Genin Like a Crown

Soon, Higashino Megumi walked in carrying some materials, and the classroom suddenly fell silent. Even the single-minded Obito quieted down—he couldn't disrupt Rin's studies.

Higashino Megumi glanced at her own son, then at Uchiha Obito, who had his head tilted to the side with a pout, and immediately understood that Higashino Makoto had been verbally sparring with someone again.

She didn't particularly like Obito either, because this kid wasn't here to learn Medical Ninjutsu. But since he'd signed up, she'd treat him fairly. She didn't expect him to become a Medical Ninja; if he could just pick up some practical first-aid skills, that would be good—they might save a life someday.

The Higashino Family had no particular issue with the Uchiha Clan, whom the villagers often complained about, and they certainly didn't discriminate.

The class began quickly. The first two sessions covered Medical Knowledge and the Training Method and Usage Technique of Medical Ninjutsu.

Medical Ninjutsu is like a formula—knowing it isn't enough to use it; you have to combine it with the various real-world conditions of the injured person.

Those real-world conditions, in turn, require the knowledge you've mastered to judge. It's a complete system of Ninjutsu Training and Application System.

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The last class was a practical session. The students packed up their notes and followed Higashino Megumi in a noisy crowd to a specially prepared ward.

Inside were four ninjas injured during training or missions, who hadn't received treatment yet.

This was done with the consent of the ninjas in the ward. They were willing to endure a little, providing some internship experience for the village's juniors.

The more medical masters the village had, the more security they'd have for their own lives later.

Higashino Makoto didn't know three of the injured, but he recognized the last one at a glance. Even without his signature green jumpsuit, his jet-black hair and overly thick, bushy eyebrows and beard gave him away.

Konoha's famous oddball, the Eternal Genin, Might Duy.

Back in the days when he couldn't summon System Father, Higashino Makoto had even thought about going to him as a Godfather if all else failed.

Luckily, he'd found his Golden Finger in time and didn't end up with another father.

With a cheat active, who would bother learning that deadly Eight Inner Gates?

It wasn't that he looked down on it—it's just that Natural Energy was way more useful than that thing.

The first three injured weren't serious—just accidental cuts from Sharp Weapons during training or Muscle Strain. Higashino Megumi first let the students judge for themselves, then corrected their mistakes based on her experience, and had them personally treat the injuries with Medical Ninjutsu.

Finally, she'd check over the work and point out any shortcomings.

Konoha has a huge number of ninjas, and new injured show up every day. As long as these students intern at the hospital for a year or two, they'd accumulate plenty of practical experience.

The only troublesome case was Might Duy. His body was a mess of new injuries piled on old ones—severe joint wear, twisted Meridians, extreme muscle fatigue, some finger joints already deformed, and more.

Higashino Megumi even judged which of his internal organs were failing based on his breathing rhythm, body odor, and faint abnormal sounds from his abdomen through a stethoscope.

For these years of accumulated injuries, even as a Special Jonin in the medical field, she had no good solution. She could only teach the students how to use gentle Chakra for a full-body conditioning treatment.

She also warned these fresh Newbies who'd just graduated: hard training is encouraged, but never overdo it—know your limits. Might Duy was the perfect example of overtraining's consequences.

Higashino Makoto thought that to truly heal Might Duy, Tsunade-sama herself would have to step in at this point, and she'd need to perform who knows how many surgeries all over his body.

None of it could be done in a few days. It would be a mix of surgery and recovery, a treatment process measured in years.

That was clearly something Might Duy couldn't afford. He had to earn money to support his family and spend a lot of time training—he simply didn't have that much time to rest.

On top of that, Tsunade-sama was currently suffering from hemophobia and couldn't perform surgery at all. But that information was probably known only to Konoha's High Level four-man team and her two teammates.

Higashino Megumi had once told her son that Tsunade-sama hadn't shown up at the hospital in a long time.

