"Kitada Aina. Eighteen years old. A chūnin-rank medical officer in Konoha Hospital's Medical Department."
"Both parents deceased. One younger brother—Kitada Hama—also a chūnin."
"Is that correct?"
"Yes."
The magnetic male voice carried an oddly compelling charm. Under the harsh glare of a white incandescent lamp, the light fell upon the face of a mature man so exquisitely handsome that he seemed unreal.
Before him stood a young woman who had only just woken up, not even having time to do basic makeup—now caught in genjutsu. Her once-clear eyes were vacant and unfocused, and the sounds she made carried a strangely unnatural quality.
The man held a small notebook filled with questions. With a pen, he recorded her answers, the thin, handsome curve of his lips lifting slightly as he continued to ask, calmly and methodically:
"What are your usual hobbies?"
"Studying medicine. Providing better treatment for my comrades."
"I see."
"How are your interpersonal relationships at the hospital?"
"They're fine."
"On your way to the hospital—and inside it—who are the people you're relatively familiar with? Please state their full names."
"Ōtsuka Umeko, Asano Yō, Ōkawa Yū…"
"In your understanding, what are their respective professions?"
"Ōtsuka Umeko is a nurse in the Medical Department… Ōkawa Yū is a general physician in the Medical Department, mainly responsible for civilians…"
"..."
The man—wearing a long Japanese-style ponytail and a rabbit mask engraved with beautiful patterns—looked down at the final question in his notebook.
"Last question."
"When working at the hospital, how do you address Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru?"
"I call Tsunade 'Director.' I call Jiraiya and Orochimaru 'senpai.'"
Snap.
The notebook closed. He had basically mapped out her interpersonal network.
"Thank you, Miss Aina."
"Next, when you hear my snap, you will enter a deep sleep lasting twelve hours."
"You will believe that you've finished work and returned home."
"You will completely forget tonight's conversation."
"Have a good dream."
Snap!
His long, pale fingers produced a crisp sound. If Kitada Aina were conscious, she would likely be captivated by those nearly perfect hands—combined with that face, that physique, that build—it would be easy to let one's guard down and sink into him completely.
The man picked her up and carried her into the master bedroom of the two-bedroom apartment—about a hundred square meters in total. Needless to say, a place like this wasn't cheap; it was purchased on a loan by the Kitada siblings.
Incidentally, Kitada Hama was the very chūnin examiner from the Chūnin Exams.
Recently, Kitada Hama had been out of the village on a mission and hadn't returned for half a month—giving Bai Xing the perfect opportunity.
"Good night, Miss Aina."
After settling her in bed, the man stepped in front of a full-length mirror typical of a girl's room and carefully examined himself. He raised one hand and formed the Ram seal.
"Transformation Jutsu."
Poof!
White smoke flashed, and in the mirror appeared a young girl whose pure features were a flawless imitation.
As a chūnin-ranked medical officer, Kitada Aina had mastered many medical ninjutsu.
As for combat ability?
At best, she was only slightly above an average genin.
—In other words, weak.
After all, the study of medical ninjutsu, fine chakra control, herbal and disease identification, and related medical knowledge was enough to consume every spare moment of someone who lacked chakra reserves or elemental talent.
Moreover—
She actually had a job.
"Life's tough. Today's my first day covering your shift—and it's unpaid, too. Guess I'm pretty unlucky."
"Let's just hope that White Fang uncle isn't still camping me."
Staring at the mirror image almost identical to Kitada Aina, Bai Xing couldn't help recalling the events from two months ago, up until half a month ago—the last time he personally treated battlefield casualties.
That time, he'd nearly been caught by White Fang.
Luckily, he'd used his self-created stamina-based transformation technique—altering bone structure, height, hair, and more—leaving behind no obvious clues.
That technique could also be called Life Return · Transformation.
As for improving his strength without alerting the village—or his bargain-bin teacher Orochimaru—Bai Xing couldn't train too aggressively or display obvious talent. His growth had to remain slow.
