Konoha Hospital was overwhelmed with wounded patients.
Even Tsunade, who had been handing out bandages, was exhausted.
Late into the night, Emiya Shihara's surgeries still hadn't stopped. Tsunade covered her mouth with her hand and yawned loudly.
"Tsunade, go to the next room and rest," Emiya Shihara called to her, then instructed his assistants, "Send this patient to the ward and bring the next one in."
"I'm not sleepy yet…" Tsunade quickly waved her hand.
"Hatake, come help!"
The assistant's voice echoed through the hospital corridors.
A young, white-haired genin entered. He wore a tight-fitting combat uniform and a Konoha forehead protector, looking barely older than Tsunade.
Because of the war's shortage of manpower, the personnel assigned to guard Konoha Hospital had been replaced by genin. These newly assigned guards had only just graduated from the Academy, not even reaching adulthood, yet were already carrying out missions inside the village.
"Emiya-sama," the white-haired boy nodded earnestly to Shihara Emiya.
Thanks to his excellent academic record, he had graduated early and been assigned to guard Konoha Hospital and patrol the village.
"Go," Shihara Emiya waved, signaling the boy and his assistant to wheel the patient away. He watched as they hurriedly brought the next patient into the operating room.
"Hatake?"
"It seems to be our senior Hatake Sakumo!"
Little Tsunade looked curiously at the white-haired boy and couldn't help saying, "I heard Senior Hatake was very famous in school before—he was the most powerful genius in the graduating class!"
"Really?"
Emiya Shihara sounded noncommittal and didn't even look up. He suddenly asked casually, "Your name is Hatake Sakumo?"
"Yes, Lord Emiya!" Hatake Sakumo quickly arranged the patient and said sincerely, "If there's anything you need me to do, please just tell me."
"Then do me a favor."
Still performing the operation, Emiya Shihara ordered calmly, "There's a box of glucose in my office…"
"I only need one bottle!"
Little Tsunade quickly raised her palm and pointed at her little milk teeth. She knew Emiya Shihara would definitely give it to her; he himself never needed food or water.
"Give Tsunade a bottle," Emiya Shihara waved his hand, signaling Hatake Sakumo to leave. "Give the remaining glucose to the genin on duty tonight to replenish your energy."
"Yes!" Hatake Sakumo agreed earnestly.
In the boy's memory, Emiya Shihara was a medical ninja with a very aloof demeanor and exceptional skills.
Although he never smiled, there was no wounded person he couldn't save.
Beneath that aloof exterior, this man possessed a kind and warm heart, forced to hide it because of his mysterious identity.
Yes… how could he not?
A doctor who treated and saved hundreds of Konoha's seriously injured—how could such a man not have a kind heart?
As a Konoha genin, Hatake Sakumo had no right to know Emiya Shihara's true identity—only the basic information: a young medical ninja with exceptional skills.
Yet this medical ninja always exuded a strong aura of death.
The village elders held him in high esteem, and the higher-ups shrouded his identity in secrecy, though it seemed impossible to conceal completely.
After all, Emiya Shihara couldn't lie.
Many in the hospital knew his real name. He thought he'd mastered concealment, but his methods were always a bit clumsy. He would occasionally "accidentally" sign his real name on medical scrolls or other hospital records.
No wonder the villagers kept it a secret.
No wonder rumors spread that the hospital possessed a miraculous healer—a legendary figure whose skills were unmatched.
Until the wee hours of the morning, Emiya Shihara had treated seventeen critically injured patients overnight.
Hatake Sakumo, still guarding the hospital, was beginning to tire.
The white-haired boy looked at Emiya Shihara curiously. The man's spirit seemed inexhaustible. He had saved seventeen dying patients overnight and now sat in the hospital corridor, writing that day's medical records.
Little Tsunade drowsily opened her sleepy eyes and fell asleep again on the bench next to Emiya Shihara, with a white coat draped over her.
While writing the case notes, Emiya Shihara occasionally covered her with the coat. This man who never needed a break looked a little sad.
"…,"
Emiya Shihara seemed to notice Hatake Sakumo's gaze. He reached out to cover little Tsunade's ears and said, "You've worked hard. You should go back and rest too."
"Emiya-sama has worked harder."
Hatake Sakumo shook his head, trying to stay awake.
"I'm a reincarnated body of the Impure World Reincarnation. This body has no feelings."
