Outside an underground Cavern,
Izuna and the Sannins stare at a hidden entrance beneath a large tree.
"This is the place, according to the map," Orochimaru informs us as we stare at the entrance.
"I still can't believe, Hiruko would do such a thing." Tsunade has a conflicted expression.
"We grow up together with him, faced many life and death battles during the Second Shinobi War. Now, we are ordered by Sensei to assassinate him." Jiraiya sighs as he reminisces.
"He is consumed by the darkness and followed the wrong path. We should try to guide him towards the light." Tsunade remarks.
"Let's meet with him first and see whether he thinks the same way as you." I interrupt their thoughts as I draw my Chakra blade.
"Be careful, we have no information about his Kinjutsu. It can be pretty dangerous to engage him in his lair." Orochimaru warns us as he folds the map and takes out a kunai from his holster.
"Let me place some barrier seals to block his exit, in case he tries to run away," I suggest to them.
They nod to my suggestion as I start to place seals around the entrance. After five minutes, I stand in front of the cave as I slam my hand on the ground. Various seals crawl from my position as they fuse with other seals.
'Fuinjutsu: Three Yang Formation'
A crimson pyramidal barrier surrounds the cave. I walk up to the barrier and create an entrance for us to enter. The Sannins enters one by one as I follow them inside.
We enter a large passageway engulfed in darkness. Orochimaru takes out a glow stick from his pocket. He twists it to produce some light and we continue to move forward. I activate my Sharingan in case of danger.
I have no problem in darkness as I have an infrared vision because of my Mutated Sharingan. The cave is very damp and many mosses and fungi are growing on the walls. I activate my X-ray vision as I start to look around. We reached the end of the laboratory, but there is no sign of Hiruko.
"He must have abandoned his lab." Jiraiya remarks.
"From the look of it, seems like he left in a hurry." Orochimaru investigates for any trail.
"Let's search for any information pertaining to his Kinjutsu." Tsunade searches around.
I spot a hidden passage beyond a fake wall as I inform them.
"There is a passage beyond that wall. I think it is an emergency exit. There must be a mechanism to open it somewhere…"
Bang…
Before I could finish my sentence, Tsunade bust opens the wall with a punch.
"It would be too much of a hassle to search for the switch."
Jiraiya shrugs off his shoulder as he enters the passage. I wait for Orochimaru's orders for our next course of action.
"You guys, move on ahead. I will catch up with you, once I find any information regarding the Kinjutsu." Orochimaru instructs us.
"Well, that's what he said. Let's search for Hiruko's trail. Hey, you Uchiha boy, you seem to be an expert in tracking and stealth, according to Hiruzen sensei. Why don't you show your skills?" Tsunade comments as she approaches near me and bends her back to face against me.
I could clearly see those massive mounds of her and the valley between them. I take a deep breath to calm myself down as I answer,
"Leave it to me. I will track him soon. I have some sensory abilities."
I activate my infrared vision and pair it with 'Eye of Insight' of Sharingan as I look for trails. Together with the training from Anbu, I can figure out the tracks left behind. Soon, I found the direction of the escape of Hiruko as I start to follow it.
Jiraiya and Tsunade followed closely as I increased my speed. The incredible perceptive power from Sharingan helped me differentiate between a decoy and the real thing.
"I would have to say, you have some good skills boy. Do you want to follow me and be a part of my adventures?" Jiraiya questions me.
"Rather than following a pervert like you, I would prefer that bad-tempered old lady over there," I remark at Jiraiya's offer.
Tsunade has a tick mark on her forehead as she tries to punch me, but I dodge her attack.
"See, how bad her temper is. Besides, what can you teach me, if I follow you." I ask Jiraiya as I avoid another punch from Tsunade.
Jiraiya contemplates as he mutters,
"Ninjutsu, no he can already create his own S-Rank jutsu. Genjutsu, what I am even thinking? He is an Uchiha, so he is an expert in Genjutsu. Besides, Genjutsu isn't my forte. Taijutsu, I don't think I am good enough in Taijutsu to teach him anything.
Kenjutsu, I never trained in the sword. Huh! I can't really teach him anything." Jiraiya sighs as he hung down his head.
"Wait a sec! Senjutsu. Maybe I can teach him Senjutsu. But for that, he needs a summoning contract with toads. Maybe, I can talk to Fukasaku about it. I don't want to miss an opportunity to get such a powerful underling, can I? He can take care of all of my errands and I can get to enjoy more." Jiraiya is lost in his fantasies as he makes a pervert expression and drools leaks from his mouth.
I ignore Jiraiya as I start a conversation with Tsunade.
"Hey, Tsunade. I heard that you are an unparalleled Medic Ninja. I would like to learn Medical Ninjutsu from you, if possible."
