Naruto : Konoha Light

Along the way, the nurses greeted shimizu warmly.

By the time they reached the medical office, his neatly combed hair had turned into a complete mess, resembling a bird's nest.

"Senior Morikawa, what brings you here?"

Noticing the group, a general-duty nurse stepped forward to inquire. However, her gaze drifted toward shimizu, who was standing behind Morikawa.

"I need to see Chief Yu," Morikawa said concisely.

"Chief Yu is inside. Let me take you there."

The medical office wasn't large, and after a few short steps, they arrived.

Having completed her task, the young nurse cheerfully accepted her "reward"—one last opportunity to ruffle shimizu's hair.

"Hee hee, Little shimizu feels so incredibly soft!"

After "tormenting" him to her satisfaction, she finally left, grinning from ear to ear.

At that moment, the person inside the office—Yu no Sora—noticed them.

"Morikawa, what brings you here?"

She was young, only about twenty years old, but her medical expertise surpassed that of most, earning her great respect.

Hearing her question, Morikawa explained shimizu's concerns.

Yu no Sora looked surprised. She turned to shimizu with a gentle smile.

"Little shimizu is still as thoughtful as ever. You're aware of the hospital's situation, so you set this request?"

shimizu tilted his head slightly, putting on an innocent expression.

"Elder Sister Yu, I don't quite understand what you mean."

"It's because of his past experiences," Morikawa interjected. "He's developed the habit of avoiding burdening others as much as possible."

"But how many children with similar experiences are as mature as he is?" Yu no Sora mused, an idea forming in her mind.

The other nurses suddenly had a realization as well. Compared to the troublesome younger siblings in their own families, shimizu was truly a child who never caused any worries.

"Right, Team Leader, I have another request," Morikawa said naturally, not expecting Yu no Sora to refuse.

"Could you assign me a patient who needs medical ninjutsu treatment?"

"That won't be a problem," Yu no Sora agreed readily, though she was a little curious.

"But why this request all of a sudden?"

Morikawa smiled meaningfully.

"I plan to have shimizu demonstrate his understanding of medical ninjutsu."

"He's watched us use medical ninjutsu many times before…" Yu no Sora began, but then her expression changed.

"You mean—you want to teach him to practice it?"

Morikawa nodded with a smile.

As someone who had become a medical team leader at just twenty years old, Yu no Sora was naturally intelligent. She quickly grasped the key point.

"Has shimizu already learned how to refine chakra? And does he have exceptional chakra control?"

"Actually, he received some guidance from Lord Hokage's son."

Even as Morikawa spoke humbly, she couldn't hide her pride.

"Oh? So it's thanks to Lord Hokage?"

As a former elite of the 'Root' organization, Yu no Sora instinctively evaluated the situation further.

However, this also meant that anyone eyeing shimizu would have to think twice—attaching him to the Hokage's shadow division as a protective measure wasn't a bad idea.

Ward No. 47

A ninja lay on the hospital bed, a long, narrow wound on his shoulder marked with three claw-like scratches.

"Animal attack?" Morikawa asked after taking a glance.

The ninja looked a bit embarrassed.

"During a D-rank… cough… mission, I had an accident."

Himari and the others twitched slightly at his words. Missions sounded serious, but if it was just a D-rank, it was a different story entirely.

It was probably something like chasing down a stray cat or cleaning up garbage. To get injured during such a task… In a way, this guy was quite a talent.

Of course, as good medical professionals, they knew better than to show their reactions openly. Embarrassing the patient might make him uncooperative.

Morikawa stepped forward, her palm glowing with a soft green light.

"shimizu, I know you've observed us using medical ninjutsu many times before, but that was when you didn't have chakra. Now, I want you to feel the difference between your chakra and mine and tell me what you notice."

"Okay!"

shimizu's expression turned serious as he extended his right hand, forming a small mass of chakra.

Then, he blended his chakra with Morikawa's, closing his eyes to sense the differences.

After a moment, his eyes snapped open in realization.

"This is… vitality? A life-force aura?"

He had detected it keenly—compared to Morikawa's chakra, his own lacked a certain essence.

"You understood it so quickly?"

Morikawa was pleasantly surprised. More than that, she was delighted.

"Though it might be a bit early to explain this to you now, to become a medical ninja, you must first understand the essence of medical ninjutsu."

As she spoke, Morikawa placed both hands over the injured ninja's wound.

Under the soft glow of her chakra, the ten-centimeter-long wound slowly began to heal.

While working, she asked, "shimizu, do you see the difference?"

"It's a transformation!" shimizu pondered for a moment before answering seriously.

"Chakra itself has no attribute, but by imbuing it with an element—like fire or wind—it gains corresponding properties. Medical ninjutsu must also be a type of transformation-based jutsu, right?"

The ninja on the bed couldn't help but ask, "Wait, does the academy already teach you nature transformation?"

shimizu shook his head.

"I read about it in the library today. Just a theoretical guess."

"Huh?"

The patient's expression went blank.

You could just… figure that out?

He glanced at the doctor and the others, expecting them to be just as surprised. But their faces showed nothing but understanding.

He suddenly felt like he was questioning reality.

Am I really a ninja?

Morikawa, on the other hand, remained calm.

"Beyond the five elemental transformations and bloodline limits, there are actually two more—Yang Release and Yin Release."

shimizu looked thoughtful.

"Then, does that mean the essence of medical ninjutsu is Yang Release?"

 Himari and the others perked up their ears—this was the first time they had heard such a perspective.

Morikawa nodded slightly.

"Yes, anything related to physical life-force falls under Yang Release. But besides medical ninjutsu, some clan techniques also belong to Yang Release—like certain techniques of the Akimichi Clan."

Himari and the others felt their worldview shatter.

Medical ninjutsu was in the same category as the Akimichi Clan's expansion jutsu?

Would they… turn into giant meatballs too?!

The horrifying thought made them shudder instinctively.

"Aunt Morikawa, I have a question," shimizu spoke up again.

"Go ahead."

"Everyone has all five elemental attributes, but we only determine our dominant one through chakra paper before we can start nature transformation training. But I've never seen a test for Yin or Yang attributes. How does one determine if they have the talent for medical ninjutsu or genjutsu?"

Himari and the others subconsciously nodded.

Ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu were the three main branches of ninja arts. Most ninja specialized in one, but did that mean the others were completely off-limits due to innate talent?

Morikawa blinked.

This question… was beyond her knowledge.

After thinking for a moment, she hesitated.

"In Konoha, recommendations usually come from senior ninjas or mentors, but I don't know the exact process. However, shimizu, you don't need to worry—I'm sure you have talent in this field."

shimizu nodded, not pressing further.

He had his suspicions about Yin and Yang Release, but if he wanted more information, it seemed he'd have to look elsewhere.

After all, even the most knowledgeable medical ninja had their limits.