Hyuga Yu pushed aside the curtain of the main camp tent.
Instantly, a dozen cold gazes—so sharp they could make one's skin crawl—swept toward him simultaneously!
The medical unit at the Kusunami Coast, located within the borders of the Land of Fire, served as the largest gathering point for medical ninja on the Eastern Front. To support this, the Konoha Medical Corps had spent a fortune establishing a field surgical suite here, specifically designed for emergency operations on wounded soldiers who couldn't be transported back to the village in time.
Normally, this field operating room remained closed. Its opening was an absolute sign of a dire, life-or-death situation.
Inside, six shadowless surgical lamps had completely eradicated any hint of shadow. Twelve medical ninja in surgical scrubs were divided into two groups of six, stationed at two separate operating tables, performing surgery with intense focus.
As Yu entered, the two lead surgeons didn't even look up. They gripped their scalpels, their concentration entirely poured into the procedures.
"What are you standing there for? Get the retractor in place!"
The lead surgeon at the primary table—a woman with ash-brown hair, round-framed glasses, and a somewhat sharp, thin face—barked a cold reprimand when she noticed the second assistant had momentarily frozen.
"We're losing the surgical field! Does your generation of medical ninja have even a shred of empathy left?"
The second assistant flustered, hurriedly repositioning the retractor while stammering, "Lady Furofuki... someone just broke in."
"Even if the enemy's Third Mizukage walked in right now, you would still keep that hook steady!"
"Yes! Uh... wait? Oh no!"
"It looks like an arterial rupture! Quick, stop the bleeding!"
The second assistant began to panic as the situation spiraled.
However, just then, a calm, steady, and gentle voice drifted through the room: "Leave it to me."
The assistant looked up in surprise to see the Hyuga boy who had just entered. In the span of seconds, he had already changed into surgical scrubs and was walking over with an air of absolute composure. The veins around his eyes were bulging, his pupils a stark, pure white that reflected the assistant's panicked expression like a mirror.
Simply looking at such a reliable face caused the assistant's frantic emotions to settle down, strangely enough.
Yu stepped up to his side and took the retractor. He pulled back the incised flesh to reveal a perfect surgical field under the shadowless lamps. At the same time, he analyzed the situation calmly:
"There's no massive hemorrhage. A bit too much was nicked during the graft vessel harvest, and it wasn't sutured properly."
"Hmph."
The head of the medical unit, Furofuki, gave a cold snort. She immediately followed Yu's observation, ordering the assistant on the other side of the table to widen the field.
"For real!"
"That's incredible... is that the power of the Byakugan!?"
"Is he that prodigy from the Konoha Hospital...?"
The surrounding assistants couldn't help but gasp in awe.
Furofuki's stern expression softened ever so slightly, though she still didn't give Yu a particularly warm look. She asked coldly, "Can you perform a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)?"
Yu nodded. "No problem. I was actually hoping to learn from you, Teacher Furofuki."
"I don't have a student as dull-witted as you, so don't try to get cozy with me!" Furofuki commanded sharply, "Yumiko, take over as second assistant. I'll take your spot. Let him lead this surgery!"
The kunoichi named Yumiko looked at Yu in shock.
"But... Lady Furofuki, only high-ranking members of the Medical Corps are qualified to lead a CABG. He..."
Furofuki paused, a faint expression of what seemed like regret crossing her face as she explained on Yu's behalf:
"Aside from medical ninjutsu—this kid is the most perfect lead surgeon there is!"
"I'm flattered by your praise," Yu said with a slight smile. He stepped into the lead surgeon's position without hesitation and spoke calmly: "Micro-non-invasive forceps!"
A nurse handed him the forceps. Yu took them and began grasping the blood vessels to proceed with the surgery.
The purpose of the Coronary Artery Bypass Graft was to improve blood flow to the heart. Yu had already used his Byakugan to see clearly that the person under the surgical drapes was none other than Hyuga Natsu.
Currently, her body was covered in severe external trauma and lacerations. Her chest had sustained a massive impact that led to a coronary artery obstruction. While the other parts of her body had received emergency treatment, the lack of blood and oxygen to her heart put her in critical danger.
Because of this, she couldn't be transported back to Konoha; an emergency field surgery—this bypass—had to be performed right here at the Kusunami Coast.
But as he actually got to work, personally entering the internal space of his little fiancée, Yu immediately made a discovery.
While the injuries were severe, aside from the surgery that had to be done immediately, they weren't actually fatal. It was as if... she already knew someone at the Kusunami Coast could perform this surgery for her and had deliberately sustained these specific wounds.
Yu thought for a moment, then asked Furofuki offhandedly, "Teacher Furofuki, what does the examination report say?"
"It says what it says."
"I mean, the version being handed over to the Anbu..."
Furofuki's expression darkened slightly. She glanced at Yu and gave a dissatisfied "tsk." She clearly realized what he was hinting at but didn't expose it, stating coldly:
"Based on the injury assessment, this Chunin likely encountered a ninjutsu or explosive tag capable of generating a massive blast impact. There are seven lacerations caused by kunai and shuriken, along with blunt force bruising from Taijutsu. Her life hangs by a thread."
Yu shook his head, narrowing his Byakugan as he corrected her:
"It's not 'likely,' it's a certainty—she encountered Jinpachi Munashi, the wielder of the Blastsword: Shibuki and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. She engaged him in combat. Coronary obstructions caused by external trauma are extremely rare; in Taijutsu combat, only that specific Blastsword could cause such an injury."
As he spoke, Yu's hands never stopped moving. Without looking up, he called out calmly: "Wipe."
The nurse followed the instruction and removed Yu's forehead protector, revealing the Caged Bird Cursed Seal on his brow. She wiped the sweat from his forehead in front of everyone.
The crude field operating room lacked air conditioning; in just this short time, everyone was dripping with sweat.
"Scalpel."
"Here!"
"Needle driver."
"Huh? You don't need the microscopic one!?"
"No need."
"Here!"
...
"Suture."
"Here!"
"Surgical scissors."
"Here!"
"Surgery complete. Good work, everyone!"
The surgical timer froze at 1 hour and 56 minutes.
A Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, which usually required at least 3 to 6 hours to complete, took less than 20 minutes once Yu took over.
At that moment, the five medical ninja and several nurses by the table—excluding Furofuki—stared at Yu as if they were looking at a god, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.
"Wait, how long did he actually take?!"
"Gulp... precisely, 16 minutes."
"Even with the Byakugan, this is just ridiculous!"
"Did you notice? He basically didn't need help for the entire procedure. Even Lady Furofuki only helped suction some fluids a few times... which means, if he used medical ninjutsu as well, he could complete this high-difficulty surgery entirely on his own."
"And he's faster than anyone in all of Konoha!"
"When you say 'anyone'... does that include Lady Tsunade!?"
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