Chapter 20: Palm Sage Sigil
**Medical Room.**
"I can't believe you managed to read through a hundred basic medical ninjutsu books in just three days. What kind of monster are you?"
Otoha looked at Kimimaro, who was there to begin the next stage of learning, utterly stunned.
Having a photographic memory was one thing, but reading a hundred books in three days? Even with a perfect memory, that was absurd.
Was this guy really such a bookworm?
And these weren't storybooks either; they were dry, technical medical texts.
"I don't like to procrastinate. If something can be done today, I won't put it off until tomorrow."
"You're something else. I'm starting to wonder just how far you'll go with medical ninjutsu. Maybe you'll even become as skilled as that legendary medical master.
Let's move on to the next stage of training: practical basic medical ninjutsu."
On the experimental table was a large scroll. As she spoke, Otoha spread it open, revealing intricate designs inside.
The scroll depicted a black sigil array.
In the center was a circular blank area, and around it were black symbols radiating from the circle.
"Do you know what these symbols represent?"
Kimimaro glanced at them, and the knowledge from those hundred books flooded his mind. He quickly found the answer.
"They're Mystical Palm sigils, used in training the Mystical Palm Technique. They help refine the green chakra needed for medical ninjutsu."
"That's right, these are Mystical Palm sigils. Seems like you remember well."
Otoha nodded approvingly.
"Now, watch closely as I demonstrate."
She took a kunai from her tool pouch and threw it into a nearby experimental water tank.
The kunai pierced a koi fish inside the tank.
With a pull of her right hand, Kimimaro noticed that a wire was attached to the ring at the end of the kunai.
As Otoha pulled, the wire moved, and the pierced koi fish leaped out of the water, landing precisely in the center of the Mystical Palm sigil on the scroll, remaining completely still.
The power of the sigil restrained it, preventing any movement that could interfere with treatment.
Otoha removed the kunai, revealing the koi's wound.
The wound was clean and smooth, not fatal.
She formed hand seals and placed her hands on the sigil.
The seals were few, just three in total, easy for Kimimaro to memorize at a glance.
Soon, the sigil emitted a faint green glow.
Under its influence, Otoha's hands began to glow with green chakra.
She placed her glowing hands on the koi's wound.
One!
Two!
Three!
Suddenly, the koi's tail flipped, and it sprang to life, fully restored.
Otoha gave it a quick toss back into the tank, where it swam as if nothing had ever happened.
"Did you understand? Explain it."
After a moment of thought, Kimimaro responded slowly, "By forming seals, you trigger the flow of chakra within the body, which activates the power of the Mystical Palm sigil. This transforms the chakra into the special green chakra used in medical ninjutsu.
Green chakra is filled with vitality and stimulates the regeneration of cells, allowing wounds to heal quickly.
However, stimulating cell regeneration requires great care. Only the targeted cells should be affected, or it might cause further damage instead of healing."
"Exactly. It all sounds simple in theory, but truly mastering the Mystical Palm Technique requires extensive practice.
The first step is forming seals to sync your chakra with the sigil and produce the green chakra.
The second step is injecting the green chakra into the wound with precise control, stimulating cell regeneration.
The third step is discarding the sigil and using your own power to convert your chakra into the special green chakra of medical ninjutsu.
Once you can do all three steps, you'll have learned the Mystical Palm Technique."
Kimimaro nodded slightly.
Though the steps seemed straightforward, the amount of effort required was something only those who had practiced could understand.
Sakura, considered the most gifted medical ninja by Tsunade, took three months to master the Mystical Palm Technique from when she first began studying medical ninjutsu.
For ordinary people, it would take much longer.
But Kimimaro believed he wouldn't need three months to master it.
Not because he thought he was more talented than Sakura in medical ninjutsu, but because his learning speed was likely several times faster than hers.
And with the help of the Silent Seal, the time required should be even shorter.
"This is the scroll for the Mystical Palm Technique. You can use it to practice. If you have any questions, come find me."
As one of Orochimaru's top aides managing the Sound Village, Otoha had many responsibilities and couldn't oversee Kimimaro's training all the time.
After leaving the scroll, she went off to handle her own matters.
"Thank you, senior."
With Otoha gone, Kimimaro was left alone in the medical room.
After reviewing the Mystical Palm scroll, he began his practice.
The first step was to convert his chakra.
Kimimaro formed the hand seals and felt the changes in his chakra as it flowed through his body.
The flow changed but got blocked at one point, unable to pass through.
He placed his right hand on the Mystical Palm sigil, and the blocked chakra began to flow again, overcoming the obstruction.
"This spot... it's the Gate of Life!"
The Gate of Life!
The third of the Eight Gates!
As chakra passed through the Gate of Life, it reached his palms.
Green chakra formed.
Kimimaro furrowed his brow. He had memorized human anatomy over the past three days.
He hadn't expected his chakra to pass through the Gate of Life.
"After passing through the Gate of Life, chakra turns into medical ninjutsu chakra? Interesting.
Now that I think about it, when the third gate of the Eight Gates is opened, the body emits an energy similar to medical chakra. There seems to be a connection here.
Channeling chakra through the Gate of Life isn't easy, which is why medical ninjas need the Mystical Palm sigil to help guide the chakra."
Feeling the flow of chakra inside him, Kimimaro had already figured out the sigil's purpose.
As long as he could control his chakra to pass through the Gate of Life and transform its nature, he wouldn't need the Mystical Palm sigil anymore.
At that point, he would have mastered the Mystical Palm Technique.
Treating the koi was just a practical application of the technique.
Once he healed the fish, it would mean he had gained proficient control over the technique.
At that stage, abandoning the sigil and channeling chakra through the Gate of Life would become much easier.
Learning the Mystical Palm Technique was a process where each step built on the previous one.
With a sigh, Kimimaro picked up the fish and began his medical ninjutsu training.
"Silence!"
He silently invoked the power of the Silent Seal, which filled his mind with clarity once again.
His mind was sharp, making learning more efficient.
But after a minute had passed, the fish's wound hadn't healed. Instead, its breathing had grown weaker.
"It really isn't that simple. Even with the Silent Seal, my hands are still too unskilled. This is going to take a lot of practice."
Kimimaro shook his head in resignation. He had mastered the theory, but turning theory into practice was proving to be dozens of times more difficult.
In simple terms, his mind knew what to do, but his hands didn't.
The green chakra was like a wild horse, untamed and unruly, completely out of control.
Every time Kimimaro tried to command it, the green chakra would break free and scatter in all directions.
Not only did this prevent effective healing, but it also risked further injury to the wound.
He tried to follow the control methods outlined in the books, but his results were limited.
The method wasn't wrong; he was just inexperienced.
There was no avoiding this stage.
Every beginner had to go through it.
"Ah, now it's time to use that."
(End of Chapter)