Chapter 91: Visiting the Hospital
Renjiro arrived at Konoha Hospital and set Hodaka down.
They walked in, and Renjiro asked a nearby nurse to arrange two beds for his students.
Renjiro was well-known throughout the village, so the nurse immediately made the arrangements.
Seeing Hodaka struggling to walk, the nurse asked, "Would you like a wheelchair? We can take you to your room."
Hodaka immediately refused, saying, "No, thank you. I can walk on my own."
The nurse looked uncertain, and then Renjiro asked, "Do you want me to carry you again?"
This question sent a chill down Hodaka's spine. He reluctantly said, "I'll take the wheelchair."
Upon reaching the room, Renjiro placed Mieko on a bed. Hodaka sat on the bed next to her. Renjiro asked the nurse, "See if there's a medical-nin available. Send someone who can use Mystical Palm Technique."
The nurse nodded and replied, "Yes, sir."
Then she left to find someone.
While waiting for the medical-nin to arrive, Renjiro looked at Hodaka and asked, "What are your thoughts on this battle?"
Hodaka sighed and said, "We lost the moment we chose to fight each other instead of pursuing Kaito. At the very least, we should have stopped before anyone got injured so we could continue fighting at full strength."
"Another issue was the lack of information. Kaito's two attacks caught me completely by surprise and left me overwhelmed. If I had known about them beforehand, I could have fought him on more equal terms."
Renjiro nodded and said, "For someone so focused on taijutsu like you, this should also be a lesson. Kaito and Mieko have both developed techniques capable of causing widespread destruction."
"If they have the opportunity to use these techniques when their opponent lets their guard down, they can easily secure victory. As for you, you must first close the distance with your opponent and then strike their chakra points to gain an advantage."
"While that's effective, it puts you at a huge disadvantage when facing shinobi who excel at long-range combat. I understand your dedication to taijutsu, but if you want to effectively use your Gentle Fist, you also need to develop other skills."
Hodaka nodded, reflecting on the advice his teacher had given him.
Soon, a medical-nin arrived. She healed Mieko and Hodaka using Mystical Palm Technique.
Mieko had numerous small cuts and bruises, but none were serious. They were all easily healed.
However, Mieko remained unconscious due to chakra exhaustion.
Hodaka also had a minor injury to his left ankle. The medical-nin completely healed him but advised him to rest for two days and avoid putting pressure on his left ankle.
After the procedures were completed, Renjiro left.
He sent messages to Hodaka and Mieko's families, informing them of their children's condition, and told Kaito that he could rest for at least three days.
A few hours later, Mieko woke up. She was surprised to find herself in the hospital, with her mother sitting beside her and Hodaka on the adjacent bed.
Their families fussed over them for a long time before finally leaving them alone. Seeing no one else in the room, Hodaka asked, "Mieko, what was that technique you used?"
The question brought back memories of her crushing defeat, making her mood sink. She replied, "It's a secret technique of our Uchiha Clan: Fire Release: Combustion Blast."
"It releases a large amount of colorless, odorless gas, so it's hard to detect. And it's easily ignited by even a small flame."
Hodaka nodded in understanding and said, "Oh, no wonder Kaito was caught off guard."
Mieko chuckled and responded, "Yes. This technique has a drawback—it takes several seconds for the gas to spread and reach its maximum effective range, which is why I shouted the name of the technique to alert his clone and prevent it from attacking recklessly. This bought me the time I needed."
Hodaka nodded and said, "Good tactic. Too bad it only destroyed his clones."
Hearing this, a look of frustration reappeared on her face. She said, "My plan was to secretly use this technique while the three of us were in close combat, so both of you would be caught in it, and I would win easily."
She paused, gritted her teeth, and continued, "I didn't expect Kaito to fight so... strategically, not even appearing in front of me! Even when I taunted him, he kept hiding! Damn it, it's so frustrating."
Seeing her reaction, Hodaka laughed and said, "Yes, I agree. Next time, let's not engage each other too much at first. Let's wait until we can actually confront Kaito together."
Mieko sighed and reluctantly agreed.
Due to her pride as an Uchiha, this was hard for her to accept, but unfortunately, there was no other way.
At Yakiniku Q Restaurant
Unlike his two teammates, Kaito spent the entire day eating at his favorite restaurant and enjoying his well-deserved rest.
Earlier, when Renjiro found him and informed him of his teammates' condition, he discovered Kaito eating carefree at Ichiraku Ramen.
Watching him eat so leisurely after defeating his teammates, Renjiro felt slightly exasperated, but he didn't say much.
The next morning, Kaito thought, "Should I go see those two?"
He considered it and then concluded, "Well, they are my teammates, and I was the one who injured them, so I should go visit them."
After washing up and doing some light stretches, he started walking toward the hospital. On the way, he suddenly stopped and thought, "Wait! Isn't it traditional to bring something when visiting patients in the hospital?"
"Yes, that was definitely a tradition in my previous life. Even in the series, I remember people bringing flowers or fruit when visiting patients. Yes, I should give both of them a gift."
Then he fell into another dilemma.
"What should I buy them? Flowers seem a bit pointless. Fruit is too cliché. I'm sure their families have already brought plenty of fruit. Hmm... what should I buy?"
Then he suddenly thought, "I know! I should buy both of them a bottle of burn ointment. Hahaha, just kidding!"
He used Body Flicker Technique to visit a few shops to buy gifts for his teammates, then used Body Flicker again to reach the hospital and inquired about their room number.
He quickly found their room and entered. Both of them sat up when they saw him.
Hodaka's left leg was in a medical wrap, and he was bandaged in several places.
Mieko, on the other hand, was covered in so many bandages that one might mistake her for a mummy.
As soon as Kaito entered, both of them shot him annoyed looks.
Seeing their childish reaction, Kaito couldn't help but think, "I really should have brought them some burn ointment."
Seeing that neither of them wanted to speak first, he greeted them cheerfully and said, "Hey, how's everyone doing?"
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