Two Years

That night, Shiraishi Yoshijo tossed and turned in bed. After sleeping all day, there was no way he could fall asleep now. His mind kept circling back to Shiraishi Eizawa's problem.

At dinner, he'd tried asking a few more questions about Shiraishi Eizawa's health without being too obvious.

Shiraishi Eizawa had been candid. He told Yoshijo straight out that if not for the Sealing Technique his grandfather had developed, he'd already be lying in bed, waiting to die.

At the time, Shiraishi Yoshijo had asked in confusion, "Is there really no Medical Ninjutsu that can cure you?"

Shiraishi Eizawa's reaction had been even stranger. He'd asked in return, "What's a medical ninja? Do you mean a doctor?"

The two of them had stared at each other, until Shiraishi Yoshijo finally realized that Konoha had only been established a little over ten years ago, and Tsunade wasn't even ten yet.

Konoha's medical system had only begun to take shape because of Tsunade's vigorous advocacy.

There was no such thing as a medical ninja yet. Everyone just took medicine and went to the doctor.

Konoha Hospital could only perform simple surgeries at the moment.

After Shiraishi Yoshijo explained Medical Ninjutsu, Shiraishi Eizawa fell silent for a long time.

"During the Warring States period, the ninja clans could barely keep themselves alive. If you weren't strong, others came to bully you. No clan would have studied this sort of Ninjutsu. Everyone put all their effort into increasing their combat strength."

"Not long after Konoha was founded, the Shinobi World was plunged into war. There was no time to develop anything. It's a good idea, though. Maybe you could give it a try."

Shiraishi Yoshijo had been dumbfounded.

It was easy to say, but Medical Ninjutsu wasn't something just anyone could develop. It required not only extensive medical knowledge, but also skill and talent.

If he were learning Medical Ninjutsu, perhaps his Chakra control would let him pick it up quickly. But creating Medical Ninjutsu from scratch...

That was hellishly difficult.

After thinking it over for a long time, Shiraishi Yoshijo got up and went out to the courtyard. He sat on the steps, staring at the moon as he drifted off into thought.

His mind kept returning to everything that had happened over the years: his grandfather, his parents, and all the clan members. One by one, they had disappeared, leaving only his uncle by his side. But it seemed like his uncle was going to disappear, too.

Everyone died eventually, he told himself. It was just hard to bear. It felt like there was a lump of anger lodged in his chest.

When his grandfather died, there had been nothing he could do. A baby not even a year old who could talk was already astonishing enough.

When the clan members had donned their armor and gone off to battle, he'd been so small that he could only take a few tottering steps before falling over.

After his parents died, he'd started practicing with Shuriken.

Was he really going to watch his last remaining family member die right before his eyes, too?

The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became. He got to his feet and walked over to a wooden post, punching it.

"Yep, that still hurts."

Clutching his little fist, Shiraishi Yoshijo sat down with his back against the post.

Why not give it a try?

That was what he thought. If Medical Ninjutsu could really save Shiraishi Eizawa's life, why not do it?

Living without any real goal didn't seem all that meaningful anyway.

Besides, if he became good at Medical Ninjutsu, even if he went to war, he'd stay in the rear. Staying alive shouldn't be too difficult.

"Then I'll give it a try."

He got up as he said it, kicked the wooden post hard, then punched it again.

In the darkness, Shiraishi Eizawa stood by the window, watching his young nephew kick and punch the post. He shook his head, but when he turned away, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

The next day, Shiraishi Yoshijo took a day off. The reason was simple: he'd overdone it.

Shiraishi Eizawa put a bookcase in his room, packed tight with scrolls and books. Then he gave Shiraishi Yoshijo a look and went out drinking.

Shiraishi Yoshijo stared at the bookcase, his scalp prickling. There had to be at least a thousand books. Even if he read one a day, it would take him three years.

He picked one at random. It was about the classification of butterfly species and their various habits.

He could only manage a bitter smile.

And so began the boring days of studying.

He read while eating, read while walking, and even took a book with him to the toilet.

To be honest, he hadn't studied this hard even for the college entrance exams in his previous life.

Once he'd nearly recovered from his injuries, he was back to his old self and returned to the Ninja Academy. Teacher Kawano greeted him with concern.

Jiraiya was still making a fuss in class, while Orochimaru was just as curious about what had injured the classmate he'd only met once at the start of term.

Shiraishi Yoshijo naturally couldn't tell them the truth, so he brushed them off by saying he'd caught a cold.

Compared with the books at home, the Ninja Academy's material was simple. Shiraishi Yoshijo spent about a month learning it all.

He got full marks in theory. As for practical training... well, it was what it was.

He was a little better at throwing Shuriken. In pretty much everything else, he ranked near the bottom.

Jiraiya came last in theory and got full marks in practical training.

Tsunade and Orochimaru got full marks in everything.

There was one person worth mentioning: Hiruko. Somehow, he and Shiraishi Yoshijo became fellow sufferers.

