Tsunade's Decision

Kagetsu quickly became famous throughout the entire Nara Clan.

Not because he had become Orochimaru's disciple, nor because he was learning Medical Ninjutsu from Tsunade, the Medical Saint, but because he simply did not seem like a proper member of the Nara Clan.

Even Nara children were lazy and laid-back, afraid of trouble, and rarely took the initiative to find things for themselves to do.

Kagetsu, however, was different. He always seemed to be finding things to do for himself.

Having created Shadow Coffin and contributed +1 to the clan's collection of secret techniques, Kagetsu's talent had caught the attention of every Elder in the clan. They tested him every so often.

Although Orochimaru had handed Kagetsu over to Tsunade to teach him Medical Ninjutsu, that did not mean he had completely left him to his own devices. Kagetsu still needed to spend time training as a ninja and learning ninjutsu with Orochimaru.

His Medical Ninjutsu training with Tsunade also demanded a great deal of time and energy.

With all three combined, every day of Kagetsu's schedule was packed full, leaving him almost no time to rest. By the time he returned home, it was often already late at night. Every day, Kagetsu was exhausted and listless, seeming even more dispirited than the laziest Nara clansman.

After this high-intensity training continued for some time, it nearly shocked the entire Nara Clan. Even members of the Akimichi and Yamanaka Clans learned about Kagetsu's schedule and how unusual he was.

But Kagetsu had no mood to care about any of that.

After studying under Tsunade for a few days, she tossed him and Shizune into the Medical Department. In her words, once the basics were laid down, hands-on practice was the best way to truly master a ninjutsu.

Especially Medical Ninjutsu!

With Kagetsu and Shizune's current medical abilities, they could only serve as minor assistants. But having initially mastered the Mystical Palm Technique, they were already able to help treat certain patients.

The Medical Department, which had only been officially established a little over a year ago, was severely understaffed.

In truth, Medical Ninja were exceedingly rare in any ninja village. Unless a team was particularly important, it was almost impossible to assign one a Medical Ninja.

At present, only Konoha had taken the step of systematically training Medical Ninja. Yet the construction of the Medical Department had only been possible due to many conditions: Tsunade, the Nara Clan, Konoha's abundance of talent, and Konoha being the victor of the war.

With manpower in such short supply, Kagetsu once again experienced what it meant to be worked like a beast of burden. Fortunately, the adults in the Medical Department understood that he and Shizune were only children, so they did not assign them many patients. Otherwise, with their current Chakra reserves, they would probably work themselves to death within half a month.

At the same time, Kagetsu and Shizune both grew tremendously during their time in the Medical Department.

Being a ninja was an extremely dangerous profession. Injuries and even death were common occurrences during missions.

As the victor of the war, Konoha's mission count had surged, on top of injuries suffered by Konoha's residents and ninja during training.

At the hospital under the Medical Department, Kagetsu and Shizune saw all manner of injuries, along with various specialized treatment methods that had been developed for them.

Their understanding and knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu, as well as the medical knowledge that had previously been crammed into their heads, was rapidly being digested and turned into nourishment.

Although Tsunade was usually extremely unreliable, she was indeed experienced and utterly dependable when it came to being a teacher and training Medical Ninja.

The tasks she assigned were exhausting and torturous, but they truly allowed people to quickly learn knowledge and master the relevant skills.

Senju Clan Grounds.

Tsunade sat slumped in a green robe, one hand propping up her cheek and the other holding a cup of wine. Her hazy eyes stared blankly at the liquor in the cup until the returning Kagetsu and Shizune interrupted her thoughts.

"What are we eating today?" Tsunade set down her cup, stretched both arms high, straightened her back, and yawned before rubbing her eyes lazily.

"Grilled meat! Special grilled meat from the Akimichi Clan." Shizune happily shook the wrapped food container in her hands, then opened it piece by piece in front of Tsunade.

"Can't you just hand the food expenses over to me? I'm the head of this household! I'm your teacher!" Seeing Kagetsu behind Shizune, Tsunade slapped the table with an unhappy look on her face.

