45. Waking Up as a Chunin

The morning sunlight remained as warm and gentle as ever.

The streets of Konoha were already beginning to bustle with crowds. People were starting their busy day.

It was still so peaceful and serene, as if the fires of war raging outside could never threaten them.

This was all rooted in their trust for the ninjas of Konoha.

Inside the ninja hospital, Ye Yuexin lay quietly on a white medical bed.

An IV drip of saline was still connected to the back of his left hand.

The morning sun shone through the glass, the curtains having been drawn back by a nurse, casting a warm glow over Ye Yuexin's face.

The morning light was full of vitality, making Ye Yuexin's features appear exceptionally delicate and refined.

His right hand was buried beneath a head of soft, jet-black hair.

A small face, slightly weary, was pressed against his hand, fast asleep.

This was Kurenai Yuhi, who had just returned from a mission.

Ye Yuexin had been unconscious for two full days, and Kurenai Yuhi had only learned of it after returning to the village yesterday.

Consequently, she hadn't even bathed before rushing over to stay by Ye Yuexin's side.

It could be said that she was now caring for Ye Yuexin with the devotion of a standard wife.

"Click, clack, click!"

It wasn't until the crisp sound of high heels approached that Kurenai Yuhi was stirred from her slumber.

She rubbed her eyes and saw the nurse already removing the IV needle.

She immediately snapped to full alertness and asked anxiously, "Nurse, how is Yuexin doing now? Didn't they say he was out of danger? Why hasn't he woken up yet?"

Seeing the concern on Kurenai Yuhi's face, the nurse chuckled softly.

"Children these days are truly precocious. You haven't left since you arrived last night; is this your little boyfriend?"

At these words, Kurenai Yuhi's face turned bright red.

However, this wasn't the answer she was looking for, so she hurriedly pressed, "Nurse, how is he really doing?"

Seeing Kurenai Yuhi too shy to respond to her teasing, the nurse was quite understanding.

She said, "His injuries were treated personally by Jingyan. Rest assured, there are basically no issues left. Jingyan's Mystical Palm Technique was, after all, guided by Lady Tsunade herself."

"As for why he hasn't woken up yet, Jingyan explained that besides his physical injuries, this little one also suffered mental trauma."

"Physical injuries are easy to treat, but mental trauma can only be recovered from slowly on his own. That is why he hasn't woken up yet."

Hearing the nurse say this, Kurenai Yuhi finally felt her heart settle.

She managed a forced smile and said, "Thank you, Nurse."

"You're welcome. This little one is someone the higher-ups have ordered us to prioritize. You should take care of yourself, too; you haven't eaten dinner since last night, have you? Go get something to eat first."

"Yes, alright, Nurse." After the nurse finished speaking, she walked out.

Once the nurse had left, Kurenai Yuhi leaned back against Ye Yuexin's hand, showing no intention of leaving at all.

"Click." The door was opened once again.

Before Kurenai Yuhi could turn around, Might Guy's voice rang out, "Kurenai? Why are you still here?"

Kurenai Yuhi turned around to see Might Guy and Ebisu walking in, one carrying flowers and the other holding a boxed meal.

"I guessed you hadn't left yet. I bought this breakfast for you," Ebisu said, having anticipated the situation as he walked over to Kurenai Yuhi.

He then placed the meal on the small bedside table.

Meanwhile, Might Guy had already finished arranging the flowers.

Neither of them had been seriously injured; Ebisu hadn't even needed hospital treatment, and Might Guy had only wrapped some bandages around his severely strained muscles.

With a physique like Might Guy's, he had recovered almost completely in a day. His body had been tempered to be incredibly resilient through years of training.

"Might Guy, what are you doing!" Kurenai Yuhi rapped Might Guy hard on the head.

This was because Might Guy's face had been nearly pressed against Ye Yuexin's.

His two round, thick eyebrows and large eyes were staring intently at Ye Yuexin.

Might Guy rubbed his head, puzzled, and asked, "Why hasn't Yuexin woken up yet? Kakashi already woke up yesterday."

"The nurse just said that besides his physical injuries, Yuexin seems to have suffered mental trauma. He has to recover on his own, which is why he hasn't woken up yet," Kurenai Yuhi explained with a huff.

Hearing this, Might Guy looked directly at Ebisu and asked, "Mental damage? Ebisu, don't you have some mental secret techniques?"

