Tsunade's Request

Konoha Hospital.

Inside the hospital surveillance room.

Uchiha Nara, Uchiha Fugaku, and Yuhi Shinku looked pale, their faces etched with the exhaustion of overwork.

None of the three were full-time doctors; they all held other positions.

Nara was a captain of the Police Force, while Fugaku served as the secretary to the Police Force captain. As high-ranking members of the Police Force, Fugaku's workload was even heavier than Nara's, as Nara frequently offloaded his own duties onto his subordinates.

Yuhi Shinku was one of the Anbu squad captains. Nominally, the Anbu consisted of four squads, each with seventeen members. Every squad captain held a position of great power and responsibility, keeping them constantly busy.

Strictly speaking, the Root organization was merely one of these Anbu squads, with Shimura Danzo concurrently leading an Anbu training class. They existed specifically to handle the dirty work for Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Of the other four Anbu squad captains, only two had public identities: the genjutsu master Yuhi Shinku and the elite jonin Mitarashi Shishio.

The identities of the remaining two squad captains remained unknown to all.

The Anbu reported directly to the Hokage; there were no "department heads" per se. If one had to name a head, it would be the Hokage himself.

Compared to the pale, overworked trio of Nara, Fugaku, and Yuhi Shinku, the jonin Kurama Ryota was faring much better. Kurama Ryota held only his position as a Konoha jonin, and now that he was on the roster for the Mental Therapy Class, he no longer had to go on missions, effectively securing a stable position within the system.

The Mental Therapy Class currently employed ten medical personnel. Nara and Fugaku were not counted among them, as they held advisory roles, handling consultations regarding genjutsu.

Of the ten, two were jonin from the Uchiha clan, three from the Kurama clan, one from the Yuhi clan, and four were from smaller clans or civilian backgrounds.

The Yuhi clan was a minor one, possessing only Yuhi Shinku and one other ordinary jonin, surviving by clinging to the Hokage.

Uchiha Jiichiro, 26, Konoha jonin, Three-Tomoe Sharingan, skilled in genjutsu, swordsmanship, shuriken, and Fire Release, with exquisite ninjutsu mastery.

Uchiha Masao, 19, Konoha jonin, an elite focus of the Uchiha clan, skilled in genjutsu, shuriken, and Fire Release, with exquisite ninjutsu mastery.

Nara had specifically selected these two despite their slight age gap to ensure they wouldn't be easily brainwashed or turned by the Hokage or others. Because they were of different ages, they wouldn't be overly intimate in their daily interactions, yet they would consult each other when issues arose.

Nara's arrangement to get these two onto the Mental Therapy Class payroll was a painstaking, carefully calculated move. He hoped they would play a vital role in the department and spread the prestige of the Uchiha. If they could squeeze out other colleagues and arrange for more Uchiha ninjas to join, that would be even better.

"Hm? Something's wrong!"

Yuhi Shinku and Fugaku, who had been staring at the screens, exclaimed in shock. They instantly bolted from the surveillance room, heading toward the Mental Therapy Department's examination room.

Nara, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality and followed them.

Inside the examination room, the ninja who had been stimulated by the genjutsu had eyes burning red.

"Salamander Hanzo, pay with your life!"

The ninja seemed to have been triggered by memories of the battlefield in the Land of Rain, harboring a deep hatred for Salamander Hanzo.

The medical ninja performing the genjutsu was a civilian, and he was currently dodging and weaving in a state of utter disarray.

"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"

Yuhi Shinku arrived at the room with lightning speed. Within a few breaths, he finished his hand seals and cast the technique, pinning the agitated ninja in place.

"Phew..." The civilian ninja, having escaped death, let out a breath and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Thank you, Lord Shinku!"

"What is going on? Why did something like this happen?"

Nara and Fugaku stood to the side, watching quietly.

"He seems to have seen something truly terrifying. I used the Sly Mind Affect Technique: Modified; it shouldn't have gone wrong."

The group gathered there began to grasp the situation.

The Sly Mind Affect Technique is a D-rank genjutsu. Regardless of one's willpower, everyone harbors fears and scenes they dread seeing. This technique exploits those fears, manifesting them and making the victim perceive them as reality.

In other words, the greater the fear in the target's heart, the more powerful the impact of the technique, forcing the opponent to witness their most dreaded imagery for a psychological strike.

The Sly Mind Affect Technique: Modified was a version the group had researched and improved. It allowed the subject to see their happiest moments and the scenes they most longed for, manifesting their beloved objects or people to provide psychological healing.

After improvements and testing, there were no issues with this technique. Theoretically, it was impossible for one's most beloved object to simultaneously be their most feared.

"Use this technique on me," Yuhi Shinku said, his face expressionless.

"Yes."

The civilian chunin quickly formed the hand seals.

"Demonic Illusion: Sly Mind Affect Technique: Modified!"

Two seconds later, a surge of chakra fluctuated within Yuhi Shinku's body.

After waking up, Yuhi Shinku's face was flushed. He glared at the chunin and said:

"You're fired. Pack your things and get out!"

"Ah! Lord Shinku! Why!"

"I don't know where you were recruited from, but to confuse the Sly Mind Affect Technique with the Modified version? Hmph! I will personally investigate the recruitment process! I want to see who hired a fool like you!"

By the end, Yuhi Shinku was practically roaring, his voice filled with fury.

"Heh, I suspected as much."

Nara shook his head. Seeing the state of the subject, he had already guessed that this error might have occurred.

"Go back and study. If this happens again, it won't just be termination—you might be held legally accountable. Think about it carefully."

Tsunade's voice drifted over.

Kurama Ryota walked in with Tsunade. Having reported the incident to her, Kurama Ryota had brought her over to inspect the situation as soon as she set aside her work.

Upon hearing Yuhi Shinku's words, Tsunade, as the head of the Mental Health Department, pondered for a moment. She gave the chunin a chance while simultaneously applying pressure, leaving it to the genjutsu specialist to decide for himself whether he was still capable of bearing this responsibility.

The genjutsu chunin looked at Yuhi Shinku, then at Tsunade, and gritted his teeth.

"Yes! My skills are lacking; I shall undergo further training! Thank you for your leniency, Lady Tsunade."

With that, he bowed to Tsunade.

Tsunade remained expressionless and waved her hand.

"Mm, you may go."

"Yes!"

The chunin slunk away.

Naraku stroked his chin, having noticed a small detail: as the chunin left, he cast a venomous glance at Yuhi Shinku. The look vanished in an instant as he exited the examination room.

Konoha Hospital, Director's Office.

Tsunade sat at her desk, with Naraku seated opposite her.

Once the incident in the Mental Health Department had been handled, Tsunade had invited Naraku to her office.

Tsunade looked at the young man before her. He had handsome features and wore a black robe embroidered with yellow rice ears, layered under a short purple haori. Were it not for the air of authority he carried, he would have looked every bit the noble young master.

Naraku was somewhat puzzled, unsure of the purpose behind Tsunade's invitation.

He had previously asked Uzumaki Nao to pull strings with Tsunade in hopes of arranging for some Uchiha ninja to work at Konoha Hospital, only to be flatly rejected.

This had left Naraku with little interest in trying to build a relationship with the Sannin, Tsunade.

Tsunade bit her lower lip, appearing somewhat hesitant.

Naraku did not ask; being too proactive when someone else sought him out would only lower his own standing. Thus, Naraku waited quietly for Tsunade.

"Naraku-kun, there is something I would like to ask of you..."