Chiya felt the change in the chakra inside his body.
Everything about Lava Release flooded into his mind all at once.
This Lava Release was not the "cement work" Lava Release used by people like the Tsuchikage and Kurotsuchi of Iwagakure.
It was a Kekkei Genkai formed from the fusion of Fire and Earth nature transformations, producing properties like magma and volcanic projectiles.
This Kekkei Genkai delivered far greater explosive damage than a single Fire nature alone.
High temperature magma melted whatever it touched. On top of the explosive damage, it also provided defensive capability.
For example, by wrapping his body in Lava Release chakra, like Roshi's Lava Release Chakra Mode in the original story, one could naturally become immune to damage and similar effects.
After absorbing everything, Chiya felt a stir in his mind.
"System, open the panel."
[Name: Uchiha Chiya]
[Age: 18]
[Chakra: 25 Kaka]
[Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (Mangekyō), Ice Release, Lava Release]
[Skills:
Mangekyō Dojutsu: The Far Shore of the Yellow Springs, Cycle of Cause and Effect.
Forbidden Jutsu: Izanagi, Izanami.
Susano'o, Medical Ninjutsu Mastery, Fire Release Mastery, Genjutsu Mastery, Body Flicker Technique, Shadow Clone Technique, Three Body Technique, and others.]
As expected. Besides the newly added Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, his chakra had steadily increased by five units.
Another round of upgrades.
Chiya's thoughts settled back to the present.
The solemn air of the funeral had not yet fully lifted. Chiya stood at the office window and gazed out into the distance.
'The glory of the Uchiha will ultimately be carried on by those who are still alive.'
Chiya turned to leave, and a security team member came hurrying up to him.
"Clan head, Tsunade sent someone over. She says she has something to discuss with you."
Tsunade?
"At this hour?"
Chiya glanced at the sky outside and felt a flicker of puzzlement.
Konoha Hospital had been overwhelmed lately, and Tsunade, as head of the Medical Corps, had barely had a moment to breathe. Why would she suddenly want to meet him?
"Where is she now?"
The person thought for a moment.
"She only said she would wait for you at the usual place."
Chiya nodded.
"Understood. You can go."
The moment the words left his mouth, Chiya vanished in a body flicker, heading in the direction of the familiar izakaya.
He pushed open the door to the private room they frequented, and a strong smell of alcohol hit him in the face.
Tsunade was sitting alone in the corner of the room. Three empty bottles were already lined up in front of her.
Her golden hair was slightly disheveled, and her fair cheeks were flushed an unnatural shade of red. When she heard him come in, she only lifted her eyelids slightly.
"You're here. Sit."
Her voice was a little low. She pointed to the seat across from her.
Chiya closed the door without any change of expression and sat down cross-legged across from her.
Tsunade pushed a full cup of sake over to him, then tipped her head back and poured a large mouthful down herself.
The amber-colored sake slid along her delicate jaw, dripped onto the collar of her kimono, and spread into a dark stain.
For a moment the only sound in the room was the swallowing of liquor.
Chiya enjoyed the sight quite freely. He did not rush to ask anything and simply sat quietly with her, cup after cup.
Until the fifth bottle ran dry. Tsunade suddenly slammed her cup down on the table.
"Those stubborn old fools!"
She said through gritted teeth, emerald eyes burning with anger.
"They do not understand anything, yet they insist on telling the Medical Corps what to do."
Chiya lightly swirled his cup.
"Is the Third pressuring you again?"
"It is not just the old man."
Tsunade irritably ran a hand through her hair.
"The entire upper leadership is pushing. The medical ninja who were given emergency training during the war fall completely apart the moment they encounter cases outside the ordinary. The result is that there are far too few medical ninja who meet a proper standard, while the number of low-quality medical personnel keeps growing. Instead of figuring out a solution, all they do is pound the table at meetings."
She suddenly leaned in close to Chiya, her alcohol-laced breath washing over his face.
Chiya did not pull back and looked straight into her reddened eyes.
"So you are trying to put together a new training plan?"
Tsunade deflated like a punctured balloon.
She slumped back into her seat and gave a self-mocking laugh.
"A plan? How? By traditional methods, training a qualified medical ninja takes at least three years from the start. But those people."
"Cannot wait that long."
Chiya took a thoughtful sip of sake.
