Escape from Konoha.

Danzo stood up from his chair and walked towards the door of the meeting room, not wanting to stay there any longer.

Once Hiruzen makes a decision, even he cannot change it.

This is the power of the Hokage.

In any case, whatever problems Jiraiya encounters have nothing to do with his Root organization.

If Jiraiya has a problem, he can openly criticize Rakuhizan, so why not?

Menyan and Xiaochun looked at each other, not expecting Danzo to leave so decisively.

"Since Danzo doesn't object, then this matter concerning Jiraiya is settled. As for the training of medical ninjas, Hiruzen, you should also keep a close eye on it. Konoha is currently in dire need of excellent medical ninjas like Tsunade."

Seeing that things were hopeless, Homura and Koharu followed Danzo out. Before leaving, they instructed Hiruzen to focus on training medical ninjas.

Hiruzen shook his head. These three guys were always trying to find fault with him.

However, considering Jiraiya's stay in the Land of Rain and his act of taking in orphans, his teacher thought it was too reckless and impulsive, not befitting a ninja.

Guilt... or some other reason, Hiruzen didn't know.

However, if we really use force to compel Jiraiya to return, some unpleasant things might happen.

As long as he could be of use in a critical moment, Hiruzen had no choice but to turn a blind eye to this often unreliable disciple, writing him a letter to protect his own safety and telling him not to worry about the three orphans from the Land of Rain if he encountered danger.

The most important question is yet to come.

—The training of medical ninjas.

—Restricting the growth of the roots.

These two things were what gave Hiruzen, the Hokage, a major headache.

The latter, in particular, has become an increasingly mysterious organization, with Root, a branch of the Anbu, now completely controlled by Danzo, a high-ranking elder. Even Danzo, the Hokage, cannot get involved.

The original purpose of establishing Root was to address some clandestine missions that could not be handled under the guise of the Hokage's direct Anbu. Therefore, Root was created within the Anbu and placed under Danzo's control.

Unexpectedly, things have developed to this point, with the Root organization lying dormant deep within, practicing a secrecy even more thoroughly than the Hokage's direct ANBU. The ninjas there have all lost their emotions and have completely become Danzo's personal armed organization.

Therefore, a balance needs to be struck... How can we balance the situation among the various parties in the village?

Hiruzen fell into deep thought.

When war comes, everyone temporarily sets aside their prejudices and unites against a common enemy. Only after the war does the real tedium begin.

◎

The next day.

Ninja Academy, First Medical Ninja Experimental Class.

The person who came to class today was not a medical jonin from the ANBU, but a female ninja whose appearance was quite unfamiliar.

She was wearing the standard uniform of a Konoha Jonin, with light gold twin tails tied behind her head, giving her a heroic and dashing appearance.

"I am Tsunade, a Konoha Jonin who will be teaching you medical ninjutsu starting today."

As soon as she walked to the front of the classroom, she introduced herself to all the students.

The people below whispered among themselves; they weren't entirely unfamiliar with Tsunade.

One of the most sought-after Jonin in Konoha today, she is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, a disciple of the Third Hokage, and the village's best medical Jonin.

He distinguished himself in the war in the Land of Rain and was bestowed the title of one of the Three Legendary Sannin by Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure.

They never expected that the other party would replace the original ANBU Jonin who was skilled in medical ninjutsu and become their new teacher.

However, this only aroused some curiosity and excitement among the students. Compared to the mysterious ANBU Jonin who wore animal masks all day, Tsunade, a young and beautiful female Jonin with a large bust, was simply the teacher they dreamed of.

For example, they can watch exciting ball games for free while they are in class.

Shiraishi sat in the corner of the classroom, secretly watching the game... cough cough, carefully observing Tsunade's every move.

As expected of a Jonin, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, she showed no flaws in her every move.

It seems that the gap between myself and a Jonin is still very large.

I have a more intuitive understanding of Jonin Shiraishi.

When get out of class ended, Ruri was waiting for him outside.

It was already five o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun was slowly sinking in the west, casting a beautiful sunset glow in the distance.

Tsunade walked out of the classroom carrying her textbooks and saw Shiraishi and Ruri, and was slightly taken aback.

Her attention was not on Shiraishi, this unremarkable student, but on Ruri.

The fan-shaped symbol on the other person's clothes was so conspicuous that Tsunade immediately recognized that Ruri was from the Uchiha clan.

