As soon as he entered the Hospital, all sorts of clamor rushed toward him.
Hyuga Aokawa's head buzzed from the noise.
His consciousness had begun to blur, and his vision was shrouded in mist.
After successive battles and traveling such a long way with his injuries, being able to reach the Village was solely due to his powerful willpower sustaining him until now.
In a daze, he was carried onto a Hospital bed and taken to various places for examinations.
Through the haze, a medical worker with delicate features and a tall figure appeared in his line of sight.
She carefully and gently examined his body, then a green light emanated from her hands as she placed them on his abdomen.
The light was very warm, making the area it touched feel tingly and extremely comfortable.
It was so comfortable that he felt wave after wave of drowsiness; since his Transmigration, he had either been fighting or traveling. Exhausted in body and mind, he now only wanted to rest well.
"Taro, how is he?"
Shinku Yuhi looked at the delicate medical worker and asked in a heavy voice.
Taro frowned with a solemn expression: "Three ribs are broken, and there are two knife wounds on his back, one of which is only 1cm away from his heart."
"But judging by the scabbing, these wounds are already seven or eight days old, and someone has treated them before."
She paused, then added:
"However, the wounds all burst open again later."
"Additionally, there are signs of bone fractures in both his arms."
Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Shinku Yuhi's eyes:
"He engaged in another high-intensity battle after being injured, yet he could still hold on until he returned to the Village?"
"Willpower like this is rare for someone his age."
He looked at Hyuga Aokawa lying on the bed, a touch of admiration in his gaze.
A moment later, Taro withdrew her hands and wiped the sweat from her forehead:
"I've given the wounds temporary treatment, but because they've become infected, surgery is required."
"Thank you for your hard work. Notify me immediately when he wakes up," Shinku Yuhi instructed.
"Yes, Shinku-sama."
...It was already three days later when Hyuga Aokawa woke up.
Sufficient sleep and effective treatment made him feel refreshed, although his body was still somewhat weak.
But that omnipresent, sharp pain had disappeared.
He instinctively stretched, feeling his entire skeletal structure loosen up.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a figure sitting by the bed.
An elderly woman with white hair sat with her head bowed, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Her wrinkled face was filled with worry; she hadn't even noticed that he had woken up.
The sunlight from the window shone on her face, highlighting the furrows of time, and her silver hair was dazzling under the sun's rays.
"Grandma."
Hyuga Aokawa called out instinctively.
The elderly woman jolted and looked up in disbelief.
When she saw her grandson's clear eyes looking at her, a look of immense joy instantly appeared on her face.
"Little Aokawa..."
She almost lunged to the bedside, reaching out with a withered hand to embrace Hyuga Aokawa, her eyes immediately becoming moist.
"Yokatta, Little Aokawa, it's so good that you're alright..." she sobbed incoherently, "Amaterasu-sama protect us..."
"Grandma, I'm fine."
Hyuga Aokawa tried his best to show a reassuring smile.
The elderly woman wiped away a tear, and her worry was instantly replaced by joy. Her mouth widened into a grin, deepening the furrows on her face.
"Are you thirsty? Grandma will go pour you some water and peel an apple for you."
Her face was full of kindness and doting as she spoke, and she started to stand up shakily.
"No need, Grandma."
Hyuga Aokawa hurriedly got up and jumped off the bed, holding down his grandmother who was preparing to get busy.
"Then are you hungry? Grandma will go home, cook some food, and bring it to you."
"Aiya, no need!"
"Grandma, I'm already better. The Hospital's Healing Techniques are very strong."
Looking at the restless elderly woman before him, he couldn't help but laugh, his gaze also a bit helpless.
His grandmother from his previous life was just like this.
Every time he was sick, his grandmother would also sit by the bed looking at him with a face full of worry.
As soon as she saw him wake up, she would busy herself with this and that, fussing over him.
Later, when he couldn't play games because of the anti-addiction system, he used his grandmother's ID for authentication.
Every time there was facial recognition, his grandmother would always happily lean in.
Thinking her grandson wanted to take a photo with her, she would show her kindest smile to the camera.
