"Does anyone else present have any objections or suggestions? If not, then this meeting can be concluded."
After giving his final summary, the Third Hokage posed this question to the room.
Hoshiyomi could clearly sense Tsunade stiffen slightly beside him. A look of hesitation flickered across her face. Noticing her expression, Hoshiyomi gently took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Tsunade turned and looked at him with mild confusion. Hoshiyomi gave her a small smile, then stood up while still holding her hand.
"Lord Third, we have something we'd like to say."
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a small sigh when he saw the fire in Tsunade's eyes—he already had a feeling this would be a headache—but still gestured for them to go ahead. Tsunade gave Hoshiyomi a grateful look, took a deep breath, and spoke loudly and clearly:
"As the head of the battlefield medical corps during the last war, I witnessed with my own eyes how many comrades who could have been saved died needlessly—some due to excessive blood loss, others simply because we didn't have enough medical personnel on hand.
If every standard four-man squad deployed to the frontlines were equipped with a trained medical-nin, our survival rate and mission success rate on the battlefield would dramatically improve.
That's why I believe it's imperative that we immediately begin developing an institution capable of mass-training medical-nin for combat situations."
The Third Hokage rubbed his temples wearily.
"What you say makes perfect sense. But the problem right now is that our village has a very low general proficiency in medical ninjutsu. Expanding it across the board will take considerable time and effort.
Speeding up that process would require a large amount of funding. And in our current situation—mired deep in war—Konoha simply doesn't have the resources to spare for something on that scale.
What do the rest of you think?"
The gathered shinobi glanced at one another, exchanging silent looks. They all understood how crucial medical-nin could be in key moments—but the funding issue was a real one. It wasn't something that could be glossed over.
If too much budget were diverted to the medical division, leaving the rest of the war effort underfunded, the consequences could be disastrous. No one present wanted to be responsible for that kind of failure.
Seeing both the Hokage and the elite jōnin lapse into silence, Tsunade began to grit her teeth. Her frustration was written all over her face—she was just short of losing her temper.
Hoshiyomi gently patted her hand again, signaling her to stay calm. Then he stepped forward and spoke:
"Lord Hokage, we're not suggesting that a fully developed medical system be built immediately, especially not under wartime conditions.
Something that elaborate can't be built overnight. But we can take small, actionable steps starting now.
I propose that, starting this year, we begin testing the medical-nin potential of children in the fourth year and above at the Ninja Academy. Identify those with talent early on.
Those who show promise can be transferred directly to Konoha Hospital and enrolled in a special medical training course. Our goal would be to produce a usable group of medical-nin within two years.
Additionally, we can test genin currently stationed on the frontlines. Their effectiveness in combat is already limited, so it would be worthwhile to assess whether any of them have the potential to become medical-nin.
If any do, we can assign them to Tsunade for accelerated training. Even if they only learn basic healing techniques, they could handle superficial injuries and alleviate the load on the main medical corps. What does everyone think?"
At these words, the eyes of those present lit up. Of course—while high-level medical-nin were difficult to train, teaching basic medical ninjutsu to genin wasn't nearly as demanding. It was effective, affordable, and practical.
The results might not be perfect, but sometimes just knowing how to clean a wound and stop bleeding could mean the difference between life and death.
This time, voices of support began to rise. Dan was the first to speak up, followed by Orochimaru and Shinku, who stood by Tsunade. More and more jōnin voiced their agreement, as long as the funding was used wisely.
The Third Hokage finally nodded, signaling his approval. He agreed to request additional funds from the Fire Daimyō specifically for training entry-level medical-nin. As for a full-fledged medical system, that would have to wait for a more suitable time.
With that proposal accepted, the meeting officially came to a close. Everyone returned to their own assignments—those staying behind prepared for upcoming missions, and those heading to the front packed their bags and took the next two days to rest before the large-scale deployment.
Tsunade was in high spirits as they left the conference hall. In truth, she had never expected to get approval for a full medical corps all at once. Hoshiyomi's timely intervention had brought the proposal down to a realistic, achievable level that perfectly aligned with her goals. Naturally, she was thrilled.
As the four of them stepped outside, Tsunade, still riding her high, looked around, saw that no one was nearby, and boldly stood on tiptoe to kiss Hoshiyomi on the cheek.
Behind them, Orochimaru and Shinku both averted their eyes, silently declaring: We're not watching this lovey-dovey nonsense.
Dan, who had followed a short distance behind, felt a brief pang in his heart at the sight—but his feelings toward Tsunade had never gone beyond superficial admiration. After learning of her relationship with Hoshiyomi, he had long since let go of any lingering thoughts.
After a brief moment to collect himself, he strode up to greet the couple.
"I fully support your proposal," he said warmly. "If it helps raise survival rates on the battlefield, then I'm sincerely glad for it."
Tsunade was still clinging to Hoshiyomi. Hearing what Dan said, she politely returned the compliment:
"Thank you. Honestly, it's thanks to everyone's support that the plan got approved at all."
Dan hesitated slightly before saying:
"To tell you the truth... my younger sister died a year ago during an enemy village's surprise attack. She couldn't receive medical treatment in time. She had just given birth when it happened..."
Tsunade's expression softened with sympathy. She looked at Dan with gentle sorrow.
"I'm very sorry to hear that..."
Hoshiyomi, however, was intrigued by the story. Without thinking, he asked:
"Then what happened to your niece?"
Dan's tone remained steady, showing no sign of being overwhelmed by emotion. He even smiled—a calm, gentle expression reminiscent of Minato's.
"She's had a hard life. Lost both her parents early on. I've been raising her myself. I named her Shizune. Actually, if possible, I'd love to bring her to Tsunade-senpai someday, to see if she has any aptitude for medical ninjutsu."
Tsunade could sense that Dan truly supported the plan she and Hoshiyomi had proposed, and she responded with excitement:
"Absolutely. If she has talent, I'd be more than happy to take her on as a student. Hoshiyomi already has three disciples—it's starting to make me a little jealous."
Dan laughed lightly at her words. Glancing at the sky, he politely excused himself:
"That would be wonderful. It's getting late—I should get back to take care of her. You two take care. And... you really do make a perfect couple."
Tsunade beamed even more brightly at that. On the way back, she said to Hoshiyomi:
"That Dan guy is actually kind of nice. What do you say, maybe take him in as a subordinate someday?"
Hoshiyomi gave her a strange little smile and leaned down to kiss her.
"I think it's worth considering."