Tsunade

The next day, Shinichi, who had no mission, left home at four in the morning as usual for his training.

Afterward, he went to Konoha Hospital as usual and began another day of his internship.

After more than two months of study, he had gained a great deal. Not only had he made further progress in his precise Chakra control, but he had also mastered the Hemostasis Technique and Healing Technique, both C-Rank Medical Ninjutsu, as well as the B-Rank Delicate Illness Extraction Technique.

Such progress made the senior staff at the hospital exclaim one after another, "He really is a Genius."

After all, many people needed two or three years to master these techniques. Shinichi's performance was truly rare.

As for the more advanced Mystical Palm Technique and Chakra Scalpel, Shinichi had yet to come into contact with them. Even at the hospital, few people had mastered these two techniques; they belonged to the advanced category.

At noon, after treating the injuries of several patients, Shinichi was just about to go have lunch. Suddenly, a loud, carefree voice came from the other end of the corridor:

"I heard the hospital recently took in a young man with extraordinary talent! I was wondering who it could be. So it's you, kid!"

Shinichi turned at the sound. A tall, striking blond woman stood not far away, arms folded as she sized him up. She was tall, wearing a tea-green traditional top and dark trousers, with a light-colored coat over them. Her long golden hair fell over her shoulders, and the pale-blue diamond-shaped mark on her forehead was conspicuous.

Lady Tsunade!

"You're Higashino Shinichi, right?" Tsunade walked over, her tone direct and her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny and curiosity. "That little brat Shizune has been going on about you in my ear all day long. 'Shinichi is amazing,' 'Shinichi is a Genius,' 'Shinichi developed an incredible Ninjutsu.' I've nearly grown calluses on my ears from listening to it. I'm finally meeting the real person today."

You're the one who should be making a rare appearance.

Shinichi thought this silently.

He had been studying at the hospital for more than two months. He had assumed he would soon meet one of the Legendary Sannin, yet he had not encountered her even once.

Only later, from the occasional conversations and sighs of the other doctors and nurses, did he learn that Tsunade had rarely come to the hospital over the past few years. She only appeared when faced with extremely difficult, serious injuries that no one else could handle.

Once the matter was dealt with, she would leave in a hurry, as if there were something in the hospital she found deeply repulsive and she could not bear to stay another moment.

Shinichi understood the reason. After suffering the devastating losses of her younger brother Nawaki and her lover Dan Katō one after another, Tsunade had developed Hemophobia.

As time passed after the war, the scenes of losing her loved ones and the bloody images continued to torment her day and night like nightmares she could not escape, making it increasingly difficult for her to face illness, blood, and the unpredictability of life and death.

Thus, she chose to stay away from the hospital, the place most likely to trigger those painful memories. In a few years, the deepening wounds in her heart and her Hemophobia would drive her to leave Konoha with Shizune, beginning a long, aimless life of wandering and escape.

His thoughts raced, but not the slightest trace showed on his face. Shinichi replied respectfully without being overly deferential, "I've met you before, Lady Tsunade."

"You know me?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, sounding somewhat surprised.

"Yes. Shizune... mentions you often as well." Shinichi answered in an even tone.

"Tell me, what does Shizune say about me?"

"Well..."

Shinichi appropriately let a trace of difficulty appear on his face. His gaze shifted slightly, as though he were choosing his words.

"Heh!" Tsunade gave a soft snort, her expression saying she had expected as much. "That brat probably didn't say many nice things about me."

Shinichi merely smiled faintly without replying. Fortunately, Tsunade was not genuinely hung up on it.

Her gaze returned to Shinichi, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

The boy before her was indeed plain-looking. Strangely, though, as he stood there, he naturally radiated an aura that made people feel at ease and inclined to trust him.

That aura was completely at odds with his youthful appearance. It even made the usually indifferent Tsunade inexplicably find him... pleasing to the eye.

She then returned to the main subject, her tone carrying a hint of curiosity. "You're a famous Genius, yet instead of seizing the time to train after finishing your missions, you came running to the hospital to bury yourself in these Medical Ninjutsu?"

"Lady Tsunade, you flatter me." Shinichi remained neither servile nor overbearing as he answered clearly and methodically. "In my view, studying Medical Ninjutsu is itself an excellent form of training. It demands extremely precise Chakra control, making it an ideal way to hone one's control."

"Furthermore, gaining a deeper understanding of the human body's structure, the circulation of its meridians, and its functional responses will also greatly benefit my Taijutsu and Ninjutsu training. Of course, as a ninja, possessing a certain amount of medical knowledge might allow me to provide my comrades with an extra chance of survival at a critical moment. That is an important consideration as well."

"That sounds fairly well thought out." Tsunade nodded noncommittally before pressing him further. "Then tell me, what exactly have you learned over the past two months?"

"In terms of medical theory and diagnosis, I followed the seniors in learning the basics of identifying illnesses, the procedures for treating common injuries, and the preliminary use of various medical instruments," Shinichi listed, his tone practical. "As for Medical Ninjutsu itself, I'm still only at the introductory stage. For now, I've learned the Hemostasis Technique, the Healing Technique, and the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique."

"You've even mastered the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique?" A hint of surprise flashed through Tsunade's eyes, and she could not help taking another look at him.

This B-Rank Medical Ninjutsu demanded extremely precise and stable Chakra control. It was absolutely not something one could master in a short time.

"Looks like Shizune wasn't completely talking nonsense when she called you a Genius every day. Not bad. Keep working hard, kid."

With that, she seemed to have lost interest in continuing the conversation. She casually raised a hand and patted Shinichi on the shoulder. The force was not light. Then she turned around briskly and strode away, the entire exchange seeming utterly spontaneous, as if she had merely felt like stopping to talk while passing by.

In truth, even Tsunade herself did not quite understand why she had taken the initiative to speak with this boy, whom she had only heard about from Shizune.

Perhaps Shizune had mentioned him so many times that she had grown curious;

Or perhaps it was simply that, at first glance, this plain-looking boy had unexpectedly seemed pleasing to the eye.

Just then, a young nurse named Izumiko approached quickly down the corridor, holding a clipboard. Her face showed clear curiosity and amusement.

"Was that... Lady Tsunade? She actually spoke to you first?" Izumiko lowered her voice, her eyes gleaming with gossip.

"Mm." Shinichi nodded, his tone casual. "Lady Tsunade asked me about what I've been studying at the hospital."

"Not bad, little Shinichi!" Izumiko lightly nudged him with her elbow, her smile carrying familiar teasing. "No wonder you're the man I like, big sister that I am. Even Lady Tsunade is taking an interest in you."

Shinichi could only offer an exasperated, wry smile and shake his head without taking up the topic.

He knew Izumiko was lively and fond of joking around. At times like this, the best response was simply to let her say whatever she wanted.

"All right, all right, I won't tease you anymore." Izumiko stopped while she was ahead and turned serious, though the amusement in her eyes remained. "Still, it really is a good thing that Lady Tsunade asked about you. She hasn't come by much these past few years, but her eye for talent is second to none. Keep it up, future great doctor!"

She laughed and patted Shinichi on the shoulder, then lightly turned around with the clipboard in her arms and went back to work, humming an off-key tune.

The corridor returned to silence. Shinichi looked toward the direction Tsunade had left, then withdrew his gaze after a moment and headed toward the cafeteria.

Their brief conversation had been like a stone tossed into the lake of his heart, sending out faint ripples before slowly settling back into calm.