I, Konoha's Sage of Life

"Have you ever considered fighting blindfolded?"

Kyoichi asked.

"Blindfolded? But I'd still know, wouldn't I?"

Tsunade froze for a moment.

You little devil!

Her condition was psychological—she wasn't just afraid of seeing blood, she could sense it.

"You could use genjutsu to deceive yourself," Kyoichi continued.

Tsunade felt something was off, but at the same time… it kind of made sense.

Fighting blindfolded, using genjutsu to trick herself—

This wasn't overcoming the fear.

It was dodging the problem entirely.

But…

It could work.

At the very least, she wouldn't be completely paralyzed the moment she saw blood.

The bigger issue, however, was still medical treatment.

Fighting was one thing.

What about healing?

She shook her head. With Konoha in turmoil, there was no way she could stay in the village and not go to the battlefield.

And if she refused to treat the wounded, what would the other shinobi think?

If her hemophobia became public knowledge, it would deal a massive blow to morale.

"For battlefield treatment, just have Katsuyu refrain from sharing her vision with you. Let her relay the injuries as simple reports instead."

"…That's an option?"

Tsunade was stunned.

Kyōichi's solutions were unorthodox, but—

Katsuyu had worked with her for years.

Transmitting basic medical reports without showing the injuries was feasible.

She walked a few steps, lost in thought.

"You really have a talent for teaching. How… how the hell do you even come up with this stuff?"

Tsunade was convinced.

Her hemophobia wasn't cured, but the problem was partially solved.

It was weird.

Really weird.

Of course…

The hardest part would still be self-hypnosis. That was something she'd have to figure out on her own.

She sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

"This is exhausting. Let's go get a drink! The sake you gave me last time wasn't enough—I'm gonna drink my fill today! And then… I'll hit the gambling tables! Heh, I've been saving up—I'll finally make back my losses!"

"Sounds good. We'll join you."

Kyoichi grinned.

Shizune looked confused.

Wasn't Kyoichi-sama against gambling?

But…

Since both Kyoichi and Tsunade were going, she had no choice but to follow along.

After drinking their fill, the group headed to the casino.

Not long after—

Tsunade stormed out in frustration.

"Ugh! This is no fun!"

Gambling was one of the few pleasures Tsunade still indulged in.

But—

When you're stuck losing every bet while the two lucky bastards next to you keep raking in winnings, to the point where you have to borrow money just to keep going…

Well, there's nothing fun about that.

Damn it!

They must've been cheating!

---

The Next Day

Early in the morning, Kyoichi and Tsunade arrived at the hospital.

It wasn't wartime, so there weren't many injured shinobi. Most of the operating tables were empty.

If Tsunade hadn't been preoccupied with gambling, they could have scheduled the surgery yesterday afternoon.

"Tsunade, could these kids observe from outside? You know how crucial experience is for medical ninjas."

If it had been anyone else, Tsunade would have flat-out refused.

But…

The one asking was Sarutobi Biwako, the Third Hokage's wife.

Standing beside her were several children, all around ten years old—including Nohara Rin and Yūhi Kurenai—the next generation of aspiring medical ninjas.

Tsunade shook her head. "I'm not the lead surgeon this time. I'm only assisting Kyoichi."

"Sensei is the lead?"

Kurenai's eyes lit up.

Kyoichi had taught her medical ninjutsu, and while she had seen him demonstrate techniques before, she had no real grasp of his full medical capabilities.

Could it be…

Was he even more skilled than Lady Tsunade?

None of the children knew the full story. Even Biwako was somewhat confused.

But—

She had a feeling there was more to this than met the eye.

Biwako quickly followed up, "With your guidance, Kyoichi should have no trouble with this surgery. And it would be a valuable learning experience for the children. Let them watch."

Tsunade turned to Kyōichi. "It's up to you."

"No problem, let them observe. It's just a minor procedure."

Kyoichi smiled.

This was his first formal surgery, but at this point, he had to stay calm—

Otherwise, the patient, Gekkō Hayate, might panic even more.

"Hayate, don't worry. It's a small operation. Trust in your teacher and Lady Tsunade."

"Mm!"

Hayate nodded firmly.

Since there were already so many people here, Tsunade didn't mind adding one more—so Shizune joined as well.

Inside the operating room, Kyoichi took the lead in the center, while Tsunade and the medical team stood on the perimeter.

"Make a small incision first."

"Got it…"

Kyoichi formed a seal, and a chakra scalpel materialized.

Then—

A gentle slice.

A thin, precise incision appeared.

Tsunade glanced at Kyoichi's hands.

Steady. Extremely steady.

She was relieved.

For a surgery like this, as long as the lead surgeon had steady hands and knew what they were doing, there wouldn't be any major issues.

And as for knowing what to do—

That's what I'm here for, right?

She began guiding the procedure.

Kyoichi followed her instructions, and the surgery proceeded smoothly.

But then…

As time passed, Tsunade noticed something.

Kyoichi didn't actually need her help.

Incision. Identify the diseased area. Extraction jutsu.

Flawless execution.

She gradually fell silent, no longer giving instructions.

Even Biwako was stunned.

Kyoichi's proficiency in medical ninjutsu… was this advanced?

It was hard to believe.

And yet—

Gekkō Hayate's infected lung tissue was being gradually treated.

The accumulated toxins and diseased areas were being precisely removed.

Even…

"This part requires extra precision. Keep your hands steady—

If you cut too much, the patient can recover, but it will still leave some long-term effects."

"It's best to neutralize the toxins first. Cutting should be the last resort."

He still has time to explain while operating?!

Unbelievable…

Tsunade realized that she wasn't really needed here.

"All done!"

The last trace of poison was extracted.

Kyoichi waved a hand, signaling for the medical team to take over the finishing steps.

At this stage, any medical ninja could handle the post-surgery care.

He withdrew his chakra scalpel and turned to Tsunade.

"Did I miss anything?"

"No need. You did great. In fact… you even took over my part."

Tsunade chuckled.

She had thought Kyoichi was capable of completing the surgery.

But after watching him work, she realized she had underestimated him—

Kyoichi could have handled the entire procedure alone. Effortlessly.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to operate with such precision while simultaneously teaching and explaining his process.

This guy…

He really has a gift for teaching.

She sighed, then turned to the young observers.

"Kyoichi skipped a few steps here because he's strong enough to find the problem area quickly. When you perform surgery, you won't be able to do that, understand?"

"Yes!"

Everyone present was a medical student.

They understood—

Just because they watched Kyoichi do it didn't mean they could replicate it.

His technique was textbook perfect.

But it wasn't something they could simply copy.

"Kyoichi, I have quite a collection of medical books and case studies. If you're interested, feel free to visit the hospital anytime."

Biwako smiled brightly.

As the Third Hokage's wife, she knew more than most.

Kyoichi had signed a contract with Katsuyu.

He also had incredible medical abilities.

Two medic-nin capable of large-scale healing in Konoha!

Just thinking about it was exciting!

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