"It's Shūichi and Kakashi!"
Shizune exclaimed in delight. She hadn't seen Shūichi Hoshita for several days.
Might Guy was full of energy: "There's no room for slacking off! Today, I'll challenge myself to climb the cliff 500 times. If I can't do it, I'll have a match with Shūichi!"
Sarutobi Asuma was secretly impressed: "Their speed is incredible."
Being able to fight so fiercely while moving as if the cliff were flat ground showed how well both of them had mastered their chakra control.
"Their progress is amazing!"
Asuma began to consider the possibility of graduating early. Although he had his older brother and other clan members to guide him, and could continue to improve even without graduating, school was starting to feel a bit dull for him.
Watching Shūichi Hoshita and Kakashi, he had the sense that both of them had advanced even faster after graduating.
However…
Asuma couldn't help but glance at Kurenai Yuhi beside him.
Compared to graduating, Kurenai was more important!
…
Atop the cliff, Shūichi and Kakashi were panting heavily, drenched in sweat, and too exhausted to continue fighting.
Another draw!
However, considering that Kakashi had already expended some energy before the fight, even with a short rest, Shūichi could tell that Kakashi still had the edge in stamina and energy.
If it weren't for the boosts in focus and mental processing speed from his tags, he might not have even managed a draw.
Kakashi's combat intelligence was impressive—even at his young age, it was already beginning to show.
But Shūichi wasn't discouraged. The fact that he could now hold his own against Kakashi in taijutsu was proof that his training hadn't been in vain, and that his tags were truly powerful.
At the same time, Shūichi felt an increasing urgency to improve his physical condition.
He didn't expect to rival people like Jiraiya or Naruto, but at the very least, he couldn't afford to fall behind Kakashi.
Shūichi remembered that among Konoha's jōnin, Kakashi wasn't particularly notable in terms of stamina—he was slightly outclassed by someone like Asuma Sarutobi.
In the ninja world, as battles grew more intense, physical stamina—or chakra reserves—became increasingly crucial, often forming an insurmountable barrier.
Without enough chakra, even the most powerful techniques couldn't be unleashed.
…
After descending from the cliff, Shūichi greeted Shizune and the others. Just as he was about to grab a drink from his backpack, Shizune handed him a bottle.
Shūichi accepted it without hesitation. "Thanks."
Shizune watched him as he drank, and then said, "Shūichi, I have a few questions about the Memory Palace technique. Do you have some time to help me out?"
"Of course."
Shūichi agreed instantly, and the two of them huddled together, with Shizune asking questions and Shūichi answering them.
Meanwhile, Asuma and Kurenai teamed up to climb the cliff.
Kakashi, maintaining his cool demeanor, was resting while his gaze fell on Guy, who was frog-jumping with a large boulder.
...
The afternoon training session passed by quickly, almost without notice.
As evening approached, Shūichi Hoshita bid farewell to Shizune and the others and met up with Nonō Yakushi. Together, they returned to the orphanage with an assortment of food.
From now on, Shūichi knew he'd be spending less and less time at the orphanage, and the number of people he knew there would dwindle. So whenever he had the chance, he made sure to visit.
Even though he hadn't spent much time there, Nonō Yakushi considered the orphanage her home, and so it became a home for Shūichi as well.
That night, Shūichi and Nonō had a long conversation. He made a makeshift bed on the floor in her room, and the comforting scent unique to Nonō soon lulled him into a peaceful sleep.
The next morning, after saying goodbye to Nonō, a refreshed Shūichi went home to pack his backpack. On the way to meet up with Minato Namikaze and the others, he also purchased a set of surgical tools.
Yes, surgical tools for a medical ninja!
As a medical ninja, considering surgical tools as ninja tools seemed entirely reasonable to him.
So Shūichi decided he no longer needed to train with things like nunchaku or staffs. Surgical tools would be enough for him to achieve the status of a "Ninja Tool Expert." Plus, it would be a much faster way to reach his goal than practicing with other weapons.
...
When Shūichi met up with Minato and the others, the day's training began.
For the next few days, the team had no missions, focusing entirely on various training exercises: traps, tracking, combat drills, and so on.
During breaks, Shūichi spent time practicing on small animals—rabbits, wild boars, chickens, fish, and more.
This practice served two purposes: it helped him hone his medical ninjutsu and use of medical tools, while also allowing him to observe the animals' characteristics, laying the groundwork for his "Transformation Master" tag.
Before he knew it, four days had passed, and April had arrived quietly.
To Shūichi's surprise, even soldier pills counted as a type of ninja tool.
With the addition of senbon needles, short swords, and the surgical knives he'd been using extensively over the past few days, he was now only two tools away from mastering ten types of ninja tools.
On April 2, Konoha Year 39, at 9 a.m., Shūichi appeared before Minato and the others at Konoha's village gate with a new look.
He wore black clothing with iron wrist and arm guards, similar to before, but his original jacket had been replaced with a black vest resembling Minato's green vest.
Besides the color difference, Shūichi's vest was customized with several small pockets.
Noticing Minato and the others looking at him curiously, Shūichi hooked a finger into one of the vest pockets, revealing a sharp surgical knife.
"Shūichi, did you bring your surgical tools along?"
Kurama Sanyō recognized the knife immediately—he'd seen Shūichi dissect all those small animals with it over the past few days.
Shūichi smiled, "Of course. As a medical ninja, carrying medical tools is both reasonable and necessary, right?"
Kurama Sanyō scratched the back of his head, "Well, yeah, but... aren't surgeries usually done with more than one person?"
Shūichi sheathed the knife, "Once I have enough chakra to use shadow clones, the tools will come in handy. Better to be prepared."
He could already use shadow clones, though his chakra reserves didn't allow him to sustain them for long.
At this point, Minato stepped in to stop the small talk, "Alright, let's get going! Our mission this time is to serve as one of the patrol squads on the western border of the Land of Fire. The mission will last for half a month, so be prepared."
The three of them responded in unison, "Understood!"
The four of them set off immediately, heading west after leaving the village.
By evening, they had reached the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, taking over from another squad to become one of the patrol units.
That night, they began their monotonous patrol duties.
Konoha had stationed far more patrol squads on the border with the Land of Rain than on the Land of Rivers' border—five squads in total, patrolling in a staggered, overlapping pattern.
This heavy presence was due to the chaos that had gripped the Land of Rain since the end of the Second Shinobi World War.
Rogue ninjas, bandits, and spies or ninjas from other villages were common in the area.
The reason for this was twofold: the Land of Rain had been one of the major battlefields of the Second Shinobi World War, and it was also surrounded by the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth.
As a result, it had become a hotspot for conflict among the three major ninja villages.
Additionally, the instability in the Land of Rain was exacerbated by Hanzo's waning ambition and the retreat of his forces.
(End of Chapter)
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