a standard talent. Tatsuma read the description three times before he could believe his eyes. This was the first time he had seen a talent of this nature.
And the effects... they were a bit much to stomach. It essentially meant sacrificing his health to start a fight, and then sacrificing his teammates to reach godhood. It was the ultimate "lone survivor" build.
Tatsuma wasn't fond of most of the effects, but [Combat Transcendence] was another story. With his potential capped at a mere Mid-Chunin level, he could usually only realize 2 or 3 points of talent per day. This effect would allow him to realize his potential without a cap as long as he was fighting. It meant that if he could survive the meat grinder, he could reach his peak in record time.
Of course, the prerequisite was activating [Berserk Awakening], which meant he had to get hurt first... and even with a 50% reduction in impact, pain was still pain.
High-tier combat at low HP, surviving by jumping into water, and the 'Talisman of Loneliness' setting... you're really just making fun of a certain silver-haired samurai, aren't you, System?
Even so, Tatsuma's mind spoke the truth: "Pick up!"
BOOM!
Tatsuma felt as if his body were detonating from the inside out. The pain started in his left shoulder, then his left shoulder again, then—once more—his left shoulder.
It felt as if his entire arm were being shredded. The agonizing sensation radiated through his entire nervous system, finally shattering his already frayed mental state. His body fell stiffly beside the washbasin as he plummeted into a deep, total unconsciousness.
"I told you to go to sleep, but I didn't think you'd just drop dead on the floor."
Tatsuma groaned as he slowly regained awareness. It felt as if he were being pulled back to reality by a familiar, mocking voice.
He forced his eyes open to see Tsunade looking down at him with a smirk. He scrambled to his feet. "Is it time to move out?"
He glanced at the sky and saw it was only early morning. Surprisingly, his body didn't feel heavy. It was as if a few hours of unconsciousness had completely scrubbed away forty-eight hours of exhaustion.
"Wash up, grab your gear, and get ready," Tsunade said, her eyes lingering on him. He felt different than he had last night—sturdier, somehow. "By the way, from today onward, it's no longer just 'combat' with the Sand. It's war."
"...Did the Hokage officially declare it?"
"Yeah. Suna broke the rules. Now, we break them back."