Joining the Medical Corps

Several dozen minutes later, following Mitarai Aoi, he finally arrived at Leaf Village's main frontline camp.

The sight before him made even Tianyi, who had been mentally prepared, suck in a sharp breath.

The open ground before the main camp had already become a massive open-air field hospital.

Under the flickering firelight lay densely packed Leaf Village ninjas, groaning without end, their bodies stained with blood.

Severed limbs, burns, penetrating wounds... all manner of horrific injuries assaulted the eyes.

The air was thick with the heavy stench of blood, the smell of scorched flesh, and the bitter scent of medicinal herbs, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Only a handful of ninjas wearing Medical Corps insignia hurried through the crowd, treating the wounded.

Many medical ninjas looked unsteady from excessive chakra depletion.

"I'll go help first!" Mitarai Aoi only had time to say this to Tianyi.

Then she rushed toward an injured man whose abdomen had been sliced open, his intestines faintly visible.

A soft green glow of medical chakra instantly lit up in Aoi's hands as she pressed them against the wounded man's abdomen.

Just as Tianyi thought this was the perfect time to show off his Intermediate First Aid—

Whoosh—boom!

An exceedingly bright green signal flare carrying a unique chakra fluctuation.

Shot up from the command tent at the center of the camp and exploded violently high in the sky!

At that moment, a tremendous crash came from the forest on the left side of the camp!

Rumble—!

The ground shook violently as smoke and dust surged into the sky!

A gigantic serpent, more than five meters in diameter and of immeasurable length, covered in gray scales.

Smashed through countless trees, raised its snake head dozens of meters high, and appeared at the edge of the battlefield!

A slender figure stood proudly atop its head.

He wore a loose kimono, his long black hair drifting in the night wind.

His golden vertical pupils coldly swept over the chaotic camp below, and the corner of his mouth curled upward.

His tongue unconsciously licked his lips.

Orochimaru!

One of the legendary Three Sannin. Had he appeared as reinforcements?

Or... was this raid itself a trap—a trap set by Leaf Village's higher-ups?

Looking at where and when Orochimaru had appeared, Tianyi leaned toward the latter. The enemy should have been surrounded from behind by now.

With a casual wave of Orochimaru's hand, a large number of Leaf Village ninjas suddenly emerged from the forest behind him.

They silently and efficiently entered the battlefield, instantly dividing and encircling the Hidden Rain Village forces that had breached the outer perimeter of the main camp!

The cries of battle gradually faded as the enemies were killed one by one.

The pressure within the main camp eased somewhat, but the wounded were still there.

"Vice Captain! We don't have enough hands! We're almost out of hemostatic powder and bandages too! What do we do with these severely wounded patients?!"

Not far away, a young medical ninja cried out, his voice trembling with tears.

He shouted at a middle-aged medical jonin who was casting techniques on two wounded patients at once.

The medical jonin called Vice Captain was drenched in sweat, her chakra output already at its limit.

Her gaze swept over the subordinates on the ground who were barely clinging to life, and pain and struggle flashed through her eyes.

In the end, she had no choice but to make a cruel decision and turn her head away.

"Prioritize and mark them! Treat those with the most severe injuries but still a chance of survival first, in the order they were brought in!

Those who have gone into shock from excessive blood loss, whose internal organs are damaged beyond immediate suturing... temporarily... abandon them!

Concentrate our resources on those we can save! Those we can't... wait!"

...This was the real cruelty of war.

But this was also his opportunity!

The thought flashed through his mind as Tianyi took a deep breath.

"Vice Captain! Let me try! I've learned basic medical treatment and can handle emergency care!

And my Byakugan can accurately assess injuries!"

The Vice Captain turned at his words, her gaze instantly sweeping over the seal on Tianyi's forehead.

"You?" the Vice Captain asked doubtfully.

"Yes, I'm from the Hyuga Branch House, Hinata Tianyi!

I can see that at least six of his ribs are broken. Two bone fragments have pierced his right lung and heart.

He has severe internal bleeding and a left-sided hemopneumothorax. We must immediately decompress his chest and stop the internal bleeding, or he won't last three minutes!"

Using the X-ray vision of his Byakugan and the knowledge he had just acquired from [Intermediate First Aid], Tianyi delivered his diagnosis in rapid succession.

That professional and accurate assessment made a flicker of surprise appear in the Vice Captain's eyes.

She gave Tianyi another deep look, then glanced at the wounded man who truly stood at death's door, and was just about to nod.

"Wait!"

A cold voice suddenly rang out.

