Hanabi paused mid-stance, staring at the empty doorway.
She couldn't figure out why Fuu had suddenly sprinted off to find a Medical Ninja.
Was she worried that Makoto might accidentally injure her later? Or did Fuu have a sudden stomach ache?
After briefly considering it and finding no answer, Hanabi shrugged and turned back to Makoto.
"Let's keep going!"
Since Fuu had already run off, there was no point in chasing her.
...
The Medical Department.
After a systematic examination, Ameyuri Ringo was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
If she hadn't known there was still hope for treatment in advance, she would have immediately run off to indulge in expensive food and drink, enjoying the final stage of her life in style.
As for what terminal illness she had?
Unknown.
That's right.
Unknown.
Just like with Kimimaro Kaguya's case.
Medical knowledge in the ninja world had no systematic inheritance.
Actually, it wasn't just medicine—there was no systematic inheritance of anything in this world.
Even the most fundamental institution, the Ninja Academy, was only established decades ago by Tobirama and it was still just a prototype.
Even History class had no systematic records.
If things remained as they were, in a few decades, Makoto... or rather, Kakashi's Vigorous Paradise series would be excavated by archaeologists and studied as the official history of the era!
In other words, diseases in this world aren't named by doctors; they are named after the dead guy who had it first.
They could only call Ringo's condition "The Ringo Disease."
Anyway, just as the examination ended...
Bang!
Fuu anxiously ran into the office.
"Pharmacist onee-san! Hanabi might have gotten sick from my Scale Powder! Please go check on her!"
"Scale Powder? Don't panic yet. Can you get me a sample to look at?"
Nono Yakushi comforted Fuu with her signature gentle smile.
"Oh, sure I can."
Fuu could now skillfully control the Seven-Tails' power, so producing powder was second nature.
With a thought, insect wings appeared on her back.
After shaking them twice over a petri dish, glowing scale powder drifted down.
The Impure World Reincarnation body indeed had many inconveniences.
For example, right now Nono couldn't directly feel the texture or temperature of the sample.
After some quick examination and experiments on lab mice, Nono reached a conclusion.
"This scale powder causes paralytic effects, though it doesn't last very long. It's a temporary numbing agent."
"How long is 'not too long'? Hanabi sparred with me yesterday, and she's still having symptoms now!" Fuu asked in confusion.
"Hmm? Still having symptoms after 24 hours? That's unusual... What are her symptoms exactly?" Nono asked curiously.
"It's like... when she spars with others, she cries out weirdly as if it hurts whenever she gets touched."
Fuu tried her best to describe the sounds she heard!
"..."
Nono Yakushi paused.
"Could it be skin hypersensitivity?"
Nono picked up a small medical kit, stuffing in some ointments and antidotes she guessed might be useful, and walked to the door.
"Let's go. Take me to see her immediately."
"Okay!"
Fuu flapped her wings, quickly flying toward the training room.
"I'll go see what's happening too."
Ameyuri Ringo followed along.
After all, her treatment couldn't start anytime soon. Idly waiting around wasting time didn't suit her style.
Even if there was no cure, she wanted to properly enjoy the drama.
....
The Training Room.
The three of them arrived at the heavy metal door.
Before entering, they heard rhythmic sounds coming from inside.
Slap.
"Ah...!"
Thud.
"Unn..."
Whack.
"Hah...!"
Nono Yakushi and Ameyuri Ringo stopped dead in their tracks.
They fell into a heavy silence.
As mentioned before: Without seeing the visual context, the audio alone was... suggestive.
'Was it really appropriate for them to enter now?'
'Wait. How old is Hanabi anyway? How could something like this be happening in a training facility?!'
The conflict between "social awkwardness" and the "duty to protect the child" raged in Nono Yakushi's mind.
Eventually, the Matron in her won out.
She slammed the door open.
"STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" Nono shouted loudly.
Clang.
Inside, Hanabi executed a "Block and Strike" move against Makoto, only to have her own wrist hurt from the recoil of hitting Makoto's guard.
"Kyahhh!" Hanabi winced, shaking her hand.
Hearing the shout, she looked over at the door in total confusion.
She saw Nono looking frantic, Ameyuri looking amused, and Fuu peeking out from behind Nono's legs.
Nono Yakushi realized instantly that the scene in the training room wasn't at all what she had imagined.
A flash of embarrassment crossed her face, but she quickly found a professional excuse.
Carrying the medical kit, she approached and began examining Hanabi.
"That child said you got sick after sparring with her... maybe something like skin sensitivity to toxins. How are you feeling?"
"Huh?" Hanabi remained confused.
She was sick? Since when?
"I'm not? After sparring with Fuu yesterday, I didn't feel anything wrong?" Hanabi looked flustered as Nono checked her pulse and pupils.
"Then why were you making those strange noises just now?!" Fuu popped out from behind Nono.
"What was strange about them?" Hanabi tilted her head.
Yes, what was strange about them?
This was a fatal question.
To explain why it was strange would be admitting they had dirty minds.
Faced with this question, Fuu (innocent), Nono (embarrassed), and Ameyuri (holding back laughter) all fell silent.
"I-I meant... why didn't you make sounds like that when you were sparring with me!" Fuu finally found a safe angle to question from.
"Because you didn't hit me like that? And... when I'm sparring with Makoto, I can completely relax, so that's why..."
Hanabi offered an honest explanation.
But for Fuu, what caught her attention was the first part.
Thinking about it carefully, it was true.
Although their age difference wasn't big, Fuu was a Jinchuriki.
There was a world of difference in terms of raw physical stats.
Especially since Fuu's control over her power wasn't as refined as Makoto's.
During her sparring sessions with Hanabi, whenever she used the Seven-Tails' power, she had to be extremely careful.
The Seven-Tails' uniqueness lay in its Speed and Strength.
If she lost control even slightly and ended up punching Hanabi for real, she might break the girl's ribs.
So every time Fuu attacked, it was "stopping at the point of contact"—literally just tapping with her finger.
Of course Hanabi didn't make noise.
She wasn't getting hit!
But with Makoto, Hanabi knew he had perfect control, so she went all out, got hit, felt pain, and vocalized it naturally.
Fuu thought this way because she was still young and pure.
Nono Yakushi was different.
As the Director of the Orphanage and a former Root spy, she had seen everything.
She began to worry about the "Early Romance" culture in the Konoha.
Feeling completely "relaxed" around Makoto, but not even feeling at ease in her own home?
Nono sighed.
'Kids these days.'
"How is it?" Makoto asked Ameyuri Ringo, ignoring the awkward atmosphere.
"What else? Just as you said—an incurable disease."
Ameyuri had a lollipop in her mouth, though no one knew where she got it from.
This was a sorrowful answer delivered with casual indifference.
Whether it could be cured remained unknown.
...
However, a few days later.
Just as Orochimaru and Tobirama had proposed a theoretical treatment method using Hashirama Cells, news suddenly arrived from Konoha.
Tsunade had figured out the true ability she obtained after using the Natural Energy Stone given by Makoto.