"Okay, let's pause the sealing lessons for now," Mito said with a bright smile. "Let's relax and learn some medical ninjutsu."
Relax? Maki stared at her suspiciously. Mito always said that. No matter how difficult something was, she'd call it "super simple," smile encouragingly, and then toss you into the deep end.
"Medical ninjutsu is easy too," Mito continued cheerfully. "You just have to memorize it."
Maki's chest tightened.
Hitomi shifted uneasily beside her.
Naori? Same serene expression as always.
"There are many different schools of medical ninjutsu across the ninja world," Mito explained. "For example, the ninja of Hollow Village specialize in herbal treatments. It's said they even have medical techniques that can strengthen the body."
She turned, eyes gleaming. "The Sand Village is also known for herbal medicine. Their puppet troops are especially skilled with poisons, and they've developed unique water-style medical jutsu."
"And then there are the rumored dark medical arts… which can transform the human body."
"Wait—Grandma Mito!" Maki interrupted, visibly tense. "Let's stay on topic."
Mito shot her a sharp look. "Speak your mind."
She didn't like being called Grandma all the time, but she let it slide for the sake of the Senju Clan's dignity.
"…Are there any medical jutsu that use light?" Maki asked.
She'd been wondering about this for a long time. If this world was real—truly real—then it had to diverge from the comics she remembered from her past life. Those stories might've been nothing more than fragments, projections from this parallel universe. Inspirations trickling through into the minds of creators. Maybe reliable, maybe not.
But if there were things not in those comics—then this world was real. If there was evidence, she already had it.
Mother Yumi. The Aburame clan. The three old men. Kiko. Every named villager. And Hitomi, sitting right next to her—none of them existed in any manga.
So even if something strange appeared, Maki wouldn't be surprised.
"Yes," Mito replied. "There is a healing jutsu of light. I was just about to mention it."
Maki narrowed her eyes slightly.
"This is a Senju secret art: Yang Release combined with Mystic Palm Technique. It's now a core technique every Konoha medical ninja is required to learn."
Ah, Maki thought. So it's that kind of light. Nothing out of place so far.
"Is that the only medical ninjutsu we're learning?" she asked. In all her time at the hospital, she'd never seen any other jutsu being used.
Hearing this, Hitomi perked up. If there's only one, maybe it'll be easy to learn!
"That's right," Mito confirmed. "It's the only one."
"…That can't be right," Maki muttered.
So they really had to wait for Tsunade to create new ones?
"It's true," Mito said, nodding. "This is the only universally learnable medical ninjutsu."
"What about the others?"
"Hashirama's Healing technique is a unique ability—entirely due to his own body's abnormality. It's not something that can be taught. A similar case is the healing trait sometimes awakened by members of the Uzumaki clan. But again, those aren't usable by just anyone."
Maki nodded. Genetic traits. Not much to be done there.
"But getting back to the point," Mito continued, "don't underestimate Konoha's medical jutsu. The one you'll be learning was created by the Senju Clan, modeled after the Slug Sage's self-healing abilities."
"It works by rapidly accelerating cell division to speed up recovery."
"When the Slug Sage uses this technique, its body shrinks from the strain as its cells are consumed."
Mito's expression turned serious.
"In human terms, this means it shortens the patient's lifespan."
"So don't use it unless it's truly necessary," she warned. "If you just cut your finger or something, lick it and move on. Don't waste chakra on a dramatic technique."
She chuckled to herself. A little coldly.
Maki, Naori, and Hitomi all looked at her silently.
Though she was technically a grandmother, Mito still carried herself like a mischievous girl. Realizing she was being watched, she cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Anyway! Let's talk more about Mystic Palm Technique."
"This jutsu requires incredibly fine chakra control. A single misstep can worsen the patient's condition."
And not just a little.
Accelerating cell division too much meant speeding up the body's biological clock—rapid aging.
"Overstimulating the organs can cause them to fail early," Mito said. "It creates a domino effect that can shut the whole body down. The patient could die."
"If you try using it on someone with critical injuries before you've mastered it, you'll just speed up their death."
"Which is why," she said firmly, "you must thoroughly understand this technique before ever using it on a real person."
"Grandma Mito!" Maki called out.
"Speak." Mito replied plainly.
"I was just wondering," Maki said, "Isn't this kind of thing useful for attacking? I mean—just increase the dose to a lethal level. No matter how good the medicine is, it's still poison."
Mito turned to look at her, silent for a moment.
"…Maki," she said at last, "you've basically invented a murderous school of medical ninjutsu."
As expected, this child had a sharp intuition.
"But," Mito continued with a sigh, "girls shouldn't be thinking about violence and killing all the time. It'll make it harder to get married."
"Do you really think I can get married?" Maki smirked. As she spoke, large black insects rose from her body, buzzing loudly as they circled around her.
"With this going on, who would dare?" she said coldly.
Mito rubbed her forehead and sighed deeply.
She used to worry that Tsunade might never marry—but now, there was another one just like her.
"Enough about that. We're in class, so focus."
"Yes."
Hitomi, sitting on Maki's left, was frozen stiff. The swarm of bugs hovered dangerously close, like they might lunge at her face at any moment. She fought the chills creeping up her spine.
"I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid…" she whispered to herself.
If she could just go numb, she wouldn't feel the fear.
When Maki finally called the insects back, Hitomi let out a tiny sigh of relief.
Across from her, Naori stared for a while, then a small, knowing smile formed on her lips.
She hadn't forgotten that time Hitomi fainted from fright.
Yes… she thought.
I've found it.
A weakness.
"Given how difficult medical ninjutsu can be," Mito began again, "the first thing we'll work on is chakra control."
"It's super easy~" she added with a grin.
Here we go again.
Maki straightened up. The way Mito always made things sound like child's play…
"It's just like a game," Mito continued cheerfully, "You'll get the hang of it in no time."
"You've already practiced basic chakra control—like walking on water and climbing trees. Now let's try something a bit more advanced."
She clasped her hands together, and as she slowly pulled them apart, a thin, translucent thread of blue chakra stretched between her palms.
"Got it? Give it a try."
Maki, Naori, and Hitomi followed suit, forming chakra threads between their hands.
"Now try this."
Mito opened her hands wider, shaping the chakra thread into a perfect square.
The three girls imitated her—and succeeded.
"Follow my pace," Mito instructed.
This time, she formed a circle.
Again, all three students managed to replicate it, though Maki found it slightly trickier than the square.
Still, it all felt strangely familiar… like a game she'd played before.
Before she could finish the thought, Mito changed the pattern again.
This time—stars.
Maki's eyes widened in recognition.
That shape. That game.
Yes. It was the Star Pattern.
The game was called…
Cat's Cradle.
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