Although saving people at the hospital yielded relatively little experience... Yubi did get some training out of it.
For a doctor, the ward was a battlefield.
Frequent use of Medical Ninjutsu requiring precise control also helped increase the speed of his chakra recovery... over time, it would also increase his total chakra reserves somewhat.
He would also become more proficient at using ninjutsu.
Yubi could feel this.
Although Sasori knew a fair amount about Medical Ninjutsu, he was not a medical ninja, after all, so his feelings and understanding were not as comprehensive.
It was only natural that he thought Yubi was just dabbling in the village...
While I wait for Sasori to return... I should continue strengthening my body.
Yubi made up his mind.
As he mastered more and more Medical Ninjutsu, especially as he came to understand and analyze their capabilities, Yubi discovered that he could work through "cellular activity" to a suitable degree to temper his body more thoroughly.
His body would grow stronger.
And it was not hard to see hints of this idea in some of Tsunade's ninjutsu.
They leaned in this direction as well.
Her ninjutsu "Creation Rebirth" in particular... showed that certain effects of Medical Ninjutsu could be used not only on patients, but also to strengthen oneself.
But he needed to find the right method and possess sufficient understanding and control of both ninjutsu and the human body.
Yubi planned to use himself as a guinea pig and experiment.
Even if he could not reach Tsunade's level, even a small improvement would be a gain.
With that thought, he got up from the bed, ready to wash up and go to sleep.
"Hm?"
But just then, his brow suddenly rose, and he looked toward the door.
A few seconds later, two soft knocks sounded at the door.
"Yubi?"
The person outside called out.
Yubi went over and opened the door, revealing a Sunagakure ninja standing outside, smiling at him.
"You are?"
"I'm with the Anbu... Lord Kazekage wants to see you."
The man smiled.
This late?
Yubi glanced at the sky. By now, almost all the lights in Sunagakure were out.
Although he was not as busy now, it was almost always well past midnight when he came home.
If something came up, he could summon me at any time... why choose this hour? A thought stirred in Yubi's mind. Could... something unexpected have happened?
That was the only explanation.
"Give me a moment."
Yubi nodded, immediately turning around to put on his clothes.
He hung his Sunagakure forehead protector around his neck.
He looked ready to head out on a mission.
Wearing the forehead protector on his head felt very uncomfortable to Yubi... so ever since his promotion to genin, he had kept it tied relatively loosely around his neck.
He was also particular about where he tied it, covering the vital area of his throat to some extent.
A little while later, he left home with the Anbu.
"This way."
Yubi had been about to head toward the Kazekage's office building, but the Anbu leading him pointed in another direction.
Clearly, the Kazekage was waiting for him somewhere else.
This secretive?
What exactly is this about?
Yubi's eyelid twitched.
Could... this secret meeting be between just me and the Kazekage?
That would mean... this probably isn't a simple matter!
Yubi's expression grew serious.
Whoosh, whoosh...
The two figures moved rapidly through the village.
"Hm?"
Along the way, Yubi noticed something unusual.
Although it was well past midnight, the village still had ninja on patrol duty, responsible for security.
In wartime, the village's guards and defenses were extremely tight.
Even though Sunagakure still maintained a small amount of trade with the outside world, outsiders entering the village had to undergo extremely thorough screening... having spent so long in the village, Yubi was also very familiar with the usual patrol routes of the Sunagakure guards, but the route this Anbu was taking him along was clearly intended to avoid other people.
The man was also very familiar with the patrol routes.
His timing was excellent, as though he did not want anyone else to discover their movements.
"Because this is a mission assigned personally by Lord Kazekage... we have to keep it confidential. This matter... mustn't become known to anyone else." As though to prevent Yubi from growing suspicious, the Anbu man turned back and spoke to him softly.
Yubi said nothing and nodded slightly.
He had some suspicions... but more than that, he was wondering... what exactly the Third Kazekage wanted to do.
