Team Up for the Wild

Hyuga Mirai took medical knowledge very seriously: the various organs of the human body, meridians and blood vessels, methods for treating common external injuries, battlefield first aid, and related knowledge.

Such knowledge could be found within the Hyūga Clan and at the Konoha Library. It was classified to some extent, though not as highly as Medical Ninjutsu. Konoha Ninja could access it, while Civilians had no such right.

Hyuga Mirai only needed to obtain a Library Card available to Konoha Ninja, and he would be free to enter and leave the Konoha Library as he pleased.

Only Loyal and Upright Konoha Ninja were eligible to apply for such borrowing cards. The Hyūga Clan could naturally get one for Hyuga Mirai with ease.

Besides medical knowledge, Hyuga Mirai had not slackened in his Gentle Fist training.

If his effort in studying medical knowledge was a one, then his effort in Gentle Fist cultivation was a five.

With five times the sweat and time invested, coupled with Hyuga Mirai's talent and the Cultivation Notes left behind by his Original Father, his progress in the Gentle Fist advanced rapidly.

Though the Young Masters and Young Misses of the Main Family had dedicated instructors, the sweat they put in might not have amounted to even a third of Hyuga Mirai's.

The ultimate techniques of the Gentle Fist were developed based on the Byakugan. Whether it was Pressure Point Strike or Eight Trigrams Palm, the Byakugan was fundamental, while pressure point strikes and the Gentle Fist were the foundation. With those, Hyuga Mirai could use the Cultivation Notes left by his Original Father to derive the secret arts of the Hyūga Clan's Main Family.

As for how to activate the Byakugan, Hyuga Mirai had been able to do so not long after he began refining Chakra. However, he had never activated it voluntarily. First, he did not have much Chakra. Second, he intended to wait until Miss Kiyomi of the Main Family could activate her Byakugan proficiently, then be "inspired" to activate his own.

Better safe than sorry. Living within the Hyūga Clan, Hyuga Mirai did not want to entrust his life to the generosity of the Main Family.

As for going to Konoha Hospital, half a month had passed since Hyuga Sosuke spoke of it before Hyuga Mirai received permission to intern there.

This was also thanks to Hyuga Mirai's invincible theoretical grades. Even if Ishii Ichiro gave him a fifth-year graduation exam, Hyuga Mirai could still score full marks.

Therefore, Hyuga Mirai could now openly skip his morning theory classes every day and go to Konoha Hospital as an Intern Doctor.

In truth, he was simply there to help out and learn. He would not be exposed to Medical Ninjutsu during his first year, but if Hyuga Mirai could earn the recognition of the hospital's doctors within that year, then it might be possible.

"Kiyomi-sama, I'll be heading back first."

After escorting Hyuga Kiyomi home from the Ninja Academy, Hyuga Mirai prepared to go train.

"Wait." Before Hyuga Mirai could run far, Hyuga Kiyomi called out to stop him.

Hearing that, Hyuga Mirai turned around and asked, "What is it, Kiyomi-sama?"

Huff...

Hyuga Kiyomi let out a breath. Then, her pale eyes looked at Hyuga Mirai with unusual solemnity as she asked, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? I'll study at Konoha Hospital in the morning, then train in the wild in the afternoon."

There was nothing worth concealing about it, so Hyuga Mirai told her honestly.

Konoha Hospital...

Hyuga Kiyomi frowned slightly. She did not want to go there because she disliked the smell of hospitals.

"In the afternoon, I'll go train in the wild with you."

"Uh?"

The moment Hyuga Mirai heard that, he sensed trouble. If this Young Miss went with him, would that not mean wasting another afternoon acting for her sake?

"Kiyomi-sama, I'll be fishing then. It might be rather dull," Hyuga Mirai quietly advised. "And Fourth Elder-sama..."

Unexpectedly, hearing about fishing only made Hyuga Kiyomi more interested. She said, "It's fine. Training every day means we can relax a little. I'll speak with Grandfather."

