Aoki Tsuki eagerly ran off to the medical department to study Medical Ninjutsu.
With his powerful mental strength and precise Chakra control, learning a few basic Medical Ninjutsu techniques was no trouble at all.
"Good morning, Fumi-senpai, Mieko."
"Good morning, Lord Advisor. What brings you here?" Hoshiya Fumi replied with a smile.
By now, everyone in the village knew how highly the new village leader regarded Aoki Tsuki. He was a real big shot.
"Please don't make fun of me, senpai. It's just an empty title, nothing to take seriously. As long as I can contribute to the village, it doesn't really matter what work I do.
"Lord Pain's dream is to create peace, and his dream is my dream."
Mieko, standing nearby, muttered, "Captain, I thought your dream was to become Hanzō's bodyguard?"
Pfft...
Hoshiya Fumi couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing.
Aoki Tsuki had always liked to talk about his loyalty to Lord Hanzō. The whole village knew his dream.
Now this was awkward.
Aoki Tsuki wasn't the least bit embarrassed. "Mieko, you have an excellent memory," he said approvingly. "My dream really was to become Hanzō's bodyguard.
"I thought that protecting Hanzō meant protecting the village. I never imagined that Hanzō would collude with outsiders to harm his own people.
"How could I possibly associate with someone like that?"
He wasn't just saying this for Mieko's benefit, but for the other medical personnel in the room as well.
He knew these words would soon reach Konan's ears. Once someone sat in that position, countless people would offer their services of their own accord.
He was the first, but he wouldn't be the last.
"That's our captain for you. I can always learn something new from you."
Aoki Tsuki waved a hand. "Please don't say that. Now that I'm unemployed, I've realized how important it is to have a skill. I'm actually here to learn from you today."
"What do you mean? You want to learn Medical Ninjutsu... Seriously?" Mieko asked, puzzled.
"Of course I'm serious. I already asked Lady Angel for permission. I only came after she agreed."
When Aoki Tsuki brought up the acting village leader, Hoshiya Fumi raised a hand to adjust her black-framed glasses and warned him:
"Medical Ninjutsu is quite difficult to learn, and you'll need to spend a lot of time practicing over and over. The sunk costs are high."
"I understand all that. I'm only planning to learn a few basic Medical Ninjutsu techniques, mainly for emergency treatment on missions away from the village. I'm not trying to learn too many."
"I see. In that case, it'll be easy enough."
Hoshiya Fumi breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried that Aoki Tsuki would aim too high and want to learn everything. That would have been troublesome.
"There's one more thing. I developed a detoxification Ninjutsu myself, but I've only finished half of it. I ran into some difficulties after that, and I'd like to ask you to help me complete it."
Knowledge was priceless anywhere. He couldn't just open his mouth and ask others to teach him for free the skills they had humbly learned.
Even if they had to teach him for one reason or another, they would resent it and keep some tricks to themselves.
The best approach was an equivalent exchange.
"I never expected you to be able to develop Medical Ninjutsu on your own, much less a detoxification technique, the most difficult kind. What technique is it?" Hoshiya Fumi asked in surprise.
She had been a medical ninja for over twenty years and accumulated a wealth of knowledge and experience, yet she had only developed two specialized Medical Ninjutsu techniques herself.
Mieko also stared at Aoki Tsuki with wide eyes, clearly skeptical.
"Hahaha... I just took a shortcut, that's all."
As Aoki Tsuki spoke, a ball of water slowly appeared above his right palm. "The human body is about seventy percent water, and many toxins rely on that water to spread through it.
"This technique works by changing the density and pressure to extract toxins from a targeted area. It's a form of physical detoxification."
Shock flashed in Hoshiya Fumi's eyes, though not because of the technique.
"He condensed the moisture in the air in an instant. That kind of Chakra control..."
By now, the others also noticed that the air had grown rather dry, making it uncomfortable to breathe.
Fortunately, the room was ventilated, and with rain falling every day, the air was humid. It soon returned to normal.
"The idea behind your technique is excellent, but others can't manipulate it the way you do. Changing the density of water requires a special ability too, doesn't it?"
The most important thing about Medical Ninjutsu was that it could be disseminated, learned and used by others.
Otherwise, how was it any different from a Kekkei Genkai?
Aoki Tsuki shook his head. "That's not necessary. Depending on the type of poison, you can prepare water of the appropriate density in a basin beforehand, then use Chakra to hold it against your hand and apply it to the poisoned area.
"The difficult part is controlling the density and pressure for different toxins. That requires extensive experimentation and analysis, which is your area of expertise."
"That method seems... genuinely feasible." Hoshiya Fumi rubbed her chin.
The medical department didn't have much of anything else, but it had plenty of poisons of all kinds.
Ninjas were physically strong and could take a beating. As long as they put the word out, plenty of people would come to be guinea pigs for the pay.
"Haha... I'm glad it's useful. Fumi-senpai, how do you plan to arrange things for me?" Aoki Tsuki asked.
"The field of medical ninjutsu is complicated, so start by learning the fundamentals. Mieko has a good grasp of those, so study with her for a while.
