I don't know when the atmosphere in the hospital suddenly became heavy.
The noise outside the window seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier: Feiliu's call, the Chunin's low-voiced advice, the hurried footsteps outside the corridor... all the sounds receded like the tide, leaving only a heavy silence.
Chi Chen could feel a mountain-like pressure in the air, making his chest feel a little stuffy. It was as if the weight of a rocky mountain was silently pressing down, crushing every inch of air.
Someone was coming, although there was no sound, but Chi Chen knew that the power that he burst out unconsciously was so similar to the legendary Dust Release, which would definitely alarm the top leaders of the Iwagakure Village. Moreover, since he woke up, there were so many medical ninjas around him, and Fei Liu who was blocking the way outside the house. All signs indicated that he had been noticed by the top leaders.
Thinking of this, Chi Chen rolled his eyes, looked over the medical ninja's shoulder and looked out the window.
A figure silently hovered there, half a foot off the ground, its wide earth shadow cloak fluttering in the wind.
Two-Night Scale Ohnoki——The Living Legend of Iwagakure!!!
The name itself is a symbol of the spirit of Iwagakure, and in Iwagakure it is a mountain that no one can cross.
He was not born to be superior to others. He experienced the bloody Warring States Period, grew up under the guidance of the first Tsuchikage, Ishigawa, and was the direct disciple of the second Tsuchikage, Mu. He was also a strong man who personally honed the "Dust Release", a terrifying bloodline that surpasses the bloodline limit, to the peak. He led the Land of Territory to victory again and again.
(Compared to other ninja villages, the Land of Earth was indeed victorious under his leadership)
In the next three battles, there was even a counterattack against Konoha, but the opponent had a cheat. However, this did not prevent Ohnoki from becoming the incarnation of the Rock Consciousness of the Land of Earth.
During the Fourth World War, the old man, whose "Will of Stone" was even shaken by the sheer might of Uchiha Madara, faced a near-despair. It was he who, despite his age, cast aside his past stubbornness and doubts, collaborating with the other ninja villages to ultimately secure victory. On the battlefield, despite his advanced age, he repeatedly turned the tide with his Dust Release, even stepping forward in crucial moments to protect the younger ninja. He was the man Madara recognized as such.
Ohnoki is only 43 years old now, in the prime of his life. His hair is still black, but wrinkles have begun to appear on his face. Each wrinkle seems to record a difficult decision or a fierce battle.
At this moment, Ohnoki's eyes were fixed on Chichen lying on the hospital bed.
That gaze was not a simple scrutiny, but more like a silent penetration, with the harshness of examining a rough jade and the clarity of seeing through everything, as if wanting to peel off the flesh of this young body to see if he could inherit the mantle of the Land of Earth. In front of him, the air seemed to become sticky and heavy.
The medical ninja quickly stood up and bowed with the heartfelt respect and a subtle longing that were unique to the Iwagakure ninjas: "Lord Tsuchikage!" This address was unusually clear in the silent ward.
Ohnoki did not respond, but nodded very slightly, his eyes still locked on Chichen.
All the medical ninjas in white robes in the ward stopped moving instantly, as if petrified, even their breathing became very light, and only the ticking sound of the instruments was unusually clear in the dead silence.
Their awe for this adult has long been ingrained in their bones - he is not only the village's patron saint, but also the highest embodiment of the "Will of Stone" in the hearts of countless generations of Rock Ninjas.
There was silence for a while, and finally, Ohnoki spoke.
"What's the current situation?" Ohnoki's voice was not loud, even a little hoarse, but it carried unquestionable weight.
The medical ninja took a deep breath, steadied his voice, and reported in more detail: "Akachen, four years old. He suffered a severe chakra overdraft. His vital signs are now stable, but he is extremely exhausted. His body... still contains residual high-purity, highly active, and extremely unstable unknown energy fluctuations, which are highly consistent with the residual properties of the Dust Release detected at the scene. Preliminary diagnosis is that he has overused his bloodline power beyond his physical limits, causing a self-protective coma. He just needs to rest now."
The captain of the border patrol team next to him also reported with an unconcealable shock in his tone.
"According to the emergency report from the on-site survey team and our analysis of the residual energy in the child's body... the destructive power of the instantaneous burst completely disintegrated twelve elite Sunagakure soldiers, including a jonin, in a very short period of time."
He specifically emphasized "complete decomposition" because in the Iwagakure Village, this was almost an exclusive mark of Dust Release.
