Konoha's Tatsuya

The autumn sun shone warmly on the streets of Kikyo Castle Town as Tatsuya, Kyoko, and Rou walked leisurely side-by-side. They had just finished dinner in town and were heading back to their inn to rest.

"Huh! Tatsuya, look over there!"

Tatsuya, who had been somewhat lost in thought, was startled by Sakawa's sudden exclamation.

He and Yuuhi Teru immediately followed Sakawa's gaze.

Huh!

Tatsuya let out a soft noise of surprise and immediately started walking in that direction.

In a nearby corner of the street, a wounded brown ninken lay. The dog was about 1.5 meters long and emaciated, clearly suffering from long-term malnutrition. Several bloody gashes marked its body, where large patches of fur had matted together with dried blood. It lay on the ground, breathing weakly.

" Cha-maru! Cha-maru!" Tatsuya rushed forward to examine the injured ninken, calling out urgently.

All three of them recognized the dog. It was the same ninken they had encountered in the wilderness before entering Kikyo Castle Town, a survivor of the Third Great Ninja War. Its owner had died in battle, and it had been roaming the outskirts of the battlefield ever since.

When Tatsuya had first seen it, the ninken had been fighting a pack of wild wolves for food, covered in bites and scratches.

In his past life, Tatsuya hadn't been an extreme dog lover, per se, but he'd always had a fondness for dogs, the most loyal of animals to humans.

So, he'd decisively intervened to save Cha-maru, then asked Shinno to treat its injuries. However, for safety reasons during their mission, Ichikawa Shin hadn't allowed Tatsuya to keep the dog with them. Once Cha-maru 's condition had slightly improved, they had left it in the wilderness to fend for itself.

He hadn't expected it to turn up here, in Kikyo Castle Town.

As for the name Cha-maru, Tatsuya had just picked it randomly, inspired by Kiba Inuzuka's partner, Akamaru. (lit. Red Round)

Woof!

Hearing Tatsuya's voice, Cha-maru struggled to get up but failed. It could only weakly nudge Tatsuya's right hand with its head, whimpering softly, its eyes filled with gratitude and a lingering affection.

Tatsuya's eyes instantly welled up.

"These wounds look like they were made by kunai. They avoided vital areas, but it's been too long. I'm afraid he won't make it!" Yuuhi Teru examined Cha-maru 's injuries, his expression darkening.

Although Cha-maru wasn't fully grown, it was a qualified ninja dog. Its injuries were likely inflicted by the ninjas of Kikyo Castle Town who had discovered it and tried to capture it. Cha-maru had managed to escape, but its severe injuries had ultimately caused it to collapse here.

"I'm taking him to see Uncle Shinno!"

Tatsuya, unwilling to give up, scooped Cha-maru into his arms and ran towards the town's temporary hospital. He couldn't bear the human-like expression in Cha-maru 's eyes as it struggled to rise. Furthermore, Tatsuya had a feeling that Cha-maru had come to Kikyo Castle Town specifically to follow him.

He had to find a way to save Cha-maru!

This wasn't some naive sentimentality. It was simply that Tatsuya hadn't yet shed his past life's appreciation for life. He hadn't fully adapted to the cruel rules of this world.

"Uncle Shinno, Uncle Shinno, please help me save him!" Tatsuya burst into the makeshift hospital, carrying Cha-maru, and pleaded with Shinno.

Sakawa and Yuuhi Teru followed closely behind.

Shinno was slightly taken aback by Tatsuya's anxious expression. Accustomed to the ruthless survival laws of the ninja world, he couldn't understand why Tatsuya would care so much about an unfamiliar ninken. However, Tatsuya, having dropped his usual facade in front of him, seemed more genuine.

"It's too late! He's lost too much life energy. He can't be saved!" Shinno, still playing the role of a virtuous doctor in front of the three, examined Cha-maru 's condition and shook his head.

"What? Even you can't save him, Uncle Shinno?"

Tatsuya was deeply disappointed, finding it hard to believe. He had faith in Shinno's medical skills; how else could he have concealed himself in various hidden villages for so long, even creating powerful forbidden techniques like Body Activation and Body Regeneration? If even Shinno said Cha-maru was beyond help, then it was likely true.

"His body was already very weak, and now with these severe injuries, he's expended too much life energy. Unless he receives a massive infusion of life energy immediately, no one can save him," Shinno confirmed, shaking his head.

"Life energy?"

Tatsuya's mind stirred. He thought of the yang-attribute chakra extracted by the Akimichi clan's chakra refinement technique.

Whatever! I'll give it a try!

His thoughts racing, Tatsuya didn't hesitate. He gently placed Cha-maru down, preparing to attempt a rescue.

Nearby, Shinno's lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer of disdain. He was extremely confident in his medical skills and didn't believe for a second that Tatsuya, a mere Konoha genin, could save this ninken that was beyond help.

In truth, Shinno could save Cha-maru, but he didn't want to expose his true strength by doing so.

Placing his hands on Cha-maru, Tatsuya began to transfer his chakra into the dog's body. After months of intensive training, Tatsuya's chakra reserves had reached the preliminary threshold of a chunin.

As soon as the large amount of yang-attribute chakra entered Cha-maru, it immediately began to spread throughout its body. A faint white mist began to emanate from its body, and the wounds slowly started to heal.

As a summoning animal, whether combat-type, sensory-type, or support-type, it possessed chakra within its body. Cha-maru, though not fully grown, still had chakra, and its constitution was far superior to that of an ordinary beast.

To the side, Sakawa and Yuuhi Teru stared at Tatsuya as if he were a monster. Was this medical ninjutsu? Tatsuya had only been studying medicine for a few days, and he was already a medical ninja? Was his talent really that freakish?

Nearby, Shinno's eyes flickered. As an outstanding medical ninja, he had already guessed that this had something to do with the nature of Tatsuya's chakra. It seemed that the Akimichi clan's secret technique did have some merit; its restorative effects on the body were surprisingly potent! After lurking in Konoha for so many years, he hadn't realized that the Akimichi clan's secret technique had such an effect.

Several minutes later, Tatsuya slowly stopped. In those few short minutes, he had transferred all of his chakra into Cha-maru 's body. He sensed that the ninken's breathing had stabilized.

"I'll leave the rest to you, Uncle Shinno," Tatsuya said, handing Cha-maru back to Shinno. He had only managed to temporarily stabilize Cha-maru 's life force; its injuries still needed a doctor's care.

"Mm," Shinno responded noncommittally, his gaze curiously examining Tatsuya. He was already intrigued by the Akimichi clan's secret technique that Tatsuya had just used.