From that day on, Namikawa Yū returned to his normal life as a Ninja Academy student.
But from then on, those around him also clearly noticed the change in him.
Before his memories awakened, Namikawa Yū had been withdrawn and barely interacted with those around him.
It could hardly be helped. He was an orphan, after all.
Very few orphans could stay cheerful without parents to care for them.
Someone like Uzumaki Naruto was an exception among exceptions and could not be judged by ordinary standards.
But now, Namikawa Yū's manner was clearly very different from before.
Still, those around him were only surprised for a while before quickly getting used to it.
After all, he was just an ordinary child, not some genius from a distinguished family. How many people would keep watching him all the time?
Namikawa Yū knew this too, so he did not mind the changes in himself.
Of course, a slight change in personality did not matter. Children changed quickly, after all.
But the change in his aptitude as a ninja could not be too great, or he would inevitably risk drawing someone's attention.
So over the following days, he kept himself in check, mingling with the students around him and blending in.
One day, after school ended, he did not go home as usual but went somewhere else instead.
This was Konoha's Orphanage, where many orphans lived.
"Yū, you're back!"
"How's life at the Ninja Academy?"
As he walked along, quite a few people greeted Namikawa Yū.
With a smile on his face, Namikawa Yū responded to each of them.
He was an orphan too and had grown up in the Orphanage over the preceding years, so naturally, this place was hardly unfamiliar to him.
Many of his old playmates were still in the Orphanage.
Most of the children who remained here had little aptitude as ninjas, so they stayed in the Orphanage to study, only leaving after they turned ten to make their own living outside.
For now, though, they could just about get by, and their lives were not too bad.
Walking on, Namikawa Yū soon reached the director's office.
"Director."
Holding a bouquet of flowers, he stepped inside and nodded respectfully to the old man before him.
An old man sat in the office. Looking at Namikawa Yū before him, he smiled. "Oh, it's you, Yū."
"It really has been a long time."
He was the director of this Orphanage and was like a father to the orphans who had lived here.
And now, he had more or less reached retirement age.
Namikawa Yū knew this, which was why he had made a point of visiting, intending to see the old director off.
"How's life at the Ninja Academy? Are you settling in all right?"
Looking at Namikawa Yū, the old director asked with concern, "Has anyone been giving you trouble?"
Namikawa Yū answered each of the old man's questions with a smile, without the slightest impatience.
He knew the old man before him meant him no harm and was merely worried about whether he was doing well.
Not everyone could adapt to life at the Ninja Academy.
Becoming a ninja was certainly a way for people in this world to rise in life, but it was also extremely dangerous and arduous.
Quite a few of the Orphanage's former children had chosen this path, but few had met with a good outcome.
With those precedents, the old director could not help being a little worried.
"Ah, that."
Namikawa Yū answered with a smile, "Don't worry. I'm not having any problems."
"The path to becoming a ninja is bound to be hard, but I think I can handle it. There's no problem."
"That's good."
The old director breathed a sigh of relief, then said with a smile, "As expected of a ninja's descendant, I suppose. You really are better suited to becoming a ninja than others."
"A ninja's descendants are still people. They don't have anything extra that other people lack."
Namikawa Yū spoke softly. "Whether someone is suited to being a ninja doesn't depend on their background, but on their own talent and will."
"That's certainly true."
The old director smiled. "It's just that, compared to the others, you've always been the one I worry less about."
"Ah, time passes too quickly. Back then, you were only three or four years old."
The old director sighed wistfully. "In the blink of an eye, it's time for me to leave this place and retire."
"Before I retire, is there anything you need me to do?"
He looked at Namikawa Yū. "I may be old, and I'm no remarkable ninja, but I have gotten to know a few people over all these years."
"If you run into trouble, perhaps I can help."
"Actually, there really is something I need your help with."
Namikawa Yū thought for a moment, then said, "I want to learn Medical Ninjutsu."
"Medical Ninjutsu?"
A look of surprise appeared on the old director's face.
"Yes."
Namikawa Yū nodded. "The longer I stay at the Ninja Academy, the more I feel my own limitations."
"Compared to killing people on the battlefield, I still prefer treating illnesses and saving lives."
"So I want to learn Medical Ninjutsu and join Konoha Hospital as a Medical Ninja in the future."
His dislike of killing was merely a reason he gave.
In his heart, Namikawa Yū certainly disliked killing, but not to the point of refusing to become a ninja because of it.
His main reason for saying this was that he wanted to escape the coming battlefield.
The atmosphere in the Ninja World was already off, and war was very likely to break out in the near future.
When that happened, even though Namikawa Yū was not yet a full-fledged ninja and was merely an ordinary Ninja Academy student, he would certainly be dragged onto the battlefield as well.
Namikawa Yū would definitely have to find an opportunity to avoid that risk.
But exactly how he could avoid it was another matter.
Becoming a Medical Ninja was the ideal way.
Unlike ordinary ninjas, Medical Ninjas held a relatively higher status and could play a more important role on the battlefield.
Ordinary ninjas had to go to the front lines to fight the enemy, while most Medical Ninjas only needed to stay behind in their positions and treat the wounded.
While the risks would be greatly reduced, the rewards could also increase considerably.
Most importantly, Medical Ninjutsu was also something Namikawa Yū excelled at.
He had not been idle during those fifty years of reincarnation.
Besides handling affairs of state, he had also actively studied and mastered knowledge of various applications of chakra.
Among the various forms of ninjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu was what he had studied the most and mastered best, in order to extend his lifespan and maintain his condition as much as possible.
In theory, with his current proficiency in Medical Ninjutsu, there would be nothing wrong with going straight to Konoha Hospital to work as a Medical Ninja.
But having the skill was one thing. Whether he could simply display it was another matter entirely.