Mayuri Kurotsuchi Card Game, starting from Naruto

Chapter 12 Tsunade's Decision

Shiro quickly became famous throughout the entire Nara clan.

It wasn't because he became Orochimaru's apprentice, nor because he learned medical ninjutsu from the medical genius Tsunade, but because this guy didn't seem like a true Nara clansman at all.

Even the children of the Nara clan are lazy, afraid of trouble, and rarely take the initiative to find things to do.

However, Lu Nie was different; he always seemed to be finding things to do.

Lu Nie, who created the Shadow Coffin and contributed +1 to the clan's collection of secret arts, is valued by all the elders of the clan for his talent and is tested every now and then.

Although Orochimaru entrusted Shikano to Tsunade to teach him medical ninjutsu, it didn't mean he was completely left to his own devices. He still needed time to train as a ninja and learn ninjutsu from Orochimaru.

Tsunade's progress in medical ninjutsu also requires a lot of time and effort.

Therefore, all three of these things combined meant that Lu Nie's days were packed full, with almost no time to rest. He often didn't get home until late at night. Every day, Lu Nie was exhausted and listless, even more so than the most laid-back Nara people.

This intense training continued for some time, shocking almost the entire Nara clan. Even the Akimichi and Yamanaka clan members learned about Shikano's journey and its special nature.

But Lu Nie had no interest in paying attention to any of this.

After studying with Tsunade for a few days, he was thrown into the medical ward along with Shizune. In her words, the best way to master a ninjutsu is to learn the basics and then practice in real combat.

Especially medical ninjutsu!

With their current medical skills, Lu Nie and Jingyin can only be relatively unknown, but having mastered the basics of the Palm Immortal Technique, they can already make a difference and help in treating some injured patients.

The medical department, which has only been officially established for a little over a year, is currently facing a severe shortage of staff.

In fact, medical ninjas are extremely rare in any ninja village. It's almost impossible to assign a medical ninja to a team that isn't particularly important.

Currently, only Konoha has taken this step in training medical ninja on a large scale. However, the establishment of the medical department was only possible due to the abundance of talent in Tsunade, Nara, and Konoha, as well as being victorious in the war.

With staff shortages, Lu Nie once again experienced what it meant to be overworked. Thankfully, the higher-ups in the medical department remembered that he and Shizune were just two children, and assigned them a relatively small number of patients. Otherwise, given their current chakra levels, they would probably have collapsed from exhaustion in just half a month.

However, during their time in the medical department, both Lu Nie and Jingyin also experienced tremendous growth.

Being a ninja is an extremely dangerous profession; injury and even death are common occurrences during missions.

As the victors of the war, Konoha experienced a surge in missions, compounded by injuries sustained by its residents and ninja during training.

At the hospital under the medical department, Lu Nie and Jingyin saw all kinds of injuries and various targeted treatment methods that had been summarized.

The two's knowledge and understanding of medical ninjutsu, as well as the medical knowledge that had been crammed into their heads, were being rapidly digested and transformed into nourishment.

Although Tsunade is extremely unreliable in her daily life, she is indeed experienced and reliable when it comes to being a teacher and training a medical ninja.

Although the tasks she assigned were tiring and torturous, they did allow people to quickly learn knowledge and master relevant skills.

The land of the Thousand Hands Clan.

Wearing a green robe, Tsunade sat loosely, one hand supporting her cheek and the other holding a wine glass, staring blankly at the wine in the glass. Her thoughts were interrupted by the return of Shikanobu and Shizune.

"What are we eating today?" Tsunade put down her wine glass, raised her arms, straightened her back, yawned, and rubbed her eyes in boredom.

"Barbecue! The Akimichi clan's secret barbecue." Shizune happily shook the wrapped food box in her hand, then opened it one by one in front of Tsunade.

"Can't you just hand over your food expenses to me? I'm the head of the household! I'm your teacher!" Tsunade slammed her hand on the table, looking annoyed, when she saw Shizune standing behind her.

"Lady Tsunade! I think Shiranui-kun did the right thing! If I give you the money, you'll just go out and gamble it away!" Shizune puffed out her cheeks.

