Naruto: Fooling the Ninja World, I'm Hailed as a Savior

"Third Hokage?"

The hospital room door opened. The person who entered was indeed Hiruzen Sarutobi. Behind him, however, followed an unfamiliar old woman. Hearing Hyuga Kawa's surprised tone, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled gently at him, then sighed as he looked at the old woman behind him, "I've troubled you, Koharu."

"Alright, alright, this old woman only has this much use left in her."

Koharu Utatane glanced at him, complaining with a huff, then stepped forward towards Akimichi Doto. Akimichi Doto had suffered moderate burns to his respiratory tract, affecting his trachea and main bronchi. It felt like swallowing a mouthful of scalding sand, every breath rasping his throat, his nasal cavity filled with the metallic scent of rust, like a feather repeatedly scratching his windpipe, making him cough more the itchier it got, and itchier the more he coughed.

"Cough cough! Cough!"

At this moment, Akimichi Doto seemed to be coughing up his lungs. His hoarse coughs were more desolate than the wind outside the window, and the black phlegm he coughed up resembled blood-streaked mucus mixed with coal ash.

Treating such burns typically required irrigation to remove necrotic mucous membranes and soot, or even emergency tracheal intubation or tracheotomy to prevent laryngeal edema from sealing the airway.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have great faith in Koharu Utatane, not even going to the trouble of calling in other medical ninjas.

Although Koharu Utatane appeared to be somewhat of a fence-sitter between Shimura Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi, in her youth, she was, after all, one of the elite guard members directly under the Second Hokage.

Hiss.

Koharu Utatane first used a scalpel to cut open the affected area, then extended her palm in front of Akimichi Doto.

As chakra meticulously surged into the wound, black-purple necrotic mucous membranes and pus were drawn out.

This was the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, a B-rank medical ninjutsu. By sensing chaotic chakra within the body, it could pinpoint the subtle origins of harmful elements like toxins and pathogens.

While extracting toxins, it also healed the damaged areas. Even among medical ninjutsu, which generally had a high difficulty, this technique was considered quite challenging.

Hyuga Kawa intently watched Koharu Utatane's movements, even brazenly activating his Byakugan to directly learn it, but Hiruzen Sarutobi merely assumed he was doing so out of concern.

"Don't worry," Hiruzen Sarutobi placed his Hokage hat on the coat rack, sitting down on another chair as he reassured him, "Throughout Konoha, besides Tsunade, it's hard to find a medical ninja with more experience than this old woman."

"Third Hokage…"

Hearing this, Hyuga Kawa seemed to relax and shifted his gaze. Noticing Hiruzen Sarutobi's gentle gaze, a hint of guilt and dejection appeared on his face.

He was about to stand up from the chair but was stopped by Hiruzen Sarutobi, who gently pressed his hand on his shoulder, comforting him: "Just sit. I already have a general understanding of what happened. Both Doto and I know that this is not your fault."

"The doctor said you were also injured. How are you feeling now?"

Hyuga Kawa was gently pressed back into the chair, feeling the gentle warmth on his shoulder, his hands resting on his lap in bewildered uncertainty, his face slightly flushed, seemingly a bit reserved and excited.

After all, the difference in their social status was vast; they were unlikely to ever sit together and talk so intimately. Therefore, Kawa's demeanor satisfied Hiruzen Sarutobi greatly.

"Thank you for your concern, Third Hokage. Thanks to Senior Doto, I only have minor injuries."

Hyuga Kawa no longer insisted on standing up. He met Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze, his voice filled with humility, sincerity, and gratitude.

"Those weren't minor injuries," Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. "Besides Doto, you were closest to the explosion point. Anyone else would probably have died or been crippled."

Catching his implied meaning, Hyuga Kawa's face paled slightly. He quickly said, "Third Hokage, I… I didn't intentionally learn Rotation, it's just that…"

"Kawa, I'm not blaming you." Before he could finish, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "If you and Doto hadn't been in front, the escort team's casualties would have been far more severe."

"I just didn't expect your progress to be so great, or your performance to be so outstanding."

Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's continued gentle tone, Hyuga Kawa seemed to relax considerably. He pursed his lips and hesitated, "I… I don't know why, but ever since I activated my Byakugan three months ago, my control over my body and chakra seems to have grown stronger."

Looking at the innocent confusion in Hyuga Kawa's eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who found no anomalies, narrowed his eyes slightly, a guess forming in his mind about Kawa's changes. Changes that appeared only after awakening the Byakugan three months ago? No, it should be after Orochimaru's defection, right?

It seemed Orochimaru had indeed done something to this child. No wonder he wanted to take this child with him when he fled.

Unfortunately, no anomalies could be detected yet. However, he could keep this child by his side for further observation.

Even individuals like Hatake Kakashi and Yamato, who had attempted to assassinate him and his comrades, Hiruzen Sarutobi could forgive, tolerate, and even directly recruit into the Anbu as his personal guard.

Faced with Hyuga Kawa, who had always embodied the "Will of Fire," there was even less reason to push him away.

At least for now, Hyuga Kawa's character and loyalty seemed good, and his strength and talent seemed to have benefited from the misfortune, completed by Orochimaru.

At this thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi cast aside his lingering doubts and stopped probing, instead asking seriously, "Kawa, Doto and the others said that before you left, you saw the aftermath with your Byakugan, right?"

"I want to know what happened to you, who you encountered, and what ultimately transpired."

He had shown concern, he had probed, and now it was time to get to the main point.

As if reliving that terrifying scene, a look of fear appeared on Hyuga Kawa's face. "They're dead, all of them." His voice trembled slightly. "That guy was not human at all. That power… it's not something a human could possess."

Meanwhile, at the border of the Land of Hot Water, four figures stood silently in the night.

"Phew…"

Samui exhaled deeply, as if breathing out the chill in her heart, calming her inner terror. Standing there and looking around, the topography of the area was now clearly visible.

It was like the cap of a mushroom; their location was the highest point, and the surrounding terrain was lower.

Aside from their position, the ground in other areas was covered in grotesque ravines, stretching from their location to a thousand meters away, a scene of utter devastation, revealing the violence and terror that had occurred there.

Just looking at the marks gave one a sense of sharp force.

Samui closed her eyes, imagining in her mind what had happened here.

A person stood in the center, unleashing a wind release ninjutsu akin to a tornado, pulverizing everything in front of them into dust, turning it into a barren wasteland.

Not only that, but that person even controlled the tornado to spin in a circle, sweeping and destroying everything around them like clearing trash.

A terrifying power, capable of being called a natural disaster hurricane, was wielded effortlessly in their hands, and anyone or anything that tried to stand in its path turned into dust and mist.

Blood, flesh, and bone became fertilizer, buried in the earth of this area.

This kind of power…