Konoha's medical-ninja system had not been fully established yet. There were pharmacies in the village, and a handful of clinics, but medical resources were still scattered, with no unified structure and no true Konoha Hospital yet.
Because of that, the treatment room Tsunade had set up inside the Senju ancestral home for her team's recovery was probably the finest medical facility in the entire village.
The moment Tsunade's hands touched him, Uchiha Gen nearly forgot to breathe.
A soft green glow flowed from her palms, warm and steady. Wherever it passed, the stinging cuts on his skin eased, the dull ache in his muscles melted away, and the exhaustion piled up from battle and training seemed to dissolve on the spot.
It was healing, yes—but it felt like far more than that.
The Yang Release chakra entered his body like a gentle current of spring water, washing through him from the outside in. Bruises faded. Tight tendons relaxed. Even the heaviness buried deep in his bones seemed to lift. It was a level of comfort beyond anything his past life had ever offered, like every inch of him had been carefully repaired and polished until he came out renewed.
"This is incredible…"
Sarutobi Enjun lay sprawled on the wooden bed beside him, completely limp. His head lolled to one side, his tongue hung halfway out, and his eyes were so unfocused he looked as if his soul had just floated out of his body and decided not to come back yet.
He looked exactly like an idiot who had been pampered so thoroughly he had forgotten how to function.
Uzuki Ruri, on the other hand, was far more restrained. Even so, the faint flush on her face and the softness in her gaze made it obvious she was no less impressed by the treatment.
"I asked Tsunade to do this," Orochimaru said from the side, his arms folded as he observed the three of them. "You are all still in the early stages of development. With Yang Release chakra stimulating recovery, many hidden injuries can be healed quickly. Otherwise, I doubt you would be able to endure the training that comes next."
His tone was calm, but the smile on his face made Gen's scalp prickle.
"Orochimaru-sensei," Gen said immediately, seizing the point he cared about most, "what if your training leaves us too exhausted to complete missions?"
For him, missions were more than money or experience in the ordinary sense. Missions meant real experience points. Experience points meant levels. Levels meant card draws. And card draws were the fastest way for him to maintain the terrifying growth rate expected of a so-called genius.
The C-rank mission they had just finished had pushed his experience bar up by a large amount. If Orochimaru kept taking them out on missions, he would almost certainly level up again this month.
But if the next stretch of days turned into nothing but hellish training…
"It's simple," Orochimaru replied. "I will leave you time to carry out missions every other day. Consider that your period of rest."
The three of them stared at him.
Every other day?
That was called rest?
Orochimaru either failed to notice their expressions or simply did not care.
"As for being too tired, don't worry. Tsunade has already given me a detailed assessment of your physical conditions. I know exactly how much strain your bodies can handle. I guarantee I will squeeze out every last drop of your potential in every session."
For a moment, the room fell completely silent.
Even Sarutobi Enjun, who usually reacted first and spoke without thinking, only swallowed hard.
From today on, their peaceful days at the Ninja Academy were truly over.
Just then, Gen suddenly spoke up again. "Orochimaru-sensei."
Orochimaru shifted his gaze to him. "What is it?"
"Could you try to obtain some medical-ninjutsu materials from Tsunade-sama?" Gen asked. "If someone in our team can learn medical ninjutsu, our survivability during dangerous missions will rise by a lot."
The idea had occurred to him the moment Tsunade's chakra touched his body.
It was not merely because medical ninjutsu was useful. It was because he had Sakura Haruno's character card.
Even if it was only Sakura from her Ninja Academy period, that still meant he should possess at least a decent foundation in the sort of precise chakra control and study habits required for the field. Getting started ought not to be impossible.
And once he got started, the value would be immense.
Sarutobi Enjun, who was still sprawled on the bed, immediately jerked upright and threw Gen a fervent thumbs-up.
"Yuan, you're amazing!" he blurted out. "If someone on our team learns medical ninjutsu, then couldn't we enjoy this every day?"
Ruri gave him a sidelong look, but she still nodded. "Even if it won't be as strong as Tsunade-sama's healing, being able to ease injuries and fatigue during training would already help a lot. And on the battlefield… it could mean the difference between life and death."
Orochimaru fell silent for two seconds.
Then he said, "I know some medical ninjutsu myself, so in theory I could teach you. But forget that for now. I will ask Tsunade if she has anything more suitable. She has recently been organizing relevant materials and has a clearer understanding of how medical ninjutsu should be learned systematically."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked out of the room.
The moment he left, Sarutobi Enjun let out a breath as though he had just survived an ambush.
Ruri lay back down more carefully and looked at the ceiling. "If we really can learn it, that would be a huge advantage."
Gen did the same, one arm folded beneath his head.
Whether he could truly learn medical ninjutsu remained uncertain. Talent in this world was not evenly distributed. Some techniques simply refused to yield unless the person had the right aptitude.
Still, he did have a basis to hope.
He had Sakura's card. Even if it was an early version of her, Sakura's future path had already proven one thing beyond dispute: her talent in medical ninjutsu was real.
If nothing else, that should make the entry threshold easier for him than for most people.
As for how far he could go after that… that would depend on future draws, skill-learning cards, and whether his own effort could keep pace with his ambitions.
A few minutes later, Orochimaru returned.
This time he was carrying several sealing scrolls in his hands.
"There are a number of texts inside," he said, placing them down. "These are the books you need to begin learning the basics of medical ninjutsu. Don't lose them. Many are rare manuscripts from the Senju clan. While studying them, you will make your own copies."
