Learn Medicine Can't Save the Land of Rain

The topmost floor of the administrative building pierced through the hazy, dim sky, like a gaunt giant draped in a gray coat, silently watching over this land.

This was the highest point in all of Dawn City, and the place where the bell tolled at the break of dawn.

The one responsible for ringing that bell was the one who swept away the night's veil.

Crack!

The door to the top floor of the administrative building was pushed open, stirring up a chaotic, disorderly current of air. Nagato walked in, dressed in black and holding a black umbrella.

This floor was already filled with a uniform line of black-clad figures, wearing white masks, exuding a cold, murderous aura.

Even though the top floor seemed packed to the brim, there was not a hint of noise. Only the sound of footsteps and the rustle of clothing could be heard, with only the occasional hushed discussion.

Even in silence, a single glance was enough for them to coordinate their tasks seamlessly.

They were like black owls, flitting between the funerals of different people.

Even when they saw Nagato walk in, they showed no reaction.

Nagato paid them no mind either, walking lightly into the room and heading straight for the restroom.

He locked the door, checked the latch to confirm no one would suddenly barge in, and then leaned against the door in exhaustion. One hand pressed against his waist while the other pulled off his clothes.

The clothes beneath his coat were soaked with cold sweat. After peeling away the bloodstained bandages layer by layer, he revealed a wound on his lower right abdomen that had scabbed over and split open again.

Nagato bit down on a towel, retrieved the medical kit from the cabinet without looking back, took a few deep breaths, and then gritted his teeth as he carefully wiped the wound with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball.

"Mmph!!"

The sudden, searing pain nearly drained his strength. His vision went black for a moment, and it took half a minute before he could see again.

Only when the wound stopped bleeding did he apply a special ointment, press a gauze pad against it, and wrap it tightly with bandages.

"Tch!"

Nagato ground his teeth, squinting as he cursed under his breath, "To think a guy like that could leave me in such a state."

He had assumed that the one codenamed "Owl" was just a support role, but he hadn't expected the man's perception to be strong enough to detect him appearing from behind.

In the end, just as his elder brother had said with such meaning, that final counterattack before death had still managed to wound him.

The massive surge of adrenaline had kept him from feeling the pain at the time, but once his tense nerves relaxed, the pain came back with a vengeance, twice as intense.

"Hah!"

Nagato let out an irritated breath, brushed his sweat-soaked red hair back, and lowered his head to undo the black bandage over his eyes. He closed his eyes and lifted his face toward the restroom mirror.

A moment later, his trembling eyelids slowly opened, and his entire demeanor shifted in an instant.

What kind of eyes were those!

Purple, circular, winding patterns stretched inward across his pupils, seeming to writhe slightly under the light as his pupils contracted. A faint, flickering purple glow deep within was like a ghostly flame.

They carried a bewitching beauty, yet were also filled with a deep, evil aura that stirred a sense of unease from the depths of one's psyche.

"..."

The mirror reflected a pair of aggressive purple eyes, and those eyes reflected Nagato's pale face. An uncontrollable look of disgust rose on his features.

The more his perception developed, the more he could sense the sinister nature of these eyes. That chakra was filled with a nauseating presence.

That foul stench had nothing in common with his own aura. He could even feel his own chakra being corrupted in reverse.

This made Nagato believe even more in the excuse Yun Chuan had seemingly let slip unintentionally.

--These truly were a pair of "cursed" eyes!

According to the original course of events, he was supposed to meet Jiraiya-sensei, who was searching for the Child of Prophecy, and be seen as a hope for peace.

But unlike the original development, Yun Chuan had found Nagato first.

He hadn't been pinned with the expectation of being a savior by Jiraiya-sensei because of these eyes, nor had he regarded them as anything remarkable. He certainly hadn't clung to them as a lifeline after Yahiko's death.

Without Jiraiya-sensei implanting a preconceived notion in him, combined with the Uzumaki Clan's innate perception—strong enough to judge whether someone was lying by sensing their chakra—

Nagato had easily detected the abnormality of these eyes. Through his memories, he had sniffed out more details that sent chills down his spine.

He had once briefly sensed a feeling of being watched, but that feeling had vanished almost instantly, so fleeting that he wondered if it was just his imagination.

"...It's fine."

He slowly closed his eyes, retied the black bandage, and said in a low voice, "They're just eyes. That's all."

