Yagura Karatachi

With Shinku Yuhi leading the way, entering the Death Forest on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire went smoothly.

It was said that the forest contained countless traps, as well as explosive tags hidden everywhere.

Along the way, they saw many corpses. The rotten stench made everyone vomit repeatedly; even covering their mouths and noses with damp cloths was useless.

Main camp.

"Hey, miss! You! Get over here and treat this lord's injuries!"

The moment they entered the camp, a bare-chested burly man pointed at Biwa Miko and shouted.

Shinku Yuhi still said nothing. He headed straight for the command tent.

Seeing Biwa Miko too frightened to move, trembling with tears in her eyes, the bare-chested man immediately reached out with a lecherous grin to grab her.

No one dared move. They seemed to know this man, and Hundred Herbs even took two steps back in fear.

Clang!

As if possessed, Qian Yun drew his katana. Its tip pointed directly at the man's throat, less than half an inch from piercing it.

The bare-chested man froze, and a bead of cold sweat slid down from his temple.

Gulp!

After swallowing hard, the bare-chested man put on a tough front and said, "What's the big deal? The wound on my back has already festered. Can't I ask for treatment?"

Qian Yun narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "We can hear you. You don't need to lay a hand on her!"

The bare-chested man slowly backed away. "Got it!"

After saying that, he turned and returned to his own tent. Everyone could see that his back was bare and smooth, without a single wound.

He was nothing but a rotten military thug.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Biwa Miko did not thank Qian Yun. Instead, she actually blamed Hundred Herbs for not standing in front of her.

While Biwa Miko was prattling on, a man with a massive chin emerged from the large tent nearby.

"Great! All medical ninjas, come this way!"

Seeing that he wore medical clothing, everyone felt as though they had finally found their proper place.

Qian Yun followed at the back. He noticed black auras swirling throughout the large tent. Many people were about to die.

The moment they entered the tent, they smelled a thick, fishy stench.

It was the smell given off by festering wounds.

Biwa Miko was the first to rush out and vomit, followed by several frail girls.

The big-chinned man assigned tasks, directly stating who was responsible for which numbered beds.

There were no medical supplies whatsoever. How they treated patients depended entirely on their own abilities, and no one would be held responsible even if a patient died.

That was roughly the situation. After the big-chinned man finished speaking, he registered their names, and they were officially on duty.

The battlefield medical squad had none of those messy rules.

As long as you could work, that was enough.

Watching Biwa Miko and the others leave, the big-chinned man did not ask any questions.

Qian Yun quickly found his assigned nursing area. Every patient there had already lost consciousness.

Their bodies emitted an unpleasant fishy stench. Their wounds were rotting without treatment, while black auras representing death continuously hovered around them.

So this large tent was specifically for severely injured ninjas waiting to die. No wonder only one person was guarding it.

Qian Yun immediately began comprehensive disinfection, then administered medicine, followed by injections of his homemade serum.

While he worked tirelessly here, he had no idea that the big-chinned man had already gone to report to the command center that the critical care area had been taken over by the newcomer, Qian Yun.

It was not that the work had not been assigned to others. Rather, when Hundred Herbs, Tsume Inuzuka, and the others realized that Biwa Miko could leave without consequences, they all ran off to other medical tents.

Even the old women were no exception.

Not a single one remained.

After all, who would want to stay in an environment filled with such a fishy stench?

Qian Yun bustled back and forth in a mask, even opening the tent entrance for ventilation.

"Lord Qian Yun, congratulations on your promotion to head medic of the critical care area. Here is your appointment letter from the command center! Congratulations! See you later!"

Qian Yun was still dumbfounded when the big-chinned man finished speaking and fled.

Fuck me!

Qian Yun wanted to curse, but the big-chinned man had already run far away.

After sitting on a small stool in frustration for quite a while, Qian Yun finally stood up and continued disinfecting the other beds.

[Ding: Defeated virus, obtained Viral Nourishment trait +1 +1 +1...]

The system log was rapidly flooding with messages again. Qian Yun suspected the thing might crash at any moment.

