Konoha Hospital was overflowing with the wounded. Even little Tsunade, whose only job was to hand over gauze pads, was starting to feel the strain. It was late into the night, and Emiya Shirou's surgeries showed no sign of stopping. She covered her mouth with a hand, letting out a massive yawn.
"Tsunade, go rest next door," Shirou said without looking up, then motioned to his assistant. "Send this patient to the ward and bring in the next one."
"I'm not sleepy yet," she insisted, quickly waving her little hand.
"Hatake kid, come give us a hand!" the assistant's shout echoed down the corridor.
A white-haired genin boy walked in, clad in a tight-fitting combat suit and a Konoha headband. He didn't look much older than Tsunade. The war had caused such a severe manpower shortage that even the hospital guards had been replaced with genin fresh out of the academy.
"Lord Emiya," the white-haired boy nodded seriously. His grades had been so excellent that he'd been approved for early graduation and assigned to guard the hospital and patrol the village.
"Go on," Shirou waved them off, watching as they wheeled the next patient into the operating room.
"Hatake?" Tsunade said, her curiosity piqued. "I think that's our senior, Hatake Sakumo! I heard he was a huge deal back at the academy. The most amazing genius in his graduating class!"
"Is that so?" Shirou said, completely noncommittal. He didn't even look up from his work. "Your name is Hatake Sakumo?" he asked casually.
"Yes, Lord Emiya!" Sakumo replied, his expression sincere. "If there is anything you need me to do, please feel free to give instructions."
"Then do me a favor," Shirou said, continuing his surgery without a change in expression. "There's a box of glucose in my office."
"I'll just have one bottle!" Tsunade quickly piped up, pointing to her baby teeth. She knew he'd give it to her; as a reanimated corpse, he didn't need food or water.
"Give Tsunade one bottle," Shirou said, waving him off. "Give the rest to the genin on duty tonight. You need to replenish your stamina."
"Yes!" Sakumo agreed, his face serious.
In the boy's impression, Shirou was a medical ninja with a frigid attitude but god-tier skills. He'd never seen the man smile, but he'd also never seen him fail to save a patient.
Underneath that cold exterior, Sakumo thought, there must be a benevolent, warm heart. He only hides it because his identity is a mystery.
Yes, how could he not have one? A doctor who healed the sick, who had saved hundreds of Konoha's seriously wounded.
How could such a person not have a benevolent heart?
As a mere genin, Sakumo wasn't qualified to know Shirou's true identity, only the basics: a young-looking medical ninja with brilliant skills who carried an aura of deathly stillness. The village higher-ups were incredibly respectful and secretive about him, but it seemed they couldn't keep it a complete secret either.
After all, Emiya Shirou couldn't lie. Many people in the hospital already knew the truth.
Shirou thought he had learned to conceal things, but his novice attempts were laughably clumsy. When an admiring medical ninja would ask for his autograph on a case scroll, he'd often "accidentally" sign his real name.
No wonder the village tried to keep it under wraps.
No wonder there were rumors of a divine doctor. Only that legendary figure could possess such skills.
By dawn, Shirou had treated seventeen seriously wounded people. Sakumo, who was supposed to be guarding the hospital, was fighting to stay awake. The white-haired boy watched him, a sense of awe growing.
The man's spirit seemed tireless.
After saving seventeen lives, he was now sitting in the corridor, penning today's case scrolls. Little Tsunade was fast asleep on the bench next to him, a white coat draped over her. Shirou would occasionally pause his writing to adjust the coat, a look of profound sadness on his face.
He seemed to notice Sakumo's gaze. He reached out, gently covering Tsunade's ears. "You've worked hard. You should go rest."
"Lord Emiya is the one who has worked harder," Sakumo insisted, shaking his head.
"I am a reanimated body. This body has no feelings," Shirou stated calmly, making no effort to hide his secret. "A body without senses won't feel tired. You don't have to worry about me."
He paused, then added, "This isn't a secret in the hospital. After you've been on duty here for a while, you won't find my condition strange. Everyone here basically knows Tobirama summoned me back from the underworld. However, it's best not to leak it to the outside."
Sakumo's expression changed slightly. Of course he wouldn't! As someone with extraordinary observational skills, he'd long been suspicious of Shirou's state.
A body that had lost its senses... wasn't that no different from a corpse? A tool for healing the sick.
"Doesn't Lord Emiya get tired of it?" he couldn't help but ask.
"You don't get tired of doing what you like," Shirou shook his head, his deathly still eyes seeming to see through everything. "If I don't save them, their families will have to endure the pain of losing their loved ones. That kind of pain is enough to make an innocent child become silent, to fill a gentle boy's heart with darkness, to make a strong man collapse in pain. It is precisely to prevent that suffering that I began to study medical arts. There should be some people in the world who can rescue others."
Sakumo felt he was never qualified to judge this man's greatness. No matter how strong he became, he could only feel ashamed. His own desire to become stronger to protect his companions seemed so petty in comparison. "I'm truly ashamed," he couldn't help but say, lowering his head.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Shirou's voice was a gentle breeze. "In my era, when chakra first appeared, I actually hated people who used it for fighting. I always thought humans would go to war because of it."
Sakumo felt even more ashamed.
"But," Shirou continued, his eyes lowering, "after traveling in this era for ten years, even though I still can't agree with this trend, I can understand the actions of some of you. Some people cultivate to seize benefits, but there are also some who cultivate to protect their friends, their companions, their family."
Sakumo's eyes suddenly lit up. After that conversation, their relationship grew closer. The white-haired boy began to enjoy his hospital guard duty, and their chats became more frequent and extensive. He even began to act as an occasional assistant. His sword skills were outstanding, and he could quickly make precise incisions for Shirou to begin surgery.
He also knew a little Lightning Style. Once, when a patient's heart rhythm became abnormal during surgery, Shirou had to perform emergency treatment on the wound while simultaneously using a Lightning Style current for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Coincidentally, Sakumo had seen it many times and had already mastered the technique, which he found exceptionally amazing.
"Lightning Style can even be used to treat patients..."
"Yes, thank you for your help today," Shirou said seriously. "Actually, there are many other ways it can be used. For example, by combining the chakra of lightning and water and infusing it into the human body, you can treat nerve atrophy."
"The number of patients is increasing. Yesterday, a patient fell into a vegetative state. This treatment is very useful for stimulating their awakening." He looked at the sweating Sakumo and finally revealed his true intention. "Are you interested in learning these little tricks to be my assistant?"
"Of course," Sakumo wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling honored. He knew such opportunities were rare.
He had underestimated his gains. Only when Shirou began to teach him did he realize what a precious gift he had received.
"I will guide you in fusing the Lightning Style and Water Style chakra nature transformations. This way, Lightning Style can have the characteristics of water."
"Yes," Sakoumo agreed, then paused. He realized something wasn't quite right. The fusion of two chakra nature transformations... wasn't that called a Kekkei Genkai?