Mental Therapy Department

Hokage Building

The Jonin Class meeting had ended. A few jonin with important missions or requests stayed behind; everyone else had gone home.

In the small lounge the Third Hokage often used, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura sat in the seats at the far end.

Below them, Uchiha Nara, Uchiha Fugaku, and Tsunade knelt before a low table, with tea set out on it.

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't dare take lightly the Mental Therapy Class, which most of the jonin supported. He had summoned Tsunade, the director of the Medical Department, to hear Uchiha Nara's plans for establishing it and assess whether they were feasible.

After reading the two dossiers, Sarutobi Hiruzen handed them to Utatane Koharu beside him, blew out a ring of smoke, and said gravely, "I never imagined so many cases had occurred in just half a year of ninja losing control of their emotions and abusing their ninjutsu. I truly neglected these heroes of Konoha."

"Third Hokage, you have countless responsibilities. It's inevitable that some things escape your notice, so there's no need to blame yourself," Utatane Koharu, the only woman in the Group of Four, reassured him softly. She skimmed through the dossiers Nara had submitted, reading quickly before passing them to Mitokado Homura.

Mitokado Homura read the dossiers carefully, then replied, "Third Hokage, what we should be considering now is whether Uchiha Nara's proposal is feasible."

"I think it's an excellent proposal, and highly feasible. These ninjas who have suffered emotional trauma need genjutsu to help them resolve the obsessions in their hearts and move on."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke slowly. In his dossiers, Nara had proposed using genjutsu to help ninjas suffering emotional trauma resolve their inner obsessions, so they would no longer be consumed by them and could return to normal life.

Sarutobi Hiruzen strongly approved of Nara's treatment plan and recommendations. Many ninjas were weighed down by the pain of losing friends, family, or loved ones, or by comrades who had died in battle. With genjutsu, those they cherished might be able to say a proper farewell to them, perhaps helping them heal.

Nara's proposal and treatment plan made Sarutobi Hiruzen see the Uchiha in a new light. Who would have thought that the supposedly haughty Uchiha could also be so compassionate?

Tsunade had finished reading the dossiers as well. In her youth, she wielded authority in the Medical Department and already possessed a boldness to rival any man. Once cheerful and lively, she had grown cool and reserved after the deaths of her younger brother and her lover. She was only cool and reserved now; she had not yet become the formidable woman of the future, nor had she turned to alcohol and fallen into self-destruction.

Nara's proposal and the plan he had provided greatly improved Tsunade's impression of the Uchiha. It also made her curious about their clan leader.

As a master healer, she could treat almost any internal or external injury with medical ninjutsu—as long as a patient still drew breath, she could bring them back from the brink. But she had never considered that people could suffer emotional wounds, let alone that those wounds could be treated.

After reading Nara's dossiers and descriptions of the patients' conditions, Tsunade immediately understood that she, too, had emotional wounds: she missed her younger brother and her lover, and had developed a fear of blood as a result...

After Sarutobi Hiruzen finished speaking, Mitokado Homura took over, his tone mild.

"Uchiha Nara's proposal is excellent. Third Hokage, have Yuhi Shinku take charge of researching and developing the relevant medical department."

Uchiha Nara, who had been silent below, furrowed his brows at this. Though he had proposed the Mental Therapy Department and genjutsu treatment out of a desire to contribute to Konoha, he also had some private motives.

Genjutsu treatment naturally meant that the Uchiha, with their Sharingan Kekkei Genkai and expertise in genjutsu, should lead and coordinate the work. What was Mitokado Homura getting at?

"Mitokado Homura, although jonin Yuhi Shinku is a genjutsu expert, there are countless genjutsu specialists among the Uchiha. Why look farther afield when the right people are close at hand?"

Nara didn't hold back with the Hokage Advisor. He challenged him directly.

To set aside the genjutsu ninja who had proposed the idea and put their Anbu Captain in charge instead—though the reasoning wasn't hard to understand, it was far too blatant.

"Exactly, Homura. Our Uchiha Clan has the Sharingan Kekkei Genkai, and almost everyone who has mastered its use is skilled in genjutsu. As for genjutsu, I, Uchiha Fugaku, wouldn't dare claim to be the best in Konoha, but there's no way jonin Yuhi has a deeper foundation in it than the Uchiha."

Uchiha Fugaku chimed in, speaking slowly.

Mitokado Homura fell silent, looking displeased. He couldn't argue, because the two men below were stating facts. But the plan for the Mental Therapy Class was already clear, and having a genjutsu expert take charge of its development would produce results quickly.

There was no need for Uchiha ninja to be involved. The Group of Four shared a common view of the Uchiha: they should be kept in the Police Force, doing the dirty and tiring work. A medical position like this, one that earned the respect of Konoha's villagers, was not something the Uchiha could be allowed to enter lightly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen blew out a ring of smoke, somewhat exasperated by Mitokado Homura's bluntness. Yuhi Shinku was one of the four Anbu squad captains and a direct subordinate of Sarutobi Hiruzen. He had originally considered putting him in charge too, but now that the two below had objected, he couldn't ignore their views. So he spoke up:

"We still don't know whether this so-called genjutsu therapy works. It needs to be tested. We should recruit genjutsu specialists in Konoha to take charge of the department."

Sarutobi Hiruzen phrased it far more skillfully than Mitokado Homura had. He didn't say who to use or who not to use—only that they should recruit. As for how to handle the details, he would arrange that privately.

As long as they established a Mental Therapy Department in Konoha, he could answer to most of the jonin. Where the genjutsu ninja came from would be no one else's concern; it wasn't something they needed to worry about.

"The Mental Therapy Department is extremely important. I believe it should belong to the Medical Department, with a dedicated section established at Konoha Hospital. As for genjutsu specialists, the Uchiha Clan is skilled in genjutsu and should be given priority in recruitment. Jonin Nara in particular should take part and provide guidance."

Tsunade spoke up in support of Uchiha Nara. She had a natural gift for political balance and loved Konoha deeply. As a master healer, she also sympathized with every patient and wanted to treat them. She had always believed that as long as a patient hadn't stopped breathing, treatment should continue.

Now that medicine was shifting from treating the body to treating the mind, this genjutsu-based therapy made Tsunade eager to test and verify it.

Every treatment method had to be tested before it could be used clinically. Although the theoretical basis in Nara's dossiers was sound, it was still only a hypothesis. It would have to be tested in practice.