The Unknown Path Ahead

Pain! Chiba darted through the forest, looking around for the markers agreed upon in the plan. With a muffled groan, he suddenly stopped. With a tap, he landed on a fairly thick branch.

So I was injured after all? Although Rock Transformation could encase me in thick Rock Skin, did the explosion's heat still conduct through the Rock Skin to my actual skin?

Chiba gently covered his left shoulder, pale green light gradually blooming in his hand. His eyes, however, continued to scan the surroundings.

At this moment, the fabric over his right leg, left shoulder, and a large area of his left abdomen had been scorched black, nearly charred but not quite entirely so. Beneath those nearly charred clothes, his skin was covered in tiny blisters, red all over. The injury on his left shoulder, which he was currently covering, was even more serious. It had taken on a burnt-black color, with dead skin already peeling up, every inch of it searing with stinging pain.

Earlier, he had not been sure whether the battle was over, and he had been in a hurry to support Hirohiko and the others, so Chiba had not noticed. Now that he had fully confirmed that the battle with the old Kumogakure ninja was over, the unavoidable excitement from the fierce fight faded, and the pain he had overlooked began reminding Chiba to pay attention to his condition.

If these burns caused by heat conduction were not treated quickly, they would fester and perhaps even become infected. Although the second Ninja Tool Pouch at Chiba's waist contained the latest medicine for treating infections, once an infection set in, even if it was cured with medicine, recovery would take many days. Even in this miraculous world with Chakra, fevers would still come, and rest was