"Call me Tsunade-sama. And yes, I am a very good Medic Ninja. But I want to retire as a Ninja after this mission. I want to roam around the world and find meaning in my life." Tsunade reminisces about her past as tears flow from her eyes.
"I don't know about your past. But if you are hung up on your past, then you won't be able to make much progress in the future." I interrupt her thoughts as I thought of reducing some of her trauma.
Tsunade snaps at me and starts to yell,
"What do you know about me? I lost my only family member and the person I loved the most. Do you think it is easy to forget about that?"
She clutches her necklace as she stares angrily at me.
"Sorry, if I offended you somehow. That wasn't my intention. What I want to say is, you can't change the past, but you can always plan for a better future. Your loved ones would be sad in the afterlife to see you grieve over their death. I am sure they also want you to move forward in your life and be happy and cheerful." I use the famous Talk-no-Jutsu on Tsunade to console her.
Tsunade ponders over my words as she wipes away her tears.
"If your emotional drama is over, then can we focus on our mission?"
A creepy voice interrupts us as Orochimaru pops out from a nearby bush.
"Oh! You caught up Orochimaru. Did you find anything about the Kinjutsu of Hiruko? It must be a non-human technique if Hiruzen-Sensei ordered for assassination."
Orochimaru throws a scroll to Jiraiya as he explains,
"I examined his equipment and incomplete research notes he left behind. His Kinjutsu is called the 'Chimera Technique'.
It is a forbidden technique in the sense that it allows the user to combine separate living bodies of organisms into one combined organism bearing the original characteristics of the organism and therefore create a synthetic body.
I am not sure of his intents, but he seemingly wants to create a perfect being by combining the abilities of other beings. His idea is unique, and I found many research notes which can improve the abilities of a ninja."
"Orochimaru, it is a Kinjutsu. He is using humans as guinea pigs for his experiments and sacrificed the lives of many shinobis from the leaf. The village can't approve of such an inhumane technique as it is against Shinobi morals and code of conduct." Tsunade calms down as she disagrees with Orochimaru.
"Tsunade, the world isn't a perfect place. Humans are just mortal beings who die very easily. There is so much to learn in this world, but we have only a limited lifespan. What if we can control our life and death? Imagine a world where your loved one's won't leave you anymore. Some sacrifices are required to make that possible." Orochimaru entices Tsunade.
"Orochimaru, your beliefs are a little twisted. You want to sacrifice lives to save lives. That's too much of a contradiction. Also, I don't think Life and Death are such matters which we can take so lightly. Every life has a meaning, you just have to figure out the meaning of your life on your own." Jiraiya rebukes Orochimaru.
The atmosphere turns tense as we continue to follow the trails.
--
I have spotted a shinobi's Chakra 400 meters ahead. There are lots of turbulence in his Chakra and it seems to be a mix of Chakras." I warned the Sannins.
The Sannins immediately raised their guards as we increased our speed by a notch. Soon, we spotted a shinobi in the beige robe with red undergarments and white hairs.
'Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique'
I made some hand signs as I launched a fireball at the shinobi. The shinobi jumped and avoided the fireball as he turns around to face us. He has red eyes and white hairs that reach to his hips.
"It really is you, Hiruko." Tsunade and Jiraiya are surprised to see the person.
"So, it's true that you are experimenting on a Kinjutsu Technique to gain more power. I never expected you to follow darkness." Jiraiya sighs as he looks at Hiruko.
"Since, when Hiruko…since when. We all were good friends who knew each other since the academy. You really changed a lot, stooping so low as to use humans as guinea pigs in your experiment to gain more power." Tsunade rebukes Hiruko.
Orochimaru stays silent and looks at their interaction. He has a contemplative look, seemingly thinking on something. I draw out my blade as I get ready to fight Hiruko.
"I have always been like this, Tsunade, Jiraiya. Unlike you, I had no special abilities, talents, or an excellent teacher. I was an average talentless shinobi who can only act as fodder in the war between nations. I was powerless to decide even my own life and death and would have to rely on the mercy of the enemy during the Second Shinobi War.
You earned fame and name in the Second Shinobi War, but what I earned is shame and humiliation when even an enemy with a Kekkai Genkai laughed at me and refused to kill me to humiliate me. He left me on the verge of death, that shame and powerlessness. What do you know about it?"
Hiruko starts to whine about his miserable past and his powerlessness. This made me think about myself,
'What if I was born as a normal person in a civilian family with no special abilities in the Shinobi world. Would I be able to grow as strong as I am now by relying on luck and hard work? Probably not, I would have to follow the Dark path to gain power.'
