Yakushi Nonō

The hospital had three new colleagues.

Director Kaori held a warm welcome ceremony with all the doctors and orderlies in attendance.

It was something they had never done before.

The three new colleagues were all medical ninjas.

Over the past few days, Shiraishi Yoshijo had shown them just how convenient Medical Ninjutsu could be.

So Kaori was quite enthusiastic about the three medical ninjas who were said to have come from the Anbu.

That was why she had organized such a grand welcome ceremony.

Shiraishi Yoshijo stood out quite a bit in the corner.

Among a crowd of people in white coats, he was the only one wearing his colorful clan robes.

There was no way he could blend in.

He hadn't wanted to attend this sort of event, but the director had come to his office in person to invite him. He had no choice but to show up and go through the motions.

He also had a few guesses about why Konoha had suddenly assigned medical ninjas to the hospital.

There was no doubt that treating the sick and saving lives would earn people a great deal of respect.

That was an important part of building a reputation.

Shi-Die already had a good reputation in Konoha. If he were the hospital's only medical ninja, that reputation would undoubtedly grow even more.

Adding more medical ninjas to the hospital would certainly dilute his standing and keep him in check without anyone having to say so.

It was a very clever balancing act.

But in Shiraishi Yoshijo's eyes, it was also their mistake.

He knew his own medical skills well. These three medical ninjas might be quite capable, but their Chakra control definitely couldn't match his.

Without comparison, there was no way to see the difference.

With him as the hospital's only medical ninja, others couldn't see how skilled he was. But once there was someone to compare him with, the gap in their abilities would be devastating.

Shiraishi Yoshijo glanced at the three medical ninjas and silently mourned for them.

After Kaori finished her welcome speech, the three medical ninjas introduced themselves.

"I'm Kurata Sosuke. I look forward to working with you."

"I'm Amano Yoshiharu. I look forward to working with all of you, too."

"I'm Yakushi Nonō. I look forward to working with you."

When Shiraishi Yoshijo heard that name, he raised an eyebrow and looked at Yakushi Nonō.

Light yellow hair and her signature glasses—there was no doubt this was Yakushi Nonō herself.

Shiraishi Yoshijo sighed. That guy Danzo really did have his fingers in everything.

Yakushi Nonō, the future Root elite known as the Wandering Shrine Maiden, had been sent to deal with him first.

Things unfolded just as he'd expected.

Yakushi Nonō became the second person to occupy his office.

Shiraishi Yoshijo lodged a protest with Director Kaori, but it was no use.

Back in his office, Shiraishi Yoshijo smiled at Yakushi Nonō, who had already settled into her role as a doctor.

"I'm Shiraishi Yoshijo. You should know me pretty well. I look forward to working with you."

Yakushi Nonō pushed up her glasses and smiled. "I look forward to working with you."

Shiraishi Yoshijo sat down at his desk and studied Yakushi Nonō.

She looked only a few years older than him: youthful and lovely, with a smile as warm as sunlight.

There was no sign of the darkness one might expect from someone who'd come from Root.

But that was only natural. If she didn't have that sort of skill, she could never have earned the title of Wandering Shrine Maiden.

Lighting a cigarette, Shiraishi Yoshijo took a leisurely puff and waved it at her. "I assume you don't mind if I smoke?"

"No, I mind very much." Yakushi Nonō didn't humor him. "This is going to be both of our offices from now on. I hope you can show me a little consideration."

"If you want to smoke, please go out into the hallway. I don't want to work in this kind of environment every day, and smoking is bad for your health."

Her words left Shiraishi Yoshijo choking. After coughing a few times, he gave her a strange look.

I'm the one being watched, and I'm not complaining about you. Now you're the one complaining about me?

Not only did he refuse to go outside to smoke, he lit one cigarette after another and even shut the doors and windows.

Before long, the entire office was shrouded in smoke.

Yakushi Nonō's smile disappeared.

"You..."

Yakushi Nonō didn't know what to say. She stood up, opened the door, and left.

A while later, Director Kaori came in, covering her nose.

"Damn you, Shiraishi Yoshijo! Are you trying to burn down the hospital?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo was speechless.

He hurriedly opened the windows to air out the room, then stood up straight, ready to be scolded.

Konoha Hospital didn't have a Medical Team or a corpse disposal team at the moment. The director, Kaori, was the highest authority there.

If he offended her, life would be miserable from then on.

