Failure

If I really let myself be swayed by that kind of talk, Danzo would probably try every way he could to get close to me and control me.

That way, he could use me to gain absolute political influence.

Once I was no longer useful, he'd probably kick me aside—or throw me out to trip someone up.

What a boring old trick.

Shiraishi Yoshijo shook his head in disinterest. "No matter what you say, I won't change my mind. And as for fighting, I'm just a hospital orderly now."

Oil Woman Ryoma still wanted to say more, but Shiraishi Yoshijo had already turned and walked away.

People in the various hospital rooms had been drawn by the commotion and were beginning to peek out.

Seeing this, Aburame Ryoma had no choice but to recall his Kikaichū. He wasn't stupid enough to start a fight in a hospital.

Back in the hospital office, Takemoto Anna saw him come in and said, "Looks like you've got some strange person pestering you."

Shiraishi Yoshijo glanced at her, then went back to his seat and started reading.

He'd borrowed the book from the hospital library. It described the various meridians in the human body.

Seeing Shiraishi Yoshijo bury himself in his book, Takemoto Anna huffed and looked out the window. She happened to spot Aburame Ryoma's back as he walked down the street.

She looked thoughtful, and her gaze gradually turned cold.

Time passed, and Shiraishi Yoshijo gradually got used to working at the hospital.

Incidentally, he was paid for working there: twenty thousand ryo a month.

It wasn't much. A Genin might earn more from a single D-rank mission.

But Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't care. He had no real need for money anyway. He kept the pocket money he needed each month and gave the rest to Shiraishi Eizawa.

One day, a year later, Shiraishi Yoshijo and Takemoto Anna headed home together after work.

"I'm exhausted today. That old lady getting an IV was so annoying. She talked too much and made a fuss about everything."

Takemoto Anna began her usual round of complaints.

Shiraishi Yoshijo walked along, holding a medical book and reading it. He had no interest in talking.

Seeing that he wasn't responding, Takemoto Anna rolled her eyes and changed the subject.

"Doctor Yanwu said we're almost ready to become full-fledged doctors. Once a new orderly arrives, he'll arrange an exam for us. What do you think?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo still didn't respond.

Takemoto Anna got angry, snatched the book from him, and shouted, "Shiraishi Yoshijo, are you even listening to me?"

"I heard you, I heard you. Give me back the book."

Shiraishi Yoshijo looked helpless. He'd joined the hospital to learn Medical Ninjutsu, not because he genuinely wanted to heal people.

Being a doctor didn't matter to him. He was quite happy as an orderly now that he was familiar with the work and could handle it with ease.

If he became a doctor, he'd inevitably have to learn other things, too. What a waste of time.

Even with his medical books, he was selective about what he studied. He only learned about the human body; he had no interest in identifying herbs or preparing medicine.

"Since you heard me, are you going to take the exam?"

"Being a doctor would be a hassle. I'm not taking it. I'm fine where I am."

Takemoto Anna counted on her fingers. "Doctors get a raise, don't have to do all that menial work, and if they do well enough, they might even get an office of their own. And you think that's a hassle?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo responded with a stream of "mm-hmms" as he snatched the book back.

And that was that.

Takemoto Anna stomped her foot in frustration, then ran off to vent at a dango shop by the street.

When he got home, Shiraishi Yoshijo sat down in the courtyard and put his book aside.

He fished a fish out of the pond in the courtyard and set it on the table.

He cut a wound into its body with a knife, and red blood began to flow.

Shiraishi Yoshijo placed his hand over the wound and began using Medical Ninjutsu.

A pale green light glowed, and the fish, which had been on the verge of death, began to flap its tail.

Before long, the wound on the fish's body disappeared.

Shiraishi Yoshijo marked the fish and returned it to the pond, then took out his experiment log and began writing notes.

He'd completed his Medical Ninjutsu experiment six months after joining the hospital. It had been unexpectedly simple.

Shiraishi Yoshijo understood that this had to do with his Chakra control.

He also understood that Medical Ninjutsu, which could only heal wounds, was meaningless to him.

Shiraishi Eizawa's condition wasn't that simple.

Over the past six months, he'd examined Shiraishi Eizawa more than ten times.

Apart from some harmful effects from drinking too much alcohol, he hadn't found anything wrong with Shiraishi Eizawa's health.

It was strange. Shiraishi Eizawa couldn't have been lying to him.

Shiraishi Eizawa had personally told him that his life force was draining away. But wouldn't that cause some abnormality in his body?

And yet he hadn't found anything wrong at all.

