On this particular afternoon, Uchiha Gen rarely skipped his training. Instead, after finishing some ramen, he went to soak in a hot spring, found a massage parlor to relax, and then strolled through the commercial street to try out that Three-Color Dango shop.
Since arriving in this world, although he occasionally indulged himself, he had never truly set aside half a day like this. He even bumped into Mōna, his former homeroom teacher from the Ninja Academy, while on the road.
After more than a year, the status between the two had undergone a world-shaking change...
Mōna was still that Chunin teacher, while Uchiha Gen was already the youngest Special Jonin in Konoha. It wouldn't even be long before he became a true Jonin.
Furthermore, at less than fourteen years old, he would break the record left by the Sannin and become the youngest Jonin in the history of Konoha.
At Mōna's invitation, Uchiha Gen also made a temporary trip to the Ninja Academy to give an open lecture to the senior Ninja students.
Early the next morning, waking up from his sleep, Uchiha Gen couldn't help but feel lucky that he had taken the time to rest well yesterday.
Because if he hadn't rested yesterday, he truly wouldn't have had the chance.
Early in the morning, several members of the Uchiha Clan were knocking on his door.
"Gen! Please, you must step in and save my father!"
As soon as the door opened, Uchiha Fugaku anxiously grabbed Gen's arm.
"Is it the Clan Leader's injuries?"
"Yes, my father's condition continued to worsen on the way back. I heard your Medical Ninjutsu is very powerful and that you saved many Ninjas in the Land of Rain who should have been certain to die. If anyone can save him, it's only you!"
Uchiha Gen raised his eyes slightly, looking at Fugaku.
"Did you go to ask Lady Tsunade?"
The latter shook his head.
"Father—he has some resistance toward the Senju. It hasn't been easy for him to maintain the surface peace with the Senju Clan all these years. If a Senju were to treat his wounds and save his life, I'm afraid—"
"Even at a time like this, he's still worrying about the grievances between the Senju and Uchiha."
Uchiha Gen couldn't help but roll his eyes upon hearing this.
Another old-timer Uchiha who hadn't stepped out of the Sengoku Era yet.
"I'll go grab a medical kit and set off immediately."
"Good. Gen, if you have any needs, just tell me. The entire clan will surely satisfy them!"
A few minutes later, under the escort of Fugaku and several members of the Police Force, Uchiha Gen arrived at the Clan Leader's residence for the first time.
Compared to the Great Elder's place, this area was larger, more majestic, and more exquisite, showcasing the heritage of the Uchiha as a thousand-year-old elite noble clan everywhere.
However, the helmsman of this old-school elite clan was currently gasping for breath, lying on the bed with his eyes tightly closed, looking as if his life was about to end.
"The main wounds are in the chest cavity and the lower back. Although they were quickly treated with medicine, without timely treatment from a medical Ninja, it will be much more difficult to heal the internal injuries now. I need to perform surgery to reposition and repair his internal organs, and after that, long-term recuperation will be needed to recover to a certain extent."
Uchiha Gen sat at the bedside and withdrew his perception.
"As long as he can be saved."
Fugaku couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Even the Great Elder, who was watching with bated breath nearby, had his expression soften slightly.
As long as he can be saved.
Even if this Clan Leader was quite a bit worse compared to previous leaders like Madara, he at least had the ability to maintain the internal situation of the clan on the surface and suppress overt conflicts. Once the Clan Leader was gone, those suppressed conflicts would erupt again.
What was even more troublesome was those relatively powerful young and middle-aged Uchiha who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan; they would surely fight for the position of Clan Leader, amplifying the clan's internal disputes and causing turmoil.
As long as Uchiha Hisaku, the Clan Leader, was still alive, these situations could be avoided.
"But I haven't finished yet."
Uchiha Gen continued, "Saving his life isn't hard, just troublesome. But Clan Leader Hisaku's injuries aren't just in the chest and abdomen; the one at the lower back is the most tricky."
"During the battle, this part of the Clan Leader must have been struck heavily by the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, causing the end of the spine to be crushed and the spinal cord to be severed, resulting in the spine being unable to transmit nerve signals to the lower limbs."
"In other words, this injury will lead to the Clan Leader being paralyzed from the waist down. From now on, let alone continuing to be a Ninja, he will even lose the ability to take care of himself in daily life."
Fugaku's face immediately changed.
This result was better than death, but it was also not the result he hoped to see.
If those clansmen who coveted the position of Clan Leader found out, they would inevitably become restless.
Internal turmoil within the clan seemed unavoidable.
A cripple with paralyzed lower limbs who could no longer be a Ninja—even if he once had decent strength and some prestige—how could he hold the position of the leader of the Ninja World's number one elite clan?
"Can it not be cured?"
Uchiha Fugaku asked with a bit of hope.
Tsunade had created countless miracles on the operating table; now he hoped Uchiha Gen could do the same.
The latter just shook his head indifferently, but after speaking, he gave Fugaku another ray of hope.
"Current Medical Ninjutsu hasn't developed to the point where it can cure this kind of injury. However, theoretically, a technique Lady Tsunade envisioned—one that requires multiple high-level medical Ninjas to perform jointly—could cure it."
Although the old Clan Leader's injuries were hard to handle, it was only a section at the end of the spine that was crushed. The actual area that needed repair wasn't particularly large. Using the Regenerative Technique, there was a slight chance of curing it.
Uchiha Fugaku hesitated and said, "Then do we need to go ask Lady Tsunade?"
"You can try. Lady Tsunade might have other methods, but this technique requires multiple high-level medical Ninjas, and Lady Biwako and I don't know it yet. Even if we did, relying on just three people would make it very difficult to perform the technique successfully."
"If you want to cure it, it's definitely not something that can be done in the short term. At the very least, the Village has to agree to promote Medical Ninjutsu and train several new high-level medical Ninjas before there is a real possibility of a cure."
Well, there went that hope too.
To wait until new high-level medical Ninjas were trained—and high-level medical Ninjas who had mastered the Regenerative Technique at that—who knew how long that would take?
"Let's keep this matter hidden from the outside for now. After the Clan Leader wakes up, let him make a public appearance to soothe the people's hearts. We can stall for some time and make arrangements for the future."
The Great Elder, who had been leaning on a cane nearby, suddenly spoke up.
Uchiha Hisaku would not be able to hold the position of Clan Leader securely in the future, but the only ones who knew he was paralyzed from the waist down were the three people present.
They only needed to hide part of the truth from the outside and make people think there was hope for his injuries to fully recover. Then, before others could tell, they could still stabilize the situation.
"It can only be so then. Gen, I'll have to trouble you with my father's injuries. If you have any requests in the future, Fugaku will certainly not fail you."
Uchiha Fugaku said with a sincere face and a formal tone.