When he opened his eyes again, that familiar smell of medicine greeted him.
The ceiling was still the same ceiling, and the hard bed made his back ache.
Shuo blinked twice before confirming that he wasn't dead and hadn't transmigrated again. He was simply lying back in Konoha's frontline medical tent.
His whole body felt as though it had fallen apart and been put back together, especially his chest and head-one ached dully, the other throbbed.
He tried moving his fingers. Not bad. He wasn't paralyzed.
"Awake?" a voice came from beside him.
Shuo turned his head with difficulty and saw the female medical ninja mixing medicine. She glanced at him. "You're lucky to be alive. Chakra exhaustion, multiple soft-tissue contusions, another fracture where your ribs had just been set, a mild concussion... on top of your previous injuries. Making it back alive was sheer luck."
Shuo opened his mouth, his throat parched.
The medical ninja handed him a cup of warm water. Only after slowly taking a few sips did he feel a little more alive.
"How long... was I out?" His voice was terribly hoarse.
"A day and a night."
The medical ninja was recording something. "That teammate of yours, Kentaro, only suffered minor injuries. He's already rejoined his unit for other missions. Oh, Jonin Akimichi Dōtō said that once you woke up, you were to focus on recovering. This time... you've earned some credit."
Credit? Shuo's mind was still a little numb. It took several seconds to piece together the fragments of his memories before he passed out-the signal flare, Iwagakure, the Light Sword on the verge of falling apart, the Light Fog, and then unconsciousness.
"How are things... in the west?" he asked.
"The Iwagakure infiltrators were repelled, and the camp relocated in time. There weren't any major losses, thanks to the warning signal."
The medical ninja glanced at him, something else entering her eyes. "Long and Aoki's team encountered the main force. They're hurt worse than you, but their lives aren't in danger either. As for you... according to the inspection afterward and Kentaro's report, you held off at least two Chunin by yourself?"
Her tone was openly probing. How had a severely wounded Genin managed that?
A faint alarm sounded in Shuo's mind. He immediately put on an equally baffled expression and weakly shook his head. "I didn't hold them off... they were chasing me and beating me up. I got lucky and ran fast... fell a few times. I don't know how they... maybe they stepped into their own people's traps?" His voice grew quieter as he spoke, making him sound very unsure. He even coughed twice at just the right moment.
The medical ninja stared at him for several seconds. In the end, she didn't press him, only saying, "Get some rest. Your body... is recovering faster than expected, but don't do anything reckless again." With that, she turned to tend to the other wounded.
Shuo breathed a sigh of relief and lay flat again. He quietly pulled up the system panel.
[Host: Uchiha Saku (Status: recovering from severe injuries; Deep Slacking recommended)] [Current Imitation Points: 125/100] [Unlocked abilities: Preliminary Light Particle Activation (passive), Flash Movement: Prototype (on cooldown), Light-Speed Kick: Faint Spark, Ama no Murakumo Sword: Phantom (requires re-formation)] [Available unlocks:] [1. Aura Enhancement: Basic Languor (requires 150 points)-Makes you more like a qualified civil servant (crossed out) ninja who can't muster enthusiasm for anything. Increases Imitation Points gained from everyday speech and behavior by 20%.] [2. Ability Advancement: Yata Mirror Hypothesis (requires 200 points)-Gain an initial understanding of light-path refraction and reflection. Might let you expend less effort when moving or dodging? Effects remain to be verified.] [System note: In recognition of the host's performance in 'Working Overtime While Injured' (assessment: pathetic but effective), a special 'workplace injury' consolation reward has been issued: +10 additional Imitation Points. Keep up the effort, host, and find a balance between slacking off and meeting your KPIs.]
Workplace injury consolation? Shuo nearly laughed. This system really knew how to handle things. But at 125 points, he was still a little short of the 150 needed for that aura enhancement. Now that he was stuck lying here, where was he supposed to get Imitation Points?
As he pondered this, the tent flap lifted again. This time, the visitor wasn't a medical ninja or an ANBU member, but someone Shuo hadn't quite expected.
Minato Namikaze.
Dazzling blond hair, gentle blue eyes that couldn't quite hide their fatigue, and his customary smile that felt like a spring breeze. Though he wore a combat vest, he looked neat and immaculate, somewhat out of place in the tent crowded with wounded soldiers and foul air.
"Hey, you're awake?" Minato walked to his bedside, sounding perfectly natural, and pulled over a crude stool to sit down. "How are you feeling?"
"Jonin... Minato?" Shuo stumbled over his words a little.
This was the Yellow Flash, Konoha's great hero, the future Fourth Hokage. His body's original owner had only vague admiration and a sense of distance toward him in his memories.
"Relax. I just came to check on you."
Minato smiled, his gaze passing over Shuo's face with a scrutiny that wasn't unpleasant. "I heard about what happened along the western perimeter. You did very well. Decisive and calm, you fulfilled your warning mission to the fullest extent despite your severe injuries, and kept yourself and your teammate alive."
Shuo didn't know what to say. All he could manage was a dry, "I got lucky..."
"Sometimes, luck is part of strength too."
Minato seemed to mean something by that, but he quickly changed the subject. "From Kentaro's description, and the traces left at the scene... you seem to have used a unique method of movement and attack? It didn't feel quite like chakra. More like... light?"
