37. Chaotic Situation at the Medical Institute

37. Chaotic Situation at the Medical Institute

A month had swiftly passed, marked by the diligent continuation of Hikari's training regimen. On this particular day, after completing his planned training activities, Hikari made his way to the Hyuga Medical Research Institute, where he had been attending a specialized class over the past month.

The routine of the class had become a familiar part of his daily life, blending seamlessly with his ambitious training schedule.

Yet, amidst the standard procedures of the day, Hikari's attention was drawn to Hinome, who seemed noticeably less vibrant than usual.

Hinome appeared visibly worn down; her usually alert eyes were now tinged with redness and framed by dark circles, suggesting fatigue and perhaps the burden of stress.

Observing her closely, Hikari surmised that the recent conclusion of the Second Shinobi World War might be at the root of her exhaustion.

The war's end had brought back many clansmen to the village, a significant number of them bearing the scars of battle. Consequently, the Hyuga Medical Research Institute found itself at the forefront of the effort to provide care for these returning warriors.

With the influx of injured clansmen, the institute faced a pressing challenge: a shortage of personnel capable of managing the sudden increase in patients needing medical attention.

In response to this critical situation, the institute had called upon those attending its classes, including students like Hinome, to assist the full-time hospital staff in treating patients.

As the session concluded, Hinome, along with some of her classmates, moved on to their next class focused on healing more serious injuries that required longer healing times. Hikari, however, had a different agenda.

He secretly approached the professor of the third class, in a different part of the building next, the one dedicated to research and diagnostics, seeking to discuss Hinome's progress. His interest in her development was driven by the unique capabilities of her Byakugan and its potential applications in his plans.

To Hikari's surprise, the conversation took an unexpected turn. The professor revealed that due to the institute's decision to leverage Hinome's talents in the second class for treating real patients, she had been left with insufficient focus and energy for the third class.

This situation had hindered her ability to further refine her scientific skills and Byakugan's microscopic vision, aspects Hikari deemed very critical for his long-term objectives.

Hikari was very displeased with this revelation. This totally went against his own plans for Hinome's development.

Determined to address this issue, Hikari informed the professor that he intended to speak with the director of the institute directly.

However, just as Hikari stopped outside the director's office, he suddenly heard noises coming from somewhere else in the building.

Quickly using his Byakugan to see what was going on, his face turned serious when he finally located the source of trouble. Without wasting a moment, he took off at top speed towards the commotion.

***

A few minutes before Hikari sensed the trouble, Hinome found herself in a challenging situation inside the medical institute. What was supposed to be a regular class turned into an urgent call to action.

Due to a shortage of medical personnel, Hinome and her fellow classmates were pressed into service, joining the ranks of full-time medical shinobi and doctors to care for the injured returning from the war.

Despite being an orphan of the war herself and being promised fair compensation for her efforts, Hinome hadn't anticipated the heavy burden this responsibility would place on her.

Over the past few days, she had pushed herself to the limit, using her Byakugan's special microscopic vision to treat various injuries.

This constant strain led to visible signs of exhaustion—her eyes were slightly reddish from overuse, her hair was messier than usual, and her overall appearance looked worn.

She was in the middle of treating another Hyuga shinobi for an internal chakra injury, a task for which her unique vision proved incredibly useful.

Her ability had caught the attention of the more seasoned professionals, who, recognizing its value, had increasingly relied on her to assist with various patients, unwilling to let her take a break.

Just as she was adjusting to the rhythm of this intense workload, some assistant doctor approached her with a serious expression.

He informed her that there was a special patient in need of her unique skills. This request, coming amidst her already taxing schedule, added a new layer of pressure.

This act, while seemingly subservient, underscored the professionalism and dedication Hinome brought to her medical duties.

Despite the humiliating posture she was forced to adopt, Hinome focused on the task at hand, applying her specialized Byakugan vision and medical knowledge to address the injury with the precision and care it required.

However, the toll of the past few days' relentless workload began to show. Hinome's eyes, pushed to their limits over and over again, and her concentration, stretched thin by the constant demand for her unique skills, led to an unforeseen complication.

