I'm Different—I'm a Genius!

Ninja Academy, Experimental Class.

After more than a year of systematic study, the vast majority of the students had successfully mastered basic Medical Ninjutsu.

As for those who had not fully mastered it, they could at least make it flicker a few times. That was simply a matter of poor chakra control, and they could only practice hard on their own.

Aoba had suggested that they practice by grabbing water balloons.

Of course, he had no objection if they grabbed other things instead.

According to the arrangements, all members of the Experimental Class would be sent to Konoha Hospital for the next stage of their clinical internships.

The Experimental Class students were split up and assigned to different departments at Konoha Hospital for rotating internships.

This was both part of their education and a way to ease the medical pressure caused by the growing number of wounded soldiers from the front lines.

After all, no matter how well they learned the theory, they still had to get hands-on experience. They might not be capable of performing actual surgery, but they could handle basic tasks such as stopping bleeding, bandaging wounds, and stitching them up.

This meant they would truly begin coming into contact with real patients and cases.

At first, most of them were assigned to the emergency department or inpatient ward to assist with changing dressings, writing medical records, transporting patients, and other basic chores. Then, little by little, they would be taught more work.

But Yamashiro Aoba was an exception.

Teacher Ueno knew Aoba's abilities, so as soon as the student roster came down, she crossed Yamashiro Aoba's name off it.

On his first day reporting in, she took him directly into the operating room to serve as her assistant.

This arrangement made Yumiko beside them green with envy, nearly turning her into a lemon spirit.

She had been interning at Konoha Hospital for quite some time, yet all she could do was run errands in the operating room, handling peripheral tasks such as cleaning and sterilizing surgical instruments.

But this brat had only arrived on his first day, and he was already able to join Ueno-senpai at the operating table!

She was insanely jealous of that treatment.

However, once the operation began, Yumiko fell silent.

When she saw Aoba using Medical Ninjutsu, steadily maintaining his output for over half an hour without the slightest fluctuation, the little imbalance in Yumiko's heart instantly vanished.

She had to admit that Ueno-senpai had made the right decision.

Such precise chakra control, such astonishing endurance!

Forget her—even many official medical ninja in the hospital might not be able to manage it.

Hmph, that damn Yamashiro brat was only a little better at Medical Ninjutsu.

She could pour water for Ueno-senpai, fetch medicine, write medical records, pass instruments...

Sob, sob...

As the students went their separate ways, the once-lively Medical Experimental Class classroom was temporarily closed.

Aoba stood at the door of the empty classroom, looking at the neatly arranged desks and chairs inside, unsure what he was thinking.

Just then, faint footsteps came from behind him.

Aoba turned around and saw that it was Shizune.

She stood some distance away, seemingly hesitant, not knowing what to say.

In the end, she silently stepped forward, took a scroll from her robes, and handed it to Aoba.

Aoba's gaze fell on the scroll. The words "Strength of a Hundred" were written on it.

Tsk, the handwriting was still as ugly as ever.

Still, the payment was decent enough.

Seeing Aoba accept the scroll so calmly, Shizune instead became a little curious.

"Aoba-kun, you... aren't curious?"

"Curious about what?"

Aoba's lips curved slightly, his tone filled with undisguised mockery. "Curious about that drunkard? Don't you live together?"

"Ah?"

Shizune was instantly stunned by Aoba's words.

Seeing her shocked expression, Aoba found it amusing. "What? Did I get it wrong? Wasn't this given to me by that drunkard?"

"No, that's not it. I want to know how you knew Lady Tsunade and I live together. Even if I'm connected to Tsunade, how could you be so sure?"

"What else could it be? I could tell."

Aoba spread his hands and said casually, "You may not have noticed it yourself, but the way you look at Lady Tsunade is completely different from everyone else. You don't have that nervousness and reverence people show toward one of the legendary Sannin. How should I put it? You treat her more like an acquaintance. And when answering questions, you've never been as restrained as the others..."

Seeing that Shizune did not respond, Aoba casually pointed out several more "flaws" that even she herself had never noticed. For example, when Tsunade skipped class, everyone else would wear understanding expressions, while Shizune would just look helpless, as if it was happening again.

"Most importantly, you often have the same smell of alcohol on you as Tsunade. Yours is fainter, but my nose is pretty sharp."

"It must be hard having to support that drunkard every time she gets drunk, right?"

Shizune listened with her mouth hanging open. That last sentence especially nearly broke through her defenses.

She had always thought she had concealed it well. Who would have thought that in front of Aoba, she was like a transparent person, seen through completely long ago?

Seeing how embarrassed she was, Aoba instead comforted her. "Alright, you've hidden it well enough. Other people still can't tell. It's just that I'm different—a genius, after all!"

After saying that, Aoba confidently gave a thumbs-up.

Pfft—

It was Shizune's first time seeing someone praise himself like that, and she instantly burst out laughing.

"Also, that old woman is way too stingy. After having me work like a beast for her for so long, she's trying to fob me off with one lousy scroll."

As he spoke, Aoba weighed the scroll in his hand, his face full of mockery. "Does she really think I don't know? She sits there every day pretending to drink from a teacup, but there isn't any tea in it at all—it's alcohol! I could smell it from far away."

"It's really hard on you, Shizune. Your own life isn't easy, yet you still have to take care of an old—"

Thud!

Hiss—

Aoba clutched his head as a bump rose at a visible speed.

A figure appeared beside Aoba. Tsunade stood there with her hands on her hips, glaring at him with an unpleasant expression, looking ready to teach him a lesson.

Shizune opened her mouth. She had wanted to warn Aoba, but his little mouth had been rattling on too fast for her to stop him.

"Again? You can't pick another spot?"

Aoba covered his head, the pain nearly bringing tears to his eyes.

"So you finally decided to show yourself!"

"Hmph, if I hadn't come out, would you have kept—"

However, before Tsunade could finish speaking, Aoba suddenly stepped forward, spread his arms, and hugged Tsunade directly.

The sudden embrace made Tsunade freeze on the spot.

Shizune also covered her mouth in shock, her eyes full of disbelief.

Tsunade's entire body stiffened. Her raised hand remained suspended in midair, and she did not know what to do.

However, Aoba quickly let go.

He took a step back, straightened his clothes, then gave Tsunade a solemn, deep bow.

"Thank you very much for taking care of me all this time, Teacher Tsunade. Take care."

His voice was clear and sincere, without any of his previous teasing or mockery.

After saying that, without waiting for either of them to react, Aoba turned and ran out of the classroom without looking back, his figure quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Tsunade stood where she was, staring blankly in the direction he had gone. For a brief moment just now, a familiar figure had overlapped with Aoba.

After a long while, she suddenly smiled in relief. Her gaze was complicated as she muttered a curse under her breath.

"Damn brat..."