Medical Ninjutsu was useful, but if he wanted to use it openly, he would need somewhere to legitimize his knowledge of it.
Otherwise, if an ordinary Ninja Academy student like him suddenly displayed accomplished Medical Ninjutsu, he might well be treated as a spy as soon as someone noticed something amiss.
As for legitimizing his Medical Ninjutsu, he would need to find a suitable way.
"Medical Ninjutsu?"
Hearing Namikawa Yū's words, the old director suddenly smiled. "That works out perfectly."
"Come with me."
He stood up and motioned for Namikawa Yū to follow him.
Namikawa Yū followed him to another office.
A woman's voice came from inside.
"Come in."
A moment later, the door opened with a creak.
"Miss Nonō, sorry to disturb you."
Looking at the woman before him, the old director greeted her with a smile.
Following the old director's indication, Namikawa Yū looked ahead.
A woman sat upright before them.
She wore a gray robe and was probably in her twenties. Sitting there, she seemed to be dealing with paperwork.
Her features were not particularly exquisite, merely pleasant, but she gave off a distinctive, somewhat unusual impression.
Nonō?
Behind the director, something stirred in Namikawa Yū's mind as he looked at the woman. Could it be her?
Yakushi Nonō was a member of Konoha's Anbu. She had once served in Root, moving among various factions as a spy to gather intelligence for Konoha.
However, according to what Namikawa Yū knew, she had also once worked at the Orphanage as its director and had even clashed with Danzo of Root.
Kabuto Yakushi's later tragedy had stemmed from this as well.
Of course, those were all things that lay in the future.
At present, Yakushi Nonō was merely an ordinary ninja who had just retired from the Anbu and was about to take over as director of the Orphanage.
"Lady Nonō."
Looking at Yakushi Nonō before him, the old director wore a respectful expression. "This isn't an official visit. There's just something I'd like to trouble you with."
"Please go ahead, Mr. Sawano."
Looking at the old director before her, Yakushi Nonō spoke gently, prompting him to straighten up. "You're my senior. Whatever it is, please speak freely."
"It's about this child."
Kamikawa Sawano looked respectful. "I've watched this child grow up. He's attending the Ninja Academy now..."
He recounted Namikawa Yū's experiences and spoke of his aspirations.
"Oh?"
Yakushi Nonō looked at Namikawa Yū with surprise. "You want to become a Medical Ninja? That's rather unusual."
There were many students at the Ninja Academy, but most aimed to become powerful ninja.
Those who wished to become Medical Ninja, while not entirely unheard of, were relatively rare.
"Compared to an ordinary ninja, a Medical Ninja has a harder road ahead."
She looked at Namikawa Yū and asked earnestly, "Are you prepared for that?"
"Yes."
Namikawa Yū nodded. "The path of a Medical Ninja might not be as easy as an ordinary ninja's, but I think being able to devote myself to work I love is a kind of happiness too."
"So I hope you'll help me, Miss Nonō."
As he spoke, his expression was sincere, and he wore a smile with a child's unique innocence, one that could not help but touch the heart.
Looking at Namikawa Yū, Yakushi Nonō could not help smiling as well.
"All right, then stay."
She continued, "I've only just arrived here, and I'll soon be taking over as director. If you have time from now on, you can come by often."
"My accomplishments in Medical Ninjutsu aren't particularly great, but I shouldn't have much trouble teaching a beginner like you."
Yakushi Nonō was actually being modest.
While her Medical Ninjutsu could not be called the best in the Ninja World, it was certainly beyond what ordinary people could match.
Her skill was definitely greater than that of the vast majority of people in Konoha.
"Thank you, Nonō."
A smile immediately appeared on Namikawa Yū's face.
After that day, Namikawa Yū visited the Orphanage much more frequently than before.
Whenever she had some free time after classes at the Ninja Academy, she would come to the Orphanage to see Nonō.
Naturally, he was so enthusiastic because he wanted to learn Medical Ninjutsu from Nonō.
Of course, in his spare time, he would also stay at the Orphanage for a while and help Nonō with things.
"You have an outstanding talent for Medical Ninjutsu, greater than that of most people I've met."
Inside the Orphanage, Nonō looked at Namikawa Yū with surprise once again. "This degree of chakra control is a rare talent too."
For a Medical Ninja, the most important ability was not the quality of their chakra, but their control over it.
As long as their chakra control was sufficient, a ninja could perform many delicate operations.
And in this respect, Namikawa Yū's performance was undoubtedly excellent.
He had strong chakra control and could perform many delicate operations.
This was precisely the ability required to become a Medical Ninja.
Standing where he was, Namikawa Yū tried reaching out, placing one hand on an injured squirrel.
As his chakra flowed, the wounds on the squirrel before him began to heal slowly, and its overall condition looked considerably better than before.
Watching this, Nonō's expression filled with approval.
"It's only because you teach so well, Director."
Meeting Nonō's gaze, Namikawa Yū smiled before continuing, "If I were on my own, no matter how hard I worked, I wouldn't have been able to reach this level in such a short time."
As he spoke, he raised his head and looked into the distance.
Several children were making a racket there, chasing one another as they played.
"What are you looking at?"
Nonō spoke.
"Their lives."
Namikawa Yū spoke softly. "Actually, thinking about it, being able to let go of everything and live as carefree as they do wouldn't be bad."
"People living in this world are always troubled by one worry or another. How could anyone truly be carefree?"
Nonō shook her head. "Just like you, Yū. Though you always seem to be smiling, you have plenty on your mind too, don't you?"
After all, Nonō had once been an outstanding spy who moved among various factions. After spending so much time with him, she could naturally see Namikawa Yū's state of mind.
However, she said nothing more.
After all, on the surface, Namikawa Yū was merely a seven-year-old child. Even if he had a few worries, they did not amount to much.
"Aren't you the same, Director?"
Namikawa Yū smiled. "When it comes to worries, you don't have many fewer than I do."
"Those are the troubles of adulthood."
Nonō did not deny his words. She merely reached out and patted his head. "But those are grown-up worries. They have nothing to do with you while you're still a child."