As she saved the patient, she continued speaking. "The Mystical Palm Technique requires extremely stable chakra..."
She was teaching everyone present. So many people in Konoha had missing or damaged limbs, yet the only people who had truly mastered the Mystical Palm Technique were those in this ward.
Even their use of it was not very stable.
She taught while saving lives so they could gain a better grasp of the Mystical Palm Technique.
Simply learning the Mystical Palm Technique was not enough. It required constant adjustment according to the severity of the injury. If it was not stable enough, it would worsen the wound instead.
Soon, the effects of the poison in the poisoned ninja's body began to subside.
Hyuga Akira, who had nothing to do, listened thoughtfully to Tsunade.
The most important part of the Mystical Palm Technique was chakra control.
Listening to Tsunade's explanation, Hyuga Akira raised his hand and regulated his chakra. Soon, a green glow appeared on his hand.
But it quickly vanished again.
"Hm?" Having just finished the operation, Tsunade stared at Hyuga Akira with wide eyes. "You learned the Mystical Palm Technique?"
This ninjutsu was A-rank in difficulty. Even under her instruction, the people in the hospital who had mastered it had taken several months.
Hyuga Akira glanced at the new skill in his skill list.
[Mystical Palm Technique (lv1) Experience (0/300) Trait (none)]
An A-rank skill, all right. It really does need a lot of experience.
Only then did Tsunade take a serious look at Hyuga Akira. To master the Mystical Palm Technique so quickly, he really did qualify as a genius.
The greatest difficulty of the Mystical Palm Technique was chakra control. Even the slightest instability would cause the technique to fail.
Because Hyuga Akira had relatively little chakra, he had consciously practiced chakra control from an early age. His chakra control was beyond what an ordinary person could match.
Tsunade pondered for a moment before saying, "From now on, watch beside me while I treat patients."
Originally, she had thought teaching Hyuga Akira Medical Ninjutsu would simply satisfy the Hyuga Clan.
But now, she genuinely wanted to take Hyuga Akira as her apprentice.
As a Jonin, she was already qualified to take apprentices.
Hyuga Akira had no right to refuse.
Damn old woman.
He cursed inwardly.
Tsunade began taking Hyuga Akira around the Emergency Room to treat patients, teaching him as she saved lives.
Once those patients had been successfully treated, another group was brought in immediately.
Tsunade was so busy her feet barely touched the ground.
By the time they finished, it was dark.
"Come with me." She led Hyuga Akira out of the hospital. Looking at the familiar road, Hyuga Akira knew they were heading toward Nawaki's house.
"Lady Tsunade, what exactly do you want?" Hyuga Akira stopped on the quiet street. The streetlight shone on him, stretching his shadow long.
Tsunade considered for a moment before asking, "Would you be willing to become my apprentice?"
Chapter 16: Who Forces Someone to Become Their Apprentice?
"Huh?" Hyuga Akira gave Tsunade a strange look.
He could tell Tsunade rather disliked him. Their only connection was Nawaki.
Yet he had never expected Tsunade to want to take him as her apprentice.
Seeing Hyuga Akira's wary expression, a vein throbbed on Tsunade's forehead.
Who in Konoha did not want to become her apprentice? Yet this guy actually doubted her.
"Use the Mystical Palm Technique."
Hyuga Akira held out his hand, and a green glow lit up on it.
"This?"
The Mystical Palm Technique could stimulate human cells, accelerate the repair of bodily injuries, cure illnesses, and expel toxins.
It was an extremely powerful healing technique.
However, the level-one Mystical Palm Technique could only heal wounds.
Tsunade took a deep breath and said, "The Mystical Palm Technique is very difficult. Being able to master it in such a short time proves you're very talented."
"If you pursue Medical Ninjutsu, you may not be any weaker than me in the future."
She spoke sincerely. Konoha desperately needed ninja who specialized in medicine.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no intention of training ninja with medical specialties. The ninja currently learning Medical Ninjutsu from Tsunade were not particularly talented to begin with.
They had only started learning the Mystical Palm Technique because they had no other options. Yet at best, they could only heal wounds. Anything even slightly more complicated required her personal attention.
"Sorry, Jonin Tsunade. Being a Medical Ninja isn't my ninja way."
He could not gain experience from it anyway. He had only learned it because Tsunade's explanation had been so thorough.
Tsunade's expression darkened, and she raised a fist. "If I tell you to learn, then learn! Enough nonsense!"
That was very Tsunade.
Hyuga Akira turned to run, but Tsunade flashed behind him and brought a knife-hand down on his neck.