Hearing Might Guy's suggestion, Kurenai Yuhi immediately looked at Ebisu as well.

Before Kurenai Yuhi could say anything, Ebisu immediately clarified, "Don't look at me. Mine are all control and attack types. I've truly never heard of any for restoration."

Hearing Ebisu's reply, both Kurenai Yuhi and Might Guy looked disappointed.

Just at that moment.

"Cough, cough, cough... Have I been saved?" The first thing Ye Yuexin saw upon opening his eyes was the stark white ceiling.

He then realized he was lying in a bed.

He asked a question in a hoarse voice.

The entire room fell suddenly silent upon hearing Ye Yuexin's voice.

"Yuexin, you're finally awake!" Might Guy's large, surprised face suddenly appeared in Ye Yuexin's field of vision.

"Might Guy, get away from Yuexin!" Kurenai Yuhi shouted.

Kurenai Yuhi then took Ye Yuexin's hand and asked, "Yuexin, how are you feeling? Is there anywhere that still hurts?"

Ye Yuexin turned his head and saw both Kurenai Yuhi and Ebisu by his side.

He watched quietly as the tear tracks remained on Kurenai Yuhi's face, then smiled. "It's good to be alive!"

"Honestly, what are you being so sentimental about?" Kurenai Yuhi complained, looking at Ye Yuexin's emotional expression.

He shifted his body slightly and discovered that his wounds, especially the one on his lower abdomen, no longer hurt much.

It seemed the medical ninjutsu of the ninja world was truly remarkable.

Having lain there for so long, Ye Yuexin felt stiff all over, so he raised the head of the bed and leaned back against it.

"Thank you, Kurenai."

"And thank you, Might Guy and Ebisu."

Seeing that Ye Yuexin was recovering well, Ebisu began to show his sharp tongue, much like Obito.

"I was the one who worked so hard to carry you back. Why are you thanking Kurenai Yuhi first?"

"Do you have a problem with that, Ebisu?" Kurenai Yuhi threatened, her temper flaring at his words.

"Ah, no, just ignore me." Faced with Kurenai Yuhi in this state, Ebisu immediately backed down.

"How was I saved?" Ye Yuexin asked.

"I'll tell you. When we reached the main base, they immediately dispatched three people to rescue you."

"Later, it seems they ran into Kakashi and the others. With the help of a small dog, they were able to save you at the most critical moment."

"The ninjas from the main base said that not only was your situation critical at the time, but the injuries you sustained were enough to put you into shock."

"Fortunately, one of the chunin who went along was a medical ninja, which allowed them to keep you alive."

Hearing Might Guy say this, Ye Yuexin felt like getting sentimental again. His life was truly tough.

He then thought of something else and asked, "What about Kakashi and the others? How are they?"

"Kakashi is likely recovering even better than you; he woke up yesterday. Unlike you, who has been in a coma for three days."

"Obito and Rin are both over there taking care of Kakashi. When Kakashi woke up yesterday, he came to see you, but since you hadn't woken up yet, he stayed for a while before heading back to Kakashi's side."

"As for Genma Shiranui, he's had it rough. I heard he's currently undergoing special training from his clan. I haven't seen him since we returned to Konoha."

Hearing that everyone was still alive and kicking, Ye Yuexin felt that, regardless of everything else, this mission could be considered a success.

"Oh! That's right, Yuexin. I have some good news to tell you."

Ye Yuexin was lost in thought when he was suddenly startled by Might Guy's loud shout.

"Bam!" Kurenai Yuhi was also startled and gave Might Guy a hit on the head.

"If you do that again, I'll kick you out, hmph." Perhaps it was because of Ye Yuexin's injury; otherwise, someone as gentle and mature as Kurenai Yuhi wouldn't have been so irritable.

This was the first time Ye Yuexin had seen Kurenai Yuhi with such a personality.

"What is it, Might Guy?" Ye Yuexin asked curiously.

Might Guy didn't speak at first, instead giving Ye Yuexin a thumbs-up. He then said loudly, "Do you know? Because of this mission, we've all been promoted to chunin. And you, in particular—you're now an elite jonin of Konoha!"

Ye Yuexin was shocked to hear this.

No way. It couldn't be that easy to get promoted to chunin, could it?

He felt like he had only done two missions. Weren't there supposed to be chunin exams?

Since when did the promotion of Konoha ninjas become such a trivial matter?