But it wasn't until his grandmother passed away that he realized he didn't have a single photo with her on his phone.
That day he cried for a long, long time until his eyes were swollen, his mind filled with his grandmother's kind smile.
This had always been a long-standing regret... The sound of footsteps echoed from outside the door.
Shinku Yuhi and Taro entered the room together.
"How are you feeling? Any discomfort anywhere?" Shinku Yuhi asked.
"I'm already fine, thank you... uh, Uncle."
Hyuga Aokawa nodded in thanks, forcing himself to change'Shinku-sama' to 'Uncle'.
In his predecessor's memories, there was no interaction with Shinku Yuhi; he shouldn't know who Shinku Yuhi was.
"I am Shinku Yuhi, and this is Taro from the Medical Team, the doctor responsible for your surgery," Shinku Yuhi introduced briefly.
Taro? Hyuga Aokawa's heart stirred.
In his impression, among the personnel who helped deliver the Fourth Hokage's couple's child...
Besides the Third Hokage's wife, Biwako Sarutobi, there was also a beautiful medical worker named Taro.
It seems it's her. For a medical worker who could deliver the Hokage's child, there was no need to question her medical skills or loyalty.
Taro tilted her head and gave a very friendly smile: "Just call me Big Sister Taro."
"Yes, thank you for saving me, Shinku-sama."
"Thank you for the treatment, Big Sister Taro," Hyuga Aokawa responded politely.
"Heehee, little brother is really good-looking."
Taro seemed very interested in him, giggling as she reached out and naturally pinched his cheek.
Despite Hyuga Aokawa's repeated attempts to dodge, he still had his 'tofu' eaten quite a bit.
Shinku Yuhi watched this scene, coughed once, and beckoned to Hyuga Aokawa:
"Aokawa, come out with me for a moment."
Once out of the Hospital room, Shinku Yuhi began to ask about his injuries.
On this front, Hyuga Aokawa had already prepared a draft in his mind.
He told Shinku Yuhi everything from the start of the mission outside the Village to his return with injuries.
Except he omitted the part about the big man returning.
He also changed the part about killing those two bounty Ninjas to being captured by them.
He claimed that the two of them had internal strife midway, fought each other, and both were heavily injured.
He then took the opportunity to suddenly attack and kill them, though he was also injured in the process.
He didn't want to expose his Quincy skills for the time being.
Once his skills were reported, such a Ninjutsu that had never appeared before would likely attract the attention of Danzo and Orochimaru.
With good luck, he might be recruited into Root because of Danzo's collecting habit and be branded with a Cursed Tongue Seal.
With bad luck, on a whim, he might be handed over to Orochimaru to be kept in a jar.
But he didn't plan to stay hidden forever; only by showing his value for cultivation could he obtain resources and protection.
Hiruzen Sarutobi still placed considerable importance on the new generation; those of value could receive training.
Therefore, regarding the display of his Quincy skills, Hyuga Aokawa had his own ideas.
It wasn't about not showing them.
Rather, it was about showing them in a planned and orderly manner, in front of people capable of nurturing him, and according to specific situations.
It would be best to demonstrate them directly before Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, which would be much stronger than someone else's verbal report.
After listening to Hyuga Aokawa's description, Shinku Yuhi nodded, indicating he had noted it all down.
"Since it involves the destruction of an entire squad, it must be reported to Hokage-sama. You don't need to submit the mission; I'll submit it all together."
"Other personnel may come later to learn the details from you again; you must cooperate with them."
"Yes, thank you, Shinku-sama," Hyuga Aokawa bowed respectfully.
Shinku Yuhi patted Hyuga Aokawa's shoulder and turned to leave.
Hyuga Aokawa also returned to the Hospital room, preparing to help his grandmother home to recuperate.
Before leaving, Taro secretly stuffed a piece of paper into his chest pocket.
She also winked at him, blushing as she gave a meaningful look.
Hyuga Aokawa pinched the note that still held her body heat, watching Taro's lighthearted back as she walked away.
His heart suddenly skipped a beat:
"No way, right?"