Chapter 99: Overwhelming Post-War Work

Night had fallen, and the fighting had finally stopped.

But the tasks that lay ahead were numerous and daunting, even overwhelming for Aoba.

First was handling the deceased and attending to the wounded. Konoha's hospital had been damaged during the attack and could only accommodate less than half its usual capacity.

Although temporary medical stations had been set up around the village, there were still thousands of wounded who couldn't receive immediate treatment.

Aoba's entire street had been transformed into a temporary medical station. Sakura and Yumi had treated over 700 people in a single day, an astronomical number for medical-nin.

With Sakura using chakra batteries and Yumi tapping into her own reserves, they didn't have to worry about chakra, but the mental exhaustion was overwhelming.

Medical jutsu like the Mystical Palm Technique required intense focus, far more mentally taxing than offensive jutsu. This difficulty was also why medical-nin were so rare. Technically, medical ninjutsu was more complex and challenging than combat techniques.

Though Sakura had graduated, she was still a child and had even collapsed from exhaustion.

Even Yumi was struggling to keep her eyes open.

At that moment, Aoba appeared behind Yumi.

"That's enough; go get some rest. Leave the rest to me."

Yumi looked at Aoba with tired eyes, then obediently went to rest.

Aoba himself could manage the Mystical Palm Technique, a skill he had learned to improve his chakra control.

Once Sakura and Yumi fell asleep, Aoba took over the treatment work.

Many recognized him, especially those who had seen him in action earlier in the day. They knew him as "Wind-Chasing Sword Aoba," the one who defeated the Wood Style user.

"Lord Aoba, thank you so much." Regardless, Aoba Kamikawa was now one of Konoha's top figures.

Though he held no official position, most of the village's shinobi had already placed him among Konoha's higher-ups.

Aoba focused on the wounded.

Meanwhile, Kakashi faced even more headaches.

With the Hokage dead and the other two advisors also killed, the highest-ranking members in Konoha were himself and Shikaku Nara.

One was the Hokage's advisor, the other the head of the Jonin Corps. The two of them had no choice but to take seats in the Hokage's office and work through the night to address post-war matters.

"The Anbu reported that the mysterious Sharingan- and Wood Style-wielding shinobi escaped. He apparently revived during the Anbu's handling of his body and took advantage of the chaos to flee," Shikaku said, observing Kakashi's expression. But Kakashi's face remained neutral as he replied nonchalantly.

"Have the Anbu make a note of it for later. He's likely an experiment that escaped from a Root lab. Once this is over, we'll conduct a thorough village-wide inspection. But for now, we have more pressing matters."

Shikaku nodded thoughtfully.

"Indeed. First, we need to ensure the wounded are properly taken care of. I've summoned every able-bodied Earth Style user to begin repairs on Konoha's hospital and residential areas.

At this rate, by dawn, all the injured and villagers will have shelter.

However, we have a serious shortage of medical-nin."

"Aoba and his student Sakura Haruno have stepped in. As for medical-nin, if we don't have enough, we can't create them."

"I heard about that. Supposedly, that young girl treated over 300 shinobi with external injuries in just one day…"

"That's Aoba's secret technique; it provides additional chakra to Sakura. Beyond that, I don't know the details."

"Remarkable—Aoba truly is… an enigma of a shinobi, always with hidden resources."

Kakashi agreed silently. Aoba's basement was filled with all manner of peculiar experiments; who knew what he might invent next?

"Alright, we can also recruit volunteers to treat lightly injured shinobi with basic medication and bandaging. This should suffice for now."

"That's our best option. As for the casualties, we must record and catalog them as soon as possible. With so many bodies, we can't leave them unattended for too long."

"I understand. Ideally, the Konoha Police Force would handle this. They have all the village records. But now… the police are understaffed because…"

"…."

They both fell silent, unwilling to finish the thought. Out of respect for the dead, they left it at that.

"Any suggestions?" Kakashi, unfamiliar with such matters, turned to Shikaku for advice. But Shikaku wore a pained expression, as this was one problem intelligence alone couldn't solve.

Managing population records and administration is typically the work of law enforcement agencies.

In Konoha, the police force had taken on this role.

While most villagers thought of the police as strict enforcers, they also handled day-to-day law enforcement and managed civilian records, a complex and extensive task.

The police force needed a database of civilian information for routine law enforcement. For instance, if an officer encountered a suspicious individual on the street, they would need accurate identification records for verification.

In the early days, the police force had conducted extensive population registration, updating it continuously. With no internet like in the real world, Konoha had organized records by district for easy access by the area's assigned officers.

This required manual maintenance and updates by a large team.

However, few realized the full extent of the police force's duties.

The police were far more than the overbearing Uchiha clan members the public saw. It was a large, multifaceted organization.

Their role was a mix of police work and civil administration, with some governmental responsibilities.

As Kakashi and Shikaku delved deeper into the structure, they felt an almost irreverent impulse, as if disrespecting the dead by resenting the workload.

Kakashi, for his part, silently acknowledged something: no wonder Aoba had disappeared right after the battle. He would rather strain himself healing the wounded than deal with the office work.

Clearly, he had foreseen that this was no easy job!

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Currently on Chapter 140 - Meeting with the Hyuga