I Have Rendered Service to the Village! I Have Bled for the Kazekage!

"Those at the back, stop lining up! There are no more slots today. If you want Lord Hoshino to treat you, come back tomorrow."

The young nurse stood outside the ward and shouted at the long, winding line before her. Yet no matter how hoarse she became, no one was willing to leave. They all hoped that, seeing so many people waiting, Hoshino Maki might treat a few more patients—and perhaps they would be among them.

The young nurse stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the crowd with both annoyance and helplessness. The whole situation felt rather absurd.

A group of patients standing in a long line to ask someone wearing a patient gown to treat them—if this happened at night, it could be filmed as a horror movie.

Her gaze swept over the crowd. Seeing those humble, pleading eyes filled with pain, the young nurse sighed inwardly and stopped trying to drive them away. Instead, she walked to the ward door and peeked through its glass window. Once she saw that Hoshino Maki had finished treating his patient, she trotted inside and began massaging his shoulders with a slightly ingratiating smile.

"Mei, tell me. How many people did you squeeze in today?"

After spending several days in the hospital, Hoshino Maki had already become friendly with many of the young nurses. If not for concerns about his reputation, he would probably be considering what to name their children by now.

"Um... twenty!"

Mei stuck out her tongue. She had left a few extra slots open in case more people came later.

Thanks to the young nurses' talent for gossip, the title of Divine Doctor in Hospital Gown had become famous throughout the hospital. Many patients who had once been beyond treatment, or had even received critical condition notices, had been brought back from the brink by him. They then became Hoshino Maki's voluntary promoters, spreading his name throughout the village.

Hoshino Maki had been hoping some genius would take issue with him and come to challenge his clinic. Yet whether Moyuzi had given orders or those people simply knew they were inferior, nothing of the sort ever happened. He had prepared several pretentious one-liners and had not gotten to use a single one.

Quite a few Medical Ninja came to observe and learn, but there was very little they could actually pick up.

Because Hoshino Maki just brute-forced everything through his control over Chakra!

Bleeding?

Just use Chakra to stop it!

The bones weren't set properly?

Break them again with Chakra and do it over. What was so difficult about that?

How was anyone supposed to learn that?!

It was like going to learn basketball from Jordan, only for Jordan to tell you: "It's simple. First, jump up. Then wait for him to jump and land before taking your shot."

Who the hell could learn from that?!

So batch after batch of Medical Ninja came to study, rotating even faster than KTV fruit platters. But aside from sighing that freakishly talented people were not to be messed with, very few learned anything.

Still, those who picked up even a little later became the backbone of Sunagakure's Medical Department.

Hoshino Maki did not refuse the young nurse. Smiling, he nodded. "Let me have some tea and rest for a bit. We'll continue in five minutes."

"I'll get it, I'll get it. The usual—dried tangerine peel and mint, right?"

Before Hoshino Maki could speak, the young nurse had already voiced his request and hurried out with the teapot.

Every Medical Ninja enjoyed lofty status, so most carried a measure of pride. Outstanding Medical Ninja like Hoshino Maki, who had no airs at all and could get along with anyone, were exceedingly rare. Naturally, they were also more popular.

Especially with young nurses, who were used to Medical Ninja acting high and mighty. They felt especially close to Hoshino Maki because of how approachable he was. There was not much they could do for him, so they did their best to make his daily life more comfortable.

"Wait."

Hoshino Maki stopped Mei. "Buy some fruit and hand it out to the people in line. Give me the receipt later—I'll get Lord Moyuzi to reimburse it."

Mei had been deeply moved by the first half of his words, feeling that the radiance of humanity shining from Lord Hoshino was so dazzling that it made her feel ashamed of herself.

But upon hearing the second half... uh. Lord Hoshino was still so witty and humorous.

Still, that was good too. Perfect character inspired respect, but lacked a bit of human warmth. Someone like Hoshino Maki instead made people unable to resist wanting to get closer to him.

Come to think of it, it was perfectly normal for Medical Ninja to marry nurses, right?

Mei lowered her head, trying her best to hide her flushed pretty face, then hurried away in a fluster.

"Don't forget my tea!"

Hoshino Maki shouted after her retreating figure, then pinched his temples with his thumb and middle finger.

He had made the mistake that many men made: thinking he was far more capable than he actually was.

He had imagined himself as a Humanoid Tailed Beast, but after several days of testing, his Chakra reserves were only around the level of a Jonin.

It was merely because his Chakra control was precise and his efficiency was high that he appeared to have reached the level of an Elite Jonin.

As everyone knew, Chakra was produced by evenly combining Spiritual Energy and Physical Energy. Perhaps because two souls had fused together, Hoshino Maki's Spiritual Energy was extraordinarily abundant—enough to surpass even Chiyo.

