Hyuga Arrogance and the Shock of Yang Style

The title "Hand of Miracuolus Life" spread like wildfire, quickly propagating from the front-line medical station. Duanmu Ci's standing within the medical station had, in turn, been elevated considerably. Although Tsunade still barked orders at him and assigned him tedious medical chores, the other medical ninjas and the wounded now looked at him with evident respect, even a touch of awe.

This day, the atmosphere at the medical station was shattered by an unusual commotion.

Several ninjas clad in plain white kimonos, their sleeves embroidered with blue flame patterns (the mark of the Hyuga branch family), bustled in, surrounding a middle-aged man lying on a stretcher. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a stern face, fine lines around his eyes, his chin slightly raised, and an air of inherent pride, along with a barely perceptible arrogance, common to the great noble clans.

"Make way! Everyone, make way!" A branch family ninja impatiently shoved aside a Genin from the Medical Team who was blocking their path. "Our Hyuga Clan members require the best treatment! Summon Lady Tsunade immediately!"

The man on the stretcher was deathly pale, his breathing rapid. Most shocking was his right arm – the entire limb was an unnatural purplish-blue, severely swollen, with twisted, bulging veins visible beneath the skin, resembling a mass of writhing earthworms. He gritted his teeth, clearly enduring immense pain.

"It's an elite from the Hyuga branch family, Lord Hyuga Hizashi!" someone recognized the injured man's identity, exclaiming in a low voice. Hyuga Hizashi, a top expert from the Hyuga Clan's branch family, possessed formidable strength and high status.

"Lady Tsunade is currently handling a critical surgery and cannot be disengaged at the moment," a seasoned medical ninja from the station stepped forward to explain, maintaining a demeanor that was neither subservient nor overbearing.

"Cannot be disengaged?" The branch family ninja leading them, seemingly Hizashi's confidant, knitted his brows, his tone laced with clear dissatisfaction. "Lord Hizashi's injury is critical! He was wounded by Cloud Village's Lightning Style secret jutsu; the Chakra has eroded his meridians, rendering ordinary medical ninjutsu ineffective! Can you bear the responsibility if the treatment is delayed?!"

His voice was loud and accusatory, causing the entire busy medical station to quieten somewhat, the atmosphere becoming somewhat stifled. The formidable reputation of the Hyuga Clan and the treatment difficulties brought about by their unique Gentle Fist constitution indeed made ordinary medical ninjas hesitant.

Just then, Tsunade's slightly weary yet still authoritative voice echoed from the surgical tent, "What's all the noise? Shizune, what's happening outside?"

Shizune immediately stepped forward and quietly reported the situation. A moment later, Tsunade pushed aside the curtain and walked out, her hands still bearing traces of dried blood. She glanced at Hyuga Hizashi on the stretcher, her heroic eyebrows furrowing slightly. She could clearly see the complexity of the injury – the meridian damage caused by Lightning Style was extremely subtle yet highly destructive, especially for the Hyuga Clan, whose bodies relied on precise Chakra control, making the situation even more dire.

She needed to return immediately to complete the life-saving surgery she was in the middle of and couldn't spare any attention. Her gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Duanmu Ci standing at the back of the crowd.

"Duanmu!" Tsunade called him out directly, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "Handle Lord Hizashi's injury. Use your 'method' and stabilize his meridian damage!"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Duanmu Ci replied calmly, stepping out from the crowd.

"Him?!" The expression of the Hyuga Clan ninja leading them changed drastically. He scrutinized Duanmu Ci from head to toe, his eyes filled with suspicion and disbelief. "Lady Tsunade! Lord Hizashi's injury is no trivial matter! How can you entrust it to a... a mere youngster?" He had clearly heard of the title "Hand of Miraculous Life," but his deeply ingrained sense of hierarchy and instinctive disdain for young faces made it impossible for him to accept.

"Do you question my orders?" Tsunade shot the ninja a cold glance, her powerful aura instantly suppressing his doubt. "Duanmu is my disciple. If I say he can do it, he can do it!" With that, she ignored him further and turned back into the surgical tent.

The branch family ninja's face flickered between green and white, but he didn't dare retort to Tsunade. He could only suppress his anger, staring intently at Duanmu Ci with a scrutinizing and critical gaze.

Duanmu Ci ignored the piercing stares and walked directly to the stretcher. He didn't act immediately but first carefully observed Hyuga Hizashi's right arm. Under the microscopic vision of his passively activated Rinnegan, the condition of the wound was laid bare in exquisite detail: violent Lightning Style Chakra, like countless tiny electric snakes, raged and burned within the intricate network of meridians, causing multiple nodal points to become charred, broken, and even fused and blocked! As Chakra flowed through these areas, it was like getting stuck in quicksand, triggering intense pain and loss of limb control.

