Eating Soft Rice?

Inside the Stone Ninja camp.

"You're telling me you didn't find it?"

Ōnoki's brow was tightly furrowed as he stared at the subordinate kneeling before him in report, his tone filled with disbelief.

When he had unleashed Dust Release earlier, it wasn't meant to kill the Five-Tails, but more to render it immobile.

After precisely hitting the target, he focused on dealing with the combined assault from Orochimaru and Jiraiya. Who would have thought that after driving the two back, the Five-Tails would vanish from the entire Land of Rain battlefield without a trace?

He dispatched a large number of ninja to search, but all came back empty-handed. The only evidence pointed to the Five-Tails disappearing into thin air after being attacked?

"Keep searching. How could such a big Five-Tails just go missing like that?"

Inside the newly established Konoha camp.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya had just returned from their fierce battle with Ōnoki and were now handling post-war affairs under Orochimaru's command.

They had also learned that Team 17, which Nawaki belonged to, was the very spark that ignited this incident.

Some ninja had already found the remains of Hyuga Teruki, the jonin, at the epicenter of the Five-Tails battlefield. As for the three genin under his command, their whereabouts were currently unknown, but judging by the grim scene, it seemed unlikely they had survived.

Orochimaru was frowning as he dealt with the myriad post-war matters in the camp. Beside him, Jiraiya wore a troubled expression, unsure how to break the news to Tsunade.

"Report, members of Team 17... have returned." A ninja pushed open the camp door to report.

"Who returned?"

Orochimaru and Jiraiya suddenly looked up, their gazes sharp as torches fixed on the ninja before them. The ninja, under the simultaneous scrutiny of two Kage-level powerhouses, grew nervous and stammered in reply.

"It's... all of them have returned. They're currently receiving treatment in the medical unit."

"?"

Jiraiya was stunned, while Orochimaru's brow relaxed slightly, the tense atmosphere in the tent easing a notch.

After the reporting ninja withdrew, Jiraiya asked awkwardly:

"Orochimaru, tell me honestly... was Team Nawaki's composition falsified?"

Orochimaru was momentarily speechless. After all, this was indeed surreal. Team 17 had been at the epicenter of the Five-Tails' rampage, and even their jonin leader had been confirmed dead.

Now you're telling me all three genin came back in one piece? Forget genin—even three jonin would have struggled in that situation.

Orochimaru sped up handling the urgent matters at hand, while Jiraiya, unable to contain himself, headed to the medical unit first to check on things, mainly worried about Nawaki's condition.

Inside the camp at that moment, the medical ninja were equally shocked by the trio's survival. Literally speaking, not only were Nawaki and Aburame Shibi covered in injuries with severe internal damage, but Namikaze Yoru's condition was even more horrifying—his meridians were almost entirely ruptured, his bones broken countless times, and not a single intact spot could be found on his body.

Jiraiya's arrival caused a stir, but the three on the hospital beds were unable to move.

With only a superficial grasp of Medical Ninjutsu, Jiraiya could only sigh and call it a "medical miracle."

Soon after, Orochimaru arrived. As a future renowned "human scientist," he had also made achievements in the medical field. After reviewing the three's medical records, his gaze lingered long on Namikaze Yoru's diagnosis.

Jiraiya might only see severe injuries, but Orochimaru could tell that this kid would likely never be a ninja again.

By nature, he wouldn't choose to hide the truth. Instead, he stated it very directly, adding that even if Tsunade personally intervened, it would probably be beyond saving.

Hearing this, Nawaki became agitated, even trying to struggle upright: "Brother Yoru saved us—there has to be a way!"

Beside him, Shibi nodded heavily. They refused to believe that Namikaze Yoru, who had shone like a comet, would fall here.

As the one at the center of it all, Namikaze Yoru remained calm, as if he had anticipated this.

Combined with Nawaki and Shibi's account of their narrow escape on the battlefield, Orochimaru and Jiraiya held this Civilian Genius in even higher regard, their regret deepening.

In truth, Namikaze Yoru had a grievance he couldn't voice. He wanted to just exchange for a "Body Rapid Repair" and be back on his feet in no time.

But if he dared to do that, he'd probably be sent straight to a Konoha lab to see if he'd awakened some Senju Hashirama-like constitution.

For now, he could only lie on the hospital bed, waiting for the day he could show them a real "medical miracle."

Orochimaru and Jiraiya didn't stay long. As battlefield commanders, they had busy schedules, and only Nawaki's special status could have drawn them away for a visit.

After they left, Nawaki remained unusually agitated, repeatedly saying to Namikaze Yoru:

"Brother Yoru, don't worry! My sister is the best medical ninja. I'll make sure she does everything to heal you."

"Mm."

Having already revealed many of his cards in front of them, Namikaze Yoru could only respond faintly.

To Nawaki, this reaction seemed almost like giving up. He believed that Namikaze Yoru must have paid unimaginable effort to achieve his current strength.

He silently resolved in his heart to help him recover no matter what, even if it meant exhausting the entire Senju Clan's resources.

One night passed.

The next morning, Namikaze Yoru opened his eyes right on time. The three of them were to be transferred back to Konoha. Nawaki and Shibi were in better shape, needing only a period of rest and recovery, but his injuries required Tsunade's personal attention.

The journey back to the village was uneventful. Orochimaru assigned a team that was returning to Konoha for rest to escort them.

Upon arriving in Konoha, the three were sent directly to Konoha Hospital. There, Tsunade, in a white coat, was treating the injured.

After finishing the cases at hand, she quickly walked into the ward.

First, he examined Nawaki's injuries, confirming they matched the medical report that had been sent back, and only then did he let out a slight sigh of relief.

Immediately after, he came to Namikaze Yoru's bedside, channeling Medical Ninjutsu chakra that glowed with a faint green light in his hands, carefully probing his physical condition.

Unexpectedly, after one night, his condition had improved significantly—flesh and bones were rapidly recovering, but the chakra pathways remained a tangled mess, with a grim outlook.

As Tsunade's beautiful face grew heavier with each probe, her expression toward Namikaze Yoru turned somewhat reluctant.

After a thorough examination, she spoke solemnly: "Don't worry! As Nawaki's lifesaver, I will do everything to heal you." Feeling she might have spoken too confidently, she added, "Even in the worst case... the Senju Clan will support you for life."

Nawaki, standing nearby, quickly nodded in agreement.

Only Namikaze Yoru, listening to the siblings' back-and-forth, felt something was off—and after a moment's thought, he couldn't help but think: "Does this mean I've got bad teeth and am living off soft food?"