Choice

Baiye was awakened by a knock at the door.

A young Chunin had come knocking, one Baiye remembered as a member of the reinforcement force. He stood in the doorway with his back straight and said in a tone almost like he was reporting on a mission, "Lord Baiye, Lady Tsunade asks that you come to the hospital."

"There's no need for 'lord.' Just call me Baiye."

"Then, Senior Baiye!"

"You're older than me, and you should have become a Chunin before I did."

"Uh..."

Baiye scratched his head as he looked at the conflicted Chunin.

"Just call me Chunin Baiye. Does Lady Tsunade want me there now?"

"All right, Lord Bai... Chunin Baiye. Lady Tsunade wants you there as soon as possible."

Baiye nodded, strapped the Tachi to his waist, and followed him out.

From the moment he stepped out of the residence, the ninjas along the way, whether they were on patrol or carrying supplies, would pause for a moment when their eyes fell on him.

Some immediately looked away, pretending to be busy with their work. Some gave him a slight nod, their eyes filled with undisguised respect. Others huddled together and spoke in low voices, fragments of their conversation drifting into his ears.

"That's him... thirteen years old..."

"Sanada's forces, he took them on all by himself..."

"Shinigami? Are you sure? He's that young?"

"Look at the sword at his waist. The people killed by that sword didn't even see who killed them."

Baiye walked past without a change in expression. It seemed he had experienced this once before in the village.

He knew full well that sooner or later, the reinforcements would spread word of what had happened in that night's battle. But he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly... Didn't these people ever rest?

Of course, it was also possible that someone was deliberately letting the news spread. There was no need to keep something that could boost morale on the battlefield under wraps.

The hospital was much the same as ever. The smell of disinfectant mingled with the scent of blood, and the groans of wounded soldiers intertwined with the medical-nins' instructions.

Tsunade was directing the other medical-nins through an operation, her crisp, forceful instructions coming from behind the surgical curtain. Baiye had waited in the corridor for less than fifteen minutes when the curtain lifted and Tsunade stepped out.

She pulled off her gloves and tossed them into a collection bin, her mask still hanging from her ears and her brow tightly furrowed. When she saw Baiye, she dispensed with pleasantries and simply tilted her head toward the temporary office at the end of the corridor, signaling him to follow.

The office door closed, and Tsunade leaned against the desk with her arms folded, studying Baiye's face for quite a while.

"You've made a name for yourself in the castle already. How does it feel, 'Shinigami'?"

Baiye's expression froze.

Hearing someone say that name to his face hit him much harder than when others used it behind his back. His scalp tingled, and his toes involuntarily curled against the floor.

"It's one thing for everyone else, but why are you joining in?"

"Why not?" The corners of Tsunade's mouth lifted slightly. "The stories going around out there now are incredible. They say you killed most of the Sand Ninja forces all by yourself that night, moving so fast the enemy couldn't react, cutting them down one by one without any expression on your face. You weren't hurt at all from beginning to end. And on top of that, you usually look just as cold when you're treating the wounded... I think the name they gave you is quite fitting."

"I'm just a little focused when I work."

"You don't need to explain it to me. I'm not the one spreading it." Tsunade waved a hand, walked behind the desk and sat down. She took a document from a drawer and opened it, her tone becoming businesslike again. "Hizashi Hyuga came to see me."

Baiye said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"He wants you to take part in the next reconnaissance mission. The Sand Ninjas have been increasingly active near the mountain roads lately, and we're severely short of sensory ninjas. Hizashi is the only one from the Hyuga Clan in all of Kikyo Castle. Although we have a few other sensory ninjas, their sensory abilities can't compare to the Hyuga Clan's in either range or precision. Several times when we were ambushed, we only discovered the enemy's position after they'd already hit us. The reconnaissance teams on the front lines have suffered badly."

Tsunade closed the document and looked up into Baiye's eyes.

"Because your sensory range far exceeds that of an ordinary sensory ninja, he wants you to join the reconnaissance force and make up for our disadvantage in that area."

Baiye nodded. "In that case, should I go see him today?"

"I haven't finished..." Tsunade interrupted Baiye. "I haven't agreed yet."

"Hm? Why not?"

"I know you're strong. Even those seemingly exaggerated rumors around the castle are true. But you're only thirteen, and you have a unique talent for Medical Ninjutsu... Even if you don't go to the battlefield, you can still save so many people. You know, anything can happen on a battlefield..."

The more Tsunade spoke, the more muddled she became. Her eyes began to lose focus, and her soul grew restless again.

Baiye sighed, gathered the light of Kaidō in his hand, and reached toward Tsunade.

But Tsunade caught his hand in a tight grip, as if she were afraid Baiye would disappear the moment she let go.

"Promise me you'll stay in the hospital and treat the patients, all right?"

Through the hand gripping his, Baiye felt Tsunade trembling. At that moment, she seemed to have become that helpless, despairing girl again, the one who had lost her younger brother and then her lover.

But faced with Tsunade's pleading gaze, Baiye did not agree.

"You know as well as I do that if I join Hizashi Hyuga's reconnaissance team, I can prevent far more casualties than the number of wounded I can treat in the hospital."

"But..."

Baiye slowly but firmly pulled his hand free. He looked Tsunade straight in the eye, without the slightest attempt to look away.

"That's how war is. I can't escape it just because I want to hide. Rather than wait until the defensive line is broken and be forced to fight back, I'd rather go now. At least for now, I still have a choice."

The light of Kaidō shone again, and Baiye placed his hand on Tsunade's head.

Gradually, Tsunade stopped trembling.

She looked at the thirteen-year-old boy before her. She suddenly realized she couldn't think of anything to say in rebuttal.

Because he understood better than she did what he was facing.

"Baiye."

"Hm?"

"Go report to Hizashi tomorrow morning. But let me make this clear: if you get hurt, there won't be a next time."

A faint smile appeared on Baiye's lips. "Understood."

Tsunade waved a hand, signaling that he could leave. As Baiye reached the door, her voice came from behind him again.

"Don't let your guard down."

Baiye paused.

"Don't worry."

Baiye opened the door and stepped into the corridor. The door slowly closed behind him, shutting out the faint sigh from inside the office.

When he emerged from the hospital, sunlight was falling on a street covered in fallen leaves. Several young medical-nins were carrying wounded soldiers. As a stretcher passed Baiye, its bearers nodded slightly to him, a little more respect in their eyes. A resident who had stayed behind with the logistics unit pushed a cart past, piled high with freshly washed bandages and surgical cloths. He paused when he saw Baiye, then copied the ninjas and nodded to him as well.

Baiye stood where he was, watching the cart recede. Sunlight filtered through the branches of the ginkgo tree overhead, casting dappled patches of light on his shoulders.