Interns in the Animal Training and Rehabilitation Class

Half a month of time passed swiftly amidst the chakra flowing across fingertips. The talent Kyohaku Uchiha displayed in medical ninjutsu caused Nohara's initial astonishment to gradually transform into complete shock.

The principle of the healing technique involved the precise output of Yang-release chakra to stimulate cell activity and accelerate the natural healing process. This placed extremely high demands on the precision, stability, and perception of chakra control. Yet these were precisely Kyohaku's greatest strengths.

He mastered the essentials at an astonishing speed. From initially being able to condense only a faint, warm green light in his palms, to stably sustaining chakra output, and then to precisely controlling the treatment range and intensity, it took him only a few short days.

To test his practical application abilities, Nohara bought a few dying fish from the market that were almost floating belly-up. Some had missing scales and others had torn fins, their life force extremely weak.

"Try it, Kyohaku. Just do your best. It doesn't matter even if you can't save them; this in itself is practice," Nohara consoled, as she did not truly believe a child who had only begun studying for half a month could handle such a dire situation.

Kyohaku did not speak, simply extending his hands calmly as a soft green light covered his palms. He did not rush to blanket the entire fish bodies in chakra, instead first perceiving the most severe injury on each fish with extreme subtlety, and then like the most precise embroidery needle, injecting and guiding the healing chakra bit by bit.

His gaze was focused and calm, as though he were not saving lives, but rather performing a delicate surgical operation. Nohara watched with bated breath, seeing that under the glowing green light, the edges of the fish's damaged scales seemed to draw together slightly at a speed visible to the naked eye, their vitality-deprived fins quivering gently, and their originally faint breathing actually gradually growing stronger!

In merely ten-odd minutes, those few fish that had been on the verge of death miraculously regained their vitality. Although still appearing weak, they had already escaped danger and were swimming slowly in the shallow water.

"This... this is simply incredible!" Nohara could not help exclaiming aloud, looking at Kyohaku as though gazing at a rare treasure. "Kyohaku, your chakra control and perception are the absolute top tier among all beginners I've ever seen! You are simply cut out to be a medical ninja by nature!"

She paced the infirmary in excitement. "No, we cannot waste this talent! Just dealing with scrapes in the school infirmary is underutilizing you. Here, I'll write a recommendation letter for you to intern at the animal training and rehabilitation class in Konoha Hospital!"

"The animal training and rehabilitation class?" Kyohaku revealed an appropriate expression of puzzlement.

"Mm-hmm!" Nohara explained excitedly. "That's a department subordinate to the hospital, mainly responsible for treating injured ninja dogs, communication hawks, and various other animals that serve the village. Starting by treating small animals to accumulate experience is the most appropriate choice; their bodies are small and relatively simple in structure, yet they possess complete life systems, making them exceptional practical subjects for practicing medical ninjutsu! Moreover, there you can also apply to consult materials in the hospital's basic medical area. There are many books on anatomy, physiology, common drugs, and basic medical theory there, which will be of great help to your studies!"

This played right into Kyohaku's hands. He immediately manifested delight and gratitude. "Really? Thank you, Teacher Nohara! I will definitely study hard!"

Thus, yet another activity was added to Kyohaku's life. Relying on Nohara's recommendation letter, he smoothly entered the animal training and rehabilitation class at Konoha Hospital, becoming an unlisted "intern." Not many people paid attention to an Uchiha child leaning on crutches here; everyone's attention was focused on those injured or sick animals.

He started by washing and bandaging external injuries on ninja dogs and administering medicine to communication hawks, and very soon, his precise healing technique came in handy. For minor surgeries requiring delicate chakra manipulation, senior veterinarians even began letting him assist from the side. He was taciturn, but learned quickly and performed steadily, rapidly winning the favor of the rehabilitation class staff. More importantly, he gained the authority to access and read the basic medical reference section. The vast ocean of medical classics there became his new treasure, and he absorbed all knowledge with unquenchable thirst, cross-referencing it with his anatomical and physiological knowledge from his past life, advancing by leaps and bounds.

Yet, the disturbances at school had not completely subsided. Despite Kyohaku keeping an extreme low profile, his frequent trips to the infirmary and the hospital still drew some attention. Tetsuzan Uchiha and Daiichi seemed to have found new points for mockery.

