"Of course." Shinichi nodded.
The Murakumo that Shinku referred to was Murakumo Kurama.
"Let's go, senior Shinku. We'll discuss it in the conference room. Bring senior Murakumo as well. Kurenai, Shizune, prepare to take notes."
"Yes!"
The two girls immediately put away their relaxed expressions and swiftly entered work mode.
A short while later, in the conference room on the fifth floor of the headquarters building, Shinku Yuhi and Murakumo Kurama stood side by side before an upright whiteboard, which already had several ideas and keywords written on it.
Shinku Yuhi cleared his throat and began.
"Ever since the President assigned us that task, I've been thinking about it. As Genjutsu-type ninja, aside from confusing enemies and creating opportunities on the battlefield, what else can we do? So I tried starting from the most fundamental nature of Genjutsu."
He picked up a marker and wrote the large characters "Genjutsu" on the whiteboard, then drew an arrow beside them, pointing to the word "Psychology".
"The essence of Genjutsu is Dark Style Ninjutsu that interferes with a target's five senses through chakra, causing them to fall into illusions. Conventional applications of Genjutsu are nothing more than creating fear, confusion, intimidation, and interrogation, causing enemies to lose their composure. In the end, all of these are used for combat, or more accurately, they exist to serve combat."
Shinku Yuhi paused, seemingly considering his wording before continuing.
"But what if Genjutsu were used to show people beautiful things? What if it weren't used to intimidate, but to comfort?"
"The President mentioned this to me before as well. We, ninja, experience too much killing during wars and missions and witness too much death. Without realizing it, psychological problems begin to emerge. The only difference is the severity of those mental wounds."
"Physical injuries can be healed through Medical Ninjutsu, but what about psychological trauma? Those lingering nightmares, the dazed confusion after waking in the middle of the night, the guilt of helplessness, none of these can be cured by any Medical Ninjutsu."
"They can only be overcome by the individuals themselves, or through the encouragement of companions around them."
Hearing this, Shizune's pen paused slightly as she was taking notes, and she could not help nodding.
No one knew whether she had thought of a certain woman whose Medical Ninjutsu was considered the best in the Shinobi World, yet who herself suffered from psychological problems.
"During this war, I've personally seen many comrades suffer from insomnia, nightmares, depression, and similar conditions. Many of them don't even realize something is wrong. They simply think they're not strong enough, that they're weak."
At this point, Shinku Yuhi let out a breath.
"And these are precisely the areas that Genjutsu ninjas can reach. Genjutsu itself can directly affect a person's senses and subconscious. those traumatic memories that even the victims themselves cannot put into words may perhaps be touched, guided, and reconstructed through a gentler approach using Genjutsu."
"That was why I approached Murakumo. Together, we continued developing this line of thought. The more we discussed it, the more we felt it might truly be feasible. Especially since the Kurama Clan, to which Murakumo belongs, is famous for Genjutsu and possesses a Kekkei Genkai capable of manipulating the five senses. Even in particularly severe cases, it might be possible to create an appropriate and safe Genjutsu healing environment tailored to the individual."
Murakumo Kurama took over the conversation, nodding as he added, "It's just that this direction is entirely new. We're still in the exploration stage, and many details are only rough outlines. Whether it can truly be implemented remains uncertain, and there are still many problems that need to be solved."
"President, what do you think?" Shinku Yuhi asked as he looked toward Shinichi.
"I think your idea is excellent!"
Shinichi nodded and spoke approvingly.
"Not only is the idea excellent, but more importantly, if this direction succeeds, it can expand the significance of Genjutsu-type ninjas from pure combat into an entirely new dimension. One could even call it a revolutionary achievement."
"A revolutionary achievement!?"
Shinku Yuhi and Murakumo Kurama were both startled.
Neither of them had expected that something they had merely brainstormed together, without even knowing whether it would work, would receive such a high evaluation from Shinichi.
"That's right!"
Shinichi nodded again and continued.
"Think about it. In any ninja village, when people suffer physical injuries, they naturally go to the Medical Ninja. Everyone considers that perfectly normal, but what if someone develops psychological problems? Who do they go to? The Kage? Their teammates? Or do they simply keep everything bottled up?"
"Right now, we don't have that someone, and that someone should be a professional, just like a Medical Ninja who specializes in treating injuries. Yet the Shinobi World currently lacks such professionals. You, Ninjas proficient in Genjutsu, may be able to fill that gap."
Shinku Yuhi and Murakumo Kurama unconsciously straightened their backs, and the two girls wore solemn expressions as they listened quietly.
"Of course, this is only the first step. If we continue to deeply develop Genjutsu-based psychological therapy, we may one day establish a complete Genjutsu mental treatment system."
"It could be used not only for post-war psychological trauma, but also to assist with sleep, relieve anxiety, help comrades who can no longer accept missions because of psychological barriers, readjust to normal life, and perhaps even serve more than just as a ninja."
"Ordinary civilians who have lost loved ones for various reasons, children who have personally witnessed tragedies, all of them could benefit from it."
"And once this system truly matures, future Medical Ninja may naturally split into two entirely different yet complementary categories."
"One category would be physical Medical Ninja, based on the power of Light Style, who understand the structure of the human body and heal physical injuries."
"The other would be a mental Medical Ninja, based on the power of Dark Style, who understands people's minds, heals their spirits, and guides them out of trauma."
"Physical wounds would be healed through Light Style, while wounds of the heart would be healed through Dark Style. The two would complement one another, forming a complete concept of healing."
"That's why I call it a revolutionary achievement."
"No one even knows who originally pioneered physical Medical Ninjutsu anymore, as that history has long been buried by time."
"But mental Medical Ninjutsu..."
Shinichi paused slightly, his gaze sweeping across the faces of Shinku Yuhi and Murakumo Kurama.
"Perhaps one day in the future, we will all know exactly who pioneered it and when that day comes, senior Shinku and senior Murakumo, the two of you will be the undisputed founding masters of this entirely new field."
The conference room fell silent, and the two girls stared blankly at Shinichi, then at their father and senior, unsure of what to say for a moment.
Shinku Yuhi and Murakumo Kurama's breathing had become noticeably quicker.
They had originally approached this matter with nothing more than the intention of completing their assignment, organizing their ideas, and presenting them to see what might happen. Yet, they had never imagined that Shinichi would give it such an evaluation.
Founding masters of a new school?