Chapter 81: Order from the Medical Department!

"Are you the elite ninja directly under the Mizukage?"

"The top ninjas of the Hidden Mist Village?"

"One of the candidates for the future Mizukage?"

"But, I heard that you couldn't even handle a Konoha Genin, got directly killed by that Konoha Genin, four of you, leaving three, escaping in a sorry state."

"Has the Hidden Mist Village fallen to this extent?"

"You, who couldn't even match up to a mere Konoha Genin, what pride do you have to step onto the battlefield again?"

But at this moment, the voice of the Sand Jonin suddenly stopped abruptly.

"Blue Rose Ice Release: Rose Entanglement!"

Unable to tolerate the nonsense from the Hidden Sand, Biwa Juzo drew the Blue Rose Sword, and while the Sand Jonin was speaking, violently stabbed it into the ground in front of him, a fierce cold burst forth.

Following that, a large number of rose constructs made of ice on the ground spread rapidly towards the dozen or so Hidden Sand on the opposite side, at an incridible speed.

Fast, too fast!

And it came extremely suddenly.

So much so that these Hidden Sand individuals didn't even react.

By the time they realized it, their bodies were tightly entangled by the ice roses.

The thorns on those roses pierced into the bodies of these Hidden Sand individuals, blood flowing out, dyeing the roses red, looking quite splendid. At this moment, the Hidden Sand individuals no longer had their previous arrogance, but instead became terrified.

"Blue Rose Ice Release: Long Spears!"

Above the heads of these Hidden Sand individuals, ice spears appeared one after another, plummeting straight down.

"Puchi!"

"Puchi!"

"Puchi!"

Bound by the ice, the Hidden Sand individuals couldn't struggle free.

They could only watch helplessly as the ice spears pierced their heads, impaling their brains, as if being executed, watching their life force rapidly dissipate.

"What is this?"

The Hidden Sand individuals, until their deaths, never understood why Biwa Juzo's fighting style suddenly changed. Became so strong.

"Remember, the one who killed you is named Biwa Juzo."

"The sword that killed you is called the Blue Rose Sword!"

At this moment, the nearby Hidden Mist Ninja finally came to their senses, looking at the Blue Rose Sword in Biwa Juzo's hand.

"Juzo-sama, is this...?"

Biwa Juzo nodded.

"Yes, just like Kiriichimonji, the Blue Rose Sword is also a new Ninjato from our Hidden Mist Village. Now, I am no longer one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Bury their bodies and then let's return to our base."

"Yes, Juzo-sama."

The Hidden Mist Ninja, upon hearing Biwa Juzo's words, showed a surprised expression.

"We have a new Ninjato in the Hidden Mist Village, and it seems very powerful. It's great to see Juzo-sama's strength increase so much. This is really a wonderful thing."

The name Biwa Juzo was familiar to this Hidden Mist Ninja. Very strong.

But now, Biwa Juzo's displayed strength is even stronger.

Shortly after the two left, a team of Hidden Sand individuals appeared. Upon seeing the bodies of the Hidden Sand individuals on the ground, their expressions turned somewhat ugly.

"Ice Release..."

Pakura's eyes flickered.

"When did someone with Ice Release Kekkei Genkai abilities appear in the Hidden Mist Village?"

Pakura had heard of the Yuki Clan in the Land of Water with the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, but they didn't belong to the Hidden Mist Village, and they had disappeared for a long time.

...

Uehara Soma stood under the eaves, watching the falling raindrops.

"Drip!"

"Drip!"

"Drip!"

Before long, Uehara Soma withdrew his gaze, inadvertently glancing at the semi-transparent screen in front of him.

"reputation has increased quite a bit."

Uehara Soma raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Does this mean that Juzo-senpai has encountered ninjas from the Hidden Sand Village?"

"In that case, it shouldn't take long for my reputation to reach 1000 points again."

Currently, Uehara Soma is like having three workers earning reputation for him.

Biwa Juzo, Hoshigaki Kisame, and Kaguya Neko.

As long as these three engage in combat and showcase the abilities of their Ninjato, it will boost his reputation.

"Last time, Juzo-senpai mentioned Pakura. I wonder if Juzo-senpai, wielding the Blue Rose Sword, will be a match for Pakura..."

