"Hirakawa-kun?"
Fukada Minako paused briefly as she organized her thoughts, then continued in a calm, professional tone.
"He is undoubtedly a genius in medical ninjutsu. Becoming a qualified Medical Ninja in just one year is already remarkable enough."
"Furthermore, to encourage him earlier, I rewarded him with the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique. Given his talent, he should have already mastered it by now."
"Oh—and just yesterday alone, Hirakawa-kun completed ten treatment missions. Seven of those were completed independently, without assistance."
As Minako finished her report, the room fell silent.
Tsunade's expression froze.
For a brief moment, she thought she had misheard.
"…Ten?" she repeated slowly.
"And seven of them were completed alone?"
Minako nodded firmly.
"Yes."
Tsunade fell into silence.
She had initially assumed Kushina was exaggerating—after all, Kushina had always been overly enthusiastic about her friends.
But now, hearing the deputy head of the medical department personally confirm it, Tsunade could no longer dismiss the matter.
This wasn't talent.
This was monstrous.
Only one year of study.
Independently completing treatments.
Mastering advanced medical techniques.
Even Tsunade herself hadn't progressed this quickly back then.
"…Tch."
Tsunade clicked her tongue softly.
This was troublesome.
Very troublesome.
She had originally planned to come here, give a few perfunctory pointers, satisfy Kushina, and then leave.
But now?
If she half-assed this, it would be an insult to a genuine medical genius.
Which meant—
She would actually have to teach seriously.
"I really want to go gambling…"
She muttered internally, irritation flashing across her face.
---
Meanwhile—
Inside an operating room.
[Completed the treatment of Sasakura Hiroaki.]
[Reward: One Blue Orb.]
[Congratulations on obtaining: Explosive Tag ×1.]
Seisui blinked slightly when he heard the system's notification.
"An explosive tag?"
Sasakura Hiroaki was an ordinary Chunin.
Originally, Seisui had expected a reward of around 100 chakra points.
Instead, he received a ninja tool.
An Explosive Tag.
Explosive Tags were standard ninja tools—paper talismans engraved with complex sealing formulas, usually attached to kunai or used in traps.
Their destructive power was terrifying.
In fact, their most infamous achievement was killing Nawaki, Tsunade's younger brother.
As for the most extreme example?
That would undoubtedly be Konan's battle against Obito—six hundred billion explosive tags disguised as an ocean.
Of course, that kind of scale was completely unrealistic for ordinary ninja.
The reason was simple.
Explosive Tags were absurdly expensive.
Even Chunin couldn't afford to use them frequently.
Still…
Seisui examined the tag carefully.
"All things considered, this isn't a bad reward at all."
In the right situation, a single explosive tag could completely change the outcome of a battle—especially when chakra was exhausted.
At the same time, a realization struck him.
"It seems that unlike white orbs, blue orbs don't only give chakra."
If blue orbs could reward explosive tags, then logically, they could also reward other ninja tools.
Kunai.
Shuriken.
Smoke bombs.
Poison needles.
For ninja, income might be decent—but expenses were even higher.
And the biggest expenditure was always ninja tools.
From now on, Seisui wouldn't need to spend large sums of money purchasing equipment.
If he ever found himself short on cash…
He could even sell the tools obtained from the system.
Since the acquisition cost was zero, even selling slightly below market price would still be pure profit.
"And I earn money from treatment missions in the first place."
Seisui leaned back slightly, exhaling.
"So this isn't just 'not a loss'…"
"This is a massive gain."
At this point, he was winning so hard that he almost felt numb.
---
Just as Seisui was deep in thought, a nurse knocked on his office door.
"Hirakawa-sama."
"Lady Tsunade requests your presence in her office."
Seisui froze.
"…Lady Tsunade?"
He had expected another patient.
Not Tsunade.
When did she even arrive at Konoha Hospital?
And why would she suddenly want to see him?
Seisui frowned slightly.
He hadn't seen Tsunade since the end of the Second Shinobi World War.
He didn't visit the Senju compound.
He didn't gamble.
He didn't drink.
The only place where he might have encountered her was the hospital.
But ever since he started studying medical ninjutsu, Tsunade had never once appeared.
