"Ridiculous! This isn't just using tools! Chakra control and cellular regeneration—how could you possibly manage something like that?!"
An'un Seitei could hardly believe what he was witnessing.
He had long known Hatake Muzan possessed a remarkable gift for medicine, but using chakra to repair damaged cells was something even most veteran medical-nin could not maintain for long.
A single surgery could take anywhere from half an hour to several hours.
If Muzan were to lose focus or collapse during an operation, the patient could suffer fatal consequences.
"Believe me," Muzan said calmly. "I can handle it."
As he spoke, a gentle emerald glow flared in his palms.
The proof was right before their eyes—his chakra flowed with perfect rhythm, steady and controlled. He had already mastered the art of medical ninjutsu.
The spurting blood stopped the instant his chakra touched the wound. Within moments, the ruptured artery had closed almost completely—seventy percent healed in mere seconds.
"Unbelievable… this boy, Seitei, you've found yourself a treasure."
"If you don't appreciate him, let him work under me instead."
"Incredible! Konoha's youngest medical ninja has just been born."
Dozens of doctors gathered around in amazement as Seitei, a bit embarrassed by the commotion, climbed to his feet and silently watched Muzan's precise movements.
"You old buzzards better stay away! Muzan is my assistant!"
By now, Muzan's ability had far surpassed mere apprenticeship.
Seitei began entrusting him with patients of his own.
Throughout the long and grueling hours of surgery, a small figure in a black robe never left the front line.
He worked tirelessly, hand after hand, until even Director Hara, the head of Konoha Hospital, couldn't hide his astonishment.
"He's a born medical ninja," Hara said softly.
"One day, Konoha may have a healer to rival Lady Tsunade herself."
"His talent must be nurtured with great care."
By the time dusk fell, the frantic emergency operations had finally ended.
As the patients were wheeled out of the operating room, the other doctors learned for the first time that the healer who had saved so many lives was Lord Sakumo Hatake's son.
Dragging his tired body, Seitei quickly pulled Muzan aside, glancing about nervously as though hiding a secret treasure from greedy hands.
"You really made a name for yourself this time," Seitei said, grinning.
"Konoha's youngest medical ninja! You've already outshone your little brother."
But Muzan wasn't interested in flattery. His crimson eyes darkened with thought.
"How did they get injured?"
The question made Seitei fall silent for a moment.
He'd grown so accustomed to treating Muzan as an equal that he answered him honestly.
"It's not a full-scale war… not yet. But the surrounding villages are watching us closely. No one knows when the next Great Shinobi War will begin."
With Lady Tsunade crippled by hemophobia and Jiraiya wandering abroad, Konoha's upper ranks were left weakened.
Foreign shinobi had begun infiltrating and testing the borders.
No major battles had erupted yet, but small-scale skirmishes and assassinations were becoming alarmingly frequent.
"Still," Seitei said, patting Muzan's shoulder with a reassuring smile,
"as medical-nin, we rarely have to fight on the front lines. Even if captured, our lives are usually spared. We're too valuable to kill."
It was true—medical-nin occupied an awkward place in the shinobi hierarchy: essential, yet overlooked.
Their chakra training was devoted almost entirely to healing, leaving them with little offensive ability.
They were healers first, not warriors.
"Stay at the hospital for now," Seitei continued.
"After what happened today, Director Hara has taken notice. You'll start receiving an official medic's salary."
Muzan only shook his head.
Money was never an issue—the Hatake family had never wanted for resources.
He was thinking of something far more personal.
If his memories of this world were correct, Sakumo Hatake's death would occur around the time of the Third Great Shinobi War.
"Please thank Director Hara for me," Muzan said quietly.
"But I'm still a student at the Academy. My studies come first."
He hadn't joined the hospital for fame or wealth.
He was here to learn—to study the relationship between chakra and human cells, to deepen his understanding of life itself.
Healing others was practice, not purpose.
Besides, with a father as disciplined as Sakumo, Muzan preferred to keep a simple routine—between school and home, nothing more.
"The Academy, huh?"
Seitei's expression stiffened. He looked down at the small boy and suddenly pressed a hand to his forehead in disbelief.
"How could I forget—you're still a kid!"
Inwardly, he made a decision.
Once Muzan graduated, he would have one of the hospital's special jōnin personally mentor him.
A talent like this must never fall into the wrong faction's hands.
Muzan, unaware of Seitei's scheming, finished his duties at the hospital and walked home under the pale glow of moonlight.
---
When he reached the Hatake household, his suspicion was confirmed.
"Just as I thought."
The courtyard was empty except for Kakashi, sitting cross-legged with a bowl of instant noodles.
Their father was nowhere to be seen.
Of course—not surprising for a man like Sakumo Hatake, whose strength rivaled the Kage themselves.
With tensions rising across the nations, there would be no shortage of missions for him.
"You're back late, brother," Kakashi said, placing a half-cooked steak on the table.
He'd spent enough years around Muzan to notice when something weighed on his mind.
"Did something happen?"
"A group of wounded shinobi came in," Muzan replied.
"They'd been injured during a clash with ninja from other villages."
Under the soft moonlight, his crimson eyes shimmered faintly as he looked up at the sky.
"The war's coming soon. Konoha won't be safe for long. Stay alert, Kakashi."
He recalled how their father had left early that morning—hurried, almost solemn.
Before departing, Sakumo had quietly warned them both:
He wouldn't be returning for some time.
They had to look after themselves.
"So Father's out on a mission," Kakashi murmured. "No wonder he barely had time to say goodbye."
Then, with a sly grin, Kakashi held up a piece of paper.
"Too bad, brother. You're a bit late to warn me—look at this."
It was a notice of early graduation from the Ninja Academy, already stamped with the Hokage's signature.
If Kakashi passed tomorrow's test, he would officially become a genin.
For the first time in hours, Muzan's composed expression cracked. His eyes gleamed darkly with irritation.
"You little brat. You can't even beat me, and you think you're ready to be a genin? Get back to training!"
But Kakashi only smirked, pointing proudly at the Hokage's signature.
"Tch! You can't stop me. The Hokage himself approved it! Not even Father could cancel this!"
After being overshadowed all day by news of Hatake Muzan becoming Konoha's youngest medical-nin, Kakashi's pride burned fiercely.
He would prove himself—he would graduate early and become a full-fledged shinobi.
Kakashi Hatake would never be inferior to anyone.
Not even to his own brother.
Muzan exhaled and rubbed his temples, half amused, half exasperated.
"What a headache…"