Konoha Hospital.
Hanekawa sat in Nonō Yakushi's office, enjoying the air conditioning and stifling a yawn.
Previously, whenever he assisted in surgeries, his role was mostly limited to anesthesia and hemostasis.
However, half a month ago, his medical ninjutsu skills took another leap forward.
To be precise, he successfully unlocked the B-rank talent trait, "Special Medical Jōnin."
Under the special permission of Nonō Yakushi, he tried acting as the lead surgeon twice, and both surgeries were resounding successes.
As a result, in the face of the shortage of medical ninjas, Hanekawa was officially promoted.
He no longer assisted Nonō Yakushi during surgeries but instead began to independently take charge of them.
However, when there were no surgeries to perform, he found himself rather bored.
[B-rank Talent Trait: Special Medical Jōnin]
[Trigger Condition: Achieve mastery in nine medical ninjutsu techniques.]
[Effect: Enhances the effectiveness of all medical ninjutsu by 100%.]
[Note: Learning and mastering additional medical ninjutsu techniques may lead to advancement to the A-rank trait "Medical Jōnin."]
Though obtaining the B-rank trait "Special Medical Jōnin" had been time-consuming, its effects made everything worthwhile.
Previously, the C-rank trait "Medical Chūnin" only increased medical ninjutsu effectiveness by 50%. Now, the increase was a staggering 100%.
What did this mean?
If two individuals used the same amount of chakra for medical ninjutsu, Hanekawa's results would even surpass those of Tsunade.
Nonō Yakushi had been so impressed by his incredible progress that she broke precedent and allowed him to become the youngest attending physician at Konoha Hospital.
The only strange part about advancing from the "Special Medical Jōnin" trait was its requirement to master more medical ninjutsu.
Did this mean he had to bring all known medical techniques to mastery level?
As Hanekawa pondered this, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
Looking up, he saw a young woman in a nurse's uniform standing outside.
"Hanekawa, there's a surgery that needs you," she said.
"Who's the patient? What's the situation?" Hanekawa asked, standing up and walking toward the door.
"The patient is Kakashi Hatake," the young woman replied. "He was struck by lightning while practicing Lightning Release techniques."
"Huh?" Hanekawa couldn't help but be surprised.
Struck by lightning? That didn't sound good.
Wait a minute—could he be creating the Chidori?
As Hanekawa approached the operating room, he ran into Asuma Sarutobi, who looked at him with astonishment.
"Hanekawa? Why are you here?"
"What kind of expression is that?" Hanekawa raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be here?"
"You're performing surgeries now?" Asuma's eyes widened in disbelief.
The distinct uniform of an attending physician immediately gave away Hanekawa's new status.
Though Asuma had always known Hanekawa worked at Konoha Hospital, wasn't he still supposed to be an intern?
If memory served, only Special Jōnin and higher could act as lead surgeons. This was unbelievable!
While training together, Hanekawa rarely displayed his medical skills. Asuma thought he was decent at best.
Now, this massive gap between them was glaringly apparent.
"I'll perform Kakashi's surgery first. We can catch up later," Hanekawa said with a smile as he walked into the operating room.
"…" Asuma's mouth twitched in disbelief.
He felt like he might be under a genjutsu.
Inside the operating room, Hanekawa saw Kakashi lying on the operating table.
The young ninja was unconscious, his exposed skin scorched black and swollen in places.
"Here's the detailed diagnosis," a Medical Chūnin assigned by Nonō Yakushi said, handing over a report.
Hanekawa reviewed the report carefully. The primary issues were severe burns and nerve system damage.
"Let's begin the surgery," Hanekawa said, placing the report aside. "Prepare the hemostasis technique."
Approaching Kakashi, Hanekawa formed a series of hand seals and extended his hand.
From his right hand, pale green chakra surged forth, quickly forming into the shape of a blade.
This was the A-rank medical ninjutsu, Chakra Scalpel.
After learning the Mystical Palm Technique from Nonō Yakushi, it had taken him another three months to master the Chakra Scalpel.
Hanekawa carefully made incisions to remove the necrotic tissue from Kakashi's skin.
As blood began to flow, his assistant promptly used the hemostasis technique. In no time, Kakashi's burned skin had been entirely renewed.
