Suigetsu was a chatterbox, and after just a few sentences, Otoha could barely tolerate it anymore.
After landing a punch, Otoha was a bit surprised.
"Not a bad ability. No wonder Lord Orochimaru values you so highly," she muttered to herself.
Then, she said, "You talk too much. You look a little cuter when you're quiet. If you keep rambling, I'll make sure you can't speak for three days."
"Really? I don't believe you," Suigetsu kept testing his luck.
Otoha narrowed her eyes, pulled a pill out of nowhere, and shoved it directly into Suigetsu's mouth, lifting his chin with her other hand.
She was so quick that Suigetsu couldn't react.
With a gulp, the pill was already down his throat.
Kimimaro's eyes lit up. *What speed! She must be at least at jōnin level. No wonder Orochimaru trusts her to manage the Sound Village.*
"What did you just make me eat..." Suigetsu began to speak, but no sound came out.
His mouth was moving, but no words could be heard.
Suigetsu panicked.
"Don't worry. The poison in the pill will only keep you silent for three days. It won't have any other effects. But if you keep pestering me after three days, it won't be so simple," Otoha said calmly.
Suigetsu immediately quieted down.
She was ruthless—poison at the drop of a hat.
*Of course, anyone under Orochimaru is not to be messed with.*
However, Kimimaro's eyes gleamed with excitement.
*Poison? Is she a medical ninja? That's great! If she's a medical ninja, I can learn medical ninjutsu from her later.*
*With Lord Orochimaru's orders, she shouldn't refuse me.*
"Alright, it's quiet now. Let's keep moving," Otoha said with a satisfied smile as Suigetsu could no longer make a sound.
Looking pitiful, Suigetsu glanced at Kimimaro.
Kimimaro's lips curled slightly as he whispered, "Serves you right."
Furious, Suigetsu raised his hands, ready to fight.
Kimimaro immediately raised his fingers like a gun, aiming them at Suigetsu's forehead, ready to fire a bone bullet.
"What's wrong? Feeling itchy?" Kimimaro whispered menacingly in Suigetsu's ear.
Suigetsu instantly backed down.
Seeing him relent, Kimimaro lowered his hand and followed Otoha.
*Damn Kimimaro! When I get stronger, I'll show him!* Suigetsu fumed silently, unable to voice his complaints.
Otoha glanced at Suigetsu, then at Kimimaro, finding the situation amusing.
*These two Orochimaru brought back are quite interesting. One talks non-stop, the other is cold and reserved. But judging by their talents, that white-haired boy seems far stronger. The one who uses water techniques is definitely wary of him. Looks like they didn't have the best history together.*
These thoughts quickly passed through Otoha's mind as she led them to two empty rooms.
One on the left, the other on the right.
"You'll stay here. Kimimaro, you take the room on the left. Suigetsu, the room on the right. My room is just ahead. If you need anything, you can come find me, though I'm usually in the lab."
Kimimaro nodded slightly in thanks before entering his room.
Suigetsu silently entered his room, unable to say a word.
Inside the room, Kimimaro surveyed the space.
It was about 50 square meters, more than enough for a young boy.
Everything was stark white, making the room feel rather monotonous.
But Kimimaro didn't mind.
*In these chaotic times, having a place to stay long-term is already a stroke of luck.*
He sat on the bed, flipped his right hand over, and a Clow Card appeared in his palm.
On the card was an image of a girl with closed eyes. Her collar was raised high, covering half her face, including her mouth.
At the top of the card, the character for "Silence" was written.
With a thought, the girl on the card opened her eyes and transformed into a stream of light, appearing before Kimimaro.
She was cold and silent—just as her name implied, *Silence.*
Kimimaro smiled slightly and whispered, "Set up a Silence Barrier."
In an instant, the girl transformed into light again, spreading throughout the entire room.
*With my current ability, the largest Silence Barrier I can set up is this size, and it only works on weaker ninja. But as I get stronger and more skilled, its range and power will improve.*
*Eventually, even elite ninjas will have to follow the rules within this barrier. Although it seems like a harmless ability now, used properly, it can give an enemy a nasty surprise.*
*For now, though, the biggest benefit of this Silence Card is how it calms my mind.*
With another thought, the barrier disappeared as the stream of light returned to his body.
Kimimaro felt his mind become clear, his thoughts sharper.
*What a strange feeling.*
After enjoying the sensation for a moment, the power of the Silence Card faded, and it returned to its Clow Card form, disappearing from his hand.
*In this state, whatever I do will be twice as effective.*
After testing his new ability, Kimimaro lay down on the bed to rest.
The journey had left him quite tired.
After sleeping, Kimimaro went to find Otoha.
"Otoha-senpai, I'd like to learn medical ninjutsu," he said as soon as they met.
"Medical ninjutsu?" Otoha was surprised.
There were many ninja in the Sound Village, but few wanted to learn medical techniques.
In fact, even in the five great ninja villages, medical ninja were always the rarest.
One reason was the high threshold for medical ninjutsu.
Another reason was that those who had the talent for it usually preferred to become powerful offensive ninja rather than support-type medical ninja.
In this world, people willing to be the "green leaves" were rare.
*Interesting kid. Medical ninjutsu must be popular lately. Two years ago, Kabuto came to me first to learn medical techniques. Are you sure you want to learn it?*
Kimimaro nodded.
Learning medical ninjutsu had been part of his plan for a while.
Throughout their journey, he'd been training his chakra control by walking on water and climbing mountains.
Chakra control was the most important aspect of becoming a medical ninja.
"Interesting little guy. Since you want to learn, I'll teach you. Follow me."
Otoha didn't refuse. After all, Orochimaru had told her that Kimimaro could have anything he wanted.
She could see that Orochimaru valued Kimimaro highly.
Teaching him a little medical ninjutsu was no big deal.
Plus, as a medical ninja herself, Otoha was happy to see someone else interested in the field.
She led Kimimaro into a room filled with shelves of books.
"Medical ninjutsu is the most knowledge-intensive form of ninjutsu. To learn it, you need to master the theory first, then move on to practice. These books cover all the medical ninjutsu knowledge in the Sound Village, from beginner to advanced. There are over ten thousand volumes here.
Once you eliminate duplicates, you'll need to read about five thousand books to fully grasp all the knowledge of medical ninjutsu."
Kimimaro was stunned.
Five thousand books?
*What does that even mean?*
Even if he read five books a day, it would take nearly three years to finish them all.
And that's just reading. Memorizing it all would take even longer.
"Do you still want to learn?"
(End of Chapter)