I'll Give You What You Want

"Houka, you learned Medical Ninjutsu from Big Sister Yakushi. Hurry and save Jingxia!" Uchiha Obito shouted proudly, as if he were the one who had learned Medical Ninjutsu.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot." Houka shrugged and sighed helplessly. You won't be satisfied unless I show off, will you? Fine, I'll give you what you want!

Asuma Sarutobi hurried over, his expression already complicated. "Houka, did you... did you really learn Medical Ninjutsu?"

Houka nodded. "I've already learned the Healing Technique and the Hemostasis Technique."

"What?" Asuma Sarutobi was startled. He'd thought Houka had only begun studying Medical Ninjutsu, but he'd already mastered two techniques!

Could this guy really be a genius? Asuma Sarutobi felt utterly bewildered.

"Hey, Jingxia's barely hanging on! Hurry and save him!" Rin cried out anxiously from the side, tears glimmering in her eyes.

Kurenai Yuhi, standing beside her, was no better. Both girls were kindhearted and couldn't bear to see anyone die.

Houka nodded and had just crouched down when someone stopped him.

The person blocking his way had white hair, and a look of panic still lingered on his face.

"You—you stop! You can't save him! Teacher Shin Kiyono said no one was allowed to touch Jingxia!" Mizuki shouted hoarsely. "Asuma, stop him!"

"Hey, Mizuki, what are you doing? Jingxia's barely hanging on! You're going to get him killed!"

"That's right! Let Uchiha Houka save Jingxia!"

"Mizuki, you bastard! Move!"

The watching students pointed at Mizuki and cursed him, but the more they berated him, the more determined he became.

"I'm not wrong! Teacher Shin Kiyono said no one could touch Jingxia. Would you really rather trust Uchiha Houka than Teacher Shin Kiyono?" Mizuki shouted, beads of sweat gathering on his forehead as his eyes darted around. "Anyway, I don't trust Uchiha Houka. If he gets Jingxia killed, who'll take responsibility?"

"You're trying to confuse everyone! Move, or Jingxia really will die!" Asuma Sarutobi glared furiously at Mizuki.

"No! I have to listen to Teacher Shin Kiyono!" Mizuki shouted.

Houka narrowed his eyes and studied Mizuki's expression and evasive gaze. It didn't take him long to figure out why Mizuki was doing this.

"You said Jingxia got distracted and bumped into you, injuring himself by accident." Houka gave him a strange smile. "But I think you're lying. You were distracted and stabbed Jingxia, and now you're afraid he'll wake up and expose your lie. That's why you're stopping me from saving him! Am I right?"

"Lies! You're lying! I didn't!" Mizuki looked terrified. Sweat poured down his forehead, and his whole body trembled.

"Then why are you shaking? Are you scared?" Houka chuckled. "You might not know this, but my Uchiha Clan's Sharingan can quickly hypnotize people and easily extract any information. Want to try it?"

"N-no! Don't come near me! You bastard, you monster!" Mizuki stumbled backward, trembling, and looked about to fall. Asuma Sarutobi couldn't hold back any longer and kicked him flying.

"Houka, hurry and save Jingxia!"

"Okay!"

Houka quickly crouched down. Pale blue Chakra glowed from his hands as he pressed them against the wound on Jingxia's chest.

Meanwhile, the other students weren't idle. They surrounded Mizuki and started hurling insults at him.

"Mizuki, I never thought you were this kind of person!"

"You big bully!"

"You accidentally hurt Jingxia and then lied about it. Now you're trying to get him killed so he won't expose your lie. You're so cruel! You're the real monster!"

"I don't want to be your classmate!"

"Get out of the Ninja Academy, you bully, you monster!"

Mizuki lay facedown on the ground, trembling, his head buried in his arms. His eyes looked haggard with fear, but deep within them, a spark of hatred burned like a tiny flame, gnawing at his heart.

"Enough! All of you, quiet down!" Asuma Sarutobi stepped forward again. "Houka needs quiet!"

Using your position to throw your weight around? What a shameless jerk!

Houka was furious. When did I ever say I needed quiet? Don't stop, everyone—keep cursing him! If you're worked up enough, feel free to kick him a couple of times too. Don't hold back. You can just pretend I'm not here!

Naturally, no one else could hear Houka's inner thoughts.

"Right, right! Houka's saving Jingxia. Everyone, quiet down."

"Stop cursing him for now. When Teacher Shin Kiyono gets here, we'll tell him the truth and show him what kind of person Mizuki really is!" Uchiha Obito eagerly rallied the group.

"Yeah, that's right!"

"We have to make sure Teacher Shin Kiyono sees Mizuki's true colors!"

In the time it took them to say all that, Houka's Hemostasis Technique had already begun working. Most of the blood from the wound on Jingxia's chest had clotted, and what remained was no longer a cause for concern.

With Asuma Sarutobi reassuring him, Jingxia finally recovered enough to move his hands away.

"Thank goodness, the bleeding's stopped!" Rin jumped up excitedly. "Houka, you're amazing! I—I want to become a Medical Ninja someday too!"

"Yeah, Houka, you—huh? Rin, you want to learn... Houka! You bastard!" Uchiha Obito had been about to jump up too, but when he heard Rin's words and saw her expression, he suddenly felt something was off. As the realization sank in, the century-and-a-half-old jug of jealousy in his heart tipped over, and he was overwhelmed by its sourness.

"That's incredible. Houka's really changed. He's not only learned Fire Release Ninjutsu, but Medical Ninjutsu too."

"I think he can beat Kakashi now!"

The students who'd been disparaging Houka earlier were now completely taken in by the moment and began praising him instead.

Houka shook his head with a laugh. These people are such fence-sitters, and they believe every rumor they hear. No wonder they can't even land a bit part in the future. I'd better keep my distance from them, or I might get mistaken for an extra too.

Just then, two figures suddenly appeared in the middle of the scene. One of them was Shin Kiyono, naturally.

"What the—what happened?" Seeing the blood on the ground beneath Jingxia, Shin Kiyono felt a pang of dread. But when Jingxia blinked at him, he finally relaxed.

"Kid, what are you doing?" The Medical Ninja Shin Kiyono had brought over bent down. Her expression was stern, but there was a hint of amusement in her voice. "The Hemostasis Technique?"

As she spoke, her breath brushed against the back of Houka's ear, making him instinctively shrink his neck.

"Huh?" Houka turned around, only for a pair of breathtakingly shameful—(Note.)

Then he looked up and saw a familiar, beautiful face, fair as snow and full of spirit.

This... the princess of the Senju Clan, Tsunade?!

Houka was truly startled.

Hadn't Shin Kiyono said he'd bring a Medical Ninja...? Well, when it came to Medical Ninjutsu, if Tsunade didn't rank first, surely no one in Konoha would dare claim second place. But she had Hemophobia. Surely she couldn't use Medical Ninjutsu to save anyone now, could she?

Houka was on the verge of tears. He'd realized that the look in Tsunade's eyes was extremely dangerous!

(Note: An idiom meaning "a great humiliation." If you don't understand it, come to me and I'll highlight the key point. To be continued.)