"Fine, if you don't meet the standards in today's test, don't blame me for being strict!" Tsunade opened her mouth, stared at Shizune's clear, suspicious eyes for a long time, and finally turned her head away guiltily.

She realized that her status at home, or rather, in Jingyin's heart, had plummeted during this period. Her authority was almost gone.

The culprit is Nara Shikanobu, who doesn't look like Nara at all, behind Shizune.

"Shiranui-kun and I have worked very hard. We can already use that newest ninjutsu you taught us properly today," Shizune said confidently.

The three of them finished their meal together.

Under Tsunade's watchful gaze, Shiranui and Shizune each used their respective medical ninjutsu: Healing Palm Technique, Minor Ailment Extraction Technique, and Chakra Scalpel.

These are the three most frequently used, most common, and most practical ninjutsu techniques in the medical department.

Palm magic can be used to heal wounds.

The technique of extracting small lesions can remove or transplant toxins or organs from a living organism.

The Chakra Scalpel is a technique that gathers chakra in the palm of the hand, transforming it into a sharp scalpel that can cut inside the target's body without causing external injuries. The length of the cut can also be controlled. It can be used as a primary offensive weapon by medical ninjas.

However, unlike other ninjutsu that only require release and hitting the target to achieve the desired effect, these three medical ninjutsu, except for the Palm Healing Technique, require a certain level of medical knowledge and understanding of human anatomy to be used effectively.

Simply put, using it well requires a certain level of skill.

"You've learned very well. At least in the area of ​​medical ninjutsu, you both have unique advantages and talents." Seeing the ninjutsu that the two of them demonstrated, even Tsunade had to admit how proficient they were at this moment.

Although she hasn't reached the level of a professional medical ninja, she has managed to use these three techniques to this extent in just one month, which is truly worthy of her praise.

It's a pity.

Looking at Shinobu, Tsunade's eyes held a hint of regret. However, she quickly shook her head, shaking off that regret.

Anyway, they're not her disciples, so why should she worry about it? In her current state, she doesn't want to take on any disciples.

"Can Lady Tsunade teach us new medical ninjutsu today?" Shizune asked with a face full of joy after the demonstration, her expectant eyes fixed on Tsunade's face.

"That's enough for today, I'm not in the mood." Tsunade waved her hand dejectedly, indicating that that was it for today.

"Nara brat, you can leave now." Tsunade said, shifting her gaze to the silent Shikano beside her, effectively dismissing her.

Lu Nie was somewhat puzzled by Tsunade's sudden change in mood, but he refrained from asking questions. After saying goodbye to Shizune and Tsunade, he was escorted out of the Senju clan's territory by Shizune.

"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune called out, somewhat puzzled, as she looked at the silent Tsunade in the courtyard after returning.

"I'll stay away from that guy in the future. Oh well, there's no need for that anyway." Tsunade felt inexplicably irritated.

"Lu Nie-kun? Why? Everyone in the medical department, whether doctors or patients, likes him a lot. They praise his talent." Shizune felt that her own Tsunade-sama was a little confused.

"You don't understand." Tsunade patted Shizune's head, and seeing her still puzzled expression, she softened and explained.

"I'm afraid you'll get dragged into trouble. My teammate Orochimaru isn't exactly a law-abiding citizen. Although I don't know what he's doing or what he wants to do, I have a bad feeling about his future."

"Lord Orochimaru?"

Shizune seemed lost in thought. Although she was not very old, children in the ninja world were generally very precocious, especially those who had lost loved ones.

Thinking of Orochimaru, who always exuded a cold and unapproachable aura, she felt a little uncomfortable getting close to him. But what did this have to do with Shikagure?

"Do you think Shikane will be a good medical ninja in the future?" Seeing the changing expressions on Shizune's face, Tsunade easily read her inner turmoil. With a sigh, she asked softly.

"Shikaguchi-kun will definitely become a great medical ninja in the future! Because he has such great talent and is loved by the medical staff." Upon hearing Tsunade's question, Shizune gave her answer almost without hesitation.

