"Hm?"
Ren looked up at Obito and noticed that the boy's face had turned strangely red. For someone who usually shouted whatever came into his head, Obito was being unusually hesitant.
"You mean when I pulled you out of the quicksand?" Ren asked. "That wasn't anything special. Minato-sensei was trapped at the time, and we needed every available fighter. Of course I had to get you out."
"I-Is that all it was?" Obito asked. The faint expectation in his eyes vanished so quickly that Ren almost wondered whether he had imagined it.
"Yes. What else would it be?"
Ren's answer was honest. The Earth Release shinobi responsible for the trap had already been severely wounded by the Great Fireball Technique Ren had fired from behind. By that point, almost anyone on their team could have subdued him.
Saving Obito or saving Rin had made little difference. Ren had simply rescued the person closest to him.
Of course, if the enemy had still been capable of fighting, Ren would have rescued Obito first without hesitation. Obito was an Uchiha who specialized in Fire Release, and his combat ability was currently more useful than Rin's medical skills in a direct confrontation.
There was no need to say that part aloud, though. Obito would undoubtedly interpret it in some strange way and become even more insufferable.
Obito opened his mouth as though he wanted to ask another question. Instead, he puffed out his chest and pointed dramatically at Ren.
"Fine! But this is the only time you'll ever have to save me!" he declared. "Next time, I absolutely won't get captured. Not only that, I'll repay this favor by saving you instead. Just wait and see!"
Ren stared at him for a moment before giving a careless shrug. "Sure. Good luck with that."
"What kind of reaction is that?!" Obito demanded. "You're supposed to be moved!"
Kakashi walked past them without even turning his head. "It's difficult to feel moved when the person making the promise is the one most likely to need rescuing again."
Obito's expression immediately twisted. "What did you say, you gloomy bastard?"
"I said you should watch where you're walking."
"Why, you—"
Obito lunged at him, but Kakashi smoothly stepped aside. Obito stumbled forward, nearly tripped over a tree root, and only managed to stay upright after wildly swinging his arms.
Rin covered her mouth, trying and failing to hide her laughter. Even Minato, walking at the front of the group, allowed a helpless smile to appear.
The dangerous mission had finally ended. For the first time in several days, the four young shinobi could relax.
None of them knew how quickly that brief peace would disappear.
Two days later, the exhausted team reached Wildfire Outpost, one of the most important defensive settlements along the southwestern border of the Land of Fire.
Ren had read about the settlement in the geographical records stored inside Konoha's library. It had originally been a small fortified village during the Warring States Period, built to defend a narrow trade route passing between two mountain ranges. Over several decades, merchants, farmers, craftsmen, and wandering civilians had gathered around it, gradually transforming the military fortification into a thriving border town.
That was the peaceful version described in the records.
The Wildfire Outpost before Ren looked nothing like it.
The tall wooden walls were scarred by blades, arrows, and Fire Release techniques. Several sections had recently been reinforced with fresh timber, while blackened watchtowers rose over the gates. Patrols moved constantly along the walls, and every shinobi Ren saw carried a weapon within immediate reach.
Even the civilians appeared tense. Shopkeepers spoke in whispers, doors were barred despite the afternoon sunlight, and parents hurried their children indoors the moment they saw the Konoha team approaching.
This was not merely a town near the border.
It was a settlement waiting for war.
When the team reached the military camp, a middle-aged shinobi was already standing outside the gate. An old scar ran from the corner of his left eye to his jaw, and exhaustion had carved dark shadows beneath both eyes.
His name was Hayabusa Akiyama, the jōnin responsible for supervising Wildfire Outpost's defensive forces.
"Lord Minato, Lord Hebiji—you've finally arrived."
Hayabusa's voice was hoarse, and the relief in it was impossible to conceal. He greeted them quickly before turning toward the camp.
"The border has become increasingly unstable. Armed groups from the Land of Rivers have been crossing into our territory, Rain shinobi keep slipping through the forests, and Sunagakure's scouts are becoming more aggressive by the day. Some of our patrol teams are encountering enemies almost every time they leave the outpost."
Minato's expression grew serious. "Has Sunagakure launched any direct attacks?"
"Nothing large enough to be called an invasion," Hayabusa replied. "They probe our defenses, withdraw, and then strike somewhere else. They're testing how quickly we can respond and how many shinobi we have stationed here."
