Chapter Twenty-Seven: Were You Given Anesthesia During the Surgery?

Konoha Hospital.

Emiya Shigen was right here. He currently looked every bit the doctor. This was something Emiya Shigen was obligated to do in Konoha—to serve as a physician who heals the sick and saves the dying, for he was a genuine medical ninja.

Very few in Konoha recognized his face, and he had no intention of concealing his identity, though some in the hospital did find him familiar. This was because the Senju clan had many medical ninjas, and most of them, like Senju Hashirama in his youth, had once snuck a peek at Emiya Shigen inside his crystal coffin.

"Ensure he watches his diet."

A faint green glow of chakra vanished from Emiya Shigen’s fingertips. Without glancing at the patient he had just treated, he instructed his assistant: "Tell his family to come to the ward to tidy up; he can be discharged today."

Chakra… it truly was a miraculous power, capable of rapidly healing wounds. When combined with superb medical skills and sufficient clinical experience, even the most difficult and complex surgeries could be performed with minimal risk.

"Lord Emiya, you are incredible!"

"None of us dared to operate on this patient!"

"That is normal," Emiya Shigen replied, picking up a medical chart and scribbling on it before handing it to the assistant. "I am only more proficient because I have performed so many surgeries. Your conservative treatment plan was somewhat effective; at least it kept him alive..."

"This is..." the assistant asked, curious.

"These are medications that may be used during treatment." Emiya Shigen spoke of his methods nonchalantly. "I have seen many patients, so I know a little more than most. A previous patient suffering from a similar condition found relief using herbs from near his home. I found those same herbs effective for others without causing side effects."

"Right," Emiya Shigen added after a moment, "once you find these herbs, do not use them on the patient immediately. Wait until I have studied them; the circumstances might be different."

This was knowledge from an ancient era. Over a thousand years had passed, and the human body had evolved; Emiya Shigen could not be entirely certain of the current efficacy.

Outside the operating room, Emiya Shigen had just pushed open the door.

"Lord Emiya!"

Senju Hashirama knelt before him. The First Hokage prostrated himself at the threshold, kowtowing and begging Emiya Shigen to save his subordinate, Sarutobi Sasuke.

"Please, I beg you to save my comrade Sasuke!" Senju Hashirama cared nothing for his dignity as Hokage, tears streaming down his face. "I will do anything if you can save his life!"

Emiya Shigen’s eye twitched as he watched him. This man… did he come here to cause a scene? And the way he talked about "saving Sasuke" sounded so strange! Although Emiya Shigen had long known that Senju Hashirama was referring to Sarutobi Sasuke, he still couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable.

Behind him, the assistant covered his face. Many in Konoha knew of the First Hokage; despite his immense power, he was prone to bouts of emotional crying and kneeling whenever he encountered trouble.

"Sasuke was tracking Madara..." Senju Hashirama explained the circumstances of Sarutobi Sasuke's injury. "He was critically wounded by Madara’s Fire Style ninjutsu. In the village, only..."

"He has a few hours left to live," Emiya Shigen said after assessing the injuries.

"!!!"

Terror flashed across everyone's faces.

"It seems he must be treated first," Emiya Shigen said, sighing as he signaled for them to carry Sarutobi Sasuke into the operating room. "Fortunately, the next patient scheduled for surgery can still hold on for a few years..."

"..."

Cold sweat broke out on everyone's foreheads. Is this really a proper medical ninja? It sounded as if they were in a queue, and if Sasuke could have lasted a few more days, they would have had to wait!

*Click.* The operating room door shut.

The guards hurriedly pulled their Hokage to a seat. As they waited in trembling anxiety, a young boy wearing a Konoha headband rushed over, his face etched with unease and tension.

"Monkey!" Senju Hashirama called the boy to his side.

The boy was Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sarutobi Sasuke's son. Only fourteen or fifteen years old, he was deeply worried about his father’s critical condition. Because the Sarutobi clan’s summoning animals were monkeys, and combined with his surname and his occasionally hyperactive, restless behavior, the elders who watched him grow up had nicknamed him "Monkey."

"Lord Hokage, my father..." the boy asked nervously.

"Monkey, do not be afraid," Senju Hashirama said, gently patting his head to soothe him. "The person treating your father is the greatest medical ninja in the history of the ninja world..."

"Hiruzen!" A group of boys and girls ran from the end of the corridor. They bowed hastily to Senju Hashirama before looking anxiously at their friend.

"Hiruzen, we heard about your father..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. Seeing his friends' distress, he gradually calmed down. "Thank you. I’m sorry to have worried you. Lord Hokage just told me my father will recover soon..."

"That’s right!" Senju Hashirama flashed a wide grin and raised his hand. "I swear in the name of the Hokage, he will recover soon!"

"Lord Hokage!" the guards cried out, rushing to cover his mouth.

This wasn't something to be said lightly! Sasuke had been brought in in a near-death state; no one expected the head of the Fire-Style-wielding Sarutobi clan to be so severely burned by Fire Style techniques! Of course, considering his opponent... it was a miracle he was still alive.

"Huh? Where is Danzo?" a girl asked, noticing someone was missing.

"Danzo seems to be still training hard at the practice grounds," a boy with glasses noted, explaining, "We all rushed here when we heard the news; we haven't had a chance to tell him about Hiruzen's father yet."

"Don't tell Danzo today," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, acting like a little adult before his worried peers. "I will find a chance to tell him once my father's condition stabilizes, so he doesn't have to worry today."

The group nodded in agreement. Sarutobi Hiruzen held great prestige among his peers; he was usually playful, but whenever the atmosphere grew tense, he always appeared incredibly reliable.

Of course, these youngsters didn't realize that such emergency surgery often required a significant amount of time. They could only wait patiently for the operation to conclude.

Inside the operating room, Emiya Shigen worked with a calm expression. To him, this burn surgery was nothing special, especially after having just performed far more difficult internal surgeries.

To the assistant, however, the scene was horrifying. Emiya Shigen’s left hand manifested a chakra scalpel, using minimally invasive techniques to slowly excise the burned skin and muscle from Sarutobi Sasuke, blood immediately welling up from the incisions. His right hand channeled vibrant green Yang-style chakra, rapidly cauterizing the wounds and forcing the muscle and epidermal cells to regenerate.

"Do not be afraid. The patient has a robust constitution," Emiya Shigen said, successfully multitasking as he channeled chakra into the wounds while soothing the assistant. "Compared to complex internal organ surgeries, this is quite simple..."

"Fortunately, he was burned instantly by a Fire Style technique... the patient is very clever; he did not suffer inhalation burns. If he had, the danger level would have been far higher. I once saved a patient who survived a fire; his airway and lungs had suffered horrific burns..."

"A-and?" the assistant asked, watching in terror as Emiya Shigen chatted away while operating.

"?" Emiya Shigen looked at his assistant, perplexed, before speaking as if it were obvious: "I was in better condition then than I am now; I easily sliced open the patient's throat and lungs and saved him..."

The assistant felt dizzy.

"As expected of... Lord Emiya..." Sarutobi Sasuke’s consciousness flickered through the pain. He felt his body wracked with agony, but he struggled to utter a word of praise.

"You're awake?" Emiya Shigen paused for a second before asking a question that terrified the assistant: "By the way, do you remember if I administered anesthesia to him before starting the surgery?"