'Maybe it's because they don't have much chakra, or their chakra flow isn't like a shinobi's… it's hard to sense them.'
Looking at the civilians huddled in fear, Yuichi realized just how lacking his sensory abilities still were. He made a mental note to address that weakness in the future.
Refocusing on Mio, he immediately began using the Mystical Palm Technique, the most commonly practiced medical ninjutsu developed by Konoha's elite medical corps.
It was designed to accelerate the body's natural healing process by infusing precise amounts of chakra directly into damaged tissues. When used correctly, it could close wounds, regenerate torn muscles, and even prevent permanent damage to nerves and blood vessels.
Yuichi had learned the technique after returning from the Land of Grains; his left-hand injury from overusing lightning-based techniques had pushed him to take healing more seriously.
He had studied scrolls, trained hard and took the guidance of a field medic for a short while during the time his hand was healing. Lastly he practiced constantly to reach his current level.
Still, he was a beginner.
Placing his glowing green palm gently over Mio's wounds, Yuichi began the process. He had to stay acutely aware of his chakra output, too little would do nothing, too much could aggravate the injury. Mystical Palm required not just chakra control, but chakra precision,the ability to thread healing energy exactly where it was needed, and chakra quantity too.
Yuichi carefully moved from one injury to another, treating both shallow cuts and deeper gashes. The smaller wounds healed almost instantly with a faint glow as his chakra encouraged the cells to regenerate rapidly.
The deeper injuries took longer, he had to press his hand steadily over the torn flesh, guiding tissue to knit itself back together while ensuring no scarring or nerve damage remained.
It took a long time, far longer than he anticipated, and even after all that effort, the most severe wound, Mio's severed fingers, was still untouched.
"Fuuu… this is tough. I need more practice with this jutsu," Yuichi muttered, sitting in a lotus position to meditate and recover his chakra.
While he had a solid chakra pool and decent control, the constant fine-tuning Mystical Palm required was exhausting.
Still, he managed.
"Now… all that's left is this."
Yuichi glanced down at Mio's hand. It was wrapped in a tight bandage, and two of her fingers were missing.
He wasn't sure he could pull it off, but technically, it was possible to reattach freshly severed limbs using Mystical Palm. The technique could stimulate not just superficial healing, but also reconnect nerves, blood vessels, muscle fibers, and bone, if done within a few hours of injury, and under perfect chakra control.
This was beyond beginner level.
"Sakumo, you washed them, right?" Yuichi asked, taking the severed fingers from him.
"Yeah, just like you told me."
"That's good," Yuichi nodded, relieved.
Cleanliness was everything in reattachment. If bacteria had invaded the wound, sealing it would trap infection inside. Because Yuichi didn't yet know any sterilization jutsu, he had instructed Sakumo to use his Water Release to cleanse every injury.
But even that wasn't simple.
Sakumo had to create water through his palms instead of his mouth, one of the most difficult control tests for water-style users.
Thankfully, Sakumo was gifted with both lightning and water affinities and had the control needed to perform the delicate task.
The process of healing then became a coordinated rotation. While Yuichi gathered chakra, Sakumo treated minor wounds and cleaned the injury sites.
When Sakumo rested, Yuichi resumed Mystical Palm. This teamwork kept them both from burning out and allowed Mio's condition to stabilize.
Now, the final and most delicate phase: reattaching the fingers.
"Fuuu… fuu… fu…" Yuichi exhaled deeply, preparing himself. He began channeling chakra through his hands, activating Mystical Palm at a more focused and intense level.
He remembered the advanced scrolls he had read:
"To reconnect separated limbs, infuse equal amounts of chakra into both parts, synchronizing cellular regeneration and encouraging nerve reconnection. Any imbalance will cause misalignment or failure."
This was the pinnacle of advanced medical chakra control.
Yuichi slowly pressed the fingers against their original stumps. He had to ensure the bones aligned perfectly, that the nerve endings didn't twist or overlap, and that the capillaries began to merge correctly.
From time to time, he failed, overcharging one side and undercharging the other. When that happened, he had to stop and start again.
Each attempt drained his chakra and tested his mental focus. But he refused to give up.
Finally, after almost an hour of painstaking effort, the reattachment was complete. The fingers twitched slightly, showing signs of circulation.
The green chakra glow faded, leaving only faint pink scars, markers unsure would ever vanish.
Yuichi collapsed backward onto the floor, his shirt soaked in sweat. The stone beneath him felt cold and grounding.
"Huff… huff… how… how long was it?" he asked, panting.
"More than an hour. In total, you've been healing Mio for almost three," Sakumo replied, guessing the position of the sun outside the cave. While Yuichi had focused entirely on Mio, Sakumo had been managing the civilians and helping where he could.
"Damn… that was hell," Yuichi muttered, massaging his forehead. "My whole head aches."
He stood up groggily and stretched his arms. "Hey, Sakumo, dress up Mio."
"W-Why?? Why should I?" Sakumo shouted, flustered.
"Man, don't be such a pussy," Yuichi replied with a smirk. "I already have someone in my life… and you've already seen her once- what's the problem in seeing her a second time?"
With that teasing remark, Yuichi turned toward the exit of the cave, stretching his sore body on the way up.
"Haa… okay. But come back as soon as possible after checking the situation above," Sakumo sighed, giving in.
Yuichi raised a thumbs-up in the air without turning back. Sakumo watched the gesture with a faint glare, feeling mildly irritated, but with a deep breath, he let it go.