Bab 29: Chapter 29: Tsunade's Special Care!
"Hello everyone, my name is Hyuga Takashi. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
A group of people were frantically looking for a medical ninja. Takashi figured it wouldn't be appropriate to just stand around in the periphery, so he stepped forward and introduced himself.
"Get lost, we're looking for a medical ninja. What are you from the Hyuga Clan doing here?"
"What Hyuga Clan member? Look at his eyes."
A Hyuga without Byakugan.
The crowd noticed the oddity. One by one, they all stared curiously at Takashi, wanting to know what was going on with his eyes.
Just then, two ninja wearing Jonin vests walked into the training grounds.
One of them, who had long black hair, shouted loudly, "Quiet!!"
The training grounds instantly fell silent. The long-haired Jonin spoke up again, "I am Kobayashi. You can call me Captain Kobayashi I hope we can get along during our time stationed at the border."
"We'll start roll call now."
When it was Takashi's turn, Kobayashi gave him an extra-long look. After confirming the details, he nodded and moved on to the next name.
Everything matched the information he had—a member of the Hyuga Clan, afflicted with Byakugan degeneration. To treat himself, Takashi had studied diligently and eventually became a medical ninja.
Everyone on the roster had arrived.
The Jonin standing beside Kobayashi was named Sarutobi Santou, and he held the position of the camp's deputy commander.
Once everyone was accounted for, Kobayashi waved his hand, "Move out!"
With the two captains leading them, dozens of people followed behind as they left the village, heading towards the border. Other than the two captains, no one knew which camp they would be assigned to for the rotation.
After leaving the village, Sarutobi Santou made a point of moving beside Takashi to strike up a connection.
As the only medical ninja in the camp, it was crucial to build a good relationship with him. If you got on the wrong side of a medical ninja, at best they'd mess with you a little. At worst, they'd let you die without you even realizing why.
The saying "medicine and poison are not separate" wasn't just a joke.
Being a student trained directly by Tsunade, Takashi knew his way around poisons, too.
"Before we set off, Lady Tsunade asked me to give you a bit of freedom to move around," Santou said with a grin.
I wonder if Tsunade would accept if I offered myself to her.
Ever since meeting her, Tsunade had been truly kind to him. Besides freeloading a few meals, she never really asked for anything in return.
Whenever something came up, she would help him without Takashi even needing to ask.
If it weren't for the fact that Tsunade barely had a penny to her name, Takashi would be tempted to hug her leg and shout, "Please take care of me forever!"
Takashi said, "When we get to the camp, I'll have to rely on the two captains and all of my companions to look after me, considering I'm only a medical ninja and not skilled in combat."
"Don't worry, as long as we're around, no one will be able to harm you."
The entire group pounded their chests in promise—they would absolutely ensure Takashi's safety.
The impression of medical ninjas having poor combat abilities was deeply ingrained in people's minds. Takashi's request made the ninja traveling to the camp rotation with him quite pleased.
Everyone wanted to get on good terms with the medical ninja, and this was the perfect opportunity.
Good thing Tsunade wasn't here, or she would've definitely punched him.
Captain Kobayashi even handed over two sealing scrolls to Takashi, containing various medical supplies. As the only medical ninja, Takashi was entrusted with organizing and keeping these supplies safe.
That way, when someone actually got injured and needed treatment, they wouldn't be scrambling around in chaos trying to find things.
The group reached their destination in two days, and the rotation went smoothly without any incidents.
Standing in the camp cabin, with his hands behind his back, Takashi looked up at the gloomy sky and the endless raindrops. He sighed, "A miscalculation… It looks like life is going to get quite boring here."
Takashi had thought about the possible rotation locations, but the one thing he hadn't expected was that their assigned camp would be on the border with the Land of Rain.
What kind of place was the Land of Rain?
The sun never shines for more than three days. It's perpetually shrouded in heavy rain—a land filled with nothing but endless downpours.
If one were to describe the economic situations of each village and nation in a single sentence: Sunagakure would say it's so poor there's nothing but sand; Iwagakure would complain it's so destitute there's nothing but bare rock; Kirigakure is so poor it can only eat tiny fish; Kumogakure is so poor it only has beef; and Konohagakure is poor with nothing but food.
But as for Amegakure, the Land of Rain? True to its name, it has nothing but rain.
When he first entered the camp, Takashi was interested in the weather, since he liked watching the rain from inside the cabin.
But after the first day, the second day, and the third day, that novelty turned into irritation.
Luckily, as a medical ninja, he wasn't required to take part in sentry duties or patrols. While others had to travel through the rain, Takashi could simply rest at the camp.
"Takashi, I brought you a gift."
Captain Kobayashi cheerfully walked into the camp carrying a deer on his shoulder.
"Captain, don't kid us. You just want some roasted meat yourself," someone teased.
"Hahaha, exactly. Captain's been complaining that everything tastes bland."
"Shut up, all of you!!"
Kobayashi's dark face began to flush as he pointed at those mocking him, yelling, "I'm greedy, huh? Bland food, huh? Then don't eat any of the roast when it's done."
These bastards. I've been patrolling in the rain, caught a deer on my way back just to give everyone a treat, and now they're teasing me?
"Laugh? You still want to laugh? Go clean up the deer, and grab some firewood. Make sure it's dry!"
The saying goes that as long as you are in the Land of Fire borders, you won't lack game, but it's the firewood that's difficult to get. Because of the constant rain, the surrounding plants and trees are damp. Wet wood is not only hard to ignite, but also produces a lot of smoke.
The firewood used in camp was gathered earlier and kept inside the cabin to dry before being used.
Thanks to his medical ninja status and decent cooking skills, Takashi quickly integrated into camp life and became a favorite among his comrades.
Looking at the firewood on the ground, Takashi chuckled at himself, "I never expected the camp's medical room to turn into its kitchen before even opening."
"Hahaha."
Takashi's comment made everyone laugh out loud.
Complaints aside, the meat still needed to be roasted. Captain Kobayashi might've been complaining about bland food, but Takashi was no better off—eating dried rations every day wasn't sustainable.
It was no wonder that the camp's stationed ninjas all wanted to go back to the village, to their homes. Life in the camp was simply grueling.
Soon enough, the cleaned deer was brought to the medical room. Captain Kobayashi personally helped with the fire, while Takashi handled the roasting.
Deputy Commander Sarutobi Santou did fewer patrols and duties outside and spent most of his time in the camp.
After observing for a few days, Takashi noticed that this deputy commander seemed to always be keeping an eye on the medical room.
Was he secretly protecting it or watching over it?
It helped that he was from the Sarutobi Clan. If it had been a member of the Shimura Clan instead, Takashi would've assumed surveillance without question.
The scent of roasted meat soon wafted through the camp, and everyone was eagerly waiting, clutching their dried rations in anticipation.
"Form a line, no pushing!"
Once the meat was done, Captain Kobayashi brought out a brand new kunai, cleaned it, and started distributing the meat.
A whole leg was reserved just for Takashi, while everyone else got a smaller piece.
No one had any objections to Captain Kobayashi favoring Takashi in this way.
After receiving their share of the roasted meat, everyone scattered, heading back to their cabins to enjoy the treat.
"Deputy Commander Santou, can we talk for a moment?"
Just as Sarutobi Santou was about to leave, Takashi called out to him.
Sarutobi, who was holding his roasted meat, paused, then smiled and nodded, agreeing to Takashi's request.
"Tomorrow's weather might be quite cold."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone