Saving People

"Mm... tsk, tsk, tsk... mm..."

In a simple room, Enkō sat solemnly on a stool while an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face stood before him. Two withered fingers held open his eyelids as the man examined his eyes with great interest, occasionally making inexplicable noises.

This only made Enkō feel uncomfortable all over. It was like going to the hospital, only for the doctor to suddenly frown, shake his head, and sigh while looking at your test results, then tell you to eat whatever you wanted while you still could. It was downright chilling.

At last, Enkō could not help asking, "Sir, can my condition be cured?"

"Well..." The old man released him, sat across from Enkō, and took a sip of tea from the table. "Of course it can be cured."

Enkō said in surprise, "Really? Then please lend me your aid, sir. If it can be cured, I will reward you handsomely."

"No need for a handsome reward. I always charge the same price for treatment." The old man waved a hand and continued, "And don't call me sir. I prefer people to call me Tian Lao."

Tian Lao then looked Enkō over. "You're a ninja, aren't you, young man? One look at your eyes tells me you used some kind of ninjutsu that caused backlash to your eyes' very foundation. If I'm not mistaken, you should be from the Uchiha Clan, right?"

Enkō did not hide it and nodded in admission. "That's right. I am Uchiha Enkō, indeed a member of the Uchiha Clan."

"So, curing your eyes is simple. Just stop using that ninjutsu, wouldn't that do it?"

"Huh?" Enkō froze, looking as though he had just been played.

"I'm joking. Do young people these days dislike jokes that much?" Tian Lao waved his hand in boredom. "But your condition truly can't be cured. The foundation of your eyes has been damaged, and medicine alone has no way of repairing it."

"As expected." Enkō nodded. He was not exactly disappointed, since he had already prepared himself mentally. If the Mangekyo Sharingan's side effects were truly so easy to resolve, the problem would not have persisted for centuries.

"Although I can't cure your eye disease, I do have medicine that can keep it from getting worse."

"Hmm?" The sudden turn of events left a clear trace of suspicion in Enkō's eyes. "You're not playing with me again this time, are you?"

"Young man, I won't lie to you." Tian Lao turned and began rummaging through his home. After searching for quite a while, he somehow produced a wine gourd and gave it a shake.

"There's still half left. Here, take it." Tian Lao tossed the wine gourd to Enkō and casually explained, "This contains medicinal wine I... uh... brewed about a year ago. Don't drink too much. Whenever you're about to use an ocular technique, take a sip. The effects last about an hour, and during that hour, your eyes won't suffer backlash from the ocular technique."

"Good stuff!" Enkō treasured it as though he had found a priceless jewel and eagerly asked, "Thank you for the medicine, Tian Lao. How much more of this medicinal wine do you have? I'll buy all of it!"

"Do you think it grows like roadside weeds?" Tian Lao said irritably. "The ingredients for this wine are very precious. One of the medicinal herbs is nearly extinct now. This is all there is. Once it's gone, it's gone."

"Even so, thank you greatly for your help, Tian Lao."

"Five taels of silver. You weren't planning to skip payment, were you?"

Medicine Hidden Village was open to outsiders. They treated not only ninjas, but anyone who came seeking medicine, and no matter the illness, they charged only five taels of silver.

Enkō took out five taels of silver from his robes and placed them on the table. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Tian Lao, I would like to..."

"Don't even think about it." Before Enkō could finish, Tian Lao interrupted him. "I've been here for sixty years, and I quite like the environment here. I plan to retire here."

"Ah." Enkō sighed helplessly. For someone like Tian Lao, who cared neither for fame nor profit and devoted himself to helping the people, there was truly nothing else Enkō could do besides persuade him. "Very well. Since Tian Lao has made up his mind, I won't force the matter."

"Go back. But I'll still remind you: it's best to use your ocular technique less often."

Enkō neither agreed nor disagreed. He stood to take his leave, but the moment he opened the door, he saw a child running toward them in a panic. "Grandpa Tian, something terrible happened! Big Brother Tian and the others are in trouble!"

"I told them long ago not to go, but they just wouldn't listen." Though Tian Lao complained, a flicker of worry crossed his face. "What happened?"

The child spoke incredibly fast. "Big Brother Takuya, who went with Big Brother Tian, just came back. He said Big Brother Tian is trapped in a valley and is looking for people to save them!"

"They never stop worrying people." Tian Lao sighed, then hurried outside. Enkō thought for a moment before quickly following him.

At the village entrance, a group of people had already gathered. Each wore simple weapons and gear, clearly intending to go rescue them together.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Going there to die?" Tian Lao hurriedly stopped them. "I know that place better than any of you. If you go, not only will you fail to save anyone, you'll lose your own lives too!"

Fukuizumi Takuya, who stood at the front, shouted anxiously, "Tian Lao, but Tian Yuan and the others are still trapped in there, waiting for us to save them!"

"Saving people requires ability. Without it, you're just going to your deaths!"

"I don't care! Big Brother Tian and the others risked their lives to let me escape. I can't just watch them die in there. If you won't go, I'll go by myself!"

Tian Lao was furious. "Come back here! If you go back now to die, wouldn't Tian Yuan and the others have saved you for nothing?"

"Hmph!" Fukuizumi Takuya gritted his teeth, but still resolutely headed out of the village.

"Wait!"

Just then, a young voice called out to him. Looking back, he saw a handsome young man step out from the crowd. "I'll go with you."

Takuya looked at the young man and realized he did not know him, so he asked, "Who are you?"

Enkō smiled faintly. "Just call me Enkō. Although I don't know exactly what trouble you encountered, I'm willing to go with you."

Tian Lao shouted from behind, "Hey! Young man, I advise you not to go throw your life away. Don't think I'll agree to your request just because you do this!"

"I know. Nor do I intend to use this matter to force you into making a decision." Enkō picked up the wine gourd Tian Lao had given him and shook it. "Consider it payment for this medicinal wine. Chikuma, follow me!"

"Got it, boss!"

Although Takuya had not figured out what was going on, seeing that someone was willing to go with him, he nodded in agreement. "Thank you immensely for your help, sir. Please follow me!"

"Hey! You..." Watching their figures disappear into the distance, Tian Lao stamped his foot in frustration, yet could do nothing.

"Nothing better happen to them!"