Chapter 116: What Kind of Chicken Hatches Like This?
"Is Lord Third ready yet?"
"Minato, hang in there a little longer. This old man will be done soon."
"All right."
Flush!
After flushing the toilet, Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped out of the bathroom looking refreshed.
He fastened his belt, glanced at Minato, who was diligently working through documents at his desk, and cleared his throat.
"This old man is here."
Hearing that, Minato didn't even raise his head. He simply pushed half the documents on his desk toward Hiruzen and said tiredly, "Lord Third, these are today's documents. I hope we can finish them tonight and go home for a good night's sleep."
The Third Hokage stared at the mountain of documents before him, his aged cheek twitching slightly.
There were this many?
Would they really have to work until tomorrow morning?
"Minato~"
Hiruzen pulled over a chair and sat down on the opposite side of the desk. He casually picked up a document and said, "Actually, when this old man was Hokage, there were very few times when I went a whole month without going home."
The reason there were so many documents recently was because Kumogakure had sent a delegation to negotiate, which had diverted the village's attention. Besides, the war had only just ended.
Things would get better in a year or two.
Haa…
Minato sighed inwardly.
He glanced at the application in his hand. It requested that an excellent medical ninja be assigned to treat a member of the Kumogakure delegation.
After stamping it, he said, "Lord Third, there's still no trace of those missing 'enemies.'"
Hearing this, the Third Hokage's expression darkened slightly.
They hadn't even found a single strand of hair.
It made him wonder whether the enemies who had attacked them were all bald.
If they didn't investigate this matter, many people in the village probably wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
However, when he saw Minato working diligently and thought of his powerful grandson, Hiruzen slowly spoke in his aged voice.
"Minato, as the village's Hokage, as the stabilizing force of the village, anyone can become anxious, but you cannot."
"You must remain calm at all times, keep your mind clear, and make the best possible decisions."
"Understood."
Half a day later.
Konoha Hospital.
"Excuse me, who is the most capable medical ninja you have here? Someone who specializes in psychology?"
Hearing the clear female voice from behind him, the Konoha medical ninja scratched his head and began thinking.
He had recently heard that Anko Mitarashi seemed to have developed some psychological problems and was slowly recovering with the help of Yugao Uzuki.
Yugao, huh…
With that thought, he raised a finger and pointed south.
"If you count an intern medical ninja, then—"
"Uzuki Yugao lives in Ward 002. She's the best medical ninja in the entire hospital. Her strength and position are enough to rival the deputy director of the Medical Department."
"Then can I visit her for treatment? I have a certificate issued by the Hokage."
The Hokage?
Hearing the word Hokage, the medical ninja was startled and hurriedly turned around.
Kumogakure?
When he saw the Kumogakure forehead protector on the woman's head, the smile on the Konoha medical ninja's face instantly disappeared.
He said flatly, "Of course."
"Thank you!"
Noticing his sudden coldness, Mabui quickly thanked him before turning around and walking toward Ward 002.
"002… 002… Here."
She looked up at the room marked 002 and gently knocked twice.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Come in!"
A slightly childish voice came from inside.
Creak.
Mabui pushed the door open a crack and peered inside.
Whoa!
What a huge room.
Was this the treatment environment provided for Konoha's best medical ninja?
The conditions here were much better than those in Kumogakure.
She sighed inwardly before her gaze landed on two girls inside the room who appeared to be around her age.
The purple-haired girl wore glasses and was flipping through a book, occasionally nodding thoughtfully.
The black-haired girl sat anxiously to the side, looking as though she had just finished crying.
"Ahem~"
Mabui cleared her throat, pushed the door open, and walked inside.
"Sorry to bother you. Is Uzuki Yugao here? I'm here to have her examine me."
Yugao looked up at Mabui as she approached.
"That's me."
"You?"
Mabui frowned and looked Yugao up and down suspiciously.
"How old are you?"
"I'm eleven. I'll be twelve in three months."
Yugao glanced at her before continuing to read her book.
Almost everyone who came to her for treatment asked that question.
"???"
Mabui looked at the note personally approved by the Fourth Hokage, then at the "best medical ninja in Konoha" who was receiving her.
Her mind instinctively wandered toward the conspiracy theories her comrades often discussed.
Konoha definitely wants to kill us.
With that thought, she pulled over a chair and sat opposite Yugao.
She intended to gather more information and show it to her comrades after returning.
"Are you really the best medical ninja at Konoha Hospital?"