Here it comes.
Shuo tensed inwardly. Even Minato noticed? He's a master of Space-Time Ninjutsu. His perception of energy is incredibly sharp.
"I... I don't know either."
Shuo decided to play dumb to the end, his eyes bewildered. "I was really scared at the time. All I could think about was how to dodge... and my body moved on its own. I think... there was a bit of light? I'm not really sure what happened either." He paused, then added, "Maybe... it's some strange mutation in our Uchiha Clan bloodline?" Even he thought the excuse was nonsense once he'd said it.
Minato watched him quietly, his gaze seemingly able to see through people's hearts.
But a few seconds later, he merely smiled gently and didn't pursue it.
"Everyone has their own secrets and potential. That's perfectly normal."
He stood and patted Shuo's uninjured shoulder. "Don't feel pressured. Focus on recovering. Konoha needs every ninja with potential. But..." His tone shifted, taking on a hint of humor. "If you act this recklessly again, you'll get a proper scolding. The Medical Team is busy too."
Shuo hurriedly nodded. "Yes... I'll be careful next time." Careful, my ass. Next time, if I can avoid fighting, I absolutely will.
Minato seemed reasonably satisfied with his attitude and nodded. "Get some rest. Once you're healed, perhaps you can come have a chat with me. When it comes to... 'speed,' I do have a little experience."
With that, he smiled at Shuo, turned, and left the tent.
Watching his figure disappear, Shuo slowly let out a long breath.
Dealing with someone at that level is exhausting. But that last thing Minato said... what did he mean? Guidance? A test?
He shook his head, setting those thoughts aside for now.
His top priorities now were recovering and... scraping together Imitation Points.
How do I get them? Lying in his hospital bed, he glanced around.
There were several other wounded men in the tent. Some were groaning, others staring into space.
Outside came the footsteps of patrolling ninja, and farther away, the shouts of people training...
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
Imitating Kizaru doesn't necessarily have to involve fighting or talking, right? Wouldn't that attitude of being indifferent to everything going on around me and just wanting to slack off in peace count too?
He adjusted his position, letting himself sprawl a little more, with his hands folded over his lower abdomen and his eyes half closed. His unfocused gaze rested on a repaired patch in the tent roof.
His ears automatically filtered out the surrounding noise, and his face assumed the ultimate slacker expression: "The world's troubles have nothing to do with me. I just want to be a wounded patient in peace."
[Continuing to maintain 'Deep Slacking' and 'languor at odds with the surroundings'... Imitation Points +1... +1...]
It actually works! It's slow, but even scraps add up!
He stayed sprawled there, occasionally grimacing slightly when his injuries hurt, but maintaining the same overall posture.
His thoughts began wandering freely: Can I make Ama no Murakumo last longer next time? Can Light-Speed Kick be more powerful? What exactly did Minato mean by "have a chat"? What's for dinner...
He didn't know how much time had passed. Just as his Imitation Points rose another five points to 130, and he was close to actually falling asleep-
A sudden burst of hurried footsteps and slightly panicked shouting came from outside the tent, drawing closer:
"Medical Team! Hurry! A stretcher! It's the patrol! They ran into an Explosive Tag trap!"
"Severely wounded! He needs surgery immediately!"
The tent flap was yanked open, letting in a cold gust carrying the smell of blood and smoke.
Two ninja covered in dust and blood rushed in carrying an unconscious comrade whose abdomen was charred black. Another pale-faced teammate followed behind.
The medical ninja immediately gathered around, and the tent descended into chaos.
An atmosphere of noise, tension, and panic spread.
The ninja they had carried in was gravely injured. The Medical Team leader examined him quickly, his voice stern. "Prepare for surgery! Everyone else, out! You, press here! Hemostats!"
The sudden chaos startled Shuo fully awake. He watched the struggle between life and death unfolding nearby, smelled the heavy stench of blood, and listened to the wounded man's unconscious groans of pain and the medical ninja's urgent instructions...
No matter how many times he saw scenes like this, they always weighed on his heart.
He watched silently, his face expressionless. A few seconds later, he let out an extremely faint, almost inaudible sigh. Then, in a voice only he could hear, he murmured into the air:
"That's what I mean... the world of ninja..."
He paused, looking at the figures busy trying to save a life and the gray sky outside the tent, then finished the sentence, his tone carrying a deep, almost instinctive detachment and weariness:
"...it's this 'lively' every day."
[Ding! Amid a tense emergency treatment scene, you naturally displayed 'indifferent detachment toward the Shinobi World's cruel nature and an observer's reflection.' Deep alignment with the Kizaru template's core mindset: 'Justice from the sidelines (weary edition).' Imitation Points +25! Critical hit!] [Current Imitation Points: 155/100!] [Conditions met! Unlock 'Aura Enhancement: Basic Languor'?]
Unlock!
An indescribable sensation flowed through his entire body.
It wasn't an increase in strength, but more like a deepening of some kind of "permission," or rather, "habit."
Suddenly, he felt that simply sprawling here, thinking nothing and doing nothing, seemed... more natural, more justified.
He even adjusted his pillow to make himself more comfortable, then closed his eyes, completely shutting out the noise around him.
As though that remark just now and the frantic effort to save a life before him were nothing more than irrelevant background noise.
Before you continue