harleyscars On the Eve of Chapter 113
On the Eve of Chapter 113
On the Eve of Chapter 113
After a good night's sleep, Taiichi woke up refreshed the next morning. After his daily training, he planned to go find Yohei and Saori.
I was so tired yesterday that I didn't have time to tell them about Captain Yamaguchi's injury and hospitalization. It would be really inappropriate if I didn't inform them today.
After quickly tidying himself up, Taiichi headed straight for Saori's house. It was still early, and there were few pedestrians on the street. The morning light fell on Taiichi, illuminating his hurried steps.
I gently knocked on Saori's door, and a beautiful woman in her thirties with a big smile opened the door. She still bore a resemblance to Saori in her appearance.
"Hello, Auntie, I'm Matsushita Taichi, Saori's teammate. I'm here to see Saori about something." Taichi greeted her politely, trying to make a good impression since it was their first meeting.
"Oh, you must be Taiichi! I'm Saori's mother, you can just call me Aunt Keiko." Saori's mother was incredibly enthusiastic. She grabbed Taiichi's hand and pulled him into the house, saying repeatedly, "Saoori always talks about you at home!"
As he spoke, he suddenly turned around, walked around Taiyi, and carefully looked him up and down, his smile growing wider and wider: "Hmm, what a handsome young man."
Before Taiichi could speak, she pulled him aside again, "Let me tell you, my family originally wanted to have a boy to play with, but we didn't expect that Saori would be born a girl."
At this moment, Taiichi was completely dumbfounded by Saori's mother's actions. He never expected that Saori, who was usually so quiet and gentle, would have such a unique personality as her mother!
Since they met, Taiyi has only said one sentence when he first greeted everyone, and hasn't had a chance to say a single word since.
"Oh right, you're here to see Saori, right? Come on, I'll take you to her." Without another word, she grabbed Taichi and pulled him inside, calling out, "Saori-chan, come out quickly! Look who's here!"
"Who is it, Mom? Don't be so jumpy!" Saori's complaining voice came from afar, followed by thumping footsteps, and Saori walked out from the yard on one side.
Seeing Saori walking gracefully towards him, Taiichi looked slightly embarrassed. His right hand was still being held by Aunt Keiko, so he could only wave his left hand slightly to greet her.
"Taiichi!" Saori exclaimed, quickly standing up and pulling Taiichi's right hand away from her mother's. "Mom, really, why are you always pulling other people's hands?"
"Oh, are you jealous, Saori?" Aunt Keiko teased, but then winked and said, "Alright, I won't disturb your whispered conversation anymore, bye-bye."
"Mom~ what are you doing————" Saori complained from behind, but Aunt Keiko had already disappeared in a flash.
"Taiichi, please don't mind, my mother's personality is rather—" Saori hesitated for a moment, unsure of what adjective to use.
"Haha~ I think Auntie is great. Having a mom like that must make your life very interesting!" Taiyi's eyes were full of longing.
This harmonious and friendly family atmosphere was exactly what he longed for. However, why did Aunt Huizi look at him like he was her son-in-law? It made him very uncomfortable.
Seeing the look on Tai's face when he mentioned his parents, Saori suddenly remembered that Tai was an orphan. She quickly changed the subject, "Tai, did you come to see me for something?"
"Oh, look at my memory, I almost forgot about the important matter." Taiichi suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "Captain Yamaguchi was seriously injured during a mission and is currently in the hospital. I came to tell you so we can go visit him together."
"What!" Saori exclaimed, her face filled with disbelief. "How is the captain now? Is his injury serious?"
"It's all settled now. Let's go find Yangping first, and I'll tell you all about it then."
"Okay, let's go now." Saori was decisive, pulling Taichi out while calling into the inner room, "Mom, Taichi and I have something to do outside."
"Hey, you silly girl, Taiyi just arrived and you've already dragged him away without even having a sip of water."
By the time Aunt Keiko chased after them, Saori and Taichi had already vanished. "That little brat, but she really has good taste!"
After passing through the central area of Konoha and continuing south until near the edge of the village, they arrived at the Uchiha clan's territory. This was Taichi's first time stepping into the Uchiha clan's territory.
Contrary to expectations of heavy security, this place does not prohibit non-Uchiha personnel from entering, and there are many ordinary civilians among the people coming and going on the streets.
"It's pretty much the same as the rest of the village, except there are a lot more Uchiha clansmen."
