9, Choice

"Congratulations on the successful completion of the surgery, Director Chosokabe. It is a great honor for this student to serve as your assistant, and I am grateful for such a precious learning opportunity."

As the lead surgeon, Yamada Soji did not let the momentary success go to his head.

He adhered to a style of modesty and caution, harboring no intentions of gloating or seeking retribution; in fact, he immediately attributed the primary credit for the treatment to his superior.

First "congratulations," then "gratitude."

A clear chain of logic established that the gratifying results of this surgery were achieved solely under the wise leadership of the Director.

As for the youth himself, he had merely made a few minor contributions, acting as a single screw in the larger structure of the entire project—hardly worth mentioning.

If it were any other leader, they would have been grinning from ear to ear upon encountering a subordinate as capable and tactful as Soji.

Regardless of their true inner thoughts, one would only need to toss out a few platitudes to encourage a junior and paint a picture of future prospects, and the superior-subordinate relationship would instantly become incredibly harmonious—to the point where they might even feel like swearing an oath of kinship on the spot!

However, Chosokabe Masayuki did not play by the rules.

The old man adjusted his hearing aid, closed his eyes slightly, and sat silently behind his desk, saying nothing for a long time.

Given this behavior, combined with the incidents that occurred before and after the surgery, the sharp-witted Soji immediately realized where the problem lay.

Thus, he swallowed the rest of his flowery rhetoric and maintained his slightly bowed posture, keeping his own mouth shut as well.

...After a long while, the old Director pressed one hand against the desk and the other against the corner, finally breaking the silence.

"The completion rate of the liver repair surgery was very high, and the patient's condition is recovering. Barring any accidents, you have saved the life of that Uchiha clansman."

These were kind words, but the tone between the lines of Director Chosokabe's speech was clearly not positive.

Therefore, when Soji spoke again, he set aside his previous formalities and addressed the matter directly.

"The Filth-Licking Technique is far from perfect. That we could succeed in one go, aside from luck being on our side, is also thanks to the Director's guidance and support."

"Good is good, and capable is capable. Over ninety percent of the credit for this surgery belongs to you; this old man has no habit of basking in the reflected glory of others."

"You are too kind."

"I am not finished yet!"

The old man's knuckles tightened, and the corners of his eyes lifted slightly. His solemn face displayed the full weight of the authority he had accumulated over his many years of running Konoha Hospital.

...As the conversation reached this point, Soji had actually guessed the other party's intentions to some extent.

But despite his usual tact, he had no intention of compromising this time.

"If you have any questions, please feel free to speak plainly. I will answer everything I know without reservation."

"Very well! Let me ask you this: when the patient's vital signs fluctuated, you chose to continue the surgery—if the Filth-Licking Technique had failed to take effect, how much confidence did you have in preserving the patient's life?"

"If the treatment technique had not worked as intended, I would have immediately requested your assistance and that of other experienced doctors to stabilize the patient's condition," Soji replied firmly, though he did not look up, nor did he answer directly.

"I asked how much confidence you had!" the old man pressed further.

"The surgery was inherently risky. Given the circumstances at the time, I could only do my best," Soji continued to hedge.

"You were gambling with the patient's life!"

"I was merely racing against the Grim Reaper."

One saves people, the other treats illnesses.

Setting aside the treacherous undercurrents outside the operating room, the conflict between the youth and the old man was actually centered on their respective philosophies of treatment.

Director Chosokabe believed that saving a patient must be predicated on protecting their safety; if one were to blindly adopt immature treatment strategies that worsened the condition, it would violate the human-centric philosophy and be the greatest dereliction of duty for a healer!

Standing from Yamada Soji's perspective, however, in order to eradicate the disease within the patient, one must be willing to take risks and use more radical treatment strategies in extreme situations, and all consequences resulting from such actions should be accepted with equanimity.

The debate between procedural justice and outcome justice has never ceased since ancient times...

These two concepts stand on different starting points, and in truth, there is no right or wrong.

But that is precisely where the trouble lies!

The open-ended nature of the problem-solving approach means that neither side, holding to different philosophies, can be easily persuaded.

Forcing a debate usually devolves into a technical analysis of case studies, and by then, the problem only becomes more complex!

Yet, even knowing this, Soji still did not use his customary circuitous strategy when replying.

...Admittedly, with his eloquence, he could easily have used wordplay to escape the predicament by being vague or shifting the concepts.

But such petty cleverness can only be used in ordinary times; in the current situation, playing with words would be an insult to the intelligence of both parties!

—In fact, while Director Chosokabe called it a question, almost every word that came out of his mouth lacked the tone of an inquiry.

This indicated that the highly skilled and experienced old Director, combining his professional knowledge and life experience, had already made a judgment on Soji's actions before he even opened his mouth.

Now that the old man was asking him directly, it was less about seeking verification from the person involved and more about giving the youth a chance to express himself.

...Since a conclusion had already been reached, wasting breath was futile.

If so, with both sides having "shown their cards," the best strategic move for the youth was to tell the truth.

Moreover, compared to the obscure Ninja Academy student of six months ago, the current Yamada Soji was no longer the same person.

The feat of successfully saving a member of the Uchiha clan was enough to serve as a stepping stone for his promotion. Even if there were philosophical differences between Director Chosokabe and the youth, in the context of the internal opposition between the old and new factions, he could not easily use him as a sacrificial lamb!

Acting recklessly would only trigger a full-scale confrontation between the Conservative Faction and the new generation; even from a utilitarian perspective, the resulting turmoil was not a change the elders wished to see!

It was precisely because he had gained the support of the majority that Soji expressed his philosophy so straightforwardly for the first time.

To a certain extent, he was even standing toe-to-toe with the old Dean!

But at the same time...

This meant that the contradiction between the two parties had expanded from a mere difference in stance to a deeper level of conflict, and this conflict would become increasingly apparent in the time to come!

Thinking of this, a sense of helplessness suddenly welled up in the boy's heart.

For someone like Yamada Soji, who came from humble beginnings, if he wanted to seize the historical momentum and successfully ascend to a high position, the work of building a united front was undoubtedly of the utmost importance.

Compared to defeating enemies, he subjectively preferred to turn foes into friends.

But real life is often not what one wishes it to be.

Soji had seized the opportunity and temporarily escaped the risk of fighting on the front lines, but on a more hidden "second battlefield," a battle of ideologies that would determine the future development of the Konoha medical system was brewing in silence...

And the ninjas of Konoha today clearly could not guess that the twists and turns triggered by this would eventually change the very course of the Second Shinobi World War!

...Compared to those intangible, grand narratives, people were still more willing to focus on concrete matters that were immediately visible.

For instance, an 11-year-old Ninja Academy student had invented a new medical ninjutsu.

Or, for instance, Uchiha Fugaku, the son of an Uchiha clan elder, was now out of danger after receiving treatment.