Emergency

"Squeak! Squeak-squeak-squeak!"

The mouse, bound to the operating table, let out a shrill, piercing cry.

Under the influence of Accio, the tiny gallstone was slowly piercing the fragile gallbladder wall, and the resulting intense pain caused the test subject to struggle violently.

But Yamada Soji did not pause his movements because of this.

As a researcher, he did not empathize with rodent test subjects, so no matter how the mouse struggled, the boy continued to firmly supply the chakra required for Accio to take effect.

It was only when the tiny gallstone tore through the main body of the gallbladder and was finally stopped by the abdominal muscles, unable to proceed further, that Soshi's experiment came to an end.

He ended the mouse's suffering with a cervical dislocation, then performed a meticulous dissection to examine the extent of the damage caused by Accio, organizing detailed experimental reports and research notes accordingly.

These experiments had become another major part of Soshi's recent work, following his medical ninjutsu studies.

It is worth mentioning that the boy's research topic was not the million ways to kill a mouse with Accio, but rather combining the spell with the medical knowledge he had acquired over the past six months to explore the possibilities of generalizing this technique.

Thus, as time passed, Soshi's mastery of Accio grew increasingly profound.

When combined with other medical ninjutsu, he could even pulverize and displace gallstones within a mouse, draining them directly from the common bile duct into the intestine—achieving a "minimally invasive surgery" in the true sense of the word!

Relying on this self-developed technique, Dirt Lick, he compiled his research findings into a paper, entrusted it to a doctor he was familiar with to be published in the hospital's internal journal, and quickly attracted the attention of his colleagues, earning the qualification to observe and participate in surgeries.

"Have you heard? That Yamada-kun who just started his internship at the hospital half a year ago actually published a paper independently!"

"For real? Isn't he still a student at the Ninja Academy?"

The young resident doctor, picking at his teeth and struggling with his own professional thesis, wore a particularly subtle expression.

"Could it be fake? It's there in black and white in the new issue, recording the experimental process clearly. It's an article about methods for gallbladder stone and polyp removal—the new surgical procedure avoids the risks of laparotomy and organ resection, and the post-operative recovery period is incredibly short!"

The resident gestured at his own upper-right abdomen, drawing gasps of amazement from his companion.

"That's just too heaven-defying..."

"Who's to say it isn't? I heard the Director has already relented; all case files in the Digestive Department will be open to him from now on..."

"Wait!? That Director Chosokabe actually..."

The rumors spread rapidly.

Everyone was surprised to discover that the boy who always angered the Director had truly, without anyone noticing, taken a solid step toward becoming a medical professional.

Relying on his special Kekkei Genkai, Yamada Soji's attainments in Digestive Surgery were now on par with those of experienced specialists.

At this point, even the stubborn Chosokabe Masayuki could no longer use professional competence as an excuse to block the boy's path of progress.

After personally reviewing the paper Soshi published, the old Director's subjective hostility toward the boy even began to gradually dissipate.

—To be honest, this sudden kindness actually left Yamada Soji at a loss...

Since he began his advanced studies at Konoha Hospital, the struggle between the new generation and the Establishment Faction had been an unavoidable leitmotif.

As the highest authority of the hospital and leader of the Establishment Faction, Chosokabe Masayuki had consistently suppressed young people in areas such as personnel appointments and the development of medical philosophy.

Based on his unshakable influence in the medical field, many young doctors besides Soshi were being suppressed at the administrative level.

In such a cruel struggle involving the mutual attrition of opposing factions, right and wrong were not the decisive factors governing the flow of the trend.

To say that the old Director had easily changed his stance because of the talent Soshi displayed was simply like a fantasy...

But facts speak louder than words. Knowing that he could not distort reality with theory, Yamada Soji could only adapt to the changing external environment while re-analyzing the ins and outs of the situation.

Objectively, this forced Yamada Soji to maintain a state of outward relaxation and inward tension for a long time, making his days even more stressful than before.

