Kuroki's expression shifted slightly. It was the first time he'd heard a doctor describe kidney deficiency in such a uniquely refined way.
Everyone in the cabin thought this guy was unreliable and probably a fake doctor.
But what the sleazy doctor did next shut everyone up.
The middle-aged doctor examined Tamao's wounds, and his sleazy demeanor disappeared instantly. He became serious, methodically undoing the bandages with a calm professionalism, like a typical medical ninja.
Suddenly—
The doctor froze, then looked at everyone in the room and asked, "Who tied the bow on this bandage?"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Izumi sheepishly smiled, showing her little canine teeth, and raised her right hand, "Me!"
"This way of bandaging is unscientific. Never mind, never mind. After I save him, I'll teach you the right way to bandage wounds!"
The doctor sighed and continued unwrapping the bandage.
Izumi frowned, lowering her head. She thought she was about to be praised, but what was this?
In a huff, she said, "I don't want to learn!"
"Why not? It's free!" the doctor retorted, never pausing in his work.
"Because you're not serious!"
"But my methods are serious!"
"I'm not learning, and that's that!" Izumi regretted her words almost immediately.
Their team really did need someone who understood medicine.
After a brief moment of contemplation, for the sake of the team, Izumi quickly reconciled with herself and muttered, "Fine, fine, I'll learn."
The doctor nodded, focused on unwrapping the bandage.
Mikoto tried to suppress her laughter but couldn't hold it in completely. Then, thinking of her late husband, her mood quickly dropped again.
Suddenly, Mikoto felt like something was off about this escape journey—they hadn't even been on the run for two days.
Where did Kuroki find these oddballs?
"Hiss... be gentler, that hurts!"
Even Tamao couldn't endure the pain of the bandage being separated from his wound.
"Heh, weren't you acting tough just a moment ago? The only time I hear these kinds of words is from the girls I've saved," the doctor said, still working.
Tamao gritted his teeth, holding back the pain, then suddenly burst out laughing, "Is it possible they were just lying to you?"
The doctor was visibly taken aback, his hands paused, and his face fell as he finished unwrapping the bandage.
Ignoring Tamao's teasing, the doctor focused seriously on the young man's wound, his brow furrowing deeper as his expression turned grim. He took in a sharp breath.
The wound wasn't just in one or two places.
It was a gory mess, the entire front of Tamao's body looked like a piece of meat that had been grilled and slashed up like a butchered steak.
And yet, he was still alive.
"A medical miracle!"
The doctor muttered to himself, his face solemn as he gathered a glowing green chakra in his hands and moved it over each of Tamao's wounds.
Seeing the medical ninjutsu chakra, the Uchiha members breathed a sigh of relief and stopped doubting the doctor.
Kuroki also began to anticipate a reward for this side mission.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the doctor stopped using his beginner-level medical ninjutsu, clicked his tongue, and shook his head:
"No saving him, he's done for, just wait for death!"
The faint hope everyone had just felt was crushed by his words.
This time, the doctor's expression remained calm. He looked directly at Kuroki and explained seriously:
"He was hit by a large-scale wind-style ninjutsu. Judging by the looks of you all, you must also be ninjas.
You should know how terrifying wind-style chakra can be.
After cutting through the human body, wind-style chakra can even seep into the cells, causing massive damage to the surrounding area.
Strong wind-style chakra's corrosive power on the human body can be as deadly as poison.
Ten years ago, in my prime, when I had the best control over medical ninjutsu chakra, maybe I could've treated the injuries caused by wind-style chakra.
But now, I just don't have the skill. I can only treat wounds caused by fire-style or water-style chakra."
Uchiha Naruki urgently asked, "There's no other way?"
The doctor looked at the man who had dragged him here and replied:
"Well, you could find a medical ninja more skilled than I am, and they could give it a try.
But I can't do it!
The good news is, he's got strong vitality and a tough body.
You also used some wartime survival methods to keep him alive by feeding him soldier pills, which activated his chakra to resist the ongoing damage from the wind-style chakra.
Otherwise, he would've died yesterday."
Tamao scoffed, "Of course, I've been training at the hospital every day. How could my body not be tough?"
