Hatake Sakumo

Because these blood-born eyes were both telling her the same thing.

Looking at the confident boy before her, Tsunade was speechless for a moment.

She was sure that she'd been worried the bloodshed of war would turn the Uchiha Gen she knew into the kind of Uchiha she'd come to understand. The Gen before her might have been rude and shown her no respect at all, often wearing a sour expression, but deep down, she knew he accepted her just as she accepted him.

She didn't want the war to suddenly turn Uchiha Gen into someone she didn't recognize. When she'd tried to understand him, she'd also read her second grandfather's notes.

That was why she'd been worried...

But now, it seemed...

"Even so, you still have to join the Medical Department. We're certainly short on people, and your Medical Ninjutsu shouldn't go to waste. This is the perfect chance to put it into practice.

"But don't worry. I'm not saying you can't go to the battlefield. Just like me, I'm a ninja in the Medical Department, but when a fight breaks out, I'm still one of the first to charge in. So, you understand, right?"

Tsunade took a deep breath and continued.

"...I understand."

Realizing there was no way to avoid it, Uchiha Gen could only accept.

The war didn't break out all at once. In the early stages, the various ninja villages focused on probing their enemies and gathering intelligence.

Even so, the number of wounded in the Medical Department kept rising. The reason was simple.

Poison. Sunagakure. Chiyo's poison.

Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu was powerful, but she still needed time to figure out the poisons Chiyo had made and develop the corresponding antidotes.

As the number of wounded in the Medical Department grew, Tsunade began devoting all her efforts to cracking Chiyo's poisons. Uchiha Gen, meanwhile, took over the Medical Department completely.

"Young Master Gen, a new patient at Tent Three needs immediate surgery to remove the poison!"

"Got it."

Uchiha Gen casually tossed aside the leaf he'd cut in half and rose from the tent where he'd been resting. He headed toward Tent Three, with Uchiha Ganghuo following respectfully behind him, now serving as Uchiha Gen's "assistant."

As Uchiha Gen emerged from the tent, the Konoha ninjas along the way looked at him with respect and gratitude. During this time, he'd performed 137 surgeries, every one of them a success, and treated nearly a thousand people.

As a result, Uchiha Gen's reputation had grown rapidly. The title of gifted young medical ninja had spread throughout the Konoha camp.

After all this time, everyone understood what the future held for Uchiha Gen.

No one could resist getting close to such a young, gifted medical ninja. And the fact that Uchiha Gen was an Uchiha? Which mattered more, prejudice or one's life?

Uchiha Gen's role now was that of a doctor—and a battlefield doctor, at that!

Walking behind Uchiha Gen, Uchiha Ganghuo held his head high as he met the respectful gazes. It didn't matter that the respect wasn't meant for him. Young Master Gen was a genius of the Uchiha Clan!

When they reached Tent Three, Uchiha Ganghuo promptly pulled back the flap for Uchiha Gen.

Stepping into the tent, Uchiha Gen glanced at the ninja on the sickbed and froze. That white hair and sharp presence... No way?

"Young Master Gen, this is Hatake Sakumo, an elite jonin of Konoha. During a mission, he encountered Sasori's Parents from Sunagakure and the squad of puppeteers they'd brought with them. He fought them and ultimately killed every target.

"However, Sasori's Parents were powerful. They were also Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law, so they knew how to use her poisons. Hatake Sakumo was poisoned during the fight."

As his "assistant," Uchiha Ganghuo introduced the patient.

"That was quick."

Uchiha Gen was a little surprised. He knew Hatake Sakumo had killed Sasori's parents, but he hadn't expected to find out about it so soon.

"Got it. He was poisoned with Chiyo Poison No. 5. Tsunade hasn't developed an antidote yet, so he'll need surgery."

Uchiha Gen nodded and walked over to Hatake Sakumo. The father of Kakashi lay on the sickbed, his lips purple. Uchiha Gen lifted a hand, and several golden threads flecked with green light shot into Hatake Sakumo's body.

The Anbu Ninja watching over Hatake Sakumo immediately tried to stop him. But in the next instant, a pair of scarlet eyes fixed on him, while two hands came to rest on his shoulders.

"Don't move. Can't you see my lord is performing surgery?"

The icy words came from behind him. The Anbu Ninja turned to look and saw two pairs of Three-Tomoe Sharingan staring straight at him.

"U-Uchiha ninjas?! Surgery?!"

At that, the Anbu Ninja hurriedly looked back at Uchiha Gen. When he saw the Uchiha Clan Crest on Gen's clothes, he suddenly wondered if he'd fallen under a genjutsu.

He'd been stationed at the front for so long that he hadn't been back in the village. He hadn't heard a thing about Uchiha Gen.

Now he was being told that a child from the Uchiha Clan was removing poison from his captain. However he looked at it, the idea was absurd.

Time passed slowly. Uchiha Gen raised a hand, gathering chakra. A Chakra Scalpel formed in an instant, and with a casual sweep, he made a small incision in Hatake Sakumo's chest.

He hooked a finger, and the golden threads inside Hatake Sakumo's body were pulled out through the incision, their ends trailing a small clump of black-purple liquid.

Once the poison had been removed, Uchiha Gen calmly placed a hand on Hatake Sakumo's chest. Green light glowed, and when he lifted his palm, not a trace remained.

"Done. All the poison's been removed. He just needs to rest for half a day."

Having finished, Uchiha Gen glanced at the Anbu Ninja, who looked as if he were questioning his whole life, and spoke softly before turning to leave the tent.

Just then, Hatake Sakumo began to cough.

"Thank you. I really did come close to dying."

Hatake Sakumo sat up on the sickbed and gently felt his chest. Looking at the skin without even a scar, he stared in shock.

He'd heard of Uchiha Gen, a young Uchiha who was studying under Tsunade, but he hadn't expected...

"With Medical Ninjutsu of this caliber, he must be nearly as good as Tsunade by now. No, judging by that Chakra Scalpel just now, he probably uses it even better than Tsunade... This boy knows swordsmanship, and he's extremely skilled at it."