I really couldn't understand the sentiments of Hiruko, but somehow I could relate to him as I was a powerless average person in my previous life.
"Hiruko, I am sure you would have turned into a powerful shinobi if you trained on your own. Look at me, I was similar to you when we were younger. I had no special talents and skills and could only look up to Tsunade and Orochimaru. Now, my strength is equal to them." Jiraiya tries to convince Hiruko by facts.
I shout in my mind,
'Jiraiya, you had plot armor till Naruto Shippuden. How could you be weaker?'
Hiruko makes some hand signs as he yells at us,
"You will never understand my sentiments. You are stronger than me, and that's a fact. I have finally found my way to become strong and I will follow that path. Now, no one can stop me. Not even the Third Hokage, who sent you to capture me."
'Summoning Jutsu'
Hiruko summons a giant creature to attack us. A bird-like creature with large wings appears inside the forest. There are distinctive markings on its wingspans that combine near the middle. It has an orange face, a green face, and white skin.
Screech...
The bird screeches loudly as it curls its body and shoots its large feathers towards us.
Boom…boom…
The feathers explode as they hit the ground.
'Earth style: Rock Dome'
I make some hand signs to cover myself in a rock dome. I just want the Sannins to handle the mission. Well, the enemy is their friend and they have sentiments attached to the target.
The bird flies over us as it tries to smash us with its wings.
'Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique'
I fire a fireball at the bird to shoot it down. With a sudden burst of speed, the bird dodges the fireball as it throws its explosive feathers again.
Jiraiya bit his thumb as he starts to make some rapid hand signs,
'Summoning Jutsu: Food Cart Destroyer Technique'
A giant toad drops from the sky as it lands on top of the bird, crashing the bird to the ground. The toad is dull rusty red with some bright red markings on his chest, eyes, and lips. The toad wears a large blue happi vest that has kanji 'Ebi' on the back. There is a massive 'Dosu blade' on his hip strapped to a large belt.
The toad draws out its blade as it tries to stab the head of the bird underneath him. The bird struggles as its feathers glow.
"Watch out! They are about to explode." Jiraiya shouts to warn the toad.
Boom…
"What the…" Before the toad could react, the feathers explode beneath the toad, hurling him up in the air. A part of the Toad's skin is charred as it lies on the ground.
"Jiraiya, you bastard! What kind of trouble you are in this time?" The toad stabs his blade on the ground for support.
Most of the feathers of the bird are plucked out. One of its wings is slightly damaged and smokes rises from the bird. The bird struggles for a while before it flies again.
"I am sorry, Gamabunta. I will make it up to you some other day." Jiraiya apologizes to the toad.
"Hiruko is just stalling for time to escape. We have to catch him before he leaves the border of Land of Fire." Orochimaru, Tsunade, and I chase Hiruko as Jiraiya is engaged with the bird.
We catch up to Hiruko again. He turns around and makes some hand signs,
'Summoning Jutsu'
Two dog-like giant creatures appear in front of us. Both of them possess two spear-like weapons, which they aim at us. Hiruko ignores us and continues to move towards the border.
One of the dogs fires the spear at an extremely fast speed towards us. We avoid the spear as it smashes in the ground, making an enormous crater.
"Be careful, these are the products of his experiments. These chimeras beast are very powerful. That spear-like projectile on its back is made from a very hard substance." Orochimaru warns us about the nature of beasts.
"Leave it to me," Tsunade assures Orochimaru as she deflects a spear with a punch.
Tsunade bits her thumb and made some hand,
'Summoning Jutsu'
She summons a giant slug to fight alongside her. The slug is white with three blue streaks that run vertically down the middle and side of its body from its head and tapering at its tail. Its optical tentacles have a slight tint of grey to them, and it also has two sensory tentacles on either side of its mouth.
"Katsuyu, help me deal with one of the dog chimeras while I fight with this one. Also, send one of your clones with Izuna and Orochimaru and send one back to Jiraiya." Tsunade punches another spear as she engages against the dog.
"Yes, Tsunade-Sama." Three smaller versions of Katsuyu separate from her and one of them cling to my shoulder as we follow Hiruko.
'Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid Technique'
The bigger version of Katsuyu spits out large amounts of acid at the Chimera dog. The dog dodges the spit, the acid from the spit melts down a large boulder.
Orochimaru and I follow Hiruko as I question Chibi Katsuyu.
"Lady Katsuyu, what is the size of your actual body? Is the one Tsunade-san summoned your complete body, or is it one of the many fragments of your body just like this one?"
I grab the Chibi Katsuyu and pulls it in front of my face as I curiously look at it. They never mentioned the real size of Katsuyu in anime, and I am really curious to find out the actual size of Katsuyu.
