To Repay My Debts, I'll Become a Hokage! Chapter 5

It drove her to personally go and pick up Uchiha Chonhua, observing him constantly along the way, unable to fathom the child's choice.

Ninjas these days all want to be the main carry; few are willing to play support.

Therefore, the existence of medical ninjas is scarce for Konoha—extremely scarce.

Even in the dedicated Konoha Hospital, there are not many medical ninjas on staff.

At this point in time, on the eve of the Second Shinobi World War, medical ninjas are a rare commodity; even if they remain scarce in the future, they are even more so now.

It would only be after Konoha suffered a major setback early in the Second Shinobi World War, followed by Tsunade stepping forward to advocate for increased resources and efforts in training, that the number of medical ninjas would finally see an increase.

Going into a group fight without a support—is he really that brave?

Do you think you are Uchiha Madara with off-the-charts numerical strength?

"Teacher Mikami, I am very interested in medical ninjutsu."

Uchiha Chonhua said with a compassionate air: "This isn't just about self-healing when injured during training; I also want to contribute my strength to my companions, my family, and everyone in the village."

"Medical ninjutsu is exactly that kind of power. I want to heal the illnesses of those who are suffering."

Uchiha Chonhua clasped his hands together, his face full of benevolence.

Chapter 7: Learning Medical Ninjutsu for Tsunade

"...It is good that you think this way, but learning medical ninjutsu is quite difficult."

Teacher Mikami did not comment on Uchiha Chonhua's thoughts; while the sentiment was good, one also needed the ability to realize it.

The scarcity of medical ninjas is precisely because the barrier to entry for learning it is quite high.

Not to mention the requirements for chakra control and ninjutsu, the sheer mountain of medical books alone is enough to make the average person's head spin and leave them feeling helpless.

"I still have confidence in myself."

Uchiha Chonhua said confidently.

Carrying the character template of a genius, he naturally has the confidence to say such things.

While the life experience of Uchiha Itachi did not involve medical ninjutsu, Uchiha Chonhua, possessing Uchiha Itachi's talent and comprehension, can certainly delve into it.

Medical ninjutsu is as difficult as it is simple.

Haruno Sakura came from a civilian family and had little chakra of her own, yet she was able to become a master of medical ninjutsu thanks to her own brilliant mind and precise chakra control.

Of course, the careful guidance and secret techniques passed down by the medical saint Tsunade were indispensable.

Teacher Mikami took Uchiha Chonhua to meet the students of the medical class.

At this point in time, medical ninjas are not valued, and the medical class dedicated to training them does not have many students.

Uchiha Chonhua looked over; there were only fifteen people in total, and he wondered how many of these fifteen would actually make it to graduation.

He had naturally made inquiries before choosing the medical class; the difficulty of graduating from the medical class is much higher than that of the regular ninja class.

With the medical class already undervalued and having few students, the high difficulty of the graduation exam only adds insult to injury.

However, from another perspective, one could say that the teachers of the medical class are responsible and will not let half-baked students pass the graduation exam, as that would violate medical ethics and endanger lives.

Uchiha Chonhua belongs to the elective category; he can come to the medical class to audit courses after finishing his regular ninja class lessons.

There are quite a few such elective courses at the Ninja Academy, such as flower arranging, acting, and so on. According to Teacher Kinoshita, these are very useful for a ninja's disguise.

"Hello, I am Yakushi Nono."

"Yakushi Nono?" Uchiha Chonhua looked at the little girl with round glasses in front of him, paused for a moment, and then smiled: "Hello, I am Uchiha Chonhua."

He did not expect to see Yakushi Nono in the medical class.

The future Root ninja, the intelligence operative crowned with the title of Wandering Miko.

So she had entered the Ninja Academy to learn medical ninjutsu when she was young? She was indeed skilled in medical ninjutsu, though it is unknown how she later entered Root and became Danzo's subordinate.

It is a pity that Root is not a place one can easily leave; Yakushi Nono was meticulously schemed against by Danzo, and her final fate was to die at the hands of the child she adopted, Yakushi Kabuto.

What a human tragedy, one that drove Yakushi Kabuto to shut himself off from the world, thereby giving birth to one of the bosses of the Fourth Shinobi World War.

"Alright, you go back first. Come over and learn with us after school."

Teacher Mikami pointed to an empty desk over there, on which some medical books were placed.

"Read those books first. If there is anything you don't understand, you can ask Nono. She is the class monitor of our medical class; she learns very quickly, and she is clear on all the questions regarding those books."

Yakushi Nono smiled quietly on the side.

Uchiha Chonhua nodded, and he directly took those books, preparing to carry them away.

Teacher Mikami looked at him strangely: "Are you planning to take those to your own class to read?"

"Yes, is there a problem? Oh, I have already learned the content Teacher Kinoshita is teaching. I intend to read these books during class."

Uchiha Chonhua patted the medical books and said: "I think, barring any accidents, I will be the class monitor of my class as well."

The implication was that he was no worse than Yakushi Nono; she is a class monitor, and he is one too.

The studious and upward-striving Uchiha model student had maxed out Teacher Kinoshita's favorability; surely, Teacher Kinoshita would not stop him from just slacking off a little to read extracurricular books.

Kinoshita-sensei was well aware of the kind of students in the elite class he taught; the first-year curriculum wasn't that tight, so turning a blind eye to a few things didn't matter much.

Excellent students always have their privileges, after all.

Uchiha Chonhua pointed at himself, a confident smile blooming on his handsome face.

"I am an honor student, after all!"

Yakushi Nonō was momentarily dazzled by that smile.

Chonhua-kun is so confident. I hope the dry medical knowledge won't bother him.

In class, Shikaku Nara, Namikaze Minato, and the others cast frequent glances his way.

