Chapter 60: Surveillance Mission in Progress
After spending some time adjusting to life in Hifish Town and observing its daily operations, the team officially began their surveillance of the town mayor.
With the help of binoculars, the task was relatively straightforward—they simply hid in the trees near the mayor's mansion and observed his daily routine.
At first, all three of them monitored together, but after half a day of observation, they reduced their numbers to allow for nighttime surveillance shifts.
However, the mayor's energy levels were unexpectedly high. He stayed up past midnight every day and still woke up early in the morning with plenty of movement.
Given these conditions, Genma and Iwashi were assigned the night shifts, splitting the duty into first-half and second-half watches.
But every time Genma returned from his shift, Kurenai would interrogate him for details, leading to long conversations that Yuji often eavesdropped on for entertainment.
Despite the tiring schedule, they still had some personal time during the day. While Genma focused on refining his swordsmanship and taijutsu, he also began studying medical texts and occasionally practiced medical ninjutsu.
His interest in medical ninjutsu wasn't a sudden whim, nor was it a long-term plan from the start.
While he had considered it after mastering shadow clones, it was low on his priority list.
What truly pushed him to seriously study medical ninjutsu was witnessing Iwashi getting beaten black and blue and Raido injuring his hand.
Seeing his teammates wounded, yet being unable to provide immediate treatment, was frustrating.
It wasn't just about himself, either—his loved ones were by his side, and should anything happen, having medical ninjutsu would be a crucial safeguard.
To avoid arousing Yuji's suspicion regarding his shadow clone's presence, Genma often placed his clone near the surveillance area, chatting casually with the assigned guard rather than actively spying.
Meanwhile, Genma himself would train medical ninjutsu at night, using the half-dead fish his mother had asked him to prepare as test subjects.
—
At first, Yuji doubted the feasibility of Genma learning medical ninjutsu.
A ninja's energy was limited, and since they were currently on a mission, Genma only had four hours of free time per day—barely enough for progress.
However, his results defied expectations.
Within two weeks, he had mastered medical chakra control to the extent that he could revitalize a fish, making it lively again.
Of course, this was only a basic level.
Advanced medical techniques like Mystical Palm Technique (Shōsen Jutsu) could accelerate wound healing, whereas Genma's current skill level was limited to internal injury treatment and minor bleeding control.
After two weeks, the sword tournament finally began.
Since they still had an ongoing mission, not all of them could participate.
To avoid favoritism, they decided the participant with a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.
Although they initially wanted to send Kurenai, as she had the least combat experience from the previous tournament against Taito, she insisted on the game, arguing that her focus was on genjutsu training.
Thus, Genma and Raido had no choice but to agree.
—
However, the outcome was disappointing—Raido won.
Since Kurenai and Genma accounted for two-thirds of the chances, it was frustrating that Raido, the ultimate slacker, won instead.
Still, Genma had to admit, Raido's ridiculous luck was enviable.
Helplessly, he sighed and returned to his medical training.
—
Medical ninjutsu heavily relied on chakra control.
Since Genma had already undergone extensive chakra control training, his progress in medical ninjutsu was unusually smooth.
However, experience mattered just as much as technique.
The foundation was set, but now he needed to continuously refine his skill until he could instinctively diagnose injuries and determine treatment methods.
In the world of medical ninjutsu, mastering the Mystical Palm Technique was considered a milestone.
However, not all medics were equally skilled at using it.
This had nothing to do with talent—the true reason was that applying Mystical Palm required extreme precision.
It was similar to Senjutsu, where a ninja needed to perfectly balance chakra and natural energy.
Healing a wound wasn't as simple as just applying medical chakra—it required targeting specific points for effective treatment.
Mystical Palm worked by stimulating cellular activity to accelerate wound healing, but simply channeling medical chakra near a wound wasn't enough.
The user needed to know precisely which areas to stimulate, similar to acupuncture points in traditional medicine.
For example, Tsunade—a member of the Legendary Sannin—once healed Rock Lee's near-fatal injuries using her extraordinary medical ninjutsu.
What made this possible was her mastery of advanced regeneration techniques that allowed for precise cellular manipulation.
Of course, even a normal medical ninja could use Mystical Palm to heal wounds—it just took more time.
While learning Tsunade's high-level techniques was possible, one needed years of experience and intuition to use them effectively.
Thus, Genma wasn't in a hurry to learn Mystical Palm—instead, he focused on a simple E-rank healing jutsu while prioritizing antidote knowledge.
During the Third Shinobi War, poison was a common threat.
While Konoha's medical team was highly skilled, there were situations where antidotes weren't readily available.
If a ninja was poisoned in the field without medical support, it was essentially a death sentence.
The deeper he ventured into the shinobi world, the more he realized how important versatility was.
Even if his broad training approach seemed unfocused, he was merely preparing for the worst.
—
Meanwhile, as Genma immersed himself in medical studies, Kurenai continued monitoring the mayor, while Raido prepared for the tournament.
Raido donned his new outfit, grabbed his sword, and headed for the blacksmith's shop.
The blacksmith district didn't resemble an ordinary smithy—it was massive.
At the front, there was a large weapons store.
In the middle, a grand dueling arena stood tall.
And at the back, the hammering sounds of forging never ceased.
If Genma had been here, he would have been amazed—this was a fully integrated business operation.
Self-forged, self-sold, and self-promoted.
Although the shinobi world didn't analyze economics, the sheer scale of operations proved that the smithy's products were top-tier.
The entire town was bustling, with crowds spilling into the streets surrounding the blacksmith district.
Excited, Raido sheathed his sword and squeezed through the crowd, eventually reaching the front of the arena.
The competition was intense, featuring not just male warriors but also female swordsmen, further heightening his anticipation.
Then, a burly, crew-cut man wielding a giant hammer stepped onto the stage, and the crowd's aura instantly became razor-sharp, making even Raido feel suffocated.
—
"Today marks our last Sword Tournament for the foreseeable future due to the growing unrest in the nations," the burly man announced.
"For those who have journeyed from afar, I ask for your understanding—but may this final tournament be the grandest yet!"
With a dramatic swing of his hammer, he roared:
"Bring out our finest creation of the season!"
Two strong men carried a large display case onto the stage.
A red cloth covered its contents, hiding the coveted prize.
The crowd remained silent, their anticipation palpable.
Raido, too, stared intensely at the case, but something felt odd.
Why was the crowd so well-behaved?
It was almost unnatural, as if they had been trained into obedience.
Yet, what he didn't see was that Kurenai and Genma's clone, stationed further back, had already noticed something alarming…
End of Chapter 60