NARUTO: Ninja World Scientific Revolution

After Sarutobi Jū's team successfully ambushed two Sand ninjas who were returning to their village to send a message, they received a retreat order. Once they had cleared the evidence of their combat, Sarutobi Jū led the team back in the direction from which they had come, making sure to erase any remaining traces as they went. The thunderous explosions that had echoed from Sunagakure earlier were followed by their squad's retreat notification. 

Hyuga Mirai and the others understood well—this raid had to have been a success. The only thing left to find out was the extent of the Sand ninjas' casualties and how much they had gained. Though they weren't the primary assault team, they had still contributed quite a bit in terms of eliminating enemies, clearing out Sand ninja scouts, and laying ambushes. Once they returned to camp, they'd likely be credited with three B-rank mission accomplishments. Who knew, maybe they'd even get an A-rank for their efforts.

Mirai felt, however, that the rewards were a bit small. If he had been part of the raid on Sunagakure, his hidden strength and Byakugan would've allowed him to make a significant gain, all without anyone noticing. But now, having only completed the task of eliminating enemies, he'd be lucky to earn a small bonus. Thinking about the funds needed for his upcoming research, Mirai sighed. "Maybe I should convince Orochimaru to cook the books a little. If I don't touch any war funds, how long will it take to gather the money I need for my experiments?"

While heading back, his mind was full of such thoughts.

"Captain, what are you thinking about? You seem distracted," Kurenai Yuhi's voice broke through Mirai's contemplation. When on a mission, Kurenai was respectful and called him "Captain," but in private, she was much more casual. However, Mirai didn't mind these little details.

"I'm thinking about the village's reaction once we return," Mirai casually replied, offering a vague excuse.

"Reaction? After such a big victory, what kind of reaction could there be except for rewards?" Kurenai asked, her innocent eyes sparkling like red rubies as she tilted her head in confusion.

Kurenai's view was the same as most of Konoha's Chunin and Genin. However, the higher-ups would certainly have a different perspective. Konoha and the Sand had signed an agreement during the Second Great Ninja War. Even though the Sand seemed inclined to start another conflict, they hadn't actually taken action yet. From a logical standpoint, Konoha had struck first, and they would inevitably bear the blame for breaking the peace. 

While other villages knew that the Sand intended to strike, and even the Sand themselves were considering it, no one had actually acted yet. Now, after being caught off guard by Orochimaru's surprise attack, the Sand had suffered heavy losses. They would certainly deny any intent to escalate the war. As for the excuse about stockpiling supplies, they could easily fabricate that, as it was Konoha who struck first. The Sand could also conveniently blame the disappearance of the Third Kazekage on Konoha.

With all these factors in play, it seemed that Orochimaru's situation would be even worse than that of the late White Fang.

Sarutobi Jū and Kiyo Hyuga must have sensed this too. Kiyo, who was destined to inherit the Hyuga clan's main house, would surely be learning the intricacies of politics, even if he didn't particularly enjoy it.

"Others might be fine, but Orochimaru-sama is a different story. I'm not sure how the villagers will feel about him," Mirai said thoughtfully, deliberately voicing his concerns. 

Kurenai wasn't the only one to hear him—seven other people in the squad also overheard. Mirai intended to let his words spread among the ninjas and gauge their reactions.

Orochimaru wasn't like the White Fang of Konoha. The villagers' criticism? The misunderstanding from fellow ninjas? He wouldn't care. Orochimaru had his own ideals and methods. He had brought reinforcements to the frontlines to eliminate the Sand ninja threat. With their forces outnumbered, he had struck first to weaken the Sand's vanguard, buying more time for his side. As for Konoha's reputation or the accusations of starting the war, Orochimaru didn't even bother to consider them.

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The team returned quickly, but not long after, Mirai was summoned to the medical camp. After an ambush operation, there were bound to be many casualties, and a number of injured squads had already returned. Sarutobi Jū's team was the luckiest of all. They had Byakugan scouts and Mirai, a medical ninja, ensuring their combat effectiveness.

Other squads had clashed with Sand ninjas and had to pour all their energy into taking down enemies, only to sustain heavy injuries themselves during the Sand's desperate counterattacks. After performing a series of surgeries—amputations, sutures, detoxifications, and bandaging—the sun had already set. Then, Orochimaru's raid force returned and delivered more injured soldiers to the camp.

Mirai and the other medical ninjas could only rest in shifts to recover their chakra before moving on to the second round of treatment. There were many injured, both seriously and lightly. After a quick glance, Mirai knew that with the current medical manpower, there was no way to treat all the injured quickly.

It was Mirai's turn to step up… to save lives.

"Aoki-senpai, I'll take care of the light injuries," Mirai said.

Aoki, the medical Jonin, looked at Mirai and thought to himself, "For an eleven-year-old to have persisted through an afternoon of surgeries is already impressive. He even gave up his own break time to let others rest. It's understandable if he wants to take it easy now."

"Thank you, Mirai-kun. Then, please handle the light injuries," Aoki nodded in agreement, indicating a lighter workload for Mirai.

The other medical ninjas had no objections to Aoki's arrangement. After all, Mirai was the youngest, and it was already remarkable that he had held up this long.

"Got it. Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Mirai announced.

With a puff of smoke, Mirai created two shadow clones, each carrying bandages and medical supplies. They made their way toward the lightly injured in the rear, as long as the clones only had to perform physical tasks without using chakra, they could endure for a long time.

After the shadow clones left, Mirai moved toward a poisoned Konoha ninja. After a quick examination, he used his Extraction Jutsu to remove the poison.

Aoki and the other medical ninjas were left stunned. They hadn't expected Mirai to mean that he would take on more work by voluntarily handling the light injuries, thus increasing his own workload.

"Mi… Mirai-kun, don't you need to rest?" Aoki asked in shock.

Mirai didn't even look up, still focused on the wound. "I can still hold on. I'll treat the injured first. I'll rest after the other seniors come back to relieve me."

"Is that so…" Aoki watched Mirai with a sense of admiration. He had only thought of Mirai as a young boy with remarkable medical talent, but now he saw him as the future medical sage of Konoha.

Sweat glistened on Mirai's face from exhaustion, but his focus never wavered. 'What an impressive young man,' Aoki thought to himself.

He turned to the others and said, "Hurry up and treat the wounded. Someone will come to take over soon!" 

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(End of Chapter)