Context: The Tsuchikage learns about Kichiro's existence. Takes place during chapter 9 of SOTT.
Ōnoki
"Ah, Yuuto-san! More good news, I hope. This war is going quite well. The old monkey is certainly feeling Iwa's strength. It's only a matter of time before he surrenders." I commented cheerfully as my most trusted spy took a knee in front of my desk.
"I'm afraid a complication has arisen, Tsuchikage-sama," Yuuto informed me and looked up solemnly. I'd never seen him so haggard and unkempt.
I straightened and gestured for him to continue.
"Two new names have appeared on the Konoha lines."
"Who?" It's been a long time since any new names have emerged from Konoha.
"The White Fang and the Spirit of the Triage."
"Is the Spirit of the Triage Dan Katō?"
"No. Dan Katō is a confirmed presence in Kumo. The Spirit of the Triage is an entirely new face and name. Most of the reports on him are vague and the only thing I know for certain is that he exists."
"I fail to see how this is relevant then."
"Would you allow me to report on the White Fang first?"
I nodded.
"He is definitely someone we need watch carefully. His name is Hatake Sakumo, Jōnin of Konoha."
"A Hatake‽ I thought that clan was extinct!"
"There was suspicion that they allied with Konoha and their deaths could never be confirmed. May I continue?" He didn't wait for permission. "He has white hair and is in his late twenties or early thirties. Since he is so much older than most names are when they first appear, heavy combat is not his first role. His primary weapon is a sabre, which is suspected to be a clan heirloom. Judging from his role on the front lines, he is neither a clan head nor the last of his line. That's all I know for certain, but wherever he appears, the Spirit of the Triage isn't far behind."
"Interesting. Are they teammates?"
"I do not believe so."
"Why not?"
"The Spirit has been confirmed to have healed ninja from Konoha, Suna, Ame, and Iwa."
"Healed? She's a medic?"
"That fact is still unconfirmed, but the Spirit is most certainly male. I encountered him once, from a distance. Before I could approach, a squad of Konoha shinobi appeared and catcalled him. He turned his back on my position and responded, I quote 'I am male, you assholes, now go help your comrades before I tattle on you' unquote."
"He's connected to a high-ranking Konoha ninja. Could you tell his age?"
"Young. He could be as young as six or as old as fifteen, but he's definitely prepubescent."
"Describe him."
"He wore a bright green haori with black flames along the hem. On his back was the kanji for medic. He had a black bandanna tied over his hair that might have been a hitai-ate, but I never saw his face. When he was turned in my direction, he had his head down and was healing an Iwa ninja. Underneath the haori, he was not wearing a Konoha uniform. If I didn't know better, I would say it was the Genin uniform from Uzu. I'm fairly certain he has red hair, but it might have been blood that I saw behind his ear."
"Uzushiogakure was destroyed and the death of every shinobi and their students was confirmed."
"Konoha extracted several children from the ruins. One of them might have had shinobi potential."
"Our spies have confirmed that the children were all under the age of seven when they were recovered, two siblings had talent as ninja, but neither were exceptionally intelligent. At least not to the degree where they would be able to be such a proficient healer." I leaned back in my chair, contemplating the information. If Konoha had a trained Uzumaki at their disposal, the war could take a very bad turn. Especially if the Uzumaki discovered Iwa had—no, I couldn't imagine the fallout of that. I couldn't put off the rebuilding of the interrogation corps any longer.
"Then the Spirit could be a rogue."
"In their entire clan history, the Uzumaki have never had a traitor or a rogue." Myself, my fellow kage, and the unfortunate spy who unearthed the Uzumaki's most despicable secret were most likely the only individuals outside the clan to know exactly what lengths the Uzumaki went to ensure loyalty. The Uzumaki's hands were much cleaner than any other clans, but they had a dark side that not even I wanted to bring to light.
"I find it more likely that he is an Uzumaki shinobi who managed to survive the massacre than anything else. The Uzumaki never made enemies of any of the ninja villages and their alliance with Konoha wasn't for military purposes."
That wasn't possible. The speculation wasn't going to yield any results. "You said he was healing an Iwa ninja, correct? Who was it?"
"I never caught his name, but he was a Genin. It was during the battle not far from Kannabi two days ago. He was healing anyone he came across. The Genin had a bone protruding from his thigh and someone had stabbed his neck. He should have died, but without any supplies or bandages, the Spirit healed him. He left behind scars, but otherwise fully healed the wounds. That's another reason I think he's an Uzumaki. If the reports are to be believed, in that battle alone, the boy healed at least fifty people who otherwise would not have returned to the battle. Uzumaki are the only people with that much chakra—even then, adult Uzumaki can barely manage the Spirit's feat. Even if he was in his mid-teens, he would need an extraordinary amount of chakra to do that. He's a chakra monster, but somehow remained a medic—and has the control necessary to be successful. The most disturbing part is that the boy can suppress his chakra to the point where he barely registers as a person, much less the freak that he is."
"How many of our ninja did he heal?"
"Two that I know of."
"Ranks?"
"Genin."
"Interesting. Do you know how many Konoha nin he healed?"
"Konoha suffered two deaths from that battle. Iwa had twenty-nine. The Spirit was the only medic on-scene since Iwa's attack initially targeted and killed the medics at the Konoha base."
"The Iwa ninja outnumbered Konoha four-to-one! How did we take so many losses in comparison?"
"The Spirit of the Triage is rumored to be able to bring back the dead."
"That's not possible."
"I've confirmed three reports that Konoha ninja, who have been crushed by earth jutsu—one from the neck down—have reappeared on the battlefield. All of Konoha's renowned medics have attempted to heal those injuries, none have been successful."
"When was the last time Konoha produced a child with comparable skills?"
"There are rumors that Konoha's ANBU Bird is still a child, but for obvious reasons, there's no way to determine the truth in that. The Sandaime Hokage's students and Dan Katō are the only ones who have gained reputations before they turned fifteen. There have been several Uchiha with promise, but none have gained a reputation beyond their clan name."
"I see. Do you have any information on the Spirit's abilities?"
"He is a spectacular medic and I'm inclined to believe the rumors he can raise the dead are not as exaggerated as we want to believe. I didn't see him use any seals, but they are difficult to detect even when one knows they are being used. He carries two sticks and I didn't see a single blade on his person. Considering the boy has survived several of Suna's assassination attempts, he is either very well-protected or most likely has a respectable sensory and combat ability. He's not battle-hardened and tried to make small talk with the Iwa Genin, who thankfully didn't respond."
Interesting, but there was absolutely nothing to do except wait and see what the boy would do. "Have you written your report?"
"Yes, Tsuchikage-sama."
"Is there any information you omitted from the report that was too sensitive to put on paper?"
"No, sir, but would you allow me to give my opinion on what should be done?"
"Go ahead."
"Put a standing capture order out on the boy. He's a medic and a potential Uzumaki. Even without fūinjutsu knowledge, he is young enough to be manipulated and potential Jinchuuriki material—if he's not already a Jinchuuriki."
"I'll keep it under consideration. In two days, head back out. Gather as much information as you can on the White Fang and the Spirit of the Triage. Stay for two weeks. If another player shows up, stay another week. This will be a B-rank mission and I expect you back in less than a month. Leave your report. Dismissed."
He stood up and left without a word.
