The other cases weren't as severe, and the eyes were taken care of. I also treated the wounds and even grew a thin layer of skin to protect against the sand. However, further recovery should be done naturally and under the supervision of a proper iryō-nin. For the two genin with injured arms, the tendons and veins are intact, so they will be able to build muscle, but to regain the previous dexterity of their hands, they must work on their rehabilitation thoroughly after recovery.
Otherwise, they might have to forget about ninjutsu. Also, in the coming weeks, it's advisable for no one to use a large amount of chakra to avoid deformation of the surface layer of keirakukei. The iryō-nin will handle the other minor details. That's all from my side.
The jōnin, who were practically absorbing my words, nodded almost in unison.
— Thank you for your help, Nara-san, — said the nearest Cloud shinobi, shaking my hand. — Can we take them now?
— Of course, but be careful — the new skin is very sensitive in the first few days, — I nodded.
The other jōnin also shook my hand, and the only woman among them (dark-skinned, with light hair, and a third size! Yum!) even gave me a hug.
After waiting for the Kumo shinobi to carry all the unconscious injured genin from the tent to their camp about a hundred steps away, I nodded to the watchful Uchiha and Meido and set up a barrier (trust but verify!), before heading off to sleep, happy to leave the sentry work to the others.
Early in the morning, a Sunagakure patrol team came across us and it turned out that we had passed by the village and its sparse patrol network half a day ago. The Kumo delegation had veered far off course after encountering the sandstorm. Damn desert! However, this time we could be sure that we'd be taken to our destination by the most direct route without winding loops around the area.
Quickly packing up, the combined Kumo and Konoha delegation set off with the guides, and within four hours, we could see a dark spot trembling in the shimmering heat of the dry air, gradually beginning to expand. In an imperceptible moment, it suddenly grew many times and transformed into a ring of mountains even higher than Konoha's walls.
After a moment of thinking, I realized that this wasn't some desert phenomenon or instantaneous transportation, but rather a volumetric illusion, nearly invisible even to sensors (I only sensed it as we got closer), overlaid and fixed onto the terrain itself rather than a person. At least now it was clear how we could have passed by without noticing such a massive structure even from a relatively short distance.
It was strange that nothing about this was mentioned in the original story. Although, over twenty years, things could have changed multiple times — after all, Orochimaru was able to enter Konoha as if it were his own home even as a nukenin, whereas not long ago, Uzumaki seals prevented any such thing without using very specific techniques like my shadow transportation.
Even then, I'm not sure if such a thing could be done live without drawing the attention of the barrier team. Ha, Mito had charged Hiruzen a hefty sum for applying seals to the restored section of the wall damaged by a sudden Iwagakure attack. Unfortunately, I'm not yet skilled enough to work at that level.
Without allowing us to properly examine the possible defensive perimeter, the guides led us in a curve, keeping a significant distance from the stone belt to the only visible entrance to the village, where teams of welcoming Anbu-like operatives had already appeared. Only four were visible, but I sensed at least twice that number nearby, not counting the usual guards.
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