Tatsuma, who had recovered somewhat, began to leisurely practice Tai Chi in the hospital room. After all, his current room was a "luxurious" single room, and he wouldn't disturb anyone. This was a hobby of his and it's also why his fighting style resembles the Gentle Fist a lot.
Tai chi requires slow practice and fast strikes. Through slow practice, one can better experience the changes in the body and the transmission of strength. And Tatsuma, who was recovering from serious injuries, needed this process to readjust to his body.
As he practiced, Tatsuma always had a feeling of being watched. He stopped actively and looked around with a puzzled expression. At this moment, the tent flap was lifted, and a middle-aged man with long hair walked in, wearing a smile on his face.
He said to Tatsuma, "Sakamoto Tatsuma. I am Hyuga Itsuki, the head of the Hyuga Clan. I saw you practicing just now and didn't come in to disturb you. I just didn't expect your sensory talent to be so outstanding."
'You're the kind that keep peeping on others huh...'
Tatsuma inwardly grumbled, but he also put on a weak smile and said, "Itsuki-sama, I'm just doing some rehabilitation exercises."
"Speaking of which, it was rude of me not to express my gratitude to you immediately after waking up. So, thank you very much, Itsuki-sama, for rescuing me along with the members of your clan and the village Chunin. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for saving me."
Hyuga Itsuki squinted slightly. As the head of the Hyuga Clan, representing the Gentle Fist, his gaze was keen. He had noticed some movements in Tatsuma just now that resembled the Gentle Fist, but they were different from Hyuga's Gentle Fist.
Therefore, he didn't believe Tatsuma was doing any rehabilitation exercises. However, he didn't want to expose it and could only continue to smile and say, "You are the benefactor of my Hyuga Clan. It should be me thanking you."
"I can't accept that, Itsuki-sama. You're too kind." Tatsuma quickly declined the compliment. He didn't want any more fame now. Just the slight fame he gained on the battlefield had already led to differential treatment, and he didn't want any more of it.
If he were to wear this high hat again, he feared it wouldn't just be differential treatment on the battlefield; he would also be gossiped about when he returned to the village. Perhaps not negative gossip, but Tatsuma didn't want any of it.
Seeing Tatsuma's almost reflexive response, Hyuga Itsuki felt a bit amused and exasperated. However, he didn't insist on his gratitude. Instead, he changed the subject and said, "On that day, I also found a sword hanging by your side. It should have been a gift from Sakumo to you. I've retrieved it for you. Today, the main purpose is to return it to its rightful owner."
With that, Hyuga Itsuki reached into his large sleeve and pulled out the Chakra short sword. Tatsuma was momentarily stunned, then he remembered. He stepped forward to take it and said with a smile, "Thank you, Itsuki-sama. If I had really lost it, I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to explain it to Sakumo-sama."
"It's nothing," Hyuga Itsuki waved his hand dismissively, then changed the topic, asking, "On that day, what kind of enemies did you encounter? Besides the Third Kazekage, who else was involved?"
As the words fell, Tatsuma's smile instantly disappeared. When he reported this matter at the time, Tsunade had deliberately instructed him to keep it brief, providing little information other than highlighting the involvement of the Third Kazekage.
Moreover, only a handful of people knew about Tatsuma's actions against Hyuga Miyako, and evidently, the Hyuga Itsuki before him was one of them. Tatsuma pursed his lips and said, "On that day, I could only flee desperately and didn't actually see the assailants from the Hidden Sand Village. The only ones I know of are the Third Kazekage and his disciple, Hoshi. However, it's likely that the Third Kazekage's guards and other disciples were also involved."
Hyuga Itsuki observed Tatsuma closely as he spoke, and soon he concluded that Tatsuma was not lying or concealing anything. He nodded, reached out and placed a hand on Tatsuma's shoulder, saying,
"Thank you for your help to my Hyuga Clan. I will remember it. By the way, when you have time, you're welcome to visit my Hyuga Clan. Sento, that child, has lost his relatives and needs friends like you for companionship."
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma raised his head with some confusion. Hyuga Itsuki's attitude seemed overly friendly, and noticing Tatsuma's reaction, Hyuga Itsuki didn't deliberately conceal anything, simply stating calmly, "There are no children. In his household, there's only Sento and Sento's grandfather. It's a pity..."
Hearing this, Tatsuma suddenly recalled that Hyuga Sento didn't have the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead to cover. He used to wonder why Hyuga Sento hadn't been branded with the seal. Now it seemed that it wasn't because Hyuga Sento hadn't reached the age for the seal but because the main family candidate in his household hadn't been determined. It was similar to Neji's situation in the future; he was branded with the Caged Bird Seal after Hinata's birth. If Hinata and Hanabi hadn't been born, perhaps he would have had the chance to delay or even change his destiny, just like Sento.
However, unlike Hyuga Hiashi, Hyuga Miyako chose to forego establishing his own family, leaving the suspense lingering until his death. A branch family Hyuga wasn't worth Hyuga Itsuki, the clan head to specially divide his attention to care for, nor was it worth Tatsuma forming too many bonds with. However, if it were the main family, then it would hold significance.
