Hearing Shizune's enthusiastic update, Reiki smiled.
"Perfect!" he replied, accepting the numerous cases of external injuries and heading with Shizune to the public ward.
"Dr. Reiki!" a chorus of voices greeted him as they entered the ward. The injured ninjas all recognized him instantly.
"Seems like I can't call you Little Doc anymore, huh?" one joked. "Feels like just yesterday you were the 'kid healer.'"
Reiki greeted them with a smile. "Everyone, I'm here on assignment, but let's catch up after I finish these rounds. And remember to get plenty of rest!"
He moved over to one of the patients, a seasoned ninja named Udo.
"Uncle Udo, injured again?" Reiki teased. "There's no war going on anymore, so be careful during training!"
"Ah, well," Udo muttered, a bit embarrassed, "I might have, um… bumped into something… and don't believe any stories about my wife hitting me!"
Shizune chuckled, and Reiki rolled his eyes playfully as he began to treat Udo's injuries. "Maybe keep the late-night drinks to a minimum, huh? Or better yet, have them at home!"
Despite Reiki only using his basic medical techniques, his treatments were quick and efficient. By afternoon, the ward had emptied out, much to the amazement of the medical ninjas on duty, who watched in confusion as their patients recovered swiftly.
Grinning, Reiki assured them that he wasn't taking their cases or rewards—just helping with the treatments.
By nightfall, Reiki had completed over half the cases in the ward.
"Brother Reiki," Shizune whispered, "it's getting late. Time to go home."
Reiki bid goodnight to the ninjas and left the hospital with Shizune.
On their way back, Shizune glanced at the task records. "We examined 29 people and treated 36 injuries, completing seven official tasks. Brother Reiki, doesn't it feel like we're doing too much for too little?"
Reiki turned to her with a serious expression. "Shizune, remember that as medical ninjas, our profession is also a duty of belief. We are the only line of hope for the injured, so we shouldn't treat it as mere task completion."
"I understand," Shizune replied earnestly, though her face still showed a bit of reluctance.
When they arrived home, Shizune offered to prepare dinner.
"You've had a busy day," Reiki insisted. "Take some rest; I'll handle dinner."
As Reiki prepared the meal, his thoughts drifted. *Kato Dan… if Sarutobi Hiruzen is hiding him, finding him won't be easy. Treating people in the public wards didn't yield any useful information today, so maybe I need to try the private wards next.*
With that plan in mind, Reiki finished cooking and brought the meal to the courtyard.
"Lord Morishita!" he called. "Come join us for dinner!"
Morishita sighed as he appeared, shaking his head. "Reiki, you really don't understand the meaning of 'secret protection,' do you?"
Reiki laughed and handed Morishita a bowl. "If you're protecting us, we can't let you go hungry, can we?"
After dinner, Morishita disappeared as usual, and Reiki cleaned up before tucking the sleeping Shizune into bed.
Stepping outside, Reiki pondered his next move. This issue with Konoha's top officials was beyond his direct influence, but he couldn't ignore it. *If only I could get closer to someone with inside knowledge…*
"Maybe I'll have to approach someone directly," he muttered.
Just then, a familiar voice called out. "You didn't save anything for us at dinner?"
Reiki turned, surprised to see Nozuki and Minato standing at the entrance. "Nozuki! Brother Minato! What brings you here so late?"
Minato gave him a solemn look. "Reiki, my teacher asked me not to interfere, but I still want to tell you something. Kato Dan… he's not outside the village." With that, Minato disappeared into the night.
Nozuki stayed behind, explaining, "We know what's going on with Sensei Tsunade. I asked my brother to look into it. I was just too worried."
Reiki's eyes narrowed. This confirmed his suspicions. *So, Kato Dan really is within the village…*
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