"Splash~"
At midnight, inside the medical camp, Tatsuma leaned on the washstand with both hands, his face covered in water droplets. The water from the high tower reservoir kept flowing down, but Tatsuma paid no attention.
Tatsuma dared not sleep. Whenever he felt a bit drowsy, scenes from yesterday would come to his mind, recalling the moment when he led six people to their deaths.
In the distance, Tsunade also stayed awake. Under the cover of the night, she watched her "timid" disciple. She didn't understand why Tatsuma's reaction was so intense. After all, isn't this the life of a ninja?
However, for some reason, Tsunade couldn't summon a sense of disappointment towards her disciple. Perhaps it was because she was a medical ninja, and cherishing and saving lives was the duty of a medical ninja.
The water flow gradually diminished, and Tatsuma felt a hint of fatigue again. He quickly scooped another handful of water, splashing it on his face, then turned off the tap and rhythmlessly rubbed his face with both hands.
It was already todays after the incident, and he had not slept at all in these two days. Coupled with the continuous sprinting back and forth, his body was extremely exhausted. He should get some sleep, but he had to admit that there was some fear in his heart.
"Snap~"
Tatsuma, feeling increasingly uncomfortable, waved his hand and hit the washstand. Water splashed all over him, but it also prevented him from making a bigger disturbance.
Seeing this scene, Tsunade chose to emerge from the darkness and said, "It's already midnight, don't disturb the patients resting."
"Sorry, sensei."
Seeing Tsunade, Tatsuma wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve. Tsunade looked at him and said, "You can't adapt to life here. Follow the wounded back to the village. Focus on being a medical ninja. If you don't want to, then go to the sealing class. There, your talents can also be utilized."
"I won't go back."
Tatsuma shook his head, and Tsunade sneered, saying, "Why should you stay here? Allowing you to continue sulking, affecting others' morale? Go back to the village."
"Everyone here has to fight for victory, and we don't need cowardly individuals like you who can't even shake off the guilt of killing."
"I will overcome it."
"When? Until you infect the entire camp with your negative emotions? I don't have the time to wait for a coward like you to build up courage."
Tsunade's tone remained harsh. Tatsuma took a deep breath, lifted his head, and said, "I'm not a coward. I just couldn't approve of such actions before."
"Then quickly overcome yourself."
"Heh."
Tatsuma shook his head and continued, "For someone as outstanding as me, overcoming oneself is not that easy. But I believe I can overcome it soon."
"How soon?"
"Now."
Tatsuma looked at Tsunade and said, "Whether you believe it or not, I have already conquered myself. Please include me in the next battle."
"Good."
Tsunade nodded decisively, leaving Tatsuma slightly stunned. He asked in confusion, "Aren't you afraid I might be lying to you?"
"If you dare to deceive me, go ahead and die!"
With those words, Tsunade turned to leave. As she walked away, she added, "Hurry up and go to sleep. I don't have time to wait for you. The front line still needs me."
"I will."
Watching Tsunade's departing figure, Tatsuma spoke with determination.
"Ding~ Successfully praised and overcame oneself, can claim the limited talent 'Shiro Yaksha +100%, Would you like to claim?"
The sudden announcement from the system left Tatsuma standing in place, and after a while, he summoned the system panel to check the introduction of this Special Talent.
"Shiro Yaksha: A special physiological talent that grants multi-layered effects.
[Blood Awakening]: When damaged, awaken the soul of battle, significantly increase resistance to strikes, reduce damage impact by 50% during battle, and erupt after the end of the fight.
[Growing Through Battle]: While in the Blood Awakening state, your experience growth and talent realization through battles are augmented, ignoring the upper limit of talents during battle periods.
[Death Resistance]: After narrowly escaping death in combat, it significantly suppresses the effects of fatal injuries. If fallen into bodies of water such as rivers or seas, this effect is greatly enhanced.
[Graveyard's Lone Soul]: On the battlefield, with an increase in the number of allied casualties, temporarily boosts various physical attributes, reaching a maximum of 100%. If only you remain on the allied side, an additional 100% increase in all physical attributes will be added.
The limited talent is not a restricted version of Special Talents. Tatsuma checked multiple times before daring to believe he hadn't misunderstood. This was the first time he had encountered such a talent.
As for the talent effects, it left him at a loss for words. Sacrificing his health at the beginning and ultimately sacrificing the lives of his allies—summing it up, it seemed like playing recklessly and relying on teammates, with limitless power.
In reality, Tatsuma wasn't fond of the other effects. His favorite was still the effect of [Growing Through Battle], considering his talent limit was only at the level of a Chunin, allowing him to realize 2-3 talents per day.
However, this "Growing Through Battle" would allow him to realize his talents without any limits during battles. In other words, as long as he could endure, he could max out all of his talents.
The only condition for this effect was activating the "Blood Awakening." This meant he had to get injured first, even if the damage impact was reduced by 50%, it would still have an impact on himself.
And then the last two that can only be used during hellish circumstances and almost seemed to hint at his dark future...
Yet, Tatsuma's body ultimately reacted quickly as he said, "Claim!"
"Boom~"
Suddenly, Tatsuma felt as if his body was exploding from the inside out. It started with the left shoulder, followed by the left shoulder, and then the left shoulder again!
Tatsuma felt like his left shoulder was about to disintegrate. The exploding pain then spread throughout his body. Now, the pain that he could have resisted completely overwhelmed Tatsuma's spirit.
His body collapsed beside the washstand, and he fell into complete unconsciousness.
"Didn't I tell you to go to sleep? I didn't ask you to lie down right where you were."
After what felt like an unknown amount of time, Tatsuma woke up groggily, seemingly stirred from his sleep.
Struggling to open his eyes, he saw Tsunade looking down at him with a mocking smile. Tatsuma quickly got up from the ground and asked, "Are we ready to depart?"
Glancing at the sky, he realized it was still early morning. Surprisingly, despite the brief few hours of rest, his body didn't feel too tired. The short period of sleep had swept away the exhaustion of the past two days.
"After washing up, grab your belongings, and we can set out," Tsunade replied, observing Tatsuma, who seemed slightly different from yesterday. She added, "By the way, starting today, our engagement with the Hidden Sand Village is not just a battle; it's a war."
"Has Hokage-sama officially declared war?" Tatsuma inquired.
"Yes, Hidden Sand Village dared to break the rules, so we must retaliate," Tsunade affirmed.
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