On an unknown island far from the mainland of the shinobi world.
Thick mist covered the endless sea surface. Between the swirling fog, surreal, dazzling lights flickered and danced across the sky.
Nagato's face was bruised and swollen.
After wandering all over the tiny island—less than five square kilometers—he reluctantly returned to the spot where they'd first woken up.
On the rocks near the coast,
Konan was still staring into the night sky, trying to pinpoint their location.
Meanwhile, Nagato crouched in front of the giant clam that had brought them here.
He kept using his Rinnegan to try and communicate with the giant clam.
"Konan, did you figure anything out?"
Yahiko stood with one hand resting on his hip, a worried expression on his face.
"I... I must've studied the wrong guidebook. The stars here are completely different from what we usually see."
A faint blush crept onto Konan's face.
She couldn't bring herself to tell Yahiko she found the starry sky beautiful and the sound of waves against the rocks quite pleasant.
Without realizing it, she had drifted off into her thoughts.
"It's fine. If they went through all that trouble to bring us here, they'll show up sooner or later."
"I just wonder what that Mist Anbu is planning."
"Hmph! Instead of killing our comrades outright, they trapped us here. They obviously want us to surrender, so they can use Akatsuki's power to plunge our country into chaos again!"
"So... will you surrender, Yahiko?"
"Absolutely not! My will won't be broken by these despicable cowards! Don't worry, Konan—I'll definitely find a way for us to escape!"
"Yeah! I believe in you!"
Smiling confidently, Konan gave a firm nod, her voice brimming with conviction.
They had walked together through the darkest times. Compared to what they once endured, how bad could this challenge really be?
"We... probably weren't captured by Mist shinobi. It seems more likely to be Leaf ninjas."
Nagato turned his head and reminded his two companions.
"Eh?!"
Both Konan and Yahiko looked at Nagato at the same time.
"The mark on its shell resembles Kiri's symbol, but its summoner is a golden-haired Konoha Jonin. He's recently been accompanied by a red-haired Genin nicknamed 'Red.'"
"A golden-haired Konoha Jonin…"
Konan tilted her head slightly before suddenly recalling another of Master Jiraiya's apprentices—one rumored to be a legend.
"The Golden Flash, Minato Namikaze?"
Yahiko glanced uncertainly at Nagato.
"Sorry, but I still can't fully control my power. The clam refuses to communicate with me, and the images I saw were limited. I can't confirm who it was for sure, but I think I saw Tsunade-senpai too."
"It has to be Minato-senpai then! Tsunade-senpai and Master Jiraiya are best friends after all!"
Yahiko smacked his left palm with his right and reached a conclusion.
"But why would Minato-senpai do something like this…"
Konan frowned deeply, sensing that something wasn't quite right.
"Heh~ Maybe Master Jiraiya just missed us and got Minato-senpai to give us a little test?"
Yahiko's thoughts wandered aimlessly but hadn't settled on anything when his stomach let out a loud growl.
Gurgle, gurgle—gurgle, gurgle—
It set off a chain reaction.
Soon, Konan's and Nagato's stomachs added their own protests.
The three exchanged glances and smiled before swiftly springing into action.
Yahiko and Konan took charge of catching seabirds and gathering edible plants on the island, while Nagato dove into the sea to collect seafood.
Although this small island had little besides some seabirds,
With their abilities, they had no trouble finding enough food.
——————————
In the medical room of Root's Hidden Leaf base,
Kei Yamanaka gently returned the severely weakened girl to a fresh growth chamber.
Then he instructed the three Root Medical Ninja standing nearby.
Set the nutrient solution's energy supply to maximum. Use the Healing Regeneration Technique three times daily for sessions lasting over an hour each.
Unlike Yamato, who could walk after stepping out of the growth chamber and making a few adjustments,
The girl's body had been drained completely.
A full recovery would require several days of continuous treatment with the Healing Regeneration Technique, followed by a month of conventional medication. There was simply no shortcut.
Of course, if Kei used Medical Water Release: Water Jellyfish, that time should be cut in half directly.
