His square face was marked by a prominent beard, and he wore the standard black combat uniform, complemented by a green jōnin flak jacket. As he moved, a faint aura of bloodlust trailed him.
Watching Uchiha Shimizu, who was currently inventorying medical equipment, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Recently, Uchiha Shimizu had gained some notoriety at this hospital outpost. Having retreated from the frontlines in the northwest border region, he had arrived here and immediately heard tales of Uchiha Shimizu's exploits.
According to Akimichi Choza, Uchiha Shimizu had demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities and could be groomed as a squad captain.
He was described as composed and calm, even rumored to have fought evenly with a jōnin-level kunoichi from Iwagakure.
Hamaki mimura, however, was unimpressed.
Just another Uchiha relying on their Sharingan.
Without the Sharingan, the Uchiha wouldn't necessarily be stronger than ordinary civilians.
He had seen much in his time, including Uchiha who suddenly broke down mid-battle upon the death of a comrade.
This had left Hamaki mimura with little fondness for the Uchiha, and he firmly believed in the policies of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
The Uchiha needed to be kept under close watch.
"Where's Shizune?" Hamaki mimura asked coldly.
"Third tent to the left rear," Shimizu pointed in a direction.
Hamaki mimura nodded, his expression indifferent, and swiftly passed Shimizu to find Shizune.
Shimizu paid no mind to Hamaki mimura's attitude.
After all, there was no guarantee this guy would even survive.
It was Hamaki mimura who had led the battle against the Iwa forces commanded by the jōnin Tōjin, and they had been pushed to the brink, with only four survivors remaining.
Given the numerous butterfly effects Shimizu had influenced, would Hamaki mimura still be fortunate enough to be rescued by Namikaze Minato?
"Shizune, disciple of Tsunade?" Hamaki mimura lifted the tent flap and saw a woman with a ponytail, her movements efficient and precise.
"What can I do for you?" Shizune asked without pausing, continuing to treat a patient while turning her head to look at Hamaki mimura at the tent entrance.
"The frontlines are in chaos. We need a skilled medical squad to retrieve the wounded," Hamaki mimura explained his purpose.
These shinobi were no ordinary fighters; every loss was a significant blow.
Especially now, with Kumogakure and Kirigakure also launching attacks on the borders of the Land of Fire.
The Land of Fire was under siege from all sides, more shorthanded than during the Second Great Ninja War!
If not for this dire situation, they wouldn't be rushing genin to the battlefield.
"...Understood," Shizune hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
The most critically injured had already received emergency treatment, and the less severe cases could be handled by the other medical-nin on site.
Shizune didn't understand the intricacies of war tactics, but she knew that time was of the essence.
In war, the situation was unpredictable, changing in the blink of an eye.
She quickly finished bandaging her current patient and gave them some instructions.
"I'll go gather the team. Ryoko, take over for me here."
"Yes, Shizune-sama," the medical-nin named Ryoko immediately stepped forward to follow Shizune's orders.
Having been personally taught medical ninjutsu by Tsunade, Shizune's skills were a cut above the other medical-nin at this outpost.
In the future Fourth Great Ninja War, Shizune would serve as the head of the Allied Shinobi Forces' medical logistics division, with Sakura working under her. This alone demonstrated that Shizune, though usually low-key, was highly capable.
Additionally, she had been specially assigned here by Tsunade, giving her a higher status than the civilian medical-nin.
Seeing this, Hamaki mimura arranged to meet Shizune at the camp entrance and left, letting the tent flap fall behind him.
Shizune quickly thought of several candidates. She rolled down her sleeves and went to notify them one by one.
At least ten people were needed to form a medical squad, with additional shinobi assigned to transport the wounded.
Her first thought was Shimizu.
Shimizu's medical skills were slightly better than hers, and he had demonstrated his combat prowess just the day before.
Not only could he serve as a member of the medical squad to save lives, but in emergencies, he could also protect the team.
She quickly found Shimizu, who was carrying wooden crates, and informed him of the plan.
"Alright, go notify the others first," Shimizu nodded.
During this time, he had already formed a temporary medical squad to provide emergency treatment to the wounded on the battlefield.
This was just a change of location; he was already well-versed in the process.
Twenty-two minutes later.
Thirty shinobi stood at the camp entrance.
The medical squad members carried medical backpacks, while the transport team held foldable special stretchers.
These stretchers allowed a shinobi to carry three people at once for rapid movement.
Shimizu stood at the rear, quietly waiting for the jōnin who would guide them.
Rin Nohara was also among them, deliberately positioning herself four or five people away from Shimizu.
Kakashi and Might Guy were on the far left, tasked with transporting the wounded to safety, where the medical squad would provide emergency treatment.
Rin was quietly chatting with a new medical-nin friend she had made.
"Uchiha...Shimizu," Hamaki mimura slowly approached, having just returned from a restroom break.
He saw that the group had already assembled.
"Akimichi Choza didn't mention that the Uchiha kid knew medical ninjutsu," he muttered to himself.
When carrying the crates, Shimizu hadn't been wearing a white coat, but now it was visible.
"Hamaki-sensei, you're here," Namikaze Minato greeted Hamaki mimura warmly.
"Let's move out, Minato-sensei," Hamaki mimura said, no longer dwelling on Shimizu's presence.
One more or one less Uchiha wouldn't make much difference, as long as this Uchiha didn't lose his mind.
...
Half a day later.
The medical squad navigated through dense foliage and towering trees.
The air was thick with the scent of ash and burning, making it hard to breathe.
A Fire Release team unleashed a wall of flames that swept toward the Iwa forces.
The Iwa shinobi, in unison, formed hand seals and erected a massive earthen wall, blocking the flames entirely.
Boom!
Standing there, all they could hear was the howling wind. The surviving birds had long since fled, leaving only dust and burning wood in sight.
Before Shimizu's eyes lay a field of corpses, with scattered limbs and organs strewn across the ground.
Some of the blood had long dried, baked by the sun.
Others still bled like springs, pooling in the uneven depressions of the earth.
Many of the wounded lay gasping for breath.
They used every ounce of strength to crawl away, desperate to put more distance between themselves and the battlefield.
"Ugh!"
Some of the medical-nin nearly vomited at the stench of decay.
Hamaki mimura glared fiercely at those who seemed about to retch.
"We're about a kilometer from the combat zone. Retrieve anyone still alive and bring them back for treatment," Hamaki mimura ordered, keeping watch for any Iwa shinobi who might launch a surprise attack.
"Get to it," Namikaze Minato said, his tone noticeably subdued, as if the scene had dampened his spirits.
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