"I'm not unwilling to help, but my Medical Ninjutsu is only at an amateur level. If even the best doctors at Konoha Hospital can't do anything, expecting me to work a miracle... I'm afraid there's nothing I can do."
It wasn't that Sōken didn't want to help.
If this opportunity could open up the social circles that the various clans in the village had long since closed off to the Uchiha, that would undoubtedly be a good thing.
The problem was that the request Kurama Murakumo had made was genuinely asking too much.
This wasn't a problem you could solve with brute force!
Healing the sick and saving lives wasn't his specialty. He was an expert at killing and setting things on fire!
"I understand your concerns, Sōken, but I still hope you'll come and take a look. Whatever the final outcome, the Kurama Clan is willing to maintain friendly relations with yours from now on." Kurama Murakumo had no intention of giving up. He even put his clan on the line as leverage.
This wasn't a unilateral decision made by him as clan head.
It was a joint decision made by the powers within their clan.
"...I understand."
After he'd put it that way, refusing again would be rather rude. The Kurama Clan had once been said to rival the Uchiha Clan in Genjutsu, but in truth, there was no deep-seated conflict or hatred between the two clans.
The Uchiha were famously unloved by everyone. They were already having a hard enough time without the Kurama Clan kicking them while they were down.
The Kurama Clan had its own troubles it couldn't easily discuss with outsiders. The inheritance of its Kekkei Genkai was extremely unstable; only one person in several generations might be born with the talent to inherit it. And the prodigy of this generation had been frail and sickly since childhood, leaving the clan with a whole host of problems to untangle. They had no time to go looking for trouble with the Uchiha.
"I'll take a look, but I can't promise anything. I can only say that I'll do my best." Sōken nodded and agreed.
"That's enough! That's enough! If nothing can be done... then there's nothing we can do."
"Then tell me when, and I'll come by."
"No need to go to all that trouble. We can go now!"
"...At the hospital?"
Sōken paused, then understood.
That made sense.
Even a powerful clan like the Uchiha had to admit that the introduction of the medical ninja system had been an outstanding innovation. A medical facility like Konoha Hospital was something the ninja clans of the past could never have established. Compared to the medical ninjas trained within the clans, whose abilities varied widely, Konoha Hospital's medical staff were far more trustworthy.
"Exactly. Today is Yakumo's routine checkup at the hospital. It's once every half month, and right now my wife is there with the child for the examination." Kurama Murakumo stood up. "Sōken, sorry for the trouble, but please wait a moment. I'll go bring Yakumo over."
"There's no need for all that trouble! I'll come with you and take a look. I've been cooped up in the hospital room for days. It'll be nice to get out for a bit."
"...All right!"
Kurama Murakumo hesitated, but didn't refuse.
After all, he'd already walked into Sōken's hospital room carrying a basket of fruit. So what if people saw him walking around with Uchiha Sōken too? With the Third and his people being so suspicious, it wouldn't make any difference. From the moment he'd entered this room, the Kurama Clan had probably been added to some list or other.
Still, given the Kurama Clan's steady decline, they probably weren't very high on it. There was no need to worry too much about being targeted and suppressed right away.
Sōken got out of bed.
He was wearing the standard hospital gown issued by Konoha Hospital. He didn't bother changing, just slipped on his slippers and walked out with Kurama Murakumo.
"Arashiyama, it's nothing serious. I'm going with Senior Murakumo to see a patient." Sōken waved for Uchiha Arashiyama to return to the Police Force; there was no need for him to waste any more time here. "Also, I don't plan to leave the hospital for another two or three days. The Police Force will still need you to handle things. Come find me if anything comes up."
"Understood."
Uchiha Arashiyama nodded, then urged him, "But Sōken, I think it'd be better not to put it off for too long. If the clan members' enthusiasm fades..."
"Don't worry. If anyone dares cause me trouble right in front of me, I won't mind making an example of a few more people."
Sōken put extra emphasis on the word "front."
Uchiha Arashiyama understood. The Mangekyō Sharingan... He knew that secret. In other words, unless someone had lost all their direct elders, or their ancestors had been Chunin, Genin, or even non-ninja for several generations in a row, it wasn't difficult to learn a few things about the Mangekyō Sharingan.
It was simply that the elders strictly forbade clan members from spreading information about the Mangekyō Sharingan at will. Just like the secret meetings at the Naka Shrine, only Jonin were entitled to know; Chunin and Genin had no access to such secrets.
Seeing that Sōken already had a plan, Uchiha Arashiyama said no more. He performed the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from in front of Sōken and Kurama Murakumo.
"All right, Senior Murakumo. Lead the way!"
"This way!"
Kurama Murakumo was a decisive man. The strong scholarly air about him couldn't wash away the habits of a ninja at his core: economical and efficient. That was the usual way of doing things for ninjas. Hesitation and dithering were rare.
They crossed the second-floor corridor, went up the stairs to the fourth floor, and arrived at the chief physician's office.
Though the Kurama Clan had been declining, the fact that they'd been invited to the meeting four days ago showed they hadn't truly fallen into obscurity. Even a sinking ship had three thousand nails left, as the saying went. The Kurama Clan still had enough influence to secure a chief physician as their family doctor.
"Big brother."
A man who looked even older than Kurama Murakumo stood by the door. When he saw Kurama Murakumo and Sōken approaching, he immediately straightened up and greeted them.
"Yunhai, how's the examination going?"
Kurama Murakumo asked.
The man, who looked much older than Kurama Murakumo, was Kurama Yunhai, Kurama Murakumo's younger brother. For some reason, though, Kurama Yunhai had rather unfortunate looks and seemed to have aged far too quickly. He was clearly two years younger than Kurama Murakumo, yet looked more like the older brother.
"They're still examining her... and, well, big sister-in-law is inside watching. It's not very convenient to go in right now."
Kurama Yunhai spoke hesitantly.
Kurama Murakumo understood. His wife was quite old-fashioned. Even though Yakumo was only five, whenever she had to take off her clothes for an examination, she sent all the men out.
"Yunhai, let me introduce you. This is Uchiha Sōken, head of the Uchiha Clan and director of the Police Force."
"Uchiha Clan Head!"
Kurama Yunhai bowed respectfully.
"Sōken, this is my younger brother, Yunhai," Kurama Murakumo said, turning back to introduce him to Sōken.
Sōken nodded slightly in greeting.
Just then, the tightly shut door beside them opened without a sound.
Before you continue