The farcical Jonin meeting ended with Tsunade's abrupt departure. One by one, the Jonin rose and filed out.
Just then, the Third Hokage's calm voice echoed across the emptying room.
"Hayashi, stay."
All eyes lingered on the young boy for a moment before the Jonin hastened to leave. Koharu Utatane was the last to exit. She walked over, patted Hayashi's shoulder, offered a reassuring smile, and finally opened the door to leave. She knew well that, given their relationship, the Third Hokage would not harm Hayashi.
Hayashi understood this perfectly. Even if the Hokage had said nothing, he would have remained behind voluntarily.
As the door clicked shut, the room became silent. The Third Hokage retrieved a pipe from his pocket, lit it, and drew a deep, relaxed breath, letting smoke curl lazily into the air.
"Smoking is bad for your health. Try to cut back," Hayashi remarked.
The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow. "I've tried for over twenty years, but it's hopeless. This is my only hobby. I might as well take it to my grave."
A mischievous thought crossed Hayashi's mind: Is this really his only hobby? Or is it the daily Telescope Technique he uses to peek at people showering?
The Third Hokage seemed to anticipate the thought, letting out an awkward laugh. His intimidating aura softened into the familiar, friendly neighborly uncle persona.
"That Tsunade… she must have been quite forceful with you, huh?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Ah, Teacher… she… she's doing it for my own good," Hayashi replied with mock sincerity.
The Hokage chuckled, shaking his head. "No need to worry. There's a soundproofing seal here—she won't hear a thing."
"She's everywhere," Hayashi muttered.
The Hokage gave a silent sigh.
"Actually, about the medical ninja proposal… I think Teacher Tsunade was right," Hayashi continued, his expression now serious.
"Oh?"
The Third Hokage said nothing, remaining noncommittal. "Words alone won't convince me…"
Hayashi knew he needed proof, not rhetoric. He reached into his ninja pouch and retrieved a small scroll, handing it to the Hokage.
The Third Hokage placed his pipe down, accepted the scroll, and began reading silently. Initially, he appeared casual, but as he absorbed the content, his expression grew steadily serious, eventually darkening.
After a long moment, he set the scroll on the table, lost in thought, oblivious to the pipe going out.
"Are these statistics real?" he finally asked.
"Yes, they are," Hayashi replied. "My teammates and I compiled them. The ninja death list, causes of death, assigned teams—we recorded everything meticulously at the Leaf Village Hospital. We simply analyzed the data and calculated the death rates."
The Third Hokage nodded slowly, noting that verification would follow. Even so, the data was astonishing.
The scroll compared mission death rates for teams with and without a medical ninja. Seventy teams had a medical ninja, two hundred did not. The results were stark: teams with a medical ninja had a death rate of just nine percent, while those without saw a rate of fourteen percent.
Since the start of the Ninja War, the difference widened: sixteen percent versus forty-seven percent. Having a medical ninja increased survival by nearly thirty percent.
The Third Hokage was silent. A method to increase survival by thirty percent—ten minutes ago, he had rejected it flatly. The shortsightedness struck him.
"Hokage-sama, will you agree to a mass-training plan for medical ninja?" Hayashi asked, watching his expression carefully.
"I am convinced," the Hokage said after a pause. "If the data is accurate, we will implement a comprehensive training system. Within a few years, each team will gradually have one medical ninja."
Though Konoha had defeated the Hidden Stone Village, the Hokage remained vigilant. Wars rarely ended quickly, and even a small advantage could be decisive.
Hayashi breathed a quiet sigh of relief. If the Hokage had rejected the plan, history might have repeated itself. In the original timeline, the lack of recognized medical ninja had prolonged wars and increased losses.
"Why didn't you bring me this scroll at the meeting?" the Hokage asked, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
Hayashi seized the moment. His eyes glimmered red, filled with resolve.
"When I compiled these numbers, I was shocked and heartbroken. So many comrades died needlessly, when they could have survived."
He paused, voice choked slightly. "I knew I had to act. But ordinary ninja wouldn't understand. If they knew that having a medical ninja could increase survival by thirty percent, they would demand one for every team. The village couldn't satisfy that immediately. So the data must remain secret to prevent chaos."
The Third Hokage's expression softened. "You are right. This information must be protected. Fairness is essential to the village."
"You're ten years old and already thinking like a Hokage," he added with a smile.
Hayashi secretly grumbled: Wait until I'm seventeen, then I'll break this record.
The Hokage patted him on the shoulder. "It must have been difficult to compile all this data so quickly."
Hayashi thought of Kushina and Nawaki splitting into thousands of shadow clones to finish even faster. He chuckled quietly to himself.
______
Happy New Year!
The number of power stones I get is pretty low lately, which is kind of funny in its own way.
If you'd like to read ahead (about 60 to 90 chapters in advance) you can find early access on my Patreon.
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