"Completely decompose..." Ohnoki chewed on the word, his eyelids drooping slightly, covering up the sharp light that surged in an instant.
As the only person in the ninja world who has mastered Dust Release, he knows better than anyone the terrifying power contained in these four simple words. A four-year-old child... this is simply a subversive existence.
Just then—
"Let me in! Let me go! Chen! Chen——!"
Fei Liu's crying screams and fierce struggles were like a stone thrown into stagnant water, piercing the heavy silence in the ward.
The glass windows were slamming against each other, and the red-haired little head twisted desperately under the grip of the two Chunins. There were tears in the amber cat eyes, and there were still traces of tears on his face and redness and swelling from being slapped by the Sand Ninja.
"Lord Tsuchikage..." A Chunin who was holding Feiliu looked embarrassed and asked in a low voice, with fear in his eyes about disturbing the Tsuchikage.
Ohnoki's gaze finally shifted from Chichen to the red-haired child outside the window, struggling like an angry little beast. His eyes, sharp as a knife, as if they could cut through rock, seemed to fluctuate ever so slightly when they met Feiliu's pure, anxious, amber pupils filled with worry and fear.
Ohnoki suddenly laughed, and his smile was very happy, "Let go of that child."
The restraining force suddenly loosened.
Fei Liu rushed in like a cannonball, dripping with embarrassment and lingering fear, as he suddenly threw open the door of the ward. He didn't even glance at the Tsuchikage floating beside him, his eyes only focused on the pale figure on the bed.
"Chen!" He rushed to the bedside, his small body trembling violently from running and excitement. He stretched out his small hand, which was also scratched, and wanted to touch Chi Chen's face, but stopped abruptly just before touching him, as if he was afraid of breaking him.
Tears fell heavily on the white sheets, leaving dark stains. "You scared me to death! I thought... I thought..." He choked, the rest of the words stuck in his throat, leaving only suppressed sobs.
Chi Chen lifted his heavy eyelids with great effort, and his silver-gray pupils met Fei Liu's amber eyes filled with water, fear, and loss and recovery.
Looking at the clear palm print on the other person's face, the messy red hair, and the desperate look of rushing in, an unfamiliar sour feeling suddenly rushed into his nose. He wanted to say something, but his throat was so dry that he couldn't make a decent sound.
Yes, I have integrated into this world unknowingly, and I have met many people during this period, but they are not reflected in the original work at all. Maybe he died in the Third World War.
Fei Liu saw him open his eyes and wiped his face with his sleeve, his sleeves smeared with snot and tears. He seemed to remember something and frantically searched in his pockets, which were deformed by his pulling.
Finally, he pulled out something - a small, crudely carved wooden amulet tied with a faded red string. The edges had been polished to a shine, and it was obvious that it was quite old.
"Here...here you are!" Fei Liu's voice was still nasal. He stuffed the amulet into Chi Chen's palm, which was placed outside the quilt and had an IV needle inserted in it. His small hand wrapped around Chi Chen's cold fingers, and he tried to close his palm awkwardly.
"Dad gave it to me before he passed away... He said it can protect people from harm... You should wear it! From now on... Don't do that again!" His tone was fierce, but tears fell again, hitting the back of Chi Chen's hand, warm.
"Okay, I'm a little hungry, Feiliu."
The sound was as thin as a mosquito's, but it was like a stone dropped into calm water. Fei Liu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and cried out in a sobbing voice, "Rice ball! My rice ball fell into the water! I... I'll go find Mom to make it again!" He seemed to have found the most important task.
Without caring about the people present and without thinking about the possible benefits he might get if he continued to stay here, he immediately turned around and rushed out.
The Tsuchikage's gaze slowly swept across Chichen's pale little face and the cheap amulet he was holding tightly.
Ohnoki looked at the small figure running towards the "mission" desperately, and the barely perceptible smile on the corner of his mouth deepened a little.
His floating figure rose silently, and his wide earth shadow cloak brushed past the threshold of the ward, leaving the heavy air in the room slowly flowing. This child... and that little guy named Chichen...
A thought quietly swirled in Ohnoki's mind. This long-dormant thought seemed to be ignited with a faint light by the fire that burst out in this small ward.
"Come to me when you're better, and I'll give you everything you want."
Finally, he rose silently by an inch and turned to the door of the ward. He could already see the determination of this child to protect the important people. He was a good child.