Higashino Makoto figured she'd probably taken Shizune and run off, and wasn't even in Konoha anymore.

Today's class ended, and Higashino Megumi finished her shift smoothly.

At the hospital entrance, the students said their goodbyes to her one by one.

Even though she wasn't the only instructor at the hospital, they respected every teacher who imparted knowledge to them.

Even Uchiha Obito respectfully said, "Teacher Hui, you worked hard today."

But when it came to Higashino Makoto, he put his Hands behind his head, looking all cocky, deliberately turning his head away from the other guy and letting out a "Tch."

"Obito, you can't be so rude."

"I know, I know." Facing Nohara Rin's stern expression, Obito immediately changed his tune. "Hey, Kid, see ya."

Nohara Rin's expression softened at that. She looked at Higashino Makoto and said, "Junior Makoto, I didn't expect you to be even better at Medical Ninjutsu than me. You'll definitely become someone like Tsunade-sama in the future."

Half of that was genuine praise; the other half was smoothing things over for her comrade Obito.

Helping Obito patch up his relationships with others had become Rin's instinct, ever since they were kids.

What a considerate and gentle Girl—truly the moonlight for a sensitive Boy like Obito. No wonder Dreamer would later turn into a ruthless demon who didn't recognize his own family for her sake.

"You flatter me, Senior Rin. You're amazing too. Get some rest early. See you."

"Mm, see you. Goodbye, Teacher Hui."

After Rin said her goodbyes, Obito-kun grabbed her and dashed off in a flash.

Higashino Megumi watched with a smile and shook her head, saying nothing. The hazy feelings of youth—always so Beautiful Things and yet so sensitive.

Luckily, back when she was in school, Higashino Jiro wasn't as clingy as Obito, or she'd have been scared off long ago, and Higashino Makoto would never have been born.

Walking home, Higashino Makoto asked curiously, "Mother, does that man named Might Duy come to the hospital for treatment often? Otherwise, with his physical condition, he should have broken down long ago."

"I've seen the father and son in the village before. With the way they train, even an iron body wouldn't hold up."

Higashino Megumi sighed. "Yes, that's why your father and I always remind you not to push your body too hard. It doesn't just sacrifice your future—it drains your lifespan too."

"But Might Duy's situation is special. As you know, he's quite famous in the village—an Eternal Genin who only knows crude Taijutsu, and he's not tactful enough. Few people are willing to team up with him."

"He can only take the simple Beginner Missions in the village, so his income is limited, and he has a son to raise. To help him out, the hospital reached a verbal agreement with him."

"He often comes to the hospital as a patient for trainees to practice on. His body is an excellent teaching case, allowing newcomers to gain a deeper understanding of Medical Ninjutsu."

"In return, the hospital pays him per session, easing some of his financial burden. We also give him basic treatments each time."

"It's a win-win. After all, no matter how weak his Combat Strength, he's still a Comrade of the village."

"No wonder he's held on this long. He's truly a strong and good father."

"He really is a good father. We've given him plenty of advice and occasionally prescribed mild restorative medicine depending on the severity of his condition, but it seems he's used it all on his son."

Higashino Makoto thought to himself, If he hadn't loved his son so much, he wouldn't have raised a beast capable of the Open Eight Gates Kick Six Paths.

Might Duy was actually not bad off. At least he left his son a powerful Forbidden Jutsu and, most importantly, the Nindo Spirit.

What about the other Older Genin?

They had limited talent—no Secret Jutsu, no ninjutsu. Even if they did, they couldn't use it.

Many of them took the Chunin Exam year after year, only to be eliminated each time. It was just like the ancient imperial exams—all for the title of Chunin.

Don't think of Chunin in the original story as a Roadside Tie-up, where any Powerful Ninja could take one out with a casually thrown Kunai.

In truth, that was already a height many could never reach.

They might have solid Basic Knowledge, or rich experience in low-level missions, but it didn't matter.

In the end, a ninja's worth came down to Combat Strength.