Pills

Konoha and the Cloud Village had finally achieved the peace they had set out for. Although, given the current state of the ninja world, a total end to the war remained a distant prospect, there was no doubt that peace with the Cloud was a significantly positive development for Konoha. Because of this news, while it could not be said that the morale of Konoha's frontline ninjas had soared, it had at least swept away the malaise that had persisted since the sacrifice of the Second Hokage.

With the anxieties regarding the Cloud Village resolved, Konoha's strategic focus began to shift toward the Sand Village.

Internally, the success of the alliance mission had also bolstered the prestige of Acting Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen. By this time, he had completed the initial consolidation of Konoha, establishing a structure where Acting Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen oversaw the overall situation, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were responsible for logistics, Shimura Danzō led internal affairs and intelligence, and Kagami Uchiha and Akimichi Tori supervised the war effort.

With the Forest Senju clan having no intention of stepping into the spotlight, preparing instead to retreat into the background while providing their full support, the political legacy of the Second Hokage had been completely inherited by his disciples.

Of course, such high-level changes, power struggles, and strategic decisions had nothing to do with Hanyu, who had returned to Konoha. For him personally, the most valuable part of this mission was establishing a connection with Hatake Sakumo. If there were opportunities in the future, they could exchange pointers on taijutsu, practice together, and improve together... In a sense, Hatake's ability was the kind most envied by any ninja.

As for other matters, Hanyu had no desire to step forward or offer any ideas for the time being. His trip to the Cloud Village had already given him a taste of the consequences of speaking out of turn... Even though Konoha had gained fruitful results from the alliance mission due to his suggestions, he himself had suffered significant losses.

Being "marked" by other ninja villages was truly not a good thing.

Thinking about it carefully, Hanyu had only been in Konoha for a few days, yet he seemed to have participated in every major event regarding Konoha's internal and external affairs during that short time. For an outsider who had just joined the village and possessed little strength, this "sense of presence" was a bit too excessive.

Hanyu decided to play the turtle, hiding his head; wouldn't it be better to honestly learn skills from Sanshao? Thus, he began his "quiet life" at the Konoha Nursing Home.

However, as Konoha was undergoing massive changes, there were surely various incidents waiting to be resolved and various decisions needing to be planned, so it was not until three days later that Hanyu saw his teacher again.

In Sanshao's office, she reintroduced the situation on her end: "I was quite busy with clan matters before and couldn't attend to you, but everything there has been handled now..."

As she spoke, her gaze shifted toward the window. "Perhaps you have already noticed that I am the type of ninja who cannot fight... Or more precisely, I have no way to engage in combat. Although I possess knowledge about ninjas and ninjutsu that is beyond what an ordinary person could imagine, it is ironic that I do not have a body capable of converting this secret knowledge into direct combat power—from birth, I have been a very frail person, so frail that I am unable to command ninjutsu at all."

"There are some congenital defects that no postnatal means can compensate for. I have tried, but in the end, I could only conclude that medical ninjutsu is not omnipotent... Of course, I am not the type of person who cannot accept reality."

Sanshao's tone was calm, but what she was describing was actually quite a sad affair... If Sanshao was an important figure in the Senju clan, she should have been born with conditions far superior to other ninjas. Under the full cultivation of the Senju, she should have normally become an excellent ninja, or even a pillar of Konoha.

However, because of her frail body, these "should-haves" existed only in delusion.

So, was that why she hoped to find a disciple who could unleash the power hidden within that knowledge, to act on her behalf on the battlefield?

Sanshao read this thought on Hanyu's face, so she shook her head and said, "You don't need to overthink it. I will teach you my knowledge, but there will be no conditions attached. As for what you do after you possess power, or what kind of ninja you want to become, that is a matter only you can decide."

Hanyu was a person with strong opinions; Sanshao was certain of this, so she did not force anything.

Yet this statement left Hanyu puzzled. Just as he hadn't understood why the Second Hokage trusted him, a stranger, that day, he now couldn't grasp why Sanshao would adopt such a laissez-faire attitude toward him... What if Hanyu learned many ninjutsu and became harmful to Konoha in the future? That possibility was not non-existent.

"Alright, let's end this topic here." Sanshao's introduction of her own situation came to an abrupt end while still leaving much unsaid. She then returned to the subject of Hanyu's education. "In any case, by our standards, starting to become a ninja at your age is a bit late. From the perspective of an instructor, I hope to make up for this deviation in time."

"Make up for it?" Hanyu understood what Sanshao meant by "late." Normally, the cultivation and training of a ninja often started before the age of six, but the physiological age of Hanyu's body was already over thirteen. At such an age, one would have long since graduated from the Ninja Academy. Hanyu could be said to have perfectly missed the best time to build a foundation as a ninja... But what did Sanshao mean by making up for it? Could such a thing even be compensated for?

Under Hanyu's puzzled gaze, Sanshao pointed to a huge glass jar sitting next to her desk. Through its transparent walls, one could see it was filled with black pills the size of longan fruit. In an instant, Hanyu understood. Oh, so the pills in the title were actual pills. One had to know that some people's titles were often completely unrelated to the actual content, frequently being deceptive.

"The Senju Secret Medicine... Do you know about secret medicine? In the process of a ninja's growth, it is essential to be supplemented with secret medicine. Whether it is for physical strength, chakra growth, or other expansions, it is necessary. And among the secret medicines produced by various ninja sects, the Senju clan's is the most precious and effective. For a long time, the Forest Senju have been able to stand tall and reign supreme in the ninja world, and this secret medicine has played its due role." When mentioning the Senju, Sanshao deliberately lowered her head, hiding her expression.

"And now, what I am giving you is a boosted, extra-strength version of the Senju Secret Medicine. Therefore, even if you started late, it will definitely push you to catch up... What you see before you is a one-week supply."

"Teacher Sanshao, are you sure this is only a one-week supply?" Hanyu looked at the somewhat exaggerated glass jar and asked in disbelief. The contents of the jar were not too little, but too much; if he rationed them, there was enough to eat for a week as a meal.

No matter how good the Senju's secret medicine was, in Hanyu's view, it was hard to say that this stuff didn't have toxic side effects. If you ate too many pills, you really would be "done for."

"Of course, but if you find that this stuff tastes good, you are welcome to finish it early," Sanshao said with a smile.

Hearing her say this, Hanyu, holding the thought of "what if this stuff is actually delicious," popped a secret medicine into his mouth. The moment it touched his lips, he felt an indescribable taste rush straight into his nasal cavity, throat, and forehead.

Marvelous. It was truly worthy of being the Senju's secret medicine; the moment it touched his lips, it made his entire mouth go numb. Even so, he had to give a thumbs up in praise:

"Truly worthy of the Senju. This taste sounds high-class, and it tastes even more spectacular... Yes, a little pill, crafted by a master!"