"Look at that cripple. He couldn't cut it as a ninja, so he went off to be a vet!"

"It really brings shame to us Uchiha, hanging out with beasts all day long."

"I reckon he's only fit to cure dogs!"

These words still occasionally drifted into Kyohaku's ears, and he continued to turn a deaf ear, as though they were not speaking of him at all.

Until the evening of a day half a month later, just as Kyohaku returned to his own small courtyard from the hospital, the courtyard gate was knocked upon.

Standing outside the door were an expressionless Tetsuzan Uchiha and Daiichi, but at this moment they completely lacked their usual arrogance, keeping their heads down with darting eyes, and even carrying a trace of reluctant dread on their faces. Behind them stood a tall, resolute-looking middle-aged man wearing a jonin flak jacket. The man bore some resemblance to Tetsuzan between the brows, his gaze sharp and possessing natural authority. Kyohaku recognized him: Hengtai Uchiha, a rather renowned jonin within the clan and also Tetsuzan's father.

"Kyohaku Uchiha?" Hengtai Uchiha spoke, his voice low and powerful.

"Yes, Jonin Hengtai." Kyohaku bowed slightly, his etiquette flawless.

Hengtai Uchiha's sharp gaze swept over Kyohaku's crutches and his calm, ripple-free face, then said in a deep voice, "I am Hengtai Uchiha, Tetsuzan's father. I just returned from completing a long-term mission and heard about some things that happened at school." He turned his head and glared sternly at Tetsuzan and Daiichi. "It was my lax discipline that let these two brats run their mouths and repeatedly mock a fellow clansman, losing face for the Uchiha!"

Tetsuzan and Daiichi were startled into a shiver, hastily bowing toward Kyohaku as they spoke rapidly with muffled voices, "Sorry! Kyohaku! We were wrong! We won't ever dare do it again!"

Their tone was hurried, clearly lacking sincerity and looking much more like a performance forced by pressure.

Hengtai Uchiha clearly heard it too, but what he wanted was an attitude, a result. He turned back, looking at Kyohaku as his tone softened slightly. "Kyohaku, I've also heard about your situation. With your parents passing away early and your body inconvenienced, you've still been able to seek another path and study medical ninjutsu; this determination is worthy of recognition. Among clansmen, we ought to support each other rather than engage in internal friction. Today I brought them to apologize, and if they ever dare harass you again in the future, you can come directly and tell me."

His words sounded just and fair, maintaining the facade of intra-clan unity while also preserving his own dignity as a jonin and a father. But Kyohaku could sense that this upholding was largely born from the Uchiha's collective sense of honor rather than concern for him personally.

"Thank you, Jonin Hengtai, for upholding justice." Kyohaku bowed slightly once more, neither joy nor anger visible on his face as he spoke in a flat tone, "It was a minor matter; I've already forgotten it."

His reaction was so calm, even carrying a sort of distant detachment, that it actually caused Hengtai Uchiha to pause slightly. The man gazed deeply at him before finally nodding. "Very well. Then rest."

With those words, he turned and left, taking along the two youths who felt both pardoned and aggrieved.

The courtyard gate closed, shutting out the outside world. Kyohaku stood in place, his expression still completely devoid of emotion.

An apology? He did not need one at all. This kind of forced, superficial apology lacking substance was meaningless. He could not even be bothered to analyze how much sincerity or hypocrisy lay within it.

The sole value of this matter lay in the fact that it confirmed a potential rule within the Uchiha clan: internal bullying and contempt could exist, but unity had to be maintained on the surface, especially preventing outsiders from laughing at them. Moreover, the appearance of a jonin also meant that similar public mockery would most likely not happen again.

This was good, sparing him a fair bit of trouble.

He turned and walked into the house, taking out the detailed diagram of human meridians borrowed from the hospital and spreading it out on the table. Under the lamplight, his gaze rapidly grew focused and calm, as though that small disturbance just now had never happened at all.

His world existed solely among these precise lines, complex symbols, and vast knowledge. Those boring disturbances among children were, to him, nothing more than negligible dust on the road toward his goal.