The Sixth Day of Ryuku's Transmigration
Second Floor, Konoha Hospital.
Inside one of the main treatment rooms, where Medical-nin performed critical procedures on their patients, Ryuku stood silently. He wore a mask, a bandana, and gloves, his entire focus locked onto Hosho and a female medical-nin as they treated a ninja's grievous wound.
The shinobi had barely escaped an enemy's Explosive Tag, but his arm hadn't been as fortunate. A deep, fatal gash stretched from his shoulder to his forearm, and he had lost a significant amount of blood.
It was nothing short of a miracle that his teammates had reached him in time and rushed him here before it was too late.
Ryuku had already spent over seven hours at the hospital, receiving both practical and theoretical medical training directly from Hosho since morning. He had planned to leave an hour ago, but when an urgent case required Hosho's expertise, Ryuku chose to stay, eager to learn more.
The patient lay unconscious, forced into a deep sleep by potent anesthetic drugs. His torso was bare, his arm a mangled mess of torn flesh and exposed bone. Thick, red blood soaked the bed sheets, filling the room with an overpowering metallic stench. It was nauseating.
Especially for Ryuku, who had never witnessed such grisly injuries before.
He barely held himself back from vomiting and forced himself to persist.
"Bone fracture healed. Next is the jutsu ritual," muttered Kyoka, a female medical-nin assisting in the procedure. She was also Hosho's wife, though there was no time for pleasantries now.
"Understood." Hosho immediately took over, his hands glowing with the soft green light of the Mystical Palm Technique. He channeled precise amounts of healing chakra into the open wound, methodically knitting torn flesh back together.
The medical seals inscribed around the wound reacted instantly, rushing to assist the healing process. These weren't ordinary seals—they were high-grade medical fūinjutsu, designed to stabilize chakra flow and repair severed nerves and chakra pathways.
This was one of Konoha's best medical treatments, a cutting-edge fusion of fūinjutsu and medical ninjutsu. The only treatment beyond this required multiple medical-nin working in tandem, a rare and extremely expensive procedure reserved for critical cases and high-profile shinobi.
Hosho worked with deep concentration, while Kyoka occasionally stepped in, offering brief moments of support to let him catch his breath and conserve chakra. From just a glance, Ryuku could tell—Kyoka had far greater experience and chakra reserves than her husband.
On the other side of the room, Ryuku maintained a calm façade, but internally, the stench of blood was suffocating. He had been in the operating room for almost an hour now. His head spun. The nausea clawed at his throat, threatening to overpower him at any moment.
The only thing keeping him steady was his own chakra control—a constant flow of energy into his brain to suppress his body's natural reactions.
Chakra was a mystifying force, as he had come to realize. It was a delicate balance of physical and spiritual energy, yet it could be molded into anything—from fire and lightning to healing chakra, deadly poison, and even illusions that distorted reality itself.
In the end, chakra was the ultimate force. With Yin-Yang Release, it could even give birth to true life itself.
And Ryuku was determined to learn every aspect of it.
After over ten more minutes of intense treatment, the wound was finally closed. The grueling seventy-minute operation had come to an end.
Hosho and Kyoka relaxed their shoulders, letting out tired but satisfied sighs.
"Operation successful," Kyoka said with relief.
"Phew… I'm exhausted," Hosho muttered. He turned to look for Ryuku—only to find him gone. His gaze shifted to the open door, and a small smile appeared on his weary face.
"Haha, at least he's normal in this regard. Still, he held up impressively long. I bet he won't have an appetite tonight."
Kyoka removed her bandana, letting her shoulder-length brown hair fall freely. She smiled slightly before remarking, "We weren't any different, remember? I still vividly recall you throwing up all over the place the moment you stepped into the operating room."
Hosho's eye twitched.
"And since our teacher couldn't stop mid-operation, he had to endure the entire procedure with—"
"Ahh, stop, stop! Don't make me remember that! Damn it…" Clearly embarrassed, Hosho quickly cut her off, unwilling to relive the humiliating memory.
Kyoka chuckled. "Still, Ryuku handled it far better than most of us did. He lasted three times longer than we did back then…"
"He's my student, so that much is expected," Hosho said, puffing out his chest.
Kyoka rolled her eyes. "Mm, let's see if you still say that in a month or so… Since at the rate he's going, he'll leave you in the dust with that monstrous talent of his."
Hosho opened his mouth to respond but quickly fell silent. After a moment, a genuine smile spread across his face.
"Oh? Someone sounds jealous." Despite his teasing, he had already accepted the truth—Ryuku would surpass him soon. How soon? Even he wasn't sure.
"Hmph. Looks like a certain someone doesn't need dinner tonight…" Kyoka said with a smirk.
Hosho immediately changed the subject. "Ahem, I'll go inform the staff to transfer the patient to the recovery room now that he's patched up…" With that, he hurriedly left, conveniently avoiding further jabs.
Kyoka chuckled at her husband's antics and returned to finishing the remaining tasks herself.
...
After a short talk with his teacher, Hosho, Ryuku left the hospital.
He walked along the street, keeping close to the walls, his posture slouched. His dark eyes were shadowed with fatigue, and his face was downcast as he silently made his way toward the library—not home.
What a fucking day this was… I used most of my chakra just to keep my brain working for a whole hour… And throwing up only made it worse…
"I feel sick…" he muttered under his breath.
His exhaustion wasn't just physical—it was mental, worsened by his dangerously low chakra reserves. No matter how sharp and calculated he was, overexertion was bound to take its toll at some point.
I need to rest for today… he decided.
After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at the library. He went straight to the second floor but didn't see the same girl—Shiho-san—there.
Not minding it, he selected two scrolls: Five Great Ninja Nations & Villages and Geography of the Ninja World.
Registering them with the bald librarian on the ground floor, he also returned Basics of Fūinjutsu, having finished it already. With the scrolls in hand, he left the library.
But before heading home, there was one last thing to do.
He needed money.
His next destination: Konohagakure Exclusive Bank.
His funds had dwindled to around 70,000–80,000 Ryo. In just four days, he had somehow spent over 200,000 Ryo, including the 20,000 Ryo he had to pay for those pent-up bills yesterday.
Staying in one of the most powerful ninja villages sure is expensive…
"Tch, money is never enough," he muttered.
The moment he arrived home, he remembered his meet-up with his academy teacher, Iruka Umino, at Ichiraku.
Left with no choice, he rested for only two hours before dragging his ass out once again.
...
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