Yakushi Nonō's teaching plan was originally meant to take two years. In reality, it took only one year, and they had already reached the final step.
"Mystical Palm Technique."
Nonō continued, "I've written to Tsunade-sama and discussed it with her. As long as you can master this jutsu, my commission will be considered successfully completed. Everything I know—healing, medicinal herbs and pharmacology, even antidote formulation—I've taught you all of it. If you want to go further, you'll have to wait until Tsunade-sama returns."
Hyuga Kiyonari stood and bowed deeply, extremely solemn. "Thank you for your careful guidance this past year. I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life."
Compared with Tsunade, Yakushi Nonō was much closer to being his true teacher. Over this year, she had not only taught him without holding anything back, she had also looked after his life in every way—like a mother.
Nonō accepted the bow calmly and continued. "Although the Mystical Palm Technique is considered the foundation of medical ninjutsu, if you place it within the entire ninjutsu system, it isn't 'basic' at all. The learning difficulty alone—A-rank—makes many people back away."
"In fact, if you can master this technique, you're already a highly skilled medic. The only thing you lack now is practical experience—but that's also the hard part. Even if you're Tsunade-sama's student, at your age, trying to intern at Konoha Hospital… even a genius couldn't do it."
"That's fine," Kiyonari shook his head. "Before that… I'll just have to inconvenience some small animals."
Hearing this, Nonō looked as if she'd anticipated it. She pulled a rabbit—heavier than it looked—out of her bag.
"Perfect. The orphanage kids caught a wild rabbit near the wall yesterday. It's lively and full of energy—ideal for practicing Mystical Palm."
Kiyonari examined it and nodded seriously. "Mm—if I fail to save it during practice, I'll definitely turn it into spicy rabbit heads. I won't waste its sacrifice."
"Pfft!"
Nonō couldn't hold it in and laughed. Then she narrowed her eyes on purpose and gave Kiyonari a "dangerous" stare.
"You… aren't going to 'slip' on purpose just for something to eat, are you?"
…
Meanwhile, at the Land of Fire border.
The "real" teacher, Tsunade, hid a small cup in her palm. Inside was sake she'd asked Uchiha Shisui to obtain with great difficulty. She had to hide from Shizune and sip it little by little.
Over this year, the border conflicts between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning had basically stabilized, so Tsunade finally dared to drink a little now and then.
Several times, Kumogakure had sent letters, politely expressing a desire for peace talks. Tsunade didn't even bother reading them—she always found some random excuse and dismissed the messenger.
As long as this force stayed stationed at the border, Kumogakure couldn't retreat even if it wanted to. As for fighting—they didn't dare, either.
Because Ōnoki of Iwagakure had openly sent an envoy to meet Tsunade. Even though the two sides only exchanged small talk, for the Raikage—who had no way of knowing what was said—it was enough deterrence to force him to hold position.
"Heh. Konoha's been the one suffering for years. It's about time you Cloud bastards got a taste of being stuck with no way forward or back."
Thinking that, the sake in her cup even seemed to taste richer.
Only a final little bit remained, yet Tsunade tilted her head back and drank it in one go, acting like she was downing a full cup—as if she could trick her brain into thinking she'd had more.
But when she lowered the cup, a [Drift Bottle] was already standing silently on the tabletop.
She pulled out the cork and carefully took out the letter. Her eyes immediately went to a small mark in the top-right corner of the page—"4."
After receiving the second drift bottle last time, she'd written back and agreed with [Like Hell I'll Be Hokage] to leave numbered marks in the letters. This "4" meant this was likely the fourth drift bottle she had received.
Then—what about the third? Would it arrive late someday in the future?
But receiving the fourth bottle proved that in that world, Konoha had defeated Akatsuki—though no one knew what it cost.
As Tsunade thought, she unfolded the letter. But the first sentence made her pupils contract sharply.
[The Fourth Great Ninja War still began. The scale of this war is far beyond anything I imagined. The enemy's main force isn't the living, but the deceased Kage of every village and other powerful shinobi, dragged back into this world by the Edo Tensei technique. Even with the Five Great Nations united, it's hard to gain the advantage.]
Tsunade sucked in a cold breath and sprang to her feet. The chair even scraped backward with a harsh squeal.
Edo Tensei?
Wasn't that a forbidden jutsu developed by the Second Hokage—absolutely banned?!
She forced herself to calm down and kept reading.
[The caster is named Yakushi Kabuto, once a subordinate of Orochimaru.]
Orochimaru! Tsunade clenched her teeth, a blaze of anger flashing in her golden eyes.
"I knew it was that bastard!"
[If you want information about Yakushi Kabuto and Edo Tensei, you'll have to find Orochimaru. But at that point, he has already been killed by Sasuke.]
Tsunade's eyes widened.
Sasuke—Uchiha Sasuke? That child killed Orochimaru?
That snake was notoriously hard to kill. It was hard to imagine how Uchiha Sasuke managed it.
[Sasuke told me Orochimaru wasn't completely dead. The curse mark he left on Mitarashi Anko was one of his escape routes—using it, Orochimaru can "revive."]
"That damned bastard!" Tsunade's fingers curled into a fist, knuckles cracking.
Mitarashi Anko—Orochimaru's assistant before he defected. So the seal on her neck was a backup plan Orochimaru prepared for himself?
She needed to find a way to seal that thing.
[Yakushi Kabuto is Yakushi Nonō's adopted son.]
"Yakushi—Nonō?!"
"I knew that surname felt familiar!" Tsunade suddenly felt a rush of panic.
[Both of them once served Root—outstanding spy-nin who gathered vast intelligence for Konoha. In the end, Shimura Danzo set them up to kill each other. The reason: to silence them.]
[I believe your timeline is still early. I hope you still have time to change this story. I don't like its ending.]
[Also: the true mastermind who started the Fourth Great Ninja War is someone else. If I get information, I'll tell you.]
[From: Like Hell I'll Be Hokage.]
Tsunade felt dizzy. She had to brace one hand on the desk just to stay upright.
"This… this is—"
If Konoha ever truly fell, then it would start here.
~~~
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