At the end of April in Konoha's 46th year, the newly graduated students officially embarked on the path of the ninja.
Perhaps because they had heard too many "ninja stories" at the academy, most teams lost their drive after being brutally beaten down by D-rank missions in their first month.
Graduating early did not mean they possessed outstanding ninja talent, and the village higher-ups had not assigned excellent Jonin to this batch of students.
The better-performing teams were led by Jonin, while the slightly weaker ones rotated through Chunin instructors.
As for those who gave up on being ninja after just one month, there was even less reason to invest resources in them.
In the eyes of the village higher-ups, it was enough to maintain a considerable number of Genin and successfully handle low-level missions. Thus, the dreams of many young ninja were shattered once again.
Besides going on missions, Genin with special talents received better treatment after graduation!
The Intelligence Department also needed more manpower, the Barrier Division recruited every year, the Police Force was internally staffed by the Uchiha Clan, and Konoha Hospital welcomed medical ninja without reservation.
Ninja needed money to live as well. Major ninja clans had family support, while civilian ninja could only rely on grinding themselves to the bone.
--
Shu Furukawa could not yet feel the troubles of Genin. There were only a handful of ninja in the village who had mastered advanced medical ninjutsu. Even though he lacked experience, he remained extremely popular in the Medical Corps.
"You did your best, Shu! Being able to hold on this long and say goodbye to everyone has already exceeded our expectations."
"Ninja must face life and death head-on!"
Hearing their senior's reprimand, the several youths around fifteen in the ward stopped crying. Watching their teacher sacrifice himself to protect them had dealt them a tremendous blow.
Shu Furukawa sighed inwardly at the sight, his face showing concern.
"Your internal organs suffered extremely serious damage. Next time, remember to administer emergency treatment immediately."
"Don't let down your teacher's expectations. This will still need you to carry on his will in the future."
"Yes!"
The youths bowed in response. Though Shu Furukawa was young, ninja spoke through strength and talent. Everyone felt that his words made perfect sense.
The Sarutobi Clan's Jonin nodded slightly at the sight. Shu Furukawa did not resemble a child at all. In particular, many adult ninja could not manage his ability to make exceptions for special circumstances.
Behind him, Shizune, Kanpo, and Hyakuso all wore sad expressions. They had been completely unable to help with the treatment, and this was not the first time it had happened.
For the moment, Shu Furukawa did not attend to his teammates' feelings and helped finish the final tasks.
After the Sarutobi Clan Jonin and the youths left with their thanks, Shu Furukawa casually sent the energy from [Collection] into his body.
To Shizune and the others, Shu Furukawa merely seemed to be lightly pressing a hand to his forehead to ease his fatigue.
"Shu, come rest for a while. You don't look very well."
Hearing Shizune's concerned voice, Shu Furukawa nodded. Thinking of the past month's work, he asked, "Are the other intensive care wards full too? It looks like the conflicts are escalating. Accidents have actually been happening so frequently on C-rank missions."
Kanpo, who was more familiar with the hospital's work, gave a bitter smile and said quietly, "They're all full, Captain. It's because we're useless. We can't handle combat missions, and we can't even use the Mystical Palm Technique properly at the hospital."
"You're still young. You'll definitely become outstanding medical ninja in the future!"
"Hyakuso has improved greatly lately. This is an outbreak after steady accumulation. Don't give up on learning knowledge; understanding the fundamental principles is extremely helpful for ninjutsu."
It seemed somewhat strange for Shu Furukawa, who would not even turn nine for several more months, to say such things. After all, he was not very old, but his two teammates were utterly convinced and immediately answered loudly, "Yes!"
That evening, after finishing another day of work, Shizune once again wore a satisfied smile as she followed Shu Furukawa around to ask about ninjutsu. When the two entered the office, Tsunade immediately looked up and said, "Thanks for the effort!"
"Sensei was sleeping again, wasn't she? There's still ink on your right cheek."
Hearing Shu Furukawa's words, Tsunade instinctively wiped her face twice. Shizune leaned over and whispered in her ear, and only then did she realize she had been tricked into revealing the truth.
"You must be asking for a beating! Training Ground 3 this weekend!"
After wiping away her drool, Tsunade shouted angrily. Only after flicking Shu Furukawa's forehead until it turned red did she withdraw her hand in satisfaction. Then she took out a report and asked, "You're researching Chakra's effects on cells?"
"You could also say its effects on life, Sensei. I'm merely curious about the formation of Kekkei Genkai."
Shu Furukawa did not hide his purpose. Seeing Tsunade's serious expression, he continued, "I found some notes by the Second Hokage in the archives. The Chakra refined by each person is different, and it seems other villages even developed some Kekkei Genkai ninja because of this."
Tsunade naturally knew the contents of the archives. After thinking briefly, she recalled which notes Shu Furukawa meant.
"That concerns the Jinchuriki. Tailed Beast Chakra differs from human Chakra, and some ninja villages conducted experiments based on that."
"Some nature transformations were developed from this, but more importantly, the ninja themselves must possess that sort of talent."
"In short, it's a very complicated matter. At your age, you should build a solid foundation and expand the applications of the ninjutsu you already know."
Shu Furukawa did not argue. What he actually wanted to understand was exactly what the energy from [Collection] was.
After the number of "White Fang's Bloody Nightmare" occurrences had recently decreased, he had completed [Collection] twice this month. One had been an ordinary Chunin, while the other had been the Sarutobi Clan Jonin from today.
The former's effects were negligible, merely expanding his sensory range somewhat, but the latter was important. It would most likely replenish his Fire-nature Chakra.
"Sensei is right. I won't research it further. It's still too early for me!"
By voluntarily giving his assurance, Shu Furukawa once again displayed his willingness to accept advice. Tsunade was very satisfied by this. Rising to her feet, she happily called to the two of them, "Chinese Izakaya again tonight. I've been busy for a whole month, so I'm going to relax properly."
"Then we'll go to the bathhouse..."
Shizune greatly enjoyed her current pace of life. It was more fulfilling than the academy, and she could remain by Shu Furukawa's side.
Seeing the two start bickering again after discussing ninjutsu, the girl immediately hurried after them. This was her plain yet fulfilling life as a Genin.
--
At the beginning of May, Shu Furukawa welcomed his holiday with his usual training. Everyone else was busy with missions, and only Katsuyu occasionally commented in her soft, syrupy voice.
"Lord Shu has improved very quickly. After his cells were affected by Natural Energy, he won't need to worry about Chakra in the future."
"But the nature transformation of a ninja's Chakra will require Lord Shu's own effort. I can't help with that."
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball erupted from Shu Furukawa's mouth. He had basically mastered the Fire-nature Chakra transformation, and [Collection] had achieved its intended objective.
After finishing this basic Fire Release ninjutsu, Shu Furukawa looked at the crater in the ground and felt fairly satisfied. Although, in his impression, most Fire Release techniques produced plenty of smoke but little damage, mastering a new technique was still a good thing.
"Katsuyu, the next step is to find the original Chakra and verify my hypothesis."
"I'm very much looking forward to it, Lord Shu. This is your path of evolution."
"..."