After several days, inside the Hokage's office.
"...That concludes the full course and outcome of this mission."
As the report ended, a brief silence returned to the office.
Behind the desk, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, quietly listened to the detailed account from the two of them, then revealed an extremely benevolent smile.
"You've worked hard. You both performed exceptionally well—far beyond expectations." His voice was gentle, filled with affirmation. "Based on the nature of this incident, the scope involved, and the final results, the Mission Evaluation Committee has unanimously decided to officially raise the rank of your mission to A-rank."
An A-rank mission often meant that the matter itself had already touched upon—or had the potential to affect—the balance of power and security stability between regions.
This time, exposing and thwarting the border city lord's collusion with an external evil cult—kidnapping children of our own country for malicious purposes—indeed fully matched the weight of such a rank.
"Since the mission has been successfully completed, you may take some time to rest properly." The Third Hokage smiled lightly, his tone relaxed, like an elder showing concern for his juniors, as he gently advised, "Especially you, Shinichi. Experiencing such twists and turns on your very first mission—go back and relax well. Restore your energy."
"Yes. Thank you for your concern, Third Hokage-sama."
Shinichi responded respectfully. After a slight pause, he lifted his head and added, "Third Hokage-sama, I personally have a strong interest in medical ninjutsu. May I request your permission to study the fundamentals at the Konoha Hospital during intervals between missions?"
"Oh? Studying medical ninjutsu?" The Third Hokage set down his pipe with interest, the smile on his face growing even warmer. "Shinichi, what brings this idea all of a sudden?"
"Reporting to Third Hokage-sama," Shinichi answered in a steady tone, "there are several reasons. First, you previously instructed me that my chakra control is still insufficient. I have heard that medical ninjutsu demands an extremely high degree of precision in chakra manipulation—perhaps the highest among all branches of ninjutsu."
"I believe that by engaging in the practice of medical ninjutsu, I may greatly temper and enhance my control over chakra. This would be of significant benefit to my overall growth in the future."
After a brief pause, he continued in an orderly manner, ""Second, compared to ninjutsu, I have actually invested more in taijutsu. My combat style leans more toward taijutsu. Medicine and taijutsu have long been closely related."
"A deeper understanding of the human body's structure, the Chakra Pathways system, muscular force generation, and even vital weaknesses would not only allow me to train myself more scientifically and effectively—reducing hidden injuries—but also enable me in real combat to grasp more precisely the timing, location, and force of attacks and defenses, elevating the power and efficiency of my taijutsu to a new level."
Finally, he added, "Also, as a shinobi, it's inevitable that injuries will occur during missions, or that teammates will need rescue. Mastering some basic medical knowledge might provide an extra measure of security at critical moments, reducing unnecessary casualties."
After hearing him out, the Third Hokage slowly nodded and said with a smile, "Mm... Since you have such intent, and what you say is reasonable, I naturally have no reason to refuse. Very well—later I'll inform the Medical Department. If you have time these next two days, go report in."
"However, Shinichi, medical ninjutsu is vast and profound. It requires not only talent, but also sustained patience and an uncommon level of meticulousness. You must remember: act within your limits. Do not be greedy for quantity or speed. You must proceed step by step."
"Yes, Third Hokage-sama!" Shinichi nodded solemnly. "I will keep your teachings firmly in mind, and I will also learn with humility from the seniors at the hospital."
After the two of them bowed and withdrew, silence returned to the Hokage's office, leaving only the Third Hokage alone.
He picked up that still-fresh mission report on the desk again, slowly flipped to the final attached pages, where there were mission remarks and team member evaluations handwritten by the captain, Maruboshi Kosuke.
Outstanding talent, formidable strength; keen insight, sound analysis; decisive in the moment, bold and composed...
In the remarks, Kosuke spoke very highly of Shinichi, and further emphasized that this was a child with a strong sense of responsibility and deep empathy.
As the Third Hokage continued reading, his smile gradually widened.
...
Perhaps because Shinichi had left the village for a mission right after graduation—and during that mission, the risk had sharply escalated, and it was ultimately classified as A-rank—the Third Hokage also felt somewhat apologetic, believing that this young shinobi should be given a smoother transition period.
