The Doctor

Two hours later, Dan Katō brought Riyue and the others to meet Tsunade. At last, Riyue was meeting her, but not as her student—he met her as an ordinary Chunin.

So this is the famous Princess Tsunade? She's really young. No wonder she's one of the top beauties in Naruto. Riyue sized her up quietly. In his previous life, he'd been quite fond of this heroic woman. Tsunade loved the village and was bold and strong yet gentle, wise and decisive, and highly skilled in Medical Ninjutsu. She was one of the people Riyue admired.

Riyue glanced at Tsunade's neck and didn't see the First's necklace. Maybe she put it away so she wouldn't lose it.

"Dan, Shikaku, Inoichi, Choza, Shino, Mizuki, thanks for all your hard work. You did well in that battle protecting the supply convoy!" Tsunade said with a smile, nodding at each of them in turn to show her approval. She was the only one who didn't notice the six-year-old standing beside Dan Katō.

Riyue didn't think much of it. He was only six and was short, after all. It was easy for people to overlook him.

"Lady Tsunade, now that we're here, we're under your command. Please assign us our duties," Shikaku said.

"Mm. Dan, take the Ino-Shika-Cho team and join the combat unit. Shikaku, I hear you're a clever strategist. You'll be able to help me plan. Aburame Shibi and Hyuga Mizuki, report to the reconnaissance team. As for this little runt..." Tsunade glanced at Hyuga Nichigetsu, standing behind Dan Katō.

"Little runt, go help out at the Logistics Department. What do you all think?" Tsunade asked.

Everyone seemed satisfied with their assignments. Only Riyue raised his hand.

"Lady Tsunade, my name isn't 'little runt.' I'm Hyuga Nichigetsu, and I have a different opinion." Riyue looked at Tsunade.

"What opinion?" Tsunade asked, puzzled.

"The Logistics Department is where Genin belong. I don't want to go there!" Riyue said seriously.

"You don't want to go to the Logistics Department?"

"Lady Tsunade, I'm a Chunin, and I've earned plenty of merit. With my abilities, am I really only fit to do odd jobs at the Logistics Department?" Riyue retorted.

"Oh? A Chunin who's earned merit?" Tsunade smiled, seemingly with a hint of disdain. Riyue was very unhappy. Tsunade was looking down on him.

"Little runt, where do you want to go, then? The reconnaissance team? Don't tell me you want to join the combat unit," Tsunade asked curiously.

"No, neither. Lady Tsunade, I want to go to the Medical Station!" Riyue shook his head.

"Hmm? Little runt, can you do nursing?" Tsunade asked.

"No, I'm not a nurse. I know medicine! I can do a lot at the Medical Station!" Riyue looked at Tsunade confidently.

"A little runt who knows medicine?" Tsunade laughed again. This child was amusing: six years old, a Genin, wearing a little vest from who-knows-where, insisting that he was a Chunin, and claiming to know medicine too. The little runt Dan Katō had brought along was a strange child indeed.

The others weren't surprised. Riyue's mother was a doctor, and he sometimes demonstrated his medical skills when needed. For a genius who'd become a Chunin at five, it would have been more surprising if he didn't know medicine.

Now Riyue finally understood what it felt like when Tsunade had looked down on Naruto when he met her. Back then, she'd even insulted the title of Hokage, which had infuriated Naruto. Riyue had assumed that Tsunade had become despondent after the deaths of Dan Katō and Nawaki, and that was why she'd treated Naruto with such contempt. But it seemed she simply looked down on children like him. He'd wanted to show off a little and earn her approval. Wasn't she being a bit too arrogant?

"Yes. My mother taught me a lot about medicine." Riyue was telling the truth.

"Medical care isn't something to take lightly, Hyuga Nichigetsu." Tsunade stared hard at Riyue, hoping the child who didn't know his place would back down.

But Riyue met her gaze without flinching.

"I know medical care isn't child's play, Lady Tsunade!" Riyue said earnestly.