"Izuna-kun, you should never ask a lady about her age and size. It is considered rude to ask such a thing." The Chibi Katsuyu reprimands me and dodges my question.
I could only helplessly shake my head and consider the idea of exploring the Shikkotsu forest one day. I will eventually figure out her secret. Katsuyu jumps back on my shoulder as we continue to follow the trail.
We finally spotted Hiruko and Orochimaru throws a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it towards Hiruko. The kunai hits Hiruko and explodes.
Poof…
Hiruko disappears in a puff of smoke, and a log appears in his place.
'Substitution Jutsu'
Orochimaru and I search for Hiruko, and I finally find him behind a tree. Hiruko makes some hand signs as I shout in my mind.
'Not again!'
Summoning Jutsu: Dual-Headed Snakes'
A giant double-headed snake-like creature appeared in front of us. The snake has blue color scales and large fangs. It had a large white bone carapace on its head.
Hisss….
The snake hissed at us as it attacked with its fangs.
"Eat this." I made some hand signs and shoot a fireball at the snake. The snake opened its maw wide and gulped down my fireball.
"It really ate it." I am surprised by this development as I engage in a fight with the snake. Hiruko escapes again,
"Orochimaru-san! You are the leader of the team. You should go ahead and chase down Hiruko. I will keep this snake occupied. I take out my Chakra blade as I shrug off another attack from the snake."
"It's decided then." Orochimaru nods to me and chases Hiruko.
The snake opens its mouth wide and two more snakes emerge from its mouth. This continues for a while as the snake continues to multiply as they become smaller and smaller until they form a large net to capture me.
I infuse Light Chakra in my Blade,
'Light Style: Light Sabre'
The blade turns blue from heat and vibrates. One by one, I slash one snake after another as I dodge its attacks. I continue to whittle down the headcounts of the snake. Katsuyu praises me for my strength.
"You are strong, Izuna-kun. I think you can fight Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, and Orochimaru-sama in a few more years."
'Well, I can still fight and win against them, but the victory will come at a cost. Jiraiya has the Sage mode with toads, Orochimaru is an unkillable Cockroach, and Tsunade has her healing Jutsu. Among them, Tsunade is the weakest if I have to state the facts.
The bloodline of Senju and Uzumaki runs through her. She has the bloodline of Asura Otsutsuki. Maybe, she has high growth potential which she wasted in alcohol and sorrow. I hope she can overcome her grief soon. She will be a major help in our fight against Otsutsukis if she can reach her full potential.'
--
Orochimaru continues to chase Hiruko as he catches up with him. Orochimaru appears in front of Hiruko as he pulls a kunai from his holster.
"You have done quite the research, Hiruko. I am amazed by your research notes. Your way of thinking aligns with me." Orochimaru licks his kunai as he stares at Hiruko.
"Orochimaru, you were sent by the Third Hokage to kill me. You have the chance now when I am weakened by my experiments. I don't have any summons anymore. You could kill me easily. Why are you stalling time now?" Hiruko questions Orochimaru's intentions.
"Hiruko, we have grown together, and I could notice the helplessness in your eyes. Your weakness pushed you to search for an alternative to search for power. I have a similar goal to you. There are some many jutsus, so much knowledge to learn in this short life.
Why our lifespan is so small? Why we can't reach immortality and live forever. I am quite interested in your Research on Chimera Technique. Why don't we make a deal? I will pass my research information to you and you pass your research information to me." Orochimaru entices Hiruko.
"What are your intentions, Orochimaru? I have already abandoned the village as the village can't handle my research anymore. As for you, you are a student of Third Hokage and I am sure he won't be happy to hear about your thoughts." Hiruko raises his guard as he looks warily at Orochimaru.
"Don't be so wary of me. I meant no harm to you, I will even help you escape from the Land of Fire. What I want is just your research knowledge? I am sure you are carrying a copy of your research with you. Here, you can see my research first to think seriously about my offer." Orochimaru throws a scroll to Hiruko, who catches the scroll warily.
After inspecting the scroll for a while for any traps, Hiruko opens the scroll and reads the research notes of Orochimaru. Hiruko is shocked to see the contents of the paper as he starts to frantically mutter to himself.
"Wonderful! Absolutely Wonderful! Your research aligns a lot with mine. If your offer is honest, I will comply with you. But you have to help me cross the borders of Land of Fire first, I will pass my research to you after that." Hiruko agrees with Orochimaru's deal.
Orochimaru leads Hiruko to the borders of Land of Fire and Land of Grass. After crossing the border, Hiruko throws a scroll towards Orochimaru and disappears from his vision.
Orochimaru grabs the scroll as he skims through it. He laughs maniacally and turns around to return to his teammates.