In other words, Sunagakure was measuring Konoha's strength.
Ren glanced at the damaged fortifications. If the Sand decided Wildfire Outpost was weak enough to seize, these small clashes could become a full-scale battle overnight.
Hayabusa led them through the gates while continuing his report. "Several members of our original medical squad were injured during an ambush three days ago. Two can no longer perform surgery, and another is still unconscious. We're severely understaffed. That's why we urgently requested reinforcements from the village."
"Don't worry," Minato assured him. "Hebiji is an experienced special jōnin and a student of Lady Biwako. He'll help you stabilize the situation."
Hebiji gave a restrained nod, but he did not make any confident promises. Before entering the camp, even he did not understand how desperate the situation had become.
The moment they passed through the entrance to the medical ward, a wall of noise and blood struck them.
Pain-filled groans echoed beneath the canvas roof. The sharp smell of disinfectant mixed with sweat, burned flesh, and iron. Nearly thirty beds had been crammed into the large field hospital, and more than half were occupied.
One shinobi had lost his lower leg to an Explosive Tag. Another lay motionless while a medic pressed blood-soaked cloth against a sword wound across his abdomen. Burns covered the right side of a third man's body, and every breath produced a faint, broken whimper.
"My leg!" a wounded chūnin screamed, struggling against the shinobi holding him down. "Damn it—my leg is burning!"
"Stay still!" one of the medics shouted. "If you move, the wound will open again!"
Near the operating area, a young medical-nin stared helplessly at blood flowing through her fingers. "The artery is damaged! I can't stop the bleeding!"
"Apply pressure and prepare a transfusion!" another medic ordered. "Someone find Captain Hebiji!"
Hebiji froze for only half a heartbeat. Then his fatigue vanished, replaced by the cold focus of a veteran medical shinobi.
Nearly a quarter of the shinobi assigned to Wildfire Outpost had already been wounded.
Some of the patients had been transferred from smaller border camps, while a few were civilian guards caught in recent raids. Even so, the number of casualties revealed how rapidly the situation was deteriorating.
"Everyone, listen carefully!"
Hebiji's commanding voice cut through the chaos. Several panicked medics immediately turned toward him.
"Prepare the operating room and sterilize every available instrument. Separate the patients according to the severity of their injuries. Anyone suffering from uncontrolled bleeding, organ damage, cranial trauma, or severe chakra exhaustion receives priority."
He removed his traveling cloak while issuing orders. "Move the stable patients to the eastern section. Those with minor injuries can wait, but check them for poison before clearing them. We don't know what the Rain shinobi may have used."
The medical personnel scattered to carry out his instructions. Hebiji rolled up his sleeves and headed directly toward the man with the damaged artery.
Rin took a step after him before hesitating. She looked at the blood, then toward Ren, silently asking whether they should offer to help.
Ren understood immediately.
"Senior Hebiji," he called, "Rin and I have studied basic medicine, and we can both use the Healing Technique. Please assign us wherever we're needed."
Hebiji paused and glanced between them. His eyes settled on their young faces, but another cry from the operating area left him no time to question their experience.
"Good. We need every pair of capable hands." He pointed toward a partition at the rear of the ward. "Change into clean coats, wash thoroughly, and report to the triage area."
"Understood!" Rin answered, relief and determination replacing her hesitation.
"Wait!" Obito hurriedly raised his hand. "What about me? I attended the medical training classes too! I'm Uchiha Obito!"
Hebiji looked him over once. "Can you perform the Healing Technique without setting the patient on fire?"
Obito's raised hand slowly lowered. "Not… consistently."
"Then you're not touching the patients."
The rejection was immediate and merciless. Kakashi turned his head away, but the slight movement of his shoulders betrayed his silent laughter.
Obito clenched his fists. "I can still help! I can carry people, boil water, prepare bandages—anything!"
Hebiji studied him again before pointing toward a mountain of bloodstained sheets. "Start by carrying those to the cleaning station. After that, report to the supply area."
Obito's face fell, but he still rushed to obey. For all his complaints, even he understood that this was not the time to fool around.
Within minutes, Ren, Rin, and the other assistants had changed into white medical coats. Hebiji rapidly divided the work among them before entering the operating area.
