An Actor's Self-Cultivation

Facing Gekko Hayate's wandering hands, Shennong gently shifted his body to the side, inconspicuously tucking his backpack behind his back.

"Little brother, even if you admire me, you still need to go to school on time, right?" Shennong said with a kind smile.

"Lord Shennong, I'm only five years old this year. I won't be able to go to school until next year!" Gekko Hayate lied through his teeth. "I just grew up a bit prematurely."

"..."

The smile on the corner of Shennong's mouth stiffened. Even as a seasoned actor, Shennong nearly lost control of his expression at that moment: A five-year-old brat growing this tall? Do you take me for a quack?

Seven-year-old Gekko Hayate was already 1.5 meters tall, which was outstanding even among his peers, let alone at five years old!

"Little brother, you're really funny, hahaha." Might Duy, standing to the side, couldn't help but laugh. "What's your name?"

"My name is Gekko Hayate! Nice to meet you, senior!"

Gekko Hayate replied politely, then pulled a pen and paper from his pocket and handed them to Shennong, saying excitedly, "Doctor Shennong, please give me an autograph!"

"An autograph?"

Shennong had regained his composure by now. He smiled, took the pen and paper, signed his name for Gekko Hayate, and then said with a laugh, "Little brother, once the autograph is done, you should go home like a good boy."

Gekko Hayate shook his head. "I'm not going back. I want to follow you and learn medical ninjutsu. Doctor Shennong, is that okay? Please!"

"Hehe... of course you can, little Gekko Hayate. But learning medical ninjutsu is very tedious. Can you stick with it?" Although Shennong wore a smile on his face, he was secretly wishing for Gekko Hayate to get lost as soon as possible. However, he had just told Might Duy that his dream was to spread medical knowledge throughout the ninja world; if he refused this kid now, wouldn't he be slapping his own face?

"I definitely can!"

Gekko Hayate nodded earnestly.

"In that case..."

Shennong glanced at Might Duy and smiled. "Then you can tag along with us for now, just treat it like an outing. But you must go home by noon, otherwise your parents will be worried."

The trio then headed straight forward and soon arrived at Might Duy's home. Gekko Hayate looked back and discovered that it was only a few dozen meters away from Shencao Izakaya.

This guy Shennong is not to be underestimated. Where is he getting his intelligence from?

Gekko Hayate felt a jolt of alarm, but upon second thought, Might Duy was both well-known in Konoha (as the eternal Genin) and yet unremarkable. Gathering information on him shouldn't be too difficult, so he let it go.

Might Duy's home was only about seventy square meters, consisting of two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, with no backyard.

"This is my home. It's a bit humble, so please don't mind, Doctor Shennong." Might Duy felt a bit embarrassed.

As an eternal Genin, most of the missions Might Duy could accept from the mission center were C or D rank. The pay wasn't high, so his housing could only reach this level.

"How could I?"

Shennong smiled. "Duy, your place is very quiet, which is perfect for studying medical ninjutsu."

Hanfu gave a dry laugh. "Hey, hey, you aren't planning on living here, are you?"

"Doctor Shennong, regarding this..."

Might Duy pointed at the bandages on his hands, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Shennong's expression turned serious immediately. He spoke, "Duy, the requirements for bandages are far higher for taijutsu ninjas than for ordinary ones. Especially for ninjas like you and Might Guy who undergo massive amounts of taijutsu training every day, whether the bandages are wrapped too tightly or too loosely can cause invisible damage to the body. Over time, this damage turns into hidden injuries that remain inside the body forever!"

Might Duy's expression turned grave. He didn't care about himself, but the key was his child, Might Guy!

Might Guy was nine years old and had already graduated from the Ninja Academy two years ago. Aside from missions, he had been training in taijutsu the entire time. To ensure Might Guy could inherit the Eight Inner Gates Formation, Might Duy increased Might Guy's training load every single day, never letting him rest until every last bit of his stamina had been squeezed out!

This level of training caused immense wear and tear on the body. If the wear were to increase further due to issues with how the bandages were wrapped, eventually leaving hidden injuries in Might Guy's body, Might Duy would never forgive himself!

"Doctor Shennong, I beg of you, please teach me the Bandage Technique!"

Might Duy stood up and bowed deeply to Shennong.

Shennong immediately stepped forward to support him, saying with emotion, "Duy, what are you doing? Didn't I just say? My dream is to spread my medical arts throughout the ninja world. I am very happy that you are willing to learn!"

After helping Might Duy up, Shennong added solemnly, "Duy, if possible, I would like to examine your body first!"

Duy's expression shifted slightly. "Doctor Shennong, could it be that my body is already..."

"Don't be nervous. If there are truly hidden injuries in your body, I will do my absolute best to cure them!" Shennong smiled.

"Thank you so much, Doctor Shennong!"

Might Duy bowed deeply once more.

Hanfu stood to the side, smiling very stiffly. Is this Might Duy too honest for his own good?

He's practically being sold out and he's still thanking the guy...

Hanfu couldn't stand watching this pair of lovebirds being all mushy with each other, so he couldn't help but jump in to steal the spotlight. "Doctor Shennong, I can help you!"

Shennong's mouth twitched as he glanced at him with a chuckle: Almost forgot about this brat!

"Heh heh, little Hanfu, you are still too young, you can't help me yet," Shennong said with a smile.

"Heh heh."

Hanfu returned the chuckle with a chuckle of his own, then said, "I can help you carry things."

Shennong shook his head with a smile, then turned to signal for Might Duy to lie down on the sofa. He placed his backpack on the floor and leaned over to begin examining Might Duy's back.

Hanfu looked at the backpack on the floor, his hands itching to move.

"Doctor Shennong, I'll help you hold the backpack!"

Hanfu pounced like a starving tiger, snatching up the backpack and clutching it to his chest.

In that instant, Hanfu felt the air go quiet for a fleeting moment, gone as quickly as it had arrived.

An illusion?

Impossible!

Hanfu had always trusted his sixth sense: grabbing the backpack must have alerted Shennong.

But Hanfu wasn't the least bit intimidated. If Shennong dared to make a move in front of Might Duy, his identity as a ninja would be exposed instantly. How else would he be able to play the pig to eat the tiger in front of Might Duy?

However, the situation that followed was somewhat beyond Hanfu's expectations.

Shennong silently examined Might Duy's body, completely ignoring Hanfu.

What is going on?

Is Shennong really not worried about the forbidden scroll of Body Activation in the backpack being exposed?

Or is it possible that the scroll isn't in the backpack at all?

Hanfu stared at Shennong's back, filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

Should I 'accidentally' open it and take a look? Hanfu hesitated.

"Duy, your body..."

After examining him for a long while, Shennong spoke in a grave tone, "What kind of taijutsu are you practicing to have trained your body to this extent?"

"Doctor Shennong, the taijutsu I practice is, it's a... forbidden technique." Might Duy was an adult; he knew what could be said and what couldn't.

"A forbidden technique, is it?"

Shennong nodded slightly, though a faint, uncontrollable smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Still being secretive, are you? Do you think I don't know?

Hmph!

Eight Inner Gates Formation!

However, that is not my goal!

It seems Kakashi also knows the Eight Inner Gates, the kind where you open the first gate. If anyone is interested, you can look it up.

Thanks to book friend 20190212183155890 for the tip and support!