He'd come up with many hypotheses and pored over every book on the human body in the hospital library, but he couldn't find any answers.

As he pondered, a fish floated to the surface of the pond, belly up.

At the sight, Shiraishi Yoshijo's pupils suddenly contracted.

What was this?

He hurriedly fished the fish out and put it on the table, then used Medical Ninjutsu on it.

As the pale green light glowed, the fish, which had still been able to blink, stopped moving altogether.

Cold sweat broke out on Shiraishi Yoshijo's forehead. He hastily rummaged through his experiment log.

He soon found the notes on this fish.

Three incisions on the body, one on the belly. No abnormalities during treatment.

If he remembered correctly, this kind of fish could live for at least three years, but this one had died after only six months.

He'd killed it with Medical Ninjutsu.

Shiraishi Yoshijo began examining the fish and found nothing wrong with it apart from the few cuts on its body.

In other words, the fish had died of natural causes.

Could it be...

Shiraishi Yoshijo thought of a possibility, and his hands began to tremble.

Did Medical Ninjutsu consume lifespan?

He fished out a fish from the pond that he'd never used in an experiment.

He cut three wounds into its body and began using Medical Ninjutsu.

The three wounds soon began to heal, so he cut three more.

This time, the wounds healed very slowly. In the end, he'd treated the fish to death.

Once he was sure the fish was dead, Shiraishi Yoshijo clenched his fists, his expression clouded with uncertainty.

He'd wanted to use Medical Ninjutsu to treat Shiraishi Eizawa, but the result would be the exact opposite?

It made sense. Something as convenient as Medical Ninjutsu couldn't possibly have no side effects.

Stimulating cell division with Chakra was, in the end, consuming lifespan.

He should have thought of that sooner.

A nameless fury surged up in him. Shiraishi Yoshijo slammed his fist into the table.

The table shattered, its pieces scattered across the ground.

Shiraishi Yoshijo dropped to the floor and stared blankly at it.

Medical Ninjutsu was a dead end. Was there anything else he could try?

He thought and thought, but couldn't come up with anything.

He sighed, feeling as though he'd reached a dead end.

Maybe he shouldn't have tried to work alone. If he'd brought Tsunade in to research Medical Ninjutsu with him...

Tsunade was brilliant. Whether it was learning or fighting, she could always figure out what worked for her.

But just thinking of Tsunade's awful temper made his chest tighten.

Shiraishi Eizawa didn't have much time left. Should he really let his pride get in the way?

There was no choice.

Shiraishi Yoshijo stood up, ready to go find Tsunade.

It would be best if he could convince her. If he couldn't...

Surely that wouldn't happen. Tsunade would one day be known as a master healer. She ought to be very interested in this.

Shiraishi Yoshijo took two steps, then stopped, his expression darkening.

That woman Tsunade had a terrible temper.

She might be interested in Medical Ninjutsu, but she'd never want to research it with him.

If he went to her, she'd most likely turn him down and then secretly do the research herself.

Once she had some results, she'd definitely show them off and make fun of him.

Just imagining it made Shiraishi Yoshijo feel as though he'd eaten shit.

No!

He absolutely couldn't go to that woman!

Shiraishi Yoshijo sat back down.

Should he try going about it indirectly?

He could tell Orochimaru he was researching Medical Ninjutsu and get Orochimaru to tell Tsunade. Then he could wait for Tsunade to come to him.

That might work, but there was still no guarantee.

Orochimaru was just as difficult to deal with!

As for Jiraiya, he dismissed him outright. It was already an accomplishment if they could meet without getting into a fight.

Shiraishi Yoshijo was at a loss.

He began thinking through all of Tsunade's connections, but then...

Wait!

Shiraishi Yoshijo's expression turned strange. He suddenly remembered that in the story, every time Tsunade released the Yin Seal, she would eat a huge amount of food.

Tsunade had been through countless battles in her life, so she must have used Medical Ninjutsu quite often.

And yet she'd not only become Hokage, she'd lived to the end of the story.

Even after Naruto became Hokage, she still made appearances.

Medical Ninjutsu shortened one's lifespan, but there was no sign of that with Tsunade.

Why?

Shiraishi Yoshijo murmured, "Dietary therapy?"

Everyone had to eat. If you didn't eat, you wouldn't grow and would eventually die. Even a three-year-old knew that simple truth.

Shiraishi Yoshijo covered his face with one hand, and a strange, indecipherable laugh escaped his throat.

"Ha... heh-heh. I really am an idiot!"