The next day, with no mission assigned, Shinichi left home at four in the morning as usual for his morning training.
After finishing, he followed his routine and went to the Konoha Hospital to begin another day of internship.
After more than two months of study, the gains had been substantial. Not only had he further refined his precise control over chakra, he had also mastered the C-rank medical ninjutsu Hemostasis Technique and Healing Technique, as well as the B-rank Delicate Illness Extraction Technique.
Such progress caused the senior staff at the hospital to sigh repeatedly, "He truly is a genius."
One must know that many people often need two or three years of study to master these. Shinichi's performance was already considered rare.
As for the higher-level Mystical Palm Technique and Chakra Scalpel, Shinichi had not yet come into contact with them—few people in the hospital had mastered those two, as they belonged to the high-level category.
At noon, after dealing with several patients' injuries, Shinichi was about to go eat lunch when, from the far end of the corridor, a loud and carefree voice suddenly rang out: "I heard the hospital recently got a young man with extraordinary talent! I was wondering who it was—turns out it's you, brat!"
Hearing the voice, Shinichi turned around. A tall blonde woman with a striking presence stood not far away, arms crossed as she sized him up. She was tall and slender, wearing a tea-green traditional top and dark trousers, with a light-colored outer robe draped over them. Her long golden hair fell over her shoulders, and the faint blue diamond-shaped mark on her forehead was especially conspicuous.
Tsunade!
"You're Higashino Shinichi, right?" Tsunade walked over, her tone frank, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny and curiosity. "That little brat Shizune keeps chanting your name in my ear all day—'Shinichi is amazing,' 'Shinichi is a genius,' 'Shinichi developed an incredible ninjutsu.' I've been hearing it so much my ears are about to grow calluses. Today I finally get to see you in person."
'If anything, you're the one who rarely shows up.' Shinichi thought to himself.
He had been studying at the hospital for over two months. He had assumed he would soon meet one of the legendary Sannin, yet he had not run into her even once.
Later, from the occasional idle chatter and sighs of other doctors and nurses, he learned that Tsunade had rarely come to the hospital in recent years. Unless there was an extremely difficult, unmanageable major injury, she would not appear.
After finishing her work, she would leave in a hurry, as if there were something in the hospital she found deeply repulsive—something that made her unwilling to stay even a moment longer.
Shinichi understood the reason. After the successive deaths of her younger brother Nawaki and her lover Katō Dan, Tsunade had developed hemophobia.
As time passed after the war, the images of losing those she loved and the blood-soaked scenes became nightmares she could not escape, tormenting her day and night, making it increasingly difficult for her to face illness, blood, and the impermanence of life and death.
As a result, she chose to stay away from the hospital—the place most likely to trigger those painful memories. In a few more years, the deepening wounds in her heart and the worsening of her hemophobia would drive her to leave Konoha outright with Shizune, beginning a long, aimless life of drifting and avoidance.
His thoughts raced, but his face revealed nothing. Shinichi replied with respect, but without excessive humility: "I pay my respects, Tsunade-sama."
"You brat, you know me?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, sounding a little surprised.
"Yes. Shizune... also often mentions you," Shinichi answered.
"Go on, then. What does Shizune usually say about me?"
"Well..."
At the right moment, a trace of difficulty appeared on Shinichi's face. His gaze shifted slightly, as if choosing his words.
"Hmph!" Tsunade snorted softly, her face showing an expression of "just as I thought." "That little brat definitely hasn't said many nice things about me."
Shinichi only smiled faintly and didn't respond. Fortunately, Tsunade wasn't truly hung up on it, either.
Her gaze fell back on Shinichi, carrying a scrutinizing look as she sized him up from head to toe.
The boy before her truly looked ordinary. Yet strangely, when he stood there, he naturally gave off an air that made people feel comfortable and trust him.
This aura was markedly different from his youthful appearance. It even made Tsunade—who usually didn't care about outsiders—feel, for no clear reason... that he was easy on the eyes.
Then she returned to the point, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry: "You 'genius' with quite a reputation—after finishing your mission, instead of seizing the time to train, why did you run to the hospital and bury your head in learning these medical ninjutsu?"
"Tsunade-sama, you flatter me." Shinichi's attitude remained neither servile nor overbearing as he spoke. "In my view, studying medical ninjutsu itself is an excellent form of training. The precision it demands in chakra control is nothing short of strict, and it's an outstanding path for tempering control."
"Moreover, gaining a deeper understanding of the body's structure, the flow of chakra pathways, and functional responses is also highly beneficial to my training in taijutsu and ninjutsu. And of course, as a shinobi, if I can master a certain amount of medical knowledge, then at critical moments I might be able to give my comrades one more guarantee of survival. That is also an important consideration."
"Sounds like you've thought it through pretty thoroughly." Tsunade nodded noncommittally, then pressed, "Then tell me—what exactly have you learned over these past two months?"
"In medical theory and diagnosis, I followed the seniors to learn basic identification of pathology, the handling procedures for common injuries, and preliminary application of various medical instruments." Shinichi listed them one by one. "As for medical ninjutsu itself, I'm still only at the introductory stage. For now, I've learned the Hemostasis Technique, the Healing Technique, and the Extraction Technique."
"Even the Extraction Technique—you've mastered that as well?" Upon hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed through Tsunade's eyes, and she could not help but take another look at him.
This B-rank medical ninjutsu demanded extremely high precision and stability in chakra control; it was by no means something that could be mastered in a short period of time.
"It seems Shizune calling you a genius every day isn't entirely nonsense. Not bad. Keep working hard, brat."
After saying that, she appeared to lose interest in continuing the discussion. Casually, she raised a hand and patted Shinichi on the shoulder—the force was not light—then turned cleanly and strode away in large steps. The entire exchange seemed very impromptu, as if she had merely passed by on a whim and stopped to chat.
In fact, even Tsunade herself did not quite understand why she had taken the initiative today to speak with this boy she had only heard about from Shizune.
Perhaps it was because Shizune had mentioned him so many times that it had stirred a trace of curiosity in her; or perhaps it was simply that, at first glance just now, this young genius with quite a reputation in the village had unexpectedly seemed... pleasing to the eye.
At that moment, a young nurse named Izumi, holding a clipboard, walked over briskly down the corridor. Her face carried obvious curiosity and a smile.
"That was... Tsunade-sama just now? She actually took the initiative to talk to you?" Izumi lowered her voice, her eyes bright and filled with gossiping interest.
"Yes." Shinichi nodded, his tone even. "Tsunade-sama asked about my studies at the hospital."
"Not bad, Shinichi-chan!" Izumi gently nudged him with her elbow, her smile carrying familiar teasing. "As expected of the man I like—Tsunade-sama is even paying attention to you."
In response, Shinichi could only show a faint, helpless smile, shake his head, and refrain from picking up on that remark.
He knew Izumi had a lively personality and liked to joke. At this moment, the best response was simply to let her talk.
"All right, all right, I won't tease you anymore." Seeing that she had gone far enough, Izumi straightened her expression, though the smile in her eyes did not fade. "But being asked about by Tsunade-sama is indeed a good thing. Although she hasn't come much these past few years, her eye for talent is first-rate. Keep it up, future great doctor!"
With a smile, she patted Shinichi on the shoulder, turned lightly while holding her clipboard, and went back to her work, humming an off-key little tune.
The corridor returned to quiet. Shinichi looked in the direction Tsunade had left. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and headed toward the cafeteria.
The brief exchange just now was like a pebble cast into the lake of his heart, sending out circles of faint ripples before gradually settling back into calm.
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