Kaori sat down in Nonō's seat and crossed her legs. "Tell me. Why are you treating your new colleague like this?"

"She doesn't respect me. I'm her senior, if nothing else..."

Kaori slammed her hand on the desk. "You jerk, now you're trying to make yourself out to be the victim? I told you ages ago not to smoke in the hospital. Just look at yourself—you don't look like a doctor at all."

Shiraishi Yoshijo kept his eyes lowered and paid her words no mind.

Once Kaori had finished scolding him, he said, "I absolutely won't smoke in the office again, and I won't disturb anyone. Don't worry, Director."

Only then did Kaori's expression soften a little. She spoke earnestly. "Lord Hokage told me a little about your situation, and I also asked Anna about your family."

"I know you're hurting, so I haven't been too hard on you. But you've only gotten worse, and you're almost become a menace to the hospital."

"Tomorrow, change out of those clothes, cut your hair, and quit smoking. Otherwise, I'll report to Lord Hokage and have you dismissed."

Shiraishi Yoshijo was speechless.

Three medical ninjas had only just arrived, and she already wanted to dismiss him. Did she really have to be so ruthless about kicking away the bridge after crossing it?

It seemed the director had been putting up with him for a long time.

No wonder she'd insisted he attend the welcome ceremony today. So that was what she'd had in mind.

Shiraishi Yoshijo thought it over. There was no way the Third would let him go home, and Danzo had arranged for Nonō to be at the hospital, so he wouldn't let her do that either. That left him with nothing to worry about.

"There's no chance I'm changing my clothes or cutting my hair, and cigarettes are my lifeline. If you can't stand the sight of me, go ahead and report me to Lord Hokage. I could use a few days off at home anyway."

"Shiraishi Yoshijo!" Kaori slammed her hand on the desk in fury. Her voice was so loud that the entire hospital heard her.

Shiraishi Yoshijo dug a finger in his ear. There was no point staying any longer, so he dusted himself off and walked out.

In the hallway, he ran into Takemoto Anna.

"Are you trying to get the director angry so you can leave the hospital?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo replied indifferently, "You can probably guess why I came to the hospital in the first place by now. I really don't have any reason to stay anymore."

"So you're planning to join a ninja squad?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo frowned. "I can live off the family's businesses. Why would I join a ninja squad?"

The corner of Takemoto Anna's mouth twitched. "Are you planning to hole up at home and never leave?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo nodded and asked in return, "Isn't lazing around and waiting to die perfect for someone like me?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo left the hospital.

Takemoto Anna watched him go, her expression despondent.

Before, she'd been able to figure out some of Shiraishi Yoshijo's thoughts. Now, she couldn't understand that madman at all.

Ever since Shiraishi Eizawa died, she felt that Shiraishi Yoshijo had completely gone off the rails.

You couldn't rule out anything with someone like him. Even actually lazing around and waiting to die seemed possible.

After returning home, Shiraishi Yoshijo sat on the veranda and sighed.

He hadn't meant it when he said he'd laze around and wait to die, but being watched by Yakushi Nonō at the hospital was even more unpleasant.

Yakushi Nonō was an elite spy from Root. If he let even the smallest clue slip, she'd surely notice something.

Danzo had clearly intended for Yakushi Nonō to keep an eye on him for the long term. Staying at the hospital was like staying right under Danzo's nose.

What could he do? You had to hand it to Danzo: the more devious the man, the more devious his methods.

Getting out of the hospital before Danzo noticed anything was the best course of action.

Besides, after Shiraishi Eizawa's death, he no longer had any reason to stay at the hospital.

As for reputation, what did someone planning to defect need with one?

But what should he do next?

Maybe staying home and studying Sealing Techniques wouldn't be so bad.

He'd take things one step at a time. With that thought, Shiraishi Yoshijo lay down on the floor of the veranda.

The afternoon sun was just right, warm and comfortable against his skin.

With nothing weighing on him, Shiraishi Yoshijo stretched, feeling more relaxed than he had in ages.

For the past two years, the matter of Shiraishi Eizawa had weighed on his heart, leaving him no moment of peace.

Now that the man was dead, he could finally relax.

With a couple of soft chuckles, Shiraishi Yoshijo said with a sigh, "Maybe it's better to be dead. Just close your eyes, and everything becomes easy."

He closed his eyes, too, and gradually drifted off to sleep.