Yakushi Nonō

A mass of knowledge suddenly appeared in Shimizu's mind, filled with information about medicinal herbs.

Along with it came knowledge of how to control chakra more precisely. His body felt as if it were immersed in a warm ocean, and he felt much more energetic.

"So it looks like the amount of chakra I can use will increase, too."

Chakra was the sum of spiritual and physical energy.

It was also known as stamina.

In fact, it was formed by combining Yin and Yang Power and refining them into chakra.

A person could increase their chakra through training, but there was a limit.

Some people had stronger bodies, while others had more resilient minds. The limits of the chakra they could refine were far higher than those of ordinary people.

The Uzumaki Clan and the Senju Clan were typical examples. They possessed immense vitality, so their descendants generally had large chakra reserves. They were inheritors of Yang Release and naturally possessed Yang Release, which represented physical strength.

By contrast, there was Yin Release. The Uchiha Clan and the Nara Clan were typical examples.

The Sharingan and Shadow Technique were both products of Yin Release, representing spiritual strength. Their users naturally possessed Yin Release.

To perform a jutsu, you first had to convert your stamina into chakra.

For example, if a jutsu required 20 points of chakra but you refined 30, the extra 10 points would be wasted.

Unless you had a jōnin-level ability to control chakra, in which case you could freely convert it back.

Improving chakra control meant reducing waste, which in turn increased the amount of chakra you could use.

The overall result was that you could perform more jutsu and keep going for longer.

"I'll go see if Yakushi Nonō is still at the hospital tomorrow."

According to the Simulator's predictions, five days from now, he would go to the hospital to treat the injury on his forehead and meet Yakushi Nonō.

Shimizu hadn't forgotten her reputation.

Information about Yakushi Nonō surfaced in his mind.

She had shoulder-length blond hair and emerald-green eyes. Most striking of all, she wore clothes like a nun's, with a white headdress framing a slightly chubby face whose gentleness and compassion were beyond words.

But beneath them was a curvaceous, full figure that radiated femininity.

A body that could even be called indecent...

Shimizu shook his head, telling himself not to let his mind wander.

"To have a title like Walking Miko, she must be quite something."

Yakushi Nonō was the captain of the Medical Team. Her exceptional espionage skills were only one side of her.

Shimizu was very tempted. If he became a medical ninja, he wouldn't have to fight on the front lines. He could simply request a support position.

"But I'll need to prepare first."

Shimizu glanced at the still-bright sky and headed toward a place in the Uchiha Settlement.

Konoha Hospital.

For the next few days, Shimizu went to stake out the hospital as soon as school let out.

He didn't see Nonō at all for the first day or two, but fortunately, persistence paid off, and he finally caught her.

If he didn't take the chance to learn some of her medical skills now, it would be too late once Yakushi Nonō left to run the Orphanage.

"Hello. Is there something I can help you with?"

Yakushi Nonō asked gently, having stopped the few members of the Medical Team beside her. She looked curiously at Shimizu, who only came up to her chest.

"Miss, my White Dove is hurt. Could you help it?"

Shimizu handed over a White Dove with a pitiful look on his face.

It was one of the White Doves the Uchiha Clan kept and trained, along with other birds like crows.

Shimizu had bought one from a clan member, then cut a small gash in its foot to give himself an excuse to approach Yakushi Nonō.

The wound was shallow. He was worried it would heal if he didn't hurry.

"Of course."

Yakushi Nonō took only one look to see that the wound was shallow. It looked as though it had been cut by a Kunai.

It must have gotten hurt by accident during training.

That was what Yakushi Nonō thought.

She crouched down, took the White Dove from Shimizu, and healed it with a soft green glow in her hand.

The wound wasn't particularly deep, but it wasn't superficial either. It would have healed on its own after a while.

Another doctor might have used a busy schedule as an excuse to turn them away and tell Shimizu to stop fooling around.

But Yakushi Nonō, compassionate and tenderhearted, was moved by Shimizu's love for animals.

She thought he must have rushed to the hospital after seeing the White Dove get hurt, without stopping to consider how deep the wound was.

"There. It's all better now."

Yakushi Nonō spoke in the gentle tone of a kind older sister.

Still crouching, she held the White Dove in her hands.

From Shimizu's vantage point, he could also see those magnificent waves.

Perhaps because they were usually concealed beneath a thick flak jacket, people overlooked the grandeur of those two mountains.

"Thank you, miss. But..."

Shimizu smiled as he took the White Dove back, looking as though he wanted to say something.

The White Dove stared speechlessly at its owner, flapped its wings, and flew onto Shimizu's shoulder.

"Is there something else?"

"Captain, we still have a lot of research to work on."

One of the Medical Team members beside Nonō reminded her.

Konoha's medical technology and equipment were advancing rapidly. New techniques and theories were emerging all the time.

They still had a paper on chakra's effects on the meridian system to study. They had no time to play house with this little brat.

"It's fine. Go on ahead. I'll join you shortly."

Nonō told them to leave without her.

"Understood, Captain."

Yakushi Nonō had a great deal of authority in the Medical Team. The members exchanged glances, then chose to leave without her.

"Go ahead and tell your big sister what's on your mind."

No wonder she would become the future director of the Orphanage. She even helped the Orphanage out of her own pocket, expecting nothing in return.

Yakushi Nonō really was kind to children.

She wasn't nearly so kind to adults, though. As the Walking Miko, she had assassinated countless targets over the course of her espionage career.

"I was wondering if I could learn Medical Ninjutsu, too."

Shimizu laid his cards on the table and stated his purpose.

That was why he'd been staking out the hospital for days.

He couldn't rely on the Simulator alone. Its results were random every time.

He'd gotten good things on his last two draws, but could he count on getting something good every time?

If he kept drawing nothing worthwhile, would he have to stay stuck in place forever?

Time wouldn't wait for him.

Shimizu knew all too well how cruel the world was. The further things went, the more would happen in Konoha.

The Third Shinobi World War was only the beginning.

After that would come the Nine-Tails Incident, the Uchiha Clan Downfall, and Pain's devastating attack on Konoha, reducing everything to rubble.

And if he somehow survived all that, Infinite Tsukuyomi would still await him.

Only Sasuke, with the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan, could use Complete Body Susanoo to avoid Infinite Tsukuyomi. Even Six Paths Naruto had only escaped by hiding inside Susanoo.