"Your mother was a doctor? You've learned a lot of medicine?" Tsunade realized Riyue wasn't backing down. He seemed quite determined.

"Yes! Lady Tsunade, let me try once. Just once—you won't be disappointed." Riyue nodded. The only way to know what he could do was to give him a try.

Tsunade thought for a moment, then said, "I've made up my mind, little runt. You're still going to help at the Logistics Department."

Riyue froze. I wanted to prove myself, but that depends on whether anyone gives me a chance. Naruto, you're the Second Hokage's grandson, so Tsunade would naturally give you a chance. But I, Hyuga Nichigetsu, am just a rootless duckweed. I don't even register in her eyes. I can't even get a chance to try...

Riyue made one last attempt. He looked at Tsunade sincerely, his eyes pleading. "Lady Tsunade, could you give me a chance? My medical skills are—"

Tsunade shook her head, cutting him off. "That's an order!" Her words were like a frigid wind, chilling Riyue to the heart.

"I understand." Riyue looked at Tsunade with deep disappointment and slowly nodded.

"Tsunade, you..." Dan Katō wanted to speak up for Riyue. Sending a six-year-old Chunin to do odd jobs at the Logistics Department? He was her student, after all. Even if she wouldn't acknowledge it, everyone else knew. What would they think of Riyue?

Riyue glanced at Dan Katō, then at the others, and shook his head in despair. There was no point explaining some things.

To be honest, Riyue was very disappointed after meeting Tsunade. She was beautiful, bold, and capable, but she was also far too arrogant! His abilities were plain to see. Even if he was young, he was a genuine Chunin, wasn't he? Couldn't she see how he'd performed in the supply convoy battle? She'd completely ignored him!

And his medical skills were something he was proud of. If Tsunade didn't believe him, she could at least test him first. Instead, she'd looked down on him so much that she wouldn't even give him a chance. Even though Riyue had a letter from the Third Hokage, he no longer planned to take it out. In his eyes, was Tsunade even qualified? He could do without having her as his teacher!

When I get back, I'll talk to the Third Hokage and ask to become his student instead. I'll borrow all of Konoha's Medical Ninjutsu materials and study on my own. Then I'll find a skilled medical ninja to teach me. Yakushi Nonō would be a good choice. Riyue considered his plans for the future.

In fact, Tsunade had read the supply convoy's battle report carefully. She only knew that Hyuga Nichigetsu had helped detect the enemy. The report hadn't gone out of its way to mention that Riyue was a Chunin. The group had worked together to kill the enemy Jōnin and defeat their forces, while Shikaku, Riyue, and Dan Katō had collaborated on the strategy. So Tsunade hadn't paid particular attention to Riyue's name in the report, and she knew nothing about his contributions or abilities.

Besides, Tsunade was in charge of logistics, so she naturally knew that Konoha didn't have a Chunin vest that small. She didn't know it had been specially made for Riyue by Konoha, or that he'd modified it himself. So she assumed Riyue was just a little Genin under Dan Katō's guidance. Tsunade had seen plenty of ambitious children like him, always dreaming of doing earth-shattering deeds when their abilities only qualified them for trivial tasks. Naturally, she had little interest in them.

Riyue's identification could have proved he was a Chunin, but Tsunade wouldn't check everyone's credentials. As for the news that Riyue had become a Chunin at five, Tsunade was busy with the war at the front and naturally didn't pay attention to village "rumors," much less connect them to Riyue. Kazomi hadn't had a chance to explain Riyue's situation, and Tsunade didn't know who the Third Hokage had taken on as her "student" in her place. She hadn't put the pieces together.

Tsunade also took medicine extremely seriously. In her experience, treating patients required years of accumulated experience. She didn't believe a six-year-old could have gained that kind of experience. Unfortunately, she didn't know Riyue had studied medicine for over ten years. So she'd looked down on him and thought that the Logistics Department was the best place for him.

