The newly minted Genin, Konohamaru's squad, had just received their very first mission.
Catching the feudal lord's wife's runaway cat.
After a lot of trouble and effort, Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon finally managed to capture the fat, squirming feline and brought it back to the Hokage's office to report their success.
...
Hokage's Office.
When they pushed open the door, Tsunade wasn't there. The only one present was Shizune, seated at her assistant's desk.
"Where's Tsunade-sama?"
Konohamaru asked as he held the cat tightly in his arms.
Shizune explained gently, "Tsunade-sama took the new medical-nin to observe a surgery."
"If you're here to report your mission, just put the cat in the cage over there."
Konohamaru nodded and carefully placed the cat inside the cage.
After finishing up, Konohamaru hesitated, his expression showing he had something on his mind.
Shizune noticed and smiled softly.
"If there's something you want to ask, just say it."
"But let me guess—you're going to ask, 'When is Shinju-niichan coming back?'"
She imitated Konohamaru's tone perfectly.
Konohamaru nodded vigorously.
"Mm! Yeah!"
"Shinju-niichan has been away from Konoha for three years now."
"I've already become a proper ninja, but he still hasn't returned…"
Shizune replied with a reassuring smile,
"According to Jiraiya-sama's latest report, he should be back in the next few days."
Konohamaru's eyes widened with excitement. "Really?! ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )"
Shizune nodded. "Yes."
"Three years have passed… I really wonder just how much that little guy has grown."
Konohamaru clenched his fists and declared proudly,
"Heh! Once Shinju-niichan's back, he's definitely gonna be one of Konoha's strongest ninja! (´∇ﾉ｀*)ノ"
...
Konoha Hospital.
Inside the hospital, a large-scale surgery was underway.
Tsunade stood at the head of the observation group, leading the newly recruited medical-nin.
"This surgery involves a lot of advanced techniques, so you'd better watch carefully. Especially the process of cell activation—it's the most crucial part."
One of the young medical-nin raised her hand timidly.
"I heard the cell activation technique was developed by Shinju-senpai from Konoha. Tsunade-sama, is that true?"
Tsunade nodded, her expression full of pride. The moment Shinju's name came up, she instantly perked up.
"That's right. (--0027▿ --0027)"
"Your Shinju-senpai is the youngest medical professor in Konoha's history. He developed the cell activation technique when he was only thirteen years old."
She pointed toward the respirator in the operating room that was currently keeping the patient alive.
"And not just that—he also invented the chakra conversion technique. The village has applied it across various fields, pushing Konoha's technology far ahead of other villages."
"An extraordinary individual indeed."
A little girl in the group stared wide-eyed, tiny stars sparkling in her gaze.
A legendary young genius.
Just hearing his name and deeds was enough to make them admire him deeply.
The new medical-nin immediately started chattering excitedly among themselves.
"I also heard Shinju-senpai is the only known Wood Release user in Konoha… and he's even mastered Ice Release! They say he once subdued over ten Kumogakure jonin all by himself!"
"Whether it's medicine or research, he's a genius on a whole other level. We can't even compare."
"And the most important thing is—Shinju-senpai's got this fiery red hair, and he's super handsome. (๑ت๑)"
"It's true! I once caught a glimpse of him from afar. He's so ridiculously good-looking, there's almost no one like him in the entire shinobi world!"
"I heard that Uchiha Sasuke—the missing-nin from that clan—is also supposed to be handsome. Who do you think's better-looking, him or Shinju-senpai?"
"Don't bring up that missing-nin in a place like this…"
Amid the noisy chatter, Tsunade suddenly raised her hand and smacked it down.
"Quiet!"
"You're here to observe a surgery, not to rank which guy in the village looks better!"
After scolding them, Tsunade walked to the back of the group.
She patted Ino, who was standing at the very end among the new medical-nin, and encouraged her softly,
"Watch closely and learn well. You're aiming to catch up to him, right? You won't make it without putting in the work."
"I know, Tsunade-sama," Ino nodded, her eyes sparkling with determination.
"I heard he'll be back in the next couple of days. Is that true?"
Tsunade nodded. "Mm. Jiraiya sent a letter a few days ago—their team should be back within the week."
"You'd better dress up nicely when he arrives. (σ≧︎▽︎≦︎)σ"
Ino's face flushed bright red, and she lowered her head.
"Tsunade-sama, you're teasing me again…"
But Tsunade's expression suddenly grew serious.
"I'm not joking. That guy's been gone for nearly three years, but people haven't stopped talking about him once. Plenty of kunoichi treat him as their 'prince charming.'"
Ino fell silent, unconsciously reaching for the pendant hanging around her neck.
It was the Stone of Gelel Shinju had given her three years ago.
Seeing this, Tsunade smirked and tapped Ino's chest with her finger.
"See? Compared to the other kunoichi, you've already got quite the advantage."
...
Kakashi's Place.
The Konoha jonin was lying lazily on his bed, flipping through Jiraiya-sama's famous series, Make-Out Paradise.
After a while, Kakashi's expression soured.
"I've read this book over twenty times now!"
"Why hasn't Jiraiya-sama released a sequel yet?!"
"Ugh, I knew it! I shouldn't have let those two ids tag along with him—they've totally slowed down his writing pace! ¯\(ツ)/¯"
"Well, Jiraiya-sama should be back in a couple of days. I'll nag him about it in person when he gets here…"
...
Might Guy's Squad.
On the training grounds, Lee was drenched in sweat, relentlessly working through his drills. Thanks to the major surgery years ago, his body had fully recovered.
Neji sat nearby, chewing on a blade of grass between his teeth.
"Lee, I heard that guy's coming back in the next few days," Neji said casually, as though it wasn't a big deal.
Lee's push-ups froze for a split second, but the moment he processed Neji's words, he immediately doubled his pace.
Neji raised an eyebrow, confused. (￢‸￢) ?
"I said he's coming back. Why are you speeding up instead?"
Lee wiped the sweat dripping dangerously close to his eyes with one hand.
"Three years ago, he was already ridiculously strong. I can't even imagine how terrifyingly powerful he's become now."
"He's my role model. I don't want to fall too far behind him! ୧⍢⃝୨"
Neji smirked faintly.
"People have called me a genius since I was a kid… but compared to that guy, this so-called 'genius' title of mine doesn't mean much."
Tenten added from the side, "Honestly, compared to him, all the other ninja probably look pretty dull."
...
Kurenai's Squad.
Two years ago, Shinju had gravely injured Kurenai with an experimental genjutsu.
Ever since then, she'd considered it a massive humiliation.
Determined to redeem herself, Kurenai threw herself into genjutsu training, vowing never to let something like that happen again.
"Kurenai-sensei trains harder than any of us now," Kiba said with a sigh.
"Yeah," Shino nodded. "Ever since she was knocked out by Shinju's genjutsu, she's spent almost all her time practicing. She barely even trains us anymore."
Kiba smirked mischievously, lowering his voice.
"I heard Kurenai-sensei's been training so hard, she doesn't even have time to date Asuma-sensei anymore… Asuma-sensei probably hates Shinju for that. Hahaha…"