The Strange Konoha Hospital

Midnight.

Konoha Hospital.

The nurse on duty sat at the front desk, wearily yawning. She still had to make rounds later, so she needed to stay alert.

"Doctor Karin, I'm here to take over your shift."

The nurse walked to the stairwell and said with a smile.

Karin's hair had grown a little longer. A Konoha Hospital doctor's wristband circled her fair wrist, and without her glasses, her eyes looked even narrower. "The light in the stairwell is broken. It keeps flickering, so be careful when you go upstairs to make your rounds. Come find me if anything happens. I'll get some sleep in the break room."

The nurse thanked her. Doctor Karin really was worthy of being Principal Kushina's star pupil—she was both a skilled doctor and a kind person.

For some reason, a window in the second-floor corridor of Konoha Hospital had been left open. The nurse on duty cautiously walked over and reached out to close it, but a stone was wedged in the corner, keeping it from shutting.

The nurse muttered, "It must've been some kid's prank this morning. If I catch them, I'll teach them a lesson."

Just as the window was about to close, a deathly pale face suddenly dropped into view in front of the nurse. Blood was streaming from above and below its eyes.

"Ah!" The timid nurse was so terrified that she screamed and fainted on the floor.

Karin, who had just drifted into a light sleep, heard the scream and immediately jumped to her feet, sprinting to the second floor.

The wind had picked up, buffeting the windows.

Karin helped the nurse up and pressed the philtrum beneath her nose. "What's wrong? What happened?"

The nurse opened her eyes and said fearfully, "Doctor Karin, there's something evil outside the window. It was terrifying."

Karin went to the window and examined it carefully, but found nothing unusual.

"You may be so tired that you imagined it and scared yourself. I'll take over the rounds, so go get some rest." Karin didn't want the frightened nurse to keep working.

"It's true. I really saw it," the nurse on duty insisted, certain she hadn't imagined it.

That incident was only the beginning. Over the following week, every nurse on duty in Konoha was so frightened by the evil thing by the windows that they couldn't continue working. Each nurse saw a different face, too, and the supernatural happenings at Konoha Hospital became the talk of the village.

To deal with the problem at Konoha Hospital, Kushina Uzumaki compiled the details into a mission report and submitted it to the Hokage Office. It was tentatively classified as a C-rank mission, with a reward of two thousand ryō.

The principal's office at Konoha Hospital.

Karin refused to accept it and told Kushina Uzumaki outright, "Sensei, let us stake out the hospital for one more night. We'll definitely catch the culprit who's been playing ghost."

Haku and Kimimaro stood on either side of Karin.

Haku's gentle air had grown even more pronounced. With bright, sparkling eyes, he looked at Kushina Uzumaki. "Sensei, we really did find something important. We found paint hidden on the rooftop. That proves someone's been deliberately hiding up there at night, then scaring the nurses through the windows."

Kimimaro wore loose white clothes and had short, sparse eyebrows. He nodded along with Haku's words.

Years ago, at Naruto's insistence, Kimimaro had undergone a full examination at Konoha Hospital. Kushina eventually concluded that using his Kekkei Genkai, the Shikotsumyaku, had depleted his life force.

Kimimaro had therefore been forbidden from using his Kekkei Genkai. He trained in Taijutsu and Shurikenjutsu, and learned a few practical ninjutsu techniques. Even so, Kimimaro was still very strong.

That was thanks to his natural talent.

Kushina Uzumaki took a stack of medical records from her desk. "Karin, it's right to care about the hospital's safety, but you're a doctor. These patients' health is your main responsibility. If you stay up all night catching some brat, will you still have the energy to treat them?"

"Haku, Kimimaro, go back to the clothing store. Don't come here and encourage Karin to make trouble. The matter's already been handed over. A ninja squad will take the mission and find out who's really behind this!"

The three of them left the principal's office.

"I'm unhappy. Really unhappy," Karin said through clenched teeth. "Let's meet at the hospital's back entrance tonight. This time, I'll definitely sense that guy's true location."

Haku and Kimimaro agreed with Karin's decision.

The Hokage Office!

"Kakashi, have they been taking their missions seriously?" Minato Namikaze asked with a smile. "Has Naruto been behaving?"

Kakashi stood at attention. "Minato-sensei, Naruto thinks things through. Even though we've only been doing D-rank missions so far, he takes them seriously."

"Hinata's a careful girl. She uses her Byakugan in many ways and would make a good scout."

"Sakura Haruno doesn't have a strong foundation yet, but she has talent for genjutsu and chakra control. I'm working on improving her abilities in those areas."

Minato Namikaze nodded. "Kakashi, I knew I could count on you. In such a short time, you've figured out their strengths and weaknesses and come up with training plans tailored to each of them. I'm sure they'll all become pillars of Konoha under your guidance."

"There's a small problem at Konoha Hospital. I'm assigning this mission to you."

Kakashi read through the mission details and accepted the mission scroll. "It shouldn't be difficult. I'll take care of it tonight."

"I'll look forward to your report."

A small bridge, a flowing stream, an old tree, and crows in the dusk.

Naruto held Hinata's hand as he steadied her.

Hinata stood firmly on the railing beside the small bridge and said happily, "I did it, Naruto! Do you want to try?"

Naruto said, "What if I let go?"

Keeping her balance, Hinata slowly raised both hands without slipping off the railing.

"I told you my chakra control had improved, but you didn't believe me. In a few more days, I'll be able to run along the railing." Hinata proudly showed off her progress, looking confident.

Naruto gave her a thumbs-up. "Impressive!"

Sakura Haruno ran over and called out, "So this is where you are! Kakashi-sensei told us we have a new mission. We're supposed to meet at Konoha Hospital after dinner."

Naruto helped Hinata hop down. "It's probably a mission to deal with the strange things happening at Konoha Hospital. It shouldn't be too difficult. I'll go set things up at the hospital first. You two can come after dinner."

After making the arrangements, Naruto headed to Konoha Hospital alone.

Hinata noticed the new crossbody bag Sakura had bought. "Sakura, is that the latest style?"

The two girls immediately found something to talk about and began sharing their tastes.

Night fell.

Kakashi was late again.

The hospital lobby.

All six of them had arrived.

Haku said happily, "Naruto-kun, with your help, we'll solve the hospital's problem in no time."

"Mm!" Kimimaro agreed.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked around. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Naruto rubbed his fingers. "Karin, you three have pretty bad dark circles. You still need to get some rest. Since the incidents with the nurses have mostly happened around midnight, we need to keep things as normal as possible. Haku, put on a nurse's uniform and make rounds with Karin."