Are You Sure You Haven't Learned This Before?

At first light the next day, the camp was still shrouded in morning mist and the scent of medicinal herbs.

Mitarai Aoi found a trusted genin from the Medical Corps, a young girl named Aoba Tachibana.

"Tachibana, I have a task for you," Aoi ordered directly.

"Teach Hinata Tianyi the practical application of Basic Medical Ninjutsu.

Start with the most basic Hemostasis Technique. Demonstrate it on animals and have him practice along with you.

Pay close attention to his chakra control and hand seals. Correct him promptly if he makes any mistakes."

Aoba Tachibana nodded and quickly found Tianyi practicing hand seals at the edge of the camp.

"Tianyi, Senior Aoi sent me to teach you Basic Medical Ninjutsu," Aoba Tachibana said.

Without wasting words, she formed a simple Summoning Technique seal and called out softly, "Sealing Technique, release!"

With a soft pop, a puff of white smoke dispersed, revealing a lively, plump fish on the ground.

"Watch closely. This is the most straightforward teaching aid. I'll demonstrate the Hemostasis Technique first."

Aoba Tachibana deftly sliced open the side of the fish's belly with a kunai.

Blood immediately began to gush out as she quickly formed hand seals—Snake, Ram, Monkey.

Then she placed her fingers, glowing with a faint green light, above the fish's wound.

"The key to the Hemostasis Technique is to use chakra to simulate clotting signals and gently stimulate cell activity.

Your chakra must be steady, with a slow and continuous output," she explained as she worked.

The bleeding from the fish's wound visibly slowed, then stopped completely within seconds.

"Your turn." Aoba Tachibana gestured for Tianyi to begin, ready to correct this novice's clumsiness and mistakes.

Tianyi took a deep breath and stepped forward, recalling what he had understood the night before and practiced that morning.

He formed hand seals. They were not particularly fast, but they were remarkably steady and fluid.

There was none of the hesitation or unnecessary movement common among beginners.

Snake, Ram, Monkey—the three seals flowed together in one smooth motion.

Then a faint green glow lit up at his fingertips.

He gently touched it to the small wound he had just made on the fish's back with the tip of his kunai.

Blood seeped from the wound... then—

Then it stopped???

It stopped cleanly and decisively, with almost no difference from the effect Aoba Tachibana had just demonstrated.

Aoba Tachibana: "...?"

She blinked, suspecting she had seen wrong. His first practical attempt at the Hemostasis Technique?

No matter how thoroughly he had memorized the theory, combining chakra control with intent—

That took repeated attempts before one could grasp the knack of it, didn't it? And he had just... succeeded?

"Uh... very good." She suppressed her surprise.

"Then let's try the Regeneration Technique. This requires an even higher level of sustained chakra output and control."

She demonstrated again, using the Regeneration Technique to quickly heal the wound.

After watching carefully, Tianyi tried it himself.

The chakra pathway conversion between the Rat and Horse seals was slightly awkward, but his chakra output remained stable.

Green light spread from his fingertips over the wound. Though slower than Aoba Tachibana's—

The damaged flesh was indeed visibly closing and healing!

Aoba Tachibana's eyes went wide. She still refused to believe it!

"Finally... the Detoxification Technique." Her voice was slightly dry, and a little sour.

She took a small bottle from her clothes and poured out a tiny amount of paralytic plant toxin.

She smeared it over the fish's gills, and the fish immediately became somewhat listless.

"This is the hardest one. It requires chakra to form an absorption net inside the target's body.

It demands extremely high chakra control and nature transformation."

She demonstrated it once: Dragon, Rooster, Boar, Snake, Rat.

The five seals flowed together as her palm pressed against the fish's body, slowly forcing the toxin out until it dissipated.

Tianyi's expression grew serious. He closed his eyes as if recalling something, then began forming hand seals.

Dragon... Rooster... Boar... Snake... Rat.

His movements were slower than with the first two techniques, but every step was clear and precise, without a single mistake!

When his palm pressed against the fish, Aoba Tachibana could clearly sense it.

Tianyi's chakra was indeed attempting to construct that absorption structure.

Though it was still weak, incomplete, and inefficient, and the toxin was being expelled very slowly—

The direction was completely correct, and the framework had already begun to take shape!

This was not something one could imitate simply by watching!

