The Corpse Processing Squad.
This was a subordinate branch of the Konoha Medical Department. Nominally, it held the same rank as the Emergency Medical Squad and the Tamer Medical Squad. However, in reality, even a veterinarian from the Tamer Medical Squad looked down on the shinobi of the Corpse Processing Squad.
Within Konoha Hospital, the Corpse Processing Squad was a dead-end post. Those assigned—or more accurately, demoted—to this department were typically those with no hope of promotion, people who had offended someone they shouldn't have, or those who had simply lost out in high-level political struggles. They were the marginalized figures who often weren't even true medical ninjas.
Originally, it wasn't supposed to be this way.
After all, a shinobi's body could reveal the secrets of their village's unique ninjutsu, their chakra nature, and even traces of special medicinal ingredients they had used. From a theoretical standpoint, their bodies held immense intelligence value.
Logically, the status of the Corpse Processing Squad should have been very high. However, once the ANBU took over most of the department's authority and siphoned off its top talent, the squad withered into its current state.
One could say that the real Corpse Processing Squad now resided within the ANBU.
Meanwhile, the squad under the Medical Department had become something akin to "Still Water Prison"—a place where one did nothing but deal with piles of worthless corpses all day.
At that moment, hearing that Hyuga Yu—whose medical skills were practically god-like—was being transferred to this department, the medical ninjas present all changed color. Once they processed the news, they looked at Hyuga Yu with a fair amount of pity.
As the saying goes, the tall tree catches the wind.
This kid must have displeased Director Furofuki because of that surgery last night.
Furofuki stared at Hyuga Yu with an indifferent expression and asked coldly, "Do you have an objection?"
Hyuga Yu shook his head and replied calmly, "No. Thank you, Teacher Furofuki."
Furofuki nodded. "Then follow me."
With that, she tucked her hands behind her back and walked toward the western side of the camp without any further expression.
Hyuga Yu followed behind Furofuki. They exited the camp through the west gate and walked for several hundred meters. Soon, they arrived at a grim, eerie campsite consisting of a large cluster of tents guarded by only a single shinobi.
The air was thick with a faint, chilling scent—a mixture of the stench of decay and Lysol—that made one's skin crawl.
Furofuki entered the camp with practiced ease. She lifted the flap of a tent marked with the character for "Life" (活) and stepped inside.
Without looking back, she asked Hyuga Yu a question: "Do you remember the contents of the hospital lecture I gave three years ago today?"
Hyuga Yu thought for only half a second before recalling it. "If I remember correctly, that lesson was 'Euthanasia Execution Protocols for Patients.'"
"Hmph!" Furofuki let out a cold snort. "You remember it quite clearly. I assume you use that little wit of yours to fool those old geezers quite often?"
Hyuga Yu's expression remained unchanged, knowing that the "old geezers" she referred to were the other high-ranking officials of the Medical Squad, including the Hospital Director.
He replied seriously, "The knowledge taught by every teacher is a precious treasure to me. I would not dare forget."
"Being clever is useless. If you cannot down-to-earthly transform knowledge into ability, then ultimately, those things you obtained through opportunism will only push you into hell."
Furofuki offered this cold word of advice with a blank face, then followed up with another question: "Tell me, then. How did I teach you that day?"
Hyuga Yu answered without hesitation:
"Patients requiring euthanasia have unique identities. Most are shinobi on the verge of death who possess vital intelligence but are in too much agony due to illness or severe injury to respond."
"The brains of such patients contain a massive amount of traumatic memories, making it impossible for even the Yamanaka Clan to perform a memory search. At the same time, they are heroes of the village. To alleviate their suffering and minimize the risk of intelligence leaks, the Medical Department held a discussion and ultimately decided to perform euthanasia on them."
"Correct."
Furofuki took a deep breath, remaining unfazed by the foul odor as she slowly raised her head to look at the rows of hospital beds covered in white sheets.
"These people... every one of them is a hero of Konoha."
"And they are heroes who... will soon die."
Hearing this, Hyuga Yu activated his Byakugan and looked around. He saw that the various bodies laid out in this special tent shared a common characteristic.
Despite their different ailments, they had all been injected with various components of euthanasia drugs.