"It is easier to put this smaller clone of Katsuyu in genjutsu compared to the real body." Orochimaru strokes the slug.
--
Later inside the Hokage's office,
Orochimaru presents a scroll to Hiruzen as he starts to explain his findings regarding the research of Hiruko.
"He was able to successfully slip from our grasp and escape the borders of Land of Fire. We have a peace treaty with Iwagakure, so I stopped at borders." Orochimaru reports to Hiruzen as he continues.
"Using his Kinjutsu, he created various Chimera Summoning beasts which he used in the battle against us." Orochimaru starts to explain the appearance and natures of Chimera beasts.
"So, Hiruko escaped from your hold. Label him as a missing-nin and put a bounty on his head. He is an S-Rank criminal, update his info on Bingo Book." Hiruzen orders as he smokes from his pipe.
"Thanks for your hard work, Lord Third. You still can't relax after your retirement." Minato assures Hiruzen.
"You don't have to thank me, Minato. I am just tying some loose ends. And also, I want to make sure that the transition between our tenure is smooth. You still have lots of things to learn, I am just playing my part in it." Hiruzen humbly responds to Minato's praise.
--
I stood together with the Sannins as I listened to the report.
'I am pretty sure Orochimaru could have stopped Hiruko from escaping.'
Earlier I examined Hiruko's body with my Sharingan and I could notice many stitches all over his body. His body was weakened from the use of Kinjutsu. Part of the reason he never engaged in combat with us. He just used his Chimers summons to stall us.
'So, it seems Orochimaru allowed Hiruko to escape. They must have made some sort of deal. I am not interested in anything related to Orochimaru as long as he stays out of my way. If he tries to mess with me, I will give him a taste of my real power.'
Tsunade is lost in her thoughts as Izuna's earlier words cycle through her mind.
'He is much more realistic and intelligent compared to Nawaki.'
Tsunade walks up to me as she asks me,
"What's your dream, Izuna?"
I am surprised by her question, but I still answer to her nonetheless.
"My dream is to grow stronger than anyone else…."
Tsunade's expression dwindles as she seems to be disappointed by my answer. I continue with my answer.
"….so I could protect my family and loved ones from any sort of Danger. And to that, I will help them grow stronger with me."
Tsunade is surprised to hear my answer and a little happy too. She contemplates for a while before she seems to come to a decision.
Tsunade removes the necklace from her neck and approaches in front of me. Tsunade ties the necklace around my neck as she smiles at me.
Everyone including Hiruzen and Minato is surprised by this development as they look at us with wide-eyes.
My thoughts go haywire at this development. Various alarms start to go off in my brain as my thought process becomes a mess.
'Wtf! Is she raising a flag on me? I just wanted to help her overcome her grief and grown stronger in the time she spent sulking in grief. Has my Talk-no-Jutsu backfired on me? Or perhaps I have overdone with the Jutsu.
Powerful, this Talk-no-Jutsu is way too overpowered. It carried the entire Naruto series all by itself. Have I also earned the legendary fame of 'Plot Armor'? Well, I do have plot Armor from my wishes, but isn't this too much?
She kisses my forehead as she smiles at me.
"Thanks for making me realize my mistakes. I think I will be able to overcome my grief. Your words helped me a lot."
"It would be better if you kissed me on lips." I smile back at Tsunade.
Bonk…
"You kid! Stop falling prey to Jiraiya's pervy nature." Tsunade bash my head as she laughs at me.
"Hey, don't accuse me of his misdeeds. It is his thoughts, I have no hand in them." Jiraiya tries to explain.
"It is your pervy nature that is corrupting Izuna." Tsunade hugs me in her embrace.
I am pressed in between her massive mounds. I enjoy this feeling of bliss.
'One can die for such a heavenly feeling. It is pure bliss.'
Jiraiya starts to grumble at me as he mutters,
"Damn! This lucky brat. He even managed to charm Tsunade with his sweet tongue."
Jiraiya looks at my handsome appearance and curse again.
Cough…cough…
Hiruzen coughs to get our attention.
"Jiraiya, Tsunade, what are your plans after this mission?"
"I will spend my days journeying around the world to visit many places. Oh! Minato, I have written a new novel 'The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi'. You should check it out when you have free time. I will leave a copy with you. I will soon hold a book-signing event for it." Jiraiya exclaims in excitation as he thinks about his new book.
"What about you Tsunade? What are you going to do?" Hiruzen asks Tsunade.
"Initially, I planned to leave Konoha and roam around the world. But I have changed my mind now. Izuna asked me to teach him medical ninjutsu and I will stay in Konoha till he learns enough. I will still roam around the world and would probably visit the Land of Medicine." Tsunade explains her plans to Hiruzen.
