After finishing the treatment, Yubi stepped back.
His actions changed the way the chunin in the cave looked at the group. At the very least, Yubi had proven that aside from Sasori, he could also be useful.
Since graduating from the Academy, most of their missions had been escorting caravans or hunting bandits. Otherwise, someone like Yubi would usually be interning at the hospital. Aside from Sasori, most newly graduated genin followed this path.
They had graduated at a fortunate time. Had it been a few years earlier, the danger would have been far greater.
Compared to those who graduated before them… very few were still alive.
In truth, the core participants of the Second Shinobi World War had been the Land of Wind, the Land of Fire, and the Land of Rain. Other hidden villages had seen fighting as well, but not on the same scale.
Yubi had already seen countless wounded in Sunagakure's hospital. Compared to Konoha, Sunagakure's foundation was far weaker, and the toll of war had hit them the hardest.
The ninja academy system had originally been proposed and reformed by the Second Hokage. What had once been simple schools were later integrated into military and political systems, and other villages followed suit. The battlefield role and deployment of medical ninja had also become standardized during this war—after Konoha demonstrated their effectiveness.
The development of the medical-ninja system itself had been Tsunade's idea.
The entire shinobi world had been influenced by Konoha.
The Will of Fire truly was remarkable.
There was no denying it.
"Come on. I'll show you the patrol area and routes," Nomura said after a while.
Yubi and the others rose and followed him out of the cave.
Sasori didn't move at all. No one bothered him.
"The area we patrol is this canyon. If enemies want to infiltrate deep into our territory, this route is the most concealed."
"Besides us, there are other patrol squads nearby—but they operate on the surface, where they're easier to spot."
They leapt through the canyon while Nomura occasionally stopped to point out terrain and explain the daily patrol work.
The canyon was vast. With the four newcomers joining, the patrols would be split into two rotating shifts.
Nomura was extremely responsible, explaining every route and environmental feature in detail so the newbies could use the terrain to their advantage if anything unexpected happened.
"Our border is adjacent to the Land of Rain and the Land of Birds, so our main enemies are Amegakure and Iwagakure. It's difficult for Konoha shinobi to infiltrate this area. The Land of Birds wasn't heavily affected by the war, but Iwagakure forces pass through their territory to enter our country. The main battlefield of this war has been the Land of Rain. Countries like the Land of Birds serve as strategic buffer zones—they don't get deeply involved, but the Land of Earth uses them."
Nomura continued explaining the current situation.
"Patrol missions are a good opportunity for you to hone your tracking and reconnaissance skills."
"Yubi, as a medical ninja, you're a vital part of the squad. You'll patrol with us veterans for safety."
"Understood," Yubi nodded.
The other two genin looked at him with a hint of envy.
That was the importance of a medical ninja. Having a powerful healer was invaluable in both small squads and large-scale battlefields.
Becoming a medical ninja was far more difficult than becoming an ordinary shinobi. Besides ninjutsu training, they had to master a vast amount of medical knowledge. Talent was essential.
Not just anyone could do it.
While traveling, Yubi glanced at the system interface before him.
[Host: Yubi]
[Identity: Sunagakure Genin (Medical Ninja)
Age: 8]
[Stored Positive EXP (Saving Lives): 126]
[Stored Negative EXP (Killing): 0]
[Redeemed Items & Abilities:]
[- Black Jack's Medical Notes and Experience]
[- Custom Surgical Scalpel (from Black Jack)]
Black Jack, whose real name was Kurō Hazama—was the protagonist of Black Jack, an unlicensed surgeon with unparalleled surgical skill.
Ever since the system appeared, Yubi's path as a medical ninja had been set.
As a doctor, both saving lives and taking lives granted experience points. These points could be exchanged in the system shop for medical-related items.
At only eight years old, the reason he could stand out was because he had used experience gained from treating patients in the village hospital to redeem Black Jack's medical notes. After fully absorbing that knowledge, he developed outstanding skill.
What others saw as "talent."
Unfortunately… in Sunagakure, the only truly outstanding medical ninja is Lady Chiyo. The village lacks deep reserves of medical ninjutsu. Even if I become a medical ninja, the environment limits my potential.
Fortunately, he had the typical advantage.
Medical ninjutsu could also be exchanged in the shop.
"That's about it. I'll assign your daily patrol routes. For the first half month, we veterans will guide you. After that, it'll depend on you," Nomura said as they returned after over an hour of scouting.
"Yes."
By the time they returned to the cave, night had fallen. The sandstorm in the canyon had calmed slightly.
But as soon as they arrived, a chunin frowned and said in a low voice, "He's overdue. Shimada hasn't come back yet."
Nomura's expression grew serious. "That's strange… we didn't run into him either."
"I'll go check."
"Be careful. If anything happens, prioritize sending intel."
"Understood."
The man vanished instantly.
Yubi and the others grew tense. They hadn't expected trouble on their very first day.
"Endo, stay here and watch the kids. I'll notify the nearby patrol squads."
Nomura left quickly after giving the order.
Though this wasn't the front line, Sunagakure had deployed a dense reconnaissance network along the border. Any disturbance would trigger rapid response between squads.
"Heh… kids, ready for your first taste of killing?"
"Without being tainted by blood, you can't become a true shinobi."
Inside the cave remained two people: the chunin Endo and the injured ninja Yubi had treated.
Endo clearly had a cruel streak. He grinned at the nervous genin, clearly enjoying their fear.
The two boys beside Yubi turned pale.
Yubi remained calm. He had long prepared himself for this.
At that moment, Sasori—who had been sitting cross-legged at the cave entrance, suddenly stored his puppet parts back into a scroll.
Then he stood up expressionlessly and dashed out of the cave.
No one knew where he was going.