The experienced medical-nin would perform emergency surgeries. Ren, Rin, and several lower-ranked assistants were responsible for examining the wounded, determining treatment priority, and handling debridement, hemostasis, suturing, splinting, and bandaging whenever surgery was unnecessary.
At first, Rin's hands trembled slightly.
Training with diagrams and artificial wounds inside a classroom was one thing. Kneeling beside a real shinobi whose blood was soaking through the mattress was something entirely different.
Ren noticed her unease and quietly moved beside her. "Focus on the injury, not the blood. Check his breathing and chakra circulation first. I'll examine the wound."
Rin inhaled slowly before nodding. "Right. I can do this."
They began working.
"Open fracture of the left forearm with significant blood loss," Ren announced after examining their first patient. "He needs surgery as soon as an operating table becomes available. Apply a temporary splint and keep the arm elevated."
Rin recorded the details while another assistant moved the injured man into the emergency section.
Their next patient had three deep cuts across his chest. Ren carefully checked their depth before speaking.
"The wounds didn't reach the lungs or any major vessels. Stop the bleeding, disinfect them, and keep him under observation. If his breathing changes or blood starts pooling beneath the skin, send him to surgery immediately."
Rin's confidence grew with every patient. Before long, the two of them were moving in rhythm without needing to explain every step.
"Minor burns and abrasions."
"No signs of poison."
"Possible internal bleeding—priority case!"
"Chakra exhaustion and dehydration. Move him to the stable section."
As the initial chaos subsided, the medical ward settled into an urgent but controlled rhythm. Orders replaced screams, fresh bandages replaced blood-soaked cloth, and patients who had been left waiting finally began receiving treatment.
Ren knelt beside a chūnin with a deep wound along his upper arm. After washing the injury, he removed fragments of cloth and dirt with a pair of sterilized forceps.
The patient gritted his teeth. "Kid, are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"If I didn't, you would already be screaming much louder," Ren replied. "Stay still."
Before the man could argue, Ren applied hemostatic powder, aligned the damaged tissue, and formed the required hand seals.
A soft emerald light bloomed between Ren's palms.
[Selected Strategy Target: Healing Technique]
[Practice]
Warm chakra flowed from his hands and entered the damaged flesh. Torn muscle fibres slowly drew together, ruptured vessels sealed, and the swelling around the wound began to diminish.
At the same time, countless particles too small for the human eye separated from Ren's chakra and settled deep inside the injury.
It was the special characteristic his Healing Technique had obtained—the Healing Brand.
Even after Ren stopped treating the wound, the brand would remain behind. It would continuously release a faint life-nourishing energy, accelerating the patient's recovery over the following days until the deeper damage had completely healed.
The chūnin's clenched jaw slowly relaxed. He stared at his arm in disbelief as the burning pain faded into a cool, soothing sensation.
"What did you do?" he whispered. "It feels like I've been resting for days."
"I treated you." Ren finished the final stitch and secured the bandage. "Try not to ruin my work by swinging a sword tomorrow."
The chūnin gave a weak laugh. "No promises."
Ren moved on to the next patient.
Then the next.
One, two, five, ten…
With every treatment, his movements became smoother. Cleaning, disinfecting, setting bones, suturing, and bandaging blended into a seamless sequence. There were no wasted actions and no signs of panic, even when a patient screamed or a wound suddenly began bleeding again.
Rin occasionally glanced toward him while treating her own patients. She had studied beside Ren and knew that his control over medical chakra was exceptional, but seeing him work under real battlefield conditions was different.
He was too calm.
More importantly, the people treated by Ren were recovering far more quickly than they should have.
A pale shinobi regained color in his face only minutes after treatment. A patient who had been shaking from pain fell into a peaceful sleep. Even those with deeper injuries claimed that their fatigue had noticeably decreased.
The other assistants gradually noticed it as well.
Hebiji noticed last—but only because he had been occupied with saving a man's life.
After completing a difficult operation, he stepped out from behind the partition with blood staining the front of his coat. He intended to inspect Rin and Ren's work, correct their mistakes, and ensure they had not underestimated any injuries.
Instead, he stopped beside the first group of patients Ren had treated.
Something was wrong.
No—not wrong.
Impossible.
