On Konoha's bustling main street, where crowds flowed like a tide, Nonō appeared like an angel and came up to Sato Hideaka. With a cake in her left hand, she swept him into her arms with her right, seeming so overwhelmed with joy at their reunion that she began to cry...
Sato Hideaka stiffened in Yakushi Nonō's embrace. Though they had been reunited after a long separation, he still wasn't used to her expressing herself so warmly. WW W COM
"Hideaka, do you know what day it is? It's your birthday! I've already prepared a birthday cake at home. Let's go back and celebrate!"
My birthday?
Hearing Nonō's choked voice, Sato Hideaka froze for a moment, then asked, "Is today my birthday? I didn't even know that. How did you find out, Sister Nonō?"
"Your Uncle Eisuke told me your birthday once, so I remembered it. Actually, I've been here in Konoha all this time, but I've been so busy with work that I haven't had a chance to see you. Since it's your birthday today, and the Lord Third told me you were coming back, I asked him for a day off so I could celebrate your sixth birthday!"
She'd asked the Lord Third for time off?
Did that mean she'd left Root?
If that was really the case, it was certainly something to celebrate. Sato Hideaka had always felt a deep aversion to Root. The world of Naruto was already one of war, bloodshed, and hatred, but Root was among the worst of it. Its members were fanatical operatives stripped of their humanity.
Yuhi Kurenai looked at the two, who were still embracing, and couldn't help asking, "Hideaka, who's this pretty big sister?"
"This is Yuhi Kurenai. She's my deskmate and teammate!" Sato Hideaka introduced her to Yakushi Nonō, then pointed to Nonō. "Kurenai, this is Sister Nonō. You could even say she's my real big sister."
Yakushi Nonō adjusted her glasses and said happily, "Hideaka's already made a friend at the Ninja Academy? That's wonderful! It's Hideaka's birthday today, Kurenai. Would you like to come along and join his birthday dinner?"
"B-but... All right. Where are we celebrating?"
Yuhi Kurenai glanced at the sunset, which was about to dip below the horizon, her ruby-like eyes uncertain. After a moment's hesitation, she finally nodded.
"At my place. I've already got everything ready..."
They followed Yakushi Nonō to her temporary residence in Konoha. Only then did Sato Hideaka realize that it was very close to Konoha's largest hospital—just two streets away.
Nonō's temporary home was a standard two-bedroom apartment with a living room. The table was already covered with fruit, snacks, and prepared ingredients. With the birthday cake she'd brought back and the delicate pastries she'd made, they had everything they needed for a simple birthday dinner!
After turning off the ceiling light, the slanting rays of the setting sun streamed through the large window and into the room. The golden sunlight and the dark shadows of dusk stood in striking contrast, and their warm hues made the whole room feel cozy.
"All right, Hideaka. You can make a wish now..."
Yakushi Nonō placed six candles on the cream cake, which was covered with watermelon, pineapple, strawberries, peaches, and mangoes. She lit them, then spoke to Sato Hideaka, who was sitting on a stool.
Sato Hideaka nodded, clasped his hands before his chest, closed his eyes, and said loudly, "I hope that from now on, Sister Nonō, Kurenai, and I can all live happy, peaceful lives!"
"Oh no! My dad told me that wishes won't come true if you say them out loud. Make another one! Make another one!" Hearing Sato Hideaka's wish, Yuhi Kurenai hurriedly shook her head and insisted that he make a new one.
Seeing how earnestly Yuhi Kurenai kept pestering Sato Hideaka to make another wish, and how unbothered he seemed by it, Yakushi Nonō laughed nonstop.
Time passed slowly. As the three of them laughed and played, night fell before they even noticed. Since the birthday dinner had gone on for a while and the sky was growing dark, Yakushi Nonō suggested that Sato Hideaka walk Yuhi Kurenai home.
Perhaps she thought boys ought to look after girls. Using the excuse that she needed to clear away the dishes, Nonō sent six-year-old Sato Hideaka to escort seven-year-old Yuhi Kurenai home after night had fallen. Was she really so comfortable letting two children walk through the night?
Sato Hideaka felt a little helpless, but followed Yuhi Kurenai's directions and walked her home. A man stood beneath the light by her front door, apparently waiting for someone. Sato Hideaka took a closer look and realized it was Yuhi Shinku, who had picked Yuhi Kurenai up before.
Yuhi Kurenai hadn't come home on time after the Genin exam. It seemed her father, Yuhi Shinku, had been waiting for quite a while!
Just like in his previous life, children who went out and didn't come home on time always made their parents worry. Sato Hideaka chuckled to himself. Yuhi Kurenai would surely get a lecture when she went inside. After all, a girl of about seven coming home so late would only make her parents worry more.
When he returned to Yakushi Nonō's place, the trash in the living room had already been cleared away. Yakushi Nonō was sitting on the sofa resting, and when she heard Sato Hideaka come back, she turned to look at him with a peculiar expression.
"What's wrong, Sister Nonō? Why are you looking at me like that?" Sato Hideaka felt flustered under her gaze and asked awkwardly.
Yakushi Nonō opened her mouth, thought over how to phrase it, and then said, "Hideaka, Kurenai was here earlier, so I didn't feel comfortable asking you. Now I want to know: how did you learn about the Medical Ninja System in such detail? How did you come up with such a complete plan?"
"What Medical Ninja System? I don't know anything about that... Didn't you tell me about it, Sister Nonō?"
Sato Hideaka blinked his green eyes, looking completely innocent. He really had no way to explain something like this. A five- or six-year-old child had solved a problem adults couldn't, one that even professionals had struggled with...
He couldn't exactly tell Nonō he was a transmigrator and that his plan described how Medical Ninja could go to the battlefield in the future!
Yakushi Nonō looked at Sato Hideaka pretending not to know what she meant, shook her head, and said sadly, "With my abilities, I could never have come up with such a complete Medical Ninja System. If it had been put into practice earlier, perhaps so many medical personnel wouldn't have been lost in that battle because of my mistake."
"Hideaka, everyone has secrets of their own. I don't know where you learned about this Medical Ninja System, but you must never tell anyone you came up with it. Otherwise, I don't know what might happen!"
"Mm-hmm. The Medical Ninja System and all that? Sister Nonō told me about it. I don't know anything!" Sato Hideaka nodded to show he understood.
"If anyone asks you about it in the future, answer them the way you did today. But the most troublesome thing is that Princess Tsunade seems to have figured something out during our conversation!" Yakushi Nonō nodded and said with a troubled expression.
When Princess Tsunade had found her at the orphanage and invited her to rejoin the Medical Department to improve the Medical Ninja System, Nonō had been startled. That failed plan had once dealt her a heavy blow, and many people in the Medical Department had spoken out against her.
She had no desire to get involved in another plan like that for the Medical Department. It wasn't until Princess Tsunade told her about this Medical Ninja System—far more advanced than anything of their era, and remarkably thorough and detailed—that she agreed, deeply shaken.
What left her at a loss was that, from the way Lady Tsunade spoke, it seemed as if she believed Nonō had meticulously devised this complete Medical Ninja System. Nonō had never even heard of such a brilliant plan before! Why would Princess Tsunade think she had come up with it?
After sounding her out, Yakushi Nonō learned from Princess Tsunade that the first person to suggest the plan was a five-year-old boy known as the Blue Demon. In Nonō's mind, that could only have been Sato Hideaka.
However, during their conversation, Tsunade had seemed to realize that Nonō wasn't familiar with the so-called Medical Ninja System, and had picked up on a few clues!