Naruto: The Medical Ninja

Chapter 243: Chapter 240: The Survivor

”He survived that?!” Onnen’s internal monologue conveyed a new wave of profound shock, the sheer impossibility of the feat causing a prickling sensation on his skin, a shiver running down his spine. ”That, by all means, should have been a guaranteed kill in close range.”

Kaminari, his face still etched with the horror of the encounter, nodded slowly. ”He used his barrier Fuinjutsu and Earth Wall jutsu at the same time.”

”At the same time... Such control,” Mabui breathed, her eyes wide with disbelief. The coordination and speed required for such a feat would challenge even the most seasoned jounin. This was far beyond a mere academy student.

”Utilising that brief window, I then engaged the boy with full force,” Kaminari recounted, his voice growing cold as he relived the memory of his lethal intent. ”My objective was to kill him this time, holding nothing back. The boy seemed to possess no further cards; it allowed me to deliver a damaging hit. I specifically fractured both of his arms.”

He paused, a grim admission replacing the earlier pride in his voice. ”And then I attempted to finish him with a [Liger Bomb]. It was too easy to hold him down for the jump. He was so small, and with two broken hands, I thought he was helpless. But he employed an unusual jutsu in that severely compromised state, at the very last second, thereby averting immediate death. The boy constructed defensive barriers which effectively absorbed and dissipated the majority of the impact force. It appeared as though he had generated a shield around his body in the form of skin, and I could feel lightning – the same [Lightning Skin Armour] that I use.”

A collective, unspoken gasp rippled through the room.

”Did he copy Kaminari?”

The question hung heavy in the air. The Raikage’s own formidable [Liger Bomb], even Kaminari’s downgraded copy, was still an incredibly powerful and devastating technique. To fail against a child and for that child to then use a lightning-infused barrier... The Raikage stared at Kaminari, his brow deeply furrowed.

Failure of [Liger Bomb] was an insult to Raikage. To witness a child copy a similar [Lightning Skin Armour] technique only added to the humiliation. The Raikage’s eyes narrowed as he contemplated the implications of this unexpected turn of events.

”But Kaminari mentioned it was a barrier on the body, not like our armour directly on the body,” the Raikage reflected, a new line of thought developing. ”Is Leaf Village developing lightning barriers? Leaf specialises in fire-style fuinjutsu barriers. This is an unexpected and troubling development.”

”After the dust settled,” Kaminari continued, his voice still tinged with awe and a lingering fear, ”the boy stood up. He ate the [Liger Bomb] like it was nothing and didn’t even scream. He just stood there, joking that he almost died. His body was broken and unnaturally bent where bones don’t bend.”

”I was surprised at first and about to move again to finish him,” Kaminari explained, his eyes wide with the raw memory of the boy’s impossible resilience. ”But then, abruptly, a kunai with a paper bomb flew past him, surprising me. It was neither from our forces nor Konoha’s backup. It was a third party. My money is on ANBU Root under Danzo.”

”Danzo?” The Raikage’s voice was a low growl, his eyes narrowing further, suspicion swiftly replacing shock. ”Are you sure?”

”Absolutely,” Kaminari said with a grim nod. ”The timing and manner in which it happened... It aligns perfectly with Root’s methods. I have my suspicions that there were other ninjas hiding out, probably trying to round up our dispersed squad. Whoever was in charge of them obviously intended to kill the boy and my squad during our most defenceless moment. Strangely enough, the boy survived, somehow.”

Onnen scoffed, his tone indicating both disgust and a weary familiarity. ”Danzo. Of course. He has tried to get his hands on my precious seals many times before; that’s why I always had contingencies in place.”

Onnen turned to the Raikage, his expression grim. ”Danzo has a lengthy history of removing any possible danger to his Root division, whether inside or outside the village, even if they have a strong background. Sakumo Hatake and many like him before have died mysteriously.”

The Raikage nodded slowly, a dark understanding in his gaze, agreeing with Onnen. Sakumo and his special [White Lightning] were once a significant challenge to the [Black Lightning] of the previous Raikage. They, too, had tried to eliminate Sakumo but had failed in their direct attempts. He knew for a fact that others from Leaf Village had failed to replicate that jutsu, but if Sakumo were alive, there would have been more [White Lightning] users. So, in a twisted sense, the death of Sakumo had worked in their favour, and the legacy of [White Lightning] had ended.

