The smell of disinfectant became the most familiar background noise after Shira woke up. Although Chiyo's detoxification technique was powerful, clearing away the remaining toxins and repairing the nerves and hidden lung injuries was a long and arduous process, and the doctor ordered him to rest in bed for at least half a month.
For the first two days, Shira spent most of her time in a deep sleep, her body instinctively repairing the damage from overexertion.
When I woke up, I would often see my mother, Rira, sleeping lightly by the bedside, or my father, Shiya, sitting silently beside me peeling fruit.
"Mom, I'm really fine, just a little tired." His voice was hoarse, and he tried to raise his hand, but it was too weak.
Rira woke up immediately, her eyes still red, but she forced a smile, "Awake? Are you hungry? Mom made you some porridge."
She went on and on about who in the village had come to see him, how the child Ameno came to ask about him Tenten, how the two brothers, Rani and Fūi, had brought him herbs that were said to strengthen bones and muscles, and how even Temari and Kankuro had sent people to deliver some gifts.
Shira, feeling a warm glow in her heart. This feeling of being cared for was incredibly comforting.
On the third day, he felt better, but the feeling of being confined became unbearable. He was not by nature someone who could stay idle.
"Hmm, Dad, could you help me find something to look at?" he asked Shiya, who was watching over him. "Anything will do—maps, notes, even summaries of village mission reports."
Shiya looked at her son's eyes, which had regained some of their sparkle, and nodded. "Okay, I'll go ask someone."
Because of Shira's heroic deeds in the "Black Storm" incident, the newspaper and bookstore owner generously told Shiya that she could take whatever she wanted, as long as she returned it intact.
Soon, Shira's hospital room became a temporary transit point for non-classified information.
His hospital bed was piled high with yellowed copies of "Geography of the Land of Wind," "Atlas of Common Minerals on the Continent," expired "Tactical Weekly," and even a few basic weapon forging manuals and herbal identification handbooks.
Where there is demand, there is a market. These are exactly what ordinary ninjas need. The scenario of later-stage Ninjutsu in Gundam mode is too far away for Shira. He must be down-to-earth and improve his combat skills and awareness in all aspects so as to minimize the disadvantage caused by not knowing Ninjutsu.
The more you learn, the more chances you have to save your life.
When the doctor came for rounds, he frowned and said, "Rest well! Don't overexert yourself!"
Shira smiled and assured, "Doctor, I'll just flip through it casually, I won't be using my brain."
As soon as the doctor left, he immediately immersed himself in the task. He wasn't just staring at the map mindlessly; he was combining it with the routes he had taken during this mission, mentally simulating the marching, ambush, and retreat routes.
"If we had gone this way, would we have been able to avoid that checkpoint?"
"The water supply here varies so much with the seasons; we need to take that into account in our supply plans."
When reviewing tactical examples, he would gesture with his finger on the bedsheet. "A feint attack here, the main force actually flanks... but the flank seems to be exposed."
He discovered that many of the historical battles and game tactics he had witnessed in his previous life had many strange similarities in this world.
Ebizo would occasionally drop by to see him, and seeing him engrossed in a book, he would casually offer a word of advice. "The canyon terrain of the Land of Grass is prone to miasma in the summer afternoons; troops should avoid it."
"The iron ore Land of Iron and the Kunai crafted from the Land of Artisans have different blade toughness." Shira treasured this knowledge and quickly wrote it down.
Besides reading, his greatest pleasure was chatting with visitors.
Ameno visits almost every day, sometimes bringing a bunch of fresh jujube blossoms, sometimes a few freshly made, less sweet pastries.
She wasn't a talkative person; she would often sit quietly by the bed, listening to Shira share her reading experiences or tell her interesting stories from school.
" Shira knows so much." Ameno looked at the map he had spread out, which was covered with markings that only he could understand, drawn with his fingernails, her eyes filled with admiration.
"Just some random thought," Shira smiled slightly. "I just feel that a ninja like me who only knows Taijutsu can't just rely on his fists; he needs to know more. For example, if he knew which herbs could temporarily stop bleeding, his chances of survival in the wild would be much higher."
Once, the two brothers, Rani and Fūi, came to visit him arm in arm, bringing a bag of greasy roasted scorpions.
"You're really lucky!" Rani chuckled and was about to pat his shoulder forcefully as usual, but Shira grimaced and dodged away.
He realized his mistake somewhat awkwardly and apologized, "Uh, sorry, it's a habit. By the way, I heard you almost survived that Fang guy's poison?"
Shira gave a wry smile, "What's there to carry? If it weren't for Granny Chiyo, I would have kicked the bucket long ago. By the way, Rani, you guys go on many missions. When you encounter complex terrain, how do you determine where traps are likely to be set?"
Upon hearing this, Rani immediately stopped chuckling. "How come you're always getting involved? Cultivation takes up your body, injuries take up your mind, is there anything you can't get involved in?"
Even so, he still cheerfully discussed it with Fūi and Shira.
The conversation quickly turned to exchanging practical experience, and Fūi even took out his notebook and drew several simple trap layout diagrams for Shira.
Immediately, the ward was filled with heated discussions about "putting tripwires here" and "using Explosive Tag over there."
Shira must strive to integrate, understand, and learn how to better survive and fight in this world.
After all, he didn't have any cheat codes and only knew Taijutsu. This kind of start was too difficult to maintain, too difficult.
Fortunately, he has memories of the original work. If someone who has never read Hokage were to transmigrate here, they would be completely blind. He needs to learn to be content, otherwise he will never be happy.
His body was still weak and unable to engage in any physical training, but his mind was like a greedy sponge, frantically absorbing all the knowledge he could access.
Strategy, geography, weaponry, herbs—these seemingly scattered pieces of knowledge are quietly weaving into a net in his mind, a support network that will allow his Taijutsu to unleash even greater power in the future.
It will be some time before she can get out of bed and move around again, but Shira is not anxious.
This is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of others and destroy them.
The sandstorm outside the window continues...