"Very well, it's good that you are prolonging your stay in Konoha. Although we have achieved peace after the war, there is still unrest at borders. We might need your medical expertise to treat our shinobis." Hiruzen remarks.
"Tomorrow, early in the morning, meet me at Konoha's Hospital if you want to learn Medical Ninjutsu. I want you to be present at the exact time. My training will be hard, bear this in mind. Once you start, I won't allow you to live halfway through." Tsunade warns me about medical ninjutsu training.
"I will be there, right on time. There is no fun in training if it isn't hard." I reply to her as move out of the Office.
--
Next day, Early morning,
I prepare to depart for the hospital as the prospect of learning medical ninjutsu is riling me up. I was a medical student in my previous life; I want to see the difference between the knowledge of the two worlds.
There isn't much difference between the anatomy of humans from this world and my previous world, except for the additional Chakra Network in humans. I hope my previous knowledge will be helpful here.
After a few minutes, I stand at the entrance of Konoha Hospital waiting for Tsunade to show up. After waiting for another fifteen minutes, Tsunade shows up with Shizune.
I look at her with a questioning gaze as I ask her,
"You are late Tsunade-san. I was on time, it was you who arrived late."
Tsunade shrugs off my question as she points to Shizune and speaks,
"You two must know each other, right? Still, let me introduce, she is Shizune." Tsunade points at me and continues,
"And Shizune, he is Izuna. Both of you will train in medical Ninjutsu under me."
"Tsunade-san! I have missions too. So, I will only practice when I don't have missions." I remind Tsunade of my other identity.
"It's fine. When you are out on missions, I will focus on Shizune. I want to train her as my successor in medical Ninjutsu. But that won't mean I will go easy on you. Now let's hurry and start your training." Tsunade assures me.
Tsunade leads us to the library of Konoha's Hospital. She picks out lots of heavy books from various bookshelves and slams them on the table in front of us. The table creaks from the weight of the books.
Shizune and I gulp at the thickness of books. Tsunade notices our expression as she questions,
"What are you thinking? You thought we will directly start with looking after patients and healing people around.
We need to learn to walk before we can run. These books will help you gain a basic understanding of Medical Ninjutsu."
Tsunade picks up a thick book as she slams it in front of us.
"You will start with this book, 'History of Medical Ninjutsu'. This book will help you understand the history of medical ninjutsu, it's origin, need, and importance in the shinobi world."
Tsunade lifts another book and slams it on the table. The table creaked even more and bend beneath the book's weight.
"This is 'Encyclopedia of Herbs and Medicines'. Memorize the details of every herb and medicine written in this book."
Tsunade picks yet another thick book and slaps it on the table. The legs of the table spread out as it is almost about to collapse from the weight.
"This is 'Compendium of Deadly Herbs and Poison. They are categorized separately from other herbs because poisons are biological weapons that can take lives. Just by utilizing poison, the puppet master Chiyo of Sand became formidable during the 'Second Shinobi War'. This book contains information on some common poisons and their antidotes."
She picks up yet another book and slams it on the table. The top of the table is almost touching the floor as the table moans.
"This is 'Essentials of Shinobi Anatomy and Physiology'. It contains detailed information about the anatomy of a shinobi. The various organs, meridians, and pathways of the human body. Hammer all the information in your brain."
Tsunade picks yet another book. At this moment, the expression of Shizune and me had turned from ugly to pale as we look in horror at all the books present in Tsunade's hands.
"This is 'Compendium of Diseases and Deformities'. This book records all the diseases discovered in Shinobi to this date. Make sure to read this thoroughly. You can't treat your patient if you aren't aware of their ailments."
The table collapses and snaps from the weight of heavy books.
"You have to finish this batch of books in a week. After a week, I will put your knowledge to the test and will grade your abilities accordingly. After this batch is completed, you have to memorize another batch of books to further increase your knowledge."
Tsunade points at another stack of books present beside her. Despair rose in our eyes as we look at the tall stacks of the book in horror. Shizune and I gulp a mouthful of saliva as Shizune questions,
"Tsunade-sama, after reading through these books, will we able to practice the Medical Ninjutsu?"
Tsunade looks at Shizune and hesitates for a while before she answers,
"For now, just focus on memorizing these books. I will tell you about your next step after you have finished these books."
I could feel that there is more to her words. In the original series too, Tsunade wanted to train Shizune as her successor but ultimately chose Sakura over Shizune. Shizune had an above-average aptitude for medical Ninjutsu. She wasn't a top-tier talent, but fairly close to it.
'So, she doesn't want to demoralize Shizune at the first step. I could understand her sentiment as I recall my previous hours of training of Surgeries on dead bodies. That was a frustrating task to say, but that hard work ultimately led me to get my degree.'
