Takashi rubbed his belly, pulling out the lunch box he had brought from his bag.
Opening the lunch box, the delicious aroma began to spread.
Tsunade, who had been dozing off, immediately sat up, wiping the drool from her mouth with no regard for her image, and mumbled sleepily:
"Is it mealtime already?"
"..."
The break room fell silent for a moment as Tsunade, her mind slowly catching up, realized where she was.
Instinctively, her gaze turned to the lunch box in Takashi's hands.
"Want to share some?"
Takashi lifted the lunch box towards her, meeting Tsunade's still-groggy eyes.
"Haha, that would be great. I woke up late this morning and didn't even have breakfast."
Without any hesitation, Tsunade grabbed the lunch box from his hands and started eating enthusiastically, using the chopsticks inside, without any intention of sharing.
That's my lunch!!
Takashi hadn't expected that a simple offer would end up with his lunch being taken by such a brazen bandit.
"Mmm~ Delicious! This is chicken, right? Really tasty. Oh, and by the way, bring another one for me tomorrow, okay?"
Tsunade said, eating away and making demands at the same time.
Takashi really wanted to slap her for that—taking his lunch and still making more demands.
But recalling how this lady almost beat Jiraiya to death a while back, Takashi suppressed the urge.
After finishing the meal, Tsunade patted her belly with satisfaction, a blissful expression on her face.
"That was great. Burp."
Takashi: "..."
Wiping her mouth, Tsunade handed the empty lunch box back to Takashi.
"By the way, what level is your chakra control?"
"Third level," Takashi answered with a darkened face.
"Not bad."
Tsunade smiled, lifting her hand and waving her finger at him. "Alright kid, we have work to do. Grab a new coat from the cabinet over there. From today, you'll be assisting me."
Putting on a crisp new white coat, Takashi began his life as Tsunade's assistant.
Although he was just assisting, there was a lot to learn.
As a newcomer, Takashi was mentally prepared to start from the basics.
The first day mostly consisted of learning how to properly bandage wounds. Medical-nin chakra and stamina were finite, so it wasn't practical to use medical ninjutsu for every patient.
Stitching, treatment, and bandaging were essential skills for a medical-nin to learn.
Tsunade didn't need to intervene much—after all, the hospital and the medical department already had numerous medical-nin stationed there.
But even so, none of them were anywhere close to Tsunade's level.
After observing for some time, Takashi noticed that many of the medical-nin didn't even know the Mystical Palm Technique.
Having completed the treatment, Tsunade wiped the sweat from her brow and explained proactively:
"The Mystical Palm Technique is a challenging A-rank medical ninjutsu. Even in the entirety of Konoha Hospital, or the medical department, only a handful have mastered it. But hey, I ate your lunch, so I won't let you go unrewarded. There are related books and scrolls in my cabinet."
"You can read them during your breaks—just put them back when you're done."
Tsunade might be a rude bandit, but she wasn't completely unreasonable.
She'd eaten Takashi's lunch and even asked for more, but she wouldn't let him go without some benefits.
All the books and scrolls in her possession were open for Takashi to study.
Tsunade wasn't worried about Takashi sneaking off to learn the techniques either. On the contrary, she would be thrilled if he managed to learn them.
Most of the techniques recorded by Tsunade were extremely challenging, requiring considerable effort and talent to master.
With Tsunade's permission, Takashi quickly selected some books to take home, focusing specifically on the Mystical Palm Technique.
Difficult or not, he'd decide after trying it.
Three days later, Takashi looked at the green glow in his palm.
"Wasn't this supposed to be difficult to learn?"
How long had he spent learning it, anyway?
Although he had brought the scroll home three days ago, his study time had been limited. During the day, he was occupied with following Tsunade at Konoha Hospital, and after work, he spent time reading various books.
To become a medical-nin, mastering a large body of knowledge was essential, as it covered a wide range of subjects.
Between assisting as an intern and studying, Takashi had little time to practice ninjutsu.
Yet despite that, he had learned the Mystical Palm Technique within three days.
Takashi remembered that in the anime, Sakura had spent a long time learning the Mystical Palm Technique, putting in a great deal of effort before mastering it.
The next day, Takashi headed to Konoha Hospital.
He immediately informed Tsunade about his progress.
"Oh, good that you've learned it," Tsunade replied, not even looking up from the patient chart she was filling out. A few seconds later, she realized something was off and snapped her head up, staring at Takashi.
"You said you've learned the Mystical Palm Technique? You sure it's not just basic medical ninjutsu?"
"No, it's the Mystical Palm Technique. Is it supposed to be hard?"
Takashi raised his hands, both palms glowing green with chakra.
"..."
Tsunade stared at his hands, her mouth slightly agape.
How long did it take me to learn this back in the day?
Tsunade suddenly thought back to her own past, her eagerness to learn, and asked, her curiosity piqued:
"Explain to me your process of learning the Mystical Palm Technique, without skipping any details."
Could this kid be a genius?
No way—there's no medical-nin more talented than me, Tsunade!
I won't believe it!
Faced with her questioning, Takashi spread his hands and replied:
"Every day after returning from Konoha Hospital, aside from bathing, cooking, and eating, I read books until I got tired, then practiced the scroll. That's how I learned it."
"Damn it!!"
Tsunade blurted out a curse.
Three days. This kid worked at Konoha Hospital all day, came home to cook for himself, then squeezed in time to read, and only when tired did he practice ninjutsu—and he still learned it.
Looking at Takashi, and then at the medical-nin in the department struggling to learn the Mystical Palm Technique, always complaining—
Was this the gap between geniuses and ordinary people?
Damn it, my mind is shattered!
No, why should I feel bad? This kid is my student, even if only partially. If a talented teacher produces a talented student, what's wrong with that?
Nothing wrong at all!
"Very well. You truly are my student," Tsunade said with a satisfied expression, patting Takashi's shoulder. "Study well, and don't get cocky. Once you've learned the applicable medical techniques and mastered related knowledge, I'll let you apply for early examination."
The timing and standards of the exam were entirely up to Tsunade.
No one in Konoha was more qualified than her.
"I will study earnestly and not let you down, Lady Tsunade." Takashi promised seriously.
Not just for Tsunade—Takashi himself also wanted to pass the medical-nin examination as soon as possible, to finally leave the Hyuga compound—a place full of darkness and decay.
"Go and study. From today, you don't need to assist me anymore."
After considering for a while, Tsunade decided to let Takashi stay in the break room and study in peace, without needing to do assistant work.
It wasn't that Tsunade was worried about overworking him; it was just that Takashi's learning speed was incredible. Within a few days, he had nearly mastered the basics of treatment.
Rather than continuing as an assistant, it would be better for him to focus on studying and prepare for the medical-nin examination sooner.
Tsunade was genuinely curious—where exactly was Takashi's limit?
In just three days, he had effortlessly learned the Mystical Palm Technique. Was this sheer talent or just incredible luck?