As he spoke, Ren pulled over a scrap sheet of paper and quickly sketched a few simple diagrams.
His movements were smooth and efficient. A few lines marked the stomach, liver, spleen, and the major blood vessels branching through the abdominal cavity. It was a rough drawing, but it was clear enough to make the relationships easy to understand at a glance.
Rin leaned closer almost immediately.
The confusion on her face vanished, replaced by dawning understanding.
"Ah… so that's how it works!"
Her eyes brightened at once, and she looked genuinely relieved.
"Thank you, Ren."
"You're welcome."
Ren handed the paper to her casually, but before Rin could lower her head to fix her notes, she suddenly froze.
Then she looked up again.
This time, her expression held open surprise.
"Wait a second…"
Rin blinked at him. "Ren, do you actually remember all of that so clearly? I didn't even see you take notes during class."
Ren paused.
Before he could answer, Momogi, who had been listening from the side, leaned over with visible curiosity.
"Hey, you're Ren, right?" he asked, narrowing his eyes a little. "Where did you learn all that? I've been in this training course for over half a year, and even I can't explain it that clearly."
Ren didn't look especially proud of himself.
Instead, he shrugged as if it were nothing remarkable.
"I read a lot when I'm free," he said. "I've borrowed plenty of books from the Konoha Library over the years. It's all theoretical knowledge, though. I haven't had much practical experience. So really, it's just empty talk on paper."
He said it lightly, almost dismissively.
But neither Rin nor Momogi looked convinced that it was something so simple.
At that moment, Obito—who had been sitting off to the side, unable to join the conversation—finally saw an opportunity to force himself back into it.
He straightened up at once.
"Hmph, what's so difficult about that?" he said loudly. "It's just blood flow through the body, right? I could understand it at a glance! Rin, if you asked me, I could explain it clearly too!"
There was a brief silence.
Rin slowly turned to look at him.
Her expression became serious, though her voice remained as gentle as ever.
"Obito-kun," she said patiently, "I saw you zoning out during the whole class. I just didn't say anything because I didn't want to disturb everyone."
Obito stiffened.
Rin continued, still speaking softly, but every word landed with painful accuracy.
"Basic knowledge is very important. You can't just stop listening because something feels difficult. If you don't learn carefully now, how are you supposed to help anyone in the future?"
Obito's shoulders instantly drooped.
"I… I wasn't zoning out…"
To be fair, Obito really hadn't been daydreaming.
He had spent nearly the entire lecture staring at Rin's profile with full concentration, his attention far more focused on her than on anatomy.
It was only because Rin was kind by nature that she hadn't called him out directly. If she had said that out loud in front of everyone, Obito probably would have combusted from embarrassment on the spot.
Ren glanced at him once, then quietly looked away.
He had no intention of saving Obito from that one.
There were still several minutes left in the break.
Ren stood up from his seat.
"I'm going to walk around for a bit."
Rin looked up from her notes. "Hm? Outside?"
"Yeah," Ren said. "Might as well get familiar with the hospital layout while we're here. It'll be useful later."
That was true.
But there was another reason as well.
He wanted to see whether wandering around Konoha Hospital might trigger another encounter task.
So far, the system had been unpredictable. Sometimes it responded to people, sometimes to techniques, and sometimes to opportunities hidden in ordinary places. Since he was already here, it would be a waste not to explore a little.
He slipped out of the classroom and headed into the corridor.
Konoha Hospital was larger than it looked from outside. The hallways were clean and bright, the polished floors reflecting the sunlight streaming through the windows. Medical staff moved quickly from room to room, some carrying files, others trays of medicine, and still others escorting injured patients.
That sharp scent of disinfectant lingered everywhere, mixed with the earthy bitterness of herbs and medicinal paste.
Ren walked at an unhurried pace, quietly taking in the surroundings.
He passed several wards, treatment rooms, storage areas, and a side corridor that seemed to lead toward the emergency section.
Unfortunately, no system prompt appeared.
No encounter.
No task.
No special reward.
Still, the trip wasn't completely pointless.