"you are?"

Tsunade seemed to become quite interested.

An Uchiha ninja was waiting for someone here, and he was a commoner at that.

Before taking over this class, Tsunade had already reviewed the information of everyone in Shiraishi's class.

Even though it was her first time attending the class, she was able to find out Shiraishi's basic information.

An ordinary citizen, orphaned.

These two are having an affair!

"Lady Tsunade, I am Uchiha Ruri."

Ruri remained composed and dignified in the presence of Tsunade, a Jonin.

She's just a Jonin; she'll gain power and status sooner or later.

Moreover, Tsunade's identity is too sensitive. As the direct descendant of the Senju clan, she is, to some extent, a mortal enemy of the Uchiha clan, to which Ruri belongs.

If the other party wanted to make things difficult for her, she would never sit here and wait to be killed.

Tsunade simply nodded and said nothing more, nor did she make things difficult for Ruri, her junior, even though she came from the Uchiha clan.

After asking Ruri's name, Tsunade left the corridor immediately.

"What's Tsunade doing here?"

Ruri asked Shiraishi, puzzled as to why a Jonin like Tsunade would be here.

"The previous teacher has changed. Now, Tsunade-sensei is in charge of teaching the students in the first experimental class medical ninjutsu."

Shiraishi said calmly.

"I see. It seems the village really spares no effort in training medical ninjas."

"Yes, I was flattered when I found out."

Looking at the smile on Shiraishi's face, Ruri was slightly speechless.

Why didn't she notice how flattered he looked?

Men are just hypocrites.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Rope Tree

Back in her office, Tsunade casually picked up some materials left behind by the previous teacher of the first experimental class.

The document contains detailed information about more than 30 students in the experimental class, including Bai Shi.

—Chiba Shiraishi: Excellent in theoretical knowledge, but average in ninjutsu and shuriken techniques.

Even after joining the First Medical Ninja Experimental Class, only their theoretical knowledge is something they can boast about. As for their practical skills, they are just average, neither bad nor good.

How to describe it?

solid.

Yes, it's about being solid.

The foundation is very solid, but the talent is limited and the rules are too rigid.

His serious personality limited his talent, and his ultimate achievement was only to become a Chunin who excelled in medical ninjutsu.

There's no need to pay too much attention to him, because he can learn on his own and is the most diligent and hardworking student in the class.

However, if all the energy is put into him, he, who is not particularly talented, will not become outstanding because of elite education.

Therefore, we should neither have high expectations of him nor disappoint him.

This is the incisive evaluation of Shiraishi in the materials that the ANBU medical Jonin instructor handed over to Tsunade after his departure.

Tsunade had thought that Shiraishi would have something extraordinary about him, since he had connections with the Uchiha clan, but now it seemed that he didn't have anything remarkable about him.

It seems I was just overthinking things.

How much ability can a little devil have?

The friendship between children is so pure.

◎

Tsunade's entry into the Ninja Academy to teach medical ninjutsu did not cause much of a stir.

After all, she was only in charge of the First Medical Ninja Experimental Class, the only class that trained medical ninjas, and the teaching time each day was only two hours after school.

Tsunade's teaching was far superior to that of the departed ANBU Jonin, and even Shiraishi was greatly inspired by it.

Perhaps in terms of overall medical skills, disregarding the chakra component, Shiraishi doesn't think he's much weaker than Tsunade. However, the profession of medical ninja is inseparable from dealing with chakra, which is why Shiraishi believes there's such a big gap between him and Tsunade.

A ninja is a ninja after all, and a medical ninja is also a ninja.

What I need to learn is not basic knowledge, but further expansion and extension in the fields of chakra and medical ninjutsu.

This is precisely what he cannot achieve through self-study. He can learn medical ninjutsu on his own and use it properly, but what to do next and how to further improve medical ninjutsu requires his own thinking and exploration.

Tsunade's arrival undoubtedly resolved the doubts that had been accumulating in Shiraishi's mind for many years.

Therefore, he held Tsunade and Shiraishi in high esteem.

This is a medical ninja who is considered an expert in the medical field.

It's no exaggeration to say that Konoha's strongest medical ninja is a fact.

Therefore, Shiraishi never arrived late or left early for any of Tsunade's classes, and listened very attentively.