Thus, Hoshino Maki guessed that his Spiritual Energy might be Kage-level. After all, among the Kazekage Village's suspected Kage-level experts, one had died, one had fled, and another guarded Shukaku, making it impossible to meet him under normal circumstances. So he could only guess.

Compared with his Spiritual Energy, his Physical Energy was much weaker, only at the level of an ordinary Chunin.

That was normal enough. Physical training could not be accomplished overnight, and the original Hoshino Maki had only been at Chunin level.

In other words, his body's hardware had now become the Stumbling Block limiting his Chakra reserves, preventing his high-performance graphics card of Spiritual Energy from running at full speed.

Speaking of Taijutsu, it was unrealistic to expect Xiao Ziluo to create the Seven Days Breathing Method right now. That meant he could only go begging at Konoha.

In the Konoha section of the little notebook in his heart, Hoshino Maki added another mark.

The treatments went smoothly. After the twenty slots were filled, several more people arrived. Seeing that they truly had difficulties, Hoshino Maki treated them as well.

"They came later, so why are you treating them but not us? Are you looking down on us?!"

Five ninja around twenty years old stood in the inpatient department corridor with their hands on their hips, their forehead protectors tied crookedly and their ninja uniforms ragged and worn. Their faces were full of menace.

The leader, a ninja with blue markings painted across his face, pointed at Mei's nose and snarled, "Go! Tell that brat Hoshino Maki to come out and treat me. I've risked my life on the front lines, and now you're putting on airs over treating my illness? Is this how you repay our sacrifices?!"

After saying that, the man grabbed his collar with both hands and yanked it apart, revealing a bare chest covered in dense scars.

Following the Flower-faced Ninja's lead, his companions also bared their chests, displaying the medals of honor they had earned in service to the village. They turned to show them to the surrounding crowd, shouting indignantly, "I've rendered service to the village! I've bled for the Kazekage! Is Hoshino Maki just going to ignore us?!"

Seeing this, the people nearby gathered in small groups and began whispering among themselves.

Mei's face had turned red, and tears filled her eyes, yet she still refused to retreat even half a step.

She was young, but working in a hospital—a place that saw every facet of life every day—had given her some ability to judge people.

These people had clearly come looking for trouble. She absolutely could not let them meet Hoshino Maki.

Once they met, if Hoshino Maki complied with their demands, all the effort he had put into the hospital during this time would go to waste.

The Ninja World revered strength. Hoshino Maki had now become one of the hospital's new faces. Showing weakness to them would not only ruin his own reputation, but also damage the standing of the hospital and even the Chiyo Clan behind it, creating serious obstacles for his future development.

Besides, judging by the way these people looked, meeting him was only the first step. They still had more tricks up their sleeves.

If he refused to treat them, the accusation that a Medical Ninja had stood by and watched frontline casualties die without helping would be enough to make it hard for Hoshino Maki to remain in Sunagakure. It might even draw the hostility of some more radical ninjas.

Thinking of this, the little girl stepped sideways, spread her arms, and blocked the vicious-looking ninjas. Raising her head, she gathered her courage and shouted, "Lord Hoshino has already treated more patients than usual today and is very tired. If you're in a hurry, I can take you to another Medical Ninja."

The visitors had not expected a mere little nurse to dare stand in their way. Annoyed, one of them said, "They say Doctor Hoshino's treatments have short recovery times. We just want to recover quickly so we can return to the battlefield and fight for the village. What, does the great Doctor Hoshino not even have time to see us? I'd like to see what he's so busy doing!"

As he spoke, the Flower-faced Ninja pressed a hand onto Mei's shoulder and tried to shove her aside. Mei bit down on her lip, shut her eyes, and refused to yield. She had already prepared to give the last of her strength.

Huh?

The expected spinning sensation and the cold touch of the floor never came. Instead, Hoshino Maki's gentle voice sounded by her ear. "Are you alright, Mei?"

The moment Mei heard that voice, she felt as though she had found something to rely on. Opening her eyes, she saw Hoshino Maki's hand pressed over the other man's hand on her left shoulder.

One hand was fair and slender, like that of a pianist; the other was covered in calluses and countless tiny scars, clearly belonging to someone proficient in hand-to-hand combat.

Yet the outcome was astonishing.

The Flower-faced Ninja's face reddened. His feet spread into a horse stance, his waist tightened, and his right arm trembled faintly with exertion. Though he used all his strength, he could not pull his hand free.

"Looking at that stance of yours, you seem perfectly healthy."

Hoshino Maki's expression remained unchanged as he smiled and teased the man.

The people behind the Flower-faced Ninja also lost their threatening expressions, their faces turning grave.

Wasn't he supposed to be a Medical Ninja? How could he so easily restrain a Jonin?