As he turned near a corner, he heard voices from nearby.
"…There've been a lot more wounded coming in from the southwest border lately."
The speaker was a medical ninja in a white coat, her face drawn with worry.
Another person beside her gave a low sigh.
"It's hard to say what's happening. Information like that doesn't reach people at our level." He lowered his voice. "But it feels bad. We've only had peace for a few years, and now this starts again…"
His expression darkened.
"If war really breaks out, it won't just be a few wounded. A lot of people are going to die. Can't the villages just leave each other alone for once?"
Their worry felt real.
Exhausted.
Bitter.
Before either of them could continue, a younger man lounging nearby waved a hand dismissively.
"Come on, don't talk like that. We're ninja. Casualties during missions are normal, aren't they?"
He grinned as if trying to sound profound.
"Death isn't scary. Death is a cool summer night, offering a worry-free sleep…"
The response came immediately.
"Sleep your ass!"
The older medic snapped and shoved him hard on the shoulder.
"Didn't anyone in your family die in the last war?"
The younger man's grin vanished at once.
"Hey, why are you cursing at me all of a sudden? Stop hitting me! If you hit me again, I'm fighting back!"
"What, you think I'm afraid of you?"
The argument escalated so quickly that Ren took one silent step backward.
Then another.
By the time the first shove became an actual scuffle, he had already retreated out of sight.
He had no desire to get dragged into a fight between overworked medical ninja.
As he made his way back toward the classroom, Ren's face grew more thoughtful.
As a transmigrator, he already knew something most people around him did not.
The Third Great Ninja War would break out within the next few years.
That much was certain.
He also knew that the battle at Kannabi Bridge—when Obito and Kakashi were around twelve—would become one of the major signs that the war was nearing its end.
But as for the exact day it would begin?
That was impossible to predict.
The entire conflict had been chaos. The Five Great Nations and smaller countries like the Land of Rain had all been entangled in shifting alliances, border disputes, proxy battles, and overlapping grudges. Everyone fought everyone, directly or indirectly. Trying to assign one clean cause to it was basically meaningless.
And that thought led him, as it often did lately, to his father.
In this life, his father had been stationed at a border outpost for a long time.
Was he still alive?
Ren had no answer.
He returned to the classroom.
Rin was still bent over her notebook, carefully revising the sections he had explained to her.
Obito was still sneaking glances at her whenever he thought no one would notice.
Momogi had opened his textbook again and was reviewing quietly.
Ren sat back down in his seat without saying anything.
The medical training course was different from the Ninja Academy.
At the academy, the same teachers usually taught fixed subjects in an orderly structure. But here, most instructors were part-time staff drawn from Konoha Hospital itself. Their schedules changed depending on availability, and even the same subject might be taught by different people on different days.
The previous teacher, who had handled anatomy, had already rushed off the moment the lesson ended.
When the fifteen-minute break was over, the classroom door opened again.
A woman walked in.
She had blonde hair, a calm and gentle aura, and black-rimmed glasses that gave her an intellectual air. In her arms, she carried two small white rabbits. Her steps were unhurried, and for some reason, the atmosphere in the room seemed to soften the moment she entered.
The instant Ren saw her, he froze for half a heartbeat.
…Her?
The woman came to a stop behind the podium and offered the class a small, warm smile.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Nono Yakushi."
Her voice was soft and clear, like warm water flowing over stone.
"I am currently in charge of the Konoha Orphanage, and I also work part-time here at Konoha Hospital. I'll be teaching the second session today: basic pharmacology."
Ren stared at her for a moment longer.
It really was her.
Nono Yakushi.
A Konoha ninja skilled in medical ninjutsu.
In the future, she would be remembered by very different names and through very different tragedies. But right now, she looked exactly like what everyone in the room saw: a gentle woman with patient eyes, a mild smile, and hands that seemed made for healing.
At this point in time, she should have only recently left Root.
If that was true, then taking on part-time hospital work and caring for the orphanage made perfect sense. The orphanage would always need money, medicine, food, clothing, and a hundred other things no one outside ever thought about.
