The wind howled in his ears, buzzing like thousands of bees — a relentless, droning hum that wouldn't stop.
Saitama felt himself moving. Combining that with the last image he saw before losing consciousness, he realized he must have been rescued.
This time, he'd definitely acted too arrogantly. He was clearly weaker than his opponent but still hesitated to activate his Sharingan — practically asking for death!
At first, Saitama thought revealing his Sharingan too early would bring more troubles than advantages, so he chose to pretend he hadn't awakened it. A two-tomoe Sharingan at age six—if the elders of his clan didn't care, the high-ups in Konoha definitely would. Especially that man hiding beneath the village.
Saitama hadn't expected things to turn out this way at all. Fortunately, he came to his senses at the last moment and survived the final clash. Now, this battle gave him a perfect excuse to explain the awakening of his Sharingan—the near-death experience in combat was exactly the kind of situation needed to justify it!
"Where's the medic? Hurry!" Saitama didn't know how much time had passed when he felt himself being placed onto some platform.
"Almost there. What happened here?" A calm voice spoke. It belonged to a woman.
"This is one of the Clan Guards from Logistics Route 2 at the rear—it seems they were attacked by Suna ninjas. I heard something and rushed over, but I arrived too late."
"I see. Seems pretty young," the female voice continued.
What happened next faded completely from Saitama's memory. His injuries left him unable to stay conscious—blood loss, broken bones, internal damage—not a single wound minor.
In the hazy darkness, Saitama seemed to see Sajji rise again, a kunai tightly gripped in his hand. A cruel sneer curled his lips as mocking eyes stared at Saitama.
"Just die already!" Sajji yelled, thrusting the kunai straight toward Saitama's face. Yet Saitama felt completely powerless—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move even an inch.
As the blade drew closer, reaching right in front of his face in an instant, Saitama could already foresee his own death.
"Die!" In that split second, chakra flared within Saitama's eyes. Tomoe swirled around his pupils, glowing with a blood-red hue that gave him an almost hypnotic, deadly beauty.
The moment his eyes snapped open, Saitama—who had been lying flat—jolted upright, lifting his torso off the ground. At the same time, he clenched his fist tightly and swung it forward with force.
"Huh...?" Saitama blinked and took in his surroundings. He was inside a tent—everything was neat and clean, except for the tatami mat beneath him.
"Urgh!" He barely started to move when sharp pain shot through his chest.
Looking down, Saitama saw his bare torso, tightly wrapped in bandages across his chest. A strong medicinal smell seeped through the dressing, slightly irritating his nose.
"Oh! You're awake!" A gust of cold air rushed in as the tent flap was pushed open.
Walking in was someone familiar—Uchiha Hayashi. He carried large pieces of gauze and a smelly packet of medicine. Judging by his appearance, he had come specifically to change Saitama's dressings.
"Mm, why are you here?"
"Something's been bothering me," Saitama muttered. Logically, during wartime, someone like Uchiha Hayashi should be on the battlefield instead of staying here to take care of him.
"I happened to be around today, so I just dropped by!" Hayashi said casually, raising both hands in a relaxed gesture toward Saitama.
"You've been unconscious for three days already! When they first brought you back injured, everyone thought you might not make it through the night. You were covered in blood, a kunai lodged in your chest — barely breathing." He paused briefly to observe Saitama's reaction. "Fortunately, your physical condition seems pretty good — you pulled through!"
"It's fine as long as I'm alive, right? Since I've already been saved," Saitama replied indifferently, reaching his hand up to touch his chest where he still felt some pain after moving slightly following his awakening.
"Well then, since you're awake now, you can change your own bandages." Handing the supplies over to Saitama, Hayashi sat down cross-legged near Saitama's feet, watching him with apparent amusement.
"So what?" Receiving the items, Saitama was about to start changing the dressing when he noticed Hayashi staring at him intently without blinking. It wasn't that he felt shy, but Hayashi's gaze did seem somewhat strange.
"I really didn't expect your growth rate to be this fast, Saitama!" With an amused smile, Hayashi continued, "Everyone in the camp is still buzzing over what you pulled off that day. As a Genin, you successively defeated two Chunin ninja and finally managed to defeat a Jonin while ending up in a mutual crippling fight."