Soon, the two reached the very edge of the village.
There were hardly any houses to be seen around them anymore... only vast stretches of sand as far as the eye could see.
But after they traveled another stretch on foot, a figure finally appeared in the distance.
Because the night was dark and the figure stood rather far away, it was hard to make him out at first... Yubi could only vaguely see that he wore a long robe characteristic of the Land of Wind and seemed to be the Third Kazekage.
His back was turned to them.
"Lord Kazekage."
Just as Yubi was studying the figure carefully, the Anbu in front of him stopped first and spoke.
Confirming the man's identity.
The Kazekage?
Just as Yubi was about to take a good look, his heart suddenly pounded.
The combat instincts honed through his fighting at the border... came into play at that moment.
The kneeling Anbu abruptly spun around without warning and lunged at him in a single stride, thrusting a kunai toward his chest.
The man moved extremely fast.
Even though Yubi had realized something was wrong beforehand, he still could not dodge in that brief instant.
But he avoided his vitals, and the kunai stabbed into his abdomen.
Yubi's expression instantly turned cold, and he pulled back.
As he retreated, he looked up and saw that where the "Kazekage" had stood... only a long robe remained, fluttering in midair and drifting slowly to the ground.
The man... had already vanished.
Whirr...
A sound came slicing through the air.
An enormous four-bladed shuriken spun toward his head.
In midair, Yubi forcibly twisted at the waist and ducked beneath it... landing on the ground by the narrowest of margins.
This is... a Fūma Shuriken!
A ninja tool of the Fuma Clan.
Yubi glanced at the shuriken embedded in the sand, his expression changing slightly.
Clearly... he had been set up.
These two... were here to kill him.
Connecting this with his earlier sense that something was off, Yubi immediately realized that these two were not Sunagakure ninja!
Because he could think of no reason for the village to attack him.
Furthermore, a ninja tool like the Fūma Shuriken was relatively expensive and classed as special supplies... even if it did not cost much for a ninja, Sunagakure ninja rarely used them.
For Sunagakure, a ninja tool like the Fūma Shuriken was better suited to puppeteers, incorporated into the mechanisms of their puppets.
Not used in this manner.
After landing, Yubi slowly raised his arms. The wound in his abdomen was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Before long, it had returned to its original state.
"Hm."
The sight immediately stunned the two ninja who had attacked.
In particular... the man who had attacked Yubi and claimed to be Anbu had an even more incredulous look in his eyes.
He was certain he had injured this brat... although the boy had reacted very quickly, the blood on the ground and on the kunai in his hand did not lie.
A-rank Medical Ninjutsu, Yin Healing Wound Destruction.
Upon realizing he was injured, Yubi had already formed hand seals with both hands and cast the ninjutsu while airborne.
His opponent's strike had been intended to kill him.
But his Big Data Taijutsu had allowed him to predict where the enemy's attack would land... and thus avert the crisis.
"Interesting... two rats that sneaked in."
Yubi's fingers had already begun working exceedingly fine threads. The corners of his mouth lifted, and although he was smiling, his widened eyes made the two men involuntarily feel a chill.
Under the moonlight, the boy stood on the sand like a dancer about to perform... his raised arms and curled fingertips moved gracefully, yet carried a trace of chilling killing intent.
"It really has been... a long time since I felt this."
Yubi smiled, without the slightest lingering fear from nearly falling into danger. Instead, his voice held a hint of delight.
For a fleeting moment, this feeling seemed to take him back to when he had fought the Amegakure ninja.
Although he had spent this time in the village treating illnesses and saving lives, constantly making gains and growing.
In truth... his days had also been very dull and tedious.
"Before we start fighting to the death... can you tell me who you really are?"
The boy asked.
"..."
The two men exchanged a glance, their expressions grave.
They had already realized that their village's intelligence on this Yubi was flawed.
Clearly... this brat was not as simple as an ordinary medical ninja...