Saori looked around and found that it was no different from other parts of the village. People were interacting normally, and she felt that the people here were more enthusiastic than in other places.
"What are you talking about? Are the Uchiha people domineering, cold, and aloof, or are they all ambitious and a cursed clan?" Taichi asked Saori curiously, surprised that even Saori had an objective impression of the Uchiha clan.
"Uh!" Saori tapped her fingers together, her face instantly turning crimson. Luckily, she was a fraction of a second slower than Taiichi, otherwise he would have noticed anything amiss. "I guess so, I've just heard it from other people."
"Those are just rumors spread by certain high-ranking members of the village out of fear of the Uchiha. Every clan has a few good-for-nothing members!"
Taiyi was helpless; as one of the founding clans of the village, he ended up being wiped out.
You can't say that the Uchiha clan has no problems; this mess can't be sorted out in a short time.
Fortunately, that's still a long way off.
The two arrived at Yangping's house. Looking at the house, which was even bigger than Saori's, Taiyi couldn't help but joke, "Hey! You two are really rich. You live in houses that are bigger than each other. I'm just living in a small apartment."
Saori chuckled softly behind her without refuting. In any case, she couldn't see any sign that Taiichi was short of money. On the contrary, Taiichi spent money even more extravagantly than she and Yohei.
There was a knock on the door.
Soon, the sound of a door opening came from inside, accompanied by Yangping's voice: "Who is it?"
The door opened, and when Yangping saw who was standing there, the words he was about to say caught in his throat. After a long pause, he finally came to his senses: "Taiichi, Saori, what brings you two here? Did I get the training camp dates wrong?"
"No, we've come to ask you to come and visit Captain Yamaguchi. He was seriously injured in a previous mission and is currently in the hospital," Taiichi said bluntly, stating his purpose directly.
"Ah! When did this happen?"
"Let's go, I'll talk to you as we walk," Taiyi urged Yangping.
So Yangping told his family, and the three of them headed to Konoha Hospital together.
On the way, Taiichi explained the general cause of Captain Yamaguchi's injury to the two of them, highlighting the parts he could.
When they learned that Captain Yamaguchi had suffered such a serious injury, losing half of his right waist, they couldn't help but gasp in shock.
When they heard that their captain had managed to return to Konoha despite such serious injuries, they were filled with admiration for his strong will.
Finally, when they heard that their captain had been out of danger after receiving treatment at the hospital, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Taiyi, you could go and be a full-time storyteller. You'd definitely live a good life that way," Yangping joked. "The drama you told me was so exciting it made me break out in a cold sweat."
Near the hospital, the three bought some flowers and fruit before Taichi led them to Captain Yamaguchi's ward.
At this moment, Yamaguchi Seisuke had regained consciousness, but his face was still pale, and he often gritted his teeth. To an outsider, it would seem as if he was vengeful towards someone.
The ward door was gently pushed open, and a head quietly peeked in.
Seeing the captain lying on the bed gritting his teeth, Yangping, who had originally intended to joke, suddenly flung open the door, ran to Captain Yamaguchi's side, and anxiously asked, "Captain, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? I'll go find a doctor."
Captain Yamaguchi was clearly startled by Yangping's commotion. He had been visibly distracted and hadn't noticed Yangping's arrival at all.
"Yohei, Saori, and Taichi, you're here." Captain Yamaguchi looked at the three of them and gave a forced smile. "I'm fine, don't worry."
"But—" Yangping wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Taiyi behind him. Only then did he remember that Taiyi was a medical ninja. "Taiyi, take a look quickly."
"It's nothing." But Taiyi didn't look closely. He just glanced at the captain's face and said, "Captain, that's the itching sensation caused by the nerves of the newly formed tissues and organs receiving initial stimulation."
It's like the itching you get when your wound is healing, only several times stronger. It's a necessary self-regulation process for the body." Taiyi explained to the group, adding at the end, "But it's definitely more difficult to endure; it'll probably itch for two or three days."
Yangping and Saori both shivered. Even Captain Yamaguchi looked utterly dejected after hearing this; the itching was unbearable, impossible to scratch or stop, and he could only endure it.
"Captain, are you missing a kidney now? Will you be unable to perform anymore?" Yangping asked curiously, but the question he posed was rather reckless. Taiyi rubbed his ears, thinking he had heard him. Ever since the last mission to Daimyo Prefecture, Yangping had become increasingly unrestrained. Saori was also stunned for a moment, then blushed, clearly understanding what Yangping meant.
