Patrol

Two days later, at the medical tent on the front lines of the Kumogakure battlefield.

[How are your injuries? That patrol mission I mentioned before—you can go out and carry it out now, right?]

Orochimaru looked at his disciple, his eyes revealing both sorrow and relief.

His disciple had just lost a teammate he had spent several years with, but in only two or three short days, he had already emerged from the gloom of losing his teammate. His current condition no longer seemed to affect his ability to carry out his upcoming missions.

Looking at Haku before him, Orochimaru could not help thinking once again of another disciple of his—Nawaki had been just like Haku back then. He could recover quickly from any blow and was always filled with hope and enthusiasm for everything. It was just a pity.

The figures of the two gradually overlapped in Orochimaru's eyes.

Suddenly, Orochimaru seemed to think of something, and his gaze turned cold.

[I hope it isn't what I'm imagining. Otherwise... heh heh!]

Haku looked at Orochimaru. After asking him that question, he had watched Orochimaru's expression change several times.

Although he did not know why Orochimaru was making that expression or what he was thinking about, it was better not to provoke Orochimaru in his current state. Thus, Haku replied timidly.

["Yes. The Medical Ninjutsu I learned from Lady Tsunade is almost ready for actual combat. I've treated myself over the past two days, and there's nothing seriously wrong with my body anymore. If necessary, I can go carry out the patrol mission right now."]

Hearing his disciple say that he was fine, Orochimaru thought for a moment before giving his instructions.

["If you're ready, then make your preparations. Tomorrow, go carry out the mission with Minato Namikaze."]

["You were injured so badly, yet recovered in only two days. It seems your Medical Ninjutsu has reached a considerable level."]

["After the war with Kumogakure ends, I'll go find Tsunade and see whether I can get the Creation Rebirth Jutsu and Yin Seal from her. In the meantime, find some time to study Sealing Jutsu. The Yin Seal requires a foundation in Sealing Jutsu."]

Orochimaru had already finished speaking and was preparing to leave when he seemed to think of something. He turned around and gave Haku a special reminder.

["And that secret technique of yours, the Eight Gates—if possible, use it less in the future. Although ninjas recover relatively quickly because of Chakra, I've recently discovered that the body's cellular activity has a fixed total amount. Every injury consumes some of that cellular activity. Be careful."]

Hearing Orochimaru bring up the issue of cellular activity in the human body, Haku understood that Orochimaru had already begun studying the human body. However, judging by the timing, he probably had not delved too deeply into it yet. As for whether he had begun human experimentation, he probably had not.

If Teacher Orochimaru has already begun human experimentation, then I need to prepare a way out for myself as well.

["All right, Teacher Orochimaru. I'll try to use it less. I was forced to use it last time, too. If I hadn't, I would have lost my life."]

Hearing Haku's words, Orochimaru did not say anything more. That was simply how ninjas were. They could find themselves unable to control their own actions at any time.

["Mm. As long as you know your limits."]

["Oh, right. You'll probably only have three months with Minato Namikaze. Make good use of those three months."]

Orochimaru left Haku's tent, telling Haku a time limit before he departed. In Haku's view, that would be the time when the two ninja villages either fought their final battle or declared a ceasefire.

After only Haku remained in the tent, he began assessing his current combat power.

This was the most serious injury he had suffered since coming to the Naruto World. His entire body had nearly been shattered, and there was hardly a single part of him that was unharmed. However, the feedback to his Combat Power from his Saiyan bloodline had also been the greatest this time.

Combat Power: 75

S-Cells: 60

Ninjutsu: 12

Taijutsu: 22

Genjutsu: 0

Intelligence: 16

Strength: 25

Speed: 19

Chakra: 32

Hand Seals: 6

Energy: 10.1

["Do I finally have the strength of a Jonin now?"]

Looking at his Jonin-level strength, Haku began fantasizing about the beautiful life he would have in the future.

["I hope there'll be enough enemies this time to gather enough energy to awaken the system directly. Otherwise, I'll have to keep participating in the war. Although it's easier to harvest enemies here on the Kumogakure battlefield, there are also more uncontrollable factors, making it more dangerous. If I kill too many people and stand out too much, I might attract the Raikage's attention. The Raikage of the Naruto World has no sense of honor at all. He loves nothing more than bullying the weak with overwhelming force, and the moment he gets a chance, he'll strike directly."]

["Besides, the dangers on this battlefield don't come only from Kumogakure. I know exactly how Nawaki died, and there's also that scroll from last time. I wonder how Teacher Orochimaru will arrange things."]

After checking the time, Haku rose and gathered his equipment, preparing to go out with Minato Namikaze the next day and make a big haul of Origin Energy from Chakra.