Hanekawa exhaled deeply. Now came the more challenging part: repairing the nerve system.
This required the Mystical Palm Technique.
With the team's cooperation, it took an hour to fully restore Kakashi's nerve system.
"Transfer him to a recovery ward," Hanekawa instructed.
"Understood."
The team responded in unison.
Although the system categorized Hanekawa as a Special Medical Jōnin, the others already regarded him as a full-fledged Medical Jōnin.
After all, how many Special Medical Jōnin could skillfully wield advanced techniques like the Mystical Palm Technique and the Chakra Scalpel?
In theory, Hanekawa had already reached the upper limit of an ordinary medical ninja.
The only techniques he hadn't mastered yet were the Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Technique.
"How's he doing?"
Asuma Sarutobi walked over, clearly concerned about his friend Kakashi Hatake.
"The surgery was a success. He's now a girl," Hanekawa replied with a completely serious expression.
"???"
Asuma's face was full of question marks.
"Just kidding." Hanekawa burst out laughing and continued, "He's fine. A week of rest, and he'll fully recover."
"That's a relief." Asuma let out a sigh of relief.
"Let's go to the recovery room," Hanekawa said, pointing at Kakashi, who was being wheeled out of the operating room.
"Sure."
Asuma quickly followed.
They soon arrived at Kakashi's room. Since he had just undergone surgery, he was still unconscious.
"When did you start performing surgeries on your own?" Asuma asked, clearly curious.
"Half a month ago," Hanekawa replied casually. "The director said I was ready, so I gave it a try. Turns out, I'm pretty good at it."
What kind of nonsense is that?
Asuma clenched his fists reflexively.
This was infuriating! But he couldn't beat Hanekawa, so he could only keep the rage in.
"How did Kakashi get struck by lightning?" Hanekawa asked, skillfully changing the topic.
"He triggered it intentionally during training but underestimated how much lightning he'd attract," Asuma said after a pause. "Honestly, this is your fault."
"My fault?" Hanekawa asked, puzzled.
"After you mastered the Rasengan, Kakashi wanted to create a jutsu that could rival it. That's when he thought of Lightning Release," Asuma explained, rubbing his chin. "And let's not forget Shisui's influence."
Shisui Uchiha, younger than both of them, had already created techniques like Uchiha Style: Blaze Leap and Uchiha Style: Gale Sword.
For Kakashi, who considered himself second only to Hanekawa in talent, this was a significant blow.
"So, did he come up with anything?" Hanekawa glanced at the unconscious Kakashi.
"He's making progress," Asuma said with a light cough. "To be precise, he's trying to gather lightning in his hand, similar to the Rasengan."
Hanekawa was momentarily stunned.
Asuma's explanation made him realize that Raikiri (Lightning Blade) was indeed similar to the Rasengan.
It was entirely possible that Kakashi's inspiration for developing Raikiri in the original story came from witnessing Minato's Rasengan.
It's worth mentioning that Raikiri is also known as Chidori.
In the original story, Might Guy mentioned that Kakashi used Chidori to cut through lightning, which led to its renaming as Raikiri.
In essence, Chidori is the prototype, while Raikiri is the final, more refined version.
"Given his talent, he might just succeed," Hanekawa said with a nod.
If Kakashi successfully developed Raikiri, Hanekawa could leverage their friendship to learn it as well—truly a perfect plan.
"Seriously, while most of us hadn't even graduated, you guys were already working on creating your own jutsu. You're all monsters," Asuma said with a sigh.
The longer he spent around geniuses, the more he felt disheartened.
At that moment, he realized being the Hokage's son didn't mean much.
"Have you notified Uncle Sakumo?" Hanekawa suddenly asked.
"It happened so suddenly; I haven't had a chance to inform him yet," Asuma replied, shaking his head.
"Go let him know. I'll stay here and keep watch," Hanekawa said.
Since his shift at Konoha Hospital wasn't over yet, he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.
"Alright."
Asuma turned and left.
Hanekawa sat on a vacant bed and opened his system interface.
Aside from the B-rank talent trait: Special Medical Jōnin, he had recently unlocked another trait.
[B-rank Talent Trait: Master Alchemist]
[Trigger Condition: Master the art of poison-making.]
[Effect: Increases the potency of all poisons by 100%.]
