"Today we start medical ninjutsu," Orochimaru announced.
They were in his laboratory. Sterile environment. Equipment everywhere. Specimens in jars—some Sasuke recognized, others he tried not to think about.
"Why medical ninjutsu?" Sasuke asked. "I'm not trying to be a healer."
"Medical ninjutsu isn't just for healing." Orochimaru pulled out a corpse—fresh, probably a failed experiment. "It's about understanding the human body. How it works. How it breaks. How to fix it. And how to destroy it more efficiently."
He placed his hand on the corpse's chest. Green chakra glowed. "This is diagnostic jutsu. It lets you scan a body, identify injuries, map chakra pathways."
The corpse's internal systems became visible—organs, bones, chakra network. All displayed through the diagnostic technique.
"Now you try. On yourself first."
Sasuke formed the hand seals. Focused healing chakra—harder than it looked. The energy felt different from combat chakra. Gentler. More controlled.
He pressed his hand to his own chest. Focused. Tried to replicate what Orochimaru had done.
Nothing happened.
"You're forcing it," Orochimaru observed. "Medical chakra requires finesse, not power. Try again. Less force, more control."
Sasuke tried again. This time he barely pushed the chakra, just let it flow naturally.
A faint green glow appeared. He could sense his own heartbeat. The rhythm of his breathing. The flow of chakra through his network.
"Good," Orochimaru said. "That's the foundation. From here, we build up to healing techniques, chakra scalpels, and more advanced applications."
Over the next weeks, medical training became part of the routine. Sasuke learned to identify injuries. Diagnose chakra disruption. Perform basic healing.
The chakra scalpel technique was particularly interesting—medical chakra weaponized. Invisible blades that cut nerves and muscles without breaking skin.
"This is assassination technique disguised as medicine," Kabuto explained while demonstrating. He slashed at a practice dummy. No visible wound. But when they opened it up, internal organs were neatly severed.
"How do I defend against it?"
"Don't get hit. Or develop chakra armor." Kabuto smiled. "Which we'll cover in month seven."
Everything was building. Layer upon layer. Foundation being constructed for what Sasuke really wanted.
But he still needed time. Still needed to prove himself worthy of the real experiment.