"…Kushina."
Seisui immediately understood.
Only Kushina could have pulled something like this.
Suppressing his curiosity, Seisui stood up and followed the nurse.
---
"Lady Tsunade, I am Hirakawa Seisui."
"Come in."
Seisui pushed open the door.
And in the next instant—
His vision was completely filled.
Two mountains.
Two terrifying, planet-level threats.
Hiss—
"So this is the legendary power of 106…"
"Absolutely horrifying."
Cough.
Cough.
"My apologies, I forgot to turn off auto-aim."
He straightened up immediately.
"Lady Tsunade, you wished to see me?"
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded as she examined him.
"Yesterday, Kushina told me you're a genius in medical ninjutsu."
"She asked me to come and give you some guidance."
She spoke plainly, without any attempt at concealment.
"I'm only here because of her."
Just as he thought.
Seisui immediately put on a respectful and grateful expression.
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for Lady Tsunade?"
"It's nothing."
Tsunade waved her hand dismissively.
"Given your talent, you're worth teaching."
Though she desperately wanted to leave and go gambling, Tsunade had never been one to treat serious matters lightly.
"Tell me," she said.
"What exactly do you want me to teach you?"
Seisui thought for a moment.
Then he spoke decisively.
"Lady Tsunade, I would like you to teach me the Chakra Scalpel."
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched slightly.
The Chakra Scalpel was an A-Rank medical ninjutsu.
By shaping chakra into a blade at the fingertips, it allowed the user to cut internally without damaging the skin.
In other words—
It could be used in combat.
In the original records, Yakushi Kabuto once used this technique against Tsunade herself.
Tsunade studied Seisui for a few seconds.
Then, without hesitation, she reached into a drawer and tossed him a scroll.
"Read it first."
"If you have questions, ask."
Seisui accepted the scroll and opened it immediately.
Minutes passed.
He finished reading.
"Well?" Tsunade asked. "What do you think?"
"It's somewhat difficult," Seisui replied honestly.
"But not overwhelmingly so."
Tsunade curled her lip subconsciously.
She clearly thought he was boasting.
After all, this was an A-Rank medical ninjutsu.
Even she had taken several days to master it proficiently.
"Since you're so confident," she said coldly,
"how long do you think it'll take you to learn it?"
"Three days," Seisui replied calmly.
"At most."
Tsunade stared at him.
"…That fast?"
"Kid, you sure know how to talk big."
Yet instead of anger, interest sparked in her eyes.
"Alright," she said slowly.
"Let's make a bet."
"If you can master the Chakra Scalpel within three days, I'll teach you the Mystical Palm Technique."
Seisui's heart skipped a beat.
Mystical Palm.
An A-Rank pinnacle medical ninjutsu.
"But," Tsunade continued,
"if you fail, you owe me ten million Ryo."
Seisui's eyes lit up.
Such a good deal existed?!
He agreed instantly.
"No problem."
Tsunade frowned.
"…You heard me clearly, right?"
"That's ten million Ryo. Not ten thousand."
"If you lose, you'll be working for free for years."
The hospital salary was fixed at only 100,000 Ryo per month.
Seeing Seisui agree so readily, Tsunade thought he hadn't understood the amount.
But Seisui nodded seriously.
"I heard you clearly."
"Since you insist on giving me money," he added politely,
"I'll do my best not to disappoint your teaching."
Tsunade stared at him in silence.
Then she snorted.
"Fine."
"In three days, I'll only take 100,000 Ryo from you."
After all, he was Kushina's friend.
She wouldn't go too far.
Tsunade had already decided—
She would win.
Seisui's mouth twitched slightly.
He genuinely couldn't understand where her confidence came from.
Did Tsunade have zero awareness of her own gambling luck?
Next, Seisui asked his questions one by one.
Tsunade answered each without holding back.
Her explanations were concise, sharp, and incredibly precise.
By the end, Seisui bowed sincerely.
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade."
He didn't linger.
But the moment he stepped out of her office—
"Hirakawa-sama!"
A nurse rushed toward him.
"An injured patient requires immediate surgery!"
Seisui took a deep breath.
Another orb.
Another step forward.
The race had already begun.