"…"
Yugao looked up at Mabui and calmly said, "I've never considered myself the best medical ninja here. But everyone outside says that, and I can't exactly stop them."
"All I can do is work hard to become as capable as they believe I am."
Those words gave Mabui a newfound respect for her.
Before coming here, she had seen the large slogan hanging above Konoha's Medical Department.
"Medical ninjas must maintain a rigorous and humble attitude, constantly strive to improve their treatment techniques and communication skills, and ensure that every patient receives the best possible care."
Perhaps this girl really does have some ability.
Since she was already here…
Mabui rested her chin in both hands and said helplessly, "Then just give me a routine examination."
Yugao glanced at the dejected Anko, closed the book in her hands, and asked seriously, "What illness does she have?"
The moment the other girl became serious, Mabui's heart inexplicably settled down.
So professional.
Even her words were filled with confidence.
Then she saw Anko clutching her hair in frustration.
"It's just… everyone says I suffered psychological trauma because a chicken disappeared from my family."
"But I don't think I have any psychological trauma. I really do think that fried chicken tastes exactly like the chicken I used to eat."
"So I couldn't help buying some more."
"Mm~ Mm~"
After listening to the patient's description, Yugao nodded.
Then she opened the table of contents of the book in her hands, slowly moving her finger from top to bottom.
"???"
Seeing that this medical ninja neither thought nor frowned, but instead expertly opened the table of contents, Mabui immediately developed a bad feeling.
"What are you doing?"
Hearing that, Yugao said apologetically, "Sorry. I only finished my psychology class yesterday afternoon, so I don't really understand this yet. Give me a moment while I look it up."
Mabui's expression darkened.
Her ominous feeling became even stronger.
Konoha definitely has some ulterior motive against Kumogakure.
Seeing the bronze-skinned girl trying to sneak away, Yugao pulled several bags of snacks from the desk and pushed them toward her with a smile.
"You eat first. I'll be right back."
"This… really isn't necessary, is it?"
Mabui pushed the snacks back.
She was becoming more and more certain that this girl was unreliable.
Why would anyone bring so many snacks to work?
Yugao shook her head solemnly.
"No. As a medical ninja, professional ethics require me to do everything within my ability to cure every patient who comes before me."
"Eat, eat."
After saying that, she pushed the snacks over again and began seriously flipping through the book.
Hmm.
Psychological trauma.
I'll call my teacher.
Anko is depressed because of what I did.
An hour later.
At the entrance of Konoha's Medical Department.
Two guards leaned against the wall, boredly staring at the sky.
Then, from the corner of their eyes, they suddenly noticed Uchiha Asuka appearing at the entrance.
Whoosh!
Just as they were about to step forward to greet him, a breeze swept past.
The figure vanished before their eyes.
They watched Asuka rush inside and shook their heads.
"Recently, Jonin Asuka has been coming to the medical department more and more frequently."
"Can't be helped. There's a little girl here who could ruin our reputation at any moment. If it were you, you'd be running here too."
"…I suddenly understand why Lady Tsunade refuses to take disciples."
"Why?"
"It would interfere with her gambling."
Asuka pushed open the door and walked inside.
He saw three young girls sitting in chairs, leisurely eating snacks while occasionally discussing gossip from the ninja world.
There was no sign that anyone had been killed by over-treatment.
"Phew!"
He let out a deep breath before his gaze landed on Orochimaru's disciple.
"Is she the one who needs treatment?"
"She is."
Yugao shook her head and pointed toward Mabui.
Following her finger, Asuka's gaze landed on Mabui.
Mabui's eyes immediately lit up.
Oh, so this is the sponsor!
Thinking about how one-tenth of the fried chicken shop's recent sales had come from this woman, Asuka's expression immediately became serious.
"Don't worry. You won't die. Give me your hand."
Feeling an imposing aura pressing down on her, Mabui froze for a moment before instinctively extending her arm.
"???"
A moment later, Asuka looked suspiciously at the three girls eating snacks.
"With a body this healthy, you could probably knock out a Genin with one punch. So where's the illness?"
Yugao patted her forehead and explained Mabui's condition.
"???"
Psychological trauma?
Wouldn't it be enough to simply distract her from her work?
Asuka thought of Tsunade.
Although she had suffered severe psychological trauma, she had been remarkably successful at distracting herself from it.
Asuka glanced at the customer, then took the potato chips Yugao handed him and began eating.
