"Good morning, Doctor Uesugi."
"Doctor Uesugi, thank you for all your hard work."
"Thank you, Brother Uesugi. Good morning."
The various patients greeted Yayoi warmly when they saw him.
After all, when it came to a "savior," no amount of enthusiasm was too much.
Yayoi simply nodded to each of them.
He only smiled and nodded in response.
He had seen people protecting the village and, in the process, protecting him too. He was simply returning the favor by helping them as much as he could.
He didn't think much about good and evil. Perhaps he'd once been a kind person.
But ever since Blood Rage, his capacity for pity had faded considerably.
It made sense. The Divine Tree symbolized plunder, while the dragon symbolized brutality.
There wasn't a drop of human blood in Yayoi's body. Even if there had been, there was hardly any left.
So he didn't care whether people treated him with kindness or malice. Still, when he found himself surrounded by goodwill, Yayoi felt that his efforts hadn't been in vain.
Perhaps that was the light of humanity.
"Yayoi, you're really popular."
Shengshu sounded envious.
Seeing so many people admire and even respect Yayoi filled him with envy.
"If you treat them when they're in trouble and help them out, they'll recognize you too."
Yayoi gave Shengshu a soft smile.
"Kindness and recognition aren't really that hard to earn. You just have to be someone of value."
"I don't really get it."
Shengshu shook his head.
Although he was older than Yayoi, the other boy seemed far more mature.
"Then contribute to the village. That's the fastest and easiest way to earn everyone's recognition."
Yayoi shook his head with a laugh, amused by Shengshu's naivety.
He wasn't wrong, though. If you told other people to contribute to the village, no one might even notice.
But Shengshu was different. He was the First's grandson, so people would naturally recognize him.
Do a few good deeds and spread the word a little, and he'd be known as Konoha's great philanthropist.
It wasn't difficult at all. It was hard to tarnish the aura of the First's grandson.
"That's true. As long as you contribute to the village, everyone's sure to recognize you."
"Yan, do you think so too?"
Shengshu turned to look at Yan.
Although she was an Uchiha, he'd long since stopped judging people by bloodline.
Besides, she was close to Yayoi. Perhaps she'd even take his surname someday.
Shengshu saw nothing wrong with that. The Uchiha were indeed a powerful clan, but the Senju were no less impressive.
With two Hokage from the Senju, he even thought their legacy outshone the Uchiha's.
"Helping others is the most direct way to earn recognition."
Yan pressed her lips together, looking past Shengshu toward Yayoi.
"But I don't think that way. I don't have many friends. As long as I'm with Miyoshi-kun, I'm happy."
"You're easily satisfied. But are you two doing this on purpose?"
Shengshu felt like he'd been force-fed a mountain of affection.
Though he was a few years older than Yayoi, he felt completely outmatched.
It was as if an adult were indulging a child. Even his older sister didn't treat him that way; she believed he'd become Hokage someday.
But he couldn't see any respect for his dream in Yayoi and Yan—just their "friendly" smiles.
"If you want to be Hokage, start by beating Yan."
Seeing Shengshu so full of energy, Yayoi decided to knock him down a peg.
Otherwise, he'd keep charging forward like someone with a death wish, despite looking like he was doomed to die young.
At Yayoi's words, Yan eagerly drew her short blade and turned toward Shengshu.
"No way!"
Shengshu hurriedly raised his hands and crossed them in front of himself.
As if! There was no way he'd fight Yan.
They were three years apart, but the difference in their strength was absurd.
Yan's Genjutsu made it impossible for him to tell what was real, and then she'd have a blade at his throat. One chop from her would leave him hurting for days.
At first, he'd trained hard. After all, how could the First's grandson lose to some ordinary Uchiha girl?
But after six months, he couldn't take it anymore.
She was just too good at fighting.
Yayoi was just as good, though in a different way from Yan.
Yayoi was a Senju too, and he overwhelmed Shengshu with sheer strength and enormous reserves of chakra.
It left Shengshu with a serious psychological scar.
Which one of them was supposed to be a Senju? Was he some fake Hokage's grandson?
"Shengshu, you don't look nearly as fired up as you did before."
A teasing voice came from the corridor. A golden ponytail, a bold and valiant air, and a chest that heaved like a mighty river.
Tsunade had seen her younger brother's predicament and come over specifically to make fun of him.
"Big sis, you—"
Before Shengshu could say anything, Tsunade lunged at him.
Unlike Shengshu right now, he struggled until he was released, then stood there flushed and panting.
Tsunade looked toward Yayoi, but Yan quietly stepped between them.
Yan lowered her gaze to the hospital floor, then raised her head with a serious expression.
"Okay, okay, don't be jealous, little one."
Tsunade glanced at Yayoi with a regretful look, then got down to business.
"Yayoi, the hospital's holding a meeting later. Do you want to sit in?"
His skills were excellent, and he'd genuinely reduced the death rate. His proposals had even helped improve and expand Konoha's medical care.
The people at Konoha Hospital were very interested in the person Tsunade had taken such a special interest in.
And judging from Tsunade's occasional remarks, she seemed to be considering taking him on as a student. So they'd simply brought him into the ranks of the decision-makers as well.
Besides, the doctor had genuinely earned everyone's respect.
Whenever they saw the sweat on Yayoi's brow after surgery, the young women would even rush to wipe it away for him.
There was no doubt that this was part of Yayoi's personal charm.
Of course, perhaps Dragon Blood added a little to his charm. But the main reason was that Yayoi had the skills to back it up.
As for some of the methods he used to lower the death rate, he'd learned them at Kaser in his previous life, where the Execution Department used them. Their death rate was high, after all.
Tsunade was also pleased with the performance of her prospective student.
A doctor's compassion mattered. Nothing was more important than genuinely reducing the death rate.
Yayoi was undoubtedly the perfect person to inherit her legacy. She decided to take him on as her student once he was a little older.
"Ahem, I'll pass."
Yayoi had been about to agree, but when he saw the faint disappointment in Yan's eyes, he swallowed his words.
"Fine, those meetings aren't useful anyway. If anything comes up, I'll just tell you myself.
"Also, you and Shengshu can pick a restaurant tonight and treat me to a welcome-back dinner."
Tsunade cheerfully dumped everything on Yayoi and Shengshu, then swept off.
Yayoi turned to look at Shengshu.
"Ahem, I've got training to do today. I'll leave it to you, Yayoi!"
Shengshu immediately passed the buck and dashed off.
"Miyoshi-kun, you were just messing with Shengshu, weren't you?"
Watching Shengshu flee in relief, Yan couldn't help grinning.
"I wasn't messing with him."
Yayoi spread his hands.
"He's so loud and restless. I'm not entirely comfortable inviting him along."
Before you continue