"Tsunade-sama! I think Kagetsu-kun did the right thing! If we gave you the money, you'd just go lose it outside again!" Shizune puffed out her cheeks.

"Fine. But if you fail today's test, don't blame me for being strict!" Tsunade opened her mouth, met Shizune's clear eyes full of suspicion for a long while, then finally guiltily looked away.

She had realized that her status in the household—or rather, in Shizune's heart—had plummeted to the limit lately. Her authority was nearly gone.

The culprit was that Nara Kagetsu behind Shizune, a Nara who did not act like a Nara at all.

"Kagetsu-kun and I have both worked very hard. We can already use the newest ninjutsu you taught us normally today," Shizune said confidently.

The three finished their meal together.

Under Tsunade's watchful gaze, Kagetsu and Shizune each demonstrated the Medical Ninjutsu they had mastered: the Mystical Palm Technique, Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, and Chakra Scalpel.

These were currently the three most frequently used, most common, and most practical ninjutsu in the Medical Department.

The Mystical Palm Technique could be used to heal wounds.

The Delicate Illness Extraction Technique could remove toxins and organs from a living body, or transplant them.

The Chakra Scalpel gathered Chakra in the palm and formed it into a sharp scalpel. It could cut within a target's body without causing external wounds, and its length could be controlled. It could also serve as a Medical Ninja's primary means of attack.

Unlike other ninjutsu, which only needed to be released and hit the target to achieve the desired result, aside from the Mystical Palm Technique, the other two medical techniques required a certain amount of medical knowledge and understanding of the human body to be used well.

Simply put, using them properly had a threshold.

"You've learned very well. At least when it comes to Medical Ninjutsu, both of you possess exceptional advantages and talent." Even Tsunade had to acknowledge their current proficiency after seeing the techniques they displayed.

They had not yet reached the level of professional Medical Ninja, but being able to apply these three techniques so skillfully after only one month truly deserved a word of praise from her.

It was just a pity.

As she looked at Kagetsu, Tsunade's eyes held a trace of regret. Yet she soon shook her head and cast that regret from her heart.

He was not even her disciple, so why should she worry? In her current state, she did not want to accept any disciples either.

"Tsunade-sama can teach us new Medical Ninjutsu today, right?" After finishing her demonstration, Shizune's face was full of joy. Her expectant gaze remained fixed on Tsunade's face.

"Not today. I'm not in the mood." Tsunade waved her hand dejectedly, signaling that she was done for the day.

"Nara boy, you can leave now." As Tsunade spoke, she shifted her gaze to the silent Kagetsu at the side and issued an order to send him away.

Kagetsu could not quite make sense of Tsunade's sudden mood, but he held back his questions. After saying goodbye to both Shizune and Tsunade, he was escorted out of the Senju Clan Grounds by Shizune.

"Tsunade-sama?" After returning, Shizune looked at the silent Tsunade in the courtyard and called out in confusion.

"Stay away from that guy in the future. No, forget it, there's no need." Tsunade inexplicably felt irritated.

"Kagetsu-kun? Why? Everyone in the Medical Department, whether doctors or patients, likes him very much. They all praise his talent." Shizune felt that Tsunade-sama was being rather inexplicable.

"You don't understand." Tsunade stroked Shizune's head. Seeing that she still looked confused, her heart softened, and she offered an explanation.

"I'm afraid you'll get dragged into trouble. My teammate Orochimaru is not someone who follows the rules. Though I don't know what he is doing or what he wants to do, I have always had a bad feeling about his future."

"Orochimaru-sama?"

Shizune fell into thought. Though she was not very old, children in the ninja world generally matured early, especially children who had lost family.

Thinking of Orochimaru, who always carried a cold aura and looked as though no stranger should approach him, she could not feel close to him either. But what did that have to do with Kagetsu?

"Do you think Kagetsu will become a good Medical Ninja in the future?" Seeing the changing expression on Shizune's face, Tsunade easily read her inner thoughts. With a sigh, she asked softly.

"Kagetsu-kun will definitely become an excellent Medical Ninja! He has such great talent, and the people in the Medical Department all like him," Shizune answered almost without hesitation.

"Not necessarily." Tsunade gave Shizune an answer she had not expected.