"The situation is very bad," Duanmu Ci stated calmly. "The Lightning Style Chakra has deeply infiltrated, and multiple critical nodes are damaged and blocked. It needs to be cleared immediately, or this arm will be useless."

"Hmph! As if we needed you to tell us that!" the branch family ninja snorted coldly.

Duanmu Ci said no more. He took a deep breath, his hands slowly hovering above Hyuga Hizashi's swollen right arm. Unlike when he healed Lord Tokuma, he didn't unleash a wide area of green light. Instead, he amplified his mental power and perception to the extreme. The insight of the Rinnegan acted like the highest magnification surgical microscope, precisely targeting the most severely damaged and critically blocked meridian nodes.

He mobilized the pure Yang Style Chakra of his Sage Body, condensing it into "Needles of Life" even finer than a strand of hair. Guided by his super-enhanced perception, these strands of pure, gentle Chakra, imbued with potent life activity, pierced precisely into those charred and blocked nodes like the most dexterous minimally invasive surgical instruments!

"Mmm!" Hyuga Hizashi grunted, his body trembling violently! Having cultivated the Gentle Fist for many years, he was extremely sensitive to his own Chakra and meridians. He clearly felt a gentle yet incredibly tenacious force, brimming with vitality, surge into his burning and chaotic meridians like a clear spring! Wherever this force passed, the residual violent Lightning Style Chakra melted away like ice and snow. The charred and fused nodes were gently "washed" open, and the broken meridians were nourished by this life force, a faint tingling sensation of healing emerging!

Duanmu Ci's movements were slow and steady. Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, and his face turned slightly pale. This was far more intricate and difficult than a large-scale infusion of life force, demanding immense Chakra control and mental fortitude. He had to concentrate fully, without the slightest error.

Time ticked by. Under the tense and suspicious gaze of the Hyuga Clan members, a miracle quietly unfolded.

The terrifying purplish-blue hue on Hyuga Hizashi's right arm began to recede at a visible rate! The swelling also slowly subsided! The twisted, bulging veins beneath the skin, like smoothed-out ravines, gradually disappeared! More importantly, Hyuga Hizashi's tightly furrowed brow relaxed, his expression of pain replaced by shock and disbelief!

He tried, moving the index finger of his right hand very slightly – it worked! Although still weak, the sense of loss of control and the piercing pain were gone!

"How... how is this possible?!" The Hyuga Clan ninja leading them nearly bulged his eyes out, exclaiming in disbelief. Even the best medical ninjas within their own Hyuga Clan were helpless against this injury, and yet this young man had actually succeeded?!

Duanmu Ci exhaled a long breath, withdrew his hands, and swayed slightly, being supported by Shizune beside him. He looked at Hyuga Hizashi, "The most critical blockage points have been cleared, and most of the residual Lightning Style Chakra has been removed. You will need to rest and recuperate, and supplement with gentle Palm Immortal Technique to nourish the damaged meridians. Your arm's function can be largely restored."

Hyuga Hizashi struggled to sit up, his gaze towards Duanmu Ci filled with complexity. Shock, gratitude, and a hint of indescribable... reverence. As an elite of the branch family, he knew very well how pure, how gentle yet powerful the force that had been precisely injected into his body was! This was something no ordinary medical ninja could achieve!

"Duanmu... Duanmu-kun?" Hyuga Hizashi's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Your kindness is beyond words! The Hyuga Clan will remember this!"

Just then, a timid, small figure peeked out from behind several tall Hyuga Clan members. It was a little girl, about four or five years old, with a neat bowl cut hairstyle, wearing a clean, small kimono with a blue floral pattern on a white background. She possessed pure, flawless eyes as white as the first snow – Hyuga Hinata.

She seemed to have been frightened by the tense atmosphere earlier, her small hands tightly gripping the corner of a female clan member's clothing. But at this moment, her pure Byakugan eyes were fixed, full of curiosity and a hint of adoration, on Duanmu Ci, who looked somewhat pale but stood straight.

Earlier, she had personally witnessed this young big brother use a magical light (in her Byakugan's vision, Duanmu Ci's Yang Style Chakra was like warm sunlight) to calm her Uncle Hizashi, who was in great pain, and restore his terrible arm, which was filled with dark energy (residual Lightning Style).

Duanmu Ci also noticed the timid little girl and offered her a gentle, tired smile.

Hinata's small face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple. She abruptly pulled her little head back and hid behind the clan member. But in her pure, large eyes, that gentle smile and the figure of him healing her clansman were deeply imprinted.