The next day, having no missions, Shinichi went out for his morning practice at four in the morning as usual.
After finishing, he arrived at Konoha Hospital as was his custom to begin another day of his internship.
Two months of study had yielded significant rewards. Not only had he made further progress in the precise control of chakra, but he had also mastered the Hemostasis Technique and the Healing Technique, both C-rank medical ninjutsu, as well as the B-rank Poison Extraction Technique.
Such progress caused the seniors at the hospital to exclaim one after another, "He truly is a genius."
One must realize that many people often require two or three years of study to master these; Shinichi's performance was already considered rare.
As for the higher-level Mystical Palm Technique and Chakra Scalpel, Shinichi had not yet touched them—even in the hospital, few people mastered these, as they belonged to the high-level category.
---
At noon, after handling the injuries of several patients, Shinichi was planning to go for lunch. From the other end of the corridor, a boisterous voice suddenly called out:
"I heard a young man with extraordinary talent recently joined the hospital! I was wondering who it was, but it turns out to be you, kid!"
Shinichi turned at the sound. A tall blonde woman with a distinct presence was standing not far away, arms crossed as she sized him up. She was tall, wearing a traditional tea-green top with dark pants and a light-colored haori over it. Her long blonde hair draped over her shoulders, and the pale blue diamond mark on her forehead was striking.
'Tsunade-hime!'
"You're Higashino Shinichi, right?" Tsunade walked over, her tone straightforward and her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny and curiosity. "That girl Shizune prattles on about you in my ear all day—'Shinichi is amazing,' 'Shinichi is a genius,' 'Shinichi developed a very powerful ninjutsu.' I've heard it so much my ears are growing numb from it. I finally get to see the real person today."
'The one who rarely shows her face should be you'
Shinichi thought to himself.
He had been studying at the hospital for over two months and had thought he would meet this legendary member of the Sannin soon, yet he hadn't crossed paths with her even once.
It was only later, from the occasional idle chatter and sighs of other doctors and nurses, that he learned Tsunade rarely came to the hospital in recent years. She would only appear if she encountered an extremely difficult and major injury that no one else could handle.
Once finished, she would leave in a hurry, as if there were something in the hospital that she found utterly repulsive, making her unwilling to stay for even a moment longer.
Regarding this, Shinichi understood clearly. After experiencing the tragic successive deaths of her younger brother Nawaki and her lover Kato Dan, Tsunade had developed hemophobia.
As time passed after the war, those images of losing her loved ones and the blood-soaked scenes became like an inescapable nightmare, torturing her day and night, making it increasingly difficult for her to face illness, blood, and the uncertainty of life and death.
Therefore, she chose to stay away from the hospital, the place most likely to trigger those painful memories. In a few years, the deepening internal trauma and hemophobia would drive her to leave Konoha directly with Shizune, beginning a long and aimless journey of wandering and escape.
His thoughts flashed rapidly, yet his face showed nothing. Shinichi responded respectfully but without being overly humble: "Greetings, Lady Tsunade."
"You know me, kid?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, sounding somewhat surprised.
"Yes. My classmate Shizune... also mentions you often," Shinichi replied in a calm tone.
"Tell me then, what does Shizune usually say about me?"
"This..."
Shinichi's face appropriately showed a hint of difficulty, and his gaze shifted slightly, as if he were choosing his words.
"Heh!" Tsunade gave a light snort, a 'just as I thought' expression appearing on her face. "That girl definitely didn't have many good things to say about me."
To this, Shinichi only gave a slight smile and did not respond. Fortunately, Tsunade wasn't truly bothered by it.
Her gaze fell back onto Shinichi, sizing him up and down with an air of scrutiny.
The young man before her indeed had an unremarkable appearance, but strangely, when he stood there, he naturally radiated a temperament that made people feel comfortable and trusting.
This temperament was remarkably different from his youthful appearance, even making the normally indifferent Tsunade feel that he was... pleasing to the eye.
Then, she returned to the main topic, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry: "You, a genius with quite a reputation, why are you burying your head in the hospital and exhausting yourself learning these medical ninjutsu instead of taking the time to train after finishing your missions?"
"Lady Tsunade overstates it." Shinichi's attitude remained composed and respectful as he answered clearly and logically: "In my view, studying medical ninjutsu is itself an excellent form of training. Its requirement for precision in chakra control is practically exacting, making it a superb way to hone one's control."
"Furthermore, a deep understanding of human anatomy, chakra flow, and functional reactions is also of great benefit to my training in taijutsu and ninjutsu. Of course, as a ninja, if one can master a certain amount of medical knowledge, it might provide an extra guarantee of survival for a comrade at a critical moment. This is also an important consideration."
"Sounds like you've thought it through quite well." Tsunade nodded noncommittally and followed up with a question, "Then tell me, what exactly have you learned in these two months?"
"In terms of medical theory and diagnosis, I've followed the seniors to learn basic pathological identification, the processing procedures for common injuries, and the preliminary application of various medical instruments," Shinichi listed in a practical tone. "As for medical ninjutsu itself, I am currently only at the introductory stage and have temporarily learned the Hemostasis Technique, the Healing Technique, and the Poison Extraction Technique."
"You've even mastered the Poison Extraction Technique?" Upon hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Tsunade's eyes, and she couldn't help but take another look at him.
This B-rank medical ninjutsu required extremely high precision and stability in chakra control; it was by no means something that could be mastered in a short time.
"It seems Shizune wasn't entirely talking nonsense when she called you a genius every day. Not bad, keep working hard, kid."
Having said that, she seemed to lose interest in further conversation. She casually raised her hand and patted Shinichi's shoulder with considerable force, then turned decisively and walked away with large strides. The whole process appeared very spontaneous, as if she had truly just spoken to him on a whim while passing by.
In fact, even Tsunade herself didn't quite understand why she had taken the initiative to talk to this boy she had only heard of from Shizune today.
Perhaps it was because Shizune had prattled on about him so many times that it had piqued a sliver of curiosity;
Or perhaps, it was simply that at first glance, this boy with an unremarkable appearance was unexpectedly pleasing to the eye.
---
At that moment, a young nurse named Izuko, carrying a clipboard in the corridor, walked over quickly with obvious curiosity and a smile on her face.
"Was that... Lady Tsunade just now? She actually took the initiative to talk to you?" Izuko lowered her voice, her eyes bright and full of gossip.
"Yes." Shinichi nodded, his tone normal. "Lady Tsunade asked a few things about my studies in the hospital."
"Not bad, little Shinichi!" Izuko nudged him gently with her elbow, her smile carrying a familiar tease. "As expected of the man I like, even Lady Tsunade is concerned about you."
To this, Shinichi could only give a helpless wry smile and shook his head, not picking up on that thread of conversation.
He knew Izuko had a lively personality and liked to joke; at this moment, the best response was to just let her say what she wanted.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you." Izuko stopped while she was ahead and turned serious, though the smile in her eyes hadn't faded. "But being asked after by Lady Tsunade is indeed a good thing. Although she's come around less these past few years, her eye for talent is top-tier. Keep it up, future great medical ninja!"
She smiled and patted Shinichi's shoulder, then turned gracefully with her clipboard and continued her work, humming a tuneless little melody.
The corridor returned to silence. Shinichi looked in the direction Tsunade had left, and after a moment, he also withdrew his gaze and walked toward the cafeteria.
The brief conversation just now was like a pebble cast into the lake of his heart, rippling outward in circles before slowly settling back into calm.