Special Patient

Konoha Hospital was huge.

But even so, it was no match for a ninja's speed!

Two burly male nurses carried Soji with them as they leaped out of a third-floor window, then bounded several times and darted straight into the surgical prep area.

They escorted the boy to Director Chosokabe, then immediately let go and vanished. Chief Inoue Hisahide arrived a moment later, following them through the curtain and into the room.

"Director, we've brought him."

"Thank you for your efforts."

Chosokabe hung the X-rays he had just taken on the lightbox. When he turned to look at Soji, the other doctors beside him moved in near-perfect unison.

This wasn't the first time the boy had found himself the center of everyone's attention.

But being in a hospital, with life and death at stake, he clearly felt a pressure unlike anything he'd experienced before.

Fortunately, Soji wasn't intimidated.

"Director Chosokabe, what exactly is going on?"

The old director's upturned eyes relaxed slightly as the boy stepped forward of his own accord.

He pointed to the X-rays behind him and got straight to the point. "An important patient was just rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. A thorough examination revealed clear signs of internal bleeding."

"Organ rupture caused by broken ribs?"

Soji glanced at the X-rays. The knowledge he'd accumulated over the past six months wasn't enough for him to accurately analyze the symptoms. But with time pressing, he could only offer his best guess.

Chosokabe neither confirmed nor denied his clinical diagnosis. He continued to explain the situation in a low voice. "The fractured bones have already been repaired by other doctors, and the tissue damage to the stomach and kidneys has been properly treated. The problem now is that the patient's liver is still bleeding."

"I see..." By now, Soji had a fairly good idea of the director's intentions. He adjusted his train of thought, then asked, "Is the liver unable to heal because of the effects of a special ninjutsu?"

"Exactly."

"May I ask which ninjutsu the patient was attacked with?" Soji pressed.

"..."

The question brought a brief silence over the room.

A few seconds later, Chosokabe himself answered the boy.

"Have you heard of Magnet Release?"

"..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Soji fell silent.

Whether as an outstanding student at the Ninja Academy or as a transmigrator, Yamada Soji knew full well that Magnet Release was the signature technique of the Land of Wind's ninja village.

Not many could truly master the secret art, but its unmistakable nature had made it an important symbol of the Land of Wind ever since Shamon, the Second Kazekage of the Sand Ninja.

Now a Konoha ninja had been injured by Magnet Release. The implications were truly terrifying to contemplate...

To put it in the broader context of the era, after Tobirama Senju's death, Sarutobi Hiruzen had inherited the Hokage Position, the highest symbol of power, from his teacher. He had then consolidated Konoha's internal forces and fought against the treacherous Kumogakure, ultimately bringing the First Shinobi World War to an end.

The Sand Ninja, who had been the least involved throughout the war and had preserved the most of their fighting strength, had maintained a delicate, on-again, off-again relationship with Konoha, the strongest of the villages.

Now, peace had lasted for more than a decade, and a member of Konoha's largest clan had apparently been attacked on a mission by the secret art of the Kazekage's line. It was impossible not to make ominous connections—and risk straining the fragile Wind-Fire Alliance.

Conflicts between nations were nothing like children squabbling...

The maneuvering at this level was far too delicate. Any misjudgment by either side could reignite the embers of war!

From Konoha Hospital's perspective, then, whether they belonged to the reformist or Conservative Faction, anyone with sense would want to save the Uchiha clan member's life.

It was against this broader backdrop that the old guard, led by Chosokabe Masayuki, had set aside their professional prejudices and invited Yamada Soji, a rookie, to join them outside the operating room for a discussion.

"I'll be blunt. The hospital's senior staff have all read the paper you published in the journal. As the only user of the Filth-Licking Technique, how confident are you that you can remove the metal fragments from the patient's liver?"

Chosokabe's gaze met Yamada-kun's.

Soji, who had already sensed the danger, nearly refused on the spot.

Judging by my professional ability and my tolerance for risk, it's still too early for me to get involved in a gamble at this level.

If this crisis hadn't happened, Soji would have preferred to gradually work his way into the upper ranks' awareness, quietly building up his credentials and securing the resources of those in charge, rather than staking everything on one difficult operation.

But his transmigrator's foresight sounded a warning before his mind could settle on a conclusion. The thought of backing down crossed his mind for only an instant before Yamada-kun firmly set it aside.

He knew that, unlike Hashirama and Tobirama, the Third Hokage's tenure would last a long time from this point onward.

And according to the original course of history, the Second Shinobi World War, which was about to begin, would be set off by a conflict between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire!

Given the current situation, if the Uchiha clan member really died in this attack, the incident might well be recorded in future history as the spark that ignited a direct conflict between Konoha and the Sand Ninja.

At such an important historical juncture, it wouldn't be difficult for Yamada-kun to "know when to back down"...

But if the Third Hokage and the other senior leaders mistakenly believed that he had the ability to save a life, yet had refused to take the risk out of self-interest, Soji would inevitably leave a bad impression on Konoha's emerging power center.

...This wasn't the boy needlessly worrying or imagining trouble.

Given the current trend, Soji was all but certain to carve out a place for himself in the medical field over the next few years.

And as his achievements grew more impressive, other people's recollections of this "history" might well become distorted!

Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't suspect an eleven-year-old at this stage, as the years went by—five years, ten years—when the aging Hokage looked back on Yamada Soji's life, this unpleasant memory might become a lingering grievance he couldn't let go.

Not to mention that among the Third Hokage's leadership circle, centered around Sarutobi, there was also Shimura Danzō, an old schemer who never hesitated to assume the worst of his fellow villagers!

If he whispered in his old partner's ear, the path Soji had planned for advancement would be riddled with obstacles!

...Those who failed to plan for the future were bound to find trouble close at hand.

After taking a second or two to run through all his thoughts, Yamada-kun finally made up his mind.

His pupils contracted, and his narrowed eyelids transformed his entire demeanor.

"Director, I can't reach any conclusions until I've examined the patient myself."

"If it's urgent, you can enter the operating room right now and examine the patient."

Chosokabe glanced sideways, and the two male nurses who had vanished moments ago immediately reappeared.

One brought Soji a mask and gloves, while the other stood by the isolation door to lead the boy inside.

But to Yamada Soji, all this sincerity was worthless—there was no foundation of trust between them.

Soji believed that, in the face of a crisis, he had to step up to the challenge. But he also had to consider whether, if the treatment failed, the hospital would cast him aside as a scapegoat.

So he dropped to one knee and performed a formal bow to the director for the first time.

"Director Chosokabe, I'm grateful for the trust you and the other senior figures in the medical community have placed in me.

"But as an intern, I know very well that my experience and abilities are far from sufficient to perform such an important operation on my own.

"If you and the other seniors are truly willing to give me this opportunity, then I have two requests I'd like you to grant before I formally take over!"

Great risks carried great opportunities.

Yamada Soji knew he couldn't avoid this, but he still felt that he couldn't manage it alone.

So before he began, he had to drag a few important figures down into the water with him!