He looked directly at the three of them, though his gaze lingered on Gen.
"Read through everything first. Once you finish, I will take you to catch animals for live-practice sessions. Record all your thoughts and every conclusion you reach in the process. Those notes will be useful to Tsunade. I also intend to systematically re-study medical ninjutsu in the future."
Medical research, Gen thought.
That sounded exactly like the kind of thing Orochimaru would say before doing something dangerous.
Orochimaru tapped the bundle again.
"As for the gift Mito-sama mentioned earlier, it is also inside. A foundational textbook on sealing techniques compiled by her own hand. Though it is called a textbook, it is broad and deep enough that if you truly master it, you will already surpass the average sealing-class level in Konoha."
Even Gen's attention sharpened at that.
Sealing techniques.
That was no ordinary side skill. In Naruto's world, sealing arts were one of the most terrifying and versatile systems in existence. The gap between a novice and an expert was immeasurable, but even basic proficiency could mean the difference between helplessness and survival.
Unfortunately, they were also notoriously difficult.
"Still," Orochimaru continued, "both sealing arts and medical ninjutsu are difficult for ordinary shinobi to learn, let alone master. I do not know how much talent you possess in sealing techniques. If you discover that your aptitude is lacking, there is no need to force deep study. Learn enough to understand basic sealing methods, how to use common formulas, and how to deal with them when encountered."
His words were cold, but not wrong.
Human time and energy were limited.
Even Orochimaru himself, who could be called brilliant in nearly everything he touched, did not devote all of his effort to medical ninjutsu and fūinjutsu. He learned what he needed, mastered what was useful, and refused to waste time where the return was too small.
That was the path of a true pragmatist.
For newly graduated genin like them, the golden age of rapid growth had only just begun. Their time should first go toward strengthening the body, refining chakra, learning practical ninjutsu, and accumulating battle experience.
Medical ninjutsu and sealing arts could be studied, yes—but unless one possessed truly top-tier aptitude, reaching the level of someone like Tsunade or Mito Uzumaki would demand an absurd amount of time.
And in war, time was exactly what no one had.
"Basic medical treatment is enough to greatly improve survival," Orochimaru said. "Basic sealing knowledge is enough to keep you from being killed by ignorance. Anything beyond that should depend on talent, need, and what you are willing to sacrifice."
Then, as if he had just remembered something, he turned his eyes back to Gen.
"Oh, one more thing."
Gen straightened slightly. "Yes, sensei?"
"If you can develop your medical ninjutsu to a certain level," Orochimaru said, "it will be useful for learning the technique I intend to teach you in the future."
Gen's heartbeat quickened.
The technique Orochimaru had rewarded him with after the Forest of Death exercise already sounded dangerous enough. Now Orochimaru was saying medical ninjutsu would also help with some future technique?
That could only mean one thing.
Whatever it was, it would not be normal.
"But remember this." Orochimaru's smile deepened, thin and cold as the edge of a blade. "Before you begin practicing that technique, you must tell me in advance. I will prepare what is necessary."
Gen narrowed his eyes slightly.
Orochimaru was not the sort of person who repeated himself unless there was a real reason.
If he emphasized danger once, the danger was real. If he emphasized it twice, then carelessness would probably lead straight to serious injury—or worse.
That meant the ninjutsu scroll Orochimaru had given him before was likely tied to the human body in some unusual way. Perhaps it carried an abnormal burden. Perhaps it required extreme physical conditioning. Perhaps it strained muscles, meridians, or internal organs beyond what ordinary techniques did.
And if medical ninjutsu could help in learning it…
Then the connection was definitely not superficial.
So it wasn't merely a matter of power. It was a technique that came with risk.
The more Gen thought about it, the more intrigued he became.
Dangerous meant difficult. Difficult often meant strong. And strong techniques were exactly what he needed most right now.
Sarutobi Enjun, of course, had no such caution. He immediately bounced up on the bed again and looked between Orochimaru and Gen with bright eyes.
"Sensei, what kind of ninjutsu is it?" he asked. "Is it some super-powerful secret technique? Something like a forbidden jutsu?"
Uzuki Ruri was clearly curious too, though she held herself back better.
Orochimaru only smiled and said, "If he can learn it, you'll see it sooner or later."
That answer was enough to make Enjun groan in frustration.
Gen, however, lowered his eyes to the scrolls in front of him and exhaled slowly.
Medical texts. Sealing manuals. A dangerous future technique connected to the body. Every one of them was valuable.
It also meant that from this point on, his path was becoming wider—and more complicated.
If he handled things well, his growth would speed up even further.
If he misjudged even one step, he might end up stretched too thin, wasting precious time or injuring himself before he had the strength to protect what mattered.
But for Gen, that was hardly a reason to retreat.
In this world, power was survival.
And if he wanted to keep up with the era of monsters that was coming, he could not afford to walk only the easy roads.
He looked down at the sealing scrolls and the Senju medical texts, then lifted his gaze toward Orochimaru.
"I understand, Orochimaru-sensei," he said. "I'll be careful."
Orochimaru gave a low chuckle.
"I hope so."
Outside the room, the old Senju residence was quiet, steeped in the stillness of age and legacy. But inside, Gen could already feel it—the shape of his future was beginning to shift again.
Medical ninjutsu.
Sealing arts.
A dangerous new technique waiting in the wings.
And tomorrow, the real training would begin.