"Kiyomi-sama?"

"Go back. Remember to come find me tomorrow."

With that, Hyuga Kiyomi returned to the house, not giving Hyuga Mirai another chance to persuade her.

Hyuga Mirai could only sigh inwardly. He did not know whether there were any Branch Family Guards nearby, nor did he dare show too much, so he left directly.

Another half day would be delayed. But remembering that Hyuga Kiyomi still had some use to him, Hyuga Mirai stopped dwelling on it. At worst, he would be a kindergarten teacher for half a day. It was just humoring a child.

The next day

Hyuga Mirai still arrived at Konoha Hospital half an hour early. With the Hyūga Clan putting in a word for him, it had been easy for him to obtain an internship there.

At first, Doctor Nakano had been somewhat unwilling when Hyuga Mirai was assigned to him as an Assistant.

There were not many patients at the moment, but Nakano still did not want to take on the tiring task of looking after a little kid. With a child tagging along, even his rest time would be reduced.

However, after spending a few days together, Nakano's opinion changed.

Although Hyuga Mirai was young, he was very sensible, perceptive, and diligent. Hyuga Mirai would handle trivial matters Nakano had overlooked in advance. Most remarkably, Nakano discovered that Hyuga Mirai had already learned a great deal of medical knowledge before coming to Konoha Hospital.

Whenever Nakano diagnosed and treated injured Ninja, Hyuga Mirai would always anticipate his needs and hand him the Medical equipment and other items he required.

After several days together, Nakano gradually accepted Hyuga Mirai as his "Assistant" instead of seeing him as a little child who needed looking after.

At this rate, Hyuga Mirai would likely soon begin trying to treat simple external injuries. Once he qualified, he would be able to learn Medical Ninjutsu.

Seeing this, Hyuga Mirai felt he could slightly speed up his plans.

Learn Medical Ninjutsu within half a year, then spend the next half year spreading his reputation throughout Konoha Hospital as a medical Ninja.

That was the goal Hyuga Mirai had set for himself. If nothing unexpected happened, he should be able to complete it as planned.

The morning passed quickly at Konoha Hospital. Hyuga Mirai's main duties were currently assisting and keeping records. Having only been there for a few days, even lightly injured patients would not be handed over to him. Though Doctor Nakano had gradually acknowledged Hyuga Mirai, the current stage was still more about imparting medical knowledge.

After returning from Konoha Hospital, Hyuga Mirai went home and changed clothes. After giving it some thought, he decided to give himself half a day off and devote the afternoon entirely to fishing.

If he caught enough, he would bring them back and salt them into salted fish for food storage.

His appetite was growing larger and larger, but Hyuga Mirai knew it was unavoidable unless he reduced his cultivation and physical training.

Therefore, whenever he trained in the wild, Hyuga Mirai would also set out a fishing rod or animal traps. So long as he could eat one extra meal, he would have more energy to devote to cultivation.

Eating an extra meal outside would also save him a little.

"Please inform Kiyomi-sama that I am here to see her."

When he arrived outside the Fourth Elder's residence, Hyuga Mirai spoke to the Branch Family Guard at the gate. He often escorted Hyuga Kiyomi home and was not a stranger, so the Guard quickly carried his request inside.

Before long, Hyuga Kiyomi emerged from the house. Her outfit was rather cool and light; it was Hyuga Mirai's first time seeing her wear those clothes.

"Let's go." Hyuga Kiyomi tried hard to put on a dignified expression, then urged Hyuga Mirai to walk ahead while she followed behind.

The Fourth Elder of the Main Family would naturally not allow two little children to head into the wild alone. Hyuga Mirai did not matter much—a common Branch Family member with the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead. Even if he went missing, it would not be much of a loss to the Hyūga Clan.

But every member of the Main Family was precious. Though Hyuga Kiyomi was only from the Fourth Elder's branch, a Chunin Guard still accompanied her.

However, because of Hyuga Kiyomi's temperament, that Chunin Guard followed and protected them from the shadows.