Chapter 41 – Rescuing a Life
Rasa stood before the battle map, his fingers tapping lightly against the tabletop. Outside the window, sandstorms billowed through the air, casting a blurred, distorted shadow of his figure. A member of the Anbu knelt on one knee before him, respectfully delivering the latest update from the frontlines.
"Konoha has already dispatched their main forces to the borders of the Land of Rain…" the Anbu reported in a low voice. "According to our scouts, even one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, has been reassigned to the Iwagakure front."
The corners of Rasa's mouth curved upward slightly, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. "Excellent. This is precisely the opportunity we've been waiting for."
He turned toward the shadowed corner of the command tent where Chiyo stood silently.
"Elder Chiyo... are the preparations complete?"
Chiyo stepped forward at an unhurried pace, her aged face carrying a cold and merciless smile.
"The troops are fully assembled and awaiting only the Kazekage‑sama's order."
"Then…" Rasa pressed his finger down firmly on the map.
"Immediately—mobilize the entire army!"
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Meanwhile, in Uzuki Town.
Rin knelt inside a makeshift medical tent, her hands glowing with a soft green chakra. Before her lay an elderly man with critical injuries, the wound on his chest healing rapidly under her chakra-infused treatment.
"T-Thank you… Thank you, shinobi-sama…" the old man murmured weakly, his cloudy eyes brimming with gratitude.
Rin gently shook her head. "Please rest. The wound has stabilized."
She stood, rubbing the soreness from her neck. Even for her, three days and nights of nonstop treatment was beginning to take its toll. Outside the tent, the setting sun painted the ruined landscape in blood-red hues. The faint scent of scorched earth still hung in the air.
"Rin-sama!" A fellow medical-nin rushed in. "Hiashi-sama has sent word—Sunagakure has launched another assault, and he must immediately return to reinforce the front!"
Rin's brow furrowed slightly. "Then… what about us?"
"Hiashi-sama has ordered us to stay behind and continue treating the wounded," the medic replied, handing over a scroll.
Rin unrolled it. The elegant handwriting of Hyūga Hiashi came into view:
Rin-kun, the civilians wounded along the border need your strength. Sunagakure's offensive is formidable. I must lead the squad back to defend. As for the Amegakure front, you need not worry—the Hokage-sama has already dispatched replacements to secure the area. They'll be arriving shortly. Until then, the safety of the medical corps is in your hands. This is both a challenge and an opportunity. Do your best.
Rolling the scroll closed, Rin lifted her gaze toward the darkening horizon. For reasons she could not name, an inexplicable sense of unease stirred faintly in her chest.
"Alert everyone. Increase our perimeter surveillance," Rin said in a firm voice. "The main force from Sunagakure may be tied down, but that doesn't mean small enemy units won't attempt to infiltrate."
The medic nodded swiftly and departed to relay the command.
Stepping out of the tent, Rin felt the chill of the night wind brush against her cheeks. She exhaled softly, murmuring to herself with a wry smile,
"So tired... I never imagined that after coming to another world, I'd be working like a pack mule at the age of eight."
She thought of herself at eight in her previous life—probably still being dragged home by her grandmother after begging for a new dress in the market. Yet now, these once‑delicate hands were already stained with blood beyond counting.
"I must be a terrible sinner…" she muttered half‑heartedly, offering herself a perfunctory scolding—before lying down and surrendering to sleep without another thought.
---
As Rin closed her eyes, her consciousness began to drift.
Her vision gradually cleared, and she found herself standing in a vast sea of flowers.
The petals were full and vibrant, swaying gently in the breeze. Each one was like a wisp of cloud dyed with sunset hues, edges tinged with a soft golden glow.
Rooted in moist soil, the flowers pulsed with a gentle light from deep within their cores—breathing, almost. Rin looked down to find her bare feet nestled among the blooms. Her blood—seeping from an unknown wound—was gently caught by the petals, transforming into tiny crimson veins within the flowers.
"Is this… my Kekkei Genkai?" she whispered, reaching out to touch a fully blossomed six-pointed crimson flower.
Shaa—
The petals tenderly curled around her fingertips. There was no sting, only warmth—like being held by someone deeply dear. Her blood seeped into the flower's core, and the entire field began to ripple with light. The petals unfurled even more vibrantly, and the light within them grew softer, warmer.
Rin smiled faintly, allowing the vines to wrap around her wrist—an unspoken contract silently formed.
"You give us life, and we shall bloom for you."
The voice of the flower field was soft, peaceful—like a mother's whisper or the sound of her own heartbeat.
Suddenly, the sky brightened.
Rin looked up to see countless glowing white motes—like dandelion seeds—drifting down from the clouds. As they brushed against the petals, the six-pointed crimson flowers swayed in greeting, as if returning a gentle hello.
---
She slept deeply that night.
Thanks to the dream of the "six-pointed crimson flower," Rin awoke in unusually high spirits.
That good mood endured—until the medical corps carried in a man drenched head‑to‑toe in blood.
The stranger wore a forehead protector engraved with the symbol of Amegakure—clearly, he was a shinobi from the Hidden Rain Village.
Two chūnin supported the unconscious man between them, uncertainty and hesitation written plainly across their faces.
"Rin‑sama," one of them reported, "we found him in the eastern valley. We were going to... dispose of him on sight, but when he regained consciousness, he claimed to have vital intelligence for Konoha."
Being addressed as "Rin-sama" by chūnin, despite her rank, still felt awkward to Rin. Yet the shinobi world respected only strength. Her battlefield record and unparalleled medical ninjutsu had already earned her their admiration—so much so that many whispered she was a second Tsunade in the making.
Her eyes settled on the stranger's forehead protector. That bright orange hair marked him as someone significant.
Within the Naruto world, such vivid hair colors were seldom seen—usually belonging only to individuals of notable lineage or destiny.
Rin crouched beside him, green chakra pooling at her fingertips as she swiftly assessed his injuries.
"Ruptured internal organs... three penetrating wounds... blood loss exceeding thirty percent..." Her brows knitted tighter with each diagnosis.
"It's a miracle he's still alive."
At that moment, the Rain shinobi's fingers twitched faintly. His eyelids fluttered open with effort, revealing blue eyes dulled by exhaustion—yet still burning with unyielding resolve.
"Konoha..." he rasped, voice little more than a thread of breath.
"Tell... Jiraiya‑sensei... someone... is plotting to pit Hanzō... against Konoha..."
Blood welled at his lips, his words breaking apart into fragments.
Rin did not hesitate.
"Prepare for immediate surgery!"
"But Rin‑sama, he's an enemy—"
"That's an order!" Rin's tone cut sharper than ever before.
"Move!"
The medics exchanged startled looks but obeyed without question. Green chakra flared brightly around Rin's hands as she leaned close to the dying shinobi, whispering softly:
"Hold on. I will save you."
Yahiko...
She had to suppress her panic. It really was Yahiko. If he died here—if Black Zetsu later twisted the narrative—how could she possibly clear herself of suspicion? Moreover, from his words, he had uncovered traces of the true mastermind manipulating the war. That made his survival all the more critical.
Yahiko's cracked lips trembled. He tried to form more words. Rin bent close, straining to catch them.
"Akatsuki... peace... trap..."
The operation lasted a full six hours. By the time Rin wiped the sweat from her brow, dawn's pale light had already spread across the horizon. She looked down at the orange‑haired man now breathing steadily on the cot and exhaled a long, weary sigh of relief.
Then, her eyes subtly shifted toward the distance.
"...White Zetsu?"
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