Konoha Hospital.
If there was ever a place in this hospital that deserved to be called an ICU, it was definitely the ward where Haseo now lay.
Haseo was undeniably a renowned ninja in his time. Although his past glories had faded, people hadn't forgotten his name just yet. Plus, the feats he'd pulled off lately were more than enough reason to throw everything they had into saving him. And finally, the war had ended—while medical resources weren't exactly idle now, they were certainly less strained than before. So Haseo was currently receiving top-tier treatment.
At this moment, Tsunade stood beside the bed in the quiet, private ward, clipboard in hand. She was jotting notes onto Haseo's medical chart clipped to the board.
"Month/day/year—awake with eyes open for 30 minutes, blinked six times, drooled 1.5 liters. Physical condition continues improving. Mentally… still showing signs of senility."
Looking toward the hospital bed revealed Haseo reclining halfway upright. His whole body was buried under a thick white blanket, leaving only his hands sticking out.
His eyes were wide open but lifeless. His mouth hung slightly open and crooked, continuously drooling... His mental state looked like someone who'd been hit by a brain hemorrhage—three times back-to-back.
"Hasn't that person woken up yet?"
"Not yet, I think. Though apparently he's the kind who'd go after a hundred men with a blade in hand—no fear, no mercy."
"No way, that sounds too brutal... Come to think of it, these past couple days we haven't even smelled that strange smoky aroma around here anymore."
The occasional chatter from the hallway never made it into the silent room. Yet if somehow Haseo could hear those words, he'd probably feel deeply wronged… That was such a lie. Like *he* was chasing after a hundred people? No way—it was a hundred people chasing *him*!
Back inside the ward, Tsunade set down the medical chart after finishing her notes. But when she turned to look at Haseo again, something about him seemed… off today.
First, his eyes had been open far too long. More importantly, although his pupils remained dull and unfocused, Tsunade had the distinct impression that he was staring straight at her.
Was it just her imagination—or was something actually changing?
Thinking through the possibilities, Tsunade leaned closer toward Haseo. Almost immediately, Haseo started squeezing his eyes shut forcefully—not the weak fluttering from earlier, but as if he were trying to scrunch his entire face right into his forehead.
Stimulus response—or was he regaining consciousness?
Without hesitation, Tsunade used her thumb and index finger to pry his eyelids open, checking his pupil reaction. Disappointingly, nothing particularly noticeable seemed to have changed.
Next, she released his eyelids and reached instead for his tongue—only for a pale, slender hand to suddenly shoot out and grab her wrist.
It was Haseo's hand.
Did you even wash your hands?!
Well, not for that reason. Haseo had simply reacted out of habit. Then his pupils slightly constricted before returning to their normal shape.
And his expression.
"I..." Haseo paused for quite a while, as if recalling how to speak, then continued in an unusually hoarse and strained voice, "How long have I been asleep?"
Is he really awake?
Tsunade pulled away from Haseo's arm and picked up his medical chart again, writing: "On this date, patient showed signs of memory recovery and possessed basic language ability and logical reasoning. Without any organic brain damage, his mental impairment seems limited to a highly manageable degree."
To wake up and immediately ask such a question strongly suggested that Haseo, at the very least, hadn't turned into a mental wreck.
"Haseo, can you hear me? Can you recognize who I am?" Tsunade asked next, gripping both her pen and the chart tightly enough for her knuckles to turn white.
Haseo didn't directly answer her question. Instead, following his usual habit, he prioritized collecting environmental information with his abilities after regaining consciousness—clean room, white walls and sheets, IV tube in his arm, the air faintly sharp with medicine scent... Clearly, this was a hospital ward, Konoha Hospital.
Then, he turned his gaze toward Tsunade. Nurse outfit... Not wearing one, apparently.
He might've been overanalyzing things a little. After all, Tsunade was a doctor by profession, never having worked as a nurse... Well, this actually indicated that Haseo's thinking ability wasn't only undamaged—it seemed abnormally fluid.
Tsunade was still as flat-chested as ever, yet somehow, Haseo felt her proportions had grown larger. But then he snapped himself back, realizing he should focus on answering the doctor's questions instead of getting distracted. So he spoke again, "I can hear you, Tsunade."
His second sentence flowed much better than the first.
"How are you feeling now?"
"Headache, weak limbs, and hungry."
Yes, very hungry.
At that moment, realization dawned on Haseo—it appeared Tsunade had grown taller. Then a somewhat unpleasant suspicion formed: "Wait... Did I just sleep for ten years?"
"Nope. You were unconscious for only a month," Tsunade replied.
No wonder Haseo was worrying like a doomsayer—how could someone who'd slept for ten years wake up with such clear speech and logical thinking?
"You wait here. I'll go find some Medical Ninjas."
After saying this, Tsunade rushed urgently out of the ward. Soon enough, she came back accompanied by a whole team of Medical Ninjas.
Then, some of the Medical Ninjas started examining Haseo from head to toe, running various tests; others began asking him questions.
Haseo hadn't even realized how long this situation lasted before he fell asleep again due to exhaustion.
When he woke up once more, it was already the third day later.
This time when he woke up, there was no one else in the ward. Haseo stared blankly at the ceiling, finally piecing together everything that had happened—battle, grievous injuries, returning to Konoha, being sent to the hospital, and then waking up again.
The sound of the ward door opening came first, followed by Tsunade's voice.
"Haseo, it's best not to think too much right now. Your mind is still very weak."
It was a common doctor's warning for weak patients—but rarely effective. Naturally, Haseo couldn't possibly stop thinking so much.
"Tsunade, exactly what kind of situation am I in now?"
Tsunade hesitated, then answered, "Simply put, you pushed yourself too hard during the previous battle, using multiple types of kinjutsu over an extended period—techniques that should never have been used. All of this caused thirty percent of your body mass to evaporate.
Height 150, weight 40—that's your current basic physical measurement."
"..."
That data level was probably about the same as when Haseo had just entered Konoha. But that had been sixteen years ago in Konoha's calendar, when he was under fifteen years old. Now it was year nineteen.
In short, those three years of hard work? All gone.
Actually, it was just that the frame of reference had changed. It wasn't that Tsunade had grown significantly in a short time; instead, Haseo had physically shrunk within a brief period—just like someone had forced him to swallow some special pill.
[Spinning seconds, fleeting comets, leaping puppets, shattered pottery — the joy of Ninjutsu nourishes the barren hearts of modern men...]
Even if his body had become smaller, his abilities remained unchanged. He was Haseo Yu, a stealth combat expert.
Without thinking too much, Haseo immediately composed a perfectly suitable description for his current state.
Yep, his head was still in the game.
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