She'd even gone to pick Uchiha Chonhua up herself, scrutinizing him along the way, unable to understand the child's choice.
These days, every ninja wanted to be the main damage dealer. Hardly anyone was willing to play support.
That was why Medical Ninjas were so scarce in Konoha. Extremely scarce.
Even the dedicated Konoha Hospital didn't have many Medical Ninjas on staff.
With the Second Shinobi World War looming, Medical Ninjas were a rare sight. They'd remain in short supply in the future, but right now, they were even harder to find.
It wasn't until Konoha suffered a major setback early in the Second Shinobi World War that Medical Ninjas became more plentiful. Tsunade stepped forward and called for greater investment in training them, which finally led to their numbers increasing.
You went into battle without a support? You were that brave?
Did you think you were Uchiha Madara, with stats through the roof?
"Teacher Mikami, I'm very interested in Medical Ninjutsu."
With a compassionate air, Uchiha Chonhua said, "It wouldn't just let me treat my own injuries during training. I also want to do my part for my teammates, my family, and everyone in the village."
"Medical Ninjutsu is a way to help. I want to treat the illnesses of people who are suffering."
Uchiha Chonhua clasped his hands together, his face full of compassion.
For Tsunade, Learning Medical Ninjutsu
"...It's good that you feel that way, but learning Medical Ninjutsu is quite difficult."
Teacher Mikami didn't comment on Uchiha Chonhua's reasoning. It was a noble goal, but he still needed the ability to achieve it.
Medical Ninjas were scarce because the bar for learning their skills was so high.
Even setting aside the demands of chakra control and ninjutsu, the sheer volume of medical texts was enough to leave most people bewildered and at a loss.
"I have confidence in myself."
Uchiha Chonhua spoke with confidence.
With the template of a genius Character Card, of course he could say that with confidence.
Uchiha Itachi's life had never involved Medical Ninjutsu, but Uchiha Chonhua had inherited his talent and insight, so he could study it.
Medical Ninjutsu was very difficult, but it could also be simple.
Haruno Sakura came from an ordinary family and had little chakra. She became a leading Medical Ninja thanks to her sharp mind and precise chakra control.
Of course, she also owed a great deal to Tsunade, a master healer who taught her patiently and passed on her secret techniques.
Teacher Mikami introduced Uchiha Chonhua to the other students in the Medical Class.
At this point in time, Medical Ninjas weren't valued, and the Medical Class dedicated to training them had few students.
Uchiha Chonhua looked around. There were only fifteen in total, and he wondered how many of them would stick it out until graduation.
He'd looked into the Medical Class before choosing it. Its graduation requirements were far more demanding than those of the regular Ninja Class.
The few students in the already neglected Medical Class had to face an even more difficult graduation exam. It only made things worse.
But from another angle, it showed that the Medical Class teachers took their responsibilities seriously. They wouldn't let half-trained students pass their graduation exams. That would violate medical ethics and cost lives.
Uchiha Chonhua was taking the class as an elective. After his regular Ninja Class lessons, he could come to the Medical Class to sit in.
There were plenty of electives like that at the Ninja Academy, such as flower arranging and performing arts. According to Teacher Kinoshita, they were useful for helping ninjas disguise themselves.
"Hello, I'm Yakushi Nonō."
"Yakushi Nonō?" Uchiha Chonhua looked at the little girl in front of him, who wore round glasses. After a brief pause, he smiled. "Hello, I'm Uchiha Chonhua."
He hadn't expected to see Yakushi Nonō in the Medical Class.
A future Root Division ninja, an intelligence agent known as the Wandering Miko.
So she'd studied Medical Ninjutsu at the Ninja Academy as a child? She really was skilled in Medical Ninjutsu. He wondered how she'd ended up in Root Division and become Danzo's subordinate.
Unfortunately, Root Division wasn't a place anyone could easily leave. Danzo carefully set Yakushi Nonō up, and she eventually died at the hands of the child she'd adopted, Yakushi Kabuto.
What a tragedy. It drove Yakushi Kabuto into isolation and helped set in motion one of the villains of the Fourth Shinobi World War.
"All right, you can head back for now. After school, come back and study with us."
Teacher Mikami pointed to an empty desk, where several medical books had been placed.
"Start by reading those. If you don't understand something, ask Nonō. She's the class president, and she learns quickly. She knows the answers to any questions you might have about those books."
Yakushi Nonō smiled serenely beside them.
Uchiha Chonhua nodded and picked up the books, preparing to take them with him.
Teacher Mikami looked at him in surprise. "Are you planning to take them to your class?"
"Yes. Is there a problem? Oh, I've already learned what Teacher Kinoshita is teaching. I was planning to read these during class."
Uchiha Chonhua patted the medical books. "I think I'll be the class president in my class, assuming nothing unexpected happens."
In other words, he was just as good as Yakushi Nonō. She was a class president, and so was he.
The diligent, studious Uchiha had already won Teacher Kinoshita over. Surely he wouldn't object to Chonhua reading a book on the side.
Teacher Kinoshita also knew what kind of students he had in his elite class. The first-year curriculum wasn't too demanding, so he could turn a blind eye.
Excellent students were always given special privileges.
Uchiha Chonhua pointed at himself, a confident smile appearing on his handsome face.
"I'm an honor student!"
Yakushi Nonō was momentarily dazzled by his smile.
Chonhua was so confident. She hoped the dry medical texts wouldn't discourage him.
In class, Shikaku Nara, Namikaze Minato, and the others kept glancing his way.
Mikoto Uchiha wasn't paying much attention to the lesson either. She turned around to look at Uchiha Chonhua.
