Hyūga Ming's life entered a brutally rigid routine.
Work at the hospital during the day.
Study until his eyes bled at night.
Relentless. Exhausting. Inhuman.
But the results were immediate.
During this period, his medical ninjutsu advanced at an astonishing pace, and he successfully formed his first composite skill.
[Medical Ninjutsu (Lv.1)]
EXP: 0 / 500
Traits: None
Composite Requirements:
Mystical Palm Technique (Lv.1)
Delicate Illness Extraction Technique (Lv.1)
Healing Resuscitation Technique (Lv.1)
Chakra Scalpel (Lv.1)
With the successful synthesis of Medical Ninjutsu, Hyūga Ming officially became a medical-nin.
In an era where medical ninja were painfully scarce, he could honestly be ranked second in Konoha.
The only person above him was Tsunade herself.
What he lacked wasn't knowledge—it was experience.
The sheer number of cases etched into his mind alone would qualify him as an excellent medical ninja even by future standards.
He might not yet be on Tsunade's level, but within Konoha Hospital, there was no one who surpassed him.
After all, mastering the Mystical Palm Technique alone did not make one a medical-nin.
Many people could use it, but that was where their skills ended.
However—
This intense period of study came at a cost.
His leveling speed had slowed dramatically.
Which led to an… inevitable conclusion.
"Nawaki, let's become rogue ninja."
Hyūga Ming pushed up his rimless glasses, his expression grave and scholarly.
He was saying this—
Inside the house left behind by the First Hokage.
To the First Hokage's own grandson.
"…Huh?"
Nawaki stared at him, completely blank.
No—
How did things escalate to this point?
And him? A rogue ninja?
A direct descendant of the First Hokage going rogue?
(Hiruzen: 'My prince, why do you rebel?!')
Seeing Nawaki's stunned face, Hyūga Ming launched into a passionate speech:
"First, we escape the village. Then we kill bandits. After the bandits, we kill missing-nin. After the missing-nin, we wipe out small villages."
"Once we're done with those, we declare war on the other four Great Nations."
"If we can't win, we run. If we can win, we slaughter them."
"When the four Great Villages fall, we return to Konoha, climb high, shout once—and everyone will rally behind us."
"The two of us rule together."
"Destroy the Five Nations. Unify the shinobi world. Bring peace to all. Then we may roam the world freely!"
After he reached max level, he could go hunt the Ōtsutsuki clan in space.
The shinobi world?
He'd leave that to Nawaki.
"Hahahaha—!"
Hyūga Ming laughed wildly, already intoxicated by the glorious future.
Nawaki swallowed and spoke cautiously.
"Big bro… I think before we even defect, my sister will beat us to death first."
Based on his understanding of Tsunade—
If he really tried this, she'd absolutely perform righteous fratricide.
"Pathetic."
Hyūga Ming looked at him with pure disdain.
"It's just Tsunade. And you're scared stiff already?"
"As long as we brothers stand united, one wave of the hand and she'll kneel before us!"
He raised his voice, inciting:
"Come on, shout with me—
Self-reliance! Independence! Defeat Tsunade!"
"…Self-reliance… defeat Tsunade…" Nawaki muttered weakly.
"Louder!"
"SELF-RELIANCE!! DEFEAT TSUNADE!!"
BOOM!!
The front door exploded inward.
Tsunade stood at the entrance, veins bulging on her forehead, her gaze locked onto Nawaki.
"…What did you just say?"
Nawaki's entire body trembled.
"Not me! It was big bro!"
He immediately pointed at Hyūga Ming.
Hyūga Ming—who had somehow already seated himself neatly among a pile of medical scrolls—looked up blankly.
"Hmm? Nawaki, what's wrong?"
Nawaki shook even harder, arm trembling as he pointed.
He looked at Ming.
Then at Tsunade.
Then back at Ming.
Then at Tsunade again.
"That's not how it was just now…"
Hyūga Ming tilted his head, confusion written all over his face.
"You were just saying something about defeating Teacher Tsunade, right? Sorry, I was too focused on the case studies and didn't quite catch it."
"…Oh?"
Tsunade cracked her knuckles, her smile anything but friendly.
"So you want to defeat me?"
"Perfect. Let's see how capable my dear little brother really is."
Nawaki took a deep breath.
"HYŪGA MING!!!"
"Nawaki, accept judgment!!"
BOOM!!
"Tsunade-sensei."
Hyūga Ming stood obediently at Tsunade's side, looking at Nawaki—now unconscious with a massive bump on his head—then shuddered.
Good thing I reacted fast.
He silently offered a prayer for Nawaki.
Sacrificing one person was better than sacrificing two.
May his spirit forgive me.
Amen.
"…Hmm?" Tsunade glanced sideways at him.
Hyūga Ming immediately leaned into his age advantage, his face radiating innocence and obedience.
"Sensei, I've finished reading all the materials. I believe I'm ready for hands-on practice."
Though he had already mastered medical ninjutsu, everything so far had been theoretical.
Tsunade sighed.
"If you want real practice… then the battlefield is your next classroom."
"…The battlefield?"
Hyūga Ming froze.
This was Konoha Year 36.
The Second Shinobi World War was supposed to start next year.
Why was it happening early?
Had he flapped the butterfly's wings too hard?
Tsunade explained solemnly:
"Relations between the Great Nations are deteriorating. Other villages are probing Konoha's stance."
"Many ninja are entering the Land of Fire under the pretense of missions."
"This isn't full-scale war—just localized clashes."
"To stop further incursions, Konoha is preparing defensive lines to drive them out."
She knew Hyūga Ming wasn't simple-minded.
He could understand this easily.
Hyūga Ming frowned.
"Defensive lines…"
So it wasn't full eruption yet.
That meant… he still had room to maneuver.
"Sensei," he asked,
"Will the Hyūga clan allow Hyūga Hiashi to go to the battlefield?"
As members of the same team, if Tsunade went to the front, then Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Hizashi would follow.
"They will," Tsunade replied.
"The Hyūga do want to protect Hiashi—but not excessively."
"A ninja can't live their entire life untouched by danger."
The clan wouldn't let their future head become useless.
Two years of shelter had already been generous—meant to ensure Hiashi fully mastered the main family's secret techniques.
From here on, the leash would loosen.
…Probably.
Even Tsunade wasn't entirely sure.
"When do we move?" Hyūga Ming asked, brows knit.
He really didn't want to be in a team with Hyūga Hiashi.
Yet somehow, Hiashi still hadn't kicked him out.
"Three days from now," Tsunade said, patting his shoulder.
"I'll give you three days off."
"But don't worry—we'll mainly be building defensive lines and negotiating. The fighting shouldn't be too intense."
Konoha had split its response into two paths:
One—to establish front-line defenses and block foreign ninja from entering the Land of Fire.
The other—to forcibly expel enemy ninja already inside.
The second was far more dangerous.
Tsunade had been assigned to the defensive line, along with battlefield medical support.
Hyūga Ming nodded slowly.
Then glanced at Nawaki's still-unmoving body on the floor.
…
Brotherhood is truly forged in blood.
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