Emiya Shihara's expression was calm. "A body without feeling doesn't get tired, so don't worry about me being exhausted.
"This isn't a secret in Konoha Hospital. You've been on guard here for a long time, so you won't be surprised by my condition. Everyone basically knows I was summoned back from the underworld by Tobirama. But try not to reveal it to anyone…"
Hatake Sakumo's expression changed slightly.
Of course he wouldn't reveal such secrets!
He had long been suspicious of Emiya Shihara's condition. An unfeeling body—isn't that the same as being dead?
This state… it sounded like being a tool only for treating illnesses and saving lives!
"Won't Emiya-sama get tired?" Hatake Sakumo couldn't help but ask.
"If you do what you love, you'll never get tired of it."
Emiya Shihara shook his head, his lifeless eyes seeming to see through everything. "If I don't save them, their families will have to endure the pain of losing their loved ones. That kind of pain can turn an innocent child silent, fill a gentle youth with darkness, or cause a strong man to collapse in agony.
"It was precisely to save the people of this world from the pain of loss that I began studying medicine. I believe there must be people in this world who can relieve suffering…"
It was with this will that the profession of medical ninja was born.
Hatake Sakumo felt he would never be qualified to judge Emiya Shihara's greatness. No matter how powerful he became, he would always be inferior.
This man truly was the greatest medical ninja in the world. His heart was filled with immense love. In comparison, Hatake Sakumo's own determination to become stronger and protect his companions felt so petty it made him ashamed.
"I'm truly ashamed…" Hatake Sakumo lowered his head and spoke from the heart.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Emiya Shihara's voice was calm and gentle, like a breeze sweeping through the heart. "In our time, when chakra had just emerged, I actually disliked those who used it in combat. I always believed that sooner or later, humanity would go to war over it…"
Hatake Sakumo felt even more ashamed.
"But after ten years of traveling through this era, even if I still disagree with this trend, I can understand some of your actions."
Emiya Shihara lowered his eyes, speaking nonchalantly. "Some people train to exploit chakra for personal gain, but others train to protect their friends, companions, and loved ones…"
Hatake Sakumo's eyes suddenly lit up.
After this conversation, Emiya Shihara and Hatake Sakumo grew noticeably closer. The white-haired boy became increasingly fond of guarding the hospital, and their conversations became more diverse. Hatake Sakumo even occasionally served as his assistant.
After all, Hatake Sakumo's swordsmanship was exceptional. He could quickly assist in making incisions for the seriously injured, allowing Emiya Shihara to perform the surgery directly.
Furthermore, Hatake Sakumo also possessed some knowledge of Lightning Release.
While treating a critically injured patient, the victim's heart rhythm suddenly became irregular. Emiya Shihara was forced to administer CPR while simultaneously treating the wound with lightning-release electricity, a situation difficult to manage.
Coincidentally, Hatake Sakumo had seen this before and had mastered the method of using lightning-release chakra to treat arrhythmias—an astonishing experience.
"Lightning Release can actually be used to heal patients…"
"Yes, thank you so much for your help today."
Emiya Shihara sincerely thanked Hatake Sakumo and sighed softly. "Actually, there are many other ways to use Lightning Release to heal patients. For example, by combining lightning and water chakra and integrating them into the human body, allowing tiny lightning bolts to flow like water through the body, it can treat nerve atrophy and stimulate the patient's nerves to gradually awaken…"
"The hospital has more and more patients."
"Yesterday, a patient fell into a vegetative state."
"This treatment method is very useful for stimulating vegetative patients to awaken."
Emiya Shihara looked at the sweaty Hatake Sakumo and finally revealed his ambition. "Are you interested in learning these little tricks and becoming my assistant?"
"Of course…" Hatake Sakumo wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling honored, because he knew such opportunities were rare.
Perhaps he wouldn't be able to use these medical-ninja techniques himself. But for his life, being able to assist a great man like Emiya Shihara was already an honor.
However, Hatake Sakumo ultimately underestimated what he had gained.
When Emiya Shihara began teaching him these techniques, he realized what a precious gift he had received.
"I will guide you to combine the nature change of lightning chakra with the nature change of water chakra, so the Lightning Release technique can take on the characteristics of water…"
"Yes…" Hatake Sakumo agreed, then realized something was wrong.
Because the combination of the nature changes of two chakras seems to be called…
Bloodline Limit.
This ability is named so because once a ninja cultivates this special power, it can often be passed down through the bloodline to future generations.
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