When Uchiha Chonhua came in carrying a pile of medical books, his friends were all surprised.
Shikaku Nara had guessed what was going on, but he hadn't expected Uchiha Chonhua to actually be planning to study Medical Ninjutsu.
Medical Ninjas had a lot to learn. Would Chonhua really be able to keep up with his regular ninja lessons?
"Chonhua, why did you choose the Medical Class as an elective?"
Mikoto Uchiha asked him quietly.
Seeing someone from a clan of main damage dealers study support-oriented Medical Ninjutsu came as quite a shock to Mikoto Uchiha.
Putting herself in his shoes, if Mikoto Uchiha studied Medical Ninjutsu, her father would give her a serious scolding.
To most members of the Uchiha Clan, who valued strength above all else, studying Medical Ninjutsu was practically a waste of time.
Of course, it was so he could get close to Tsunade.
Medical Ninjutsu was useful, but from beginning to end, Uchiha Chonhua's real goal was to meet Tsunade.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the principal, often came to the Ninja Academy to give speeches and lessons. His disciples, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, were also required to come and teach.
Jiraiya came the least. He was busy traveling outside the village in search of the Child of Prophecy, guided by his prophecy.
Orochimaru was next. He did come, but not often, and yet he always drew the most students.
Orochimaru understood chakra and jutsu deeply. Students got a lot out of his lessons, and word spread. More and more of them wanted to attend his classes.
Tsunade came most often, but few students attended her lessons. They were mostly limited to the Medical Class.
Still, Uchiha Chonhua thought the main reason Tsunade kept coming was her younger brother, Nawaki.
Nawaki was a year ahead of him. As Senju Hashirama's grandson, he drew plenty of attention and was known to everyone at the Ninja Academy.
With Nawaki there, Tsunade, the doting older sister, naturally showed up often.
Whenever Tsunade came to teach the Medical Class, its students had a chance to meet her.
He had a plan in mind, of course, but he couldn't tell Mikoto Uchiha.
"I often get hurt while training, so I thought learning Medical Ninjutsu would let me treat myself."
"Why not just have one of the Medical Ninjas in your clan treat you when you get hurt?"
Tsunade, Whom He'd Been Longing For, Had Arrived!
Ninja clans had their own Medical Ninjas. They didn't treat outsiders, only ninjas from their clan.
And the treatment was free. The clan treasury paid their expenses.
The difference between ninja clans and ordinary ninja could be seen in the Medical Ninjas alone.
Dedicated care, free treatment, no need to worry about injuries from training. With Medical Ninjutsu at hand and medicinal baths provided, a ninja could get back on his feet and return to training in no time.
How could clan children not improve by leaps and bounds?
"After I graduate, can I still find a Medical Ninja to treat me when I'm out on missions?"
Uchiha Chonhua asked in return. Mikoto Uchiha opened her little mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she couldn't think of a rebuttal.
That was true. Once you became a ninja, you'd often leave the village on missions. What would you do if you got hurt then? Where would you find a Medical Ninja to treat you?
Put that way, it suddenly made a lot of sense.
But... Mikoto Uchiha hesitated for a long time, and still felt that something was off.
Looking at Mikoto Uchiha's scrunched-up face, Uchiha Chonhua understood.
Support was definitely important. The reasoning was sound, but she still wanted to be a main damage dealer.
"Then... then don't let it interfere with your ninja lessons."
"Medical Ninjas are still ninjas."
"But... but that's different."
"What's different about it?"
Mikoto Uchiha stopped talking and turned away with an angry huff.
Uchiha Chonhua shook his head. No wonder Konoha suffered such heavy losses early in the Second Shinobi World War. Even Nawaki, who was now the center of attention, lost his life.
If the combat and medical forces had supported each other, so many Konoha Ninja wouldn't have died early on.
The Second Shinobi World War differed from the First Shinobi World War in both its scale and its style of combat.
The First Shinobi World War still carried the strong flavor of the Warring States era. Few civilians took part; at its heart, it was still a conflict between clans.
The Second Shinobi World War, on the other hand, was a full-scale war between ninja villages. Everyone was thrown into the fight. Every ninja was a cog in the village's war machine, and the scale and brutality of the conflict were nothing like those of the First Shinobi World War.
Learning Medical Ninjutsu was useful, and he had the talent and ability to master it.
To become Hokage, he needed accomplishments as well as renown.
Healing the sick and saving lives, a healer's compassion. Perhaps Medical Ninjutsu could help him earn a reputation.
Having too many friends was both a blessing and a bother.
People always noticed the slightest thing someone popular did. Sure enough, his friends asked Uchiha Chonhua about choosing the Medical Class as an elective.
Uchiha Chonhua gave them the same explanation he'd given Mikoto Uchiha.
Namikaze Minato grew interested. As an orphan from an orphanage, he often got hurt while training.
Jiraiya had taken a liking to him, so Namikaze Minato received the same quality of medical care as a clan ninja. But he felt embarrassed and guilty about it.
He was happy that so much was expected of him, but he also felt uneasy and under a lot of pressure.
He knew Lord Jiraiya thought highly of him, which was why he gave him such good medical care and let him focus on training as a ninja.
Namikaze Minato was determined to live up to Jiraiya's expectations. He trained even harder in private, and he wouldn't disappoint anyone. But if he could, he still hoped to give up those special privileges and deal with his injuries himself.
And so, the Medical Class welcomed another student.
One month later.
Uchiha Chonhua emerged from the sea of medical books and raised his head to look at the Medical Class president, Yakushi Nonō.
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