Shiraishi's room was simple and unadorned.
Besides the essential living items, the most striking feature was a large, built-in bookshelf that took up almost half the room.
The shelves were packed with books.
There was a wide variety of genres.
They included basic physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, mechanics, and more from the ninja world.
Some of this knowledge was simply beyond the comprehension of people their age.
Ruri believed that even adults in the Uchiha clan would rarely read these types of books.
They would only research more practical and powerful ninjutsu, and couldn't be bothered to even glance at these kinds of books.
Ninjutsu was the mainstream of the ninja world; subjects like mathematics and biology were niche, and these books didn't sell well in Konoha's bookstores.
They were taught in the Ninja Academy, but most people weren't interested.
"What's the use of reading these books? You should spend more time on knowledge related to ninjutsu."
Ruri looked at Shiraishi with dissatisfaction.
Shiraishi smiled confidently and said,
"Ruri, that's a bit discriminatory. While the power of chakra is infinite, the power of science is not far behind. What chakra can achieve, science can also achieve."
Especially when science and chakra were combined, Shiraishi felt that this was the correct way to unlock science in this world.
One day, the people of this world would discover this.
Shiraishi was willing to be a pioneer in chakra-infused science and was very much looking forward to its future.
"Is that so? Then have you seen the huge forest outside Konoha Village? It was created instantly by the First Hokage, Lord Hashirama, using Wood Style ninjutsu. Can your so-called science do that?"
Ruri immediately gave an example.
...Uh... that really can't be done.
While it was possible to create a forest with the power of science, creating such a massive forest instantaneously was currently beyond its capabilities.
Even with the scientific level of his previous life, such an instant and miraculous effect couldn't be achieved.
Not to mention the First Hokage's power that dominated an era, even ordinary ninjas could conjure water and fire, and lightning, out of thin air, which already violated Shiraishi's understanding of normal scientific development.
This was precisely the wonder of chakra.
"So, your so-called science, compared to powerful ninjutsu, is still a trivial side path. It's fine to learn, but don't delve too deeply. A ninja should act like a ninja."
Ruri hoped Shiraishi would focus his energy on researching powerful ninjutsu and improving his strength. She wasn't against him learning about science, but he needed to prioritize.
They were ninjas.
A ninja's destiny was battle.
To survive in battle, and to perish in battle.
To live well, power was key.
"I understand, I'll seriously consider it."
Ruri was very relieved to hear that Shiraishi had taken her words to heart.
She didn't want to see a genius like Shiraishi decline.
Days without an opponent were incredibly dull, making her feel very lonely.
When she learned that Shiraishi was qualified to fight her, she had indeed been overjoyed.
Ruri didn't stay long with Shiraishi, leaving after a brief conversation.
After Ruri left, Shiraishi immersed himself in his studies.
Ruri's words, for him, went in one ear and out the other.
Shiraishi felt that as someone who had received higher education, he should focus on developing his unique strengths.
It was good to know oneself.
Furthermore, he could use his leisure time during research to improve his strength.
After all, peaceful times would become increasingly scarce in the future. If he didn't acquire knowledge now, it would be very difficult to calm down and study later.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a laboratory for practical work, otherwise, he could verify some things he wanted to, which would greatly help his studies and ninjutsu training.
"Hmm... come to think of it, many of the labs in the school are vacant and unused..."
Mainly, not many people attended the medical guidance classes. Most students weren't interested in the incredibly tedious medical courses, which led to many labs being idle and unmanaged.
In contrast, students were more interested in flashy ninjutsu.
This could be exploited.
It wasn't illegal if you didn't get caught.
***Several days later.***
Shiraishi partitioned a twenty-square-meter section in his house, making the already small house even more cramped for resting.
Inside the partition, experimental equipment was tightly arranged. Although it couldn't fully meet Shiraishi's needs, it should be sufficient for the initial stages of research.
Learning medical ninjutsu, or researching other things, all required this equipment.
Some of these experimental instruments and materials were conveniently taken from the school's laboratories. These items were common, easily misplaced, or not particularly important, and had no markings. Coupled with the fact that those labs were already closed and locked, and Shiraishi's actions were very secretive, the probability of discovery was very low.
This saved Shiraishi some money.
More of the equipment was purchased by Shiraishi from shops in the village, mostly secondhand or cheap goods.
This era already had some scientific foundations, but there wasn't a complete and unified concept of science yet, as the application of chakra dominated the ninja world.
Science, like the declining samurai, did not align with the mainstream of the current era.
And after this period of understanding, using medical ninjutsu as an entry point for chakra science might make the path a bit smoother.
Touching the cold experimental equipment, a trace of nostalgia appeared in Shiraishi's eyes.
In his previous life, in high school, university, and even after starting work at the hospital, due to his profession, he often handled these strange instruments.
These things felt as familiar as old friends.
The types and uses of the equipment differed from what Shiraishi knew, but as long as he read the instructions, Shiraishi could skillfully categorize and allocate these instruments and materials, organizing a systematic research plan.
The only regret was that his funds were not very ample.
The inheritance his parents left him in this life was not scarce, but it wasn't exactly abundant either.
Shiraishi knew that scientific research couldn't be done without financial support.
It seemed he would have to find raw materials himself.
Fortunately, there were many free resources in the forests within Konoha Village. He would deal with future matters later; for now, he needed to learn medical ninjutsu.
Days of study were always fulfilling and pleasant. Shiraishi already had a significant head start in accumulated knowledge compared to his peers. In his previous life, he was a seasoned physician, and many medical principles in both worlds were the same, just expressed with different terms and names, but essentially identical.
The only difference was the intervention of chakra.
Shiraishi focused on solving this part.
Therefore, with a solid foundation of medical knowledge, Shiraishi wasn't starting from scratch but picking out the key points and areas unfamiliar to him.
Solving this part didn't take Shiraishi much time; he mastered it in just one month.
If he were to learn everything from scratch, it would likely take a year or even several years to solidify the theoretical knowledge.
To achieve comprehensive theoretical accumulation in one month would be a pipe dream.
The medical ninjutsu scroll Ruri gave him contained several practical medical ninjutsu, along with annotations and insights from medical ninjas, which helped Shiraishi avoid many detours when formally self-studying medical ninjutsu.
This made Shiraishi very grateful to Ruri.
Without Ruri's help, he wouldn't have grown so quickly.