The Doctor

Two hours later, Dan Kato brought Nichigetsu and the others to meet Tsunade. They finally stood before her, though Nichigetsu did not appear as her disciple, but merely as an ordinary Chunin.

So this is the legendary Lady Tsunade? She's truly young right now; she really is one of the greatest beauties in Konoha. Nichigetsu secretly sized her up. In his past life, he had quite liked this heroic woman. Tsunade loved the village, possessed a bold and strong spirit tempered with gentleness, and was wise, decisive, and a master of medical ninjutsu—she was one of the figures Nichigetsu admired most.

Nichigetsu glanced at Tsunade's neck, but the First Hokage's necklace was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she's tucked it away, afraid of losing it, he mused.

"Dan, Shikaku, Inoichi, Choza, Shibi, Mizuki, you've all worked hard. That battle with the transport team was well fought!" Tsunade smiled, nodding to each of them in turn to show her approval. The only person she failed to acknowledge was the six-year-old child standing beside Dan.

Nichigetsu didn't think much of it; he was only six and short, making it easy to be overlooked.

"Lady Tsunade, we are now under your command. Please assign us our duties," Shikaku said.

"Very well. Dan, take the Ino-Shika-Cho team and join the combat unit. Shikaku, I hear you have a sharp tactical mind; you and the others can help me with strategy. Shibi, Mizuki, report to the reconnaissance squad. As for this little one..." Tsunade cast a glance at the boy behind Dan.

"Little one, go help out in the logistics department. What do you all think?" Tsunade asked.

Everyone seemed satisfied with their assignments, but Nichigetsu raised his hand.

"Lady Tsunade, I am not a 'little one.' My name is Hyuga Nichigetsu. I have a different opinion," Nichigetsu said, looking directly at her.

"And what opinion is that?" Tsunade asked, puzzled.

"The logistics department is where Genin belong. I do not wish to go there!" Nichigetsu stated firmly.

"You don't want to go to logistics?"

"Lady Tsunade, I am a Chunin, and I have made significant contributions. Is someone of my strength only fit to do chores in logistics?" Nichigetsu countered.

"Oh? A Chunin who has made contributions?" Tsunade laughed, a hint of disdain in her tone. This made Nichigetsu deeply uncomfortable; he felt belittled.

"Little one, where do you want to go, then? Reconnaissance? Surely not the combat unit?" Tsunade asked with curiosity.

"No, neither. Lady Tsunade, I want to go to the medical station!" Nichigetsu shook his head.

"Hmm? Little one, do you know how to perform nursing duties?" Tsunade asked.

"No, I am not a nurse. I know medical arts! I can do many things at the medical station!" Nichigetsu looked at her with confidence.

"A little one who knows medical arts?" Tsunade laughed again. This child was truly interesting—six years old, a Genin, wearing a small flak jacket from who knows where, insisting he was a Chunin, and claiming to know medical arts? This little boy Dan had brought was a strange one.

The others weren't surprised; Nichigetsu's mother was a doctor, and he often showed off his skills when necessary. For a genius who became a Chunin at five, it would be stranger if he didn't know medicine.

At this moment, Nichigetsu finally understood the feeling Naruto had when Tsunade looked down on him. Back then, she had even insulted the name of the Hokage, infuriating Naruto. Nichigetsu had assumed she was just acting out of depression over the deaths of Dan and Nawaki, but it seemed Tsunade was simply dismissive of children like him by nature. He had wanted to impress her and earn her recognition, but she was far too arrogant.

"Yes, my mother taught me quite a lot of medical knowledge." This was the truth.

"Medicine is not a game, Hyuga Nichigetsu." Tsunade stared at him intently, hoping this ignorant child would back down.

But Nichigetsu held her gaze, refusing to yield.

"I know medicine is not a game, Lady Tsunade!" he said earnestly.

"Your mother was a doctor? And you've learned a lot?" Tsunade noticed his unwavering resolve.