Hyuga Akira's eyes rolled back, and he passed out on the spot.
His final thought before losing consciousness was:
"This damned old woman! No wonder she never got married!"
"What did you say?!"
Just before he sank into darkness, he seemed to hear Tsunade's furious roar.
It seemed he had spoken his thoughts aloud.
When Hyuga Akira woke up, he saw Nawaki carrying something.
"Nawaki?" Hyuga Akira sat up in bed.
"Boss, you're awake?" Nawaki put down what he was carrying and ran over, looking delighted.
"What's all this?" Hyuga Akira looked at the scrolls piled in the room like a small mountain.
And where was this?
Nawaki scratched his head and grinned foolishly. "These are the books my sister wants you to read."
Hyuga Akira: "???"
His question marks did not mean something was wrong with him, but that he felt something was wrong with Tsunade.
Just then, Tsunade pushed open the door and walked in. Looking at the now-awake Hyuga Akira, she said coldly, "You need to read and memorize every book in this room."
"They're case records and my own research materials."
"You're forcing this on me!" Hyuga Akira protested loudly. "I will never submit!!"
Even if he became someone's apprentice, he wanted to find someone who could take him along to grind missions.
Tsunade smiled with a hint of ill intent. "I'm very democratic. I'll give you two choices."
"I'd rather die than learn!!" Hyuga Akira stood his ground. He would prove his resolve with death.
Tsunade slowly let her smile fade and said coldly, "Either learn all this, or get a taste of my Monster Strength."
An outright threat.
Hyuga Akira's face flushed red as he told Tsunade stiffly, "As long as you don't kill me... I'll learn."
A wise man knows when to back down.
Only then did Tsunade give a satisfied smile. "Starting today, you'll live at my house. You'll come to the hospital with me during the day and study these at night."
It also happened to fulfill the promise she had made to the Hyuga Clan.
Originally, she had only intended to go through the motions for Nawaki's sake. Now, she was putting it into practice.
"Remember, I'll test you after a while. If you don't pass... heh..."
With that, Tsunade walked straight out.
Hyuga Akira lay back down, looking utterly hopeless. Why did he feel Tsunade was taking revenge to some extent?
Thinking of her demand before he passed out, he wondered whether he had really spoken his thoughts aloud.
"Boss, this is great! Now you can live here." Nawaki, that idiot, was still grinning away.
This was outright imprisonment.
To think that he, the illustrious Hyuga Akira, had been imprisoned just like that, without even anywhere to seek justice.
Teaming up with someone else to imprison him.
He thought Jiraiya would definitely be eager to trade places with him.
After grinning foolishly for a while, Nawaki said, "Boss, my sister and I live in this house, along with Grandma Mito and Kushina. I'll introduce you to them later."
Mito Uzumaki, the First Hokage's wife and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
I wonder if farming Mito Uzumaki would drop Nine-Tails Chakra.
Hyuga Akira's thoughts veered off course, but he quickly threw the idea out of his head.
She was not a boss he could take on right now.
"Ah." Hyuga Akira sighed, finally getting out of bed and looking at the books piled into a small mountain.
What else could he do?
Study, then.
"Boss, get some rest. If there's nothing else, I'll head out." Senju Nawaki turned to leave.
He tried to take two steps forward but went nowhere. Stiffly turning his head, he saw Hyuga Akira gripping the back of his collar with one hand and forced a smile.
"Boss, I won't disturb you."
Hyuga Akira snorted twice. "I'm stuck here, and you think you can run?"
As the underling, how could he stand by and abandon his boss?
"I'm telling you, don't even think about running! Whatever I learn, you're learning too!!"
"We're sharing the good times and the bad."
"No!!"
When Kushina returned home, she heard Nawaki's miserable cries coming from upstairs.
She cautiously looked toward Tsunade, who was sitting on the first floor reading Intelligence Scrolls.
Tensions between the Five Great Shinobi Villages were now acute. When their ninja encountered one another on missions, it could easily turn into a fight to the death.
That was also why Konoha Hospital had so many wounded patients. They had held on long enough to make it back to Konoha.
Many others had died on the way.
"Tsunade, what's wrong with Nawaki?"
"We have a new long-term guest. Don't mind them." Tsunade pursed her lips.
She also wanted Nawaki to develop into a Medical Specialist Ninja. At least that way, he would not encounter danger.
"Okay, ya know," Kushina replied softly. "I'm going to see Grandma Mito."
She trotted toward the stairs.
Watching Kushina's cautious figure, Tsunade shook her head.
Before you continue