The shadows shifted, and one of the three Root ninjas from yesterday.

Appeared like a ghost between Tianyi and the wounded man, blocking his path.

The eyes behind the mask stared coldly at Tianyi through its holes.

"Hinata Tianyi?" The Root member's voice was flat and emotionless.

"The squad you were assigned to was wiped out yesterday. You alone survived, and the suspicion surrounding you has yet to be cleared.

Until the investigation concludes, you are forbidden from approaching any wounded personnel.

You are forbidden from taking any action that could affect the investigation.

Step back immediately!"

Tianyi's heart sank. Damn it!

The ANBU's suspicions of him from yesterday truly had not disappeared.

One of their people had probably died in that squad. No! He couldn't passively wait for an investigation like this.

Then he pointed at the wounded man on the ground and spoke urgently.

"He's about to die. I can save him!" Tianyi's voice kept rising, filled with anger.

"I have the Byakugan. I can see everything clearly! Just because of your suspicions.

Are you going to stand by and watch a Leaf Village comrade who can still be saved die here?!

Doesn't your ANBU mission include protecting Leaf Village's living forces?!"

The situation here drew the attention of several nearby medical ninjas and some of the wounded who had been busy working.

Gazes converged on them one after another.

"A Leaf Village comrade?" The Root member's voice seemed to carry the faintest trace of mockery.

"Before your suspicions are cleared, any unconventional action you take may constitute a threat."

He glanced at the wounded man on the ground.

"Do not make any unnecessary movements. Otherwise, on the grounds of obstructing an investigation and posing a potential threat to camp security.

I will detain you!"

An undisguised killing intent washed over him.

The Root member's hand had already settled on the hilt of the short sword at his waist.

Root did not care about public pressure at all. They only obeyed their own judgments and orders.

The atmosphere instantly grew taut to the extreme! Tianyi had no doubt that the other man would strike in the next instant.

Every muscle in his body tensed as images of grenades, Empty Palm, and escape routes flashed through his mind...

At that critical moment—

"Stop!"

The Medical Corps Vice Captain stepped forward and placed herself directly between Tianyi and the Root member.

She quickly crouched down first, pressing one hand against the dying patient's chest. After probing with a trace of medical chakra, her expression darkened.

She rose to her feet, stared straight into the holes of the Root member's mask, and spoke decisively.

"His assessment is entirely correct! This patient is in critical condition and needs immediate treatment!

This is a special wartime situation. The Medical Corps has the authority to requisition all available medical personnel!

In my capacity as Vice Captain of the Medical Corps, I formally requisition Hinata Tianyi to temporarily join the Medical Corps and assist with treating the wounded!

The Medical Corps will assume full responsibility for all of his treatment actions!"

"You!" The Root member's expression turned ugly.

The Vice Captain paused, meeting the Root member's increasingly cold gaze.

Then she enunciated every word. "If you have any objections concerning personnel requisition, medical procedures.

Or if you suspect the conduct of a Medical Corps member.

You, or your superior.

May directly consult the overall person in charge of our Medical Corps—Lady Tsunade!

Now, either help, or leave the medical area!"

The name "Tsunade" visibly halted the Root member's momentum.

His gaze beneath the mask fixed on the Vice Captain's face as they remained locked in a standoff for roughly two or three seconds.

Then he looked at Hinata Tianyi.

"Hmph." A nearly inaudible snort.

The next second, the dark figure flickered, and the Root member vanished from the spot.

"Whew—" Only then did Tianyi realize that his back was soaked in cold sweat, and he let out a long breath.

That was close...

He turned to the Medical Corps Vice Captain and gave a solemn bow. "Thank you, Vice Captain! I..."

But the Vice Captain waved him off, interrupting him. Her expression softened slightly.

She gestured in Mitarai Aoi's direction. "Aoi told me that you saved her.

And your diagnosis was correct, which made me believe you truly wanted to save people.

Focus on saving them first! Prove yourself, and prove that Aoi's judgment and my decision were not wrong!"

Tianyi's heart trembled. Turning his head, he saw that on the other side of the crowd.

Mitarai Aoi had just finished performing emergency hemostasis on an injured patient, and she was looking up at him as well.

Beads of sweat covered her forehead as her light brown eyes met Tianyi's.

She said nothing. She merely gave him a gentle yet utterly certain nod.

Then she immediately bent down again and threw herself into treating the next wounded patient.

A warm current mixed with an immense sense of responsibility instantly filled Tianyi's chest.

He hesitated no longer and immediately dropped to one knee beside the critically injured patient.