"Yes! Lady Tsunade, let me try just once. Just once, and you won't be disappointed." Nichigetsu nodded; his skills would be proven with a single test.

Tsunade thought for a moment and said, "I've decided. Little one, you are still to report to logistics."

Nichigetsu froze, thinking self-deprecatingly: If I want to prove myself, I need the other person to give me the chance. Naruto, you're the son of a Hokage, so of course she'd test you. But I, Hyuga Nichigetsu, am like duckweed without roots; I don't even catch her eye, let alone get a chance to be tested...

He wanted to make one last effort. Looking at her with sincere, pleading eyes, he said, "Lady Tsunade, can you give me a chance? My medical skills are very..."

Tsunade shook her head, cutting him off. "That is an order!" Her words were like a bone-chilling wind, cooling Nichigetsu's heart.

"I understand." Nichigetsu looked at her, his eyes filled with deep disappointment, and he gave a slow nod.

"Tsunade, you..." Dan wanted to intercede. A six-year-old Chunin, and you're sending him to do chores in logistics? He was her disciple—even if she didn't acknowledge it, the outside world did. How would this make him look?

Nichigetsu glanced at Dan and the others, then shook his head, his heart cold. Some things were not worth explaining.

To be honest, he was deeply disappointed. Tsunade was beautiful, bold, and capable, but she was far too arrogant! His ability was plain to see; even if he was young, his rank as a Chunin was legitimate. Could she not see his performance with the transport team? To be ignored like this was infuriating.

And his medical skills—that was his pride. If she didn't believe him, she could have just tested him. To belittle him so thoroughly without even a chance was too much. Even if he had the Third Hokage's letter, he had no intention of showing it now. In Nichigetsu's eyes, was Tsunade qualified to be his teacher? This was a master not worth having.

I'll go back and discuss it with the Third Hokage. I'll just ask him to be my teacher instead, borrow all the medical ninjutsu records in Konoha, and study on my own. I can find another brilliant medical ninja to be my mentor—Yakushi Nonō would be a good choice. Nichigetsu began to plan his future.

In truth, Tsunade had only skimmed the battle report, noting that Nichigetsu had helped discover the enemy, but the report hadn't explicitly highlighted his Chunin rank. The killing of the Jonin and the destruction of the enemy had been a group effort, with the strategy devised by Shikaku, Nichigetsu, and Dan together. Thus, Tsunade hadn't paid special attention to his name, let alone his true strength.

Furthermore, as the head of logistics, she knew Konoha didn't issue flak jackets for children that small. She didn't know it was custom-made and modified by Nichigetsu himself. She assumed he was just a Genin brat under Dan's tutelage—the type of arrogant child she saw all the time, dreaming of grand deeds while only capable of menial tasks. Naturally, she had no interest.

Nichigetsu's credentials could have proven his rank, but Tsunade wouldn't bother checking them. As for the rumors of him becoming a Chunin at five, she had been too busy with the war on the front lines to care about village gossip, and she certainly wouldn't have connected those rumors to this boy. He-chen hadn't had the chance to explain the situation, and Tsunade didn't know who the "cheap disciple" the Third had taken for her was. She failed to connect the dots.

Tsunade took medicine very seriously; in her experience, it took years of accumulation to save lives. She didn't believe a six-year-old could have that experience. Unfortunately, she didn't know Nichigetsu had studied medicine for over a decade. Her dismissal was a result of her own biases.

Nichigetsu, of course, was unaware of her internal logic. He only saw her arrogance and coldness. Coupled with her attitude toward taking him as a student, he had completely abandoned the idea.

In short, it was a misunderstanding caused by poor communication in the ninja world, leading to errors in judgment and prejudice.

The group left the tent. Mizuki hoped Nichigetsu would stay somewhere safe, while Shikaku wished he could help with strategy, knowing how clever the boy was. The others also had complaints about his assignment, but Nichigetsu told them not to say anything, so they complied.