"Yes, Tsunade-san! Tsunade-sama!" Both of us reply to Tsunade as we start to read the books.
I picked up 'Essentials of Shinobi Anatomy and Physiology' to read first. I wanted to know about the difference between Shinobi's and Normal Human's body.
After reading for a while, I can't figure out much of a difference between the two except the Chakra system. The body of a Shinobi is more durable than Normal Human.
Due to the presence of the Chakra System, all of the inner organs of a Shinobi are coated in a thin layer of Chakra which prevents them from displacing from their position due to the shock caused by various Supernatural feats of Shinobi.
I always wondered how Shinobis prevents their mouth from being burned by fire when they use the fire jutsu. Today, I got my answer.
I read the book on anatomy for four hours straight as I used my Sharingan to record the information as I flip through the pages. Whenever I notice something new and different, I would stop and analyze that information for a while. Tsunade would check on us from time to time.
After another hour, I finished the entire book as I stood up and stretched my body. Tsunade and Shizune were shocked to see me finish a book so quickly.
"Kid, have you read and memorized the entire book," Tsunade questions me.
I nod to her as I point at my Sharingan.
"It was easy to memorize the details through the use of my Sharingan. You are free to ask me any question from the book."
Tsunade questions me a few times and I answer them perfectly.
"Damn! These Uchihas and their Sharingan." Tsunade curses Uchihas on how unfair it is.
"Hey! That's rude. You can't curse us for our abilities." I angrily looked at Tsunade.
"Ok! Ok! Memorizing them is fine, but you must also know the meaning of knowledge you learned.
Before you start the next book, make sure to digest the entire information from this book. Go and relax for a while. You can read the next book from tomorrow onwards."
Growl…growl…
Izuna's stomach growls in hunger.
'I can't wait to eat some Ramen.'
Izuna walks out of the hospital, jumps on a nearby roof, and disappears.
--
The torture continues for the next two weeks as I have to memorize a plethora of knowledge.
The herbs and medicines are entirely different from my previous world because of the involvement of Chakra. Though some of their effect are almost the same, but more potent.
For various diseases, there is not much knowledge recorded. Shinobi continues to wage war and during warring periods, hardly anyone lived past Thirty. This reminded me of Itachi's disease.
Kishimoto has a knack for killing overpowered characters in a very unconventional way. Sakumo dies by suicide, Shisui dies by suicide, Itachi dies from an unknown disease. Nagato sacrifices his life, Grandpa Madara is backstabed by Black Zetsu.
Moving on to poisons, similar to medicinal herbs, poisons are also enhanced by Chakra. As for medical Ninjutsu's history, there are lots of incomplete text and record. Only after the formation of Hidden Villages did the shinobis start to compile them.
There is still a lot of knowledge buried within the depths of various clans record which they refuse to pass to others.
I found no records of anything related to 'Sage of Six Paths'. He is considered more of a fable than an actual person. Guess Black Zetsu did a good job of eliminating any trace of him.
'After this boring session of book reading, today we are finally about to start on our first lesson on Medical Ninjutsu, I suppose.'
I had doubts about the authenticity of Tsunade's words when she convinced Shizune and as expected Tsunade appears before us as she speaks,
"Before we start our lessons in Medical Ninjutsu, I would like to see your Chakra control.
Tsunade place jars in front of us. The jar has milk and coffee mixed within it.
"To test your Chakra Control, I would like you to separate milk and coffee in different layers. This is a simple test I came up with after pondering for a while. The faster and smoother you can do it, the better your Chakra control is."
She shakes the jars to further mix the milk and coffee.
"Now start! You have half an hour to separate the mixture."
I have good Chakra control. Beside my ninjutsu training, I practiced Chakra Control a lot. The situation turned even worse after the 'Sin Seal'. I have to micro-manage my Chakra consumption in order not to trigger the seal. I infused Chakra more than the necessary amount, the seal would start to suck me dry. So, my Chakra control improved further from this handicap.
I still miss those days when I could spam Jutsus non-stop and dominate anyone with my power. Now, even throwing a Lightning Release Rasengan will trigger the seal and leave me dry. I should pay a visit to Uzumaki Village sometime soon. Anyway, this test will be a breeze for me.
I concentrate Chakra in my hands as I redirect it inside the mixture. I start to fine control my Chakra as it interacted with Coffee and Milk particles. Slowly, step by step, I separate them based on their densities as small layers of milk and coffee form.
Tsunade looks at my mixture and nods.
"You are doing great, Izuna. Looks like your chakra control is quite good. Shizune, milk, and coffee have different compositions. Try to separate them according to that. We can also apply this lesson to extract poison from the body."
