"Hm?"
Mikami Yuu looked up at Obito, thinking, Why are you blushing like a kettle? "Oh, you mean pulling you out of the quicksand. That was just a convenient move. Minato-sensei was pinned down at the time, and an extra pair of hands meant extra strength, so of course I had to get you out."
"I-is that so?"
"Yep."
Mikami Yuu nodded.
That Earth Style ninja had already been badly injured by the Great Fireball Mikami Yuu blasted into his back, so at that point, anyone could have subdued him easily. Saving Obito or saving Rin made no real difference—he just pulled out whoever was closer.
On the other hand, if the enemy had still been fully capable of fighting, then he definitely would have saved Obito first.
Obito opened his mouth, but in the end, he just puffed out his chest and said seriously, "Just this once! Next time I definitely won't get caught like that again, and I'll pay you back for saving me! Just watch!"
"Okay, good luck with that."
…
Two days later,
the travel-worn group arrived at a key town on the southwestern border of the Land of Fire—Wildfire City.
Mikami Yuu had read about it in Konoha Library's geography texts. Apparently, the town first took shape during the Warring States era, then developed over several decades into its current scale. Dozens of Konoha ninja and some local militia were permanently stationed there, tasked with patrol, border defense, and clearing out rogue bandits.
At the entrance to the camp,
a middle-aged Konoha jōnin named Akiyama Hayato, with an old scar across his face, came out to greet Hebishi and Namikaze Minato.
"Minato-sama, Hebishi-sama, you're finally here!"
Hayato's voice was hoarse, full of fatigue. "Things on the border have been extremely tense lately. Small units from the Land of Rivers keep harassing us, Rain ninja are popping up everywhere like burrowing rats, and the Sand has been getting more and more aggressive. Our patrol squads are running into fights almost every day…"
"Our existing medical unit has casualties too. We're severely short on manpower, which is why we had to urgently request reinforcements from the village."
"Don't worry. Hebishi is a highly experienced tokubetsu jōnin, and she's also Biwako-sama's student. She'll definitely be able to take proper care of the wounded."
Minato said.
From the outside, it hadn't looked too bad.
But once Mikami Yuu and the others stepped into the camp, they realized the number of injured was even worse than they'd imagined. In one large open area alone, there were over thirty beds, and more than half were occupied. Some people had lost limbs to explosive tags, others were covered in bloody cuts from blades… painful groans filled the air.
"My leg… aaagh—!"
"Hang in there! The medical ninja will be here any second!"
"No good, we can't stop the bleeding from the wound! At this rate he'll die soon!"
"…"
Hebishi frowned.
She clearly hadn't expected the situation to be this severe.
Judging from what they were seeing, nearly a quarter of the Konoha ninja stationed at Wildfire City were currently wounded.
Of course, the injured also included a few civilians and ninja transferred in from other camps, but even so, the sheer number showed just how bad things had gotten at the border. Before long, Konoha would probably have to send more troops and reinforce the line.
"Change clothes immediately, clean the wounds, sort everyone by severity, prepare the serious cases for surgery…"
As Hebishi started issuing orders,
Rin hesitated, then instinctively looked at Mikami Yuu.
He understood right away and immediately stepped forward.
"Hebishi-senpai, Rin and I both studied basic medical knowledge and Healing Technique. If you need help, please just tell us what to do."
"Hm?"
Hebishi remembered, and a relieved look appeared on her face. "Good kids. We're short-handed. Come with me, get changed, and start working immediately!"
"Wait a second…"
Obito quickly raised his hand. "Hey, what about me? I audited the medical training class too! I'm Uchiha Obito!"
Hebishi: "You're not needed."
"…?"
Soon,
everyone had changed into white coats.
Hebishi quickly assigned tasks. She and the senior medical ninja would handle surgery for the serious cases. Mikami Yuu, Rin, and a few other genin would assess injuries, sort patients by urgency, and handle basic wound cleaning, bleeding control, bandaging, and simple treatment for the lighter cases.
The work wasn't too hard.
Mikami Yuu and Rin exchanged a glance, steadied themselves, and got to work—checking, recording, stopping bleeding, bandaging…
"Open fracture in the left arm, with heavy bleeding! Needs surgery as soon as possible!"
"Multiple lacerations across the chest. Deep, but no major organs hit… stop the bleeding first and monitor. If it worsens, move him to surgery immediately!"
"Minor burns and abrasions—treat on site…"
Once the initial nervousness passed, things gradually stabilized.
Mikami Yuu cleaned and disinfected the wound on one wounded chūnin's arm, applied hemostatic powder, then skillfully raised his hands and activated the technique:
[Selected Target: Healing Technique]
[Practice]
A gentle green glow filled with life spread from his palms, turning into a soft restorative force that seeped into the wounded man's flesh, stimulating the muscles and blood vessels to slowly reconnect and heal…
During the process, tiny particles were released from Mikami Yuu's chakra, quietly spreading around the wound. Once the surface injury had been stitched closed, Mikami Yuu could clearly feel a faint but persistent life force lingering around it.
—Trait: Healing Brand.
That brand would continue nourishing the wound over the coming days, accelerating deep recovery until the injury returned to normal.
"Alright, next one."
One, two, three…
Mikami Yuu's movements became smoother and smoother—bleeding control, wound cleaning, bone setting, stitching, bandaging—almost all in one flow. The wounded he treated also began feeling a cool, comfortable sensation at their injuries, and even their exhaustion seemed to lighten. Praise started spreading from one patient to another.
"Hm?"
Hebishi had just finished handling a severe case and walked over, intending to give Mikami Yuu and Rin some pointers. But when she saw several wounded people Mikami Yuu had just finished treating, waiting to be moved, she paused, instantly sensing that something was off.
She crouched down at once and carefully checked the sword wound on one injured man's leg. She pressed lightly over the bandage with her fingers, then even peeled back one corner of the wrapping to inspect the flesh beneath the stitches. Her face showed clear surprise.
"Yuu, did you treat these people? How did you do it?"
"Yeah."
Mikami Yuu nodded and calmly wiped the blood from his hands. "Basic cleaning and stitching, plus Healing Technique. Is there a problem, Hebishi-senpai?"
"…No problem. Only a surprise."
Hebishi looked up, eyes burning with intensity. "Yuu, the effect of your Healing Technique is outstanding—far beyond the level of an ordinary genin. Even the students in the medical training class can't achieve this kind of result… Are you interested in joining the Advanced Medical Unit?"
"The Advanced Medical Unit?"
"Yes."
Hebishi explained, "That's the place where Konoha's top medical ninja train their successors. Tsunade-sama and Sarutobi Biwako-sama personally guide it, and the techniques and knowledge taught there are all far more advanced medical secrets. I only received my tokubetsu jōnin rank after graduating from that program."
"If you're willing, I can write you a recommendation letter. With the kind of special healing talent you've shown, I'm sure the village would take it very seriously."