The hospital entrance was in complete chaos. Injured shinobi were being rushed in by their "comrades."
The operating room light flickered on quickly. After an initial examination, the attending medical-nin was shocked to find that the patient had no injuries at all. Alarm bells rang in his mind, and just as he was about to call for help, a hand clamped over his mouth.
"Shhh~"
The "injured" man transformed into Kiyosuke, smiling as he whispered, "No need to get so worked up. We don't want to draw attention, now do we?"
The medical-nin didn't dare move a muscle.
"Good boy."
Crack!
Kiyosuke swiftly twisted his neck, wiped his hands, and stripped the uniform off the corpse. He transformed into the spitting image of the medic, dressed himself in the uniform, and pulled on a mask to complete the disguise.
He dragged the body onto the hospital bed, used a disguise technique to alter the face, and covered it neatly with a white cloth.
Once everything was in place, he walked out of the operating room. The shinobi who'd brought him in earlier had already disappeared—likely off to save someone else.
"Infiltration successful."
It really was that easy.
Create some chaos, slip in using a transformation jutsu, and once the first few people were fooled, no one paid further attention.
He sent someone to deal with the corpse. In Kirigakure, corpse disposal was a specialized skill.
Whether it was erasing evidence or extracting information from bodies, Kirigakure was top-notch—even Konohagakure couldn't compare.
"I need to find someone from the Hōzuki clan as soon as possible... but would those guys really come to the hospital?"
The Hōzuki had unusual bodies—regular injuries could be quickly healed with water. They typically wouldn't come to the hospital at all... but maybe this time?
He slipped into the hospital's records room to check the recent patient logs.
During wartime, the number of injured was massive. He flipped through file after file, but found no trace of anyone from the Hōzuki clan.
"Huh... she got hurt?"
The file belonged to Terumi Mei.
When Konoha invaded the Land of Water, Mei and her team had encountered Konoha shinobi and fought fiercely, holding out until Kirigakure reinforcements arrived and rescued them.
"They even documented the reason for injury... Kirigakure's medics sure are thorough."
He restored the archive room to its original state. If he remembered correctly, one of Mei's teammates was from the Hōzuki clan. Visiting her might be the best chance to catch that person.
He closed the archive room door and headed toward Mei's ward.
Though she was the heiress of the Terumi clan, she hadn't been brought back home to recover. Instead, she chose to stay in the hospital.
Due to her special status, she had been assigned a private room—though it wasn't particularly large.
Knock knock.
"Come in," came a soft voice from inside.
Wrapped in bandages around her neck and head, Terumi Mei sat upright in her hospital gown.
"Sorry to intrude," Kiyosuke said as he entered.
"Doctor Akawa."
"Miss Terumi, how are you feeling today?" So this guy's name was Akawa?
"Thanks to all of you doctors, I'm recovering well."
"That's good to hear."
Kiyosuke nodded. Mei looked puzzled and asked,
"Doctor Akawa, aren't you going to do a check-up today?"
Check-up? What check-up?
Kiyosuke didn't bat an eye. "Ah, that... Miss Terumi's recovery seems to be going well, so I'll postpone today's check-up. I've got something urgent to deal with. A number of Konoha shinobi blew up Kirigakure's main gate earlier—there are a lot of injured coming in."
"What? Konoha's become that arrogant?" Mei clenched her white bed sheets, visibly angry.
No, I was forced into this... If I had a choice, I wouldn't have come to Kirigakure at all.
"I only know we've received a large influx of casualties. I should get back to them."
He hadn't seen anyone from the Hōzuki clan here, so there was no point sticking around.
He opened the door and peeked into the hallway. Two figures were walking past—a man and a woman. They seemed to be searching for someone. When they turned slightly, he caught sight of the ANBU masks on their faces.
Crap!
Why the hell were they here?
Heart pounding with guilt, Kiyosuke quickly shut the door. Mei looked over and asked,
"Is something wrong, Doctor Akawa?"
"Uh... something major. My ex-girlfriend just showed up. I need to hide. Sorry for the trouble. She's part of Kirigakure's ANBU—cold as ice. We broke up for... complicated reasons. If possible, please pretend you didn't see me."
"What?!"
Before she could say another word, Kiyosuke had already flung the window open and jumped out.
"Apologies!"
Still dazed, Mei watched as the two ANBU operatives pushed the door open and walked in.
"Miss Terumi, have you seen Doctor Akawa?"
They really were looking for him. Mei decided to help him out.
"No. Please don't disturb my rest."
"Apologies. If you see him, please notify us immediately."
Seriously? They're that concerned about Doctor Akawa?
The door closed as the two left. One of them said,
"A Konoha shinobi infiltrated the hospital and killed Doctor Akawa. We need to find the impostor immediately."
When the staff went to deal with the corpse Kiyosuke had planted, they dispelled the disguise jutsu and found the real Doctor Akawa's body. Kirigakure ANBU were notified at once and launched an investigation.
Not long after, Kiyosuke climbed back in through the window.
"Scared the hell out of me. Thanks, Miss Terumi."
"It's nothing. By the way, Doctor Akawa, your ex-girlfriend seems to care quite a lot about you."
Yeah—so much she wants me dead!
He must've blown his cover. There was no other reason for Kirigakure ANBU to be here. He'd need to find a new way to disguise himself.
Seeing his slightly panicked expression, Mei chuckled. That must've left a deep scar on him.
I wonder... what kind of guy will I end up dating in the future?
"You're destined to be single forever!"
The moment she thought of that annoying person, Mei's expression darkened. Hmph! Like hell she'd stay single forever!
"Ahem... Sorry, you had to see that. She's... extremely possessive. She used to throw tantrums even when I interacted with female patients. As a doctor, that's just not workable—so we broke up. Sorry again."
"It's all right. I guess that lady really did care about you."
"I'll find a way to explain things to her someday. Goodbye."
He waved and walked out of the ward.
He found a supply closet, transformed into a hospital janitor, grabbed a mop and bucket, and began cleaning the floor. He also suppressed his chakra to avoid detection.
If he wanted to find the Hōzuki clan, the hospital was still the best place. Looked like he'd be staking this place out for a while.
There were plenty of injured—sooner or later, someone from the Hōzuki clan was bound to visit a friend.
He mopped the floor, brushing past a pair of Kirigakure ANBU still searching for him.
One of them paused, frowning at his retreating back.
"What is it?" the other asked.
"...Nothing. Must've been my imagination."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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