Shita Genichi turned from observing the cells and smiled. "I have considered it, but we'll have to see whether we're a match."
Tsunade naturally understood what he meant. "Even with a blood relative, finding a perfect match is extremely difficult. The odds are even lower when the two people aren't related."
Shita Genichi knew that, of course. He smiled. "But what if we are a match?"
"It's only a little time wasted, anyway."
Tsunade looked at Shita Genichi, puzzled. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
Shita Genichi paused, then smiled. "If you don't work hard when you're young, you'll regret it when you're old!"
"If you don't work hard now, are you going to wait until you're twenty?"
"Your youth is when you learn most efficiently, and it's also the right time to work hard."
"If you haven't achieved something by the time you're twenty, you'll probably live an ordinary life from then on."
If you hadn't become a Jonin or reached Jonin-level strength by the time you were twenty, you weren't likely to make much progress afterward.
It was best to make a name for yourself early.
The same was true of learning and training.
Every famous ninja in the Ninja World had achieved something remarkable at a young age.
And that wasn't just true of the Ninja World.
Even in his previous life, most of the world-renowned scientists had achieved their greatest successes when they were young.
Late bloomers existed, but they were the exception!
If you couldn't make it when you were young, what made you think you could when you were old?
If that happened, it meant you hadn't worked hard enough when you were young.
Looking at Shita Genichi's lively, optimistic face, Tsunade couldn't help staring blankly.
It reminded her of her younger brother, Nawaki, and her lover, Dan.
They had once been just like that!
But...
Pain flickered in Tsunade's eyes. Her voice lowered. "There's nothing wrong with living an ordinary life."
"Being a ninja isn't a good profession."
Shita Genichi knew about Tsunade's past, so he understood the unspoken meaning behind her words. He smiled. "But we're already ninjas, Lady Tsunade!"
"Since we've become part of this profession, of course we should do our best to excel."
"That has nothing to do with being a ninja. Even ordinary people have to work in some profession to make a living."
"Take a chef, for example. Isn't it only natural for them to keep improving their cooking?"
Tsunade was deeply moved.
If Jiraiya or Orochimaru had said those words, they might not have been so affecting.
But they had come from Shita Genichi.
A seven-year-old Genin kid.
A child from a civilian family.
His optimism and the vigor with which he embraced life were like a warm current, flowing into her shattered heart.
Her hand trembled slightly, and her emotions churned.
Images of her brother and lover dying surfaced in Tsunade's mind. "You... aren't you afraid of dying?"
Shita Genichi tilted his head slightly. His smile was pure, and his clear black eyes reflected Tsunade's face. "That's a difficult question. But who doesn't die?"
"Even if we weren't ninjas, we'd die sooner or later."
"Maybe we'd die of illness, or drown while swimming, or something else. There are so many accidents in this world, aren't there?"
"We're alive right now. Why waste time wondering whether we'll die?"
"Of course death is frightening, but it never warns you in advance that it's coming. So why fear it ahead of time?"
"Why not wait until the moment death arrives to be afraid, and to regret leaving this world?"
"For now, we should live our lives to the fullest and do what we want."
"Then, when death comes, we won't have so many regrets or things we're reluctant to leave behind."
Tsunade turned and walked away, not letting Shita Genichi see the tears streaming down her face.
Dan had died right before her eyes.
She still remembered clearly how reluctant Dan had been to go.
There had been so many things he hadn't had time to do...
Shita Genichi was taken aback when Tsunade suddenly turned and left. Then he smiled and turned back to his work.
He had died once before, so what he'd said wasn't some feel-good platitude. He truly believed it.
That was why, even with the Overdraft Panel in hand, he still had to work hard.
Otherwise, if he died one day, he'd definitely regret not putting in a little more effort.
Keep at it!
Shita Genichi put Tsunade out of his mind and bent back to work.
At ten o'clock, Shizune came over to help, too.
Meanwhile, on Kage Rock, Tsunade stood as the wind whipped her blonde hair and made her clothes flap.
She looked down over all of Konoha, watching it go from bustling to quiet and peaceful.
In her mind, the faces and voices of Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, her younger brother Nawaki, and her lover Dan kept appearing.
In the end, they all said the same thing.
They were the words Shita Genichi had just spoken.
Inside the laboratory.
Shita Genichi sighed softly. Shizune, standing beside him, asked with concern, "Did it not work?"
Shita Genichi nodded. "That's right."
Then he smiled. "But it's fine. The odds were always low."
They weren't a match, which meant they couldn't perform a bone marrow transplant.
Unless the recipient had a special constitution like Yakushi Kabuto.
Of course, he could try using the Overdraft Panel.
"Let's go home!"
Shita Genichi packed up.
Although the match had failed, the day hadn't been a complete waste. At least he'd gained plenty of research experience.
The next day.
After breakfast, Shita Genichi packed his things and headed out to Kakashi's house.
His teacher, Hatake Sakumo, wasn't home, so Shita Genichi and Kakashi went out by themselves.
When they arrived, Shita Genichi said to Kakashi, "Kakashi, use Earth Release to make me a high wall!"
Kakashi nodded. He didn't ask what it was for and immediately formed Hand Seals. "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
He pressed both hands to the ground. The earth trembled, and a high wall quickly rose up.
Standing atop the wall, Shita Genichi formed Hand Seals. "Water Release: Waterfall Basin Technique!"
Boom!
Water surged out behind him and spilled over the high wall, forming a waterfall.
He had learned this technique from Hatake Sakumo during a mission some time ago.
Once the waterfall was ready, Shita Genichi leaped down and formed Hand Seals again in front of it.
He partially released the Yin Seal, then performed the Shadow Clone Technique, creating nine Shadow Clones.
The Shadow Clones lined up in front of the waterfall, pressed their palms against it, and began training in Wind Release nature transformation.
After resealing the Yin Seal, Shita Genichi turned around. "Kakashi, we can begin."
Kakashi asked, "You're using a waterfall to train in Wind Release nature transformation?"
Shita Genichi nodded. "That's right. I can already cut through leaves, but it's not enough, so I need to train further."
He had mastered Wind Release nature transformation the second time he overdrew his future.
But the progress he made during the third overdraft wasn't especially great. He still couldn't cut through a waterfall.
Part of the reason was that Wind Release wasn't one of his main training goals, but another important factor was that he simply lacked talent for it.
Now that he had the Yin Seal, he could add another Shadow Clone training trick.
No takers yet. I'll keep going without clothes for another week. Sob, please comfort me.
Before you continue