"Little brother, don't make a fuss. The doctors have already given you a full-body examination, and they all said you weren't injured. Your big sister still has work to do. Go play ninja games with your friends, and don't disturb me while I'm working!"
Inside Konoha Hospital, a nurse in a proper uniform crouched on the floor, speaking softly to a boy of about five with bright eyes and delicate features. Her voice carried a hint of helplessness.
As soon as the boy had arrived at the hospital, he'd said he'd injured himself while practicing ninjutsu and needed immediate treatment. But when they took him to the various departments for examinations, every doctor had said the same thing: they'd never seen such a healthy child. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him.
This five-year-old boy was Sato Hideaka, who had rushed to Konoha Hospital from the Ninja Academy!
At that moment, Sato Hideaka felt even more helpless than the nurse. Last night, his experiments and research into Lightning Style Chakra Mode had subjected his fragile cells and neurons to prolonged exposure to electric currents, damaging them to varying degrees. Thankfully, Perfect Control had allowed him to keep moving. An ordinary person would probably have been numb and paralyzed by now.
How had Yakushi Nonō been able to identify and heal the damage caused by Lightning Style Nature Transformation, while none of the doctors here could find anything wrong? Was Konoha's biggest hospital staffed entirely by quacks?
If these problems weren't treated in time, he'd probably be left with lingering injuries that would be hard to repair, and his potential would be seriously limited!
How could this be happening??
Sato Hideaka clung to the nurse's hand with both of his own and pleaded pitifully, "Pretty nurse big sister, are there any more tests? Just check me one more time. I really am injured, and it's serious!"
"How about this? The best doctor in Konoha is at our hospital today. I'll take you to see her. If she can't find anything wrong, then your big sister really won't be able to help."
Seeing Sato Hideaka's adorable, miserable face, the kindhearted nurse felt sorry for him. Then she remembered that Lady Tsunade, Konoha's princess, was at the hospital. She'd heard people discussing the feasibility of Medical Ninjas.
Although she didn't know what Medical Ninjas were supposed to do, Lady Tsunade, known as the Medical Saint, was one of the best doctors in Konoha. If even she couldn't find a problem, then the boy must not be injured after all.
The nurse led Sato Hideaka to wait outside an office on the hospital's second floor. After about ten minutes, several medical staff came out. She asked them what was going on, then entered the office.
"Lady Tsunade, this child seriously injured all the muscles in his body while practicing ninjutsu. The hospital's equipment can't find anything wrong. Could you please take a look..."
There were three people in the office. The woman seated in the middle caught Sato Hideaka's attention. She looked to be in her twenties, with golden-brown eyes, willow-shaped brows, a delicate nose, and thin, rosy lips. She sat there in a bold, casual manner, frowning. Her delicate features gave her a stubborn, competitive air.
"Oh, is that so? Bring him over..." Tsunade Senju glanced at Sato Hideaka and thought that the boy looked rather delicate, almost like a girl.
The nurse led Sato Hideaka over. Tsunade placed a green-glowing hand gently on his exposed arm. After examining it for a moment, she frowned.
"Kid, where did you get these injuries?"
"I accidentally hurt myself while inventing a new jutsu. My whole body hurts so much now. It feels like I'm being cut with knives. Big sister, can you save me?" Sato Hideaka looked at Tsunade pitifully. If he didn't get this treated soon, his condition would worsen, and he'd probably be left half-crippled.
"Saving you won't be a problem, but I'm curious how you're still able to move instead of lying in bed like a corpse..." Tsunade raised an eyebrow and gave Sato Hideaka a teasing look. "The muscle cells throughout your body are damaged, and part of your nervous system is severed, yet you can still move freely. Kid, that's quite something..."
"Haha, it's not as bad as you make it sound, big sister..." Sato Hideaka laughed awkwardly. It was a little abnormal for a child to endure such pain without showing it.
Tsunade glanced at Sato Hideaka, who was still trying to make excuses, and snorted. "Take off all your clothes. Your injuries need to be treated over your whole body. I don't know who taught you to use Lightning Style Nature Transformation to activate your entire body, but you'd better not use that training method again. Otherwise... it'll cause damage that's difficult to repair."
"Right here? Now?" Sato Hideaka's mouth twitched. Besides Tsunade, there was the nurse and two men in the room. He was only a child, but he still couldn't bring himself to expose himself in front of so many people.
Tsunade looked at Sato Hideaka, who was only about five and didn't even reach her waist, and waved him off impatiently. "Kid, you're pretty shy..."
Since Sato Hideaka strongly objected, the three of them went to a treatment room. Tsunade had him lie on the examination bed, then drew the green curtain around it to make a semi-enclosed space. The nurse waited outside.
Only then did Sato Hideaka awkwardly start undressing. He took off his shirt, then his pants, until he was completely naked except for a lonely pair of white underwear. He looked up at Tsunade, who was watching him with an amused expression.
"Go on, kid. Why did you stop?" Tsunade folded her arms across her chest, pushing it into an exaggerated curve as she smiled at the nearly naked Sato Hideaka.
The important thing was to repeat it three times: this was medical treatment, this was medical treatment... this was medical treatment!
Sato Hideaka shut his eyes and kept trying to reassure himself. With his eyes closed, he felt like he was marching to the execution ground, facing his death bravely, as he took off his white underwear.
"Ah, be gentle, slow down... That's too hard!"
"So you can feel pain after all. Earlier, you had such serious injuries but didn't even change your expression. I thought you couldn't feel anything..."
"Damn it, are you using me for an experiment?? It hurts like hell. Be gentle... Tsunade."
"Haha, kid, accept your fate. You can't escape."
"..."
The green curtain kept shaking. It was as if battle cries were coming from within, and the trembling went on without pause. The nurse standing outside stared in shock. Was Lady Tsunade treating that adorable boy's injuries?
Why did it feel...
More like she was tormenting him? How scary!!
A quarter of an hour later, Tsunade opened the green curtain. Sato Hideaka had put his clothes back on and was slumped on the treatment bed, drenched in sweat as if he'd just taken a sauna.
Tsunade looked a little tired, too. She spoke to Sato Hideaka with a grave expression. "Kid, your injuries are from repeated trauma. The first injury was treated, but it never fully healed. Then you injured yourself again before it had recovered. For the next half month, don't do any strenuous exercise, and don't use that Lightning Release training method again. Otherwise, even I won't be able to help you..."
"Mm, okay. I understand..."
Sato Hideaka nodded weakly on the bed. During the treatment, Tsunade had magnified the pain more than tenfold. Compared to Yakushi Nonō's treatment, it was the difference between rough, brutal handling and gentle, careful attention—complete opposites!
Just then, the two middle-aged men from the office entered the treatment room and spoke to Tsunade, who was standing beside the bed. "Lady Tsunade, regarding your proposal to send medical personnel to the battlefield, the Medical Department has discussed it at length, but most people have refused!"
Tsunade frowned slightly and asked, "The death rate among the ninjas at the front lines remains high because they aren't treated in time. If medical personnel were sent to the battlefield, we could lower the death rate among the front-line ninjas. Why won't the Medical Department agree?"
"Can't the losses and tragedies caused when Yakushi Nonō led medical personnel to the front lines prove what happens?" One of the middle-aged men stepped forward and retorted. "We don't want to become sinners of the Medical Department like Yakushi Nonō!"
Big sister Nonō... a sinner??
Hearing those words, Sato Hideaka, who had been listless, suddenly raised his head. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. They actually dared to insult big sister Yakushi Nonō. They were... dead!!