A nearby nurse couldn't take it anymore and walked up to Shin. "If we delay any longer, the patient is really going to die."
"What?" Hanma's eyes widened in shock. "You're really Dr. Shin?"
"Don't I look the part?"
"Then hurry up and treat her!" Hanma got even angrier, was Shin messing with him?
"You're crowding the operating room with your people!" the nurse snapped, clearly losing her patience. "How is he supposed to operate like this? Didn't you hear him tell you all to get out?"
Hanma was so furious his chest heaved as he clenched his fists, glaring at the nurse like he wanted to devour her.
Shin quickly pulled the young nurse behind him and smiled. "Don't worry. Let them keep wasting time. In five more minutes, that girl will die. By then, it won't be our responsibility anymore. Let it be."
"F-Five minutes?" Hanma's voice trembled.
"Yeah, originally she had ten. The sooner the treatment, the better. But…" Shin looked up at the clock hanging in the operating room and said mockingly, "Thanks to your efforts, five minutes have already been wasted. I really wonder what kind of grudge you have against your teammate that you'd rather get her killed."
Hanma wanted to retort, but his teammates couldn't take it anymore. One stepped forward, grabbing him. "Captain, let's get out of here. If we don't, Rika really will die."
At this point, not just the onlookers, even Hanma's own teammates had serious issues with him.
Rika was on the verge of death, and he was still causing trouble and delaying treatment? Was he trying to save her or kill her? No one could understand how someone like him ever became captain.
With that, one of the Uchiha clan's ninjas and another person forcibly dragged Hanma out of the room.
"Please take care of her!" one of them said sincerely as he passed Shin.
Finally, someone who speaks nicely to his fellow clansman.
Shin moved swiftly. He approached the patient, using Mystical Palm Technique to stop the bleeding while giving orders. "Get my medical kit. Prepare plasma and for surgery."
"Yes!" Everyone immediately sprang into action.
He lived up to his title as the best medical-nin in the current shinobi world, the surgery ended quickly.
Over the next hour, he performed more treatment on the ninja named Rika, used the Mystical Palm Technique again to stabilize and accelerate the healing of her wounds.
Two hours later, he exited the operating room and took a large gulp of water handed to him by a nurse.
"How is she?" He had only drunk half when a figure rushed up to him. "I asked you a question, how's Rika?"
"She's dead. Happy now?" Shin said. "You're the one who delayed treatment and got your own teammate killed."
"No… That's not possible… She can't be dead…" Hanma's voice trembled.
"Rika…" Another Uchiha ninja named Sho walked forward, voice shaking, unable to hide his grief, needing confirmation.
"She's fine. The surgery went smoothly," Shin replied calmly. "But she was brought in too late and had lost too much blood. Plus, someone delayed the treatment. Her recovery will take a while."
"You… You messing with me?!" Hanma finally realized what had happened and grabbed Shin by the collar.
"Captain, let go of him!" Sho was completely enraged. He grabbed Hanma's wrist. "I said let go!"
Other Uchiha clan members also stepped forward, without exception, they were all standing with Shin.
He had just saved Rika's life. When had the Uchiha clan ever turned on someone who saved one of their own?
Hanma was dumbfounded! These were all his colleagues from the Police Force, people he worked with daily. Shin was just a clan outcast, a so-called "failure." How could these people side with a "failure" like Shin over him?
"Why are you helping an outsider?!"
"He saved Rika!"
"He didn't even treat her properly!" Hanma pointed at Shin. "What do you mean 'longer recovery time'? I heard you know some miraculous medical jutsu, even someone with a broken leg can recover in no time. You're clearly just trying to let her die!"
"Enough!" The hospital director finally arrived, having heard what was said. He shouted angrily, "Last time, even after Shin used his techniques, it took him three whole days to recover! That technique is for critical, life-or-death situations only! Her life has already been saved. If he recklessly used his technique, it would be highly irresponsible to the other patients. Our hospital has standardized treatment procedures. As director, I do not approve."
"I don't care whether you approve or not!" Hanma didn't even glance at him. He kept his cold gaze fixed on Shin. "Are you going to treat her or not?"
"I already did everything medically necessary," Shin replied evenly.
"Cut the crap. That's not enough. Use your special technique on her." Don't forget, you're is still an Uchiha."
"Hahaha!" Shin suddenly burst into laughter. "Interesting how that works. One moment I'm an outsider, the next I'm family when you need something."
He turned to check a chart, seemingly unbothered. "My priority is my patient's wellbeing, not clan politics. And did you forget I was kicked out of the Uchiha clan. My name was even erased from the clan registry. I have no ties to the Uchiha clan anymore."
"Fine!" Hanma gritted his teeth. Seeing no further argument would help, he finally left the hospital, the other Uchiha members giving Shin respectful nods as they departed.
Shin didn't take Hanma seriously at all. He simply continued his work, making notes in Rika's file. This confrontation might create complications, but it also presented opportunities. Perhaps now he'd finally have a reason to arrange that meeting with Mito he'd been planning.
---
Back in his office, Shin found that Tsunade was still fast asleep, he was dumbfounded. This woman had nerves of steel. The whole hospital had been in chaos, and she hadn't even stirred.
But it also showed how much she trusted him, she believed he could handle it all just fine.
However, just as he sat down, Tsunade, even in her sleep, seemed to sense something and suddenly woke up.
"You're back?"
"Yes." Shin nodded.
"Mm," she murmured, stretching. "How long was I out?"
He was a bit speechless. This felt way too familiar. He then watched her for a moment, and said with a grin, "Long enough that I'm starting to feel like the husband coming home to find his wife waited up but couldn't quite make it."
Tsunade threw a small cushion at him. "In your dreams."