Uchiha Naruki's mouth twitched as he thought to himself, So that's your excuse for taking on Danzo's wind jutsu head-on?
Kuroki fell into deep thought.
The doctor ignored Tamao's banter, crouched back down beside him, and resumed using medical ninjutsu, seemingly performing futile work as he continued treating the wounds. He then looked up at Kuroki:
"I can only try to reduce the pain, so when he dies, it won't be as unbearable."
Tamao muttered, "At least you've got some medical ethics."
"Are you sure you're not holding back in treating him?" one of the Uchiha members asked.
Others chimed in, echoing their doubts.
The cabin became noisy.
Tap, tap, tap—
The room fell silent as Kuroki tapped his fingers lightly on the table. Everyone, now with worried faces, turned to look at him.
"How long does he have?"
Kuroki looked at the doctor.
The doctor responded swiftly, "Ten minutes!"
Kuroki nodded, then turned to the others and said in a deep voice, "Pack up your things, we leave in ten minutes!"
At his words, the Uchiha clansmen's faces filled with sorrow. If they continued northwest, they'd leave the borders of the Land of Fire, and it would be nearly impossible to find a medical ninja again. This meant that Tamao would likely be the first clansman to die on their journey of escape.
The Uchiha clan was down to just this few.
Losing even one more was unbearable for Naruki.
Tamao's two teammates suddenly had tears welling in their eyes. They bowed their heads, clenched their fists, and were overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness and helplessness.
"Oh, by the way, if you want him to die more comfortably, don't carry him!"
"Hey girl, come here. I'll show you how to properly bandage a wound!"
"Watch closely, I'll only do it once!"
As the doctor gave these instructions, the cabin fell into a deathly silence. The Uchiha's expressions were sorrowful, and even Mikoto didn't want to see such things happen again to the few remaining members of her clan.
Mikoto thought, she should be the one to die instead.
The previously harmonious atmosphere had completely disappeared.
Jaeger, who had also been silent for a long time, could clearly feel their frustration, despair, and helplessness.
When his own family had been destroyed, he had felt the same, so he understood their feelings.
Fortunately, Jaeger had met Kuroki, who had shown him a clear path forward, telling him to bring his people to Kikyo Mountain.
It was early last year.
While Jaeger, working as a hunter, was out chopping wood, he had met the woman who would become his wife under a tree. In a way, his current happiness and his beautiful family were all thanks to Kuroki.
Because of that, Jaeger felt he had to do something, even if it went against his own "credibility." Sometimes, even breaking your word was worth it.
Some things are more important than anything else.
"Dr. Nake, do you remember me?"
A while back, my wife and I brought our child to you for treatment."
Jaeger stepped out from the crowd.
The others looked at him in confusion, and the doctor glanced at Jaeger before turning away, shaking his head as he said, "Sorry, I don't remember. Lots of people come to see me in Kikyo City, and I have to spend my nights saving all those poor women. My memory isn't so great!"
Feeling a bit embarrassed but determined, Jaeger said, "Newborn Respiratory Distress Syndrome!"
The middle-aged, balding Dr. Nake turned back toward Jaeger, as if remembering something. "Your son… the newborn… is he dead?"
A proctologist might not recognize someone's face, but if you show him a surgically repaired hemorrhoid scar, he'll get excited and clap, "That hemorrhoid surgery I did last year—how's it healing, kid? Happy with my work? Remember to do your pelvic floor exercises every day!"
Jaeger smiled, "No, he didn't die. He's fully recovered now!"
Dr. Nake's pupils shrank, and his face twitched slightly.
Newborn Respiratory Distress Syndrome was one of the leading causes of newborn death. It often led to hypoxemia and collapsed alveoli, causing a range of complications.
He couldn't treat the disease, but he clearly remembered a baby with the condition from a while back.
Tamao added, "You really are unlucky!"
Jaeger, momentarily speechless, walked over to Kuroki and explained, "Captain Kuroki, the night before last, a woman with blonde hair, round glasses, wearing black and white robes that made her look like a priestess, came to our village.
She was the one who cured my son.
But…
She warned us not to tell anyone about it."
(End of Chapter)