After dinner, Hanfu reminded his little brother to do his homework properly before heading to the hospital with Keiko.
As soon as Hanfu had left, Hayate couldn't control himself and ran out back to pick up his wooden sword. But less than half an hour into practicing, he remembered the words his older brother had used.
Getting ahead of himself.
That was right. He wasn't even a ninja yet, and he hadn't even mastered the Three Body Technique, but he was already thinking about inheriting Konoha-Style Kenjutsu. He really was getting ahead of himself.
Reluctantly, Hayate put down the wooden sword and, after looking back three times, went inside to write up his reflections.
Meanwhile, Hanfu followed Keiko back to Konoha Hospital.
Though dusk had fallen, Konoha Hospital was brightly lit. The busy figures of the medical staff could be seen hurrying between the wards.
"Feng-chan, don't run around, okay?" Keiko cautioned.
"I know."
Once inside the hospital, Hanfu looked around, but there was no sign that any important guest had arrived.
Had Shennong really come?
Hanfu was still wondering when he followed Keiko up to the third floor. They stopped outside a room with a sign that read "Experimental Operating Room."
"Doctor Shennong is inside. Remember not to talk once we go in, okay?" Keiko cautioned him again.
Hanfu was a little excited. "I know."
The two pushed open the door, and Hanfu immediately heard a chorus of exclamations.
"Seriously! As expected of Doctor Shennong—he managed to stop the bleeding and finish the sutures so quickly!"
"Exactly! Doctor Shennong's medical skills are already better than those of ordinary Medical Ninja!"
Amid the flood of praise, Shennong, a man with a thick beard, smiled and spoke.
"Everyone, surgical operations are a doctor's most fundamental skill. If you'd like to learn, I can pass on all the experience I've gained over the years."
"Really? Thank you so much, Doctor Shennong!"
"Doctor Shennong, you're so generous!"
Shennong's selflessness earned him another round of praise.
Standing behind Keiko, Hanfu looked up and saw an Operating Table in the room. A man lay on it under anesthesia, with a ten-centimeter cut on his right arm. It had already been stitched up, apparently by Shennong. Judging by the reactions of those around them, Shennong's work had been flawless.
Hanfu looked toward the middle-aged man, who seemed to be around forty and was surrounded by the crowd. His brown hair and beard were exceptionally thick, and he wore heavy clothes. He had a certain air of foreign formality about him.
Was that Shennong?
As Hanfu watched him carefully, Shennong really did begin sharing his surgical experience. Technical terms tumbled from his lips, while the medical staff beside him—including Keiko, who had just entered—listened and learned intently. Several even took out pen and paper to make notes.
Hanfu's heart stirred.
Whether Shennong was sincere or not, there was no point overthinking it. He had to seize this opportunity!
Collection!
The Green Light Orb in his mind instantly churned, and before long, a dazzling Blue Light Orb burst out of it, shining far more brightly than the other pale-blue Light Spots!
This color...
Hanfu's eyes lit up. He hurriedly enveloped it with his consciousness—and then froze.
Surgical Operation (Perfect)!
Hanfu had collected an incomplete version of Kunai throwing that he couldn't use, and he'd collected the Ninja Tool Throwing Technique, which he could use directly. But this was the first time he'd ever collected a skill in perfect condition!
As Hanfu enveloped the Blue Light Orb with his consciousness, waves of indescribable warmth flowed into his brain. It was as if knowledge had been poured directly into him. In that instant, all the dense, difficult technical terms in Shennong's speech became as easy to understand as "up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, B, A"!
While the medical staff around him struggled to learn, Hanfu had already absorbed all the knowledge.
At that moment, all he needed was enough practice operating on mice, and he could easily reach Shennong's level!
Of course, that only applied to Surgical Operation!
But Hanfu didn't care about that. What mattered to him was the meaning of the word "Perfect" attached to the Blue Light Orb. Thinking back to the incomplete skills he'd collected and the Merged and enhancement functions, he gradually figured it out.
Incomplete, complete, perfect!
Those were the three grades of skills collected by the Collection Technique!
Take Kunai throwing as an example. If the target hadn't fully mastered it, the skill Hanfu collected would be an incomplete version. In that state, Hanfu couldn't use it.
If the target had mastered it, he would collect a complete version of Kunai throwing, which he could use right away. By gaining experience, he could reach the target's level of skill!
And then there was perfect!
If the target had cultivated Kunai throwing to the point of mastery, where the skill had become second nature, then the version Hanfu collected would be perfect!
A perfect version of Kunai throwing would undoubtedly be far more powerful than a complete one!
Take Uchiha Shisui at his peak, for example. Even if ten Kashima Isamus teamed up, they probably wouldn't stand a chance against him in Kunai throwing!
Of course, what mattered most to Hanfu was that, through the Collection Technique's Merged and enhancement functions, incomplete skills could become complete, and complete skills could evolve into perfect ones!
That function was incredibly important!
With Merged enhancement, Hanfu's Ninja Tool Throwing Technique, Great Fireball Technique, Three Body Technique, and Chakra Refinement Technique could all evolve to the perfect level, as long as he collected enough of them.
Hanfu had already begun imagining himself with perfect Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and even Kekkei Genkai. Wouldn't his Combat Power let him crush every ninja at his level?
He was getting carried away. He was getting carried away!
He had to develop quietly and not take needless risks!
Hanfu silently reminded himself.
By then, Shennong's lecture had ended.
The head of the medical department, Kamijima Chusei, and the other medical staff respectfully ushered Shennong into the Experimental Operating Room next door.
A patient who had been bitten on the left arm by a venomous snake lay in this Operating Room.
"Doctor Shennong, after the patient was bitten, we acted quickly and kept the venom confined to his left hand. But the quickest way we can think of to remove the venom without leaving aftereffects is Medical Ninjutsu," Kamijima Chusei said. "Please take a look."
"All right."
Shennong's voice was gentle and kind. Combined with his mysterious medical skills, it was easy to feel close to him and come to rely on him.
"Snake venom can be troublesome, but there are other ways to remove it completely besides Medical Ninjutsu."
As Shennong examined the patient, he continued, "Prepare some medicinal herbs for me. I'm going to..."
Kamijima Chusei gave someone beside him a look, and that person immediately went out to prepare them.
At the same time, Shennong began explaining how to use herbs to remove toxins from the human body.
As soon as Doctor Shennong started speaking, the medical staff around him began taking notes. Even Hanfu's mother, Keiko, pulled out a small notebook and recorded everything carefully.
Standing behind Keiko, Hanfu was caught in a dilemma.
Should he collect or not?
Hanfu could collect only three skills from Shennong. He had just collected a perfect-level Surgical Operation, which meant he had only two chances left!
Shennong's "medical skill package" likely contained no fewer than ten skills, and they might all be perfect-level!
Those perfect-level medical skills were naturally valuable, but Hanfu could collect only one more at most!
That was because his goal this time was the Forbidden Body Activation Technique, so he had to save one collection attempt, even if the chance of successfully collecting the Forbidden Body Activation Technique was so small that it made Shennong seem friendless!
Before you continue