Chapter 11

— Oh, what's the point! It's not even about the extended service period, but rather the fact that not a single run-down medic was left at the site, and the camp's personnel changed almost completely within a few months due to not only battlefield casualties but also the sheer inability to provide first aid to the wounded! And that's not even mentioning the absolutely dreadful supply of medicine! It got to the point where I had to exchange medical supplies in Kusagakure for my seals just to avoid ending up empty-handed! As if that wasn't enough, I had to not only oversee the field hospital but also train my own assistant and go on missions with my team, though not as often as others!

Taking a deep breath, I shoved the irritation that invariably began to plague me at the thought of sabotage in the front-line medical services deep down and glanced at my acquaintance.

— Sorry, it's a sore subject for me, so sometimes I need to vent my frustrations.

— No problem, it happens, — Shibatori nodded sympathetically. — And I know all too well about the dire state of medical support.

— Given the flood of wounded and crippled people that have come through me in the past six months working in the hospital, I'd be more surprised if you didn't know about it, — I snorted sarcastically. — It seems the whole village knows, but no one does anything about it, and just a tiny amount of staff has to take care of over ten thousand shinobi and a huge number of civilians, barely managing to keep up.

— That explains why you don't look so great, — he noted, — and it's noticeable even with a mask and glasses.

— Fourteen hours of work and about three to four hours of sleep a day, — I replied, unsuccessfully trying to suppress another yawn. — I'm thinking of quitting and finally focusing on my own affairs because ever since I returned from the front, I've been working like a real ox and haven't had any time for personal development, not to mention proper rest!

— You should have done that a long time ago, or you'll just end up ruining yourself, — Kei patted me on the shoulder.

After watching a couple of Uchiha patrols drag a drunken shinobi away, we moved to the side of the road to avoid blocking the passersby and continued our conversation.

— Alright, enough about me. How are your little ones? — I changed the subject.

— Which ones? — the shinobi smirked.

— You've got several now? When did that happen? — I was surprised. — Our team was held in genin for almost two years and only got promoted to chūnin just before being sent to the front.

— Well, mine spent about the same time as genin, and then our whole team started taking on more difficult assignments, — the jōnin sighed. — Recently, I got promoted and was immediately tasked with training another trio of young ones. However, in the fourth month, we were unlucky enough to run into a group of nukenin who had organized a band of robbers.

— And?

— Oh, what's there to tell — four chūnin against a jōnin with a trio of rookie academy graduates, you can guess the outcome, — my acquaintance waved his hand dismissively, wincing and running his hand over his bandage. — That's when I lost not only one of the kids but also an eye, ending up with two severely injured on my hands. I managed to get them to Konoha, but full treatment for the Hyūga was covered by their clan, and the girl, who turned out to be from a common background, was left with a damaged spine and can barely walk with crutches after the hospital visit. Further treatment costs too much for a former orphanage resident, and even for an ordinary jōnin, it's quite a burden.

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