Uehara Soma knew Pakura.

The hero of the Hidden Sand Village.

But also, a very tragic hero.

Possessing extremely strong power.

And conveniently, a Kekkei Genkai that counters Water Release ninjas.

Therefore, during the war between the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Mist Village, she demonstrated extreme dominance.

But earning too many merits doesn't necessarily mean it's a good thing.

When the war ended, the Hidden Mist Village harbored deep resentment towards Pakura. Therefore, they proposed a condition: they would cease the war against the Hidden Sand Village only if they handed over Pakura.

Logically, such an impertinent condition would never be accepted.

How could a ninja village betray its own hero in exchange for peace?

But the Hidden Sand Village did just that.

They directly sold Pakura, willingly delivering her into the encirclement of the Mist Ninja.

Subsequently, she was pierced by a thousand arrows. Died with eyes wide open. Even in death, she found no peace.

The fallen body was picked up by Hiruko, absorbed through the Chimera Jutsu, becoming nourishment for Hiruko's power.

By the time of the Fourth Great Ninja War, she was resurrected through Impure World Reincarnation.

Her own disciples not only didn't speak out against Pakura's fate,

but dismissed it with a sentence—"The past is the past, sensei, we must look forward"—and moved on...

...

Entering the forge.

Uehara Soma took out a hammer and a metal ingot, placing them on the forge table.

Then, he closed his eyes.

Recalling the images of falling water droplets he had seen these past few days.

Before long, he opened them.

"Just like this!"

Uehara Soma swung the hammer, starting slowly, but the further it fell, the faster it became.

"Clang!"

A swift strike.

Clean and precise.

Uehara Soma could almost see the metal ingot vibrating in a certain special way.

Like a struck bronze bell, even after the hammer has left, the bell still rings.

Uehara Soma revealed a smile.

"It's done!"

"Water Breathing: First Form: Water Drop Hammer!"

Uehara Soma swung the hammer again.

But this time, it was different from the last. As Uehara Soma swung the hammer, water-attribute chakra seemed to flow automatically from his arm.

It gathered on the hammer and coiled around it like a snake.

"Clang!"

Uehara Soma released the hammer.

"Incorporating breathing into forging, but not just any breathing. Similar to smelting techniques, it requires the involvement of chakra because the Breathing Technique I referenced happens to have attributes."

"And I also possess the Perfect talent for Water Release."

"Considering multiple factors, I'm able to achieve results in such a short time."

"It's not a perfect forging jutsu."

"But at least it's a decent start."

"For the forging of the Skeleton Emperor, the Water Drop Hammer isn't enough. According to my estimation, the limit of the Water Drop Hammer should be around sixty forging cycles"

"Next, I should observe the water flow."

"Swing the hammer down like a flowing stream."

Uehara Soma had just left the forge.

Ao's figure approached.

"Ao-senpai, what's wrong?"

"Soma, Mayuko-senpai is on her way."

"Then let's go greet her."

The two arrived near the pier.

An ANBU ninja rocked a small boat, approaching Forging Island, with Mayuko Ringo standing on it.

"Mayuko-senpai."

"Soma."

"Should I bring Ameyuri over? She should be at the training grounds."

Mayuko Ringo shook her head.

"No need, Soma. I came here to see you this time. I have a request that may be unpleasant. I'm not sure if I should say it."

"Mayuko-senpai, you're too polite. Just say it."

"It's like this, Soma. I've used the surgical set you made for me. The effect is very good, much better than the surgical knives we had in the medical department before."

Mayuko Ringo continued, "But, there's a problem. After each surgery, the surgical knives encounter varying degrees of contamination."

"Even though we've been as careful as possible and used chakra for cleaning, we can't completely remove the contamination."

"So, the surgical knives need to be replaced after several uses."

"If you have some spare time, could you help our medical department make a batch?"

"We'll handle the procurement."

It was at this moment that Uehara Soma remembered that in his previous life, surgical knives seemed to be disposable. To reduce wear, the blade and handle were designed separately.

So, when it needed replacement, only the blade had to be changed.

Uehara Soma hadn't considered that the contamination on surgical knives couldn't be completely cleared even with the chakra of medical ninjas.

