A week passed in the blink of an eye. On Saturday morning, Senba sat on the sofa, holding a notebook on the basic theory of Medical Ninjutsu. Tsunade had sent it over a few days ago, telling him to read it in advance so he wouldn't be completely clueless during their lessons.
He was so engrossed in his reading that he didn't even notice the door being pushed open.
"Kid, look up!" A familiar voice rang out, carrying a hearty tone of amusement.
Senba looked up and saw Tsunade striding in.
She was dressed casually today, wearing a grey short-sleeved top and black Ninja pants. Her long blonde hair was left loose, swaying gently with her footsteps.
What caught his attention most was the live fish in her hand.
It struggled, its tail thrashing and splashing a few drops of water.
Tsunade walked over to the coffee table and dropped the fish. It flopped a couple of times on the table before quieting down, its gills opening and closing.
Senba looked at the fish with hesitation. "Lady Tsunade, this is..."
"A teaching tool."
Tsunade sat down opposite him and crossed her legs. "Medical Ninjutsu requires a subject to practice on. A live fish is best; it can recover if injured, and once healed, you can continue practicing. If all else fails, you can even eat it."
As she spoke, she reached out and poked the fish, causing it to flop a couple more times.
Senba nodded, accepting this explanation.
This past week, he had barely left the house. For the five days of classes at the Ninja Academy, he had used a Shadow Clone to stand in for him while his real body stayed home. Except for necessary rest, he had spent almost all his time in the study.
He had mastered all five Genjutsu, ranging from D-Rank to B-Rank.
He had also learned a few Fire Release techniques: the C-Rank Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, Dragon Fire Technique, and the B-Rank Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson.
Combined with the dynamic vision of his Sharingan, the accuracy and power of these Jutsu were significantly higher than those used by ordinary Ninja.
As for Mikoto, she had been diligently studying these past few days but had only mastered one C-Rank Genjutsu.
However, her Jonin instructor had come to find her yesterday, saying they had accepted a C-Rank Mission.
Senba originally didn't want Mikoto to go. The missions were for earning money, but they already had forty million Ryo at home, and with their parents' pensions combined, they had over fifty million.
Although forty million had been given to Setsuna to purchase a ninja sword, the remaining money was more than enough for them to live on for a long time.
Rather than spending time on those low-paying missions, it was better to stay home and focus on learning Ninjutsu and improving their strength.
However, Mikoto felt that since they had been together for a month, it was better to say goodbye to her teammates. She would accompany them on one last mission, and after that, would stay home to focus on learning Ninjutsu.
...
Tsunade leaned back on the sofa, eyeing Senba.
"How was your week? Still using the Shadow Clone for school?"
Seeing him nod, Tsunade smiled before remembering something. "By the way, I practiced the techniques you taught me for a few days, and I felt I had them down, so I went to the casino last night to try them out..."
A helpless smile appeared on her face.
"And guess what happened?"
Senba looked at her and already knew the result from her expression.
Tsunade sighed, "I lost. I lost one million Ryo."
She clenched her fist and continued, "I just don't understand. I used all those techniques—observation, judgment, psychological warfare—I used them all, but I just couldn't win."
She spread her hands, her expression complex. "I don't know if I should say it's bad luck, a terrible fate, or if losing every bet has simply become some kind of law for me."
Senba was silent for a moment before asking, "So, you came to see me today because you want to..."
"Change the agreement."
Tsunade sat up straight, her expression becoming a bit more serious.
"The three conditions we agreed upon earlier: you teach me Gambling Techniques, I accompany you to the casino once, and at the same time, I teach you Medical Ninjutsu. If your Medical Ninjutsu is up to standard, I will help you rise quickly through the ranks at Konoha Hospital.
You've already taught me the Gambling Techniques, so the first condition is complete."
Tsunade continued, "The second condition remains unchanged. As long as your Medical Ninjutsu is up to standard, I can directly help you get a promotion at Konoha Hospital."
Tsunade was not yet the director of Konoha Hospital, only the deputy director. However, the positions at Konoha Hospital were on par with the Medical Department, fully known as the Medical Ninja Squad.
The deputy director of Konoha Hospital was the deputy captain of the Medical Ninja Squad, a position equivalent to the deputy captain of the Police Force or the Anbu.
Her superior was Utatane Koharu, a classmate of the Third Hokage. Although her Medical Ninjutsu was not as good as Tsunade's, she was still at the Jonin level.
As soon as Sarutobi Sasuke and Senju Momoka stepped down from their positions as Hokage Advisor, she and Homura Mitokado, who was in charge of the Administrative Department, would together take over as Hokage Advisor.
By then, Tsunade would be the director of Konoha Hospital and the captain of the Medical Ninja Squad, effectively the person in charge of Konoha's Medical Ninja Squad.
She paused and continued, "What needs to change is the first condition. I hope..."
She looked at Senba in anticipation.
"For every day you learn Medical Ninjutsu from me, you accompany me to the casino once and help me win every single bet!"
Senba was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but smile bitterly. For every day of learning, accompany her to the casino once?
He thought about the deal for a moment and started to bargain.
"You teach me Medical Ninjutsu for three days, and I accompany you to the casino once," Senba said. "Once a day is too frequent; I still have school, and I need to practice Ninjutsu."
Tsunade blinked, seemingly calculating, then nodded casually.
"Fine, once every three days."
She didn't really care; as long as she went once and won a lot of money, it would be enough to cover her losses for a long time.
Moreover, she didn't believe Senba could learn all her Medical Ninjutsu in a short period.
Medical Ninjutsu was something that relied most on talent and time. She had spent so many years learning from her master that she had only reached her current level.
No matter how talented Senba was, Tsunade didn't believe he could surpass her.
"Alright, let's start the lesson." Tsunade clapped her hands.
"The foundation of Medical Ninjutsu is precise Chakra control. The C-Rank Healing Technique is an entry-level Medical Ninjutsu. I will demonstrate it for you first..."
As soon as Tsunade finished speaking, Senba raised his right hand, covered in a faint green glow.
"You..." Tsunade looked at him in shock, momentarily speechless.