"Ah... haha! Finally done!" Taiichi let out a long sigh of relief, looking at the two scrolls on the table. Writing and transcribing these scrolls felt even more exhausting than fighting a Jonin.
Picking up the fruits of his hard labor, he checked the time and saw it was about right. Taiichi headed out to Training Ground 3. He had arranged to meet Rin and Shizune there in advance.
Walking along the path, Konoha was as prosperous as ever. Pedestrians came and went, busy with their own affairs—a lively picture of everyday life.
Arriving at Training Ground 3, something unexpected happened. He saw Tsunade standing next to Shizune. This was bizarre. At this time, Tsunade should either be at the casino or an izakaya, or at the very least, at the Konoha Hospital. What was she doing here?
Perhaps due to Tsunade's presence, Rin looked quite constrained, standing aside without daring to speak.
Taiichi hurried forward to greet them. "Big Sister Tsunade! I haven't seen you in ages!"
"Are you trying to say I'm neglecting my duties by being here?" Tsunade said coldly, looking as if she had seen through him.
"Ha... ha... ha!" Taiichi rubbed his head. His black hair, already messy from racking his brains writing medical notes last night, became even more disheveled under his hand.
"How could you think that of me, Big Sister Tsunade?" As he spoke, Taiichi glanced at Shizune, who was watching the show from the side, silently pleading for help.
Seeing Taiichi's awkwardness, Shizune covered her mouth and giggled, but quickly chimed in: "Lady Tsunade found out yesterday that you were writing medical notes for us, so she came specifically to check your work today."
"I didn't expect an eight-year-old brat to be teaching others medical ninjutsu. You really have the nerve to teach, and you two have the nerve to learn," Tsunade lectured in the tone of a senior. "If I didn't come to check, what if you taught them wrong?"
"No... it's not like that... Senior Tsunade," Rin Nohara interjected from the side, her voice stuttering with nervousness, afraid Taiichi would be blamed. "I asked Taiichi to teach me medical ninjutsu. It's not Taiichi's fault." Rin tried hard to defend Taiichi.
"It's okay, Rin," Taiichi comforted her. "Big Sister Tsunade is joking. Most of my medical ninjutsu was taught by her. I couldn't ask for a better opportunity than having her guidance."
Saying this, Taiichi took the prepared scroll, Detailed Explanation of Basic Medical Ninjutsu, from his ninja tool pouch and handed it to Tsunade. "Please correct me if I'm wrong, Big Sister."
"Tch, brat." Complaining verbally, Tsunade still took a scroll and read it carefully.
Medical ninjutsu wasn't like ordinary ninjutsu. Mistakes in other jutsu usually only hurt oneself, but mistakes in medical ninjutsu could harm teammates. Moreover, this scroll recorded a lot of medical knowledge, where not even the slightest error could be tolerated.
Tsunade's actions fully demonstrated her care and affection for Taiichi, even if she wouldn't admit it verbally.
Taking this opportunity, Shizune pulled Rin aside and explained the relationship between Tsunade and Taiichi... Finally, Shizune concluded: "In short, they are a pair of master and apprentice with a peculiar relationship."
With this explanation, Rin understood why Shizune had laughed at her behavior earlier. It turned out the master and apprentice were just bantering, and she had naively taken it seriously.
Meanwhile, Tsunade was staring intently at the scroll in her hands, occasionally calling Taiichi over to ask why he wrote something a certain way or what his intention was. Her frown gradually relaxed, then furrowed deeply, and finally smoothed out completely.
It took a full hour for Tsunade to finish reading the entire scroll. Closing it, she looked at Taiichi with relief. "Kid, you've graduated. This scroll is written very well. Even if I wrote it myself, it would be at this level at most."
Taiichi, who had been nonchalant, immediately stood up straight and serious upon hearing Tsunade's words. Tsunade saying he had "graduated" meant a lot. In the past, Tsunade never admitted Taiichi was her disciple. Today was the first time, and perhaps the last.
"It's all thanks to Master's teaching." Taiichi was very emotional, tears shimmering in the corners of his eyes. Tsunade's acknowledgment was not just about status, but also an affirmation of his ability.
Shizune and Rin watched with envy, as if witnessing the passing of the torch for Konoha's medical ninjutsu.
"Alright, enough of that." Tsunade broke the silence first. "You two, come here." She beckoned to Shizune and Rin, who were standing nearby.
When they approached, Tsunade handed each of them a copy of Taiichi's scroll and said, "Study what's written here carefully. Taiichi wrote it very well, and it's very suitable for you."
"Yes, I will study hard!" x2
"If there's anything you don't understand, you can come to me anytime. I'll teach you whenever I'm free," Taiichi added from the side.
"Okay, thank you, Taiichi." x2
"Alright, you two girls go back and study. If you have questions, ask Taiichi later. I still have some things to discuss with Taiichi." Tsunade waved her hand, shooing the two girls away.
Watching their figures disappear, Taiichi turned to Tsunade. "Master, is there something you need me to do?"
"Walk with me first!" Tsunade's voice carried a hint of loneliness. Without waiting for Taiichi to speak, she walked ahead alone.
Taiichi watched Tsunade walk away. After pondering for a moment with no answer, he stopped thinking and quickly caught up with her.
The two walked and stopped along the way, passing the hospital, the Hokage Building, the Academy, and the Memorial Stone. Before the Memorial Stone, Tsunade told Taiichi about the cruelty of war, the death of Nawaki, and the tragic death of Dan.
By now, Taiichi realized something was wrong. In the original story, Tsunade left Konoha shortly after the Second War. Taiichi thought his butterfly effect had changed Tsunade's mind, but it seemed he had only delayed it. Thinking of this, he felt a bit dejected.
They wandered around and finally arrived at the top of the Hokage Rock. Standing at the highest point in Konoha, overlooking the bustling village, the prosperous scene couldn't wash away the faint sorrow between the two.
"I'm leaving Konoha." Tsunade got straight to the point.
"When are you leaving, Master? I'll see you off." Taiichi felt a bit sad.
"You're not going to ask why?" Taiichi's response left Tsunade somewhat speechless.
"Since you've said it, Master, you must have thought it through carefully. Persuading you further would be meaningless," Taiichi replied.
"You see things clearly, unlike some people." Tsunade curled her lip. "You know about my hemophobia, right?"
"I figured it out long ago. You never perform frontline treatment, Master, and you look very nervous every time you see blood," Taiichi explained.
"Smart brat," Tsunade said.
"After Nawaki and Dan died, I was already disheartened. Then I got hemophobia." Tsunade stared blankly into the distance. "A medical ninja with hemophobia... isn't that laughable?" Her face was full of loneliness.
"I wanted to leave long ago. If you hadn't staked out the casino for that medicine that day, I might have left already."
Taiichi looked up at Tsunade in surprise. Was it such a coincidence that day? A day later, and the outcome would have been completely different.
"It's good now. Having taught you to graduation, I have no regrets."
"Shizune is Dan's niece. I'll take her with me. When she completes her studies one day, we'll return to Konoha."
Saying this, Tsunade took out a storage scroll and formed a hand seal. With a poof, two scrolls, one large and one small, fell out. Tsunade caught them and handed both to Taiichi.
Taiichi took them and looked at Tsunade in surprise.
"These two scrolls... the smaller one contains the medical knowledge and ninjutsu you need to learn later. I've organized it all for you."
"The larger one wasn't intended for you originally, but since you're my disciple now, I'll leave it in your care."
Taiichi looked at the name on the scroll—Katsuyu Summoning Scroll.