I separate milk and coffee in a few more seconds and after a while, Shizune also completes the process.
"Izuna your Chakra Control is up to the standard of a Medical-Nin. As for you, Shizune, you need to train hard in your Chakra control. You can still improve further." Tsunade remarks on our abilities.
"Next step is the 'Healing Technique'. You have to gather chakra in your palms in the shape of an orb and move it over injured areas to accelerate healing. There is also an advanced form of this technique called 'Mystical Palm Technique'. Only a few medical-nin can use this technique."
Tsunade presents a dummy doll to both of us.
"This doll is made up of special materials. Whenever you apply healing jutsu on this doll, the material of the doll starts to expand. There is a small cut on this doll. Your task is to use the 'Healing Technique' to close the split wound. Keep in mind, if you applied too much of the healing Chakra; the doll will inflate and blow from over-expanding due to excessive Chakra."
Both Shizune and I start to use the 'Healing Technique' taught by Tsunade. It is quite easy for me as I copied the entire process with my Sharingan when Tsunade demonstrated the technique. I have also copied the advance version 'Mystic Palm Technique' during the war, but I will improve step by step according to Tsunade's instructions.
In a few minutes, I easily closed the tear and handed the doll to Tsunade. Tsunade checked the doll and nodded,
"You have a good aptitude for Medical Ninjutsu, too bad you are more of a combat-oriented Shinobi. Your fighting skills are more useful than Medical skills."
After Shizune completes the process, Tsunade moves to the next step. She hands over Sakura buds to both of us as he demonstrates the next step,
"During an emergency, you can save a wounded partner or friend, if you can skilfully apply Chakra to their injuries. For this step, you need to bloom this Sakura bud with your Chakra."
'So, I have to provide enough nutrition to the buds to make them bloom. Chakra is versatile as we can use it in several ways.' I ponder over the nature of Chakra energy as I start to apply Chakra over Sakura buds.
After a short while, the Sakura buds bloom with pink flowers as I present them to Tsunade. Tsunade is surprised to see my progress. She praises me,
"Your medical skills are quite good, Izuna-kun. It would be a waste to let them rot in combat. Why don't you become a Combat medic?"
I shook my head and reply to her,
"Tsunade-san! I want to grow strong enough to not even allow my friends and family to get injured. I am learning medical ninjutsu to improve my Chakra control and as a precautionary measure for emergencies."
Tsunade sighs as she looks at Shizune. Shizune is struggling to bloom the bud as her expression is quite strained due to concentration.
Shizune ultimately fails as Sakura buds fail to bloom in the time limit. Tsunade consoles Shizune,
"It's alright. You need a little more practice and you will succeed. After this basic course, the next part will be the handling of Chakra tools. You should be able to infuse healing Chakra in scalpels and other tools while operating on a person.
Healing Techniques can only heal the external wounds, for internal injuries you need to operate on the patient to effectively treat him. We will start on that only after you completely master the basic course and effectively heal people in hospitals.
Izuna, you are ready for treating external injuries of patients. From tomorrow onwards, you can start to practice on patients in infirmary."
"Yes! Tsunade-san."
--
I spent the next month practicing medical ninjutsu under Tsunade's guidance. Tsunade was surprised to see my proficiency with medical equipment as I handled them like an expert.
After just a week, I even completed a minor surgery which greatly shocked Tsunade.
"Kid! I really hope for you to practice Medical Ninjutsu. You can save countless lives during a battle." Tsunade tries to convince me again.
'If I have enough strength, then there would not be any need for battle. I can suppress my enemies with my strength alone, there will be no injuries or casualties.'
Such thoughts ran through the mind as I once again rejected her idea.
'Maybe I wasn't fated to be a doctor. The day I graduated from my masters and was free to practice; I lost my life on that very day. But still in my days as an intern, I saved plenty of people to earn enough Karma to reincarnate in this world with some cheats. I suppose!'
I even demonstrated the 'Mystic Palm Technique' to Tsunade, much to her surprise. In just two months, I have mastered nearly all the Medical Ninjutsu courtesy of Shadow clones.
I have no interest in Tsunade's 'Creation Rebirth Seal' since I have a healing factor. Her technique is flawed. Creation Technique doesn't repair the old cells instead it hastens the creation of new cells through the 'Cell Division'.
A body's cells can only split and divide only a certain number of times; after it reaches the limit, the body doesn't create new cells anymore. This is the reason why Tsunade's actual appearance was much older than her age. This technique also shortens the lifespan of the user, Tsunade could live so long because of her Uzumaki heritage.
Maybe in the future, I can perfect this technique and help Tsunade preserve her beauty. It is such a waste to let her turn into an old hag.
--