After bidding farewell to Hatake Kakashi, Sasuke headed toward the Konoha Library, even though it wasn't the weekend and the Ninja Academy was still in session.
But by now, he had already mastered all the Academy's curriculum. Like Uchiha Itachi, he now sent a Shadow Clone to attend classes for him, going through the motions.
'Naruto told me he's now under Chen Baojun's tutelage, starting to train in Taijutsu.'
Chen Baojun's Taijutsu skills were formidable.
While calling him the strongest Taijutsu ninja in Konoha might be a slight exaggeration, it wasn't far from the truth.
Excluding the forbidden Eight Inner Gates technique, Chen Baojun's mastery of the Konoha Steel Fist Style surpassed both Might Guy and Might Duy.
In the original timeline, Chen Baojun had effortlessly defeated Might Guy in his normal state, along with several elite ninjas.
Eventually, moved by Guy and Rock Lee's unwavering resolve, he broke free from the Impure World Reincarnation's control, his soul ascending to the heavens—one of the few ninjas during the Fourth Great Ninja War to achieve such liberation.
This demonstrated not only his immense strength but also his indomitable will.
'It seems my investment in him is about to yield some returns.'
Walking down Konoha's main street, Sasuke pondered inwardly.
Given their relationship and Naruto's personality, once he had made significant progress in his training under Chen Baojun, Naruto would undoubtedly rush to challenge him to a sparring match.
Regardless of the outcome of the spar, Sasuke could easily learn Chen Baojun's Taijutsu techniques from Naruto.
This would allow Sasuke's own Taijutsu skills to advance rapidly.
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Konoha Library
Upon arriving at the library, Sasuke moved with practiced ease into its depths. He was no stranger to this place, knowing its layout and organization like the back of his hand.
The books of this world had proven invaluable to Sasuke.
For example, the psychological knowledge he had gleaned from them had greatly informed the creation of his mind-spawn, Ido. (In the world of Naruto, psychology existed as a field of study; Sai was often seen studying such books.)
Though this world's psychology lacked the depth and sophistication of its counterpart from Sasuke's previous life, it possessed its own unique insights.
However, this visit wasn't for works on psychology or the mind. Instead, Sasuke sought books on human anatomy and medicine.
While the Ninja Academy included lessons on human anatomy, these were largely superficial, focusing primarily on identifying vital points.
To swiftly kill, subdue, or stun enemies, such systematic knowledge could only be acquired from specialized medical texts.
Gazing at the rows upon rows of bookshelves and the neatly arranged books, Sasuke paused briefly before selecting several volumes:
Human Anatomy
Human Physiology
Ophthalmology
Fundamentals of Ophthalmic Medicine
Surgical Procedures
These were all standard medical texts; the Konoha Library lacked any books on Medical Ninjutsu. Since Sasuke currently lacked the resources and conditions to study Medical Ninjutsu, he decided to start with the foundational medical knowledge of ordinary humans.
Having chosen his books, Sasuke found an empty table and sat down to study in silence.
"This book explores the normal morphological structure of the human body, falling within the field of human anatomy and serving as a foundational course in medical science," Sasuke read from the opening paragraph of Human Anatomy.
He started with the skeletal system, skimming quickly through the general overview. However, when he reached the sections on the frontal bone, cranial bones, and anterior view of the skull, he slowed down, reading each passage carefully.
It had to be said that while some books in this world were simpler and even riddled with inaccuracies compared to those from his previous life...
Strictly speaking, the technological development in this world was far from lacking. With the assistance of Chakra, advancements in biology, physics, and chemistry had reached the level of the 1950s and 60s of Sasuke's previous life.
In certain areas, such as cloning technology and robotics, they even possessed what could be considered black technology. However, the overall development path was somewhat distorted, lacking the vibrant flourishing seen in Sasuke's previous world.
Time ticked by. Sasuke had been reading intently for two hours when he sensed a gentle gaze directed at him.
He didn't look up, having detected the newcomer's presence the moment they entered the area. He already knew who it was.
"Sasuke-kun, what a coincidence!"
The owner of the gaze spoke. Sasuke followed the voice to find a silver-haired man with an ordinary appearance and round glasses standing before him.
"Senior Kabuto," Sasuke replied. "It is quite a coincidence."
The newcomer was Yakushi Kabuto, the Naruto world's ultimate tool, dream weaver, and spy within spies.
Originally a spy for Danzo, Kabuto had been snatched up by Orochimaru and later assigned to Sasori of the Red Sand.
When Sasori uncovered Orochimaru's scheme, he used a technique to turn Kabuto into his own double agent.
However, Orochimaru had long anticipated Sasori would see through his scheme, so he simply played along, continuing to use Kabuto to gather intelligence on Akatsuki.
In this layered deception, Sasori of the Red Sand operated on the second layer, while Orochimaru pulled the strings from the third.
Regardless of their respective levels, both were ultimately using Yakushi Kabuto as a mere tool.
"Senior Kabuto, are you here to research?" Sasuke asked, setting down his book. This wasn't their first meeting; they had encountered each other at least ten times over the past two years, each time under seemingly coincidental circumstances.
From their very first encounter, Sasuke had sensed that Orochimaru was watching him through Kabuto.
As Sasuke had predicted, after his crushing defeat by Uchiha Itachi two years prior, Orochimaru developed an insatiable hunger for the Sharingan.
Coupled with Kimimaro's incurable bloodline illness, leaving him helpless, Orochimaru had completely shifted his focus to Sasuke.
Through a deal with Danzo, Orochimaru had Kabuto return to Konoha as Yakushi Nonou's adopted son.
This allowed him to observe Sasuke up close while also stealing intelligence from Konoha.
One had to admit, Yakushi Kabuto possessed exceptional espionage talent.
His gentle, harmless demeanor and unexpected encounters made him an ideal spy.
If Sasuke hadn't known about Yakushi Kabuto beforehand, he might have genuinely been deceived by this guy.
"There haven't been any missions in the village lately, so I came to the library to look around," Kabuto said with a gentle smile, pushing up his glasses. He glanced casually at the books beside Sasuke and chuckled, "Sasuke-kun, are you planning to become a medical ninja?"
"Not exactly," Sasuke replied with a faint smile, his tone as warm and approachable as if he were speaking to a friendly senior who enjoyed helping others.
"I've heard that studying Medical Ninjutsu can enhance one's Chakra control. I've reached a bottleneck in my Chakra control, and I'm hoping to make some breakthroughs in Medical Ninjutsu. Plus, mastering Medical Ninjutsu would greatly benefit my future career as a ninja."
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