Naruto Shadow Mage - Chapter 71
“Getting lost is really tragic!”
“Moreover, this forest path is definitely guarded by Mist Ninjas. In my current state, encountering them would be certain death.”
“Sigh!”
“In the future, if I don’t know the way, I should stop playing the hero. If I die because of being a poor navigator, it would truly be ridiculous!”
Letting out a deep sigh, troubled by his poor sense of direction and separated from Kurenai Yuhi and Taki Yowa, Yoroi could only silently seek a safe haven within the forest.
As for actively searching for Kurenai and Yowa, that was out of the question.
After all, as Yoroi thought, if he encountered Mist Ninjas while looking for Kurenai and Yowa, how could he defend himself in his current condition?
Even if he didn’t face Mist Jonin like Hozuki Mangetsu or Hozuki Juzo, just a few Mist Chunin would be enough to kill him in his heavily injured state.
So, after checking his ninja tool bag and finding it contained some emergency medical supplies, Nara clan secret medicine, and a few shuriken, along with enough rations to last a few days, Yoroi carefully concealed his tracks, and quickly went to a tree, calculated its dimensions, and used a sharp kunai to carve out a hollow space to hide in.
The advantage of being small was evident now for Yoroi.
If it were an adult like the Fourth Hokage in this situation, he would need a much larger tree to carve out a hiding place. In such circumstances, any Mist Ninja patrols would search larger trees thoroughly. Yoroi hiding in a relatively smaller tree trunk made it harder for the Mist Ninjas to discover him.
Of course.
Someone like the Fourth Hokage wouldn’t end up in Yoroi’s current predicament.
So, hiding in his hollowed-out tree, Yoroi was merely trying to console himself in a dire situation.
Before sleeping, he treated his injuries. Here, the benefits of having read the Nara clan’s secret scrolls became apparent again.
When Tsunade was in Konoha, to minimize casualties, partly due to her brother Nawaki’s death, she insisted every squad have a medical ninja, and each ninja carry medical supplies in their tool bags during missions.
Unfortunately, not everyone knew how to treat their own injuries. Most ninjas would just crudely bandage themselves.
But Yoroi was different.
As a member of the Nara clan who had read their secret scrolls and learned some medical knowledge, he was quite adept at treating wounds after spending time with the medical ninja unit.
In a short time, Yoroi had bandaged himself up like a mummy.
Despite his mummy-like appearance, Yoroi’s efficient emergency treatment meant most of his wounds would heal in a few days, and the injuries from the explosion would be fine within a day. The most challenging ones were the severe wounds on his shoulder and chest.
But Yoroi was confident that with the Nara clan’s secret medicine, he could fully recover in half a month.
The only drawback was that recovering fully in half a month was based on being in Konoha’s camp.
If Yoroi could prevent his wounds from worsening in the wilderness, that would be fortunate enough.
With scarce food, water, and nutrition, how could Yoroi expect more?
As night fell, chewing on hard rations, Yoroi, hiding in the tree hole without daring to light a fire to avoid Mist Ninja patrols, thought to himself:
“If only I had watched more survival shows.”
“Damn it, my situation now isn’t much different from survival in the wild. The only difference is my situation is worse!”
“People on survival shows only need to stay alive. I have to avoid Mist Ninja pursuers. This is really pathetic!”
Thinking this, Yoroi glanced at his blood-soaked bandages and sighed again.
“Sigh! Eating just rations while injured isn’t working. Even if the wounds don’t get worse, there will be hidden issues in my body!”
“Hidden issues are a serious problem!”
“No, tomorrow I need to risk it to find fresh herbs and some meat for nutrition!”
“Never realized how invaluable the Nara clan’s secret scrolls were until now!”
“At least in wilderness survival, they are priceless!”
With these thoughts, Yoroi sat cross-legged in the tree hole, recovering his chakra, and recalled his battle with Hozuki Mangetsu.
He had to admit, that Mangetsu was the first formidable opponent he had encountered, providing valuable combat experience in war.
Especially after breaking through during the battle, Yoroi’s strength had qualitatively leapt, making him understand why battlefield combat truly matures a ninja. Even amidst danger, Yoroi meticulously reviewed his battle with Mangetsu.
Until exhaustion took over, Yoroi finally fell asleep in the tree hole.
The next morning, upon waking, Yoroi began his quest to find herbs to prevent hidden ailments from his injuries.
Sometimes, even small untreated wounds can cause long-term issues.
In battle, any minor injury left untreated can become a significant problem, especially considering the intense battle with Mangetsu.
Any wounds must be treated thoroughly post-battle to avoid hidden ailments. Otherwise, these minor issues could accumulate, leading to severe and possibly incurable injuries, halting a ninja’s progress and potentially threatening their lives during a sudden outbreak.
Like NBA players in Yoroi’s world before he crossed over.
As professional athletes, not managing their bodies properly and playing while injured can lead to hidden ailments. Many talented players saw their careers cut short due to these accumulated issues, forcing them to retire from the NBA.
Yoroi, with such examples before him, was determined to learn from their mistakes.
So, even at the risk of danger, Yoroi collected herbs in the forest, using the Nara clan’s secret medicine to treat his injuries and heal any hidden ailments. The vast forest offered a game for nutrition, and Yoroi, adept at covering his tracks, found hunting easy.
Just as he finished crafting some Nara clan secret medicine and was about to go hunting, an unexpected event occurred!
To Yoroi’s surprise, while he was hunting, Mist Anbu suddenly appeared!
“Huh?”
“Why would Mist Anbu need to hunt? What are they planning?”
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