Chapter 9: The Spy
"Guy, do you know what that fellow Tatsumi has been busy with lately? Why does he disappear as soon as school is over?"
"Yeah, I can't even find him for a spar. Is this guy scared of yours truly?"
At the Konoha Academy, Asuma Sarutobi and Uchiha Obito stopped Might Guy, who was walking out of the school on his hands, and asked about Hyuga Tatsumi's recent whereabouts.
"Ah? Isn't he training with me in the woods every day after school?" Might Guy looked puzzled.
Kurenai Yuhi walked over and said, "That's not right. I often see him by the river, seemingly practicing Water Surface Walking and Water Release."
"A member of the Hyuga Clan practicing Ninjutsu? Are you sure it's not Gentle Fist?" Obito had a look of disbelief; this was even harder to believe than an Uchiha giving up Genjutsu and Fire Release to study Water Release.
"That's not all. I often see him at the Konoha Hospital, even using Lightning Release to help with CPR," Rin Nohara chimed in, her face full of admiration. "The doctors all like him very much. They even ask him to use his Byakugan to assist during surgeries."
The group of friends were all stunned. With so many Hyuga Tatsumis around, which one was the real one?
"Oh, I remember now," Might Guy suddenly jumped up and said. "One time when he was sparring with me, he suddenly exploded into a cloud of smoke. I thought he was going to use a Ninjutsu, but he never reappeared."
"Speaking of which, don't you guys think the Tatsumi at school is too quiet? He's nothing like his old self. Plus, he disappears the moment school ends; I've never seen him on the road," Kurenai Yuhi analyzed. "Could that guy be using a Shadow Clone to attend school?"
"It's very likely," Asuma nodded. "The ones practicing Taijutsu with Guy, practicing Water Release at the river, and attending classes at school are all Shadow Clones. Only the one at the hospital who can use the Byakugan is the original body."
Obito's expression suddenly changed, and he walked toward the Uchiha clan compound with a gloomy face.
Guy asked in confusion, "What's wrong with him?"
Kurenai Yuhi sighed and explained, "He lost to Tatsumi in the combat class the day before yesterday."
"So what? Hasn't he always lost before?" Guy was still confused.
"But what if he lost to Tatsumi's Shadow Clone?" Asuma spoke gloomily, his own expression sour; he had also lost the day before yesterday.
Kurenai Yuhi sighed. She could understand Asuma and Obito's feelings. At least those two still had a fighting chance; she was the most miserable. Byakugan against Genjutsu was a natural counter, and as for Taijutsu, it wasn't even worth mentioning.
At the Konoha Hospital, Hyuga Tatsumi's hand jerked as he received the memories from the Shadow Clone responsible for school today, nearly injuring the patient in front of him.
The lead surgeon nearby noticed his abnormality and asked, "Tatsumi, are you feeling unwell? Do you need a break?"
"I'm fine, Doctor Maki. Let's continue." He adjusted the angle of the hook in his hand, pulling back the patient's internal tissues to reveal a black speck.
"There's another metal fragment here."
Doctor Maki praised, "Such a well-hidden fragment. Without Tatsumi here, we might not have found it. Performing surgery with the Byakugan is truly much easier."
"It's a pity few Hyuga Clan members are willing to learn Medical Ninjutsu; otherwise, our lives would be much easier." Another doctor sighed. The Hyuga Clan was too proud, all obsessed with developing the Gentle Fist. Hyuga Tatsumi was one of the very few exceptions.
While Hyuga Tatsumi assisted the doctors with the treatment, he focused his mind on the memories sent back by his Shadow Clone.
His Shadow Clones were all eccentric, but they shared one common trait: they hated school.
Every morning, several Shadow Clones would draw lots to decide who went to school. Every time a Shadow Clone was chosen for school, it would look as if it had lost its Life Qi, attending school mechanically and then dispelling itself as soon as school hours were over.
Among them, the very first Shadow Clone he had created after learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu—that fellow Hyuga Saitama—was the most atrocious. He dispelled himself through suicide every single time, and the deaths were bizarre. For example, today he chose to suffocate himself. The memory sent back after death carried a desperate sense of asphyxiation, which was what caused Hyuga Tatsumi's hand to jerk.
"That guy is truly wicked!"
Hyuga Tatsumi had a headache. He had never heard of anyone else's Shadow Clones being like his; after being dispelled and summoned again, they could actually inherit their previous consciousness, and they were so vindictive.
"I love learning in this life, so why can't I produce a top-student Shadow Clone?"
Thinking about the miserable state of the Shadow Clone at school, his headache worsened. Most of what the Ninja Academy taught was theoretical knowledge, which was also very useful, okay? Learn it properly, damn it!
At this moment, the surgery was nearing its end. A white light orb that only Hyuga Tatsumi could see flew out from the patient and merged into his body.
"My physical fitness has improved a bit again!" He nodded with satisfaction. The hospital was indeed a great place to grind experience. In just half a year, he had not only mastered Water Release and Lightning Release but was also close to mastering Yin Release.
Yin Release can be seen as the power generated by the physical body. Medical Ninjutsu and the Akimichi Clan's Multi-Size Jutsu both fall under the category of Yin Release.
After obtaining the Medical Ninjutsu scroll, he had been unable to learn it, mainly because he was too young and his physical fitness was insufficient to support Yin Release. Now it was fine; with a few more white light orbs, he was confident he could learn the Mystical Palm Technique.
