Lady Tsunade unceremoniously shut down Kamishiro's forced science lecture. She utterly refused to accept this kind of mental bombardment. Her intuition told her the things he was saying might technically be correct, but to her, they were completely meaningless.
All she needed to know was that Kamishiro absolutely did not know Magnet Style.
Kamishiro sheepishly snapped his mouth shut. Everyone has an inner educator yearning to spread scientific literacy; having his interrupted was honestly a little hurtful.
Well, he was currently an injured patient anyway.
"Anyway," Tsunade continued, "your performance on the battlefield that night was excellent. Tactically, you did me a massive favor, and you essentially stabilized Konoha's strategic position on this front. You went far above and beyond the duties of a Genin. As the commander of this warzone, consider it a personal favor I owe you."
Owed a favor? That sounds a bit too vague. Can we get something practical? Kamishiro thought helplessly. Of course, as long as he had a functioning brain, he wasn't going to say something so blatantly greedy out loud.
But to his surprise, Tsunade didn't deal in empty promises.
"Kushina mentioned you like learning all sorts of high-level ninjutsu," Tsunade said. "Is there anything else you want to learn? If I know it, I'll teach it to you. If I don't, as long as it's a Konoha jutsu—even a high-level forbidden jutsu—I can get it for you. Consider my debt paid."
"..."
Kamishiro froze. A blank check for any high-level jutsu?! But what should he learn from Tsunade?
"Let me be clear: you only get one," Tsunade added.
Kamishiro nodded. He understood. Even with an offer like this, he couldn't push his luck too far. Besides, he had already stolen... ahem, acquired quite a few high-level jutsu. Since Tsunade herself was right here, it was best to learn her unique specialty.
And what was Tsunade most famous for? Medical Ninjutsu! Kamishiro was genuinely drooling over the idea. If for no other reason, it could save his life in a pinch. Just imagine: if he possessed Tsunade's absurd self-healing ability after getting beaten up so badly this time, how awesome would that be? At the very least, he wouldn't end up passed out for three days straight.
However, Tsunade instantly read exactly what he wanted from his unsatisfied face.
"Don't even think about it. You aren't suited for Medical Ninjutsu," she shot him down instantly. "Even if you are a genius at learning normal jutsu, medical techniques require a specific natural talent. And you were born completely incompatible with it."
"It's not that you can't learn it, but you'll never master it. With your learning speed, memorizing a medical jutsu probably wouldn't be an issue, but your actual healing output would be terrible. That means even if a jutsu is originally A-rank in healing, in your hands, it would probably just operate at a D-rank... So, if you want to learn Medical Ninjutsu, don't bother me. Just find a book and teach yourself."
Kamishiro was a bit confused. He knew Tsunade wasn't just brushing him off, but how did she know he'd suck at it when he hadn't even started learning?
Tsunade quickly gave her explanation. "Generally speaking, the ninja with the highest natural talent for Medical Ninjutsu are those born with a Water chakra affinity. Next is Earth, then Wind, then Fire, and dead last... is Lightning."
"Do you understand now?"
Lightning chakra, full of stimulating and violently corrosive properties, naturally clashed with the soothing nature of Medical Ninjutsu. The more proficient a ninja was at playing with lightning, the lower their compatibility with medical techniques.
And Kamishiro's Lightning Release? It was as proficient as it gets.
He instantly understood. By Tsunade's logic, his absolute mastery over lightning meant it would be extremely difficult for him to ever master Medical Ninjutsu. For a student destined to be a half-baked medic at best, Tsunade felt there was no need to waste her effort teaching him, so she told him to go read a book.
Since the industry's leading expert had spoken, Kamishiro swallowed his disappointment and gave up on the idea.
Looked like he was never going to be a battlefield medic in this lifetime.
But with that option eliminated, he didn't have to hesitate anymore. He had one other specific jutsu he wanted from Tsunade.
Super Strength?
Of course not. Tsunade's punches hit like meteors, but that wasn't Kamishiro's fighting style. He used lightning to violently pierce his enemies; he didn't need brute force to punch craters into people when a high-voltage stab worked just fine.
What he wanted was...
"The Summoning Jutsu."
More accurately, he wanted the Katsuyu summoning contract.
Yes, Kamishiro had his eyes set on Tsunade's personal summon: Katsuyu of the Shikkotsu Forest.
Tsunade was visibly taken aback. She hadn't expected him to pick that.
"Are you sure? It's not that I can't teach you, but Kushina told me you just caught several incredibly powerful wild Summoning Beasts. Wasn't that the whole reason you ended up in this miserable state?"
It was exactly because he had caught those powerful beasts that Kamishiro wanted to learn Tsunade's Summoning Jutsu so badly.
But he didn't explain in detail. Instead, he said with absolute certainty, "I'm sure."
If Tsunade was really willing to let him sign the contract, Kamishiro felt he was getting a massive bargain. A Boss-level summon like Katsuyu—if someone didn't give him the VIP access, where would he even go to find her?
Seeing Kamishiro nod so resolutely, Tsunade didn't dawdle. If he wanted it, he could have it. There was no reason she couldn't teach him.
She immediately called for Shizune and had her bring out the Summoning Scroll.
Nowadays, all of Tsunade's important personal items, as well as her sealing scrolls and forbidden jutsu records, were managed by Shizune.
Soon, Shizune lugged out the massive scroll.
Kamishiro took it. The physical weight of the parchment was substantial.
Unrolling it himself, Kamishiro knew the procedure, but he didn't rush to sign his name. Instead, he curiously scanned the signatures already inked on the parchment.
The first one he recognized was Tsunade's. There weren't many names signed above hers. Kamishiro was actually looking specifically to see if the First Hokage's name was on it...
But he really couldn't find it on this scroll.
Having confirmed that, he readily bit his thumb, decisively signed his name in blood, and pressed his five bloody fingerprints onto the parchment.
And with that, the ritual was complete. He didn't rush to attempt a test summon right then and there.
Once it was done, Tsunade promptly shooed him away, acting as if Kamishiro had genuinely been interrupting her workflow.
Kamishiro's primary objective in learning this specific Summoning Jutsu wasn't actually about utilizing Katsuyu herself, but something else entirely.
When people acquire incredibly rare and precious things, their first reaction is often a paranoid fear that someone else will snatch them away. Naturally, they have to carefully hide their new treasures...
Kamishiro was exactly like this. He was acting incredibly stingy and possessive.
Three days ago, the four wild beasts he had forcefully contracted were left standing in that bizarre dimension in the Land of Rain. He couldn't shake the feeling that leaving them in enemy territory was unsafe. The Uzumaki sealing contract was powerful, but who was to say there wasn't an even stronger method of controlling Summoning Beasts out there?
He was terrified someone was going to kidnap his new pet dogs. Naturally, he wanted to find a secure place to hide them.
And Tsunade just happened to be here. Didn't that mean he had a ready-made, highly secure vault called the Shikkotsu Forest right in front of him?
So, Kamishiro's grand master plan was to stash his little dogs and mutant birds in the Shikkotsu Forest for safekeeping.
The Shikkotsu Forest only housed a single entity—Katsuyu. And compared to the psychotic Manda or the grumpy Gamabunta, Katsuyu was famous for being an absolute sweetheart. So, if he just borrowed a tiny little corner of her legendary forest to build a doghouse, she probably wouldn't mind, right?
Yeah, there was definitely room for negotiation.
As for whether his mutant dogs would suffer from climate shock in a slug forest? He honestly hadn't considered that biological variable at all. Total asset security came first!