Medical Ninjutsu

The Cole Gang, Hogg United's predecessor, had only that used motorcycle dealership and a few shops to launder money through, managing roughly twenty to thirty thousand dollars a month.

That was about in line with the Cole Gang's income.

But Simmons Sparletta was ambitious. Places like bars generally had large cash flows that were difficult to trace in detail, making them a traditional money-laundering method second only to casinos and nightclubs.

That shipping company could also serve as a high-quality laundering intermediary, suitable for handling luxury goods of questionable origin.

Anything more sophisticated was beyond the means of an ordinary gang.

Such as casinos, or real estate investments involving buying low and selling high, luxury goods trading, and fake movie box office revenues.

The only person in Gotham who had dabbled in every one of these laundering methods, grown big, and remained completely unscathed was Penguin. Money laundered through him could not possibly be any cleaner.

With the shipping company, the bar, and the businesses in the newly claimed streets and neighborhoods, they could absorb more than half of the million dollars.

The rest would be handed over to Penguin.

"Very good. Although your tracking efficiency was a little low, you at least dealt with the rogue ninja within the time I demanded. Your current problem lies in gathering intelligence and sensing your surroundings."

In an izakaya in a small town on the eastern side of the Land of Wind, Kazakami Senran drank sake as he instructed the three people seated across from him, including Shimizu.

"Generally speaking, the best methods for intelligence gathering and reconnaissance in the ninja world are Kekkei Genkai, such as Konoha's Byakugan. However, Sunagakure has no Kekkei Genkai in that regard, so we can only settle for the next best thing and put effort into ninjutsu."

"Baki, the village has an Earth Attribute Earth Sensing Technique. It can use Chakra to sense changes in ground vibrations, and it can also use Earth Release to actively apply low-frequency vibrations to the ground, allowing you to detect moving objects and Chakra over long distances. It suits you very well."

"There is also the Wind Viewing Technique. Its principle is similar to that of the Earth Sensing Technique. Both were ninjutsu developed by the Second Kazekage. It allows you to sense Chakra within a small area by detecting the movement of air currents, or to actively release Wind Release to sense your surroundings. Its drawback is that actively releasing it makes it easy for enemies to notice, and it can easily be disrupted by certain ninjutsu.

All three of you possess Wind Attribute Chakra, so you can try learning it. However, for Shimizu and Pakura, I would still suggest contracting a Summoning Beast with some sensory ability. Especially you, Shimizu. Although your special puppet can protect you in close combat, a Summoning Beast with some close-range fighting ability would be an excellent supplement for you."

The three sat on the sofa across from him, taking note of Kazakami Senran's words.

A month had passed since they had been assigned to this team.

In that short month, Shimizu had already completed nine B-Rank Missions and four C-Rank Missions with the team. They had more or less completed their initial period of adjustment.

After returning to Sunagakure from their mission, Kazakami Senran went to hand in the mission report, while Shimizu headed next door to the puppet base.

This place had been temporarily arranged as a trial training class for Medical Ninja established by Chiyo.

He had come to find Miyuki.

When Shimizu found Miyuki, she was calmly driving a Senbon into a lizard's spine.

"What is it?"

Miyuki swiftly pulled out the Senbon, her expression unchanged even as blood splattered across her face.

"Uh... I wanted to ask what I should learn if I wanted to study Medical Ninjutsu."

Shimizu watched Miyuki place a palm glowing with green light against the lizard's neck and gave an awkward smile.

"You want to transfer to the Medical Squad?"

"No, I just want to learn a few more methods and get started with Medical Ninjutsu. If I encounter an emergency on the battlefield in the future, it'll give me another way to save my life."

"I see..."

Miyuki removed her hand and examined the lizard.

"The bone-setting operation failed again. This Mystical Palm Technique is really difficult to learn."

The pitiful little lizard was tossed aside. Miyuki opened the cabinet beneath the table and took out a thick stack of books.

"The prerequisite for becoming a Medical Ninja is being a qualified doctor. You must study anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology, and master diagnostic and emergency treatment skills. These books are essential."

Shimizu's mouth twitched.

Those who urge others to study medicine deserve to be struck by lightning.

If Medical Ninjutsu did not have irreplaceable value in other worlds and genuinely offer a way to save his life, Shimizu would not have wanted to study medicine.

After all, studying medicine could not save Sunagakure.

"Then have you finished reading all these books?"

"To be precise, I memorized them all."

Miyuki sighed. After thinking for a few seconds, she took out a sheet of paper and began writing rapidly.

"If you only want to get started in Medical Ninjutsu and improve your battlefield survivability, you could consider the Hemostasis Jutsu. Combined with Nuibari, emergency bandages, and medicinal treatment, it can treat minor injuries in a short time without affecting combat ability. Even if you suffer severe injuries, it can extend the golden window for treatment."

"This is the reading list. The books on the first line should be the beginner-level books you have in mind. If you want to develop further in Medical Ninjutsu, you can read these as well, because Elder Chiyo recommended them to us.

"However, the village's medical system has only just been established and is still in its trial phase. Elder Chiyo is also very busy, and the only one capable of teaching us is Sister Suzuna. So if you want to learn Medical Ninjutsu, I'm afraid you won't be able to find anyone to teach you."

Sunagakure was not Konoha, after all.

Konoha had Tsunade, the foremost medical expert in the ninja world, the legacy left behind by the Senju Clan, and a large number of human experiment records from the Second Hokage to use as reference. The difficulty was considerably lower.

In the current ninja world, the only person capable of compiling and collecting all Medical Ninjutsu, establishing a complete Medical Ninja system, and making it a profession on equal footing with Puppeteers and other ninja specialties was Tsunade.

Sunagakure was actually not bad in this regard, second only to Konoha.

The development and creation of Human Puppets itself could not do without human experimentation—this was the most indispensable part of establishing a relatively complete foundation for Medical Ninjutsu.

Moreover, most Sunagakure Puppeteers were skilled in poison. Medicine and poison were inseparable, so their foundation in pharmacology was likewise ahead of the other ninja villages.

Sunagakure fell somewhat short of Konoha in its foundation for Medical Ninjutsu, particularly high-level Medical Ninjutsu, but it also had its own unique strengths. What it lacked was an all-around, exceptional Medical Ninja like Tsunade, someone capable of integrating everything into a new system.

Although Chiyo was indeed among the top experts in Medical Ninjutsu in the ninja world, there was still a certain gap between her and Tsunade, a once-in-several-centuries talent.