Ren's mind flickered briefly to another child connected to her future.
Kabuto.
Had he arrived at the orphanage yet?
Probably not.
Or maybe not for long, if he had.
He didn't dwell on it.
At the front of the room, Nono had already begun teaching.
Compared to the previous anatomy lecture, her style was much easier to follow.
She explained the properties and uses of several common medicines in a clear, steady rhythm, moving from ingredients to effects, from dosage to method of preparation, and then to practical alternatives that could be used when standard supplies were unavailable.
Even students with weak academic foundations could more or less keep up.
Rin listened with the same serious concentration as before, writing quickly.
Momogi nodded along several times, clearly approving of the lecture's structure.
Even Obito, who had spent most of the last class mentally checking out, looked up and listened for a while this time.
Nono's way of speaking had that effect.
She made difficult things feel approachable.
After covering the theory, she gently placed one of the rabbits on the table.
"Now," she said, "let's use a simple example to compare the effects of medicine and medical ninjutsu."
She picked up a jar from the desk.
"This is a basic flesh-regenerating ointment. It promotes healing by gently stimulating tissue regeneration."
Then, with practiced calm, she used a small blade to make a cut on the hind leg of the rabbit, targeting an area near the femoral artery.
The rabbit struggled in fright.
Several students stiffened visibly.
Rin's brows drew together, though she didn't look away.
Obito grimaced.
Nono remained composed as she treated the wound with the ointment.
A few minutes passed.
Gradually, the bleeding slowed.
Then the wound began to close and scab over.
The room grew quieter.
Nono set down the first rabbit and lifted the second one.
"This time," she said, "we'll compare it with direct medical ninjutsu."
Again, she made a similar incision.
This time, as soon as the rabbit bled, she brought both hands over the wound.
A soft green light blossomed from her palms.
It wasn't bright enough to be harsh, nor faint enough to miss. It was a gentle, living glow, like sunlight filtered through leaves in spring.
"Whoa…"
Someone in the classroom whispered without meaning to.
By then, nearly everyone had stood up and crowded forward to watch more closely.
Ren moved with them, stepping nearer with Rin and Momogi until he had a clear view of Nono's hands.
The healing process unfolded right before their eyes.
The torn flesh knit together at a visible speed. The bleeding stopped almost immediately. Damaged tissue smoothed and closed beneath that soft green chakra, leaving only the faintest mark behind.
There was something deeply reassuring about the sight.
No wonder medical ninjutsu inspired awe.
Used properly, it could drag someone back from the edge of death.
At that moment, the familiar voice of the system rang out in Ren's mind.
[Ding! High-quality potential capture target detected: "Healing Technique." Limited-time Encounter Task triggered!]
Ren's pupils narrowed slightly.
The system continued.
[Inside the pharmacology classroom of Konoha Hospital, a mature woman radiating a gentle glow has entered your field of vision. She is surrounded by a soothing healing power, like the warm spring sun. Please decide whether to establish initial contact with her.]
[Yes / No]
Ren kept his face perfectly calm.
But inside, his thoughts sharpened instantly.
So the target this time wasn't just Nono Yakushi as a person.
It was also the Healing Technique itself.
That made sense.
Medical ninjutsu was one of the most practical and valuable abilities in the ninja world, and the Healing Technique was its foundation. If the system recognized it as a high-quality target, then the potential rewards might be even greater than usual.
Still, Ren didn't rush.
He watched Nono continue the demonstration with steady hands and peaceful composure.
The green light reflected in his eyes.
This was not a moment to act carelessly.
If he wanted to establish contact, it had to be natural.
Reasonable.
Not suspicious.
Around him, the students were still murmuring in amazement.
Rin's eyes shone with admiration.
Obito looked stunned for once, his mouth slightly open.
Momogi's attention was completely fixed on the technique, as if afraid to miss even the slightest detail.
Ren lowered his gaze slightly and made his choice in silence.
Yes.
And just like that, the next thread in his path quietly began to move.
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