But this was the first time any of them had seen someone use Water Release Ninjutsu to save a fish the way Araki did.
Not far away.
Seeing this, Nawaki smiled again, the tension leaving his face.
"Well done!"
Nawaki clenched both fists tightly, sweat already beading on his palms. He was warmhearted and kind by nature. Although Araki's situation had nothing to do with him, he had still been worried for him.
For a moment.
Everyone present except Araki-all four of them-focused on the water prison.
The only remaining uncertainty in the interview assessment seemed to be whether this water prison could last more than ten minutes.
But...
There was no sign of difficulty whatsoever on Araki's expressionless face.
This made everyone understand that ten minutes would be no problem at all. Not only would the fish survive, it could even return to its pond.
Gradually.
As the seconds and minutes ticked by.
Araki had maintained the water prison for a full eight minutes.
The expression on Tsunade's face changed as well. Her initial shock and bewilderment gave way to a gratified smile, and intense curiosity filled her sparkling eyes.
"Interesting."
Tsunade muttered to herself in a voice only she could hear. Ten minutes had not yet passed, and it was too early to say anything before the final result came out, but she had already begun hoping Araki would make it past ten minutes.
And so...
As the entire conference room waited in silence.
Ten minutes passed.
The fish was still swimming merrily inside the water prison.
Pop!
Suddenly, a burst of air rang out. It seemed the Summoning Contract's time had expired, and the fish inside the water prison vanished.
Seeing this, Araki withdrew his chakra. The water prison on his right hand immediately burst like a water balloon, spilling all over the conference room floor.
"Araki, this is cheating. Do you understand?"
Tsunade abruptly withdrew her smile, her voice turning stern and sharp. Like a teacher catching a student making a mistake, her imposing presence suddenly surged.
Tsunade's sudden challenge left the others a little dumbfounded as well, but none of them spoke. They watched silently.
"I... kept the fish... alive..." Araki answered without haste or panic.
"But you didn't use Medical Ninjutsu!"
Tsunade's gaze was utterly overbearing. Waves of chakra rose from her, making the pressure she exuded even more immense.
In an instant, Araki felt an intense sense of suffocation, as though a heavy mountain were pressing down on his shoulders.
Was this the presence of one of the Konoha Sannin?!
But...
Araki's expression did not change.
He understood that no matter what happened now.
He could not retreat even half a step!
"If... it wasn't a fish... but a person... then... I kept him... alive!"
Araki spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, holding firmly to one principle: saving someone was saving someone, whatever form it took!
There was no hierarchy of worth when it came to saving lives!
Whether through medication (chemistry), surgery (physics), or Medical Ninjutsu (magic), as long as it saved someone, it was the right thing to do.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
At that moment, a smile returned to Tsunade's face, as brilliant as clear skies after rain. Not a trace remained of the confrontational atmosphere from moments before.
"Good!"
"Good!"
"Very good!"
"Araki, you did wonderfully!"
"The medical arts of the ninja world are by no means limited to Medical Ninjutsu. You taught me a lesson today!"
Tsunade stood as she spoke, looking at Araki with exceptional satisfaction. She had never seen a member of the younger generation who could move her like this.
"However..."
Yet just then, Tsunade suddenly changed tack.
"I can't let you pass. At your current age, the Ninja Academy is still more suitable for you. Coming up with a method like this shows that you think well outside the box. Becoming a medical-nin right now would restrict your thinking, and that would do you more harm than good."
Chapter 41: Since when did we become friends?
Tsunade's words caught everyone present by surprise.
Even Araki had not expected such a stark reversal.
Hearing the satisfaction in Tsunade's words just now, he had thought he would pass. Now, it seemed that had been wishful thinking.
Araki remained silent. He could tell that the two old women were older and more experienced than Tsunade, yet they followed her arrangements completely. Clearly, this confirmed that Tsunade's mastery of Medical Ninjutsu surpassed theirs.
If Tsunade favored him, passing would be no problem. But if she did not want him to pass, there really was nothing he could do...
At this moment, Araki truly could not think of any solution.
"Go back to school."
Seeing that Araki showed no sign of dissatisfaction, Tsunade's stern expression eased, and her gaze grew much gentler. She still thought highly of him.
But it was precisely because she thought so highly of him that she wanted to take responsibility for his life.
Perhaps this child had chosen to become a medical-nin on a sudden impulse. A few years later, when he graduated from the Ninja Academy, he might think differently.
There was no need to pay the price for his immature thinking now.
At heart, Tsunade was considering Araki's interests, not making things difficult for him. She did not go out of her way to explain this because she did not mind whether he misunderstood her.
"Why?"
Suddenly, a challenging voice rang out, so unexpectedly that it caught everyone off guard.
They saw...
Nawaki walked out of the corner with a frown, his still-childish face filled with indescribable dissatisfaction and anger.
"Araki completed the assessment as required. Why can't you let him become a medical-nin?"
Nawaki walked up to Araki, standing half a body-width to one side, shielding him without blocking him completely from view.
He had witnessed the entire process firsthand!
At first, he had been worried for Araki, thinking he would not be able to pass the assessment. But when he saw Araki use Water Release Ninjutsu, he immediately felt that this younger boy was a genius.
This approach had clearly broken free of conventional thinking!
Nawaki aspired to become Konoha's Hokage. He had his own ideas and a strong mind of his own when taking action, and his perspectives and approaches differed greatly from those of his peers.
He understood that seeking stability required following established rules, while seeking progress required breaking through restrictions. In that brief instant, he had seen the future of Konoha's medical field in Araki.
"Nawaki, why did you come out here? This has nothing to do with you. Stay out of it."
Tsunade's tone immediately softened. She had no intention of blaming Nawaki at all. He was her most beloved younger brother, after all, and she had her own reasons in this matter.
"Sis, a person can't stand without keeping their word. Araki earned this opportunity himself, and you're shutting it down just like that. I can't stand by and do nothing!"
Nawaki shook his head outright, his suddenly serious manner carrying a fair degree of authority.
Nobody present had expected this sudden turn of events.
Tsunade and Nawaki, sister and brother, had actually locked horns!
This was not a sight one often saw!
"I... I... I'll withdraw..."
Araki's thoughts raced, and he immediately spoke up. He had come here only to seek stable development and a backer like Tsunade. If it worked out, fine. If not, that was fine too. He did not care that much.
What he had said earlier about studying medicine for Konoha's rise had merely been a line to help him pass the exam.
In reality, he only wanted to develop while keeping a low profile.
The assessment turning into a farce like this was something he absolutely did not want to see.
If this continued.
The argument between Tsunade and Nawaki would inevitably become known to more people and turn into a topic of idle conversation for many.
Naturally, mentions of his name would be unavoidable.
Once other people learned that he had used Water Release Ninjutsu instead of Medical Ninjutsu to save a live fish, the story's appeal would inevitably draw more attention to him.
This was the last thing Araki wanted!
Araki knew that most of that attention would not lead to anything bad. People might chat about it and move on, without necessarily changing his current situation.
But...
He could not gamble!
As long as there was even the slightest chance of attracting Danzo's or Orochimaru's attention, he had to do everything possible to avoid it and nip those dangers in the bud.
Because once he was discovered, he would have no ability to escape and would inevitably become a test subject.
After all, undercurrents were surging through Konoha now. Following the death of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the village urgently needed to cultivate Wood Release ninja and had carried out many human experiments in secret.
If the village's higher-ups learned that he possessed the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, his fate would no longer be in his own hands.
Of course, there was another possibility: after learning that he was a Wood Release ninja, the village might pour all its resources into cultivating him.