The Situation

On the way back, Uchiha Kiyoshi and Nawaki took turns carrying Sarutobi Saku back to Konoha.

After registering their information, Uchiha Kiyoshi and the others headed straight for Konoha Hospital.

Once Sarutobi Saku had been settled in, Uchiha Kiyoshi and Nawaki underwent some examinations as well.

Though they did not feel any discomfort on the surface, they obediently got themselves checked over to avoid affecting their future training.

Uchiha Kiyoshi was not yet capable of conducting such examinations himself. His grasp of this area was still incomplete, and if he missed something, it could delay his future training.

While Uchiha Kiyoshi and the others underwent their examinations and treatment at the hospital, Orochimaru prepared a report on the mission and submitted it. He also began discussing the mission with the Third Hokage.

Hokage Office.

The Third Hokage smoked his pipe, wisps of smoke curling above his head.

Orochimaru stood opposite him, recounting the events of the mission.

"The unexpected development during this bandit suppression operation was that they had mastered the method of refining Chakra and possessed supplies such as Explosive Tags.

Afterward, I investigated further. The Matsuoka Brothers' supplies most likely came from Amegakure."

"Amegakure? Are you certain?"

Hearing Amegakure as the answer, the Third Hokage frowned deeply. This was not good news.

Hanzo of the Salamander of Amegakure had risen rapidly over the past few years. Known as the Demi-God of the Ninja World, he was extremely powerful. Even the Third Hokage did not dare guarantee that he could defeat him.

More frightening still, Hanzo's summoned beast, Ibuse, was exceptionally suited for the battlefield and highly skilled at using poison. If war truly broke out, it would be difficult to fight.

Orochimaru understood his teacher's concerns. He nodded and reaffirmed his answer.

The Third Hokage had only asked in passing, though he had still held out a sliver of hope. Unfortunately, it seemed the facts were indeed as they appeared. His disciple was reliable, especially Orochimaru, his most prized student, who excelled in every respect. Since Orochimaru had confirmed it, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance that this was true.

"Amegakure has already begun sending shinobi into the Land of Fire. They even cultivated a group of bandits like this. Are they gathering intelligence?

It seems the Rain Country has finally lost its patience."

The two of them regarded the Matsuoka Brothers as Amegakure's hidden pawns. They did not know the exact circumstances, but their conclusion was not far off. The Rain Shinobi who had been killed had indeed come to the Land of Fire with that mission.

The Third Hokage sighed, his brows tightly furrowed as he considered the implications of this intelligence. But at the thought of war, he was overcome with worry. As a shinobi who had lived through the First Shinobi World War, he knew the horrors of war all too well. And the more he knew, the more troubled he became.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had served as Hokage for so many years and had truly exhausted himself, toiling away in every aspect. Things had finally begun to get on track, yet now he had to face the threat of war. Sarutobi Hiruzen was still in his prime, but years of constant strain had left many wrinkles on his face, making the thirty-seven- or thirty-eight-year-old look as though he were already in his fifties.

"I understand. You may leave for now."

The Third Hokage did not deliberate for long. Seeing Orochimaru still standing before him, he waved a hand and dismissed him.

After Orochimaru left, the Third Hokage once more sank into thought with a troubled expression.

"This war is probably unavoidable. The Rain Country has too few resources, and Amegakure's development has reached a bottleneck. With resources distributed so unevenly, they will certainly start a war. But we cannot let them seize our land either. Sigh! What a headache!"

As an outstanding politician, Sarutobi Hiruzen was highly perceptive and had an accurate grasp of the situation.

The Ninja World had developed peacefully for so many years, and every nation had reached its peak. Their desire for invasion was at its strongest, especially Amegakure's. Their resources were distributed unevenly, and, more importantly, their overall strength truly was not inferior to that of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. They were bound to feel dissatisfied. The five great nations would never agree to cede territory to them, so in the end, war was the only way to resolve it.

Orochimaru left the Hokage Building and, without stopping, headed for the hospital.

At that moment, Sarutobi Saku's hospital room was quite crowded.

Of course, it was not noisy. There were simply a lot of people there.

Four or five Konoha medical shinobi were operating on Sarutobi Saku. After finishing their own examinations, Uchiha Kiyoshi and Nawaki hurried over to take a look. Uchiha Kiyoshi was there to observe the operation and learn Medical Ninjutsu, but as for why Nawaki had come... that was hard to explain. Seeing the boy's curious expression, Uchiha Kiyoshi wanted to kick him out.

Throughout the entire procedure, Uchiha Kiyoshi and Nawaki barely dared to breathe, afraid of disturbing the doctors. They had only been allowed to remain and observe because Uchiha Kiyoshi was a medical shinobi and had been given an opportunity to learn.

Uchiha Kiyoshi even clamped a hand tightly over Nawaki's mouth, afraid that he would start shouting at everything he saw.

Nawaki rolled his eyes repeatedly, deeply dissatisfied with Uchiha Kiyoshi's behavior. What does that mean? You don't trust me? You think I can't even control myself? I'm just curious about the hospital's treatment equipment and methods. I have Tsunade, a medical shinobi, as my older sister, yet I've never even been to Konoha Hospital!

Ignoring Nawaki's reaction, Uchiha Kiyoshi kept one hand over his mouth while using the other to watch the doctors perform the operation on Sarutobi Saku.

As expected of Konoha Hospital's medical shinobi. Their Medical Ninjutsu is truly impressive.

Is that the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique? Amazing, a Ninjutsu that directly extracts toxins.

And how had I not thought of it? He was caught in that explosion from so close up, and his arms were burned. There was a chance that fire toxin had remained in his body.

And this is the Mystical Palm Technique? Its effect is far better than the Healing Technique. The wound healing speed is at least several times faster.

As he watched the operation in amazement, Uchiha Kiyoshi did not make a sound, continuously commenting in his heart.

At this moment, Orochimaru arrived at the door. He barely managed to make out the situation inside through the window, but did not enter directly. Instead, he waited there.

The entire operation lasted half an hour.

Sarutobi Saku had indeed been seriously injured this time. With little Chakra remaining, he had been hit directly by an Explosive Tag. If Uchiha Kiyoshi had not warned him and given him that extra second to prepare, he would probably have died. That explosion had been at least as powerful as five Explosive Tags detonating at once. If a Chunin had been caught head-on in it, they would have been seriously injured at the very least.

Uchiha Kiyoshi and Nawaki were rather special. One had evaded it with the Substitution Technique, while the other had too much Chakra and directly released it to envelop his entire body, offsetting most of the damage. Coupled with Uchiha Kiyoshi's treatment along the way, they were no longer seriously injured.

Over those thirty minutes, Uchiha Kiyoshi continuously studied the doctors' methods and felt that his medical skills had improved somewhat. He had also gained some understanding of the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, which should save him half a month of study time.

"Alright, the patient's condition has basically been resolved. He only needs to rest and recuperate for half a month. Do not take any missions during this period. Stay at the hospital."

After finishing the operation, the doctors gave them a few recommendations and left.

They were not particularly interested in how much Uchiha Kiyoshi had learned. After all, how much could a brat who had just graduated possibly learn?

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