I, Konoha's Sage of Life

"Kyoichi, are you interested in having an official position at the hospital? You'd only need to give lectures and offer guidance from time to time—the pay isn't an issue."

"I think I'll pass on that."

Kyoichi was at a loss for words.

Like attracts like.

Sarutobi Biwako was a tough one to deal with. The moment she saw an opportunity, she tried to reel him in. If he hadn't been familiar with such tactics, he might have caved under the pressure.

Holding an official position at the hospital certainly had its perks, but it would also mean being tied down with responsibilities.

Right now, things were perfect—

Daily training, continuous learning, and time to research new jutsu.

As for money, as long as he had enough, that was all that mattered.

More importantly, there were no significant benefits to this deal. Sure, he had just gained proficiency in Chakra Scalpel Technique, but medical ninjutsu wasn't his main focus.

His only reason for learning medical ninjutsu was to master the Strength of a Hundred Seal and Creation Rebirth. That was it.

Biwako seemed a little disappointed, but she understood. As a Jōnin leading a squad, Kyoichi was already busy training his students and completing missions. How could he possibly have time for anything else?

Tsunade walked him out of the hospital.

As they stepped outside, she couldn't help but comment, "I'm surprised you turned that down. If you accepted, over time, you'd gain immense prestige in Konoha."

"I'm not aiming to be Hokage. Why would I care about that?"

Kyoichi shrugged.

In this world, strength was the only true power. Fame and status? Just illusions.

Even if you became Hokage—so what?

All five Kage together still couldn't defeat Madara Uchiha.

Tsunade silently agreed, but she still found his perspective intriguing.

"Then what do you want to do?"

"I want to be a teacher. Train countless talents and strengthen Konoha at its core."

Kyoichi answered without hesitation.

It wasn't a lie—he had repeated this belief many times before, and he truly meant it.

Tsunade chuckled at his response.

"Train countless talents… Strengthen Konoha at its core…"

It was a noble idea.

But unfortunately—

Without the Hokage's full support, such an endeavor would be like a rootless tree, easily cut down before it could grow.

Hiruzen was a competent leader, but in times like these, competence wasn't enough.

Tsunade fell into deep thought.

"Kyoichi-sama, do you have any tips for quickly mastering medical ninjutsu?"

"Tips? Watch more, learn more, train your chakra control extensively. The more stable your hands and the more precise your techniques, the better your surgical skills."

If you're taking it as a secondary discipline, you'll also need a strong enough chakra reserve to keep going and a resilient body.

Kyoichi thought to himself.

Shizune pondered for a moment, then sighed softly.

"Lady Tsunade said that my chakra control talent is limited. While I can become a decent medical-nin, it's unlikely I'll ever truly master her skills."

"Being a decent medical-nin is already a great achievement."

Kyoichi ruffled Shizune's hair.

When she was little, she had an adorable, slightly dazed look—especially when someone messed with her hair…

"Kyoichi-sama!"

"Alright, alright, I'll stop." He chuckled. "That aside, if you really want to improve your chakra control, try maintaining two non-conflicting jutsu simultaneously."

With that, Kyoichi gave a demonstration.

First, Earth Spear. Then, his entire body became enveloped in Wind Release chakra. And finally—

Boom!

A single punch shattered a roadside boulder into pieces.

"If she could do that, she wouldn't need to ask you for advice."

Tsunade was speechless.

Three jutsu at once?

That was an incredibly advanced level of chakra control.

"It's just maintaining two at the same time. If she can do that, she can work her way up to three, then more, step by step."

"Yes!"

Shizune nodded firmly.

No harm in trying!

Even this brief bit of teaching earned Kyoichi a bit of proficiency.

Not a bad deal—just a few words, barely took any time, and he got free experience out of it.

---

"Shizune, help me tidy up the house this afternoon. We're moving back."

"Huh?"

Shizune froze.

Weren't we staying at Kyoichi-sama place?

The Kanda house wasn't huge, but it had enough space for three people. She had slept well there last night, and since they were only staying temporarily, she hadn't thought it was necessary to clean up Tsunade's house.

"You're coming. No more questions. Or do you plan to keep living at his place?"

Tsunade shot her a look.

"Well… it wouldn't be a bad idea…" Shizune mumbled hesitantly.

"Hmm?"

"Just stay at my place," Kyoichi said casually. "I live alone anyway, so it's a bit boring. Besides, there's always someone at your house."

Tsunade blinked. Then, she quickly used sensory perception to check—

And instantly, she was speechless.

This kid…

Shadow Clone training? Seriously?

He never failed to surprise her.

"Fine, we're not moving then."

But Kyōichi understood what that meant.

If it was just a temporary stay, Tsunade wouldn't have even considered moving back.

But the fact that she thought about it… meant she had no intention of leaving anymore.

He wasn't sure what changed her mind, but he had a feeling it had something to do with him.

…Had he moved her?

Kyoichi fell into thought.

Well, whatever.

Tsunade staying in Konoha was a good thing. If she could take over as Hokage earlier, even better.

Not that Minato wasn't qualified—

Kyoichi believed Minato would make a fine Hokage. But compared to the old schemers running the village, his experience and political skill weren't enough.

In the end, it would likely turn into a scenario where one Hokage sat in office while three advisors and Konoha's "darkness" pulled the strings.

Only Tsunade had the strength to suppress them.

But—

If she wanted to become Hokage, she couldn't just sidestep her problems. Tsunade had to properly overcome her hemophobia. Otherwise, that weakness would eventually come back to haunt her.

Thinking of this, Kyoichi flipped through the medical books in Konoha's library—

Only to find that the village didn't have anything on psychological treatment.

No wonder so many people here are mentally unstable.

---

The next morning—

"Tsunade-nee, I had trouble sleeping last night, and I realized something."

"Hm?"

"Studying medicine won't save Konoha."

"…Huh??" Tsunade frowned, confused.

Kyoichi explained his thoughts.

"Konoha's medical ninjutsu is already highly advanced. These days, a lot of ninja losses aren't due to physical injuries, but psychological trauma…"

At first, Tsunade was skeptical.

But as Kyoichi continued, her expression gradually became serious.

She had noticed these issues before. But she had never truly paid them much attention.

Now, hearing Kyoichi lay it out clearly, she realized—he had a point.

Physically, Konoha's medical skills were the best in the ninja world.

But psychologically, they had done almost no research at all.

That was a huge gap!

"For example, one of the most tragic cases—Sakumo-senpai. If someone had properly counseled him, given him psychological treatment, we might still have another powerful shinobi in the village."

"Sakumo's case was complicated… but yes, the old man didn't handle it well."

Tsunade sighed.

But then—

She thought of Kakashi.

That kid was a mess. If they were going to study psychological treatment, he'd be one of the first ones who needed help.

And then… there was herself.

Tsunade took a deep breath and said, "You have a point. This is a form of medical treatment. The next stage of medical ninjutsu should be psychological healing!"

"Tsunade-nee, you should take the lead on researching and implementing it."

"…Huh? You little brat, don't think you can just push this onto me. This was your idea."

"I don't have the time to research it. If you really want to give me credit, just put my name on the papers."

Kyoichi shook his head.

He wanted Tsunade to take charge—not just to help her gain more recognition and solidify her position, but because he was simply too busy.

All he could do was share the psychology knowledge he had learned in his past life.

As for actually developing a proper mental health system?

That was up to Tsunade.

****************************

Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.

p@treon/GodDragcell