"Yugao, go to my house and get Miss Mabui a flowerpot. Tell her to water it every day so she can have something else to focus on."
Yugao tilted her head, her tone somewhat hesitant.
"It's that simple?"
Asuka shook his head.
"You also need to perform some lifestyle intervention."
"For example, twenty-percent off fried chicken. If she likes it, let her eat more."
Yugao nodded, seeming to understand.
But also not quite understand.
"Oh~"
"I'll keep an eye on her. You take the other two out for a walk."
Asuka sat in the chair looking bored and quietly pointed toward Anko with his finger.
It was currently a sensitive period because of the negotiations with Kumogakure, so news of Orochimaru's defection had only circulated among the village's higher-ups.
But as Orochimaru's disciple, Anko had definitely been interrogated yesterday.
She was also Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple.
Since she could appear here now, it meant that she had passed the examination.
Her current sadness was probably because Orochimaru had left without taking her with him.
"Yay!"
At that moment, Yugao immediately took off her white coat and tossed it aside.
Then she grabbed the other two girls by the hands and ran straight toward the Uchiha district.
Sitting here every day receiving patients and constantly flipping through books was simply too annoying.
Uzuki Yugao expertly opened the courtyard gate and brought the two girls into Asuka's home.
She looked around at the rows of flowerpots in the courtyard and suddenly hesitated.
There are so many varieties.
"Mabui, what color and type of flower do you like?"
Hearing Yugao's question, Mabui looked at the flowers and plants before her and answered casually, "Anything is fine. I just don't think flowers and plants can really heal my psychological trauma."
"How could they not?"
Yugao jogged over to the flowerpots and began selecting one.
"The book says that while interacting with flowers, you form an emotional connection with them. That strengthens your affection for them, which is very beneficial for your mental health."
Then she looked toward a flowerpot on the left that had not yet bloomed.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
"Water it carefully and patiently wait for it to bloom."
With that thought, she picked up the flowerpot and handed it to Mabui.
"All the flowerpots Teacher placed in the courtyard have seeds planted in them. Some have already bloomed, while others haven't."
"Take this one, water it whenever you want, and watch it break through the soil with your own eyes. It'll give you a real sense of accomplishment."
"Hmm?"
Mabui pouted.
She accepted the flowerpot with a mixture of doubt and belief.
Can growing flowers really be that magical?
That evening.
After wandering around Konoha for an entire day, Mabui returned to her temporary residence.
She placed the flowerpot filled with soil on the balcony and casually poured some tap water over it.
Can growing flowers really be so magical that they can heal the mind?
She stared at the dark soil in the flowerpot.
A trace of doubt flashed through her eyes as she began imagining what the flower would eventually look like.
Breaking through the soil.
Slowly growing.
Then blooming.
Thinking about it that way, she was actually starting to look forward to it.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, Mabui noticed the soil in the flowerpot suddenly move.
Growing flowers…
That fast?
Can watering it really make it sprout immediately?
Mabui rubbed her eyes and hesitantly muttered, "There isn't a bug in the soil, is there?"
With that thought, she poked the soil with her finger.
Once.
Twice.
Then she noticed the black soil move again.
"???"
Before Mabui could find a tool to dig into the soil and kill the bug, she noticed a lump suddenly swelling in the center of the flowerpot.
The next second—
A chicken's head broke through the soil.
It looked at the person before it with curious eyes.
Mabui stared blankly at the chicken head emerging from the dirt.
Then her body suddenly stiffened.
Her eyes widened rapidly.
Her mouth opened wide enough to swallow an egg.
Drool dripped from the corner of her mouth onto the ground.
"Ah~ Ah-ba~ Ah-ba~"
She instinctively dropped to her knees, staring straight at the chicken head in the flowerpot.
She was so shocked that she couldn't even form a complete sentence.
The shock Mabui felt at that moment was indescribable.
Uchiha Asuka…
He really is one of Konoha's top medical ninjas.
No.
He really is a top medical ninja, second only to Lady Tsunade.
This method of treatment is truly unique.
In Mabui's limited understanding, she had never once imagined that one day she would be able to grow a chicken out of soil.
At this moment—
She truly felt that her psychological trauma had been healed tremendously.
But…
Mabui felt as though her entire worldview had been struck by a Tailed Beast.
It had suffered catastrophic damage.
Damn it!
Did he really think she had never raised a chicken before?
What kind of chicken hatches like this?!