"!"
Mikami Yuu's heart stirred.
He had been eyeing Tsunade for a long time.
As the princess of the Senju clan, Tsunade wasn't just the strongest medical ninja of her era—she also possessed taijutsu such as the Monster Strength Fist, plus the Senju clan's legacy techniques like the Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred. She was basically treasure from head to toe. If he could get close to her, the benefits would be huge.
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Hebishi-senpai. Um…"
"Rin has also been working very hard in medicine, and her fundamentals are solid. Could your recommendation letter maybe also…"
Mikami Yuu glanced at Rin, who was seriously recording the patients' injuries not far away.
He couldn't keep an opportunity like this all to himself.
If he could bring Rin along too, then he had to help.
"As for Rin…"
Hebishi thought for a moment. "She really is a careful, dependable girl with a very solid foundation. But the bar for the advanced medical class is high, and the slots are limited… I'll do my best to say a few good words for her in the recommendation letter, but I can't guarantee it will work."
"That's more than enough. Thank you very much."
Mikami Yuu said with a smile.
Just as they were talking,
the tent flap was suddenly yanked open. Several ninja rushed in carrying three unconscious wounded men, shouting anxiously:
"Hayato-sama! Bad news! Patrol Squad Seven was ambushed by Sand ninja and got hit with poison gas!"
"…Those damn Sand shinobi again! They've been getting more and more arrogant lately. Small units keep infiltrating into the Land of Fire, like they're searching for something, and the moment they run into our people, they go straight for the kill."
Akiyama Hayato came over with a dark expression. "Hebishi-sama, please check them immediately."
"Understood."
Hebishi got to work at once, telling Hayato to put the wounded on the beds. She first examined their purplish faces, the dark green blood around their wounds, and the strange web-like black marks spreading across their skin. Her expression turned grave.
"Kitou, bring me those antidotes from the medical box."
"Yes."
Very soon,
Hebishi tested three different basic antidotes on the three wounded men—and found that none of them worked.
Only then did her face change sharply.
"This is bad… They've probably been hit with a compound nerve toxin mixed with a blood poison. The toxicity is fierce, and I've never seen anything like it before. The general antidotes we brought are completely ineffective. We have to send them back to the village immediately and ask Tsunade-sama to act!"
"Minato, this is urgent. Please escort these wounded back to Konoha right away! Only Tsunade-sama can analyze the toxin and develop the proper antidote in the shortest time possible. Otherwise, if more casualties like this appear later, the consequences will be disastrous!"
"I understand."
Minato nodded. Then, after a brief hesitation, he looked toward Mikami Yuu—and Kakashi, who was standing against the wall with his arms folded:
"Detoxification is urgent. There's no room for delay. Here's what we'll do: I'll use Flying Thunder God to take these wounded back to the village. Kakashi, Yuu—you two stay here with Obito and Rin for the next two days. Help Hebishi if needed, or train nearby, but don't leave the camp area."
"The moment I see Tsunade-sama and get a definite answer, I'll come back for you."
"…Alright."
Kakashi nodded.
After giving his instructions,
Hebishi and the others gave the wounded some emergency treatment, then handed the two most critical patients over to Minato. He immediately used Flying Thunder God and disappeared.
The trip here had taken two or three days.
But going back, at Flying Thunder God speed, he would probably be in Konoha by tonight. There was even a chance Minato could make it home and eat dinner with Kushina while Tsunade worked on analyzing the poison.
With Minato gone,
Mikami Yuu and Rin continued helping handle the wounded. Hebishi pulled Mikami Yuu over to assist with the patients who needed surgery, having him work as an aide.
Kakashi stood in a corner wearing his mask, staying quiet and acting cool.
Only Obito was left in an awkward spot—he wanted to help, but had no idea what he could actually do, and just standing around was too boring. So he turned and walked outside.
"Obito?"
"I'm going to train for a bit."
"…"
Kakashi watched Obito's back. After thinking for a moment, he still followed him out.
By evening,
once all the wounded had at least been checked once, Mikami Yuu and Rin sat down and started talking about the recommendation letter.
"Really? Hebishi-senpai is going to write you a recommendation letter to join the advanced medical class?"
"It's us."
Mikami Yuu took a sip of water and nodded. "Even though Hebishi-senpai said your recommendation might need more effort, I don't think it'll be a big problem. Your fundamentals are solid and you're careful—that's your strength."
"That's wonderful!"
Rin unconsciously clasped her hands in front of her chest, her cheeks a little red, and thanked him:
"Thank you, Yuu-kun! If you hadn't spoken up for me, Hebishi-senpai definitely wouldn't have agreed so readily…"
"It was nothing. Mostly, it's because you really do have talent."
Just then,
Kakashi and Obito came back.
Those two had clearly been training outside the whole time. They both looked dusty and disheveled, and Obito in particular was loudly complaining that he was starving. Just then, Hayato had someone bring over a few portions of food, so the group gathered around a small table and ate quickly.
That night, Mikami Yuu practiced Hatake Swordsmanship in the yard for a while to work off dinner, then went back inside to sleep.
Nothing happened through the night.
The next morning,
Mikami Yuu and the others got up early.
As usual, Kakashi and Obito went out to train, while Mikami Yuu and Rin followed Hebishi to begin checking on the wounded and seeing how they were recovering. Most of them had improved under medicine and treatment, and the groans had noticeably decreased.
"Hm? This bed…"
Hebishi noticed something. "Wasn't there someone here last night? I think his surname was Fujiwara? Why is he gone?"
The chūnin beside her scratched his head. "Maybe he recovered quickly and went off on his own."
"…Maybe. Rin, note it down first. Let's continue checking."
Hebishi said it casually, but Mikami Yuu quietly took note of it.
That guy… could he be a spy?
There were plenty of spies in the ninja world, especially near this area by the Land of Wind. The Sand Village's Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique was especially memorable. There wasn't any hard evidence, but Mikami Yuu planned to mention it to Hebishi later and ask Hayato to look into it. Better that than having something happen and dragging all of them into trouble.
…
"Obito! If you're not training properly, what are you doing?!"
At an open area in one corner of the camp,
Kakashi opened his eyes from where he'd been resting and barked at Obito, who was crouched by a wall peeking at something in the distance.
"Shh—"
Obito raised a finger to his lips. "Kakashi… don't you think that guy looks kind of suspicious?"
~~~
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