He talked a big game, but when it came to actually doing things, he constantly embarrassed himself.

After a while, Shiraishi Yoshijo began openly reading "extracurricular books" in class.

Orochimaru, his deskmate, was quite curious and often stole glances.

Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't mind. It was all theory, after all; looking at it didn't mean Orochimaru could learn it.

Sometimes, he even deliberately let Orochimaru read. After a while, Orochimaru lost interest.

The days went by, one boring day after another.

Two years later, Orochimaru graduated early.

It caused a stir in class. Unwilling to fall behind, Tsunade graduated early soon afterward.

Jiraiya, Tsunade's number-one admirer, failed the exam three times in a row, then quietly graduated early as well.

Hiruko was quite unhappy about Jiraiya graduating early and often poured his heart out to his fellow sufferer, Shiraishi Yoshijo.

But Shiraishi Yoshijo usually just kept reading and occasionally gave a reply. It was generally either "You're right" or a perfunctory nod.

If Hiruko pressed him too hard, he would put down his book and ask, "What were you just saying?"

Every time he heard that question, Hiruko looked as if he'd swallowed shit. He'd curse the bookworm in his heart and walk away.

After a while, Hiruko stopped paying Shiraishi Yoshijo any attention, too.

That left Shiraishi Yoshijo isolated.

His classmates kept their distance from the bookworm, and he was happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.

They were all just background characters, anyway. He was a man determined to become a supporting character.

Teacher Kawano knew exactly what was going on in class and started seeking him out for frequent chats. They talked about anything and everything.

Life, dreams, friendship, the Will of Fire—whatever came to mind.

Whenever that happened, Shiraishi Yoshijo acted like a well-behaved child so he wouldn't get his parents called in.

The first time his guardian had been summoned, Shiraishi Eizawa had shown up smelling strongly of alcohol.

When he got back, his face was black as the bottom of a pot. Then he tied Shiraishi Yoshijo to a wooden post and gave him a little "loving" discipline.

It had been a painful lesson.

Shiraishi Yoshijo decided that as long as they didn't call his guardian in again, he'd agree with anything. If someone said roosters laid eggs, then roosters laid eggs.

Teacher Kawano had worried about him more than any other student. In return, he'd gotten...

Well, a wounded heart.

Still, Kawano didn't give up on him. The teachers at the Ninja Academy, raised under the light of the Will of Fire, were undeniably responsible. Even so, he still didn't give up.

But the nature of their relationship changed.

Teacher Kawano stopped talking about dreams, life, and the Will of Fire.

Instead, he started chatting with Shiraishi Yoshijo about everyday family matters, telling him about his failed marriage. He often shared gossip about other teachers, too, and sometimes took Shiraishi Yoshijo to his house for dinner.

Honestly, the food was pretty bad.

But Teacher Kawano's fifteen-year-old daughter, Mie, was very pretty. As for his wife, Kawano said she'd been seduced away by a wealthy merchant from the capital of the Land of Fire.

In private, Shiraishi Yoshijo asked Mie about it. Unfortunately, she grabbed him by the ear and told him he was too young to be thinking about such things, leaving him quite annoyed.

As for Shiraishi Eizawa, he continued living in a drunken stupor. Over the past two years, Shiraishi Yoshijo had only seen him when his guardian was called in. The two of them rarely crossed paths.

Another day passed. Shiraishi Yoshijo walked along the street, reading as he went. Not far away, Jiraiya led a pig along and complained, while Orochimaru and Tsunade were talking about something.

At this point in time, they should have become Hiruzen's students. Were they on a mission?

Either way, it had nothing to do with him. Shiraishi Yoshijo glanced over and paid them no more attention.

As they passed each other, Orochimaru suddenly said, "You're still the same as ever, Yoshijo."

Tsunade smiled, too. "You really haven't changed at all."

Jiraiya led the pig along, looking miserable.

The incident at the opening ceremony had become a stain he could never erase. Tsunade often teased him about it, and he'd clashed with Shiraishi Yoshijo plenty of times in class.

But Shiraishi Yoshijo had never paid him any attention. In two years, he'd only said one thing to Jiraiya: "What were you thinking at the opening ceremony when you did something like that?"

Jiraiya's answer had been enough to infuriate anyone. "I got carried away and rushed over."

Great. He was exactly the sort of perverted lecher you'd expect. That was Jiraiya for you.

At the time, Shiraishi Yoshijo had felt awful. He'd glared at Jiraiya, eyes blazing.

If he hadn't known he couldn't win, he would have shown Jiraiya exactly why his ass hurt so much.

Shiraishi Yoshijo glanced at the three of them, said nothing, and walked off without a word, his manner quite cold.

Orochimaru's mouth twitched. Tsunade clenched her fists until they cracked. Jiraiya wore an expression that said, "I knew this would happen."

Fortunately, none of them did anything outrageous. After all, they'd been classmates, and they knew one another's personalities and thoughts.

Even so, it was still infuriating.