They had only been at the front lines for a few months. Had the definition of a Medical Ninja in the ninja world already changed this much?

"Mei, go tend to your work. I'll take care of these patients."

Mei carefully slipped her shoulder out from beneath the other man's hand, bowed deeply to Hoshino Maki, then hurried downstairs to notify Moyuzi.

"You are all warriors who shed blood for the village, so—" An unnatural flush suddenly appeared on Hoshino Maki's jade-like face. Frowning, he pulled out a handkerchief and covered his mouth, coughing twice in silent but violent bursts. Dots of crimson seeped into the white handkerchief.

He tucked the handkerchief into his sleeve as if trying to hide the truth from himself, then forced a smile. "It's nothing. Let's go inside. I will certainly do everything in my power to treat you all."

As he spoke, he stepped aside and gestured for the ninjas to enter the room.

"Tch. A little trick to win people over."

At the end of the corridor, a dashing Female Ninja stood with her arms crossed and one leg supporting her weight, leaning lazily against the wall as she spoke with some disdain.

"But it works, doesn't it?"

The man beside her had short, spiky dark-red hair and an icy expression as he replied.

The Female Ninja glanced at the onlookers. Most of them looked at Hoshino Maki with a measure of reverence. Even those who could tell that he was putting on an act did not speak up to expose him.

Because they knew there was no point.

If they claimed that a Medical Ninja who had devoted himself to treating villagers until he coughed up blood was merely acting, whom would people believe?

Besides, compared to the vile behavior of those ninjas, Hoshino Maki trying to gain a little prestige from this did not seem all that unacceptable.

The Female Ninja curled her lip. "Enough of that. I haven't congratulated you yet on becoming a father again."

The Red-haired Ninja's cold face thawed slightly. The corners of his mouth lifted as he nodded. "Thank you. Pakura, your opponent this time will be no pushover. The Cloud Ninja's first wave of attacks may only be a test. The situation does not look good."

"Don't worry. I'll evaporate every last one of them."

Pakura raised her head like a proud white swan, a confident smile on her face.

"I'm going to see my subordinates. Give Karura my regards."

"You're not going to meet Hoshino Maki?"

"Forget it. As long as he saves people properly at the base when the time comes, that'll be enough."

Pakura waved as she walked away. Judging from appearances alone, no one would have guessed that this exquisite model-like woman, as if she had stepped out of a Korean comic, already had the souls of hundreds of ninjas from Iwagakure and the Mist Village on her hands. Now, it was the Cloud Ninja's turn to taste the power of Extremely Steaming Murder.

Rasa watched her departing figure, his brow tightly furrowed.

The Cloud Ninja had grown increasingly aggressive in recent years, constantly seizing secret techniques, treasured tools, and other resources from other ninja villages to expand their power. Now that they had suddenly bared their fangs, there was no reason to believe this was merely a test. Or rather, being chosen by the Cloud Ninja as a target for a test was itself a crisis.

"Brother-in-law."

Yashamaru had come over at some point. He followed Rasa's gaze, but there was no one there.

Yashamaru looked at Rasa, seeming to want to speak but stopping himself.

"Speak plainly."

As Rasa descended the stairs, he replied.

"Brother-in-law, there are rumors... rumors that you'll succeed as the Fourth Kazekage."

As Yashamaru spoke, his eyes brimmed with admiration.

His brother-in-law had been someone he admired since childhood. Now that he was about to become Kazekage-sama, it was the highest honor—the pinnacle of a Sunagakure Shinobi's life. Yashamaru felt honored by association.

"Nothing's certain yet."

Rasa shook his head slightly, his tone carrying both excitement and a trace of disappointment.

Naturally, the Kazekage faction within the Elder Council had also been in contact with him. He knew that becoming Kazekage would mean facing countless obstacles, but the temptation of that position was simply too great—great enough to make even the ever-mature and steady Rasa burn with anticipation!

Shukaku

Thinking of the enemy at the gates and the reason he had remained in the village, a shadow passed through Rasa's eyes.

If they could resolve the Shukaku issue sooner, then they would have no reason to stop him from going to the front lines, right?

"Have they chosen a candidate for Shukaku's Jinchuriki?"

"Xiliang of the Kamikubi Clan. He has outstanding talent for Ninjutsu, and his will is the strongest among those his age. He's Shukaku's best vessel. It's just..."

Yashamaru looked hesitant.

"Just what?"

"The Kamikubi Clan doesn't want Xiliang to become a Jinchuriki. They've hinted that they're willing to support you becoming Kazekage, Brother-in-law."

Rasa paused for several seconds. Yashamaru stood behind him, waiting for his decision.

"Proceed as planned. Hold the ritual as soon as possible. Don't delay any longer."

Rasa stared resolutely at the distant Kazekage Building. He could no longer wait to rush to the battlefield.