"After that, I'll teach you a few practical techniques."
"Great, great. Mieko, I look forward to learning from you."
"I wouldn't dare, Captain." After spending so much time around Aoki Tsuki, Mieko had picked up some of his insincere pleasantries.
"In medicine, those who are more accomplished come first. There's no captain here, only a teacher and an apprentice. Please."
"You two already know each other well, so there's no need to be polite. Get started with the lessons. I need to go test that technique."
After saying that, Hoshiya Fumi went to arrange for personnel to draw up an experimental plan.
"Then... shall we get started too?" Aoki Tsuki asked.
"Mm. Let's start with the theory."
Aoki Tsuki spent the next half month in the medical department, memorizing a great deal of basic medical knowledge before starting to learn Medical Ninjutsu.
That required a lot of practice, healing fish every day.
The rest of the time, he checked in on the Silver Fish Pavilion. After Satō Ichirō died, Kikuno Momo had also been locked up, and Aoki Tsuki had taken over the shop.
Ryōta and Shinichi handled its day-to-day operations. Business had plummeted, and they could barely keep it going, but they couldn't very well close it down.
Sooner or later, I have to get Momo out!
"Captain, you're here. What's this...?"
"Oh, this afternoon, get the shop's employees together to fold some ornaments, just like this one."
Aoki Tsuki took out an angel-shaped ornament.
Shinichi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Why does it look a little like her...?"
"It doesn't just look like her. It is her. I'm going to sell them at my family's gift shop so everyone in the village can buy one as a protective charm," Aoki Tsuki said proudly.
Ryōta and Shinichi exchanged a glance. Using Lady Angel's likeness to make money was a crazy idea.
Was he sure he wouldn't be killed by Paper Shuriken?
Aoki Tsuki saw their concern and reassured them. "Don't worry, just have everyone make them. They won't be working for nothing. They'll be paid by the piece."
"Uh... all right."
Business at the shop was poor anyway, and everyone's income had suffered. Earning some extra money wasn't a bad thing.
So the next morning, as soon as the Hardware Hall opened, a sign went up outside: "Angel ornaments for sale! Protection and endless good luck!!"
What's more, they weren't cheap. Only a fool would buy one.
But the problem was that the ornaments were being sold by the family of Amegakure's advisor. Could there be some special purpose behind it?
A test of obedience, for example!
If they didn't buy one, would people think they had a problem with Lady Angel?
Kurokawa was the first to rush over and buy one. He had spoken ill of Konan before, right to her face, and had been living in constant fear lately, terrified that she would take revenge.
Umatsu was the second to buy one. He hadn't said anything bad, but he had also helped guard Konan back then.
With those two taking the lead, others followed suit. Before long, every business, whether a restaurant or an entertainment venue, had one hanging by the entrance.
Residents bought them to hang in their homes too, in thanks for Lord Pain's protection of the village.
It didn't rain on Sundays. That was proof of Lord Pain's existence. One must not question a god.
Aoki Tsuki made money for himself, but he didn't forget his subordinates. He gave each of them a share and kept some for himself, using the bulk of what remained as a tribute.
Konan looked at the chest of money before her. "What's this...?"
"I heard the village was having financial difficulties, so I'm making a donation in my own name. I hope it will help ease the shortage of funds."
This was clearly not Aoki Tsuki's usual style.
Konan sighed. "Tell me, what have you done this time?"
"Well, the thing is, Hanzō ruled the village for decades, after all, and his influence ran deep. People can't escape his shadow overnight, so I..."
"So you're the one selling those angel ornaments that have appeared around the village lately?"
"Yes. I can swear I never forced anyone to buy them. It was entirely voluntary. Everyone genuinely wants to contribute to the village."
Konan looked at the money in the chest and fell silent.
Her subordinate had tried to please her and solve her problems. If she immediately gave him a scolding, wouldn't that dishearten him?
The village was completely different from the Akatsuki. Back then, everyone had shared the same ideals, and they could carry on even if they drank nothing but water every day.
If the village had no missions and no funds, it would descend into chaos and then collapse.
"That was thoughtful of you, but don't do this again. We're different from Hanzō."
"I promise this is the first and last time."
Konan nodded. "All right. Things are a little tight for me right now, but don't worry. I'll definitely pay you back double what I borrowed."
"Borrowed? Lady Konan, you must be joking. When did I ever lend you money?"
Aoki Tsuki repeated himself with a perfectly serious expression. "You must be remembering wrong. I never lend money to anyone."
"Uh..."
Now it was Konan's turn to be dumbfounded. He was really lying through his teeth.
Then, as if something had occurred to her, she replied, "Mm, perhaps I remembered wrong."
During her half month managing the village, she had come to understand just how intimidating and alluring her position was to ordinary people. The difference in status made everyone watch her expression before acting.
"That's what I thought. Lady Konan, you're probably too tired. Make sure you rest."
Aoki Tsuki secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
How would he dare ask Konan for money now? It was enough that she wasn't asking him for any.