Trade

At that, Tsunade raised an eyebrow, seemingly not expecting him to be so direct.

She leaned back against her chair, picked up her wineglass again, and said lightly, "Oh? So generous? Aren't you afraid I won't be able to pay you back?"

"Of course you can pay it back." Sōji shook his head. "You just don't want to."

"Heh."

Tsunade gave a derisive laugh, but there was an unusually genuine hint of amusement in it. "Kid, you really do get it."

"After living together for a year, I could tell more or less." Sōji set down his teacup and turned to her. "I can lend you the money, but I have a condition."

"A condition?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, amusement creeping into her voice. "Let's hear it. But let me make this clear first—I'm not selling myself."

Selling herself? Shizune nearly choked on her own saliva.

Yet Sōji's expression did not change. "You're overthinking it. I only want to trade money for knowledge."

"Knowledge?"

"Knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu."

Sōji looked at Tsunade with complete calm. "I tested myself. I have wind, water, and earth chakra affinities, but you must have noticed as well."

"I have barely deliberately learned any ninjutsu. In battle, I rely entirely on Shikotsumyaku, taijutsu, and the cursed techniques I mentioned to you."

"A year ago, I asked you to take me as your disciple, and you refused. But if I only use money to purchase some basic theory—the principles of Medical Ninjutsu and techniques for precise chakra control—that shouldn't violate your principles, should it?"

The cabin fell quiet. Only the dull crash of waves against the hull and the cries of distant seabirds remained.

Holding her wineglass, Tsunade fixed her golden eyes on him. Her gaze became sharp and profound, the lazy allure vanishing from her face and replaced by a kind of appraisal.

"Medical Ninjutsu isn't an ordinary technique."

After a moment, she slowly said, "It requires extraordinarily precise chakra control and a deep understanding of human anatomy, chakra pathways, and cellular regeneration."

"One mistake means a living person's life. What makes a twelve-year-old brat like you think you can learn it?"

"Because of these eyes of mine."

As he spoke, Sōji raised a hand and lightly touched the black cloth over his eyes. "My eyes can see the flow of chakra, the direction of the chakra pathways, and the movement of energy through every inch of the body."

"I've also watched countless times over the past year—every technique you taught Miss Shizune, every detail of how she treated patients."

He paused, his tone still steady. "I don't intend to become a medical expert like your disciple. I just want another path to walk."

"Shikotsumyaku has its limits. Cursed energy comes from a special source, and taijutsu requires close combat..."

"If I can use Medical Ninjutsu in battle to stop bleeding, repair injuries, or even strengthen a certain part of my body in an instant, my chances of survival will be much higher."

Shizune listened, utterly absorbed.

She knew Sōji was telling the truth. During his treatments this past year, he had indeed been able to precisely describe every detail of his bone regeneration, even pointing out subtle deviations in some of her techniques.

That insight was truly terrifying—and truly an exceptional talent for learning Medical Ninjutsu.

Yet Tsunade fell silent for a long time. Her wineglass slowly turned between her fingers, the liquor within rippling faintly.

"Dan..."

She suddenly spoke a single name.

Shizune froze.

Tsunade's gaze lost focus, as though it had passed through the cabin and settled somewhere far away.

Her voice became slightly hoarse, carrying the looseness of alcohol and a deeply buried exhaustion.

"Dan's philosophy of ninjutsu differed from that of traditional shinobi. He didn't seek powerful offensive techniques. He studied how to use ninjutsu to save people, strengthen his comrades, and create chances for life on the battlefield."

"That was why even an ultimate assassination technique like the Spirit Transformation Technique could shine so brilliantly in his hands."

She paused, then tipped her head back and drained her glass.

"Later, he died on the battlefield. He died in front of me. I wanted to save him, but I couldn't."

She set down the wineglass and stared at its empty bottom. "Medical Ninjutsu can save many people, but it can't save the people who should be saved."

Sōji said nothing. He knew that any comfort at a time like this would be superfluous.

"Kid!"

Tsunade suddenly looked up at him. Her golden eyes shone startlingly bright in the afternoon light. "You want to learn Medical Ninjutsu? Fine. But I have conditions too."

"Go ahead."

"First, I'll only teach you basic theory, precise chakra control, and simple healing techniques. I won't teach you the advanced stuff involving internal organ repair or severed-limb regeneration. You don't have the qualifications yet." She raised one finger.

"Second, after you learn it, you're not allowed to use it to kill people. Medical Ninjutsu is meant to save lives, not to help you fight and show off." A second finger rose.

"Third..."

As she spoke, she suddenly leaned forward, reached out, and hooked a slender finger beneath Sōji's chin, forcing him to tilt his head up slightly.

That position brought them extremely close, close enough to feel each other's breath.

Her eyes were no longer languid. They held a dangerous sharpness, along with a softness so faint it was almost imperceptible.

"Don't die. Shizune and I worked hard to pull your life back from the brink. If I ever hear that you died in some corner somewhere, I'll consider this past year wasted on a dog."

Sōji felt the warmth of that finger beneath his chin—warm, carrying a faint drunken heat and an indescribably complicated force.

"...Understood," he replied softly.

Tsunade withdrew her hand, leaned back in her chair, and waved at Shizune. "Shizune, get him some notes."

"Start with the thirty-six paired co-assistance points of the chakra pathways. I'll test him after you finish. If he can't remember them, then the loan is off."

Shizune stared blankly for a second, then caught on. A smile blossomed across her face. "Yes!"

She was thrilled to have another junior disciple—especially such a rich one. At last, she would not have to sleep out on the streets.

She hurriedly got up, rummaged through the luggage for paper and pens, then brought over a stack of her old Medical Ninjutsu notes and hand-drawn chakra pathway charts.

Tonton woke with a confused little squeal, spun around once on the deck, then lay back down.

Outside the window, sea and sky merged into one. Waves surged as the merchant ship cut through the blue waters and sailed steadily toward the Land of Iron.

Sōji accepted the pen Shizune handed him and gently rubbed his fingertips over the paper. Though the eyes beneath the black cloth remained closed, it was as if he could already see a slightly opened door—a door leading into an unfamiliar field.

Tsunade lounged by the window, poured herself another glass of wine, and let the golden sunlight wash over her face, casting a soft glow across it.

The vulnerability, teasing, sharpness, and tenderness from that brief moment had all receded, leaving only her usual laziness and indifference.

But she was indeed watching the silver-haired boy bent over his notes.

She watched the occasional glimpse of his jaw beneath the blindfolding black cloth; she watched the fingers holding his pen, long and steady, yet hiding the lethal intent to thrust out bone blades at any moment.

She watched the near-frozen stillness of his concentration as he listened seriously to Shizune's explanation...

...An interesting little brat.

She took a sip of wine and shifted her gaze to the endless sea outside the window.

The waves rose and fell without end, like the passage of time, like the things one should forget but could never truly forget.

But at this moment, aboard this rocking merchant ship, there was wine, wind, noisy Shizune, that fat pig, and this...

This silver-haired brat, who was clearly plotting something yet somehow could not truly be hated.

She suddenly felt that this journey might not be so boring after all.