At daybreak the next morning, the camp was still shrouded in morning mist and the scent of medicinal herbs.
Mitarai Aoi found a trusted Medical Corps genin, a young girl named Aoba Tachibana.
"Tachibana, I have a task for you," Aoi ordered directly.
"Go teach Hyuga Tianyi the practical application of Basic Medical Ninjutsu.
Start with the most basic Hemostasis Technique. Demonstrate with animals and have him practice along.
Pay close attention to his chakra control and hand seals. Correct him immediately if he makes mistakes."
Aoba Tachibana nodded and soon 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 with both hands and shouted, "Sealing Technique, release!"
With a soft pop, a puff of white smoke dispersed, revealing a lively, plump fish on the ground.
"Watch carefully. This is the most straightforward teaching aid. I'll demonstrate the Hemostasis Technique first."
Aoba Tachibana deftly cut the side of the fish's belly with a kunai.
Blood immediately gushed out. Her hands swiftly formed seals—Snake, Ram, Monkey.
Then she placed fingers glowing with a faint green light over the fish's wound.
"The key to the Hemostasis Technique is using chakra to simulate clotting signals while slightly stimulating cellular activity.
Your chakra must be steady, with a slow and sustained output," she explained as she worked.
The bleeding from the fish's wound visibly slowed, then stopped completely a few seconds later.
"Your turn." Aoba Tachibana gestured for Tianyi to try, prepared to thoroughly correct this novice's clumsy mistakes.
Tianyi took a deep breath and stepped forward, recalling what he had understood last night and practiced that morning.
His hands formed seals. He was not particularly fast, but his movements were exceptionally steady and fluid.
There was none of the hesitation or unnecessary movement common among beginners.
Snake, Ram, Monkey—the three seals were completed in one smooth motion.
Immediately afterward, a faint green point of light appeared at his fingertips.
He lightly 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 demonstrated moments ago.
Aoba Tachibana: "...?"
She blinked, suspecting she had seen wrong. His first practical use of the Hemostasis Technique?
Even if he had memorized the theory perfectly, combining chakra control with intent
required repeated attempts before one could grasp the knack, didn't it? And he had just... succeeded?
"Uh... very good." She suppressed her surprise.
"Then let's try the Regeneration Technique. It requires even greater sustained chakra output and control."
She demonstrated again, using the Regeneration Technique to rapidly heal the wound.
After observing carefully, Tianyi tried again.
The chakra meridian conversion between the Rat and Horse seals was slightly awkward, but his chakra output remained stable.
Green light from his fingertips covered the wound. Though he was slower than Aoba Tachibana,
the damaged area was visibly closing and healing!
Aoba Tachibana's eyes widened. She still refused to believe it!
"Finally... the Detoxification Technique." Her voice was slightly dry, with a hint of bitterness.
She took a small bottle from her clothes and poured out a tiny amount of paralyzing plant toxin.
She smeared it on the fish's gills, and the fish immediately became somewhat listless.
"This is the hardest one. It requires chakra to form an adsorption net inside the target's body.
It places extremely high demands on chakra control and nature transformation."
She demonstrated it once: Dragon, Rooster, Boar, Snake, Rat.
The five seals flowed together. With her palm pressed against the fish's body, the toxin was slowly forced out and dispersed.
Tianyi's expression turned serious. He closed his eyes as though recalling something, then began forming 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's body, Aoba Tachibana could clearly sense it.
Tianyi's chakra truly was attempting to construct that adsorption structure.
Though it was still weak, incomplete, and inefficient, with the toxin dissipating very slowly,
the direction was completely correct, and the framework had already taken shape!
This was not something one could imitate just by watching!
It required considerable understanding and control over chakra's nature!
Aoba Tachibana was completely stunned. She looked at the fish, whose bleeding had stopped, whose wound had healed, and whose toxin was slowly fading.
Then she looked at Tianyi, whose forehead was faintly beaded with sweat but whose eyes 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 frowning over the casualty list and 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, gasping for breath.
"Tachibana? Why are you back? Weren't you supposed to teach Tianyi... Were you slacking off again?" Aoi frowned.
"There's no need to teach him!" Aoba Tachibana said breathlessly, speaking at a rapid pace.
"He's already learned them! Hemostasis, regeneration, detoxification! The 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 instantly fell silent.
Aoi and the vice captain both looked up, their faces bearing the same expression: What kind of joke was this?
"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."
"I mean exactly what I said!" Aoba Tachibana gestured anxiously.
"I demonstrated using a fish. He watched once, followed along once, and succeeded!
The Hemostasis Technique worked on the first try, the Regeneration Technique had obvious results, and he even built the most difficult structure for the Detoxification Technique!
It's only been one night! When I learned these three techniques, it took me over a week just to barely master them!"
After saying that, Aoba Tachibana's lips curled into a slight pout.
One night? He learned after watching once?
Aoi and the vice captain exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and disbelief in the other's eyes.
They were both experienced medical ninja and knew all too well how difficult Medical Ninjutsu was to learn.
It was not merely a matter of whether one had enough chakra.
It was delicate work requiring meticulous perception, control, and the fusion of intent.
Even the most talented people needed time to explore, make mistakes, and gain a feel for it.
Learning three basic Medical Ninjutsu in just a few hours? It was simply unheard of!
"Even Lady Tsunade back then... couldn't possibly have learned this fast, could she?" the vice captain muttered.
