Chapter 18: 18 - Medical Genius
"An eye for an eye will never stop the cycle of hatred."
"But love can."
That's so cringe... But for the point!
A gentle smile appeared on Shiratori's face.
It was the kind of compassion that could embrace all hatred and resentment. From his eyes, one could truly feel warmth. Warmth for every person around him.
Feeling her blood racing and her heart beating rapidly, Tsunade frowned deeply.
"If I just stand by and let people die, their children will bear the pain of losing their parents, which turns into hatred."
"If this keeps going, when will war ever end?"
A distant look flickered in Shiratori's eyes, and he spoke quietly, "When I was little, I got lost in the forest. My parents would always find me and lead me out. I believe that my parents, who have already passed on, wouldn't want to see me lost again in a forest of hatred. And I don't want to see others go through the pain of losing loved ones like I did."
"Because I went through it. I know how much it hurts. That's why I don't want anyone else to suffer the same pain I did."
Tsunade's lips parted slightly as she stared at the child before her. She was overwhelmed, unable to describe the impact of what she had just heard.
A single thought echoed in her mind: Truly remarkable!
There probably weren't many ninjas in the entire shinobi world who could say something like that. Perhaps it was precisely because he had suffered so much that this child, who had lost everything to war, had thought deeply and matured in ways most never would.
"I'm willing to teach you medical ninjutsu," she said without hesitation.
Only someone like this could truly make medical ninjutsu shine. Because he carried something precious, genuine compassion.
That was the rarest thing of all.
Jiraiya smiled.
He knew it, no one could say no to Shiratori. Because he was a child so genuinely kind, he could move people to tears.
Shiratori had successfully earned Tsunade's approval.
"Alright!" Jiraiya stood up, a bright smile on his face. "Let's begin today's training."
He looked at Shiratori. "Even though you'll be learning medical ninjutsu, let's first master today's regular technique."
Tsunade immediately frowned and glared at him, expressing her displeasure. "He should be spending the entire day learning medical ninjutsu with me!"
Medical ninjutsu was far more difficult to learn than regular ninjutsu. It made more sense to dedicate extra time to it.
Jiraiya tried to soothe her, patting her shoulder and winking, "Relax. It won't take long."
Tsunade thought Jiraiya had lost his mind. Learning a ninjutsu could take anywhere from a month to half a year, or even years.
How could it be as easy as he claimed?
However, when Tsunade, standing by the sea, personally witnessed Shiratori effortlessly replicate the technique Jiraiya had just demonstrated, her expression suddenly turned serious.
"What's going on?"
She was full of questions.
Not only had Shiratori instantly replicated the ninjutsu Jiraiya had performed, but there was something even more puzzling, she hadn't sensed any chakra from this child at all.
Jiraiya nodded at her and beckoned Shiratori over. He ran toward them and obediently stood to the side.
"This is what I wanted to tell you."
He ruffled the boy's hair and said, "This kid's talent is astonishing. Any ninjutsu, he only needs to see it once to master it instantly."
Tsunade looked back and forth between Jiraiya and Shiratori, her gaze filled with disbelief. Even Orochimaru, who was hailed as a genius, couldn't do something this incredible. This was already beyond what the word "genius" could describe.
"But… he has no chakra."
"What?!"
As soon as Jiraiya finished speaking, Tsunade widened her eyes in shock. "How is that possible?"
Learning ninjutsu without chakra?
That was completely absurd, like something out of a fairy tale.
"It's true. He has no chakra in his body, but instead, he possesses another kind of energy. That energy is powerful, it can support him in using ninjutsu, and its strength is in no way inferior to chakra."
Jiraiya's serious tone made it clear he wasn't joking. Tsunade's mind was in turmoil. Even though such a thing was unheard of, the truth was right in front of her eyes, she had no choice but to accept it.
She lowered her gaze and looked at Shiratori. In the end, she decided not to get caught up in the question for now.
She had Jiraiya catch a basket of fish. The fish flopped around wildly in the basket. She grabbed a live one, pulled a kunai from her ninja tool pouch, and made a long cut across its belly.
A green glow appeared on her palm. She instinctively wanted to explain the detailed chakra control involved in medical ninjutsu to Shiratori, but then she remembered: he didn't have chakra.
She froze, at a loss for words.
After all, she knew nothing about the mysterious energy inside him.
So instead, she simply demonstrated, allowing him to watch as the wound on the fish's belly quickly healed under the influence of her chakra.
"..."
At that moment, Jiraiya reached into the basket, pulled out another fish, made a similar cut, and motioned for Shiratori to try.
Shiratori smiled at him.
Jiraiya really understands me.
He placed his hand on the fish's belly, and that familiar sensation once again stirred from within his body.
Before long, a green light appeared on his palm as well.
The fish's belly began to gradually heal. His copy technique was that powerful.
The system had automatically recognized Tsunade's medical ninjutsu as a replicable technique, and had fully copied it based on her execution.
The result was exactly what he now demonstrated. Even though the green glow from his hand wasn't chakra, it was cursed energy.
Wait, something felt off!
He furrowed his brow.
The Mystical Palm Technique was an A-rank ninjutsu. His copy technique was only supposed to replicate techniques up to A-rank.
So how did he manage to replicate an A-rank technique?
Could it be…
[Copy Status: UPDATED]
[Current Progress: 45.002%]
[Replication Capability: S-rank techniques and below]
Just as he suspected. As his progress increased, the level of ninjutsu he could copy had also risen.
Tsunade stared in astonishment at the fish's completely healed belly.
Was this even possible?
She knew better than anyone how difficult medical ninjutsu was to master. Medical ninjutsu required incredibly precise chakra control and a deep understanding of anatomy, few ninjas could reach that level, which was why medical ninjas were always in short supply in the shinobi world.
And this child… succeeded on his very first try?
She even began to wonder if she was dreaming.
It felt completely unrealistic.
She looked over at Jiraiya, who was still holding a wriggling fish. Seeing the amused look in his eyes, she felt her heart sink.
So… he had already anticipated this would happen?
"Medical ninjutsu is amazing, Tsunade-sensei!"
Tsunade's shock was interrupted by Shiratori's excited voice.
She was taken aback by how he addressed her, but seeing the joyful light in the child's eyes, she didn't correct him, silently accepting the title.
"I won't let your teaching go to waste!"
Shiratori looked at her.
All the swirling emotions in Tsunade's heart gradually settled at that moment. A gentle smile appeared on her face, unbidden. She had begun to look forward to this child's future.