Seated on the other two sides were two elderly women, both around fifty or sixty years old. Their faces were covered in wrinkles, and they had clearly spent many years as medical-nin. Even the passage of time could not conceal their bearing or their abundant vitality.
A table stood in front of the three of them, with a scroll placed on it.
The scroll lay open, covered in red technique formulas that looked quite complex, as though they contained some mysterious power.
At that moment.
A boy of fifteen or sixteen had both hands pressed against the scroll.
More precisely, he was pressing down on a dead fish on the scroll.
The boy's face was full of frustration, and his hands kept trembling. From where Araki stood, he could just see the sadness and disappointment bursting from the boy's downcast eyes.
"Failed!"
Tsunade, seated in the middle, coldly uttered that word. The boy seemed to lose all his strength at once. With no will left to struggle, he turned and left dejectedly.
Bang!
Just as the boy left, a burst of air sounded above the scroll, and the dead fish disappeared.
"Next."
As Tsunade spoke, she looked toward Araki. The stern, grave lines of her face softened a little-though only a little. When it came to medical matters, she was exceptionally strict.
"Nawaki, did you bring him?"
Chapter 38: Studying medicine for Konoha's rise!
"I brought him!"
Nawaki answered almost immediately, then hurriedly patted Araki on the back.
"Araki, you're up. Get in there! Good luck! I believe in you!"
Nawaki spoke very quickly, seizing what little time he had to encourage Araki.
"Okay!"
Araki met Nawaki's eyes. He could see the sincerity shining in them, especially in that brilliant smile, which was like sunlight, warm enough to melt away all coldness.
Before this, he had never given Nawaki much thought. His previous impression of Nawaki had gone no further than the fact that he had been blown up and killed.
All the Naruto anime had established about Nawaki was that his personality resembled Naruto's: both wanted to become the Hokage of Konoha, and both were very positive, optimistic, and enthusiastic.
But it had never given Nawaki much direct portrayal.
For that very reason.
Araki knew very little about Nawaki.
After their brief interaction just now, he had discovered that Nawaki was indeed very enthusiastic. He possessed Naruto's good qualities, but was not quite as reckless as Naruto. There were still some differences.
After the interview, I'll give him a brief word.
No matter what, Nawaki had helped him.
If they had truly had no contact at all, Araki would never have taken the initiative to say anything to Nawaki.
I'll just consider it repaying a favor.
At that thought, Araki felt much more at ease. He stepped into the interview area, not particularly nervous about the setup.
"What's your name?"
When Tsunade saw Araki, a trace of surprise flickered through her beautiful eyes, only to disappear a moment later.
He really was too young!
Medical-nin interviews rarely had anyone this age!
Generally speaking, a medical-nin first had to be a ninja. They had to receive a systematic education at the Ninja Academy and master the most basic ninja knowledge and common sense. Only after graduating from the Ninja Academy would they gradually plan their different paths.
The Ninja Academy was like a general education system. Almost all the village's children attended it.
After graduation, they would each take different paths.
Some people felt they were unsuited to being ninja, so they did not continue with ninja-related work. They lived as ordinary people in the village, supporting themselves through trade or farming.
Others shifted toward different fields, playing to their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses, becoming sensory ninja or Genjutsu ninja and so on, making full use of their strengths.
Some joined the Anbu based on their personalities and abilities, doing work beyond the light.
Medical-nin were no different!
Usually, those interviewed and selected as medical-nin were ninja who had graduated from the Ninja Academy. They very, very rarely recruited children who were still in school.
Tsunade's first reaction upon seeing Araki was that he was young. Few people decided to become medical-nin at such an early age these days. Her second reaction was that she did not want to pass him, hoping he could return to the Ninja Academy and focus on his studies.
This was her way of taking responsibility for Araki.
Tsunade felt that if Araki truly wanted to become a medical-nin, he would still come back after graduating from the Ninja Academy. By then, it would also be easier for him to be accepted.
He really was too young now.
His resolve wasn't firm.
If he regretted it later, it would be too late.
Tsunade had seen far too many cases of people rushing into the ranks of medical-nin in a burst of passion, only to regret it once their enthusiasm faded.
Tsunade was not the only one who reacted this way. The other two elderly women had the same reaction, their brows tightly furrowed.
The three of them needed no verbal communication-not even a glance or gesture-to know what to do.
This child was too young.
They couldn't accept him!
Who knew about the future, but right now, it wasn't appropriate!
"Ara... Araki..."
Araki slowly stated his name. He had no idea that, in that brief instant, the three of them had already reached a verdict on his interview before it had even begun. He was still wondering what the interview would involve.
"Araki, good. I've read your file. You're nine this year and still attending the Ninja Academy. Why do you want to become a medical-nin?"
Holding a sheet of paper, Tsunade questioned Araki. Now that she had reached her decision, she was in no hurry over the interview. Instead, she wanted to ask about his thoughts.
The other two elderly women also looked toward Araki, curiosity shining in their eyes. They wanted to know the answer to this question too.
"I... I... I..."
Araki suddenly felt grateful for the persona he had created for himself, with its difficulty expressing himself. Stammering as he spoke could buy him more time to think.
He still did not know that this was not an interview at all, merely a question to satisfy the three women's curiosity. In his mind, he was already treating it as an interview question.
It looked like...
They were asking about his core values.
Of course Araki knew how to answer a question like this. He absolutely could not state his true thoughts. Instead, he had to express views consistent with those of the people asking the question and give the answer they wanted to hear.
"I want to..."
Araki was organizing his words in his head.
He considered saying that he wanted to save more people through Medical Ninjutsu, but felt there was nothing distinctive about that.
Then he thought of saying that he wanted to ensure the village would never again have anyone like him. But on further thought, this concerned pain and suffering, and treating those addressed the symptoms rather than the root cause.
Finally, he thought of saying that he wanted to save the dying, heal the injured, and uphold righteousness. But although it sounded like a rousing slogan, it was somewhat empty and grandiose, clearly unrealistic.
An open-ended question like this seemed to offer an opportunity, but in reality, even a slightly poor answer could completely block the road ahead.
"Take your time. Don't worry, we won't rush you."
Tsunade's voice suddenly grew much gentler, and a lovely smile blossomed on her face. She had seen his difficulty expressing himself noted in his file, and that really was not much of a problem for a medical-nin.
Tsunade was extremely rigorous when it came to medical-nin, and she permitted absolutely no carelessness or mistakes in Medical Ninjutsu. She was stern and unsmiling at work.
But once she had decided not to accept Araki, she became a gentle older sister when speaking to him, completely unlike her cold demeanor just now.
This sudden change made Araki's eyes light up.
That was it!
Araki thought of the opposite scene: Tsunade's smile turning rigid as she witnessed the two people she loved most leave this world, one after another.
At that time, she had kept pushing for a new policy, hoping to assign a medical-nin to every ninja squad, but the Third had rejected it.
That was Tsunade's dream.
As long as his dream aligned with the interviewer's dream.
That would create the strongest resonance!
This was the power of information!
Araki immediately felt a weight lift from his heart. Once he had settled on a direction, he knew what to say.
Then...
He would open with an incredibly badass, commanding line from a great figure of China!
"I... I want to study... medicine... for Konoha's... rise!"
In a stammering voice, Araki delivered a declaration filled with dominance and resolve.
As his words fell...
Everyone present, including Tsunade and Nawaki, widened their eyes, unable to believe their ears.
Chapter 39: The interview assessment
Araki's voice was not loud, but everyone present had their attention focused on him. The three conducting the interview, in particular, were curious about what he would say.
For a moment.
The entire room fell silent.
Everyone, including Tsunade, froze.