A Late Ninja Career

In the cold, gloomy laboratory, strange cell samples writhed slowly in petri dishes under faint light. Uchiha Kyohaku finished recording the last set of data, set down his pen, and turned toward Orochimaru, who was studying an ancient scroll.

"Sensei." His calm voice broke the laboratory's usual silence.

"Hmm?" Orochimaru did not look up. His golden, serpentine eyes remained fixed on the obscure runes on the scroll.

"I believe it is time for me to begin carrying out ninja missions," Kyohaku said directly. "Theoretical knowledge and technical preparations need to be tested and refined through actual combat. Besides... given the current situation, I also need to gain experience fighting different kinds of ninja."

Orochimaru paused, then slowly raised his head and examined his pale-faced disciple with interest. A meaningful curve gradually formed at the corner of his lips, and his hoarse voice carried a trace of delight. "Oh? You finally can't hold yourself back? You want to experience real killing?"

"It is to verify what I have learned and acquire necessary data," Kyohaku corrected evenly, without a hint of emotion in his tone. "A ninja's worth must ultimately be measured by missions."

"Hehehe... well said." Orochimaru chuckled, clearly pleased with the answer. "That's right. Ninjas must carry out missions, and they must kill. True strength cannot be cultivated in a greenhouse. Only blood and fire can temper the sharpest blade."

He set down the scroll and walked up to Kyohaku, his cold fingers nearly touching Kyohaku's unnaturally pale cheek. "The current situation is indeed quite interesting. The small moves made by every country are increasing, and conflicts are breaking out every day. Getting acquainted with the methods of ninjas from other countries early on will benefit you greatly when facing larger-scale chaos in the future. You have my permission."

Orochimaru agreed with unusual readiness. To him, sending his disciple out on missions was like releasing a carefully raised venomous snake to test poison. Whatever the outcome, it would bring back valuable information. He was even somewhat curious what kind of interesting reactions Kyohaku's body, fused with special power, and that mind calm to the point of cruelty would display in real combat.

"However," Orochimaru added, "you do not need to be assigned to a fixed team for now. Your abilities... are rather unusual. A fixed team would only restrict you and could easily expose certain things. I will arrange for you to participate in some low-level missions as a temporary member first, so you can get used to it."

"Yes, Sensei." This was exactly what Kyohaku had hoped for. The bonds and scrutiny of a fixed team would only be unnecessary trouble to him.

With Orochimaru handling the procedures, everything was processed exceptionally quickly. Before long, Uchiha Kyohaku's name was marked as "eligible to accept missions." His record, however, was rather unusual: former medical intern, returned to duty after recovery, no current team assignment, strength assessment... pending.

His first mission was a D-rank border patrol mission in the Land of Fire. In peaceful times, such missions mostly involved finding lost pets or helping farmers pull weeds. But under the current tense atmosphere, even a D-rank mission carried a faint smell of gunpowder. The mission now required them to patrol a designated border route, drive off small groups of wandering bandits or wild beasts, and report any suspicious signs.

The meeting point was at the village gates. By the time Kyohaku arrived, his other two temporary teammates were already there. One was an experienced-looking, steady-faced middle-aged chunin, while the other was a somewhat nervous young genin who kept checking his ninja tool pouch.

The chunin nodded when he saw the Konoha forehead protector and ninja vest Kyohaku wore, which Orochimaru had prepared for him. But when he noticed Kyohaku's overly young face and exceptionally pale complexion, a trace of confusion flashed through his eyes. Only after seeing the note beside Kyohaku's name on the mission list—"no team assignment, medical ninja"—did he relax slightly.

"I'm Chunin Furukawa, and this is Genin Kenta," the chunin introduced succinctly. "You're the temporary medical ninja, Kyohaku? Stay close to us, watch your surroundings, and if anything happens, prioritize protecting yourself and reporting it. Understood?"

"Understood." Kyohaku's response was equally succinct, his voice steady and devoid of a novice's nervousness.

The team set out. Chunin Furukawa vigilantly led the way, Genin Kenta stayed in the middle, and Kyohaku followed at the rear. His steps were light and steady, showing no trace of his former disability. He even appeared more relaxed than the genin ahead of him.

Along the way, Chunin Furukawa occasionally explained the essentials of field patrols—how to distinguish the tracks of wild beasts from enemies, how to use terrain for concealment, and so on. Kenta listened attentively, while Kyohaku listened in silence. Yet his black eyes were like the most precise scanners, taking in the surrounding environment, sounds, smells, and even the faintest fluctuations of chakra, comparing and verifying them against the vast theoretical knowledge stored in his mind.

Halfway through their journey, a commotion and several terrified screams suddenly came from ahead. Chunin Furukawa immediately signaled for caution, and the three quickly took cover.

Through the bushes, they saw a group of five or six bandits wielding crude weapons as they surrounded what appeared to be an ordinary cargo carriage. The driver had already been injured and fallen to the ground, while the guards were barely holding on. The situation was critical.

"Bandits! Prepare for battle!" Chunin Furukawa ordered in a low voice, his gaze sharpening. "Kenta, harass them from the left flank! Kyohaku, stay in the rear and support us. Provide medical aid if necessary!"

Before his words had even faded, however, he felt a faint breeze pass by him.

Uchiha Kyohaku, who had been at the rear, had somehow vanished from where he stood!

In the next instant, he silently appeared like a ghost behind the bandit leader, who was about to bring his blade down on a guard. He moved so fast that only an afterimage remained!

The bandit leader noticed nothing. Kyohaku's right hand formed into a blade with two fingers, striking a specific bundle of nerves at the back of the man's neck with ruthless precision. There was no flashy ninjutsu, no earth-shaking noise—only an extremely faint crack.

The bandit leader's body instantly stiffened, his eyes lost focus, and he collapsed soundlessly to the ground, dead or alive unknown.

Before the other bandits could even react, Kyohaku's figure moved again. His movements were stripped down to the utmost simplicity. Every shift and every strike landed precisely on the places that could instantly rob a person of their ability to fight—joints, nerve clusters, temples...

Thud! Thud!

Several dull impacts rang out in succession. The remaining bandits fell one after another like cut wheat, completely unable to resist. The entire process lasted no more than five seconds.

By the time Chunin Furukawa and Kenta rushed out of the bushes, the battle was already over. Kyohaku was crouching beside the injured driver, soft green medical chakra glowing from his hands as he administered emergency treatment. His face remained pale and calm, his breathing steady, as though he had merely done something trivial.

Chunin Furukawa and Kenta stared dumbfoundedly at the scene before them, then at the bandits sprawled across the ground, all taken down in an instant. They could not speak for a long while. This... this was really a medical ninja? That speed, that efficiency, those ruthless and precise techniques...

After treating the driver's injuries, Kyohaku rose and looked at his two temporary teammates. His tone was flat and unruffled. "The threat has been eliminated. We can proceed with the follow-up report and cleanup."

Chunin Furukawa swallowed and nodded with difficulty. Looking into Kyohaku's overly calm eyes, he felt an inexplicable chill rise in his heart. This young medical ninja who had joined them temporarily and looked like a patient was definitely not as simple as he appeared.

His first mission came to a swift conclusion in a manner far beyond the estimated difficulty of a D-rank mission.

And so, Uchiha Kyohaku's ninja career officially began in a low-key yet deeply impressive fashion. Like a silent hunter, he began moving along the borders of the Land of Fire, calmly accumulating data called "experience" through missions both simple and unexpected, honing fangs that were already sharp as he waited for the moment he would truly step onto a larger stage.