The system's chime echoed inside Ren's mind.
At last.
He continued staring toward Nonō's demonstration, but most of his attention shifted to the translucent interface floating before him.
A new chibi portrait had appeared.
The figure possessed long green hair, kind eyes, and a calm smile. Pale emerald chakra surrounded her like a warm spring breeze, giving her the reassuring air of a patient older sister.
[Potential Target: Healing Technique]
[Limited-Time Dialogue Opportunity]
[A: "Hello. My name is Ren. Your healing ability is remarkable. Would you explain how the technique repairs damaged tissue?"]
[B: "Your chakra is as warm as a mother's embrace. Would you consider adopting me?"]
[C: Remain silent and gaze at her until she begins the conversation herself.]
Ren stared at the second option.
"Why would I ask a ninjutsu to adopt me?"
Option C was no better.
Remaining silent and staring intensely might have worked in whatever romance story the system had been designed around, but in real life, it would only make him look unsettling.
He selected A.
The background of the interface changed.
A stylized image of the pharmacology classroom appeared behind the green-haired figure. Her gaze rested upon Ren, gentle but observant.
A pale-green dialogue box unfolded, its border decorated with vines and small medicinal leaves.
[Ren: "Hello. My name is Ren. Your healing ability is remarkable. Would you explain how the technique repairs damaged tissue?"]
The Healing Technique smiled.
[Healing Technique: "What an attentive student. Most children are impressed by the light, but you're interested in the principle behind it."]
[Healing Technique: "Medical ninjutsu requires exceptionally precise chakra control. The user guides chakra into damaged tissue, stimulates the patient's natural healing processes, and accelerates cellular repair."]
[Healing Technique: "Yang-nature transformation plays an important role because it governs vitality and the physical body. However, simply possessing Yang Release is not enough. Without control and anatomical knowledge, careless healing may worsen an injury."]
Ren absorbed every word.
The explanation broadly matched what he remembered. Medical ninjutsu was not a magical command that forced wounds to vanish. It used chakra to influence living tissue and accelerate processes the body already possessed.
That also explained why medical-nin required such refined control.
Too little chakra would accomplish nothing.
Too much might damage the tissue they were trying to save.
Ren selected another dialogue prompt.
[Ren: "What is Yang-nature transformation? Can you teach me?"]
The Healing Technique's eyes curved with amusement.
[Healing Technique: "You've only just met me, yet you're already asking for advanced instruction. You're certainly curious."]
[Healing Technique: "Chakra can display seven basic natures. Five correspond to the common elemental transformations: fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. The remaining two are Yin and Yang."]
[Healing Technique: "Yin Release governs spiritual energy and can give form to imagination. Yang Release governs physical vitality and can breathe life into form. Medical ninjutsu often draws upon the latter."]
Her explanation was patient and structured.
Unlike the proud Great Fireball Technique or the suspicious Clone Technique, the Healing Technique did not mock his ignorance. Every question seemed to make her more willing to continue.
Ren asked another.
[Ren: "What qualities are needed to become a medical-nin?"]
[Healing Technique: "Patience. Precise chakra control. A detailed understanding of the body. The ability to remain calm while someone suffers in front of you."]
Her smile faded slightly.
[Healing Technique: "Most importantly, a medical-nin must understand that good intentions are not enough. If you act without knowledge, the person you wish to save may die by your hand."]
Ren's expression grew serious.
This was not simply another offensive technique to be practiced against a target.
The consequences of failure were completely different.
A weak fireball might miss.
An incorrect healing technique could kill a patient.
The system continued offering dialogue choices, and Ren consistently selected the most thoughtful questions. He asked about chakra control, the difference between healing medicine and ninjutsu, and why certain injuries could not be treated even by skilled medical-nin.
Some of the information overlapped with Nonō's real explanation, but Ren listened to both.
The two voices complemented one another.
Nonō explained what her students needed to know.
The Healing Technique explained what the ninjutsu itself valued.
Ren quickly recognized her personality.
The Transformation Technique was playful.
The Clone Technique was defensive and distrustful.
The Substitution Technique was shy.
The Great Fireball Technique was proud and competitive.
The Healing Technique was a teacher.
She responded to curiosity, humility, and a sincere desire to understand.
Forming a bond with her might be easier than dealing with the Clone Technique, but mastering her power would be far more difficult.
While Ren continued the silent conversation, Nonō noticed something unusual.
The chakra surrounding her hand felt more responsive than usual.
Its glow remained stable, but each time she explained a principle, the Healing Technique seemed to brighten on its own, as though eager to demonstrate exactly what she described.
Nonō's brow furrowed.
She adjusted her output.
The chakra immediately followed, almost playfully.
"How strange…"
One of the older trainees looked toward her. "Is something wrong, Instructor?"
"No."
Nonō studied the green light for another second.
"I may not have rested enough last night."
Several children at the orphanage had suffered from fevers, and she had remained awake caring for them. Fatigue could easily make chakra feel unfamiliar.
The alternative—that the Healing Technique itself had somehow become enthusiastic about the lesson—was absurd.
Ninjutsu did not possess independent consciousness.
At least, they were not supposed to.
Nonō returned her attention to the rabbit.
The wound beneath her glowing hand closed completely. Only a faint line remained between the fur, and even that continued fading.
