Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
Konoha Hospital
"Excuse me! Coming through!" Two nurses in pristine white uniforms rushed an emergency bed down the bustling hallway towards the emergency room. The lead nurse shouted to clear a path as she pulled the gurney, upon which lay a man in a standard ninja uniform, completely unconscious.
As they wheeled the bed into the brightly lit emergency room, the nurse called out to the on-duty physician, "Doctor, we have an emergency! This is a case sent by the Village Security Department. They said he's a member of an out-of-mission team who collapsed at the village entrance."
The doctor on duty quickly approached the bedside. The injured ninja had a wound on his chest. Though a rudimentary bandage had been applied as first aid, blood was still seeping through.
The doctor carefully unwrapped the blood-soaked bandage to examine the injury more closely.
"This is poison," the doctor stated, his brow furrowing. "Yukino, Dousuke is on duty today. Go and fetch him immediately." The doctor addressed a nearby nurse, his gaze fixed on the cleaned wound.
"Understood!" Nurse Yukino nodded and hurried out the door, weaving through the throng of people in the corridor as she made her way towards the medical office.
Bursting through the door of the medical office, she exclaimed, "Dousuke! Dousuke! We have a critical patient! Please get ready!"
Inside the office, Dousuke Okamoto calmly placed the book he had been reading next to a steaming teacup. He turned towards the flustered nurse, who was visibly sweating from running, and said gently, "Slow down for a moment, Sister Yukino, and tell me about the patient's condition."
Yukino looked at Okamoto Dousuke, who was seated at his desk. His two front bangs framed his face, and his neatly trimmed short hair was simply gathered into a small ponytail at the back. The crisp white of his short-sleeved medical uniform made his complexion appear even paler. Surrounded by stacks of medical texts and the comforting aroma of his tea, he looked more like a studious and gentle young woman than the skilled medical ninja he had become.
"The Konoha Guard brought him in. They said he was part of a team on a mission, and he's the only one who made it back. Doctor Yasumoto suspects poisoning and asked me to find you," Yukino said quickly, finally letting out a long, shaky breath.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Sister Yukino." Okamoto Dousuke rose from his chair, picked up a clean medical ninja jacket from the hanger beside him, and put it on. The slightly loose uniform draped over his now approximately 1.6-meter frame, but it didn't look awkward. Wearing simple slippers, the young medical ninja appeared even more slender as he headed out the door.
"Let's go, Sister Yukino," Dousuke said calmly.
"Oh, okay," Yuino replied, a bit flustered by Dousuke's sudden composure, as if she had expected him to be more surprised.
"Thank you, Doctor Dousuke."
"Doctor Dousuke, where are you headed?"
"Thank you so much, Doctor Dousuke."
"Doctor Dousuke..."
As Dousuke Okamoto walked through the corridor, nurses and other hospital staff who exited the medical office greeted him with respectful thanks. Since becoming Tsunade's apprentice, Dousuke had become a familiar figure in Konoha Hospital, diligently training and working under her guidance. Initially, he could only assist and use his rudimentary Palm Senjutsu to treat minor injuries. However, over the years, he had blossomed into a skilled and capable medical ninja, proficient in a wide range of treatments.
For the past four years, Dousuke had maintained a rigorous routine, honing his chakra control at Konoha Hospital during the day and continuing his personal chakra refinement at home in the evenings, with barely any breaks. His training sessions in the Forest of Death had become less frequent due to his demanding schedule at the hospital.
Might Guy had often jokingly complained to Dousuke that ever since Dousuke had become so engrossed in his medical training, there was no one around to immediately heal his training-related injuries.
However, his extended time at the hospital had been immensely beneficial. Dousuke had virtually mastered various medical ninjutsu and had even become a valuable assistant to Tsunade in developing new medical techniques, often offering insightful suggestions, although Tsunade remained the primary driving force behind their research.
Because of his dedicated work at the hospital, Dousuke had treated countless villagers using the healing power of the Mystical Palm Technique. This had earned him considerable goodwill and a strong reputation among the common people of Konoha, as not everyone could afford to hire a private medical ninja.
Weaving through the appreciative greetings and thanks of the hospital staff in the hallways, Dousuke Okamoto finally reached the emergency room.
Opening the door, he saw Doctor Koyasumoto already actively treating a patient.
"What's the current situation, Doctor Koyasumoto?" Dousuke inquired.
"Ah, Dousuke! You're here at last," Doctor Koyasumoto, also known as Doctor An Yuan, said, relief evident in his voice. "The patient's vital signs are not looking good. I've tried my best to stop the bleeding, but the wound is severely infected, blackened and purplish. It's clearly a potent poison."
"I see," Dousuke replied, his expression serious. "Can you tell what type of poison it might be?"
"I have no idea. The person is unconscious, and it's unclear where their mission took them," Doctor Koyasumoto said, looking down at the still figure on the emergency bed.
Dousuke reached out, placing his hands gently over the wound. Instantly, chakra flowed from his palms, penetrating deep into the patient's body. "Hmm, there's no obvious sign of anything particularly unusual in the patient's blood, but the wound is indeed necrotic, the breathing is shallow and rapid, and the kidneys are starting to fail. It's likely a complex mix of toxins. Identifying the specific toxins will require further purification and testing."
"Dousuke, the patient doesn't have much time left. We might not have the luxury of conducting extensive toxin analysis," Doctor Koyasumoto reminded him, his eyes filled with concern as he watched the injured ninja's labored breathing.
"Understood, Sister Yukino, please remove the patient's clothing. Doctor Yasumoto, prepare the surgical tools and distilled water. As we don't know the nature of the toxin, our priority is to extract it," said Okamoto Dousuke.
Five minutes later, Doctor Koyasumoto announced, "Dousuke, all preparations are complete."
"Understood." Chakra enveloped Okamoto Dousuke's hands as the chakra scalpel precisely severed the poisoned ninja's nerves. The immediate severing of the nerves was crucial to prevent the patient from struggling during the procedure.
"Distilled water, please."
"Coming right up." Nurse Yukino approached Okamoto Dousuke, holding a large glass of distilled water.
Okamoto Dousuke placed their hand in the basin, and chakra coalesced into a sphere of water. This chakra-infused water ball was then carefully placed on the injured ninja. With meticulous chakra control, the water gradually permeated the patient's body.
Under Okamoto Dousuke's meticulous control, traces of toxins slowly rose from the patient's wounds, gradually coloring the clear water sphere black and purple.
"Another change, quickly," Okamoto Dousuke instructed.
Immediately upon the instruction, nurse Yukino placed a fresh basin of water beside Okamoto Dousuke.
After two repetitions, the chakra sphere no longer showed any color change. It was at this point that the poisoned ninja involuntarily let out a groan of pain.
"Scalpel, please." A flash of silver light appeared in Okamoto Dousuke's hand, and the toxin-corroded tissue surrounding the poisoned ninja's wound was excised. Placing the scalpel down, Okamoto Dousuke's hand glowed with a green light – the "Mystical Palm Technique." Following this treatment, the wound healed completely, and the ninja fell into a stable coma.
"Alright, Doctor Koyasumoto, please arrange for his hospitalization. Once he regains consciousness, he will be questioned," Okamoto Dousuke then picked up a test tube, collected a sample of the venom, and left the ward.
"Yes, understood," Doctor Koyasumoto responded.
In the laboratory, Okamoto Dousuke examined the recently issued test results. "This is problematic," they murmured.