The light in the private room scattered off the cups in tiny flecks and reflected in his dark eyes.
"Actually."
He spoke slowly.
"The problem is not the length of training. It is the method."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"During the war, four days of intensive study followed by four days of simulated combat. Medical ninja who had gone through prior learning could complete training in as few as eight days by drawing on their existing medical knowledge. This four plus four emergency training model is rough, but its strength is that it is highly targeted."
Chiya dipped a finger in the sake and drew a line across the table.
"What is needed now is not to tear it down and start over. It is tiered training."
"Tiered?"
Chiya nodded.
"Rank medical ninjutsu by difficulty. The most basic skills, stopping bleeding, bandaging, chakra guidance, and so on, can be introduced as elective courses in the Ninja Academy."
Tsunade's eyes opened slightly wider, and she seemed to sober up a little.
"The Ninja Academy?"
She repeated quietly.
"But those are just children."
"Precisely because they are children, they are the most moldable."
Chiya's voice was steady and firm.
"Chakra control is already a ninja fundamental. Rather than cramming it in after graduation, it makes more sense to start exposing them to medical concepts from the moment they enroll."
The look in Tsunade's eyes gradually brightened.
She absently rubbed the rim of her cup, her thoughts already spinning ahead along with Chiya's suggestions.
"Lower year students can learn basic care. Upper year students can then be streamed according to their talents. By the time they graduate, the pressure on your training programs will be lower as well, and it will do more to help build and refine the medical system."
"Not just that."
Chiya added.
"Medical assessment items can be added to the Chunin Exams as bonus scoring. That would both encourage ninja pursuing the medical field to start learning quickly, and help identify talented candidates early."
"As for those who have already gone through training, launch a follow-up specialized training program. I would suggest a comprehensive medical ninja assessment exam. Make the exam content genuinely difficult, and break it into subject categories. Chakra control, medical professional knowledge, medical ninjutsu proficiency, and so on. The difficulty should be high. Those who do not pass continue training under the current staged medical curriculum. Those who do pass move on to deepened medical coursework and advanced study."
Workable.
Tsunade suddenly slapped the table and stood up. She leaned across with excitement and grabbed Chiya by the collar.
"You, how is your head even put together?"
Chiya let her yank him forward, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Just thinking about it from the outside looking in."
Tsunade stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly let go and threw her head back laughing.
In that laugh, the frustration that had been building for days seemed to clear away completely.
She raised her bottle boldly.
"A toast to you, the outside observer."
The sake shimmered amber in the lamplight.
Chiya raised his cup to meet hers, but when Tsunade moved to pour herself another drink, he pressed his hand over her wrist.
"No more."
He said quietly.
"Tsunade, you are drunk."
Tsunade blinked, then broke into a sly grin.
She leaned close to Chiya's ear, and the warm, sake-scented breath brushed against him.
"Would it not be even better if I were drunk? That way, after I have my way with you, you will not go fooling around out there. Now come on, let us go to your place to keep drinking."
Chiya's eyelid twitched.
Before he could even react, Tsunade had grabbed him by the arm and hauled him to his feet.
Her steps were a little unsteady, but she pushed open the private room door with total resolve and dragged Chiya outside.
"Wait, Tsunade."
"Less talking."
Tsunade turned to glare at him, cheeks flushed bright red.
Chiya's eyes flickered slightly.
"Hey, what do you mean fooling around? I have no idea what you are talking about."
Tsunade let out a short laugh and poked him in the chest with one finger.
"Hmph. Sneaky little Uchiha brat."
She muttered, though without any real anger.
She pulled Chiya through the noisy main hall of the izakaya. When the night breeze hit them outside, their sleeves tangled together.
In the moonlight, the lines of Tsunade's profile were unusually clear.
Her steps slowed for a moment.
The night wind lifted her golden hair, and a rare, languid expression crossed her face.
Seeing this, Chiya turned his grip and wrapped his hand around Tsunade's wrist.
"This way. It is a shorter route."
He led Tsunade up onto the rooftops and ran through the moonlight toward the direction of his home.
"Tonight you are going to let me drink until I am satisfied. I am not sleeping until I am completely drunk."
The night wind rushed past them, and Tsunade's laughing voice rang out bright and clear beneath the starry sky.