Healing

"My dear beauty, have you ever seen a summon like this before?" A random plebian in the army, probably someone who graduated a year before Yamana did, approached the trio. "Take a look at this; Summoning Technique!" Cutting his thumb and waving some hand seals, a small creature 'poofed' into existence on top of his palm.

"Waah, it's a ninja-cat!" Yamana couldn't help but get closer to pet the little thing. Looking at its big eyes, wearing a scarf and several kunai on its back – the cat did look pretty darn cute! Hikari couldn't help but glance at it a few times too.

Malaria's face turned even gloomier. This jackass dared come over to flirt with his squad mates, who gave him the guts? Discretely sending out some normal mosquitoes, he sent them to fly into the cats' ears, while sucking some blood from the idiotic Genin who presented himself.

Meowing loudly in annoyance, the cat glared at its owner before undoing the summoning. 'I thought it was time to fight~nya. Instead, he's picking up girls again, useless person – should remove the contract~nya!' The cat thought as it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Ahhh, itchy, too itchy!" The Genin tried to scratch the spot where the mosquitoes dumped their itchy liquids, but simply couldn't reach it on his back. "Malaria, are you not scared that people would curse you when you do stuff like this?" The Genin's squad mates came up, criticizing Malaria solemnly.

Malaria blinked his eyes innocently. "Can you get hurt by curses and insults?" The surrounding troops marching by the side couldn't help but 'tch' in a chorus. This guy truly is invincible when it comes to shamelessness.

As everyone was brewing malicious thoughts, Malaria rolled up his sleeves and charged at the guy who summoned that cat. "Ahhh!" In the next second, the Genin screamed as Malaria pulled his arm, dislocating it out of its socket easily as the guy was trying to scratch his back.

Falling to the ground with his arm in an awkward angle, he shouted, "Malaria you bastard, you ambushed me!" The guy was fuming, quickly putting his arm back into place. "Ambush?" Malaria snorted. "For someone as weak as you, every attack is an ambush."

"You little shit…" The Genin stared at Malaria, unwilling to leave it at that. "Malaria!" Hikari glared at Malaria, hinting that he shouldn't be humiliating his fellow soldiers. It would be troublesome if they got into trouble during a battle, and these guys refused to help.

Malaria shrugged his shoulders innocently and left without turning back. 'Truly, those two girls are really stalked by all kinds of degenerates. I must keep my eyes open!' Malaria thought to himself, perhaps he should give the girls some extra repellents to defend themselves from creeps.

The surrounding troops were all surprised that Malaria actually listened to Hikari. Even Yamana was surprised. With her understanding of Malaria, he tended to be more disobedient when he was challenged by others. What was wrong with him today?

'Perhaps, is there anything between Hikari and Malaria? No way, I can't believe it!' Yamana thought to herself. "Are you all right?" Hikari did not sense anything but merely helped the Genin off the ground, dusting him off and checked that his arm wasn't seriously hurt with her Byakugan.

The Genin accepted her help and care in a daze. He had never seen a girl as gentle, nor as beautiful as Hikari before. Seeing that he was fine, Hikari put a tin of Malaria's healing sludge in his hand and then left to chase after her squad mates.

The Genin called out to Hikari in a hurry, "Hikari, my name is Sarutobi Kazuma." Hikari turned around and nodded at him with a smile. Kazuma was intoxicated. He felt that he had fallen in love with this Hyuuga princess.

"Sarutobi Kazuma?" The others in the troop looked at Kazuma thoughtfully. It's rare to see any members from the Sarutobi clan going out to the battlefield. This guy must have a special background.

Sarutobi Kazuma was a student that graduated from the academy two years prior to Yamana and Hikari. He had an unremarkable talent at first glance, barely having enough chakra to be called a top-Genin. But since he's from the Sarutobi clan, one can never judge a book for its cover.

Soon, the army managed to close the distance to the border by a large margin, and they had to set up camp once again. At this moment, Malaria and his squad returned to another mud hut that was much closer to the central command tent this time around.

However, when they were about to unpack their necessities and prepare some kind of 'breakfast-dinner' as the sun was rising, a woman with very large personal assets and blonde hair was standing outside their hut, staring at Malaria with an anxious yet eager gaze.

"What's going on?" Yamana and Hikari were shocked. Who was this woman, and how can they reach her level of 'personality'? Malaria frowned and thought for a moment. His face suddenly changed as he remembered that this should be Senju Tsunade.

She's someone that should be heartbroken, moping around in bars around the Land of Fire at this point in time. Both Kato Dan and Senju Nawaki were already as dead as doornails. "Boy, is it you who managed to make herb medicine that stops all kinds of bleeding?" Tsunade stared hard at Malaria, demanding an answer with building moisture in her eyes.

"Uhh, yes, I did create the healing medicine. Big Sister should be Tsunade-sama, right?" Malaria fidgeted a little, wondering why she came all the way here to the western border to ask about that. "I heard you had a few terrible experiences; you have my condolences." Malaria lowered his head, acting forlorn and melancholic.

"Answer me, if someone was bleeding enough, their entire stomach wide open with blood… e-everywhere… c-could your medicine… close the wound?" Tsunade started sobbing just thinking about what happened to Kato Dan. She was shocked when she heard the news of the new type of medicine.

If only she had a miracle cure at that time with Dan, something, anything to stop the bleeding… She could've healed and repaired Dan's insides, if only the endless bleeding would've stopped! Malaria felt troubled, looking at the crying lady Tsunade in front of himself.