"Let's go! We need to see for ourselves!" Aoi decided at once, putting down the scroll in her hand.
The three quickly left the tent and headed toward Tianyi.
The vice captain and Aoi's eyes were filled with curiosity.
If what Aoba Tachibana said was true, then this Hyuga Tianyi
possessed far more than a little medical talent.
This learning speed had already exceeded the bounds of ordinary understanding.
In the morning mist, Tianyi was still standing where he had been, looking down at the fish that had regained its vitality.
He watched the little teacher, Tachibana, run off in speechless confusion. Why had she run away?
Meanwhile, he mentally reviewed every trace of chakra flow from when he had used the techniques.
The increased ease of control and accelerated understanding brought by the "Ninja" attribute boost
should not have been this effective.
The results were even more obvious than he had expected. It was probably the effect of Intermediate First Aid.
Then he heard footsteps and looked up.
He saw Aoi, the vice captain, and an excited Aoba Tachibana walking briskly 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 answered calmly.
He picked up the kunai again and made a new wound on the fish.
Under the watchful eyes of Aoi, the vice captain, and Aoba Tachibana, Tianyi once again completed
demonstrations of the Hemostasis Technique, Regeneration Technique, and Detoxification Technique. He was slow, but steady.
There were no unnecessary movements, but his calm composure
was nothing like that of a novice who had only been exposed to Medical Ninjutsu for a few hours.
After finishing the demonstration, Tianyi lowered his hands and stood quietly.
Aoi and the vice captain silently exchanged a look, both seeing confirmation in the other's eyes.
Aoba Tachibana had not exaggerated. If anything, she had been too conservative.
This was not merely being able to use the techniques. He had clearly already grasped the knack and mastered the core principles.
Aoi took a deep breath, looked at Tianyi, and asked directly:
"Hyuga Tianyi, tell me honestly. Before this,
had you practiced or encountered Medical Ninjutsu in private? Even if you had only watched someone else use it?"
Tianyi shook his head and answered frankly, "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."
Just as expected.
The last trace of doubt in Aoi and the vice captain's hearts disappeared.
Did geniuses who could grasp the secret after watching once and gain an initial understanding after practicing for one night truly exist in this world?
"It seems... your medical talent truly is astonishingly high."
The vice captain spoke slowly, her voice filled with wonder.
"With this learning speed and comprehension,
I'm afraid only... Lady Tsunade in her youth could compare."
Lady Tsunade! The comparison made Aoba Tachibana, standing nearby, suck in a sharp breath.
The way she looked at Tianyi changed completely, filling with curiosity.
Aoi nodded as well, but quickly suppressed the turmoil in her heart.
She returned to her usual capable manner. "High talent is a good thing, but Medical Ninjutsu concerns life and death.
There can be no carelessness. You have only just begun.
You are still far from mastering it proficiently and applying it to complicated injuries.
For the time ahead, you need to practice diligently and thoroughly understand every detail of each technique.
Improve your chakra efficiency and stability.
This will also lay a good foundation for learning higher-level Medical Ninjutsu later.
"Tachibana." She turned to Aoba Tachibana.
"For now, stay with him and practice together. If you encounter any problems, come find me or the vice captain at any time."
"Yes!" Aoba Tachibana answered loudly. She was now full of enthusiasm for this teaching assignment.
"All right, continue practicing," Aoi said to Tianyi before turning and leaving with the vice captain.
After walking some distance and confirming no one was nearby,
the vice captain finally lowered her voice, her tone serious.
"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.
What the vice captain said was true. They were excellent core medical ninja.
But when it came to teaching a monstrous genius who understood everything at the slightest hint,
their experience and depth might actually prove insufficient.
Forcing their guidance on him might even limit his growth.
"Failing to teach him properly would be wasting his talent," the vice captain continued.
"Only Lady Tsunade, whether in strength, vision, or depth of understanding of Medical Ninjutsu,
can guide him correctly and fully develop his potential.
If he is cultivated well, perhaps... Leaf Village may gain another pillar like Lady Tsunade in the future."
Aoi's eyes lit up, but she immediately thought of something else, and a shadow crossed her expression.
"But... he belongs to the Hyuga Clan's Branch House." Her voice dropped even lower.
"I heard that many people in the Branch House have no choice in a lot of things... and..."
"Shh—" The vice class monitor immediately cut her off, warily scanning the surroundings as his gaze sharpened.
"Aoi! This isn't something we should be discussing, much less something we can solve."
Aoi realized that she had misspoken as well and hurriedly fell silent.
The Hyuga Main House and Branch House had rules so strict they were almost cruel.
It was no secret among Leaf Village higher-ups and some circles of ninja, but discussing it in private was taboo.
The vice class monitor softened his tone, but he was not worried in the slightest:
"As long as Lady Tsunade is willing to take him in, teach him, it won't matter whether he's from the Branch House or the Main House.
Given Lady Tsunade's status and personality, even the Hyuga Clan will have to think twice about anything she decides to do.
What we need to do now is report the truth, protect this promising seedling, and wait for Lady Tsunade to return and make the decision."
"Mm, you're right." Aoi nodded, and the vice class monitor's words dispelled some of the worry in her heart.
"Then should I go report to Lady Tsunade now?"
"Don't go." The vice class monitor shook his head.
"Lady Tsunade left before dawn with an elite squad on an urgent 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 more solid, the better."
"Alright, understood."
Before you continue