Hyuga Yu had a vague idea of why Furofuki had brought him here, but he didn't say a word, simply waiting in silence.
Soon, Furofuki spoke. "In all of Konoha, there are perhaps only two people who can save them."
"Who?"
"You. Or Tsunade."
Hyuga Yu's face darkened slightly. He frowned and said honestly, "I cannot save them."
Furofuki shook her head.
"The Byakugan can penetrate deep into the skin, allowing you to see cells on a microscopic level. Hyuga Yu, you possess an ability and potential that ordinary medical ninjas can never achieve!"
"It might be cruel to say this, but—"
She turned around and lifted the white sheet covering a "living corpse" nearby. Pointing at the ninja wearing an ANBU uniform, she said coldly:
"These people can all become the stepping stones for your progress."
"Saving even one of them would be of immense value to the village and to Konoha. It could even... rewrite the course of a local battle and influence the entire trajectory of the Third Shinobi World War."
Hyuga Yu looked at Furofuki and shook his head. With a steady gaze, he said in a low voice:
"Teacher Furofuki, I understand what you mean."
"However, this is a reality I can no longer change—"
He looked at the tent full of "living corpses," then slowly lowered his head to look at the ANBU ninja Furofuki was pointing at. He spoke calmly:
"These people are already suffering from terminal conditions."
"For example, this one—he appears to be poisoned and has severe cirrhosis of the liver. He has countless bedsores on his buttocks, severe edema and ulceration in his lower limbs, and is no longer capable of self-care. Furthermore, due to unknown causes, he is in so much pain that his consciousness is blurred, making normal communication impossible."
"The prescription you've given is injections of Chlorpromazine and Phenergan."
"While this alleviates his pain, from another perspective, these drugs have actually worsened his cerebral edema and hepatic coma."
"He is completely beyond saving."
"And the medicine we are using isn't a life-saving remedy at all; it's a life-ending toxin!"
A flicker of struggle flashed in Furofuki's eyes. She remained silent for a long time before finally whispering in a low, somber tone:
"The only drugs that can be transported here right now... are these."
A moment later, under the silent gaze of Furofuki and Hyuga Yu, the ANBU ninja drew his last breath. The heart rate monitor beside him flattened into a straight line.
At that moment, a figure familiar to Hyuga Yu pushed past the two people by the bed. Without a word, he picked up a clipboard and wrote:
"Record: Time of brain death, October 13, Year 49 of Konoha, 4:12 AM."
It was Tanuki Shigaraki.
But Shigaraki didn't even look at the two people standing in the tent. With a slight wave of his hand, two ninjas dressed as ANBU appeared via Body Flicker and carried the deceased ninja away.
Furofuki watched coldly as Shigaraki finished his task. She turned to Hyuga Yu and whispered, "That guy is the Vice-Commander of this Medical Squad. He's... from that place."
"Just ignore him."
Then, Furofuki looked Hyuga Yu directly in the eye and said, "Go ahead and treat them without restraint. This is the training I have arranged for you."
Hyuga Yu knitted his brows. "Training?"
"If you want to become a high-ranking member of the Medical Squad, you must master the three Great A-rank Medical Ninjutsu!"
"The Mystical Palm Technique, the Chakra Scalpel, and—"
Furofuki stared intensely at Hyuga Yu and said in a heavy voice:
"The Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique!"
"I know very well that with your Byakugan, you can take this medical ninjutsu to an extreme that ordinary people could never hope to reach!"
"By using this technique, you have a one-in-a-thousand chance of saving... even just one person here!"
Hyuga Yu looked at the old woman in surprise, his heart skipping a beat. He subconsciously blurted out:
"But... I haven't learned that technique yet."
He truly hadn't learned it. As an A-rank medical ninjutsu, the Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique was far more complex than the Mystical Palm Technique or the Chakra Scalpel. Even with the Byakugan's copying ability, Hyuga Yu had mastered less than thirty percent of it to date.
"?"
At that, the old woman looked over strangely and gave a cold snort.
"Idiot!"
"I called you here specifically to teach you that jutsu!"
————
Supporting me on Pa-treon to gain early access to advanced chapters and enjoy expedited updates. Your support is greatly appreciated.
pat-reon .c-om/Dragonhair
(Just remove the hyphen - and space, to access Pa-treon normally.)