A Medical Ninja Training Class

A single coin could bring a hero to his knees, and it wasn't as though Yayoi was only short by one coin.

He was short by a lot. He needed investment from someone wealthy, but the only person in the village he knew and trusted was Yan.

Besides, from what Yayoi had observed, Yan was definitely well off.

Given their relationship, he could have simply asked her for a loan. But if he did that, he'd be begging on his knees.

Yayoi considered himself a promising prospect, and he had his pride. He wanted to stand tall while borrowing the money.

A loan was still a loan, but this was different. It was an investment, a contribution to scientific research.

And he was a Senju. Yayoi swore by that name, figuring it would at least make him seem a little more trustworthy to the Uchiha.

All that was really just nonsense. Given Yayoi and Yan's relationship, it boiled down to one thing:

For the sake of that string of dango, give me some money to help me out.

"Sure."

Yan agreed without a second thought.

She didn't care much about money. If her only friend, Yayoi, wanted some, she'd give it to him.

Yan didn't see a problem with that.

"Sorry to ask, Yan, but how much money do you have?"

"Fifty million ryo."

Yan held out her hand, her jade-green fingers shining brilliantly in Yayoi's eyes.

Fifty million ryo—that was more than fifty S-rank missions.

It was nearly worth two Asumas.

"Sorry to ask, but what about your parents?"

Yayoi didn't let the sudden good news cloud his judgment. Instead, he calmed down and asked Yan about her family.

He realized he'd never asked before, and Yan had never mentioned it.

There weren't many families that could come up with fifty million. Even the Uchiha weren't so wealthy.

"I don't have any. I'm an orphan. I've received three pensions since I was little, as well as the inheritance my parents left me."

Yayoi suddenly felt that money was a little too hot to handle.

"Then who looked after you when you were little?"

"My second grandpa came to see me from time to time. He looked after me when I was little. Now I live by myself."

Silence was tonight's Cambridge; the air suddenly fell still.

Yayoi had to admit he was uncomfortable. He'd mentally prepared himself to borrow money, but the pensions and inheritance—

Those buffs had stacked to the heavens. To accept her money with a straight face, Yayoi would really have to adjust his moral boundaries.

Yan said nothing, simply waiting quietly for Yayoi to speak.

"I'll borrow it in a few years, once my skills have matured."

Yayoi pondered for a few seconds, then seemed to finally make up his mind.

His skills weren't mature yet, and he didn't have many materials. His earlier attempt to find investors had really just been because he wanted to study Alchemy.

A money-burning pursuit like that really did require buying a lot of materials.

But he was still young, and Dragon Blood wasn't especially potent yet. He wouldn't have anything to show for it in the short term.

In that case, he could wait until his skills had improved and he had more materials, then seek investment all at once.

That way, he could repay Yan with something that let him live with a clear conscience.

The medical ninja training class got underway in full swing.

Yayoi also began devoting himself in earnest to the study of Medical Ninjutsu. He signed up with Teacher Utsugi, and under his earnest instruction, found the training site.

Since it was a new village policy and the Hokage strongly supported it,

the training center was spacious. The Hokage had personally approved it.

Yayoi and Yan pushed open the door and went inside together.

Just as expected, it was huge, filled with groups of chirping female ninja.

Most of them were girls around Yayoi's age, though there were quite a few older students as well.

The training center was almost entirely made up of women.

Because women were meticulous and gentle, the vast majority of medical ninja were female.

Even those who lacked the aptitude to become medical ninja could still work as medical staff, so women made up most of the support personnel.

Most male ninja, meanwhile, aspired to make a name for themselves in war, earn merit for the village, and become respected heroes.

"What a handsome little boy."

An older girl boldly whispered to the friend beside her.

"But he seems to have a girlfriend. And she's an Uchiha, too."

Her friend, who wore her hair in twin tails, had noticed the key detail.

It was proof that good looks drew attention no matter where you went.

Little children with delicate features were always the cutest. As the two walked in together, they immediately attracted a great deal of attention.

Uchiha Yan walked in beside Yayoi, her gentle smile like moonlight spilling down from the sky.

Yan had asked her teacher for time off, saying she wanted to meet the legendary Princess Tsunade.

Given Yan's usually good behavior, her request had been approved.

Yayoi hadn't objected either.

"Are you here to sign up to become medical ninja?"

A young woman came over and asked them warmly.

"Mm-hmm."

Seeing the two little ones nod so cutely seemed to fill the young woman with immense satisfaction.

"The testers haven't arrived yet. Find somewhere to sit for now. There'll be a basic introduction to Medical Ninjutsu in a little while, so listen carefully."

Yayoi and Yan exchanged a glance, nodded, and found seats nearby.

Time passed little by little. Once it was clear no one else was coming, a mature kunoichi with twin tails stepped onto the stage.

"Hello, everyone. I'm your teacher for today, Kamiya Naoko. I'll begin by explaining the basics of Medical Ninjutsu."

She first explained some fundamentals of Medical Ninjutsu. Yayoi had already learned all of them.

But he didn't say anything, simply waiting quietly.

Before long, two kunoichi carried some special equipment onto the stage. Kamiya Naoko had just finished her lesson.

"I'll test everyone's Yang Attribute."

After one round of testing, seventy percent were eliminated. Still, lacking a Yang Attribute wasn't a problem.

It made learning Medical Ninjutsu more difficult, but becoming a nurse was still a good option.

Yan stepped forward and curiously held out her hand.

"I'm sorry, but you don't have a Yang Attribute,"

the twin-tailed kunoichi said tactfully.

"That's all right. I'm only here to keep Yayoi-kun company."

Yan shook her head gently, unconcerned.

Why would an Uchiha like her need a Yang Attribute?

"You have incredible talent. You may even be able to rival Lady Tsunade."

When it was Yayoi's turn, Kamiya Naoko covered her mouth and exclaimed in surprise.

Yayoi wasn't surprised. It was just as he'd expected.

As a Senju, wasn't it only natural for him to have a strong Yang Release affinity?

Besides, Blood Rage had activated his Senju physique. It only made sense that he could rival Tsunade.

Still, it looked as though he might attract the attention of the higher-ups, which could be risky. But better access to medical resources made it worthwhile.

Besides, he was just a medical ninja. No matter how talented he was, without any other abilities, he wouldn't catch their attention.

Yayoi had originally thought all he needed to do was grow up safely until he became a ninja.

But he hadn't expected there to be so much more he needed to do. If he didn't master medical knowledge, he wouldn't even be able to fulfill the prerequisites for his plan.

He'd give it a shot. After all, it was only his medical talent that stood out; neither the higher-ups nor Pot King had any reason to target him.

Once the testing ended, they began handing out textbooks. After all, becoming a medical ninja required not only the right chakra attribute, but also a solid foundation of knowledge.

An illiterate person couldn't become a doctor.