When she withdrew her chakra, the rabbit shifted its legs and sat upright.
The other rabbit, treated with Regenerative Ointment, was also recovering well, though its injury had only begun to seal.
Students crowded around the demonstration table.
"That was incredible!"
"The wound disappeared!"
"The ointment was already fast, but the Healing Technique worked in less than a minute."
"Would it heal a person just as quickly?"
Nonō shook her head.
"No."
The excitement quieted.
"These were small, clean, controlled injuries on healthy animals. Real patients rarely arrive under such ideal conditions."
She gently returned both rabbits to their padded basket.
"Battlefield wounds may contain dirt, poison, fragments of metal, or damaged bone. A patient may be exhausted, malnourished, or suffering from several injuries at once."
Nonō looked across the students.
"You must examine the individual, identify the damage, and choose the correct treatment. Accelerating cellular growth without removing contamination can trap infection inside a wound. Closing the surface while internal bleeding continues may hide the danger rather than solve it."
Rin listened intently.
Even Obito had become serious.
"A medical-nin must never treat the technique as a universal answer," Nonō concluded. "Healing requires judgment."
The students returned to their seats.
Ren remained focused on the system.
The green-haired avatar smiled one final time.
[Healing Technique: "You listened carefully and asked thoughtful questions. I hope your curiosity is matched by patience."]
[Healing Technique favorability +1]
[The Healing Technique has been added to the Target List.]
[Healing Technique — 1/100 — Stranger]
[New options unlocked: Dialogue / Practice]
Ren allowed himself a small smile.
He had succeeded.
Less than half a month had passed since the system awakened, yet his target list already contained five ninjutsu:
The Transformation Technique.
The Clone Technique.
The Substitution Technique.
The Great Fireball Technique.
And now, the Healing Technique.
Three had been included from the beginning, while two had been discovered through outside encounters.
Only two might not sound impressive.
For Ren, they represented proof that his path was not limited to academy instruction. As long as he witnessed new ninjutsu and satisfied the encounter conditions, his system could establish a connection with abilities he had never been formally taught.
The question was how far that rule extended.
Would any technique qualify?
If Ren witnessed the Nara clan's Shadow Possession Technique, would the system recognize it despite his lack of their secret training?
What about a Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu such as the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique?
Could the system recognize a Truth-Seeking Ball—an ability born from all five elemental natures combined with Yin–Yang Release—even though Ren lacked every condition required to create one?
Perhaps the system could establish a relationship with such techniques but refuse to let him practice them.
Perhaps high-level or bloodline-restricted abilities would impose unique requirements.
Or perhaps the system truly ignored every conventional limitation of the ninja world.
There was no way to know without trying.
Ren looked toward the Healing Technique's new [Practice] option.
The [Give Gift] function remained another mystery. It had unlocked for the Transformation Technique at fifty favorability, yet Ren still did not understand what kind of offering a ninjutsu could receive.
If gifts produced more favorability than conversation or practice, solving that mechanic could dramatically accelerate his growth.
For now, however, he had gained enough.
Nonō continued the pharmacology lesson, teaching methods for grinding herbs, controlling dosage, and selecting substitute ingredients during field missions.
Her explanations were clear enough that even Obito managed to follow several sections.
When the morning classes finally ended, Rin remained behind to ask additional questions.
"What books would you recommend for someone beginning medical training?" she asked.
Nonō wrote down several titles and warned her not to rush directly into chakra-based healing without mastering basic control exercises.
Rin thanked her repeatedly.
Ren, Obito, and Rin then said goodbye to Momogi and left the hospital together.
The afternoon was free.
Obito immediately saw an opportunity.
"Rin, do you want to come to my house? I can show you the shuriken targets I made. I've also been improving the Great Fireball Technique."
Rin gave him an apologetic smile.
"Maybe next time. I want to visit the library and find the anatomy books Ren mentioned."
Obito's enthusiasm weakened.
"The library?"
"Yes. If I'm going to continue attending these classes, I need to understand the basic material first."
She looked toward Ren.
"Do you want to come with me?"
Ren shook his head.
"I have training planned this afternoon."
Disappointment briefly crossed Rin's face, but she nodded.
"All right. Which books should I borrow?"
"My mother will be working there. Tell her what you need, and she'll show you the beginner-friendly ones."
Obito immediately recovered.
"In that case, I'll go to the library too."
Rin looked surprised. "You want to study anatomy?"
"Of course. I promised I'd listen twice as carefully."
Ren wondered how long that determination would survive inside a silent room filled with books.
The three separated at the next intersection.
Rin and Obito headed toward Konoha Library.
Ren continued alone toward a quiet training ground near the village's outer district.
He found a secluded clearing surrounded by tall trees, checked that no one was nearby, and placed his equipment beside a wooden post.
It was time for his daily routine.
Transformation.
Clones.
Substitution.
Great Fireball.
And now, Healing.
Ren opened the new target's menu and selected [Practice].
The system did not begin guiding his chakra.
Instead, a warning appeared.
[Healing Technique practice requires damaged living tissue.]
[No valid patient detected within range.]
Ren stared at the message.
Another line emerged beneath it.
[To understand healing, you must first confront a wound.]
A faint rustling sound came from the bushes behind him.
Ren slowly turned.
Something inside the undergrowth was breathing in short, pained gasps.