Chapter 59 – Study and Teaching
With the medical scroll Tsunade had given him before her departure, Taichi knew it was time to revise his entire training plan.
Medical ninjutsu could no longer be treated as a side pursuit—it was something he needed to return to in earnest.
And now that he had a student—someone who often dropped by seeking his guidance in healing techniques—he had all the more reason to reorganize and refine his own understanding.
That "student," of course, was Rin.
---
Taichi had just finished his morning training when a polite knock came at the door.
Opening it, he found Rin standing there, holding a small fruit basket in both hands, smiling shyly.
He couldn't help but think, Rin really knows how to carry herself.
Not like certain other visitors—
a certain "white-haired show-off" and a "hot-blooded idiot,"
who always came empty-handed and left with full stomachs.
No wonder Rin could smooth over the friction between Kakashi and Obito.
It wasn't just because they both liked her—it was because she was genuinely thoughtful and composed.
"Come in," Taichi said warmly, leading her inside and to his study.
---
"So," he asked, "is there something you didn't quite understand?"
Rin nodded, looking a little embarrassed, then hesitated before speaking again.
"Actually… I went to find Shizune this morning. We were supposed to come here together.
But when I got to her house, no one was home. The door was locked. Do you know why?"
At her question, Taichi's eyes dimmed for a brief moment.
The image of Tsunade and Shizune walking away from Konoha at dawn flashed in his mind.
"Ah… Shizune took a leave from the Academy," he said finally, forcing his tone to stay casual.
"She's traveling with her family for a while."
He couldn't tell Rin the truth—not about Tsunade's departure, nor her condition.
It was confidential, and more importantly, Tsunade's very presence served as a deterrent to other villages—especially to Sunagakure's elder Chiyo, whose poisons Tsunade had famously countered.
"I see…" Rin murmured, looking down. "We'd just promised to study together."
Her voice was soft, almost lost in her thoughts, and Taichi couldn't quite catch the rest of her muttering.
But soon she composed herself, and one by one began asking the questions she'd been struggling with the night before.
Taichi answered them all patiently, and through explaining them, found himself revisiting and reinforcing his own medical foundations.
[You have conducted a medical teaching session. Related comprehension increased!]
---
Once all her doubts were resolved, Taichi assigned Rin a few healing exercises to practice on her own, while he turned his attention to the scroll Tsunade had left behind.
It was extraordinary.
Not only did it contain extensive medical theory and practice, but also the training methods for numerous advanced techniques—
from the Cellular Regeneration Technique to Yin Healing Wound Destruction—
even Tsunade's incomplete notes and hypotheses on the legendary Creation Rebirth, and detailed insights into her signature strength-enhancement taijutsu, Monstrous Strength.
Reading through the meticulous handwriting, Taichi realized something profound.
This wasn't just a scroll—it was Tsunade's legacy.
Everything she had learned, all her life's work, she had entrusted to him.
Not only to him—but to the future of Konoha itself.
---
The room grew quiet.
Only the soft murmur of pages turning and the faint rustle of Rin's clothing as she practiced her hand seals filled the air.
Every now and then, she would whisper a question,
or the faint hum of chakra would ripple as she cast the Healing Technique again and again.
Time slipped by unnoticed until—
"Thud!"
The sudden sound startled Taichi out of his reading.
He looked up sharply to see Rin sitting on the floor, pale-faced and breathing unevenly.
In an instant, he was on his feet.
"Don't move," he said, gently pressing her shoulder as she tried to stand.
Warm green light flared to life around his hand as his chakra began to flow into her arm, probing gently.
"I'm fine," Rin said quickly, flustered. "I just got tired and slipped, that's all—"
Taichi shot her a flat look.
She fell silent immediately.
Even without words, the slight glare from his "teacher mode" was enough to make her sit obediently, allowing him to finish his examination.
The soft glow of healing chakra flickered between them, painting the quiet room in hues of green and gold.
Taichi's brow furrowed as he examined Rin's condition.
Her physical fatigue and loss of stamina were minor issues — a bit of rest would fix that.
But the real problem lay deeper: her cells were showing signs of chakra overdraw.
That was no small matter.
He shot her a quiet, reprimanding look — the kind that said more than any scolding could.
Rin shrank a little under his gaze, unsure how to react.
Without another word, Taichi raised his hand again.
The soft green light of medical chakra that surrounded his palm deepened in hue — from pale jade to brilliant emerald.
He had shifted the chakra's composition, amplifying its yang-natured energy, blending it with his Palm Technique to gently nourish Rin's overtaxed cells.
Rin could feel the change almost immediately.
The warmth that had been circulating through her body turned cool and refreshing, spreading outward from her arm like a tide of calm.
The heaviness in her limbs melted away, replaced by a soothing lightness — as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
What she didn't realize was just how special this treatment was.
Taichi was using a method entirely of his own creation —
a unique combination of advanced taijutsu conditioning techniques and yang-nature chakra modulation to heal and revitalize the body from within.
In all the shinobi world, this was the first of its kind, and its effects were nothing short of miraculous.
The only drawback was its cost.
It required immense chakra reserves and finely honed control over the yang element — something Taichi had only mastered after reaching Level 6 Yang Nature Transformation.
And even with that mastery, it was taxing.
After just a few minutes of treatment, beads of sweat were already forming on his forehead.
His breathing grew shallow — a clear sign that both his chakra and mental focus were nearing their limits.
Seeing this, Rin's worry deepened.
Not only for herself, but for him —
she hadn't meant for her overtraining to cause him trouble, much less drain him like this.
After several more minutes, Taichi finally withdrew his hand.
The glowing chakra faded, and he leaned back in his chair, taking a long sip of tea before exhaling.
Then, with a teacher's quiet gravity, he said:
"Rin, I know you're eager to grow stronger. But training has its limits — especially when it comes to chakra refinement.
Each person's daily capacity to refine chakra is finite. Once you exceed it, you start consuming your body's very cells."
His voice grew solemn.
"That doesn't just limit your future potential as a ninja — it shortens your lifespan.
When you're refining chakra and feel your body start to grow heavy, that's your body warning you.
Stop immediately. Never ignore that signal."
Rin listened silently.
She could tell he wasn't scolding her — he was genuinely concerned.
And this wasn't the kind of lesson one could learn at the Academy.
At school, teachers would only ever say, "Don't overtrain."
The village, after all, wanted its students to gain combat capability as quickly as possible —
and not everyone could even sense the warning signs their body gave them.
Rin, however, was different.
Her natural talent for medical ninjutsu meant her chakra control and perception were far more refined than most.
But even so, she had pushed herself too hard — and if Taichi hadn't intervened, the consequences could have been serious.
---
After resting for a short while, Taichi walked her through what had gone wrong earlier, explaining the nature of chakra fatigue and how to prevent it.
Rin listened attentively, taking mental notes, before standing and bowing slightly.
"Thank you, Taichi. I'll be more careful next time. I'll come again tomorrow morning — and the next few days too. I want to keep learning."
Taichi nodded approvingly.
Rin had already decided to take a few days off from the Academy to focus on her training.
He watched her leave, then returned to the kitchen to fix himself a simple lunch.
After eating, he resumed his studies — scrolls unfurled, notes spread across the table.
When he grew tired of studying, he trained.
When his body ached from training, he went back to studying.
And so the cycle continued, hour after hour.
Because strength — true strength — didn't come from talent alone.
Taichi wasn't strong merely because of some "system" or convenient gift.
It was the result of discipline.
Of endless repetition, patience, and the will to keep learning.
Even the best foundation, left untended, would eventually crumble.
But Taichi—he was determined never to let his go to waste.
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