This effect was incredibly powerful, thanks to the significant percentage boost.
For example, the poison used by Chiyo, which was fairly common, had a corresponding antidote available in Konoha.
However, if Hanekawa crafted the same poison with its potency enhanced by 100%, the antidote would either become ineffective or only partially work.
This was undoubtedly very useful.
In the short term, upgrading the B-rank Talent: Special Medical Jōnin would be challenging, so Hanekawa's next target was genjutsu.
When it came to genjutsu, aside from the Sharingan-based ones, the most famous was the A-rank technique Bringer-of-Darkness Jutsu.
This technique, used by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju—and possibly created by him—seemed specifically tailored to counter the Uchiha Clan.
Its effect was straightforward: it interfered with the enemy's vision, plunging them into darkness.
Unfortunately, Kurenai Yuhi didn't know this jutsu.
Hanekawa would have to ask Tsunade.
However, he suspected that, knowing Hiruzen Sarutobi's personality, there would likely be conditions attached.
At that moment, footsteps approached.
"Hanekawa, how's Kakashi doing?"
Sakumo Hatake walked in, his face full of concern.
"He's fine; he'll be back to normal in a few days," Hanekawa said with a reassuring smile. "Uncle Sakumo, there's nothing to worry about."
"That's good to hear."
Sakumo let out a relieved sigh and said, "I trust your medical skills."
To be fair, Tsunade played a big role in this trust.
When Hanekawa first started performing surgeries, many patients' families were skeptical and even demanded a different doctor.
After all, he was so young.
But the moment they heard he was Tsunade's student, their attitudes changed completely, becoming very welcoming.
To them, Tsunade's student must be exceptional—anything less would tarnish her reputation.
"Wait for me!"
Asuma Sarutobi's voice echoed from down the hall.
He burst into the room, sweating and gasping for air.
"Sorry," Sakumo said apologetically. "I was so worried about Kakashi that I left you behind."
"No… it's fine," Asuma said, waving it off.
After informing Sakumo about Kakashi's condition, Sakumo had disappeared, leaving Asuma to run back to the hospital room.
"I have to get back to work. I'll check on Kakashi again when he wakes up," Hanekawa said as he left the room.
As the attending physician, it would be troublesome if he were needed for a surgery and couldn't be found.
By dusk, it was finally time to clock out. Hanekawa returned to Kakashi's room.
Asuma had already left, leaving only Sakumo behind.
"Kakashi, how are you feeling?" Hanekawa asked as he approached.
"Not bad," Kakashi replied, though his tone was odd.
Apparently, he had learned from Asuma that Hanekawa had performed his surgery, leaving him unsure how to feel.
"Good." Hanekawa nodded. "If anything feels off, have the nurse call me."
As Kakashi's attending doctor, Hanekawa would be responsible until he was discharged.
"Got it," Kakashi said, then paused before adding, "Could you let Shisui and the others know I won't be training with them for the next couple of days?"
"Take care of your health—they'll understand."
After a quick word with Sakumo, Hanekawa left the room.
Returning to Tsunade's house, he found Shisui and the others training outside. After explaining Kakashi's situation, they all agreed to visit him at the hospital the next day.
As night fell and training ended, Hanekawa went to the living room, surprised to find that Tsunade hadn't returned yet.
"It's already 9 PM, Sensei," Hanekawa said, glancing at the time. "If you'd stayed out any longer, I'd have starved to death!"
"I already ate," Tsunade replied with a light cough.
"What?!" Hanekawa exclaimed, visibly upset.
"I've been waiting for you for three hours on an empty stomach!"
"It was a last-minute thing," Tsunade said awkwardly. "I was invited to the Uchiha clan."
"The Uchiha? What, are they backing you to become Hokage?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Tsunade glared at him. "It was about Mikoto's health."
"What's wrong?" Hanekawa asked, puzzled. He didn't recall this happening in the original story.
"Nothing bad—it's good news." Tsunade smiled. "After my examination, I found out she's pregnant. I stayed to discuss precautions for expectant mothers."
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.
So, the clever son Itachi Uchiha was on his way.
For the Uchiha clan, this was indeed a "happy" occasion.
(Important announcement regarding the novel, check patreon. I won't post it here since it will make the novel's number a mess.)
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