Chapter 148

— Moreover, let's not forget that your subordinate arrived with the same reinforcements and is waiting for her turn to be sent home. If it comes to choosing who should stay under my command, the choice is quite obvious. Do you know how many wounded have passed through your hands over all this time?

I raised an eyebrow questioningly—what's he getting at?

— Uh... honestly, I wasn't keeping track of the numbers, — I shrugged.

— You may not have been counting, but I have the lists of incoming patients and the nature of their injuries, so finding the exact number is not difficult—one thousand two hundred ninety-three people over nearly eleven months, with only eighty-nine of them having fatal outcomes! That's not just incredible; it's an unbelievably low percentage of casualties for the front! The only better loss-to-survival ratio can be found in Konoha's main hospital! And that's with the constant, catastrophic shortage of medical supplies!

Even as I stepped back slightly from the jounin who had jumped to his feet and loomed over the desk during his speech, I sighed wearily—getting out of Konoha legally will take a long time, probably not until Iwagakure's surrender, if no other iryo-nin is sent.

— So, sorry, Ryo-san, but I simply cannot deprive my shinobi of such a talented iryo-nin. Even though your partners are rotating, you are not. And that is my final word! — as if to emphasize his final statement, the commander sat back down in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, showing his unyielding stance.

— When it comes to using my skills, just give me the word, but when it comes to getting supplies for the infirmary, it's always "I can't do anything about it"?! — I squinted, raising my voice and leaning forward.

Let him yell at me? I can do that too! Now it was my turn to drill Meido with my gaze.

— So I'm supposed to just put up with this and show some miraculous ingenuity so that patients don't die like flies?! Why should I be exchanging my seals in Kusagakure for even the minimal necessities for the infirmary? It's the commander's duty to secure supplies for his people, just like the staff! Why should I be training an assistant from scratch when even yesterday's intern would have significantly lightened the workload?! Just because I have much more chakra than an average medic doesn't mean I should work for the team from morning till night every day of the week! And now it turns out that I might not get my rightful two or three months of rest for an unknown amount of time?! Not to mention that I not only manage the infirmary but also have to go on missions and risk my neck in enemy territory when I already have enough on my plate! Isn't that too much for one person? After all, I don't even have time to properly train and have to steal time from sleep! Although I'm much more resilient than the average shinobi, even I have my limits!

Now I was leaning over the desk and yelling at Meido. Yes, I understand his reasons and would probably act the same way in his position, but after all, I'm not made of iron. All this ceaseless fighting, the endless flow of flesh and bones into the infirmary, from which I have to piece together a person each time, is wearing down my nerves, and there's also the lack of news from Ma... Taking a deep breath, I slumped into the chair and clenched my fists to keep my hands from shaking.

— I understand everything, Ryo-san, but there's nothing I can do—the situation in the main camp is only slightly better, — the jounin smiled tiredly, — and we shouldn't expect reinforcements for the medical staff anytime soon.

— What? Why is that?

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