Naruto: From Novice to Grave

Upon returning to the command post, the four found that it was just a bit noisy, and did not look like an enemy attack.

No one told them why they had come back, so they had no choice but to return to their squad's room to rest.

Upon arriving at the entrance, an unfamiliar young female ninja was waiting. Seeing Higashino Makoto, she immediately approached and asked, "Excuse me, are you Higashino Makoto?"

"Yes, that's me. And who are you?"

"I am Mai, a nurse from the camp's medical department. Department Head Mishima sent me to find you."

Moonlight Cloud nodded: "You go ahead first. If anything happens, I'll have them contact you."

"Okay, I'll go take a look."

Medical ninjas are a scarce profession, especially on the eastern front of the Hidden Mist battlefield. Due to the stalemate and infrequent battles, many medical ninjas went north with Hiashi Hyuga's support troops, where the fighting was fierce and manpower was in greater need.

Upon arriving at the temporary medical unit, Higashino Makoto discovered that the place was no longer as quiet as it used to be, and there were many more wounded people there.

Several medical ninjas and nurses are treating those with more serious injuries; as for those with minor injuries, they should wait.

Higashino Makoto's squad has been stationed north of the command post, on the Wave Defense Line, where no large-scale battles have been reported recently.

In other words, these wounded soldiers came from the Southern Whirlpool Defense Line.

God knows what they went through.

At that moment, Higashino saw a somewhat familiar-looking young ninja, about thirteen or fourteen years old, roughly the same age as Might Guy. This person was accompanying an injured teammate.

He stepped forward, examined him closely, and asked, "Are you a rock jellyfish?"

The burly young ninja with dark skin looked up, puzzled, and asked, "Yes, do you recognize me?"

"Five years ago, by a tributary of the Namka River, you tried to steal my grilled fish, and I beat you up."

Iwazawa looked at Higashino Makoto carefully, and after thinking for a moment, she remembered: "Oh, it's you. I'm sorry, we were all too young and didn't understand things back then, which caused you trouble."

That's right, the rock stalker is the same Konoha brat that Higashino Makoto encountered a few years ago. However, compared to his arrogant appearance back then, the rock stalker now looks much more docile after being beaten up in the war.

Higashino Makoto, of course, wouldn't hold a grudge against a mere brat. He asked, "Why are you the only one here? Didn't your companions become ninjas?"

The jellyfish's eyes dimmed: "They...they're all dead!"

Shinichi Higashino didn't know how to respond. Back then, they were just playing around as kids, and there was no grudge between them. But in the blink of an eye, the group of four had dwindled to just one.

Since arriving in the ninja world, Higashino Makoto has realized for the first time how worthless a ninja's life is, even if they are underage children.

He didn't say anything more, but walked over to his teammate who was jellyfishing, unwrapped the gauze from his wound, found that it had been cleaned, and immediately used his palm magic to treat him.

The nurse, Mai, who was following her, did not stop them. She watched intently and was surprised to find that Higashino Makoto was different from other medical ninjas. Under his medical chakra, the patients' wounds healed much faster.

After the treatment was completed, Higashino patted Iwazawa on the shoulder: "Alright, your teammate is fine now, take him to rest."

The jellyfish bowed deeply: "Thank you, thank you so much!"

As Liu Huaqiang, an expert on stabbing, once said, "What kind of young person is he if he doesn't have a fiery temper?" But in Yan Zhe's case, before he even reached the age of fiery youth, his temper had already vanished, and he could no longer muster it.

Watching him lead his teammates away, Higashino truly wondered, how much of that dream remains in the heart of the child who once dreamed of becoming Hokage?

After clearing his mind of distractions, Higashino created several shadow clones and began to do his best to treat the wounded.

Mai looked left and right, unsure who she was following, but in the end she stayed behind the main body, assisting him.

This nurse was seeing for the first time that medical ninjas could be so arrogant. Just because they have a lot of chakra, does that mean they can do whatever they want?

Makoto Higashino: Sorry, I have chakra, which means I can do whatever I want.

After the treatment, the nurse became extremely respectful.

This younger brother looked several years younger than me, but it turns out he's a big shot.

----------

Outside a special treatment room, Hyuga Tokuma, Aburame Muta, and Inuzuka Kiko sat on chairs, while the two-headed harpy, Rocky, lay on the floor.