It was simply too fast.

Even an iron man could not withstand it.

Half an hour later, Qian Yun discovered that someone had died.

Following procedure, he sealed the body and only needed to wait for the corpse disposal unit to collect it.

[Physique]

After touching the corpse, a white trait dropped. It seemed different from the traits he had seen before.

He immediately fused with it.

Qian Yun instantly felt refreshed, as though every cell in his body were cheering.

Perhaps staying here was not so bad. He could even secretly read the deceased's ninjutsu scrolls.

Qian Yun smiled and continued working.

After that, someone died every hour or two, and the drops were mostly Physique traits.

Having done everything he could, Qian Yun suddenly had free time.

So he found the desk left behind by the big-chinned man. There were some medical books inside.

"Nutritional supplements? Making liquid food?"

Qian Yun felt as though he had been enlightened. Although these people were waiting to die, they were not beyond saving.

The only problem was the lack of ingredients and medicinal herbs.

Fine, he would try making medicinal porridge.

The Antler Cultivation Barrel from home was released. Then he set traps to catch rats and began cultivating large numbers of ninja insects.

Three hours later.

Qian Yun fed all the patients his homemade medicinal porridge, and someone actually woke up on the spot.

"Thank you!"

Though weak, the man still forced himself to offer his thanks.

[Ding: Defeated tumor, obtained Tumor Growth trait!]

Qian Yun smiled. "No need to thank me. Everything will get better!"

Yet he was puzzled. He had merely fed the man a bowl of porridge. How had he defeated a tumor?

On the third day.

While sealing a corpse, Qian Yun obtained a green [Spirit] trait.

The instant he fused with it, he felt as though his entire being had suddenly ascended. Everything within a ten-meter radius seemed to be under his control.

Sensory perception?

This feeling was truly wonderful.

He also found an information-reading scroll in this ninja's tool pouch—the Brain Memory Reading Technique Qian Yun had been searching for so long.

Though it was only D-rank.

Qian Yun was still considering reading the dead man's memories when the ninja insects he had sent out to keep watch began returning in wave after wave.

The ninja insects could only convey simple information. Roughly speaking, they had discovered a large group of ninjas landing by the shore.

This was bad.

It was already eleven at night. Golden-Edged Earth Beetles were slow to begin with, so the enemy had likely already infiltrated the camp.

The moment Qian Yun thought this, shouts of battle erupted from a distant medical tent.

No, the enemy was slaughtering medical ninjas. He had to hide.

Qian Yun hurriedly packed up the barrel and left the tent, taking off his medical ninja uniform as well.

He glanced around. No one was in the supplies area, so he hurried over to hide.

Crouching in the shadows still did not seem safe. After thinking it over, Qian Yun found a large wooden crate and crawled inside.

He restrained his aura.

They can't find me... They can't find me... They can't find me...

Yet half a minute later, a large Hidden Mist ninja suddenly appeared in a Body Flicker, hoisted the crate onto his shoulder, and ran.

Fuck me!

You idiot, couldn't you have picked a different crate?

This is it. I'm dead!

Hidden inside the crate, Qian Yun did not dare make a sound. He suppressed his aura to the utmost limit.

Before long, Qian Yun sensed the sound of waves outside, followed by the breathing of a group of people.

There were at least ten of them.

I'm finished.

He could not even find an opportunity to launch a counterattack.

Maintain balance. Treat yourself as cargo.

If he was discovered, he was done for.

Hopefully, after reaching the enemy camp, they would not open the crate immediately.

It would be best if they gave him a chance to slip away.

The large Hidden Mist ninja ran for several hours before finally stopping at dawn.

Outside, there were the sounds of ocean tides and endlessly crying seabirds. This should be an island.

"You're slow!"

A resolute young voice rang out. Before the large man could speak, the youth spoke again.

"What kind of person did you bring back?"

The moment those words were spoken, Qian Yun's heart trembled in fright, and his aura involuntarily leaked out.

Bang!

The large ninja kicked the crate apart, sending Qian Yun rolling far away.