We moved fast through the last stretch of forest. The path widened ahead, marked by crude barriers and scattered paper tags that pulsed faintly with chakra.
A forward operations post, temporary, but well-defended.
Shigure had been shifted off my shoulder, carried now by one of the other shinobi, a broad-shouldered man with a careful gait of someone used to hauling comrades through hell.
I stayed close behind, breathing hard, my vision blurring at the edges. Every few steps, my wounds twinged despite the healing earlier.
As the tree line broke, I saw it: a small clearing packed with movement. Canvas tents in tight rows. Supply crates are stacked high.
The camp wasn't large, but it pulsed with movement and exhaustion.
Wounded shinobi lay on stretchers outside a large tent, waiting for their turn. s.
One of the Shinobi nodded us through. "Get them to the medic, now!"
I stumbled forward, keeping pace as best I could. My whole body felt heavy,
my chakra sluggish.
The moment we crossed into the central lane, a young kunoichi in medic robes was already waiting.
She glanced at us once and waved briskly. "Put the Jōnin there… stretcher three! You…" she pointed at me "on the cot next to her, now!"
Before I could argue, two hands gripped my arms and guided me toward a canvas partition. The smell inside was filled with herbs and blood. A line of medics worked in sync, hands glowing green as they pressed over wounds, muttering under their breath.
Someone eased me down onto a cot. My head swam.
"Easy now," someone murmured above me. "You're safe. Just breathe."
Warm chakra spread across my chest, steady and rhythmic. It sank through torn muscle, into bone, washing away the ache inch by inch.
The world started to fade voices blending, light dulling.
I let go.
And everything went black.
The first thing I noticed as was the sound.
Groans. Muffled voices.
I blinked, vision swimming in and out of focus. Canvas ceiling. A tent.
My head throbbed with a dull, persistent pulse. For a moment, I couldn't remember
Where was I?
Then it came back in jagged pieces.
The forest, the patrol. The camp.
Right. Konoha's forward base.
And then, beneath all that… another memory.
The weight of a thought that hit me every time I had a moment to breathe.
I was still in this world.
Still stuck in Naruto.
The realization sat heavy in my chest, the kind of truth that no amount of exhaustion could numb. No reset button. No waking up. Just this the endless churn of war and chakra and people who could kill you faster than you could think.
Somewhere close, fabric rustled, footsteps.
I was still half in that haze between sleep and instinct when I felt it, someone's presence leaning close, a hand reaching for me.
My body moved before my mind did.
My hand shot up and caught theirs in a tight grip.
"Easy," a calm voice said, low but steady. "You're safe."
The tone, calm and composed.
I forced my eyes open fully. The blur resolved into the face of a woman with pale face and long black hair, Early thirties. Fine lines around the eyes, her expression focused but gentle.
And those eyes…
Pale lavender. Almost white, glowing faintly under the lantern light.
A Hyūga.
Her gaze flicked briefly to where my hand still held hers. "Good reflexes," she said, the faintest hint of amusement tugging at her mouth. "But if you could release me, I still need to check you."
I blinked, disoriented, then let go quickly, flexing my fingers. My throat felt dry.
"Sorry. Reflex."
"Understandable," she said, already moving with practiced efficiency.
Her pale eyes shifted slightly, the veins at her temples rising as her Byakugan activated. It was a strange thing to witness up close.
I realized, belatedly, that I was in a thin hospital gown, and she… could probably see everything.
She didn't comment, but the faintest curve tugged at the corner of her mouth, a knowing expression that made it worse somehow.
"Relax," she said evenly. "You're fine. I'm just checking your chakra network."
"Right," I muttered, trying to look anywhere else. "Hard not to feel a little… transparent."
That earned me a soft chuckle filled with mirth. "You'd be surprised how often I hear something like that."
Her hand began to move slowly, tracing a path from my temple down across my chest, her hand glowing faintly with the Mystical Palm Technique. Wherever she touched, a warmth followed, burrowing deep into my skin.
I could feel her chakra slipping into my network, brushing through my own pathways. The sensation was strange, almost ticklish at first, then deeply soothing.
I shifted as her hand passed along my legs, and moved then slowly over to my navel
She smiled slightly as her eyes tracked my nether regions, "And in that department, you have nothing to worry about, perfectly sized for your age."
"Thanks…. " I replied dryly, still feeling a bit exposed under her eyes
The internet was right, Huygas are perverts
A few seconds passed in silence before I asked her what happened to the jōnin.
"She's alive. It was close, though."
I focused on her "How bad?"
"Bad enough that we had to rearrange her internal organs before stabilizing the bleeding."
The medic's tone didn't change, but her eyes did; it was the look of someone who'd done this too many times before. "She'll recover."
Her tone softened slightly as she gestured toward a small crate on the side.
"There are clean uniforms there, standard issue. Mesh undershirt, overshirt, pants, flak jacket, and fresh bandages. You'll find your kunai pouch and the items from your old jacket beside it. Try not to tear this one up so soon."
A faint trace of humor touched her voice, gone as quickly as it came.
"Once you're dressed and steady on your feet, report to the commander. He'll want a debrief from you."
And then she was gone, the flap rustling softly behind her.
For a few moments, I just sat there, letting the quiet hum of the medical tent sink in. Around me, there were low groans, the faint murmur of medics. Rows of cots lined the space, some occupied by bandaged shinobi, others empty.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, testing the strength in them. A dull ache, but nothing sharp.
Slowly, I made my way to the crate she'd pointed out. Inside, everything was neatly folded alongside my kunai pouch sat on top, my old bloodied jacket folded beneath it.
I exhaled, rubbing the back of my neck before I dressed and left the tent