All three people and the dog had the same dejected expression, their clothes were covered in grime and dirt, and they looked disheveled. Even the husky's eyes had lost their intelligence.

When Higashino Makoto was brought over by Mai Tsugawara, the perceptive husky looked up at him, then lowered his head again, just like when he was punished by his owner for dismantling the sofa.

"Is Mr. Riyue inside?"

Hyuga Tokuma: "We're trying to save him!"

Higashino Makoto gasped, "Has your southern defense line been subjected to a large-scale invasion by Kirigakure? Not only are there a bunch of wounded outside, but even your team's Jonin are..."

This time, Tokuma simply nodded without saying a word.

At that moment, Toshio Mishima's voice came from the special treatment room: "Shin, come in quickly."

When Higashino entered the treatment room, he saw a complex symmetrical pattern engraved with runes on the floor in the center of the room. Four medical ninjas sat on the four sides, holding hand seals and performing magic.

This special treatment room is the room where the [Healing and Regeneration Technique] is performed.

Hitsuki Sarutobi was stripped down to his underwear and lay in the center, his body covered in wounds. Among them, the several huge piercing wounds in his abdomen were the most fatal, as they had riddled him with holes, so deep that you could see right through him.

To be injured like that and still clinging to life, one's will to live is truly remarkable.

However, this fatal injury, which could kill at any moment, can only be saved by the "healing and regeneration technique".

Green chakra emanated from the four medical ninjas who were presiding over the jutsu, enveloping Sarutobi Hiugetsu through runes and continuously repairing his internal wounds using other parts of his body as a medium.

The [Healing and Regeneration Technique] not only requires a high degree of precision in its execution, but its most troublesome aspect is its long duration. Ordinary ninjas simply don't have enough chakra, so someone needs to take over.

However, at this moment, only two of the four medical ninjas here have replacements behind them.

There aren't enough medical ninjas on the southeastern front, and even fewer who can perform the "Healing and Regeneration Technique."

Higashino created a shadow clone that shared his chakra equally and stood behind Mishima Toshio and the other person, ready to take over at any time.

Toshio Mishima asked, "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"It's alright, Uncle Mishima, I have plenty of chakra."

"Okay, get ready to make a substitution."

With a command given, the four people in charge of the ninjutsu, including himself, were replaced one by one.

Higashino Makoto occupied two positions by himself, and with his addition, the healing speed increased somewhat. However, at this moment, everyone was either focused on casting spells or trying to recover their chakra, so no one had time to be surprised by this.

Actually, if it weren't for the need to keep up with the casting frequency of others, he could have cast the spells even faster by himself and using three shadow clones.

But Higashino Makoto didn't want to do that; too much brilliance would overshadow the efforts and achievements of others in the early stages.

It wasn't until nightfall that Sarutobi Higetsu's condition stabilized. All the wounds on his body, large and small, had healed, but he was severely depleted of energy and needed to rest for a while.

Seeing Sarutobi Hijiki transferred to a regular ward, Higashino Makoto breathed a long sigh of relief. He had finally saved his life. It had to be said that Konoha's medical technology was unmatched by any of the other major ninja villages.

At that moment, Mai from the tsuya handed over a lunchbox: "Here you are, Dr. Higashino. Are you hungry? I brought you some food."

"Thank you, Mai-senpai."

Mishima Toshio and the other medical ninjas: "We're hungry too!"

"Ah, hahaha, don't worry, seniors, I've already put your dinner on your desks."

"Oh? We have some too, thanks!" Mishima Toshio said, then called to his colleague, "Come on, let's go eat."

Higashino was indeed hungry. Continuous jutsu for several hours had greatly depleted his chakra, and he immediately started showing off his lunchbox.

Halfway through the meal, Uzuki Yugao also came over with her packed dinner. She glanced at the dinner in Higashino Makoto's hand, then at Utatane Mai standing to the side, and her eyes immediately became wary.

After being intimidated by Moonlight Cloud, she now sees any suitable girl and thinks they want to have her babies.

The little girl pouted, "Looks like I came at the wrong time."

"No, you've come at the perfect time. You know I have a huge appetite."

"Hmph, you'll stuff yourself to death!"

"Don't worry, I can finish two more servings! Why are you alone?"

"Jifeng is training; the teacher went to the command center for a meeting and hasn't returned yet."

It seems that it's because of Kirigakure's sudden large-scale attack. No matter what those lunatics' motives are, Konoha must deal with them with all its might.