"That's not necessarily true," Tsunade gave Shizune an unexpected answer.

"Does Lady Tsunade think that Shiranui has no medical talent? Or..." Shizune was a little confused for a moment.

"It has nothing to do with that. I didn't see any enthusiasm for being a medical ninja in him." Tsunade rubbed her head.

"He's just learning medical ninjutsu as a tool, you understand? He just thinks he'll need it in the future, so he has to master it, which is why he's learning from me."

He will become an excellent ninja skilled in various medical ninjutsu, but not a purely medical ninja. He doesn't have that ideal.

The knowledge and skills required to become a medical ninja are vast, so there's usually not enough time to train in other ninjutsu during the developmental stage. Therefore, medical ninjas are often the weakest link in a team.

My impression of Lu Nie is that once he reaches a certain level, he won't delve any further into other medical ninjutsu, unless one day he feels that his current knowledge and skills in medical ninjutsu are insufficient.

Silent and unsure of what to say.

"But even so, you don't want me to distance myself from Lu Nie-kun, do you?"

Mute finally added a weak comment.

"I see some traits in him that are similar to Orochimaru! I didn't know before why Orochimaru suddenly became so interested and went to such lengths to take Shikagure as his disciple."

But after spending time with him, I discovered that Shikano has many similarities to Orochimaru. I even sensed some qualities in him similar to those of my great-uncle.

"They're both troublesome characters! I have a feeling this master and disciple pair will cause some big trouble in the future." Tsunade looked troubled, and her tone was impatient.

Shizune was puzzled by Tsunade's premonition. Could it be that Orochimaru and Shikamaru would cause further harm to Konoha? How could that be!

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Fourth Hokage will most likely be chosen from among the Legendary Sannin. Tsunade herself has no interest in this role, and Jiraiya is also said to be uninterested. That leaves Orochimaru as the only remaining candidate.

If Orochimaru were to become the Fourth Hokage in the future, what harm could he possibly do to Konoha?

"Forget it, you're still too young. You don't know anything about what's going on in the village, so why should I tell you all this?" Tsunade decided to end the conversation.

Although she is currently listless and indifferent to affairs, as the princess of the Senju clan and one of the three legendary Sannin of Konoha, she still has her own subordinates and information channels.

Although she was annoyed by some things, there were many things that she couldn't avoid.

The three ninjas, seemingly glamorous and powerful, always felt that the invisible ropes binding them were increasing, making it hard for them to breathe.

Did my great-grandmother bear all this pressure and helplessness until her death?

Tsunade thought of what Mito's grandmother looked like when she was alive.

Her despondency and颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of listlessness, decadence, and apathy) were certainly caused by the deaths of her brother and lover, as well as her hemophobia. However, the constant expectations and pressure from her clansmen after returning to the village, coupled with her own powerlessness, were also significant factors.

The remaining clansmen only needed her to be a role model and representative, but they did not need her to become someone with absolute authority like Grandma Mito.

Wood Release Experiment.

Even if everyone keeps it from her, can they really keep it from her?

The medical department was her territory. Personnel changes, news reports, and the consumption of experimental materials—even without anyone tipping her off, Tsunade's status and understanding of medical ninjas meant that a careful observer could easily spot something amiss.

But what can she do even if she finds out?

As the Third Hokage's mentor and a member of her clan who wanted to revitalize themselves through Wood Release, she was utterly helpless to offer any advice or persuasion. Even if she wanted to intervene personally and carefully manage the situation, her hemophobia and inability to accept the departure of familiar faces made it impossible for her now!

She desperately wanted to vent, but she didn't even have a real target to vent to. All she could do was distance herself from everyone involved and shut herself off completely.

"Forget it, let's not think about these things that have nothing to do with us! Hey, Shizune, do you want to come on a long trip with me?"

In this oppressive environment, Tsunade suddenly had the idea of ​​leaving everything behind, taking Shizune with her, and leaving this troublesome place out of sight, out of mind, to travel together.

Once the idea came to mind, it became unstoppable.

(End of this chapter)