Riyue naturally didn't know what Tsunade was thinking, or that she had no idea who he was. He thought Tsunade was arrogant and rude! And given her attitude toward taking him on as a student, he'd given up on the idea of becoming her apprentice.

In short, poor communication in the Naruto world had led to all kinds of mistakes, affecting both their judgments and causing this misunderstanding and prejudice.

After leaving the tent, Mizuki hoped Riyue would stay somewhere safe, while Shikaku wanted him to join in with the strategizing—Riyue was quite clever. The others also objected to sending him to the Logistics Department, but Riyue told them not to say anything, so they decided to listen to him.

Riyue was quite calm. If he couldn't learn Medical Ninjutsu this time, he'd find someone else to teach him later. If he couldn't go to the Medical Station, he could travel the world in the future and treat people along the way.

Everyone went to report to their assigned posts. Although they were split into several teams, they could still see each other regularly. Riyue gave Dan Katō and Mizuki each a stab-resistant vest he'd modified, then went to report to the Logistics Department by himself.

The Logistics Department handled supplies for the ninja army and had enormous warehouses and transport teams. Riyue found the administrative tent and went inside.

"Hello, I'm Chunin Hyuga Nichigetsu. Lady Tsunade ordered me to report here!" Riyue handed his credentials to the ninja in charge.

"Little guy, you're... a Chunin?" The supervisor looked surprised and checked Riyue's credentials several times.

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

The supervisor recorded his details and said, "Such a young Chunin. It's a waste of your talent to have you working here. Usually, the people who work for me are Genin. You can manage the supply of special materials." The supervisor took out some files and handed them to Riyue.

Special materials meant important supplies such as valuable medicines. Riyue would manage their distribution and, at times, personally deliver the supplies to the camp or the front lines.

"No problem. I'll do my best." Riyue thought the assignment wasn't bad. He could keep training, too. He looked at the warehouse full of goods and began carefully taking inventory...

From then on, Riyue checked the warehouse and managed the incoming and outgoing supplies every day. Sometimes he also had to deliver goods to designated locations. He didn't neglect his training, either. He left the routine warehouse management to his Shadow Clone and trained hard, completing his basic training plan every day, honing his Byakugan, improving his Gentle Fist, and practicing the Main Family's secret techniques while incorporating his own ideas to create new moves.

Before he knew it, four months had passed, and Riyue's abilities had improved rapidly.

During those four months, Konoha and the Hidden Sand remained locked in a stalemate at the front, fighting several major battles without either side gaining the upper hand. The fighting would only grow more intense. With five thousand reinforcements arriving, the Hidden Sand had even adopted an aggressive offensive posture, repeatedly attacking Konoha. The Hidden Sand's attacks were fierce, and Konoha refused to back down. The two sides began trading blows, and casualties soared...

"Time really flies. I've been at the front for four months already." Riyue sat at the warehouse entrance, bored, and sighed.

I'm in the Land of Wind now, and the ancient city of Rōran isn't far away. If I calculate correctly, Mukade should have traveled through time by now. Should I find a chance to kill him? Riyue considered quietly.

Maybe I'd better not. He should be called Anrokuzan now, and he's an important minister of Rōran. I'd have no justification for going to kill him, and could I really take him out by myself? I should leave him for Naruto, who'll come from the future six years from now. Maybe I'll run into my future self! Heh! Riyue thought it over and abandoned the plan.

During those four months, Riyue often saw Mizuki, while Dan Katō was busy and could only give him some guidance now and then. He also occasionally ran into his other teammates.

During that time, Riyue saw Tsunade once. He'd kept the warehouse in excellent order, so Tsunade had called him over specifically to praise his work. She was even thinking of having Riyue go out on more missions with Dan Katō, who was supervising him.

Riyue, however, answered flatly, "Lady Tsunade, if there's nothing else, I'll be going." He turned and left.

Tsunade froze. Is this little runt angry with me? Riyue had already left her tent.

