Inside the training ground, Team 10 finished another day of training.
"Alright."
Before dismissing them, Tsunade clapped her hands, drawing the attention of the three, and went straight to the point: "I'll briefly talk about the upcoming training arrangements."
Tsunade first looked at Shizune and Kurenai Yuhi, her tone crisp and direct: "I've already made arrangements with the medical department and the hospital. Starting next week, the two of you will regularly go to Konoha Hospital for systematic study and internships, covering theory, anatomy, pharmacology, and clinical practice. You'll learn step by step. For a long period to come, you will work toward becoming a professional and mature Medical ninja."
"Understood, Tsunade-sensei!"
Shizune responded almost immediately, her eyes shining.
Becoming a great Medical ninja had always been her dream, and hearing this arrangement filled her with nothing but anticipation and excitement.
Kurenai Yuhi's reaction, however, was somewhat different. A trace of hesitation flashed in her crimson eyes, because becoming a professional Medical ninja was not her dream.
What she truly longed for was to combine her clan's Genjutsu with her own swordsmanship and carve out a unique ninja path.
But Tsunade-sensei's earlier words, along with Shinichi's viewpoint, surfaced in her mind.
The core of learning Medical Ninjutsu lies in achieving extremely precise chakra control and a deep understanding of the human body, organs, and chakra pathway system.
This level of control and insight was exactly the most fundamental and critical quality for her, who needed to intricately weave chakra into Genjutsu and seamlessly integrate it with sword techniques.
Regardless of whether she would ultimately specialize in Medical Ninjutsu, this period of deep study in the hospital and direct exposure to various injuries and cases would have irreplaceable value in refining her chakra control and precision and enriching her understanding of the human body and Genjutsu.
It could even be the key to whether she could become a true powerhouse in the future.
Thinking of this, the hesitation in Kurenai Yuhi's eyes gradually faded. She nodded seriously to Tsunade: "I understand, Tsunade-sensei. I'll study hard."
Tsunade seemed to have expected Kurenai's reaction. She slightly nodded in acknowledgment.
At this moment, Shizune seemed to suddenly remember something. She blinked and asked, "Tsunade-sensei, what about Shinichi? Isn't he going to the hospital with us to study?"
Hearing this, Tsunade's expression remained unchanged. She simply said calmly, "Hasn't that kid already been staying at the hospital for a while? He's not just learning anymore, he can already handle quite a few cases independently, and he's even doing better than many full-time medical ninjas who've been at it for years."
"Alright, I'll give you the detailed schedule and contacts later."
Tsunade said, seemingly unwilling to elaborate further, directly ending the topic as she waved her hand. "That's all for today. Dismissed."
...
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed Konoha's streets in a warm golden hue.
Shinichi walked home at an unhurried pace, but his mind kept replaying his earlier conversation with Orochimaru.
To serve as Orochimaru's experimental assistant?
This proposal itself was undoubtedly extremely tempting.
Orochimaru's talent, knowledge, and depth of exploration into Ninjutsu and the essence of life were among the very top in the entire Shinobi World.
If he could study under him, the benefits to his own research in medicine, biology, and even the more fundamental aspects of chakra would be immeasurable.
More importantly, Orochimaru was very likely already cooperating with Danzo Shimura, and he probably possessed the first Hokage's cells.
As for these legendary first Hokage cells, Shinichi had coveted them for a long time.
After all, the first Hokage cells were considered top-tier, legendary materials, providing invaluable templates and data to explore the possibilities of physical enhancement or bloodline fusion.
Moreover, the current Orochimaru was still a hero of Konoha, one of the three Sannin who had gone through the Shinobi World War and achieved remarkable feats, a favored disciple of the third Hokage, and a core figure of the Hokage faction with impeccable credentials.
Following him would not bring any negative impact to his current personal image; instead, it might even add a layer of prestige.
But… not now!
Shinichi clearly knew that, although Orochimaru had not yet completely fallen into the obsessive madness of pursuing immortality, after experiencing the last brutal Shinobi World War, especially after personally witnessing the accidental death of Nawaki, the younger brother of his close friend, Tsunade, and also his own student, his mental state had already developed issues, making him very dangerous.
Speaking of which, after the last Shinobi World War, all three Sannin had developed psychological problems, and each went down different paths of escape or obsession.
Jiraiya appeared bold and unrestrained, but in reality, he placed his hopes in illusory and vague prophecies, wandering outside the village for years.
Tsunade developed hemophobia, numbing herself with alcohol and gambling, and once fell into depression and fled.
As for Orochimaru, he turned toward extreme exploration of the essence of life and nihilistic questioning of the meaning of existence itself.
"They're all more troublesome than the last."
Shinichi shook his head slightly, temporarily suppressing his thoughts: "I'll wait until I'm promoted to Jonin and obtain a purple talent before discussing this further."
You should know that up to now, he still hasn't had any purple-quality talent. Originally, he thought that as the manga of the Cooking Master Boy became popular throughout the Land of Fire and new dishes continuously caused a sensation, the blue-quality talent, Gourmet, would naturally be upgraded to purple, but that was not the case.
Based on Shinichi's past experience, the simplest way to generate and upgrade blue-quality talents was to demonstrate widely recognized excellence in a certain field within the core regions of the Shinobi World, such as the capitals of the Five Great Shinobi Countries or the Five Great Ninja Villages, places of true significance, and gain recognition from influential core figures, which would allow generation or advancement.
Of course, it didn't have to be limited to those places; it's just that those places carried more weight. In other areas, the scope might need to be broader and the time longer.
Then what about purple quality talent?
If even causing a sensation across the entire Land of Fire was not enough, then it likely required recognition from multiple nations or even the entire Shinobi World.
Perhaps this step represented the transition from genius to master, from elite to powerhouse, the stage where, when people mentioned a certain field, a representative figure would come to mind.
Just like in today's Shinobi World, when people mentioned Medical Ninjutsu, they thought of Tsunade; when mentioning poison techniques, they thought of Chiyo and Hanzo; when mentioning swordsmanship, they thought of the White Fang, Hanzo, and Mifune. These were publicly recognized representative figures in specific fields of the current Shinobi World.
It could only be said that the difficulty of upgrading to a purple-quality talent was far greater than he had guessed.
But this also meant that the enhancements brought by a purple talent would be greater than he had imagined.
To become a publicly recognized representative figure in a certain field was still quite difficult for him at present.
However, he also had his own shortcut. Once he advanced to Jonin and gained the corresponding recognition, he would be able to unlock the trait bonuses brought by the Jonin occupation and obtain a chance to draw a purple talent. His strength would then step onto an entirely new level.
At that point, things would progress much faster.
And only after obtaining the Jonin status and a new purple talent would he have the confidence to stand before Orochimaru as an equal, collaborating as a peer or even a leading figure.
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