"Whose cute kid is this?"
Tsunade asked with a light smile. "Don't tell me he's yours, Nonō?"
As for Yukawa's gaze, she didn't pay it any mind.
Just a kid, after all.
No reason to get angry.
If it had been Jiraiya, she would've punched him right away.
"He's Yukawa, one of the children from the orphanage,"
Yakushi Nonō explained softly.
"Yukawa?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You mean that Yukawa? The one who defeated Asuma?"
Nonō instinctively glanced at Yukawa.
Although Sarutobi Asuma was the son of the Hokage, it wasn't like a children's spar would make major waves—so she hadn't heard of it.
"I just got lucky,"
Yukawa said humbly, flashing a modest smile.
Asuma Sarutobi: Aminosu!!
Nonō looked genuinely surprised.
Now she understood why Hiruzen Sarutobi had snatched Yukawa away from Danzō Shimura's hands.
He really was worth protecting.
But at the same time, concern rose in her heart.
The more outstanding Yukawa became, the less likely Danzō was to give up on him.
"So, what did you bring this little guy to see me for?"
Tsunade asked with a chuckle.
"Yukawa's a fan of yours and wanted to meet you,"
Nonō said as she gently patted Yukawa's head.
"You're a genjutsu user. How come you're my fan?"
Tsunade asked curiously.
(I'm a fan of your... assets.)
But of course, Yukawa couldn't say that.
So he replied, "Because I think medical ninjutsu is amazing. It can save lives."
"Is that so?"
Tsunade paused, then let out a sigh, her eyes dimming."Studying medicine won't save the shinobi world."
(Wait, are you Senju Hashirama's tree clone or something?)Yukawa wanted to make a snarky comment, but had no idea where to even start.
"Little guy, anything else you want to say?"
Tsunade stood and stretched."Time's about up—I've got a patient to see."
Yukawa hesitated for a second, then shook his head.
What could he say?
Drop to his knees like Lü Bu and ask to become her adopted son?
He only got this chance to talk to Tsunade because of his connection with Yakushi Nonō.
Even though Yukawa wanted to learn medical ninjutsu, outright asking to become her student would be completely overstepping.
In this world, you needed power. You needed backing.
Right now, he had only two options.
Either he had exceptional talent in Yang Release,Or he had money—enough to act as her creditor and do whatever he wanted.
But at the moment, he had neither.
"Well then, see you next time."
Tsunade waved casually and turned to leave.
"Director."
Yukawa feigned curiosity and asked,"Does Lady Tsunade still perform surgeries these days?"
"She does."
Nonō nodded slightly. "But she won't bother with minor injuries."
That got Yukawa thinking.
So she didn't have hemophobia.
In the original timeline, Tsunade only developed her blood phobia after witnessing the death of Dan Katō.
But now, that never happened.
Fate had taken a new course.
He didn't know the reason yet—but as he grew stronger, he was sure to uncover the truths even the Sage of Six Paths had hidden.
For Yukawa, this was a good thing.
As long as Tsunade stayed in Konoha, he could draw her attention just by displaying talent in Yang Release.
If she had gone wandering the world like in the original story, he wouldn't even have a chance.
Yukawa wasn't chasing Tsunade out of fanboy passion.He wanted to become her student to protect his own life—to live safely in Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken an interest in him, but it wasn't strong enough.
If one day Danzō decided to pull something shady, Yukawa wouldn't be able to stop him.
He needed a second layer of insurance.
Aside from Hiruzen, only the Legendary Sannin could truly stand up to Danzō.
Orochimaru was a dangerous and seductive villain.Becoming his student might mean turning into a test subject someday.
Jiraiya only accepted students destined to be the "Child of Prophecy."And he already had Minato Namikaze.
Comparatively, Tsunade was the best choice. Noble status, and she was alone.
"Director, can you teach me medical ninjutsu?"
Yukawa looked at Nonō and asked.
"Medical ninjutsu?"
Nonō was visibly surprised.
Was it because of his admiration for Tsunade?
"You're still young. You should be focusing your efforts on genjutsu,"
she reminded him gently.
"Genjutsu doesn't require that much effort,"
Yukawa shook his head. "I can learn three genjutsu in a single day."
"...?"
Nonō was stunned.
Is this kid even human?
She knew Yukawa had a high affinity for Yin Release,but she hadn't realized it was this extreme.
Now, his victory over Asuma made perfect sense.
"Medical ninjutsu isn't as straightforward as genjutsu.Before you start, you need to master a huge amount of foundational knowledge."
Nonō pulled out a scroll and handed it to him."Since you're interested, give it a try."
Geniuses always get special treatment.
If he succeeded, all the better.
If he failed, he could still walk the path of a genjutsu specialist.
"Thank you, Director!"
Yukawa let out an involuntary sigh of relief.
The shinobi world still has kind people after all.
He opened the scroll—what greeted him was the table of contents.
He flipped a few pages—still contents.
Where was the actual material?
"This is the reading list of medical books you'll need to study,"
Nonō explained.
"...Huh?"
Yukawa looked up reflexively.
This wasn't a book—it was a list of books?
You call this a beginner's guide??
He finally understood the meaning behind the phrase:"Convincing someone to study medicine should be struck by lightning."
"If you have time, come read at the Konoha Hospital Library.Or borrow a few books to take home."
Nonō smiled as she patted his head.
"..."
Tsunade's words echoed in Yukawa's mind once more:
"Studying medicine won't save the shinobi world."
Sigh... Guess I'll just do it for the kids' sake.
Yukawa bid farewell to Nonō and borrowed two medical books before leaving the hospital.
There were so many books—there was no need to rush.
He'd start with the easiest.
[E-Rank Talent Trait: Swift Footwork (Locked)]Trigger Condition: Reach peak speed of an average GeninCurrent Progress: 30%
The E-rank trait "Swift Footwork" was a required component for synthesizing the C-rank trait "Innate Strength."
And the condition to trigger it was simple: run.
Yukawa had already been running daily for two weeks, and progress had hit 30%.
Thanks to the E-rank trait "Robust Physique," which enhanced stamina recovery,he figured he'd meet the requirement very soon.
He did some stretches and got ready for his run.
But the streets were too crowded now—not ideal for jogging.
After a moment's thought, he headed north toward Konoha's Fourth Training Ground.
The training ground was public.
Yukawa scanned the area and immediately saw someone familiar—Kakashi Hatake.
But he wasn't practicing ninjutsu or training his body.He was sparring with a white-haired young man—with swords.
That's Sakumo Hatake, isn't it...?
Yukawa thought to himself.
In Konoha, there was actually another ninja who wasn't afraid of Danzō: Sakumo Hatake.
Right now, Sakumo's reputation surpassed even the Sannin,second only to Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was known as the White Fang of the Leaf, feared throughout the shinobi world.
But in two or three years, he would take his own life after a mission failure.
Yukawa didn't disturb them. He quietly began running laps around the edge of the training ground.