It required considerable understanding and control of chakra's properties!

Aoba Tachibana was completely dumbfounded. She looked at the fish, whose bleeding had stopped, wound had healed, and toxin was slowly fading.

Then she looked at Tianyi, whose forehead was lightly beaded with sweat but whose gaze remained focused.

"You..." She opened her mouth, but in the end only blurted out, "Wait here! Don't move!"

With that, she practically ran toward the central Medical Corps tent.

Inside the tent, Mitarai Aoi and the vice captain were worrying over the list of wounded and the supply inventory.

They were also discussing Tianyi's future training and mission arrangements.

The tent flap was suddenly thrown open, and Aoba Tachibana rushed in, panting.

"Tachibana? Why are you back? Weren't you supposed to teach Tianyi... Don't tell me you slacked off again." Aoi frowned.

"There's no need to teach him!" Aoba Tachibana panted, speaking rapidly.

"He already learned them! Hemostasis, regeneration, detoxification! All three basic medical ninjutsu.

He can use all of them! He's not proficient, and the details are rough—

But... but they really work! The results are right there!"

The tent fell silent in an instant.

Aoi and the vice captain raised their heads at the same time, wearing identical expressions: What kind of joke was that?

"Tachibana, explain clearly," the vice captain said in a deep voice. "What do you mean, he can use them? He only got the scroll last night."

"That's exactly what I mean!" Aoba Tachibana was so anxious that she began gesturing wildly.

"I demonstrated on a fish. He watched once, copied it once, and succeeded!

The Hemostasis Technique succeeded on the first try, the Regeneration Technique was clearly effective, and with the Detoxification Technique, he even built the most difficult structure!

It's only been one night! When I learned those three techniques, it took me over a week just to barely grasp them!"

After speaking, Aoba Tachibana's lips pursed slightly.

One night? Learned it after watching once?

Aoi and the vice captain exchanged a glance, each seeing shock and disbelief in the other's eyes.

They were both experienced medical ninjas and knew all too well how difficult medical ninjutsu was to learn.

It was not merely a matter of having enough chakra.

It also required delicate perception, control, and the precise blending of chakra with intent.

Even the most talented people needed time to explore, make mistakes, and gain a feel for it.

Learning the basics of three medical ninjutsu in just a few hours? It was simply unheard of!

"Even Lady Tsunade back then... probably couldn't have learned them that quickly," the vice captain muttered.

"Let's go take a look!" Aoi made the decision at once and set down the scroll in her hand.

The three quickly left the tent and headed toward Tianyi.

Aoi and the vice captain's eyes were filled with scrutiny.

If what Aoba Tachibana said was true, then there was—

Probably far more to this Hinata Tianyi than merely a little talent for medical ninjutsu.

This learning speed had already exceeded the bounds of ordinary understanding.

In the morning mist, Tianyi was still standing where he was, looking down at the fish that had regained its vitality.

He stared speechlessly at Teacher Tachibana, who had run off. Why had she run away?

Meanwhile, he reviewed every trace of chakra flow from when he had just used the ninjutsu.

The improved control and accelerated understanding brought by the "Ninja" attribute—

Should not have been this effective.

It was even more obvious than he had expected. It was probably due to Intermediate First Aid.

Then he heard footsteps and looked up.

Just in time to see Aoi, the vice captain, and an excited Aoba Tachibana hurrying toward him.

"Tianyi." Aoi stopped before him, her sharp gaze sweeping over him.

Then she looked at the lively fish on the ground and asked directly.

"Perform the Hemostasis Technique, Regeneration Technique, and Detoxification Technique once each for me."

"Yes, Sister Aoi," Tianyi replied calmly.

He picked up the kunai again and made fresh wounds on the fish.

Under the watchful gazes of Aoi, the vice captain, and Aoba Tachibana, Tianyi performed them once more.

The Hemostasis Technique, Regeneration Technique, and Detoxification Technique. He was slow, but steady.

There were no unnecessary movements, yet there was a composure about him—

That made him seem nothing like a novice who had only encountered medical ninjutsu a few hours ago.

After the demonstration, Tianyi lowered his hands and stood quietly.

Aoi and the vice captain silently exchanged a glance, both seeing confirmation in the other's eyes.

Aoba Tachibana had not exaggerated. If anything, she had been somewhat conservative.

