Medical Ninjutsu

The sunlight of Konoha's forty-second year seemed to bring little warmth to Kyohaku Uchiha's life. At seven years old, he was still like a plant growing in the shadows, maintaining an almost invisible presence at the Ninja Academy.

In cultural theory classes, he effortlessly maintained a rank around the upper-middle of the class, neither outstanding nor lagging behind. In practical lessons, he was still that "special student" leaning on crutches and engaging in limited activity at the edge of the field. Tetsuzan Uchiha and Daiichi Uchiha's mockery still surfaced from time to time, but seeing him remain silent, numb, and utterly unresponsive, they gradually lost interest and turned their attention to other, more "interesting" targets.

However, the time after school, unknown to everyone else, was when he truly absorbed nourishment.

That secluded little courtyard became his secret training ground. He repeatedly read and studied the scrolls and notes left behind by his father. Thanks to the immense spiritual power and extraordinary chakra control brought by the fusion of two lifetimes' souls, his progress far exceeded that of ordinary people.

Extracting chakra had long ceased to be a problem. He could even clearly observe the flow of chakra within his body, as well as the regrettable blockage and atrophy in the meridians of his right foot. He could already form the hand seals for the basic Three-Body Technique in an instant and, through precise control, perform slightly flawed versions appropriate for someone with a "disability."

The real challenge and enjoyment lay in his father's Fire Release and Genjutsu. The sequence of hand seals, the changes in chakra's form and nature within specific meridians... these concepts, profound and obscure to ordinary children, became traceable under his powerful perception and control. He did not rush to cast ninjutsu. Instead, he spent the vast majority of his time improving his proficiency with hand seals and practicing the precise manipulation of chakra. In the courtyard, there were often only the afterimages of his incredibly swift yet silent hand seals, along with the occasional imperceptible ripple of chakra in the air. His shuriken throwing also quietly improved in stability and accuracy by combining his father's insights with his own calculations.

Physical training was his greatest weakness, but he never gave up. He designed a training regimen suited to his current condition, focusing mainly on his upper body, core strength, and the support and explosive power of his left leg. Every session came with soreness in his right foot and sweat pouring down like rain, yet he gritted his teeth and persevered, treating it as a tempering of his will.

The library remained the place he visited most often. He was no longer satisfied with broad, superficial knowledge. Instead, he began systematically categorizing and constructing his own body of knowledge. The timeline of Shinobi World history, the details and resource distribution of each nation's geography, the organizational structures of the major shinobi villages and intelligence on famous ninja, even basic herbal medicine and the study of the human meridians... he organized, memorized, and filed away every piece of information with the methodical approach of a forensic investigator, forming an ever-expanding database in his mind. He knew that knowledge itself was power, especially for someone whose body was limited like his.

A year quietly passed. Not long after the start of his second year, a plan he had been preparing for a long time was put on the agenda.

One day after school, he did not go straight home. Instead, leaning on his crutches, he made his way to the school's infirmary. The teacher in charge of the infirmary was a Chunin named Nohara. She had a gentle personality and great patience, and she usually handled the bumps and bruises students suffered during training.

"Teacher Nohara," Kyohaku called softly from the doorway.

Teacher Nohara was sorting medicinal herbs. Hearing him, she looked up and gave him a gentle smile. "Kyohaku, what's wrong? Is your foot hurting?"

"No, Teacher." Kyohaku shook his head and slowly moved inside on his crutches, wearing an expression appropriate for his age, a mixture of curiosity and timidness. "I... I wanted to ask whether I could learn Medical Ninjutsu from you?"

Teacher Nohara froze for a moment, clearly not expecting such a request. She put down the herbs in her hands, walked over, and crouched before him. "Medical Ninjutsu? Why do you suddenly want to learn that? Medical Ninjutsu requires extremely precise chakra control, and the learning process is quite tedious."

"I... I know I'm probably not very good at taijutsu or ninjutsu," Kyohaku said, lowering his head. His voice became even quieter, sounding disappointed but carrying a trace of stubbornness. "But... but I've seen you use ninjutsu to heal everyone's wounds, Teacher, and I think it's amazing. My chakra control... seems to be all right, and my cultural theory teacher has praised me for remembering theory well... I thought maybe I could try this..." He raised his head at just the right moment, his eyes revealing pleading and unwillingness. "I don't want to... be unable to do anything."

Teacher Nohara looked at the child before her, at his slightly limping right foot and those unusually clear eyes now filled with longing, and her heart could not help softening. She had heard of his circumstances: both parents dead, physically disabled, and not particularly sociable at school. The fact that he had thought of taking another path and learning Medical Ninjutsu truly made him seem pitiable.

"Your chakra control is all right?" Teacher Nohara pondered for a moment. "Then... shall Teacher test you?"

She took out a fresh sheet of chakra test paper and handed it to Kyohaku. "Here. Try injecting your chakra into it evenly and slowly. Don't be fast. Be steady."

Kyohaku accepted the test paper and took a deep breath, as if he were very nervous. Then he focused his mind—naturally, using only an insignificant fraction of his control—and slowly injected a thread of chakra into the paper.

The color of the paper began to change with extreme evenness and slowness. Several attributes appeared faintly yet in balance. More importantly, there were no violent fluctuations throughout the process, displaying a stability and precision of control far beyond that of children his age.

A clear flash of surprise appeared in Teacher Nohara's eyes. This level of control was indeed exceptional, even steadier than that of many Genin!

"Very good! Excellent chakra control, Kyohaku!" Teacher Nohara could not help praising him. As she looked at him, her gaze became gentler and more encouraging. "You were right. You have great talent in chakra control, and that truly is a very important foundation for learning Medical Ninjutsu."

After thinking for a moment, she finally nodded. "All right. If you have time after school from now on, you can come to the infirmary and find me. I'll start by teaching you the most basic Healing Technique. But remember, learning Medical Ninjutsu requires tremendous patience and perseverance, and you absolutely cannot give up halfway through. Can you do that?"

"I can! Thank you, Teacher Nohara! I'll study hard!" Kyohaku's face instantly lit up with brilliance, the most sincere joy of a seven-year-old obtaining what he desired—at least, on the surface.

Thus, another secret task was added to Kyohaku Uchiha's schedule. Under Teacher Nohara's guidance, he began to come into contact with the most basic Medical Ninjutsu—the Healing Technique.

Precisely condensing gentle, life-filled Yang-natured chakra in his palms and sensing the subtle power that stimulated cellular activity and accelerated tissue healing... the process was like opening the door to a new world for him. His extraordinary chakra control displayed unparalleled superiority in his study of Medical Ninjutsu.

Teacher Nohara was astonished by the speed of his progress and often sighed, "Kyohaku, you were practically born for Medical Ninjutsu!"

Kyohaku merely smiled shyly and continued practicing. Yet inwardly, he made a calm assessment: Medical Ninjutsu was not only an important skill for securing his future livelihood in his plans. Perhaps... it was also the first key to unlocking the shackles on his body.

This path, which seemed to have been chosen by chance, was clearly leading toward the goal he had set long ago.