Saitama remained silent, continuing his task by removing layer after layer of gauze from his chest. Due to bodily fluids produced during wound healing mixed with medicinal liquid, the gauze had stuck tightly onto his skin, making removal rather difficult.
[Rip!] Finally unable to separate the last few layers gently, Saitama simply gave one strong yank, ripping off the gauze along with part of the freshly formed tissue, reopening the wound slightly and causing fresh bleeding. He frowned slightly but otherwise ignored it.
"You're never going to get better if every dressing change ends up injuring you again!" Hayashi remarked with obvious amusement, resting his chin on one hand.
After applying medicine directly onto the wound and bandaging himself again, Saitama attempted to stand. He immediately sensed discomfort throughout his body — likely the result of prolonged immobility.
"So how are you feeling?" Following suit, Hayashi asked calmly while standing up.
"Not bad, though my body still feels somewhat weak," Saitama answered honestly about his physical state without hiding anything.
"I'm curious how exactly you managed to defeat that Sand ninja?" Hayashi inquired further, eyes filled with interest and curiosity.
"What do you think?" Looking upward, Saitama met Hayashi's gaze. The latter towered over him noticeably, leaving him only reaching halfway up Hayashi's shoulders.
"Ah, now I see!" Noticing the tomoe patterns within Saitama's eyes, Hayashi displayed an expression indicating he'd anticipated this revelation, yet couldn't help but continue scrutinizing Saitama's ocular features.
"By the way, did you awaken with Twin Tomoe right from the start? That's truly impressive indeed!"
"If I hadn't awakened my eyesight at the very last moment to catch that Sand ninja completely off guard, I wouldn't know whether I could still be standing here today. After all, he was a Jonin-level opponent!"
A faint, mocking smile curled at the corner of Saitama's lips as his hand instinctively brushed across his chest, a trace of nostalgia flashing in his eyes.
"This turned out to be fortune born from misfortune," Uchiha Hayashi said, lightly patting Saitama on the left shoulder with an experienced tone. "Focus on healing your wounds and don't overthink things."
"Let's take a walk," Hayashi continued, letting out a sigh afterward. "The battles with Sunagakure have grown heated again lately. It's been too long since we've had a real fight—we're all just cautiously testing each other now."
Saitama threw the piece of clothing lying beside the tatami mat over his shoulders and stepped outside. At the tent entrance, Hayashi held up the flap with one hand while gesturing invitingly with the other.
Perhaps because it had been so long since he last saw sunlight, the day's rays felt unusually glaring—even though their warmth was comforting against his skin.
As he stepped outside, Saitama realized this was the very tent he had been assigned upon arrival. That explained why everything felt vaguely familiar—sparse and immaculate.
It was noon now. The sun hung high above, pouring life-giving energy onto the earth. A soft breeze whispered past his ears, carrying golden grains of sand that rustled gently against his clothes.
"Hey there, buddy, awake already?" A voice, vaguely familiar to Saitama's ears, reached him. As he turned his head, however, he found himself unable to place the speaker.
"Who are you?" Saitama studied the man's face carefully but couldn't recall ever meeting him before.
"This is Jonin Gekko Masano," Hayashi explained beside him. "You owe your survival to him—he's the one who brought you back! If he'd arrived even a little later, you might not have made it."
"Oh, it's you, sir! Thank you so much!" Saitama bowed deeply toward the roughly thirty-year-old ninja standing before him.
This gratitude wasn't trivial—it was truly a debt of life itself. Unable to think of a better way to repay it, Saitama figured a little gratitude wouldn't hurt.
"We're all Konoha ninjas—helping each other is only natural," Masano replied with a friendly smile, observing the young Uchiha heir before him. The boy possessed both strength and immense potential; Masano had no issue doing small favors like this. "Besides, your resilience impressed me—you were barely holding on that day, yet here you are, walking around just days later!"
Looking at the blade resting behind Masano's back, Saitama fell into thought—clearly, a swordsman of considerable skill.
Everyone knew the Gekko name was synonymous with swordsmanship. Saitama had always admired their exceptional techniques and, at one point, even considered learning them himself.
"I still have duties today—I'll save our chat for another time," Masano nodded respectfully toward Hayashi while addressing Saitama. With that, he strode confidently toward the center of the camp, posture straight and proud.
