After going to great lengths to finally deal with Kira, the Sand ninja, Kōki went over to his two gravely wounded teammates. Both were unconscious and pale, their breathing gradually weakening.
With no time to worry about medical conditions, Kōki immediately used a chakra scalpel to cut open their injured areas. With one hand, he set broken bones and healed their wounds; with the other, he used yang release chakra to stimulate their blood-producing systems and maintain their vital signs.
After more than ten minutes of treatment, color began returning to Yui's and Katsuto's faces, and their breathing grew steady and strong again.
Having successfully healed Katsuto and Yui with his superb medical ninjutsu, Kōki went over to Mei, the blood-soaked Anbu, to see whether he could still be saved. But when he saw the Anbu lying motionless, no longer breathing, Kōki knew it was too late.
Mei had already been gravely wounded and dying before Kōki arrived to support him. Afterward, he had used up his very last bit of chakra to cover his captain's retreat.
Kōki admired the bond between the Anbu comrades, but as far as he himself was concerned, he felt he could not do the same. He thought such behavior was rather foolish.
Though he looked like a child of about eight, mentally he was an adult in his twenties, with an already mature outlook on life and set of values.
The Anbu's selfless devotion moved him, but he would never sacrifice himself for someone else. Kōki considered himself rational; he would not make the mistake of acting impulsively.
Returning from his thoughts, Kōki saw Yui and Katsuto stir and realized they were about to wake up.
Kōki could not help marveling at the wondrous energy that was chakra, which made ninja recover who knew how many times faster than ordinary people.
Before long, Yui and Katsuto slowly opened their eyes.
"Kōki, d-did we win?" Katsuto had only just been healed from his grave injuries, and his speech was still somewhat halting.
"Don't worry, we won. Now it all depends on how things are going with Teacher Uehara and that Anbu captain."
"Kōki, sorry. We dragged you down again."
Yui's face was filled with apology. Ever since Kōki had joined their squad, he had always looked after them. In every fight, Kōki was the one charging ahead, while they rarely managed to help him.
"It's fine. We're a team. We should help each other." Kōki looked unconcerned. He considered himself the strongest member of the squad, and looking after the two of them was his responsibility.
"No, we've been troubling you all this time. Once this battle is over, Katsuto and I will treat you to a meal. Even the Akimichi Clan's barbecue restaurant is fine."
"Yui's right. This time, you pulled me back from the edge of the Pure Land into the Shinobi World. I have to repay a favor that great."
Yui and Katsuto were deeply grateful to Kōki for saving their lives. They had only survived thanks to his strength and medical ninjutsu. But they did not know what Kōki needed, so they could only start by treating him to the village's most expensive Akimichi barbecue, then look for ways to repay him better during future missions.
"All right."
Seeing the determination in Katsuto's and Yui's eyes, Kōki understood that they would keep feeling guilty if he refused, so he could only nod.
After recovering a little strength, Kōki said to Katsuto and Yui, "Why don't you head back to the village first? I can handle the rest of the mission alone. Your injuries have only just healed, and you don't have much fighting strength left. Any fighting from here on would be too much for you."
"It's fine, Kōki. I'm in great shape now. Apart from my legs feeling a little weak, everything else is fine. Besides, I trust Teacher Uehara's strength. Maybe they've already dealt with the Sand ninja." Katsuto swung his arms and hopped a few times to show that he was perfectly healthy.
"Besides, even though we've only just recovered from serious injuries, we still have the strength of genin. If the fighting isn't over, we might still be able to help."
Beside him, Yui also nodded, indicating that she would not return to the village just like that.
With no other choice, Kōki could only agree to let them continue the mission.
With a few leaps, Kōki and the others headed in the direction Mamoru Uehara and the others had left earlier. Before long, they heard the clang of metal striking metal. They stopped and looked toward the source of the sound.
A devastated stretch of ground appeared before them. The surrounding trees leaned every which way, as though a gale had swept through them. Some seemed to have been sliced through by sharp blades, leaving only smooth stumps. The ground was covered in cracks and trenches, with the occasional patch of black scorch marks left by fire.
Every part of this battlefield, ravaged by all manner of ninjutsu, showed how fiercely the two sides had fought.
But judging by the wounds on both sides, Kōki could clearly see that his teacher Mamoru Uehara's side held the advantage.
The two Sunagakure ninja bore numerous wounds, and one of them had even lost the sight in one eye.
On Konoha's side, only the Anbu member had a few minor cuts. Mamoru Uehara himself was completely uninjured, with nothing more than a few wrinkles in his clothes.
The difference in strength between the two sides was evident. What puzzled Kōki, however, was why the weaker Sunagakure side had not fled and instead kept fighting.
Just as Kōki was still considering the purpose behind Sunagakure's strange behavior, the battle suddenly underwent a dramatic change.
While exchanging taijutsu blows with the one-eyed Sand ninja, the Anbu ninja's body suddenly froze for a moment. A huge opening appeared in his previously fluid movements.
Even Kōki knew to seize such an obvious opening, let alone an elite Sand ninja.
Sure enough, faced with such a clear opening, the Sand ninja showed no mercy and drove the kunai in his hand straight into the Anbu's heart.
This sudden turn made Mamoru Uehara, who knew this Anbu captain and was fighting nearby, cry out, "Kazushi!"
But the Sand ninja fighting him showed no surprise at all. Instead, his face twisted into a vicious grin. "So it finally kicked in. Just what you'd expect from Konoha's Anbu-it took this long for the poison to take effect."
The Sand ninja's words sent a thought flashing through Mamoru Uehara's mind. Poison? The wound! He remembered the small cut on the Anbu's arm.
He glared at the Sand ninja before him. "You used poison?"
The Sand ninja opposite him was quite cooperative. "That's right. That Anbu was already poisoned with Sunagakure's secret formula earlier."
"This poison doesn't have any obvious effects at first. But once you're in a high-intensity battle, it follows your chakra throughout your entire body."
"Still, this poison isn't lethal. All it does is cause nerve paralysis, so it's very difficult to detect before it takes effect."
"You're an experienced jonin yourself. You should know what happens when your nerves become paralyzed in the middle of a fierce fight, shouldn't you?"
"Hahahaha!"
By the end of his explanation, the Sand ninja had begun laughing loudly.