Sakura's First Meeting — The "Medical Saint's" Little Tagalong

A few days later, Taoyuan Village's tranquility was shattered by hurried footsteps and anxious cries.

"Doctor! Where's the doctor? Please, save my husband!" a young woman cried out, her voice choked with sobs. A haggard yet delicate-looking woman, Haruno Kizashi, staggered into the clearing before the clinic while struggling to support a man covered in blood and half-conscious—Haruno Arashi. A gash so deep that bone was visible tore across Arashi's left shoulder, blood staining half his body red. He had clearly encountered a formidable enemy during a mission.

"Quick! Bring him inside!" Shizune reacted first, immediately directing the nearby guards to help carefully carry Haruno Arashi into the clinic.

Duanmu Ci hurried over after receiving word. Seeing the injured man's condition, he frowned slightly. Not only was the wound deep, but its edges bore an unnatural charred black color, with traces of Lightning Style Chakra lingering within. It was also close to vital Chakra pathway nodes, making treatment particularly difficult. An ordinary Palm Immortal Technique would be far less effective.

"Lightning Style burns. The wound reaches the shoulder blade. There are minor tears in the Chakra pathways, and he's lost too much blood." Duanmu Ci made his assessment swiftly. His calm, steady voice instantly soothed the panicked Haruno Kizashi. "Leave him to me. He'll be fine."

He signaled for Shizune to prepare surgical instruments and bandages, then stepped up to the operating table himself. Rather than using large-scale Wood Release, he pushed the pure Yang Style Chakra and formidable control granted by his Sage Body to their limits. Soft green light enveloped his hands as he pressed them precisely onto the acupoints around the wound. First, he used Yang Style Chakra to forcibly disperse and neutralize the violent residual Lightning Style Chakra, like a precision instrument clearing impurities from a circuit board.

Then, his Chakra entered the depths of the wound like the nimblest threads, accurately locating damaged blood vessels and torn muscle fibers. Under the astonished eyes of Shizune and the other medical ninja, the severed tissue slowly wriggled and fused together at a visible rate under the stimulation of powerful Yang Style Chakra! At the same time, Duanmu Ci's other hand did not rest, moving so quickly it left afterimages as he cleaned and sutured the wound. Every motion was smooth and precise, as though he had practiced it countless times.

In less than twenty minutes, the once gruesome wound had been perfectly sutured. The bleeding had stopped, the charred marks had vanished, and only the fresh red stitches remained. Though Haruno Arashi's face was still pale, his breathing had steadied. He was clearly out of danger.

"Whew..." Duanmu Ci withdrew his Chakra, fine beads of sweat appearing at his temples. He had deliberately shown the strain; it was not an act. Looking at Haruno Kizashi, who was so tense she could barely breathe, he gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry. The wound has been treated, and the Lightning Style corrosion has been cleared. With some rest and medication, it won't affect his future missions."

"Th-Thank you! Lord Duanmu, thank you!" Haruno Kizashi burst into tears of joy and was about to kneel and bow her head in thanks. She had long heard of the great "Konoha Azure Dragon" and the "Medical Saint of Taoyuan," but witnessing such miraculous, life-saving medical skill in person left her beyond shocked.

Just then, a little pink head timidly poked out from behind Haruno Kizashi. Pink short hair, a broad forehead, and a pair of emerald-green eyes brimming with curiosity, nervousness, and a trace of barely concealed admiration. It was none other than five-year-old Haruno Sakura.

She had witnessed everything just now. When she saw her father carried in covered in blood, her little face had turned deathly pale as she clutched her mother's skirt tightly. But then she saw that tall, handsome "Medical Saint" walk over. His hands could glow with light—Medical Ninjutsu—and he moved as fast as lightning—such exquisite skill—and then... that terrifying wound had... had healed?! Daddy had stopped bleeding too! To Sakura's simple young mind, it was nothing short of magic!

"M-Mommy..." Sakura softly tugged at Kizashi's skirt, but her large eyes never left Duanmu Ci, especially his hands that had just shone with green light. "W-Was it this lord... who saved Daddy?" Her voice held a child's characteristic clarity, along with a slight tremble.

"Yes, Sakura." Kizashi wiped her tears and pulled her daughter in front of her. "Lord Duanmu, this is my daughter, Haruno Sakura. Sakura, hurry and thank Lord Duanmu!"

Sakura was nudged before Duanmu Ci and looked up close at this legendary great man. He carried a faint scent of medicinal herbs, wore a gentle smile, and had bright eyes that reminded her of the clearest spring deep in the forest. Her little face instantly turned scarlet, and her fingers twisted together nervously. Yet she still gathered her courage and shouted with all her strength, "Th-Thank you, Lord Duanmu! For saving Daddy!" Though her voice was loud, it clearly trembled with shyness.

Duanmu Ci looked at the little girl before him, with her pink hair, full forehead, clear yet stubborn eyes, and paused slightly. Then his smile became even more sincere. He crouched down until his gaze was level with Sakura's and said gently, "No need to thank me, Sakura. It's my duty. You're very brave." At a glance, he could tell that although this little girl was nervous and shy, there was a resilience far beyond her age in her eyes, as well as a thirst for knowledge. More importantly, the flow of Chakra within her was unusually stable and condensed—she possessed an innate talent for Chakra control! The foundation that would one day allow her to precisely control Chakra while climbing trees and walking on water during the Chunin Exams was already beginning to show.

Praised as "brave" by the "Medical Saint," who seemed like a god to her, Sakura felt as though a little deer had slammed into her heart. It pounded wildly in her chest, and her face reddened further, nearly steaming. Yet an immense wave of joy and pride instantly washed away all her nervousness. She nodded hard, her emerald eyes sparkling as she looked at Duanmu Ci as though he were the brightest star in the world.

"Alright, take your husband to a ward and let him rest. Change his bandages on time," Duanmu Ci said as he stood, instructing Kizashi.

Over the following days, Haruno Arashi recuperated in a ward in Taoyuan Village. Sakura practically pestered her mother to visit her father every day. But her thoughts were clearly not entirely on him. She always found one excuse or another to secretly slip near the clinic, hiding behind pillars or trees and peeking out with her little head, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the busy figure inside.

She watched Duanmu Ci use miraculous "green light" to heal one suffering patient after another;

She watched Duanmu Ci patiently teach orphans not much older than herself to identify medicinal herbs;

She watched Duanmu Ci stand high above, directing everyone as they built their home, with everyone listening to him;

She watched the highly capable Sister Shizune and the seemingly gentle Aunt Nonō treat him with tremendous respect...

There was none of Konoha Village's noise and indifference here. This place was filled with hope and warmth, and at the center of it all seemed to be Lord Duanmu.

"So amazing... really amazing..." Sakura murmured. A thought, like a tender shoot breaking through the earth, began to grow wildly in her heart. "If... if I could be like Lord Duanmu too... if I could use that miraculous power to save people... make everyone stop suffering... make everyone smile..."

"I want to become a medical ninja as amazing as Lord Duanmu!"

That wish was ignited deep within her young heart like the hottest spark. Duanmu Ci's figure became the first—and brightest—beacon on her path through life. She was no longer merely the little girl who had panicked when her father was injured. Her eyes now held a goal to pursue, and light. The pink-haired girl became a new, lively sight in Taoyuan Village—and a little "tagalong" quietly beginning to sprout behind Duanmu Ci.