"Sure thing, see you next time, mister!" Saitama stepped aside politely without making a fuss. Beside him, Hayashi simply chuckled and gave a casual wave.
"Let's go. I don't have any plans today—I'll walk with you," Hayashi said, turning his head slightly once Masano disappeared from view.
"Oh, by the way, what about Itsuki Hyuga and the others?" Saitama suddenly remembered to ask.
"You mean your teammates?"
"It probably isn't too serious. Likely just resting in some tent. Anyway, their injuries aren't as bad as yours, so don't worry about them."
Uchiha Hayashi said indifferently, his eyes fixed on Saitama's face.
"Then that's fine," Saitama nodded and stopped asking further questions. With the squad in its current state, continuing as a team was probably impossible anyway.
"Oh right, the captain told me to ask if you want to apply for reassignment to the rear for recovery. If you do, you can return with the next batch of injured personnel." Hayashi stepped aside to make way for a rather bulky ninja passing by. Saitama recognized him as an Akimichi.
"It took me ages to finally get to the battlefield!" Saitama only said this much before falling silent again. Naturally, Hayashi understood what he meant and didn't press further.
"Fair enough. Then rest well these days." As they passed a tent, Saitama caught a whiff of something delicious.
"I've been out cold for so long without eating—let's grab a bite. Take me there." The ninja camp did offer cooked meals, not just Military Rations Pills—but regular ninja had limited food rations, while only Jonin could eat freely whenever they wanted.
"Alright, I'll treat you to some meat!" Hayashi nodded, glancing at Saitama's pale face. Without another word, he led Saitama over to a nearby tent.
"Hey, is it okay for you to eat this much meat right after waking up?" Hayashi looked at the nearly ten plates in front of Saitama. Most were various types of boiled meat, with a few boiled eggs tossed in.
"Don't I deserve to eat more when I'm hungry? After getting injured, shouldn't I eat more to recover?" Saitama replied with a shrug. Before Hayashi could say anything else, he grabbed a hunk of meat and started chewing away with obvious enjoyment.
Earlier, right after awakening, Saitama had felt intense hunger, but then Hayashi came in to change his bandages, momentarily distracting him. Now, walking past the tents serving food to the entire encampment, the smell triggered an immediate reaction from his body.
In no time, Saitama devoured everything in front of him, finishing even faster than before he got injured.
"Hic!" He let out a small burp and felt like half his injuries had already begun to heal.
Speaking of injuries, Saitama noticed that the bones previously broken by that ninja named Sajji seemed to have already healed—only the wound pierced by the kunai on his chest remained uncomfortable.
"Alright, let's head back." Seeing Saitama finish eating, Hayashi called out.
"I've got a meeting later. As the Uchiha representative responsible for this battlefield, I'm not exactly free either!" Hayashi added teasingly, guiding Saitama outside the tent.
"Yeah, sure." Rubbing his chest, Saitama thought he should really go back and rest more.
"Lord Hayashi! Orochimaru-sama wants to see you!" As the two walked toward Saitama's tent, a figure suddenly landed beside them.
Saitama halted, looking at the ninja. This person should be one of the Uchiha clan members who arrived at the frontline with him—an acquaintance with a faint impression.
Saitama nodded at him and turned to Uchiha Hayashi, saying, "You guys go ahead. I'll head back first." Without waiting, he stepped away.
"Let's go. Head over first," Uchiha Hayashi glanced at the departing Saitama and said to Uchiha Kumo, who stood nearby. Then turning around, he left first, with Uchiha Kumo closely following behind.
Walking slowly back to the tent, Saitama saw the sword leaning in a corner. It must have been returned to him after Gekko Masano's team cleaned up the battlefield. He ignored the blade and walked straight to the tatami mat, lying down on it.
From Uchiha Hayashi, Saitama learned that the Suna ninja from that day hadn't died either, but had been captured later by Gekko Masano's squad. Most likely, he was now undergoing re-education somewhere.
That battle made one thing crystal clear to Saitama—when a lion goes after a rabbit, it still strikes with full force. Trying to hold back on the battlefield is just begging for death!
Lying flat on the tatami, Saitama checked his chest wound.
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!