After finishing the treatment, Yuji stepped aside.
The atmosphere in the cave shifted subtly.
The chunin no longer looked at the newcomers as burdens to be protected. At the very least, Yuji had proven that aside from Sasori, there was someone else among them who could contribute.
Since graduating from the Academy, most of their assignments had been minor, escorting merchant caravans, clearing out bandits. Some, like Yuji, had spent more time interning at the hospital than stepping onto real battlefields.
Only Sasori was different.
They were fortunate with their timing.
Had they graduated two years earlier, they would have been thrown directly into the height of the war.
Yuji knew this well.
Of the students who had graduated several years before them, very few were still alive.
During the Second Shinobi World War, the primary forces had been the Land of Wind, the Land of Fire, and Amegakure. The other major villages had fought as well, but not on the same scale.
Sunagakure's losses had been severe.
Its foundation had never been as deep as Konoha's. Under prolonged attrition, the disparity had only grown clearer.
In the hospital, Yuji had already seen too many bodies.
The modern Ninja Academy system itself had been formalized under the Second Hokage of Konoha. What had once been a simple training school became integrated into a structured military and political framework, a model the other villages later adopted.
Even the deployment of medical-nin on the battlefield had been influenced by Konoha's wartime organization. It was Tsunade who refined the combat system for medical units.
In many ways, the entire shinobi world moved in Konoha's shadow.
The Will of Fire was not an empty slogan.
Yuji could acknowledge that much.
"Alright," Nomura said after a short rest. "I'll take you on a patrol. You need to familiarize yourselves with the terrain."
Yuji and the other two stood immediately and followed him out of the cave.
Sasori remained where he was, absorbed in his puppet work.
No one questioned it.
Once outside, Nomura gestured toward the canyon stretching ahead.
"This canyon is our responsibility. If enemy units want to bypass the frontline and infiltrate deeper into the Land of Wind, this is the most concealed route."
"There are other patrol teams nearby," he continued as they moved, leaping from rock to rock. "But they operate in more exposed areas."
As they advanced, Nomura stopped periodically, pointing out terrain features, blind corners, wind corridors, elevated vantage points.
"The canyon is large. Our squad rotates shifts with yours. You need to memorize every route and landmark. In an emergency, terrain knowledge decides survival."
He spoke without condescension, only practicality.
"Our adjacent borders connect to Amegakure and the Land of Birds. Iwagakure forces sometimes pass through the Land of Birds to enter our territory. That country has mostly avoided the worst of the war, acting as a buffer zone. They don't fight directly, but the Land of Earth uses their territory strategically."
"Konoha penetrating this far would be difficult," he added. "Rain and Stone are the primary concerns here."
He glanced at the three genin.
"Patrol and escort missions are good opportunities to refine your tracking and reconnaissance."
Then his gaze settled on Yuji.
"You're a medical-nin. That makes you an important asset. You'll patrol alongside the veterans for now."
Yuji nodded. "Understood."
The other two exchanged faintly envious looks.
On the battlefield, a capable medical-nin was invaluable, whether in small-unit engagements or large-scale warfare.
Becoming one was far more difficult than becoming an ordinary shinobi. Beyond ninjutsu and physical training, it required mastering extensive medical knowledge and precise chakra control.
Not everyone had the talent for it.
As they moved through the canyon, Yuji's attention shifted inward.
A translucent interface appeared in his vision.
[Host: Yuji]
[Identity: Sunagakure Genin (Medical-nin)]
[Age: 8]
[Positive Experience (Healing): 126]
[Negative Experience (Kills): 0]
[Unlocked Abilities / Items:
Kuroo's Medical Notes and Clinical Insights
Custom Surgical Scalpel (modeled after Black Jack)]
Kuroo was the protagonist of Black Jack, an unlicensed surgeon whose skill bordered on miraculous. Whatever his legal status, his medical expertise was beyond dispute.
From the moment the system awakened within him, Yuji's path had already been decided.
As a doctor, he gained experience points whether he saved lives or took them. The system categorized them separately, positive and negative experiences, and both could be exchanged in the system's store for medical knowledge, tools, or techniques.
The reason he, at only eight years old, had already begun to stand out was simple.
Every patient he treated in the village hospital had contributed to his growth. With those accumulated points, he had exchanged for Kuroo's medical notes. After mastering them completely, his surgical precision and diagnostic ability had reached a level far beyond his age.
To outsiders, it looked like talent.
Yuji knew better.
Still…
In Sunagakure, true medical expertise was rare.
The only shinobi who could genuinely be called outstanding in this field was Lady Chiyo. Compared to Konoha, the Hidden Sand's medical ninjutsu collection was limited, and its foundation was shallow. Even if one became a medical-nin, the environment itself imposed a ceiling.
'Fortunately, the system exists.'
As long as he continued accumulating experience, medical ninjutsu, even advanced techniques, could be unlocked through exchange.
He did not need to rely solely on the village's inheritance.
"That's enough for today," Nomura said after more than two hours of patrolling the canyon. "I'll assign your regular routes tomorrow. For the first half month, we veterans will accompany you. After that, you'll handle your own shifts."
"Yes."
The three genin responded in unison.
By the time they returned to the cave, night had fallen. The desert wind had weakened, though sand still drifted faintly through the canyon's narrow passages.
But the moment they stepped inside, the atmosphere felt wrong.
One of the chunin stood near the entrance, brow furrowed.
"He's overdue. Shimada hasn't returned."
Nomura's expression darkened immediately.
"That's not good… we didn't cross paths with him during patrol either."
"I'll check."
The other chunin spoke without hesitation.
"Be careful," Nomura replied. "If something's happened, prioritize sending information back."
The man nodded once and vanished in a blur of movement.
Yuji felt the tension tighten in the air.
First day on assignment, and trouble was already brewing.
"Endo," Nomura said sharply, turning to the remaining chūnin. "Stay here and watch them. I'll notify the nearby outposts."
Without wasting another second, he disappeared into the night.
Although this was technically the second defensive line, the village's reconnaissance network along the border was dense. At the slightest disturbance, patrol squads were expected to react swiftly.
Inside the cave, only three remained capable of combat: Endo, the injured chunin Yuji had treated, and the four genin.
Endo gave a crooked smile.
"Heh. Brats… ready to see some real action?"
He looked at the two newest graduates with poorly concealed amusement.
"You can't become a proper shinobi without smelling blood."
As expected, the three boys stiffened, their faces paling.
Yuji remained calm.
He had prepared himself for this long ago.
He also understood that this was only the beginning.
At the cave entrance, Sasori quietly gathered several puppet components, sealing them back into a scroll with smooth efficiency.
Then he stood.
Without a word, in a soft rush of wind, he disappeared into the canyon.