"I understand, Itsuki-sama. I will visit when the time is right," Tatsuma replied.
Friendship tainted by utility isn't pure, but people are destined not to receive too many pure friendships. Having two or three is considered fortunate, having just one is still worth celebrating, and having none is the norm.
This includes Tatsuma's friendship with Minato. Tatsuma felt that Minato had no ulterior motives towards him; it was purely genuine. However, Tatsuma himself had some utility in mind regarding Minato. Initially, he did approach Minato with a utilitarian mindset. Of course, over the years, as he confirmed Minato as a friend, he believed that Minato would be the best friend he could have in this world.
But it cannot be denied that Tatsuma's approach to his friendship with Minato is not as pure. He doesn't aspire to obtain any pure friendships, so he doesn't resist forming connections with Hyuga Sento for utility's sake either.
After Hyuga Itsuki left, Tatsuma resumed his punching practice until noon when Minato came to interrupt him. However, Minato didn't stay long. He carried many meal boxes, evidently seamlessly connected to the logistics team; his current job was probably that of a delivery guy.
Watching Minato's figure disappear into the distance with a yellow streak.
'Guess he's the Yellow Flash for a reason' Tatsuma chuckled to himself.
Left undisturbed, Tatsuma quietly resumed his rehabilitation. Five days passed like this, with Tatsuma relying on Katsuyu's healing and rehabilitation exercises each day, and his body had almost fully recovered. He also planned to find a time to talk to Tsunade about "returning to duty."
However, Tsunade had been busy these days, and the medical camp had become increasingly noisy, with more and more casualties appearing. It was evident that there was another large-scale battle erupting between Konoha and the Sand Village.
However, these casualties didn't exhibit much sadness. Evidently, although they were injured, the damage inflicted on the enemy was even worse than theirs. It's understandable when you think about it; Orochimaru took the risk of employing Tatsuma's extreme tactics, almost wiping out Sand's vanguard elite team in one battle, which immediately widened the gap in military strength between the two sides.
In the subsequent wars, Konoha's advantage would only grow. As the initial probing ended, the war between the two sides was bound to become more brutal. Hidden Sand Village would seek to recover its losses, while Konoha would seek to capitalize on its momentum, inevitably becoming more aggressive. Various hidden cards would also be brought onto the battlefield, such as Chiyo's poison.
Tatsuma noticed in the past few days that several sealed tents had been newly erected in the camp. Stretcher after stretcher was carried inside, but Tatsuma didn't see any casualties come out of the tents other than medical ninjas. Obviously, these people were affected by Chiyo's latest developed poison. If it were conventional injuries, with Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu and Katsuyu summoned from the Shikkotsu Forest, they would have been healed long ago.
If it was the poison referred to by Tsunade as "inventory," she also had corresponding solutions for it. However, whatever Tsunade was dealing with for two consecutive days was evidently not some simple poison.
Tsunade was certainly very busy at this time, so Tatsuma didn't go to find her. After all, compared to those poisoned ninjas, Tatsuma's concerns could be considered trivial matters. But Tatsuma didn't intend to continue lying down either.
Although he couldn't go to the front lines without Tsunade or Orochimaru's orders, lying down wasn't Tatsuma's habit either. Strong execution was Tatsuma's strength, developed from his experiences in the chaos of work in his previous life. Moreover, after coming to the ninja world, his talent, which he himself couldn't bear to witness, left him with no qualification to slack off.
Soon enough, there was an additional busy figure in the medical camp. Faced with a large number of casualties, Tatsuma didn't have the dedication to personally diagnose each one but instead used Katsuyu to assist in treatment.
Katsuyu's medical abilities are unquestionable. They can be extremely effective in places like the battlefield with large-scale external injuries, but Tatsuma can only use them during openings when fighting. Not to mention the issue of Chakra quantity.
Although the reason is unknown, the Chakra consumed by him and Minato when performing the Summoning Jutsu is more frugal compared to others', but it's not something he can squander freely. Moreover, even for him, the size of the summoned Katsuyu and the Chakra consumption are proportional.
If he wants to heal a large number of allies on the battlefield, he is destined to lose a portion, if not more, of his combat capability. If it were a ninja army war, perhaps he could do so from the rear, but his previous missions were executed as part of a small team, and no one could focus solely on protecting him.
Wanting to help others while personally engaging in battle is almost impossible unless one possesses an amount of Chakra like Tsunade. Furthermore, even Tsunade could potentially become unconscious due to Chakra depletion from summoning Katsuyu while fighting at the same time.
After toiling for a week in the medical camp, Tatsuma noticed that the sealed tents were finally opening, and those poisoned ninjas were also coming out of the tents.
Just as Tatsuma, along with many other ninjas, was celebrating their escape and "rebirth," Tsunade appeared by his side, leaning her elbow on his shoulder, and asked, "You've recovered quite well. So, are you ready to join me on the battlefield?"
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