Chapter 10: Mikoto – Smooth-Tongued
Next, Aomizu began training in the Mystical Palm Technique.
To an outsider, the Mystical Palm Technique and the Healing Technique are virtually identical.
But the former is an A-Rank Medical Ninjutsu, while the latter is only D-Rank.
The two cannot be mentioned in the same breath.
If the Healing Technique can only treat external injuries, then the Mystical Palm Technique handles both internal and external ailments.
When using the Mystical Palm Technique, one simply channels Chakra continuously from the palm to accelerate the recovery of the patient's wounds or affected areas.
Yet no two leaves in the world are exactly alike, and no two illnesses are identical either.
Therefore, when employing the Mystical Palm Technique, the amount of Chakra output must be adjusted according to each patient's unique symptoms.
Too little Chakra diminishes the effect; too much disrupts the patient's normal circulatory system.
Thus, this move demands not only exceptional Chakra control but also vast experience and precise judgment.
Consequently, few Medical Ninja ever master the Mystical Palm Technique.
Given Aomizu's talent for Medical Ninjutsu, mastering it was naturally no problem.
He simply needed more practice.
Another silent night passed.
The sun had not even risen when Aomizu was already up.
It was an hour earlier than usual—he planned to go for a morning run.
To avoid affecting his regular shift, he had to rise even earlier.
After the run, Aomizu arrived at Konoha Hospital on time, just in time to meet Uchiha Mikoto being discharged.
Over the past few days, Aomizu had found time to visit Mikoto every day.
So her discharge today came as no surprise.
"Morning, Aomizu."
Mikoto greeted him first, her smile stunning.
Though it was early, summer had arrived, so she dressed lightly, her curvaceous figure on full display.
Compared to Tsunade, however, Mikoto was more conservative in character.
Wealthy, but not generous with it.
"Good morning. Need me to walk you home?"
"You really do think I'm some delicate little girl, don't you?"
Mikoto feigned annoyance, pouting.
She reached out and tapped him lightly—half complaint, half coquetry.
Given their relationship, the gesture was nothing out of the ordinary.
Aomizu chuckled. "Of course you're not a little girl—you're the most beautiful, most brilliant Uchiha kunoichi genius."
"Hmph, smooth-tongued."
Withdrawing her hand, Mikoto blushed faintly, her bright smile betraying her excellent mood.
"Still, I don't hate it."
Even in a world like the Ninja World, women ultimately enjoy hearing a man's praise.
After a brief exchange, Mikoto took her leave.
"All right, busy man, go do your work. I can get home on my own."
Watching her depart, Aomizu thought of Uchiha Fugaku.
He didn't know exactly when Mikoto had married Fugaku in the original story, but at present they were neither wed nor even dating.
Soon, Mikoto arrived home—to no welcoming party.
Her parents had passed away when she was young.
Had she not belonged to the Uchiha Clan, she would have grown up in the Orphanage, just like Aomizu.
After being away for a while, a thin layer of dust covered the house.
Once the cleaning was done, she headed out to the Hokage Building.
During her last mission, her squad had been reduced to a single student; to accept further assignments, she needed to fill the vacancies.
Personnel changes of this nature required the Hokage's approval.
"Lord Third."
When Mikoto stepped into the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen was buried in paperwork.
Only when he heard her call did he look up.
"Ah, Mikoto. So you're fully recovered and discharged?"
Though the Uchiha Clan's reputation was hardly stellar, it was still far better than after the Nine-Tailed incident.
Aside from Danzo Shimura, the village's top brass—led by Hiruzen—treated the Uchiha fairly.
After all, Uchiha Kagami, also of the Uchiha, had been their respected comrade.
Mikoto nodded and stated her business.
"Lord Third, when can Team Four be re-formed?"
Taking a drag from his pipe, Hiruzen handed her two Ninja files before speaking slowly.
"I've already arranged it. These two will join Team Four; you can meet them in a moment."
...Meanwhile, Aomizu had completed another treatment.
[Treatment of Fukushima Yukiko completed—reward: one gold orb.]
[Congratulations—you have acquired the Shadow Clone Jutsu.]
Seeing the system's reward, Aomizu was pleasantly surprised.
In both his past and present lives, he was intimately familiar with the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
It was, after all, one of Uzumaki Naruto's signature moves.
When in doubt, spin a rasengan.
Still in doubt? Spin a bigger rasengan—or summon Shadow Clones to spin rasengan together.
The ultimate trump card: summon Shadow Clones to spin an even bigger rasengan.
Yet that wasn't why he was delighted.
As a B-Rank Ninjutsu, while Naruto used it in battle, most Ninja couldn't afford to.
After all, Shadow Clones split the user's Chakra evenly.
For anyone not blessed with "Chakra by the ton," losing half your Chakra meant a drastic drop in combat power.
The loss outweighed the gain.
As a support technique, the proper use of Shadow Clone Jutsu was intelligence gathering.
Hence its hidden function.
The clones could relay their experiences back to the original, multiplying training efficiency several-fold.
In the original story, Naruto mastered Wind Release nature transformation in record time thanks to this trick.
"With Shadow Clones, I can rapidly raise the proficiency of every jutsu the system gives me."
While duplicate system rewards did increase proficiency, the odds of repeats were low.
Only Jonin dropped jutsu, and each Jonin knew more than one.
With hundreds—if not thousands—of jutsu in Konoha alone...
Relying solely on the system, he'd have scarcely any master-level combat jutsu by the time the Third Great Ninja War erupted.
Another workday soon ended.
After clocking out, Aomizu formed the hand seal and produced a single Shadow Clone.
"Your sole task is to train the Mystical Palm Technique."
The Shadow Clone Aomizu voiced no objection and sprinted off to their usual training ground.
First time using it, he dared not create too many clones.
When a clone dispersed, not only experience but fatigue returned to the original.
He lacked Uzumaki Naruto's stamina; too many clones at once risked collapse—or death.
Once the clone departed, the real Aomizu resumed his physical workout.