While meticulously working on resolving some of the internal tendon clots with her Byakugan's microscopic vision, it suddenly malfunctioned. Instead of healing, Hinome inadvertently aggravated the injury further.

This mistake caused Akemi to experience a sudden, sharp pain. Reacting instinctively to the pain, Akemi yelled out and, in a flash of anger and reflex, stood up on her other leg and delivered a harsh slap across Hinome's face. Hinome was caught off guard, tumbling back onto the ground from the force of the blow.

This incident immediately escalated tensions within the room. The commotion drew the attention of everyone present, and the indignation among the Side Branch members, who had witnessed the scene unfold, reached a boiling point.

The act of a Main Branch member physically assaulting Hinome, a young and dedicated medical ninja from the Side Branch who was already under immense pressure treating many of the more serious cases amongst themselves diligently during the past few days, struck a nerve.

It also highlighted the deep-seated divisions and resentments within the Hyuga clan, bringing them to the surface in a very public and confrontational manner this time around.

For the Side Branch members present, this was an affront not only to Hinome but to all of them, igniting a collective outrage at the unfairness and injustice of the whole situation.

Hinome, now on the ground, tried to process the sudden turn of events. The physical pain from the slap was overshadowed by a mix of shock, embarrassment, and a deepening sense of injustice.

Meanwhile, at this moment, Akemi's actions and words escalated the situation further. Far from showing any remorse for her reaction, she adopted a snobbish and aggrieved tone, as if she were the one wronged.

"I see all of your expressions, bastards. You probably don't think that my injury was very serious and needed to be taken care of at this time, right? Wrong. It is serious if I say that it is serious. It seems that you need to understand your place better as members of the Side Branch. Look at what will happen to this little girl you all care so much now...", Her words dripped with entitlement and disdain, a clear reflection of the deep-seated prejudices.

Her face twisted into a cruel sneer, and to the shock of everyone present, Akemi took another, even more drastic step.

She activated the Cursed Seal Command on Hinome, who was already vulnerable on the ground.

The sudden activation caused Hinome to writhe in agony, an act that sent a chilling message to everyone in the hall.

Akemi had a complete disregard for the sacrifices and injuries suffered by the Side Branch members during the war.

In her eyes, the natural order of things placed Main Branch members above their Side Branch counterparts, regardless of the latter's contributions or sacrifices.

Her actions were meant to quash any sense of rising dissent or resentment, enforcing a harsh lesson on the importance of submission and acknowledgment of Main-Branch supremacy during all times and places, even 'special' ones like today.

Since activating the Cursed Seal Command on nearly a hundred Side Branch members inside the clan would be a disastrous move both politically and logistically, Akemi saw Hinome as a means to make an example.

Therefore, the decision to target Hinome wasn't solely driven by the slight medical error that caused her temporary pain.

From the moment Akemi entered the hall, she perceived hidden looks and expressions of resentment from nearly every Side Branch member present, including Hinome, probably caused by her presence there during this time.

To Akemi, this undercurrent of dissatisfaction represented a direct challenge to the established hierarchy of the clan—a challenge she felt 'compelled' to 'quash' decisively as the Main Branch member.

By choosing to enforce the Cursed Seal on Hinome, Akemi aimed to remind every Side Branch member of their 'place' within the clan's deeply ingrained social structure.

"Stop what you are doing right now!", However, suddenly, the command, though coming from the slightly childish voice of the 6-year-old Hikari, carried an unexpected weight.

As he arrived on the scene, his presence immediately commanded attention. Despite his young age, there was something about the frosty expression on his face and the aura he exuded that made many in the room feel intimidated.

Hikari walked towards Akemi with resolute steps, his hands placed behind his back in a manner that subtly suggested he held a higher social standing than her.

Akemi, taken aback by Hikari's forceful entrance and the command in his voice, momentarily paused. The room, already tense from the confrontation and the painful spectacle of Hinome's suffering under the Cursed Seal Command, now awaited Hikari's next move.