The fighting between Amegakure and Sunagakure continued through the entire night.
There was no sign of it slowing. If anything, more shinobi were pouring into the canyon with each passing hour.
The scale was no longer that of a probing strike.
It was war.
Yuji's earlier suspicion solidified. Amegakure had used dispersed vanguard units to fracture the defensive line, then seized the opening to escalate. What had begun as infiltration was now a full offensive.
He had expected Hanzo to make a move eventually.
He had not expected it to happen this quickly.
Amegakure likely had already mapped out the frontline strongholds. The rear sectors, however, were less clear. This rapid escalation suggested urgency. Hanzo must have feared Sunagakure was preparing countermeasures.
"Yuji, over here!"
Another medical-nin called out from behind a cluster of shattered rocks.
Yuji rushed over and knelt beside a fallen chunin.
One glance was enough.
"This one cannot be saved."
The injuries were catastrophic. Multiple penetrating wounds. Severe internal trauma. Even though the man still breathed, his life was already slipping away.
Yuji closed his kit.
He did not hesitate.
Supplies were limited. He had prepared for a prolonged patrol, not a night of continuous large-scale engagement. Antibiotics and nutrient solutions were nearly depleted.
Resources had to go to those who could still fight or survive.
Before he could move, several kunai whistled toward them.
The escorting chunin stepped forward and deflected the projectiles in a flurry of sparks.
"Move!" the captain shouted.
Ahead, several Amegakure shinobi emerged from the swirling sand.
Yuji glanced around instinctively.
Sasori was not nearby.
With the enemy numbers increasing, maneuverability had become nearly impossible. Engagements were constant. Even someone like Sasori could not be everywhere at once.
The two medical-nin turned to retreat.
But the enemy pressed forward aggressively.
The chunin escort engaged one of the attackers, but the remaining Amegakure shinobi broke off and charged toward Yuji and his companion.
Yuji's fingers twitched.
The scalpel spun into his palm.
He stopped running and pivoted smoothly into a fighting stance.
"You go," he told the other medical-nin.
There was a moment of hesitation.
Then the man fled.
Three Amegakure shinobi surrounded Yuji in a loose triangular formation.
The one directly ahead studied him.
"For a brat to still be alive at this stage of the battle," he said quietly, "you're not ordinary."
It had been over half a day since their unit began pushing into the rear. Reinforcements had steadily increased their numbers.
This battlefield was no longer a place for novices to survive.
"A medical-nin, is it?" another sneered. "Those are usually the easiest to kill."
Shuriken flashed through the air.
Yuji slipped between them, his movements compact and efficient.
The moment he shifted, one enemy appeared behind him.
Yuji swung backward without looking.
He had already calculated the trajectory.
The scalpel struck the opponent's armored gauntlet with a sharp metallic sound.
"Fast reaction," the man began.
Yuji's fist drove into his abdomen.
The impact was not explosive, but precise.
The Amegakure shinobi's face twisted in shock as unbearable pain detonated through his core.
How could a child generate that force?
Then he understood.
It was not brute strength.
Yuji had struck a nerve cluster just below the ribs, a vulnerable point that temporarily disrupted muscle control.
Before the man could recover, Yuji had already shifted.
The second shinobi lunged from behind.
For a brief instant, he believed Yuji was fully committed to the first attack.
Then his lower body went numb.
He staggered.
He had not felt the blade at all.
Looking down, he saw a narrow wound at his lower back, just above the pelvis. Blood seeped rapidly from the precise incision.
The scalpel was too small, too light. The cut had been clean and almost imperceptible.
"Damn it."
His legs gave out.
He collapsed.
Blood pooled beneath him.
"Miura!"
The remaining two Amegakure shinobi froze in disbelief.
They had seen the boy strike once. Nothing more. And yet their teammate had collapsed.
"After him!"
Anger replaced confusion. As Yuji turned and fled, the two gave chase immediately.
"Careful!"
One of them sensed something and shouted.
Too late.
The other had already stepped into the trap Yuji had prepared earlier, taking advantage of the shifting sandstorm.
An explosive tag detonated above them. A section of cliff fractured violently, sending a cascade of stone and dust crashing down.
The pursuing shinobi was swallowed by the collapse.
The last Amegakure ninja hesitated only briefly before continuing forward. In his mind, the explosive tag had merely been a distraction to buy escape time.
He did not realize that Yuji had not run far.
Using the curtain of drifting dust, the boy doubled back.
He moved silently, hugging the rock face, staying within the blind angle created by the enemy's forward momentum.
Then he struck.
Yuji passed him in a blur and landed lightly behind.
The Amegakure shinobi instinctively raised a hand to his throat.
There was no immediate pain.
No visible wound.
Then a thin red line surfaced across his neck.
A moment later, blood erupted.
"You..."
The word died in his mouth.
He fell backward into the sand.
Three opponents.
All down.
Yuji did not linger. He simply adjusted his direction and moved swiftly toward the nearest stronghold.
As he ran, he analyzed the encounter.
The infiltrators were not fully adapted to the terrain of the Land of Wind. The canyon's shifting visibility, swirling sand, and irregular cliff structures created natural blind zones.
For Yuji, that environment was an advantage.
His age worked in his favor as well. Enemies underestimated him instinctively. His smaller frame made concealment easier. An adult would have struggled to maneuver through those crevices as efficiently.
These three had been noticeably weaker than the elite he fought the previous night. They were not part of Amegakure's core forces.
Which meant something worse.
If even their lower-tier units had reached this far into the rear, the frontline situation must be severe.
Hanzo's surprise assault was achieving results.
Sunagakure reinforcements were likely still mobilizing. Until the main force arrived, the rear units would have to endure.
The circumstances were unfavorable.
Yet as Yuji moved, a different calculation unfolded in his mind.
He summoned the system interface.
Positive experience, gained from healing, had risen from 126 to 307.
Negative experience, gained from killing, had increased from 0 to 54.
The battlefield was far more efficient than hospital work. Minor cases at the hospital yielded one or two points at most. Here, severe trauma translated into substantial gains.
The system categorized both types separately, each exchangeable for different abilities and tools.
His medical supplies were nearly depleted after a single night. If the battle continued, he would need to rely less on material resources and more on chakra-based techniques.
He scrolled through the available options.
Several medical ninjutsu were now within reach.
Mystical Palm Technique: An advanced healing art that stimulated cellular regeneration and rapidly treated external injuries.
Chakra Scalpel: A technique that extended chakra along the hand's edge, capable of precise internal cuts.
Yin Healing Wound Destruction: A technique requiring pre-emptive chakra concentration at the anticipated impact point, allowing automatic regeneration upon injury.
Further below...
Delicate Extraction Technique: A B-rank medical ninjutsu capable of extracting toxins, removing damaged tissue, and even performing delicate internal procedures such as organ replacement.
Resurrection Life Reforming Technique. An A-rank art designed to reconstruct fatal damage by forcefully stimulating the body's remaining vitality.
There were more.
Tsunade's original technique, the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
Even higher-level arts such as Dragon Life Reincarnation, a forbidden technique once seen in Kusagakure.
And finally, One's Own Life Reincarnation.
The technique Lady Chiyo had once used to revive Gaara at the cost of her own life.
That one required an enormous amount of experience.
Far beyond what Yuji currently possessed.
He exhaled slowly.
His supplies were nearly exhausted. If he wanted to continue saving lives on this battlefield, he would need techniques that did not rely on material resources.
After a brief calculation, he made his decision.
Chakra Scalpel, Mystical Palm Technique.
He confirmed the exchange.