Even Mikoto Uchiha wasn't paying much attention to the lesson, turning her head to look at Uchiha Chonhua.

Ever since Uchiha Chonhua walked in carrying a stack of medical books, all these friends had been astonished.

Shikaku Nara had his suspicions, but he hadn't expected Uchiha Chonhua to actually intend to study medical ninjutsu.

There is so much for a medical ninja to learn; is Chonhua sure this won't interfere with his ninja training?

"Chonhua, why did you choose to take the medical elective?"

Mikoto Uchiha asked Uchiha Chonhua in a soft voice.

For someone from the Uchiha clan to study auxiliary medical ninjutsu was quite a shock to Mikoto Uchiha.

Putting herself in his shoes, if she were to study medical ninjutsu, her father would surely give her a severe scolding.

To most people in the power-worshipping Uchiha clan, studying medical ninjutsu was practically seen as slacking off.

Of course, it was to get in touch with Tsunade.

Medical ninjutsu was useful, but from start to finish, Uchiha Chonhua's goal was to make contact with Tsunade.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, as the headmaster, often came to the ninja academy to give speeches and lectures, and his disciples—Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—were also required to come and lecture.

Jiraiya came the least; after all, he had prophecies to attend to and often traveled outside the village in search of the Child of Prophecy.

Next was Orochimaru. He did come, though not often, but he had the largest number of students attending his lectures.

Orochimaru had a profound understanding of chakra and techniques, and students benefited greatly from his classes. Word spread, and more and more people were willing to attend Orochimaru's lectures.

Tsunade came the most often, but fewer students attended her classes, as they were basically concentrated within the medical track.

However, in Uchiha Chonhua's estimation, the main reason Tsunade was willing to come so often was her younger brother, Nawaki.

Nawaki was a year ahead of him, and as the grandson of Senju Hashirama, he drew a lot of attention; he was known by everyone in the ninja academy.

With Nawaki here, Tsunade, being the doting sister she was, naturally appeared often.

As long as Tsunade showed up to lecture the medical class, being a student in that class meant one could make contact with her.

He had a plan in mind, but naturally, he couldn't tell Mikoto Uchiha about it.

"I get injured often when I train, so I thought learning medical ninjutsu would allow me to treat myself."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just find a medical ninja in the clan to treat you when you're hurt?"

Chapter 8: The Long-Awaited Tsunade, Has Arrived!

Ninja clans had their own supported medical ninjas, which were not open to the public and only treated ninjas within the clan.

Furthermore, it was free of charge, with the funding and supplies provided by the clan's public treasury.

The gap between clan ninjas and civilian ninjas could be seen clearly through the lens of medical ninjas.

Dedicated supply, free treatment, no need to worry about training injuries, medical ninjutsu at the ready, medicinal baths provided—they could jump right back into training, full of vigor.

How could the children of ninja clans not progress rapidly?

"After graduation, can you still find a medical ninja to treat you while you're on a mission?"

Uchiha Chonhua countered with a question. Mikoto's small mouth opened, wanting to say something, but in the end, she couldn't think of a way to refute him.

That's right; becoming a ninja meant going out of the village on missions was a common occurrence. If you were injured then, what would you do? Where would you find a medical ninja to treat you?

Thinking about it this way, she suddenly felt it made a lot of sense.

But... Mikoto Uchiha hesitated for a long time, still feeling it was strange.

Looking at the way Mikoto's face was scrunched up, Uchiha Chonhua understood.

Support is indeed important, and the logic holds, but she still wanted to be the main damage dealer.

"Then... then you must not let it interfere with your ninja coursework."

"Medical ninjas are ninjas too."

"That... that's different."

"What's different about it?"

Mikoto Uchiha stopped talking and huffed, turning her head away.

Uchiha Chonhua shook his head; it was no wonder the early stages of the Second Shinobi World War had suffered such heavy losses, when even someone as highly regarded as Nawaki had lost his life.

If the combat units and medical units had supported one another, so many Konoha shinobi would not have died in the early stages.

The combat styles and scales of the Second Shinobi World War and the First Shinobi World War were entirely different.

The First Shinobi World War still carried a strong legacy of the Warring States period, with little civilian involvement; it was essentially a clan-based struggle.

The Second Shinobi World War, however, was a total war between shinobi villages—everyone, man or beast, was thrown into the fray. Every shinobi was merely a cog in the village's war machine, and the scale and brutality were incomparable to the First Shinobi World War.

Learning medical ninjutsu was useful after all, and he possessed the talent and aptitude to master it.

Becoming Hokage required both achievements and prestige.

To heal the world with a benevolent heart—perhaps medical ninjutsu could help him garner that prestige.

Being too popular was both a blessing and a burden.

People with good social standing were always under the spotlight, and sure enough, Uchiha Chonhua's decision to take elective classes in the medical corps drew inquiries from his peers.

Uchiha Chonhua used the same explanation he had given to Mikoto Uchiha.

Namikaze Minato became interested; as an orphan from the welfare institution, injuries during training were a common occurrence for him.

Although Jiraiya's favor allowed Namikaze Minato to enjoy the same medical treatment as clan shinobi, he felt embarrassed and constantly guilty.

He felt both happy and anxious about the high expectations placed upon him, and the pressure was immense.

He knew that Lord Jiraiya only provided him with such excellent medical care so he could focus on his shinobi training.

Namikaze Minato was determined to succeed and would not let Jiraiya down; he trained even harder in private, refusing to disappoint anyone. But if possible, he still hoped to reduce his reliance on special privileges and handle his own injuries.

And so, the medical class gained another student.

One month later.

Uchiha Chonhua emerged from a sea of medical texts and looked up at the head of the medical corps, Yakushi Nonō.