Nichigetsu remained calm. If he didn't have the chance to learn medical ninjutsu here, he would find someone else later. If he couldn't work at the medical station, he would just travel the world and heal people as he went.

They went their separate ways to report for duty. Nichigetsu gave Dan and Mizuki each a piece of anti-stab armor he had modified, then headed to the logistics department alone.

The logistics department managed the supplies for the entire army, housing massive warehouses and transport teams. Nichigetsu found the administrative tent and walked inside.

"Hello, I am the Chunin Hyuga Nichigetsu. Lady Tsunade has ordered me to report for duty!" Nichigetsu handed his credentials to the supervisor.

"Little brother, you are... a Genin?" The supervisor looked surprised, examining Riyue's credentials several times.

"Yes! I passed the exam a few months ago." Riyue nodded.

The supervisor registered him and said, "Such a young Genin; it's a waste of talent to work for me. Usually, those who come here are just Genin. Well, you'll be responsible for the supply management of special materials." The supervisor pulled out some files and handed them to Riyue.

Special materials were vital supplies like essential medicine. Riyue was not only responsible for inventory and distribution, but sometimes he also had to personally deliver these supplies to the camps and the front lines.

"No problem, I'll do my best." Riyue felt this job wasn't too bad, as it allowed him to continue his training. Looking at the warehouse full of goods, Riyue began to carefully count the inventory...

Thus, Riyue spent his days checking the warehouse, managing incoming and outgoing shipments, and occasionally delivering goods to designated locations. He didn't slack off on his training, either; he left the daily warehouse management to his Shadow Clones while he focused on his own rigorous practice. He followed his plan to complete basic training, exercised his Byakugan, refined his Gentle Fist, and practiced the main branch's secret techniques, incorporating his own ideas to create new moves.

Four months passed in the blink of an eye, and Riyue's strength improved rapidly.

During these four months, the front line remained in a stalemate between Konoha and Hidden Sand. Several major battles had ended in draws, and the situation was only becoming more intense. With the arrival of 5,000 reinforcements, Hidden Sand had even adopted an aggressive posture, frequently taking the initiative to attack Konoha. Hidden Sand's offensive was fierce, but Konoha did not back down; both sides engaged in a brutal exchange, and the casualty count climbed steadily...

"Time flies. I've been on the front line for four months already," Riyue sighed, sitting at the warehouse entrance, feeling bored.

"I'm currently in the Land of Wind, and the ancient kingdom of Loulan isn't far from here. Calculating the time, Mukade should have traveled back through time by now. Should I find an opportunity to take him out?" Riyue pondered quietly.

"Better not. He goes by the name An Lushan now and is a high-ranking official in Loulan. It wouldn't be right for me to just run over and kill him, and besides, could I really kill him easily on my own? I'll leave it to the Naruto who comes from the future in six years. Who knows, I might even meet my future self! Hehe!" After thinking it over, Riyue abandoned the plan.

During these four months, he saw Mizuki often. Dan Kato was busy, but he would occasionally guide Riyue, and he would run into other comrades from time to time.

Riyue also saw Tsunade once. Because he had managed the warehouse so efficiently, Tsunade specifically called him over to praise him for his good work. In her heart, she was even considering having Riyue follow Dan Kato, who had been guiding him, to gain more experience in the field.

Riyue, however, gave a blank-faced, perfunctory reply: "Your Highness, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave." With that, he turned and walked away.

Tsunade was stunned, thinking, "Is this little brat angry with me?" But Riyue had already left her tent.

Riyue felt he had been on the front line for months; Tsunade couldn't possibly be unaware of his capabilities. She had never mentioned a word about the contributions he had made, yet she kept praising the trivial tasks his Shadow Clones performed in the logistics department. It grated on his ears—was she just toying with him? Riyue no longer had any desire to take her as his master.