"In theory and application, if you have enough of the medicine – yes, you could close all bleeding wounds, but not repair the actual damage." Thinking for a moment Malaria spoke softly, "I heard and read the report on Kato Dan (lies). If you could cover all bleeding wounds with medicine, giving an external blood infusion and repaired the damage inside – he could've survived."

Malaria pulled up his memories from the show he saw in his past life. That kind of injury which Kato Dan suffered was practically disembowelment, impossible to heal with just some medicine and palm techniques. But if he could help Tsunade with her trauma in advance – a white lie should be fine.

Tsunade fell to her knees, sobbing in grief. If only she didn't focus only on those useless chakra techniques, but rather on herbs and natural remedies – all this sorrow would've never taken place! First Nawaki, then Dan… She simply couldn't go on like this, she should do her best to stop it from happening to others. Slowly steeling her resolve, she felt there was still much to learn.

She wasn't the only one losing loved ones on the daily. The war has just started again, and many of her friends and acquaintances would grieve just like she is now. Nobody deserves to feel like this! She even started to think her beloved grandpa's necklace was cursed from all the misfortune the owners got, misfortune even she herself was having.

Taking off the necklace, still having tears running down her cheeks, Tsunade hesitated for a moment before putting it in her own pocket. Malaria felt misled by that, almost thinking he'd get it. "I started to doubt if there was any meaning in learning healing techniques at all. But, thanks to you, you little devil, I feel I simply don't know enough to save everyone important to me…" Tsunade said in a low voice.

Giving Malaria an impromptu hug, she slowly started calming down and recaptured the usual vibe that Senju Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin – the greatest medical ninja in the shinobi world should have. It would still take a while before she could see blood on the daily, but she already kickstarted the healing process by tens of years.

Wiping her tears, she stood back up and prepared to return to Konoha. She had to continue researching healing remedies – this time through herbs, flora, and fauna. If Malaria that little brat could create such hemostasis medicine with weeds picked in the forest, she was certain there were better alternatives!

Yamana looked at Malaria in disbelief as Tsunade marched out of the encampment. This guy, how did he manage to get into Tsunade-sama's good books just like that? He only said two lines and he helped her get through the hardest part of her trauma!

Tsunade was a well-known and very beloved person in Konoha. The amounts of people she had healed and saved were in the several hundred. She's even the first Hokage's granddaughter, a person with supremely prestigious status.

That Tsunade could recover her mindset is a blessing for uncountable people in Konoha. Hikari couldn't help but glance at Malaria in slight appreciation. This guy, if he wants to, he can be pretty nice, huh?

Yamana on the other hand focused on what's important, "Hmpf, feeling up the emotional Tsunade-sama just like that? A scoundrel will always be a scoundrel." Snorting her nose, she prepared her cooking gear and walked out of the mud hut. Hikari on the other hand walked forward to take a closer look at Malaria's face that was twitching for some reason.

Pouting, Yamana complained, "Hika-chan, why are you so interested in this scoundrel?" Hikari couldn't help but blush, "As squad mates, isn't it nice when one of us helps someone in need? Besides, he did give us a lot of help during the battle with Scarface and company."

Yamana turned dazed for a moment, only remembering this little bastard feeling her up as he pulled her under that tree. "You're truly too kind-hearted, Hikari." Yamana also stepped closer to take a look at Malaria's face, wondering if this guy was thinking about something perverted.

Malaria on the other hand stared blankly at the leaving Tsunade, specifically the crystal dingling out of her pocket as she was walking. 'Huh, how, why, what, ehhh??' He thought he just struck a figurative milestone and would receive that necklace, but it didn't happen. Does this mean Tsunade is on the fence about him, because he's technically in the Danzo camp?

Unable to make sense of the matter, he simply threw these useless thoughts out the window and went back to normal. It's not a bad feeling helping others he realised, despite getting misled that he'd get a reward.

--

In the command tent, Orochimaru stood at the flaps looking at Tsunade leaving the encampment without saying anything. He knew how terribly hurt and sad his old squad mate felt after what happened to both Nawaki and Dan. That she could get some relief from the pain is a good thing, not that he cares or anything.

Suzuki Yamaha asked curiously, "Orochimaru-sama, don't you want to talk to Tsunade-sama or perhaps commend Malaria for his actions? He wouldn't mind receiving a few extra boons from this matter."

Orochimaru asked back, "Do you really think Malaria could use any more assistance at this point? What he needs to do now is to mould more chakra to increase his strength, and study what I gave him before."

"You're hoping that Malaria won't bite off more than he can chew?" Yamaha asked tentatively. Orochimaru nodded, "A diamond in the rough cannot sparkle without cutting. I must polish him through this warring period, to knock some sense into his shameless self. This isn't a time to give out rewards."

Yamaha watched Tsunade fade away into the forest with a sympathetic look. He never got to meet his parents after they went on a secret mission only to never return, and neither does he have a spouse. Before he could ease into his role as a teacher – he got sent to the battlefield to cover the greatest miscreant in Konoha's history.

Feeling somewhat frustrated, he wished Malaria could be that gentle and kind to himself as fellow sufferers without parents. 'Wait a second, that bastard got Shimura Danzo as his adoptive father… Bloody hell, the world truly is unfair.' Yamaha grumbled in his heart.