As the surgery ended and he was about to deactivate his Byakugan, a figure suddenly made him pause slightly.
On the third floor of the Konoha Hospital, a person in a white lab coat sneakily slipped out of Doctor Maki's office. Seeing no one in the corridor watching her, she let out a soft sigh of relief, tidied her clothes, and walked toward the stairs with an air of composure.
"Doctor Nanako, are you off work?" The nurse on duty greeted her warmly.
"Yes," Nanako nodded indifferently, carrying the unique pride of a doctor as she continued toward the stairs.
The duty nurse curled her lip and whispered, "She's just Doctor Maki's Disciple; what's she so smug about? Since Tatsumi arrived, Doctor Maki hasn't even wanted to take her into surgeries."
Nanako acted as if she hadn't heard, continuing down the stairs. Halfway down, she suddenly froze and said to the person blocking her path, "Hyuga Tatsumi, aren't you in surgery?"
The person looked at Nanako with an arrogant expression: "I am Hyuga Shijian, nicknamed the Thunderbolt Dharma King. Of course, calling me Hyuga Tatsumi is also correct. Doctor Nanako, care to explain what you were doing sneakily going into Doctor Maki's office just now?"
"What the hell?"
Nanako was stunned for a moment, then she recovered and said coldly, "I don't know what you're talking about. Move aside."
"You don't think your actions can hide from the Byakugan, do you?"
Nanako forced herself to stay calm and said, "I am Doctor Maki's Disciple. Why can't I go into his office?"
"Is that so? But I remember Doctor Maki saying that no one is allowed in his office without his permission."
Another of Hyuga Tatsumi's eccentric Shadow Clones—Hyuga Shijian—reached out to grab Nanako: "You'd better come with me and explain yourself to Doctor Maki."
"That depends on whether you have the ability." Nanako's hand, hidden under her white coat, secretly formed a seal, and her entire body merged into the wall like water.
"Earth Release!" Hyuga Shijian's expression turned cold as he said chillingly, "You really look down on me, the Thunderbolt Dharma King, don't you?"
Lightning counters Earth. Wasn't using Earth Release in front of him a slap to his face?
He formed hand seals, the lightning on his hands intensifying, and then he slammed them onto the spot where Nanako had disappeared.
"Lightning Release: Earth Flash!"
Dazzling lightning surged toward the wall like a cast fishing net. The electric lights of the entire hospital flickered. Nanako, who was traveling through the earth wall, felt her body go numb and fell right out of the wall.
Looking at Hyuga Shijian rushing toward her, she shouted in disbelief, "How is this possible? How can the Hyuga Clan have such powerful Lightning Release Ninjutsu?"
"Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the Hyuga Clan?"
Hyuga Tatsumi's original body arrived, struck Nanako's pressure points, and then dispelled the Shadow Clone.
"Other Hyuga don't practice Ninjutsu because the Gentle Fist is enough for them, but that doesn't mean the Hyuga Clan lacks talent for Ninjutsu."
On the contrary, the Hyuga Clan's talent for Ninjutsu was extremely outstanding; after all, their Blood was right there.
Doctor Maki, who followed behind him, had a complex expression. He walked up to Nanako and searched her, pulling out a Ninjutsu scroll.
"Lady Tsunade's Advanced Medical Ninjutsu scroll... Nanako, why did you steal this? You haven't even learned the basic Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique; you couldn't learn from an Advanced scroll even if you had it!"
Nanako turned her head away, unwilling to answer the question.
"Leave the interrogation to us."
At that moment, two masked figures jumped in through the window, followed by a middle-aged Ninja with his hair tied up.
The Anbu, and the Yamanaka Clan!
Nanako's face instantly turned ashen. Knowing there would be no secrets once she fell into their hands, she figured it was better to confess honestly to avoid being tortured.
She hung her head and said, "Lady Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu has shone brilliantly on the battlefield. How could the other hidden villages not covet it?"
Doctor Maki couldn't help but say, "Nanako, I remember your family has been Konoha locals for three generations."
"Another hidden village contacted me and offered a high price. My father lost a hand and both legs in the war, and the family is truly desperate for money, so I..."
Nanako was taken away by the Anbu. Doctor Maki looked dejected and confided in Hyuga Tatsumi, "I knew about her family's situation, which is why I took her as a Disciple. The income at Konoha Hospital is very high, more than enough to support a family..."
"Mm-hmm, it's her who didn't know how to cherish it and betrayed your kindness." Hyuga Tatsumi nodded in agreement, but his eyes couldn't leave the Advanced Medical Ninjutsu scroll in Doctor Maki's hand.
Seeing his longing, Doctor Maki tossed the scroll to him.
"Remember to return it to me after you've finished copying it."
"Is... is this okay?" Hyuga Tatsumi hurriedly caught the scroll, looking incredulous. He had obtained it so easily; what was Nanako working so hard for?
"Why wouldn't it be? Tatsumi, your talent for medicine is the best I've ever seen. Perhaps you can carry on Lady Tsunade's Ninjutsu. Study hard and don't let down my expectations."
"Don't we need Lady Tsunade's permission?"
"Hehe," Doctor Maki smiled slightly. "My original name was Senju Maki. I only dropped the surname after Lady Tsunade left."
A big shot! Please take me under your wing!