Riyue felt that he'd been at the front for several months, so Tsunade couldn't be unaware of his abilities. She'd never mentioned the merits he'd earned before, while the trivial work his Shadow Clone did at the Logistics Department earned him one compliment after another. Hearing her praise grated on him. Was Tsunade making fun of him? He no longer had any intention of becoming her student.

Does she know the Third Hokage accepted me as her student in her place, and is deliberately rejecting me like this? No, that can't be right. She probably doesn't know yet... Whatever. We have nothing to do with each other anyway. Riyue didn't want to have anything more to do with Tsunade, that arrogant woman.

But Tsunade really didn't know how strong Riyue was, or that she and Riyue had a "teacher-student" relationship...

Riyue kept busy with his training. In the past four months, he'd mastered the [Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin], the [Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms], and the [Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm].

The [Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm] was a long-range move, so Riyue naturally focused on practicing it. He'd trained himself to gather and release the chakra in his palm with complete control. Of the three techniques, it was the Vacuum Palm that Riyue had learned first.

The main challenges of [Rotation] were releasing chakra through the tenketsu all over his body and mastering the footwork needed to spin. Riyue had also incorporated Rotation's techniques into his own moves.

The [Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms] was mainly used to strengthen Riyue's strikes at the thirty-six vital points, making his attacks faster and more forceful. Within the range of his moves, it was even harder for his opponents to defend against his relentless, storm-like assault.

One day, Riyue was ordered to deliver antidotes to the Medical Station. The Hidden Sand had been attacking fiercely lately and was using large amounts of deadly poison. Poisoned ninja quickly lost their ability to fight, then died. The supply of antidotes had become a key factor in the outcome of the war.

As soon as Riyue received the order, he carried a box on his back and ran to the Medical Station himself. It wasn't far from the warehouse. After using the Body Flicker Technique more than ten times in a row, Riyue landed at the entrance, a little breathless. He went inside and handed the box to the medical staff.

"That's great. You got here just in time," a doctor said, thanking Riyue.

"It's nothing. It's my duty." Riyue smiled. He would never be careless when people's lives were at stake.

Riyue didn't hurry back. Instead, he looked around Konoha's front-line Medical Station. It was quite large, with many wards, and there were plenty of emergency beds in the main hall, too. But there weren't many medical staff: fourteen or fifteen doctors and more than thirty nurses had to look after several hundred wounded. The fighting at the front was fierce, and injured ninja were constantly carried in. Wounded ninja lay in rows of beds, the operating room was grimy, and blood stained the floor. The air reeked of disinfectant and blood.

"Looks like the fighting at the front really is brutal," Riyue sighed.

Just then, a commotion nearby caught Riyue's attention.

A ninja punched a doctor, knocking him to the ground. The ninja clutched his right arm. It was obvious his shoulder was dislocated.

"Damn it, do you even know how to set a bone? You hurt me! I just came back from the battlefield. Are you trying to kill me?" the ninja cursed, sweat running down his face. He seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"Don't move. Let me take a proper look!" the doctor said as he got back to his feet.

"Get lost, quack! I don't want you examining me!" The ninja raised his foot to kick the doctor.

"Go pick a fight on the battlefield!" Riyue said, lightly blocking the man's foot with his leg.

"Hey, kid, you..." The ninja grew even angrier.

Riyue paid no attention to his rambling. He grabbed the man's dislocated right arm, used the momentum to force him face down onto the ground, pulled his arm straight, and gave it a sharp push.

"Ah! That hurts like hell, you bastard!" the ninja screamed helplessly. Several people turned to look.

Riyue released the man's right hand, stood up, and walked away.

"Hey, kid! Stop right there! Huh?" The ninja got up and pointed at Riyue, about to chase after him, but then realized he could move his right arm again.

He moved it carefully. It was fine. "Huh? It doesn't hurt anymore. It's fixed! My arm's back in place!"

"What? Let me see." The doctor walked over and examined the ninja's arm. "It's really fine. The bone's been set perfectly!"

The ninja stared in astonishment after Riyue, muttering,

"Was that little kid... a doctor?"