Things unfolded exactly as Black Stone had planned.
He was revived, while Yamagami and Number Seven, whom he had killed, were confirmed dead.
This made the subsequent investigation exceptionally difficult, because he was the only survivor at the scene, leaving everyone with no choice but to rely on Black Stone's side of the story.
It was worth mentioning that Black Stone was usually renowned for his kindness and medical ethics.
He never overcharged his patients, and for those in financial hardship, he would even voluntarily lower his fees or let them write an IOU.
For that reason, when he was investigated, many people Black Stone had once helped stepped forward to testify on his behalf, endlessly praising him as a good doctor.
With everyone's support and the testimony Black Stone provided, the final ruling on the incident was that Black Stone had been the victim of bandits who had blocked his path to rob and murder him.
The dead samurai, Yamagami, had acted bravely in defense of justice and fought the bandits to the death. In the end, both sides were severely wounded and tragically perished together.
Although it seemed on the surface that the matter had been settled and Black Stone could return to his peaceful life, the incident still left an exceptionally deep and lasting impact on him.
He was often plagued by nightmares. In them, Number One, Number Seven, and Yamagami would appear again and again, all demanding Black Stone's life.
It tormented him so badly that he could not sleep at night, and Black Stone took up smoking and drinking.
Smoking eased his stress, while drinking helped him sleep soundly. (Minors, do not imitate this.)
But because of that, his addictions to tobacco and alcohol grew worse and worse, leaving him constantly dazed and unable to