But for Forging Island, this doesn't seem to be a bad thing.

If surgical knives aren't contaminated, a set of surgical knives can be used for a long time.

However, with the problem of contamination, the time surgical knives can be used is greatly shortened.

Even if minor contamination is ignored, it still needs to be replaced sooner or later after repeated use.

Like in his previous life. At the beginning, due to a shortage of medical resources, even needles would be used multiple times. Especially in times of war like right now.

This led to many adverse effects.

Especially in the matter of administering vaccines for infectious diseases, many people who were originally healthy ended up contracting infectious diseases due to issues with shared needles.

But even at that time, needles wouldn't be used indefinitely.

Frequent replacement of surgical knives means better business for Forging Island.

However, this also involves a matter of price.

While quality is important, if the price is too high, others won't choose it.

"Alright, Mayuko-senpai, I'll make some plans."

"Soma, I appreciate it."

"No problem, this is also advantageous for Forging Island."

Mayuko Ringo smiled, then remembered something and asked,

"Oh, by the way, Soma, how's Ameyuri been lately?"

"Ameyuri has been training hard. Sometimes she spaces out, maybe thinking about you, Mayuko-senpai, but overall, there are no issues. She's progressing quickly and has clear goals."

Mayuko Ringo nodded.

"Good, then I can rest assured, I won't disturb you further. I'll head back now."

"Goodbye, Mayuko-senpai."

"Goodbye."

Watching Mayuko Ringo leave, Uehara Soma immediately found Arafuni.

When it came to making surgical knives, Uehara Soma had no intention of doing it himself.

Firstly, Uehara Soma's time is limited. In comparison, he has more important things to do. 

Secondly, the crafting of surgical knives doesn't require special materials, and it doesn't necessarily require Uehara Soma's proficient level of forging technique to accomplish. 

Currently, Arafuni's forging technique is still lacking in some aspects. However, Arafuni can handle most of the work involved in making surgical knives. 

"Initially, I can participate in a small portion of the critical steps. Once Arafuni's forging technique improves, I'll entrust everything to Arafuni." 

That's Uehara Soma's idea. 

"Chief Uehara." Arafuni respectfully stood before Uehara Soma. 

Uehara Soma said, "Arafuni, there's a task I need to assign to you." 

"What task?"

"Forging Island has received a batch of orders." 

"Orders?"

Arafuni's eyes lit up. This term is a sore point for Forging Island. Why is Forging Island declining? It's because they can't get orders. 

Forging Island adopts the traditional individual craftsmanship forging model. The advantage of this model is that a skilled blacksmith can produce higher-quality shinobi tools. 

However, the disadvantage is the high cost. And with high costs come high selling prices. 

When the assembly line shinobi tools from the Land of Iron were introduced to the market, Forging Island suffered an unprecedented blow. Initially, there was still support for Forging Island within the Hidden Mist Village. But as the war progressed, the economic situation of the Hidden Mist Village became increasingly dire. 

Faced with the inexpensive shinobi tools from the Land of Iron, the Hidden Mist Village had no choice but to abandon Forging Island and opt for the Land of Iron.

Currently, Forging Island relies entirely on Uehara Soma alone. Relying on Uehara Soma to create Ninjato of the Hidden Mist Seven Ninja Swords level. 

However, this can only prove Uehara Soma's worth, not Forging Island's. Therefore, Arafuni was so thrilled to hear that Forging Island received an order. 

This means that Forging Island is likely to gradually recover. As a blacksmith born and raised on Forging Island, Arafuni hopes to see such a scene. 

"Ordinary shinobi tools, we at Forging Island cannot compete with the Land of Iron. Therefore, my choice is to directly give up. The direction we should focus on next is the direction of surgical tools." 

"Compared to ordinary shinobi tools, surgical tools have higher quality requirements."

"In a short time, it's impossible for the Land of Iron to catch up to the quality of surgical tools we produce."

"But my energy is limited."

"Therefore, Arafuni, I hope you can take the lead in forging surgical tools."

"Do you have confidence?"

Arafuni straightened his chest.

"Chief Uehara, I will do my utmost."

Uehara Soma nodded.

"Follow me to the forging room."

---

You can read up to 50 Advanced chapters and support me at patreon.com/Lookar