They reached the outpost only four hours later. With each minute, it became harder and harder for Kenshin to walk, the general exhaustion of his body taking its toll, but thanks to his enhanced mind, he remained conscious, and with his sons' support, he moved forward with difficulty.
After a quick inspection at the checkpoint, Kenshin headed to the small hospital building, where he was met by the on-duty iryonin.
"Hm? Injured arms? Good, head to ward eleven and wait for me there. And you lot, scatter—visit your friend in the morning," the eighteen-year-old youth ordered, who was apparently doing his practical training here.
Kenshin mentally commanded his sons to head to the inn and rest properly, while he continued down the corridor in search of ward eleven.
After reaching the end of the corridor, he nearly collided with a tall woman in a white coat. Fortunately for him, she was at least chunin rank, and in a fraction of a second shifted her position, avoiding the collision.
"Sorry," Kenshin muttered, and shuffled onward. After a few steps, he suddenly turned back and asked, "Could you tell me where ward eleven is?"
"At the end of this corridor, second-to-last door on the right," the woman replied automatically, still not taking her eyes off this strange guy. The first one she'd met who wasn't staring at her completely white eyes, characteristic of Hyuga clan members.
Snapping out of it, she turned and headed for the exit, where a young iryonin assistant sat at the registration desk. Seeing her, he nearly jumped out of his skin and immediately stood up, politely saying, "Oh, Hitomi-sama, I thought you'd finished already."
"That's exactly why you're still just an iryonin assistant after two years. If you gave your work everything—you'd have passed the exam long ago," Hyuga Hitomi scolded him authoritatively.
"Thank you for the guidance, Hitomi-sama, I'll work harder!" he declared, bowing deeply.
The chief iryonin of the entire outpost, Hyuga Hitomi, merely snorted at the fawning words of this fool and changed the subject. "Who was that guy you sent to eleven?"
"Hm? He just arrived and said he suspects fractures in both arms."
"You didn't even examine the patient?" Hitomi asked irritably.
"I was planning to get to him in a minute!" the youth lied. In reality, he planned to drink some tea and read one fascinating but embarrassing book.
"I'll handle him myself. Fractures in both arms aren't something to entrust to an iryonin assistant," Hitomi said authoritatively, and turning, headed to ward eleven.
"Pff, pompous old hen! Kicked out of the clan to this real hole, but acts like she's the clan head's wife!" the youth cursed her mentally, smiling outwardly as she left.
After what he'd been through, Kenshin was exhausted both mentally and physically. He hadn't even looked at the face of the woman he'd met in the corridor, nor seen her remarkable eyes. All he wanted right now was a primary check of his arms, then to fall into deep sleep.
Suddenly the ward door opened, and in walked that same middle-aged woman, and only now could Kenshin see her incredible, completely white eyes. But even so, he was exhausted and couldn't show any emotion.
The woman silently approached the couch where Kenshin lay, turned on the ward light, and authoritatively stated, "Undress."
"I can't. Arms won't obey," he replied, attempting to lift them.
With complete professionalism, the woman approached him and effortlessly removed the upper part of his exo-suit, then his T-shirt. Kenshin stoically endured as she carefully but confidently extracted first one arm, then the other from the clothing.
"Hm, where'd you manage to get multiple fractures in both arms..." she muttered, diagnosing the injuries at a glance.
"Ran into a thunder wolf, and it threw me against a tree," Kenshin replied without emotion, well aware he couldn't tell the truth.
"Thunder wolf? Doesn't sound like their behavior. They always try to bite, not shove," she noted skeptically, not believing a word.
Kenshin simply stayed silent, unwilling to continue the conversation, and Hyuga Hitomi didn't want to press. For some reason, she liked this youth, and even uncommunicative and distrustful, his company was far more pleasant than that of the overwhelming majority of patients.
"Fine, don't move, and if it hurts a bit—endure it," she commanded, taking his left arm.
Suddenly her right hand glowed, and she pressed it to Kenshin's left arm.
At that moment, Kenshin first felt burning, then warmth. This woman was remarkably skilled and careful, and he nearly fell asleep.
"Hm, your left arm is broken in four places, plus a bone fragment the size of a nail broke off. Needs surgery," she said, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a small scalpel. In an instant, she channeled chakra through it, sterilizing it to prevent infection.
"Wait, before you cut me open, may I know your name?" Kenshin asked, regaining some vigor.
"Well, I'm Hyuga Hitomi, and you?" she said with a smile. With each minute in this youth's company, her mood, down all day, gradually lifted.
"Pleased to meet you, Hitomi-san. I'm Nakayama Kenshin," he replied courteously. If at first he hadn't even noticed her striking eyes, now he saw potential in this chance encounter. He had no thought of hitting on such an incredible woman, but it would be foolish not to try building a relationship with an excellent iryonin.
"Likewise. Well, Kenshin, we'll talk later. Now relax, and if it hurts—endure it," she said, pressing both hands to his left arm.