"Could it be that she knows I'm a 'cheap' disciple taken in by the Third Hokage on her behalf, so she's intentionally rejecting me this way? That doesn't seem right, though... she shouldn't know yet. Whatever, I have nothing to do with her anyway." Riyue didn't want any further connection with someone as arrogant as Tsunade.

The problem was, Tsunade really didn't know the extent of Riyue's strength, nor did she realize she had a 'master-disciple' connection with him...

Riyue had been busy training. In the last four months, he had mastered secret techniques like the Eight Trigrams Palms: Rotation, Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, and Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm.

The Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm was a long-range technique, so Riyue naturally focused on it, practicing the accumulation and explosive release of chakra from his palms until he could use it with ease. Of the three secret techniques, the Vacuum Palm was the first one he had learned.

The main difficulty with Rotation was releasing chakra from all the body's acupoints and the footwork required for the rotation itself. Riyue had successfully integrated these techniques into his own style.

As for the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, it was primarily used to strengthen his own thirty-six death-point strikes, making his attacks even more swift and fierce. Within his range, it became even harder for enemies to defend against his storm-like onslaught.

One day, Riyue was ordered to deliver an antidote to the medical station. Hidden Sand's recent offensives had been fierce, utilizing large amounts of potent toxins that caused poisoned ninjas to quickly lose their combat effectiveness and die. The supply of antidotes had become the key to victory on the battlefield.

Upon receiving the order, Riyue personally strapped the box to his back and dashed toward the medical station. It wasn't far from the warehouse; after using the Body Flicker Technique a dozen times in succession, he landed at the entrance, slightly out of breath, and handed the box to the medical staff inside.

"Thank goodness, you arrived just in time." The doctor thanked him.

"It's nothing, it's what I should do." Riyue smiled; he wouldn't be careless when lives were at stake.

Riyue didn't rush back, instead taking a look around the Konoha front-line medical station. It was quite large with many wards, and the main hall was filled with emergency beds. There were relatively few medical personnel—about fourteen or fifteen doctors and over thirty nurses—yet they had to care for hundreds of wounded. The front-line fighting was intense, and people were constantly being carried in. Rows of injured ninjas lay on beds, the operating rooms were somewhat messy, the floor was stained with blood, and the air was thick with the smell of disinfectant and gore.

"It seems the fighting on the front line is truly brutal," Riyue lamented.

Just then, a commotion nearby caught his attention.

A ninja knocked a doctor to the ground with a punch. He was clutching his right shoulder, and it was clear at a glance that it was dislocated.

"Damn it, don't you know how to set a bone? You're hurting me! I just came off the battlefield, are you trying to kill me?" the ninja cursed, sweat dripping from his head; he seemed to be in great pain.

"Don't move, let me take a look!" the doctor said, climbing back up.

"Get lost! Quack! I don't want you looking at me!" The ninja raised his foot to kick the doctor.

"If you want to act out, go do it on the battlefield!" Riyue's leg gently blocked the man's foot.

"Huh? You brat, you..." The ninja became even more furious.

Riyue ignored his nonsense, grabbed his dislocated right arm, forced him face-down onto the ground, exerted force to straighten the arm, and gave it a sharp push.

"Ah! It hurts like hell, you bastard!" The ninja screamed helplessly. Many people's attention was drawn to them.

Riyue released his arm, stood up, and walked away.

"Brat! You stop right there! Eh?" The ninja climbed up, pointed at Riyue, and was about to chase him when he realized his right arm could move.

He moved it slightly, and sure enough, there was no problem. "Huh? It doesn't hurt anymore! It's fixed! It's fixed! The bone is back in place."

"What? Let me see." The doctor walked over to examine the ninja's arm. "It's really fine; the bone was set perfectly!"

The ninja was astonished, looking in the direction Riyue had left, and muttered:

"Was that brat just now... a doctor?"