Since that was the case, he simply wouldn't use them.

Nagato's lowered face was filled with indifference. His words sounded like he was talking to himself, or perhaps muttering to his reflection in the mirror.

What mattered now was pulling himself together.

To go meet the "relative" his elder brother had mentioned.

"A pair of cursed eyes? Suspected of being able to inversely influence the owner's mind?"

Looking at the conclusion given by that "Psychiatrist" on the report, Yahiko's thick brows knitted tightly together as he murmured, "Can something this terrible really exist?"

Besides Nagato, the report recorded a total of thirty people.

Of course, aside from Nagato, all were anonymous.

"That Psychiatrist is a guy with a special and rare talent."

Yun Chuan tapped the table and casually explained, "Her main task is to serve as the 'psychological counselor' for Dawn members, observing and evaluating their mental state through conversation and contact."

And these thirty people were the most typical examples, with issues being emotional volatility, nightmares, and bloodlust.

Yun Chuan wasn't too surprised by this result.

After all, even children under ten had several lives on their hands. Even Konoha would have squad leaders protect genin while they killed Mountain Bandits.

Fugaku Uchiha was even bizarre enough to bring his three-year-old son to the battlefield, making him witness firsthand the mutual slaughter and hatred between people in war.

When Itachi asked why strangers would engage in meaningless killing, Fugaku replied matter-of-factly: "This isn't a fight between people, but between nations."

Yes, that's right.

Every country seemed to have endless reasons, every country seemed to have endless demands.

Resources, hatred, politics, population, environment...

Since they were human, they had their own demands. With demands came desires, which then squeezed others' living space.

But instead of trying to make the pie bigger, they stared at that little slice and fought to the death over it...

Of course, Yun Chuan had no particular grievance with ninja. He just regretted their deaths—if they had become tools in his hands, they could have created far more value.

Endless wars, unceasing conflicts year after year.

Human life was like fine snowflakes, turning into fragmented mist in the flames of war.

Without even needing to be touched, they melted into the world.

Given the harsh environment of the ninja world, with its constant warfare and brutal, bloody education, it would be strange if these people raised from childhood to be executioners weren't psychologically twisted.

In comparison, Yun Chuan placed great importance on Dawn's mental state.

What he wanted was military combat power—people who could even serve as instructors after retirement—not a bunch of numb killing tools that could only be scrapped at home when war ended.

Without the mentality to control great power, they were just rampaging barbarians.

After several psychological counseling sessions from that "Psychiatrist," Dawn members' psychological issues had eased quite a bit.

"Ah."

Thinking of this, Yun Chuan sighed with some headache and murmured, "At the root of it all, it comes down to military reform and educational reform..."

To completely reform a country's ideological landscape, institutions were always the ultimate issue that couldn't be ignored.

A ninja village's main economic pillars, besides the Lord's funding, were so-called mission quotas.

Ninja earned money by completing commissioned missions, with the village acting only as a platform taking a cut.

This completely mission-based employment nature made it nothing more than a mercenary organization.

In wartime, the reason to gather these "mercenaries" became so-called "nation and home."

It was a completely incongruous mess—how was this like a supreme military defense institution?

"By the way, boss."

Yahiko's gaze lifted from the report as he looked up at Yun Chuan curiously and asked, "This 'Psychiatrist'—is she still in the city now?"

"...Her."

Yun Chuan snapped back to reality, looked out the window, and shook his head with a smile. His gaze was fixed on the northeast as he said calmly, "I sent her to the Land of Lightning on an important mission."

"I told her, studying medicine can't save the Land of Rain, nor can it save the ninja world."

Rumble!!

At the same time, on a towering, cloud-shrouded mountain peak, Kumogakure was awakened by thunder carried across the sky by a white serpent.

"Ah-choo!"

Inside a hospital room in Kumogakure, a young woman wearing glasses sneezed.

"Doctor?" The man sitting across from her instinctively showed concern.

His dark-skinned face was painted with deep blue diamond-shaped markings, his half-white, half-green hair looking especially strange, and he exuded an aura of visible confusion.

"Don't worry, Fukai." The woman waved her hand, her demeanor returning to its original gentleness as she looked at the man and smiled slightly. "Let's continue where we left off."

"Does being a Jinchuriki make you feel very painful?"