Thus, over the next a little more than two months, most of the missions Shinichi and Kosuke received were D-rank, basically all within the bounds of Konohagakure.
The farthest they went was only to a nearby village, helping the local villagers drive off and eliminate two brown bears that had awakened from hibernation and been harassing homes.
Outside of missions, Shinichi did not slack off in the slightest. On one hand, he continued to study under Maruboshi Kosuke.
The old shinobi's techniques—deeply integrating his exquisite swordsmanship with practical shinobi combat experience—benefited Shinichi greatly.
At the same time, although Kosuke excelled in Water Release, he also had a solid foundation in Fire Release. His guidance likewise allowed Shinichi to make progress in the application of fire-aspect chakra.
In name they were teammates, but most of the time, Kosuke was more like a guiding teacher who taught without holding anything back.
On the other hand, thanks to the Third Hokage's advance notice, Shinichi entered the Konoha Hospital smoothly and began to come into contact with the professional knowledge of medical shinobi.
Although at the Ninja Academy, students would learn basic pharmacology and human anatomy, compared to the depth and precision of knowledge a truly qualified medical shinobi needed to master, that was only the basics of the basics.
Becoming a qualified medical shinobi was extremely difficult. It typically required years of systematic training and rigorous practice, demanding exceptionally high levels of talent and temperament.
However, under the enhancement of multiple Entries such as [Genius], Shinichi's learning efficiency far exceeded that of ordinary people.
...
"Heading back, Shinichi?" One day, after finishing his studies at the hospital, a familiar doctor saw him packing up and greeted him with a smile.
"Yes, senpai. See you tomorrow." Shinichi nodded in response.
As he walked through the corridor, several nurses also smiled and waved at him: "See you tomorrow, Shinichi-chan!"
"Be careful on your way home."
It was clear that although only two months had passed, he had gotten along quite well here.
Shinichi responded politely to each of them and left the hospital with steady steps.
After returning home and finishing a simple wash, he walked to the bed and lay down on his back without hesitation.
His consciousness settled, and the personal panel surfaced silently.
In the Talent column, one Entry had already changed:
[Charisma (Green): You possess extremely strong personal charisma. Your words and actions naturally convey affinity and credibility, causing others to unconsciously develop goodwill and identification with you, and making them more easily influenced by your emotions and attitude.]
This had upgraded from the original white Entry [Affinity]. Although he had not deliberately pursued it, over time it had solidified in others' perception into a deeper form of "charisma."
His gaze passed over [Charisma] and fell on another newly generated white Entry:
[Medical Fundamentals (White): You possess excellent memory and comprehension regarding human anatomy and pharmacological knowledge. In the study and application of medical knowledge and basic treatment techniques, you are precise and efficient.]
This was direct feedback from his recent studies at the hospital. However, looking at this Entry, Shinichi had already confirmed a fact in his heart.
Just as he had previously speculated—
[Medical Fundamentals] belonged to a subdivided talent Entry within the category of "shinobi professional aptitude."
Its generation precisely indicated that the identity of "medical shinobi," in the panel's evaluative logic, was not regarded as an independent "profession."
It was more like a specialized branch under the shinobi system—a derivative application formed by combining shinobi and medical knowledge—rather than an independently originated and fully inherited extraordinary professional system.
Then what was?
Shinobi, needless to say, was the unquestionably dominant discipline of the present shinobi world.
As for swordsmen…
Shinichi's thoughts rapidly traced back through the clues he knew. Various hints from the original work suggested that before Ōtsutsuki Kaguya descended and chakra became widely disseminated, this world had already possessed numerous extraordinary beings, yet humanity had still been able to establish mainstream civilizations and stable nations.
This meant that before chakra became the mainstream power, humanity must have possessed other means sufficient to contend with the extraordinary.
Samurai—or in other words, swordsmen—were one of them. It was only after chakra, as a more efficient and versatile form of energy, became widespread that their energy was replaced with chakra.
Even in the Land of Iron, which verbally upheld the samurai tradition, what their samurai actually utilized was already chakra.
Then aside from swordsmen as a profession, what else was there?
Shinichi's gaze sharpened, and two terms surfaced in his mind:
Shrine Maidens!
Monks!
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---