Keiko Saigyouji looked slightly dazed as she held the scroll in her hands, and Tachikawa Tachibana couldn't help but find it a little amusing.
Naturally, what he had given her wasn't the original ninjutsu scroll obtained through the system's lottery.
Instead, it was a version he had rewritten himself the night before, based on the ninjutsu knowledge the system had implanted in his mind.
Compared to the original scroll, which detailed the technique with precision, complete with future development paths, usage tips, and refined strategies, Tachibana's version was far simpler, littered with speculative notes and rudimentary experimental results.
Its logic was coherent enough, but it felt more like the work of a talented novice who had stumbled upon a working technique through sheer intuition.
Even so, Keiko Saigyouji stared at the scroll with wide-eyed wonder, occasionally glancing up at Tachibana.
"You developed this technique yourself?"
She finally asked, still surprised after scanning the scroll's contents.
"Of course I did, Aunt Keiko," Tachibana replied, feigning a modest but proud smile. "I've been studying the healing technique my mother left behind and cross-referencing it with my father's training notes. I kind of stumbled upon this while experimenting. There's some luck involved, sure, but this one's my own creation."
It wasn't entirely a lie. He really had been racking his brain over those old scrolls lately.
Keiko nodded thoughtfully. "It does resemble the basic Healing Technique… Or perhaps more accurately, it remotely transfers yang-type healing chakra using water as a conduit."
"It has a clear advantage, it's easy to learn. I'd classify it as a C-rank jutsu at most. Even ordinary shinobi without medical training could manage it. Of course, it won't be able to treat more complex injuries like dislocations, nerve damage, or internal trauma."
"And in water-rich environments, it conserves chakra. Though for most medical practitioners, the water nature transformation might pose a barrier."
As expected of the head of Kirigakure's medical corps, Keiko had grasped the essence of the technique with just a quick look. Tachibana added further explanation:
"Aunt Keiko, even though this jutsu doesn't require advanced medical knowledge and is mainly for light injuries…"
"…its effects are much better in the hands of a trained medical-nin. Controlling the flow of water makes managing the healing energy more intuitive."
"And once you've mastered it, you could manipulate the stream into finer threads to direct healing chakra straight to the wound's core."
Tachibana spoke with growing enthusiasm, a grin spreading across his face as he explained.
Keiko Saigyouji found herself momentarily lost in thought as she watched him.
Had he inherited his mother's talent?
There had once been another girl who sat before her just like this, smiling, full of dreams about the future of medical ninjutsu.
This child was a medical-nin prodigy. She couldn't let him die in that brutal graduation exam.
With that thought, her expression grew resolute.
"Tachibana, can you demonstrate the technique right now?"
"Of course."
Without another word, Keiko raised her right hand and channeled chakra into it, forming a sharp surgical blade, then drew a clean cut across her left arm.
"Show me the technique. Now."
Tachibana let out a helpless sigh.
She might not be a combat shinobi, but clearly, the medics of the ninja world were just as intense.
Seeing the blood start to trickle down her arm, Tachibana didn't dare delay. He immediately began forming hand seals.
He slowed down a little to make it easier for her to observe.
Suiton: Mizurinkai (Water Release: Flowing Ring)
As the seals were completed, an invisible force drew the remaining soup water from his bowl into the air. The liquid gathered into a ring of clear, flowing water hovering above his hand.
The ring expanded and floated toward Keiko's wound. As it passed over her arm, the shallow cut began to close visibly.
A cool sensation washed over her as the wound healed. Keiko examined her arm with a thoughtful expression.
"This technique seems to extract only pure water. So bacteria or contaminants from the environment don't get transferred into the wound?"
Clearly, she'd noticed his use of soup for the demonstration.
"Exactly," Tachibana replied. "The chakra purifies and supplements the water content. So the jutsu works even in places with no natural water at all."
"It works best on cuts and burns."
Not wanting her to overestimate the technique, he clarified its limitations.
But Keiko had already made up her mind.
"Tachibana, come with me to the hospital. I've got some of my old medical notes stored in my office. Take them and study hard for the next while. I'll make arrangements for you to officially become a medical-nin."
With that, her usual composure broke a little. She left money on the table, grabbed Tachibana by the arm, and marched him out the door.
Tachibana had no choice but to scoop up Lan-chan, who was sneakily fishing out the last shrimp from the bowl, and follow her.
What he didn't know was that at the same time, in another corner of Kirigakure, a different pair, one large, one small, were having a tense conversation.
"Zabuza, have you given any more thought to what I said before?"
The speaker was a green-haired, violet-eyed boyish-looking ninja with a serious expression. His tone was sharp as he addressed the unimpressed figure before him: Momochi Zabuza.
Any high-ranking shinobi from Kirigakure who overheard this conversation would be shocked beyond belief.
For the boy was Yagura Kagekitsu, a rising star among the Reformists, widely seen as a voice for commoner ninja and a potential candidate for the next generation of elite shinobi.
And yet here he was, making a request of a student who hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy.
"This isn't just a personal request. The graduation exam is destroying the unity of the village. Promising young shinobi who could become the village's backbone are dying senselessly."
"So your solution is for me to kill everyone else in the exam?" Zabuza asked, a mocking grin spreading across his face.
"This is a necessary sacrifice. I've proposed Academy reforms in countless jōnin meetings. But most of the council, and even the Mizukage himself, reject the idea outright. They won't acknowledge the problem unless we shock them awake."
Kagekitsu knew this approach would never be officially approved.
After all, it was the Third Mizukage who had implemented the Bloody Mist policy in the first place. He would never tolerate opposition.
And the jōnin elite, mostly made up of clan shinobi, had no reason to care. Their children didn't attend the Academy. If anything, they were happy to see commoner ninja die off.
Even among the few commoner jōnin, if they didn't have children enrolled, they were often indifferent, after all, they had once endured the same cruelty.
So every reform proposal ended in silence.
Seeing that Zabuza hadn't outright refused, Kagekitsu pressed on.
"I'll honor my promise. You can choose one of the two jutsu to be B-rank. Once this is over, you'll graduate without issue. I'll assign one of my trusted subordinates to guide your future training."
"I want both jutsu now."
Zabuza didn't particularly like the Bloody Mist policy either. He did want to change the village someday, but that was his own goal.
He wasn't about to move for free just because someone else preached ideals.
No compensation, no cooperation. That was his rule.
Kagekitsu let out a silent breath of relief.
Zabuza was already acknowledged as the strongest in his class. Anyone else would complicate the plan.
"Alright. If you've made your choice, just let me know. I'll make sure you get special training until the graduation exam. These two jutsu will also strengthen your combat ability."
"Tch."
Zabuza clicked his tongue but didn't reject the offer.
"I want Water Dragon Bullet and Hiding in Mist Technique."
"Hmm… Hiding in Mist isn't very effective against fellow Kirigakure ninja. And Water Dragon Bullet… might not be the best choice either. I'd recommend, "
"No need. Those two are fine."
Kagekitsu paused, stared at the stubborn boy, then sighed.
In the end, he nodded. "Alright. As you wish."