But using that on this young girl—how was that any different from committing a crime?
"Every time I see this damn trait, I feel like cursing."
Kei glanced at the [Paradise Milk] trait shown on the system interface, grumbling furiously in his mind.
What a great medical ninja technique trait, yet it only serves to torment people. How ridiculous could things get?!
Take a look at the previously drawn, unactivated [Iodine Punch].
Kei furrowed his brow slightly.
Shouldn't that count as medical ninjutsu too?
So, if he activated it,
Would it fuse with [Paradise Milk]?
He wasn't daring to wish for too much.
Could it possibly just turn into something usable and controllable?
Ten years of Hiruzen Sarutobi's life—he'd gladly give them all for just one shot at controlling these traits!
Kei clasped his hands together, praying earnestly for a while before finally speaking to the system in his mind.
"System, activate [Iodine Punch]."
As expected upon activation, a wave of memories surged into his brain, quickly absorbed.
A short moment later, the system's voice notification came promptly as always.
[Detected possible fusion between Blue-Tier Trait 'Paradise Milk' and Green-Tier Trait 'Iodine Punch.' Proceed with fusion?]
"Yes."
[Fusion complete! Congratulations, Host, you've obtained Purple-Tier Trait 'Milk of the Grave.']
[Milk of the Grave]: Salvation or slaughter, torment or deliverance—these are the questions. When used to heal with both hands, allows the recipient to experience every form of ultimate bliss; when attacking with fists, attacks come with sterilization and detoxification effects—the higher the damage inflicted, the stronger the effect; significantly boosts efficiency in learning, refining, enhancing, or inventing Medical Ninjutsu; dramatically increases mastery of Medical Ninjutsu, chakra control, Yang Release, healing speed and efficacy, and Taijutsu proficiency.
Again, waves of knowledge on Medical Ninjutsu theory, training, and Taijutsu flooded into Kei Yamanaka's mind.
Building on the first two skill listings, Kei Yamanaka instantly absorbed all the knowledge imprinted in his mind and focused on the detailed entries for each skill.
[Shock Wave]! Ten years of Hiruzen Sarutobi's lifespan was… what the hell?!
Kei meticulously examined every word in the skill entries.
Then he turned toward the three Root medical ninja present.
You can all step out for now.
Yes, Lord Kei.
The three bowed respectfully and quickly left the treatment room, even thoughtfully closing the door behind them.
Only Yamato, still clueless about everything, remained by the growth chamber, watching the little girl whose furrowed brow was slowly smoothing out as she dozed off.
Eh, it doesn't matter. He wouldn't get it anyway.
Kei glanced at the clueless Yamato, who was still too young to speak clearly.
He plopped onto a nearby stool and slipped off his ninja shoes.
After taking a moment to prepare himself, he began awkwardly trying to make hand seals with his feet.
The skill description had been crystal clear: one was for healing with both hands, the other for striking with fists—but not a single word mentioned using the feet, right?
If he avoided using both hands for healing, maybe—just maybe—he could bypass the skill restrictions?
Buzz—
After dozens of failed attempts, learning from each mistake and adjusting his stance each time, Kei finally succeeded. Thanks to his exceptional chakra control, a unique fluorescent green glow—the trademark of the Mystical Palm Technique—flared from his feet.
Hahahahaha! I'm friggin' brilliant!
Kei tested the technique by applying it lightly to his own thigh and noticed no issues whatsoever. His grin spread wider than ever, practically unstoppable.
Eagerly, he tried Medical Water Release: Water Jellyfish on himself next.
It worked like a charm too.
So without hesitation, he cast Medical Water Release: Water Jellyfish onto the young girl.
This technique draws beneficial energy from the nutrient solution, using Water Release's gentle nature to steadily mend internal injuries.
Fifteen days at most!
This little girl would definitely be up and running again like Yamato!
Cough… cough… Don't go copying this, got it?
Noticing Yamato staring blankly at his feet, Kei hurriedly slipped his shoes back on.
At the moment, Yamato was like a blank slate—every move guided purely by instinct.
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