Especially after being cleared to perform surgeries on patients himself, he even began to suspect that the old Director might be planning to use a medical accident as an excuse to purge him from Konoha Hospital!

And as graduation drew near, all the doubts and confusion finally reached a window of concentrated eruption due to an accident.

In July of the 30th year of Konoha, a junior member of the Uchiha clan was accidentally injured during a mission outside the village.

During the course of medical treatment, the team's lead instructor and two other genin members were out of danger, but the Uchiha clansman's condition took a turn for the worse, leaving him in critical condition!

As the most prominent clan in Konoha, the life and death of a Sharingan wielder drew the attention of most of the hospital's doctors, and the subtle historical background added an extra burden to this life-or-death rescue operation.

Yamada Soji, who had been sitting in the department looking up case files, was alerted by the unusual atmosphere in the hallway. But before he could probe for the truth, Director Inoue Hisahide, who usually stood on the same side as Director Chosokabe, had already sought him out.

"Director..."

"Director Inoue!"

The doctors stopped in their tracks, greeting their superior one after another.

Although the Konoha Hospital in its early stages had not yet fully transformed into a rigid, hierarchical "White Tower," the distinction between superior and subordinate still acted like invisible shackles, constraining everyone's actions.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Director Chosokabe has something to discuss with the doctors of the Digestive Department."

Inoue Hisahide, with an age spot on his left cheek, scanned the room and finally locked his gaze on the boy.

"Is Doctor Yamada here?"

Everyone turned to look at Soshi.

The boy himself frowned.

It wasn't that he disliked the other party's act of asking when he already knew the answer—adhering to unspoken rules might be difficult for an 11-year-old brat, but the soul of an adult actually understood the huge potential value of such "ritual systems" in maintaining the stability of the organization.

Under normal circumstances, Soji would have immediately adopted a respectful attitude and responded the moment the other party spoke, but today's situation was clearly different.

The youth smelled trouble in the panic-stricken atmosphere. Combined with his earlier suspicions, the sudden appearance of Director Inoue was practically synonymous with the casting of a conspiratorial net in his direction.

Yet, no matter how his thoughts raced, Soji's outward demeanor remained completely composed.

"Director Inoue, I am currently organizing the pathology report from the last surgery; please forgive my failure to welcome you properly. Regarding the previous cholecystectomy, I have not yet had the chance to express my gratitude to Director Chosokabe and the other colleagues in the General Surgery Department. I hope you and the Director will not take offense. By the way, I happen to have some difficult cases here that I haven't been able to resolve. If it is convenient, please wait for me to organize the documents so I may seek guidance from you and the other seniors."

...Soji never fought a battle he wasn't prepared for.

He deliberately slowed his movements as he rose to offer a greeting, using trivial small talk to stall for time while his mind raced to formulate an excuse to escape.

Unexpectedly, however, Director Inoue Hisahide did not engage in the usual verbal sparring or probing one would expect.

Faced with the delaying tactic Soji had thrown out, this old man of the Establishment Faction acted completely out of character and resorted directly to violence!

Poor Soji, who had struggled to even handle his own classmates since transmigrating, was always poor at actual combat; how could he possibly be a match for the two male nurses who suddenly lunged out from behind the director in his haste?

Driven by the instinct for self-preservation, the youth, held aloft and restrained by his arms, nearly resorted to the Dirt Lick technique to break free.

But when he realized the two male nurses had no intention of harming him, he quickly suppressed the trump card he had been brewing.

"Director Inoue, what is the meaning of this..."

"Time is of the essence."

Inoue Hisahide, his face covered in age spots, waved his hand and signaled the two male nurses with his eyes to carry the youth away.

And so, under the meaningful gazes of his other colleagues, the group of four quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

"It's over, Director Inoue is kidnapping people from the department again... Yamada-kun won't be coming back, will he?"

"That's hard to say. There's a huge problem over at the Emergency Department; I heard the higher-ups sent someone down to supervise directly!"

"It's that serious? Then I have to go see for myself!"

"Let's go, let's go~"