"Does Tsunade-sama think Kagetsu lacks medical talent? Or..." Shizune was momentarily at a loss.

"It has nothing to do with that. I haven't seen any passion for being a Medical Ninja in him." Tsunade rubbed her head.

"He is only learning Medical Ninjutsu as a tool. Do you understand? He simply believes that he will need these things in the future, so he must master them. That is why he came to learn them from me.

"He will become an outstanding ninja skilled in many kinds of Medical Ninjutsu, but he will not become a pure Medical Ninja. He lacks that ideal.

"Medical Ninja require an enormous amount of knowledge and skill. So if one wants to become an excellent Medical Ninja, there is generally no time during their growth period to train in other ninjutsu. That is why Medical Ninja are often the weak point of a team.

"The feeling Kagetsu gives me is that after learning to a certain extent, he will temporarily stop studying other Medical Ninjutsu in depth—unless one day he feels that the Medical Ninjutsu and knowledge he has mastered are no longer enough."

Shizune fell silent, not knowing what to say.

"But even so, you don't have to make me distance myself from Kagetsu-kun, do you?"

In the end, Shizune still added weakly.

"I saw some traits in him that resemble Orochimaru! Before, I didn't know why Orochimaru suddenly cared so much and went to such lengths to take Kagetsu as his disciple.

"But after spending this time with him, I've realized that Kagetsu has many things in common with Orochimaru. I even sense some traits in him similar to my Second Grandfather.

"They're all troublesome characters! I always feel that this master and disciple will stir up something huge in the future." Tsunade looked deeply troubled, and impatience entered her voice.

Shizune could not understand Tsunade's premonition. Could it be that Orochimaru and Kagetsu would harm Konoha in the future? How could that be possible?

If nothing unexpected happened, the Fourth Hokage would most likely be chosen from the Sannin. Tsunade-sama had no interest in the position, and it was said that Jiraiya had no interest either. That only left Orochimaru-sama.

If Orochimaru-sama became the Fourth Hokage in the future, what could he possibly do to harm Konoha?

"Forget it. You're still too young. You don't know anything about the village's affairs, so why am I telling you this?" Tsunade intended to end the conversation.

Though she had become depressed and stopped involving herself in affairs, as the Senju Princess and one of Konoha's Sannin, she still had subordinates and channels of information.

Even though many things annoyed her, there were many matters she could not avoid.

The Sannin seemed glorious and powerful, but Tsunade had always felt that the invisible ropes binding her were growing more numerous, tightening around her until she could barely breathe.

Had her Grandma Mito endured this pressure and helplessness until the day she died?

Tsunade thought of what Grandma Mito had been like while she was alive.

The reason she had given up and become so dispirited was certainly related to the deaths of her younger brother and lover, as well as her Hemophobia. But after returning to the village, the expectations and pressure she felt from her clansmen at every moment, along with her own sense of powerlessness, were also major factors.

The remaining clansmen only needed her to serve as an example and a symbol. They did not need her to become someone like Grandma Mito, a person with absolute authority.

Wood Release Experiment.

Even if everyone hid it from her, could they truly keep it hidden from her?

The Medical Department was her territory. Personnel changes, reported information, the consumption of certain experimental materials—even if nobody tipped her off, with Tsunade's status and command of Medical Ninja, she only needed to pay attention to discover that something was wrong.

But what could she do even if she knew?

Facing the Third's Hokage teacher, as well as clansmen who wanted to rely on Wood Release to regain their vitality, she had no way to intervene or persuade them. Even if she wanted to personally participate and keep things under control, her Hemophobia—and her inability to accept familiar people leaving her again—made it impossible for her to do so now.

She desperately wanted to vent, yet she did not even have a real target for her anger. All she could do was stay away from everyone connected to it and completely shut herself away.

"Forget it. Let's not think about things that have nothing to do with us! Hey, little Shizune, do you want to travel far with me?"

In this suffocating environment, Tsunade suddenly had the urge to cast everything here aside, take Shizune away from this troublesome place where ignorance would be bliss, and travel together.

Once that thought appeared, it became impossible to stop.