”The Hamura clan also has a bad history with Danzo’s father,” Onnen added, a flicker of ancestral memory in his eyes. ”They nearly went extinct in the shadows. Dan Hamura’s recent show of power must have irked him enough to make a move on the boy.”

”Raikage-sama,” Mabui interjected, her voice grave, connecting the dots with chilling certainty, ”This also implies that the intelligence we received regarding the Hamura clan’s activities was deliberately fed to us by Root.”

Onnen nodded in solemn agreement. ”Yes, our spies within Leaf Village are most likely compromised, perhaps already eliminated. Danzo leaves no loose ends.”

The Raikage’s jaw tightened, a muscle clenching in his cheek. ”I don’t like being played for a pawn. Confirm the status of our spies and tell them to move out if they are alive.”

”Yes, Lord Raikage,” Mabui affirmed, bowing crisply.

The Raikage then turned his attention back to the core mystery, his voice laced with an urgent need for explanation. ”How did the boy survive?” he demanded.

Kaminari continued, his voice hushed, as if recounting a horror story from a survivor’s lips. ”The boy was thoroughly incinerated, reduced to a charred corpse. I thought he was dead when I saw him. However, when that Root ninja ran away, sensing the arrival of enemy backup, the body stood up in that state.”

Kaminari’s voice dropped further, a mixture of terror and utter bewilderment. ”Within mere moments after the broken and burnt boy stood up, he started convulsing. His broken and twisted arms reformed to their original shape, as did his broken legs. Then he spoke, his voice clear despite what he had endured, and declared, ’I survived.’ He then released a suffocating killing intent, enough to give me goosebumps.”

He looked at Raikage and continued, ”Then... he started healing; a few seconds later those strange cards that were earlier healing his comrades flew and attached to him, and he started healing faster. He was completely healed within seconds after whatever those cards had kicked in.”

This sequence of events stunned every individual present in the interrogation chamber. Healing, especially from such catastrophic injuries, requires immense focus and precise chakra control. Without it, medical ninjutsu wavers and loses efficiency.

Thus, Ryu’s instantaneous healing under such devastating conditions was astonishing to all present. While a shinobi might, through decades of rigorous training and unparalleled experience, potentially execute medical ninjutsu without the need for hand seals, such a feat is generally considered impossible for self-healing, particularly when the user is grievously injured or on the brink of death.

Pain naturally hinders concentration and chakra manipulation, often resulting in the ineffective performance of intricate medical ninjutsu. Traditionally, it was believed that after enduring a severe attack, using medical ninjutsu on oneself was considered impossible.

Yet, Kaminari’s account depicted Ryu, in a state of extreme injury and near death, instantly regenerating. This fundamental deviation from established medical ninjutsu principles utterly surprised everyone, even those without specialised medical training.

”Are you saying that he healed himself...?” Mabui enquired, her voice hushed with disbelief, a question she almost dared not ask.

”Yes,” Kaminari confirmed, the simple word carrying the weight of the impossible.

”...while in that critical condition?” Mabui pressed.

”Yes,” Kaminari reiterated, the weight of the impossible truth settling heavily upon the silent chamber.

”...without performing hand seals or receiving any external assistance?” Mabui’s disbelief was palpable.

”He did utilise cards,” Kaminari clarified, ”but I have observed his cards heal his allies previously; this time it was different. I think the cards appeared to function as supplementary tools, perhaps as catalysts, but the boy himself possesses something even better.”

Onnen, recalling a distant memory, interjected, a flicker of recognition in his eyes. ”I have heard accounts of such healing capabilities in the past.”

Everyone’s gaze shifted to Onnen, who continued, ”The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had similar abilities; he reportedly refined his healing jutsu to the point where it became instinctive. I once heard that the First Hokage could fight in battles for days on end without tiring, all thanks to his advanced healing techniques and his huge stamina.”

The group fell silent, contemplating the staggering implications of this new information on the boy’s potential abilities.

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