Captain Yamaguchi's face darkened, and he felt a breath catch in his throat before finally suppressing it. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, my injuries are fully healed."
"Ah, didn't Taiichi say that you lost half of your right waist? Captain, did you heal it with some kind of secret technique? I've heard of a ninjutsu that can steal other people's organs?" The curious Yangping continued to ask recklessly.
Captain Yamaguchi's face not only turned black, but all he wanted to do now was beat up Yohei.
Seeing the captain's reaction, Yang Ping quickly begged for forgiveness: "Captain, calm down. I was just trying to distract you. Don't you feel less itchy now?"
Captain Yamaguchi was taken aback. To be honest, he was indeed much better, but his temper, which had just calmed down a little, started to flare up again when he saw Yohei's smug face.
Yamaguchi Seisuke quickly shifted his gaze to Taichi behind him: "Speaking of which, I really have to thank you, Taichi! If it weren't for you this time, I might not have survived, let alone my kidneys."
"Captain, what are you saying? Isn't this what I should do?" Taiyi said politely, "Besides, this isn't just my achievement."
"Ah, Taichi, you didn't tell us before that you were the one who healed the captain. Has your medical ninjutsu become that amazing?"
Yangping was genuinely surprised. He had genuinely believed, based on Taiyi's description, that the captain might not even be able to remain a ninja anymore. That's why he tried to lighten the mood with his joke.
Unexpectedly, Taiichi completely healed the captain's injuries. He's not someone who knows nothing; the difficulty involved is not as simple as knowing an S-rank ninjutsu.
"Yes!" Seeing that everyone understood so clearly, Taiyi stopped being modest and laughed generously, "You all better flatter me, because if you ever lose a kidney or a lung or something, I'll have to save your life."
"screw you!"
The group chatted and laughed, diverting Captain Yamaguchi's attention and relieving him of his discomfort.
But their good fortune didn't last long. After all, this was an intensive care unit, and before Taiyi and his two companions could stay for long, a nurse came to help them out.
The three could only make an appointment with the captain to visit him again the next day before leaving the hospital.
Before the three of them had gone far, a figure suddenly appeared in front of them.
After seeing who it was, the three who had just been on guard quietly breathed a sigh of relief, and Taiyi even put the short sword that was almost half-drawn back into its sheath.
"Brother Minato, scaring people can be deadly! Your sudden appearance blocking our way is very dangerous!"
Taiyi complained without hesitation, "It's lucky we're at the entrance to Konoha. If we were in some remote place, Taiyi would have just slashed out with his sword."
"Sorry, sorry, time is of the essence. I have a specific task to complete, and I've been looking for you for a while now."
Minato realized his recklessness, but he really didn't expect these three kids to be so vigilant, especially Taiichi. Even though the sword hadn't been drawn, he had already sensed the sword intent locking onto him.
"Minato-senpai, are you leading our team on this mission?"
Yangping was excited. He had had enough of the days without a captain, and now that Captain Yamaguchi was injured, he was thinking that the days would be prolonged. He never expected that a Jonin would come to them with a specific mission.
But before Yohei could even get excited, Minato's words interrupted his reverie: "It's just Taiichi."
"Ah!" Yangping immediately wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.
Saori, being the most considerate one, stepped forward and said, "Since it's a designated mission, Taichi, you and Minato-senpai can go. Don't worry about us."
"Okay, then we'll be going now."
Watching Taichi and Minato leave, Yohei and Saori exchanged a glance.
"We're still too weak!" Saori's voice was filled with vulnerability. "We can't help at all when we really encounter difficulties!"
Yangping, who had been feeling listless, immediately perked up after hearing Saori's words.
"Weak? Everyone has been weak at some point. We know how hard Taiyi works. Although we don't have his talent, we can still give it a shot in terms of effort."
With that, Yangping clenched his fist and solemnly said to Saori, "From today onwards, let's train twice as hard, and we'll become stronger sooner or later!"
Seeing the determination in Yangping's eyes, Saori felt the strength within them and clenched her fist, saying, "Double the training!"
Meanwhile, Taiichi had already learned the details of this mission from Minato: to assassinate the Sand Village envoy and prevent the alliance between the Wind and Earth factions.
In this mission, I will serve as a medical ninja, protecting and supporting the team.