Fortunately, half a year ago—excluding Devil Fruit abilities—he already placed himself at the boundary of tokubetsu jōnin.
And after acquiring Saiyan physiology over the past six months, he could now reach elite jōnin—even Kage—levels without using his Fruit at all. His sense of security had skyrocketed.
But Bai Xing wasn't satisfied.
So his gaze turned toward the Ope Ope no Mi.
The reason he couldn't further develop it was simple:
—Lack of materials.
And where were there the most wounded bodies?
Naturally—
Konoha Hospital.
Preferably at night.
"Good evening, Doctor Kitada. Sorry to trouble you with night duty tonight."
"No problem~ Nurse Meme~"
"Woof!"
Inside the Medical Department building, the nurse on duty handling attendance—Inuzuka Umeko—was recording Kitada Aina's check-in. She handed a freshly printed card to "Kitada Aina."
"All set. Aomei—if you misbehave, I'll kick you out, okay~"
Bai Xing accepted the card—an admission pass—and smiled innocently as he watched Umeko tap the head of her white dog, whose fur carried faint bluish strands.
"Come on, Nurse Meme, don't abuse animals~ Otherwise Aomei will cry~~"
With a perfectly mimicked girlish voice, distinctive tone, and personality—and after Aomei the ninja dog sniffed several times without detecting anything unusual—Inuzuka Umeko smacked her lips.
"You're such a pain."
"Hurry up and head to the ward. Director Tsunade must be exhausted today—she really needs someone to cover."
"Mhm~"
The girl walked toward the third floor to fetch her white coat from her office. Down at the first-floor reception, Umeko yawned when Aomei suddenly woofed.
"What? You're saying I forgot something?"
"What is it?!"
"Woof! (Your pen!)"
"..."
"Damn it, Aina!"
Having put on the white coat and greeted a few familiar civilian patients, the girl returned to the first floor. With practiced ease, she deliberately performed a flawed and clumsy transformation jutsu, disguising herself as a patient's family member and heading toward the exit.
"Damn it, why hasn't Aina come down yet?" Umeko stood at the entrance with her arms crossed, still not seeing "Kitada Aina."
"Woof woof woof—"
"What?! You're saying she's right ahead? Where?!"
At that moment, two Konoha chūnin guarding the Medical Department's inner gate shouted at "Kitada Aina":
"This is a special period! Please do not use transformation jutsu as a joke!"
"Sorry, sorry."
"Kitada Aina" dispelled the jutsu, stuck out her tongue, and turned to see Umeko clenching her fists as if about to charge over. She immediately patted her butt and ran off.
"Hospital security during wartime is insanely tight."
"Outer perimeter patrolled by Uchiha. Internal entrances guarded by numbered village shinobi—minimum chūnin."
"And—"
Wearing a white coat with his hands in his pockets, Bai Xing's peripheral vision caught fleeting glances from the trees in the first-floor rehabilitation courtyard—
ANBU.
"The village's elite."
"Haa—so sleepy."
"Don't let your guard down. That person might sneak in again—we have to stay alert."
"If they're an enemy ninja or a spy, poisoning our shinobi or planting explosives would be disastrous."
"True. The captain's not here tonight—Jiraiya-sama is hiding in the ward. Hopefully he can catch that guy."
"Definitely. He is the Hokage's disciple, after all."
The ANBU's conversation was too far away for Bai Xing to hear.
But from the increased manpower alone, he could guess they were talking about him.
Previously, security consisted of:
– ID checks at hospital entrances
– Occasional Uchiha Police patrols
– Guards at the entrances of each building
Now added:
– 24-hour Uchiha patrols
– Two to three ANBU on-site
– Same-day-only access passes
So Bai Xing felt no grievance at all—on the contrary, it felt like he was personally crafting an Ultra–S-rank mission challenge.
As long as he wasn't caught.
If he were—
He'd face a village investigation, and once cleared, he'd either be forced into becoming a jōnin… or disappear.
Life would be completely over.
This—
Was a trial.
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