This was not merely being able to use them. He had clearly grasped the trick and mastered the core principles.

Aoi took a deep breath, looked at Tianyi, and asked directly:

"Hinata Tianyi, tell me honestly. Before this—

Had you practiced or encountered medical ninjutsu in private? Even if you had only watched someone else perform it?"

Tianyi shook his head and answered openly, "No, Sister Aoi.

Yesterday was the first time I encountered systematic medical ninjutsu theory, when I received the scroll.

Before that, I had only learned the most basic chakra control exercises at the academy."

So that was it.

The last trace of doubt in Aoi and the vice captain's hearts vanished.

Did such geniuses truly exist in this world—people who could grasp the secret after seeing something once and glimpse the path after practicing for one night?

"It seems... your talent for medical ninjutsu is indeed astonishingly high."

The vice captain spoke slowly, her voice filled with emotion.

"With this kind of learning speed and comprehension—

In my memory, perhaps only Lady Tsunade in her youth could compare."

Lady Tsunade! The comparison made Aoba Tachibana beside them suck in a sharp breath.

The way she looked at Tianyi changed completely, filling with curiosity.

Aoi nodded as well, but she quickly suppressed the turmoil in her heart.

She returned to her usual capable demeanor. "High talent is a good thing, but medical ninjutsu concerns life and death.

There can be no carelessness. You have only just entered the field.

You are still far from mastering it or applying it to complex injuries.

Over the coming days, you must practice diligently and thoroughly understand every detail of each technique.

Improve your chakra efficiency and stability.

This will also lay a foundation for learning higher-level medical ninjutsu later.

"Tachibana." She turned to Aoba Tachibana.

"Stay with him for now. Practice together, and come to me or the vice captain anytime you encounter problems."

"Yes!" Aoba Tachibana answered loudly. She was now full of enthusiasm for this teaching assignment.

"All right, continue practicing," Aoi told Tianyi before turning and leaving with the vice captain.

After they had walked some distance and confirmed no one was nearby,

The vice captain finally lowered her voice, her tone grave.

"Aoi, you saw it too. With this kind of talent... I'm afraid neither of us is qualified to teach him."

Aoi paused, pursed her lips, and did not refute her.

The vice captain was right. They were outstanding core medical ninjas.

But when it came to teaching a monstrous genius who understood everything at the slightest hint—

Their experience and depth might actually be inadequate.

Forcing their instruction on him might even limit his growth.

"If we cannot teach him properly, we'll be wasting his talent," the vice captain continued.

"Only Lady Tsunade, in terms of strength, perspective, and depth of understanding of medical ninjutsu—

Could guide him correctly and fully draw out his potential.

If he is properly cultivated, perhaps someday... our Leaf Village may gain another pillar like Lady Tsunade."

Aoi's eyes lit up, but then she seemed to think of something, and a shadow crossed her face.

"But... he is from the Hyuga Clan's Branch House," she said in an even lower voice.

"I heard that many people in the Branch House... have no choice in a lot of things, and..."

"Shh—" The vice class leader immediately cut her off, cautiously scanning the surroundings as her gaze sharpened.

"Aoi! This isn't something we should be discussing, much less something we can solve."

Aoi realized she had misspoken and quickly fell silent.

The Hyuga Clan's Main House and Branch House had rules so strict they were nearly cruel.

It was no secret among the Leaf Village's upper ranks and certain ninja circles, but discussing it in private was a major taboo.

The vice class leader softened her tone, but she was not worried in the slightest.

"As long as Lady Tsunade is willing to take him in and teach him, it doesn't matter whether he's from the Branch House or the Main House.

Given Lady Tsunade's status and personality, if she wanted to do something, even the Hyuga Clan would have to think twice.

What we need to do now is report everything truthfully, protect this promising talent, and wait for Lady Tsunade to return and make the decision."

"Mm, you're right." Aoi nodded, and the vice class leader's words dispelled some of the worry in her heart.

"Then should I report this to Lady Tsunade right away?"

"Don't go." The vice class leader shook her head.

"Lady Tsunade left before dawn with an elite squad on an emergency mission.

She isn't at the camp. This can't be rushed; wait until Lady Tsunade returns.

Then we'll give her a detailed report. Before that,

keep an eye on this kid. Have him follow Ju and build a solid foundation—the sturdier, the better."

"Okay, understood."