Hebiji crouched beside a shinobi with a knife wound across his thigh. He pressed two fingers against the bandage, carefully feeling the condition of the tissue beneath it.
The patient winced but did not cry out.
"When was this wound treated?" Hebiji asked.
"Not long ago," the shinobi answered. "The black-haired kid handled it."
Hebiji loosened one corner of the bandage and examined the stitches. The work was clean, precise, and far beyond what he expected from a genin. More astonishingly, new tissue had already begun forming around the wound.
Healing chakra still lingered there.
It was extremely faint, but instead of dispersing naturally, it remained attached to the injured tissue like an invisible seed taking root.
Hebiji's expression changed.
He moved to the next patient, then the next. Every person Ren had treated displayed the same phenomenon. Their wounds were stable, their pain had lessened, and the residual chakra continued to nourish their bodies long after the technique itself had ended.
Hebiji rose and crossed the ward toward Ren.
"Ren, stop for a moment."
Ren finished securing a patient's bandage before looking up. "Is something wrong, Senior Hebiji?"
"Did you treat the patients in the western row?"
"Yes. I cleaned and sutured their wounds before using the Healing Technique."
"Only the Healing Technique?"
Ren calmly wiped the blood from his hands. He had expected someone to notice the Healing Brand eventually, but Hebiji had discovered it sooner than anticipated.
"That's all I deliberately used," Ren answered. "Why? Is there a problem with the treatment?"
Hebiji remained silent for several seconds. His stare was so intense that Obito, returning with a stack of clean sheets, slowed his steps.
Finally, Hebiji shook his head.
"No. There is no problem."
His expression shifted from suspicion to undisguised amazement.
"Your Healing Technique has already surpassed the level expected of an ordinary genin."
Rin stopped writing. Obito nearly dropped the sheets in his arms, while even Kakashi looked up from the supplies he had been organizing.
Hebiji continued, "Your chakra control, suturing, and judgment are impressive, but those can be explained by training. The residual healing effect cannot. Your chakra remains inside the wound and continues stimulating recovery even after you withdraw your hands."
He crouched beside the patient Ren had just treated and examined the bandage. "Most students in the medical training program couldn't produce results like this. In fact, even some active medical-nin would struggle to match you."
Obito stared at Ren with open disbelief. "Since when were you this good?"
Ren ignored him. His attention remained fixed on Hebiji, whose expression had become unusually serious.
"Ren," Hebiji said, "have you ever heard of Konoha's Advanced Medical Class?"
"The Advanced Medical Class?" Ren repeated.
"It is not part of the ordinary training program. It exists to cultivate Konoha's most promising medical shinobi." Hebiji straightened, keeping his eyes on Ren. "The students are taught advanced treatment methods, battlefield surgery, antidote development, human anatomy, and medical secret techniques unavailable to normal shinobi."
Rin's eyes widened as she realized what he was suggesting.
Hebiji placed one bloodstained hand against his chest. "I was able to become a special jōnin because I graduated from that class. More importantly, its instructors include Lady Biwako—and, whenever she is present in the village, Lady Tsunade herself."
The entire group fell silent.
Tsunade was not merely one of the Legendary Sannin. She was the greatest medical shinobi in the world, the person who had transformed Konoha's entire medical system and established the principle of assigning a medical-nin to every four-person squad.
The knowledge available in that class would be priceless.
However, accepting the offer would also place Ren beneath the scrutiny of people capable of discovering that his Healing Technique was anything but ordinary.
Hebiji seemed to interpret Ren's silence as uncertainty. His voice softened, but the conviction behind it did not.
"If you're willing, I'll personally write your letter of recommendation. With the talent you demonstrated here, the village will take your application seriously. This opportunity could change the direction of your entire shinobi career."
Around them, the field hospital continued to move. Patients groaned, instruments clattered, and medical-nin hurried between beds, yet Ren barely heard any of it.
Training under Konoha's greatest medical experts could give him access to knowledge that ordinary shinobi would never see. It could help him refine the Healing Brand, understand the human body, and perhaps even develop medical techniques belonging entirely to him.
But extraordinary talent always attracted extraordinary attention.
Hebiji extended his hand, his eyes carrying both expectation and curiosity.
"So, Ren—will you accept my recommendation?"