Chapter 50 – Meeting Shinnō Again
In Konoha Village, after finishing a full day of work, Ryuya left the Sealing Team and headed toward Konoha Hospital.
Today, he planned to consult some of the medical-nin about pharmaceutical matters.
By now, night had already fallen, yet Konoha Hospital remained brightly lit. Medical staff could still be seen moving busily between wards.
After arriving at the hospital, Ryuya asked a staff member for the office location of Arai, a medical-nin who had joined the Medical Team around the same time as him. Once he got the directions, he headed straight there.
If he wanted to consult experts from the Medical Team about medicine-making, naturally he first needed an insider to tell him who was truly knowledgeable.
Ryuya made his way to the second floor. As he passed by one of the treatment rooms, he suddenly stopped.
From inside came a deep, energetic voice:
"Doctor Shinnō, thank you so much! If it weren't for you all these years, I don't think my body would've held up this long!"
That was Might Guy's voice!
The moment he heard it, Ryuya recognized the speaker and couldn't help feeling puzzled.
Wasn't this guy just yesterday at noon, full of energy and trading blows with Kakashi in the forest? Why was he in the hospital now?
And judging by his words… was he injured?
Seeing that the treatment room door was open, Ryuya leaned forward and looked inside.
The small room—only a few dozen square meters—contained a single bed. Lying on it was a man dressed in a green jumpsuit.
It was indeed Might Guy.
Standing beside the bed was Shinnō, dressed in a white medical coat, calmly bandaging Guy's wounds.
Judging from the bandages, Guy's injuries weren't serious—just minor wounds from training.
Seeing this, Ryuya couldn't help but feel genuine admiration.
In the entire shinobi world, there was only one person who could rely purely on taijutsu to reach the level of blasting away Kisame Hoshigaki and contending head-on with Six Paths Madara—and that person was Guy.
"Guy, there's no need to be so polite with me," Shinnō said gently as he continued bandaging.
"Your father and I were the closest of friends back then. Seeing you injured, how could I just stand by?
These are only minor injuries from training—nothing more than a simple matter for me."
With his kindly expression and dignified demeanor, no one would believe he harbored ill intentions.
"Doctor Shinnō, you were the one treating my father's injuries back then, and now I'm always troubling you too… I really owe you so much."
Guy sat up slightly and bowed deeply toward Shinnō, his voice filled with gratitude.
"It's only right," Shinnō replied warmly.
"You and your father are both outstanding shinobi of the village. Being able to associate with you is an honor for me—how could you say you owe me anything?"
Watching Shinnō's flawless performance, Ryuya finally couldn't take it anymore and lightly coughed at the doorway.
If it were anyone else in the village, they would surely be moved by Shinnō's act.
But for Ryuya, who knew the plot all too well, it only felt awkward and unsettling.
This man clearly harbored ill will toward Konoha, yet constantly wore the mask of a benevolent healer. Ryuya really couldn't stand watching it.
At the same time, from the conversation between Shinnō and Guy, Ryuya finally understood something—
why this man knew the Eight Gates Technique.
In the original movie storyline, Shinnō had used Body Activation, Body Regeneration, and the dark chakra of the Zero-Tails to complete the forbidden technique Body Reconstitution, obtaining an ultimate physical form that allowed him to open all Eight Gates—even the Gate of Death—without dying.
It turned out that during Shinnō's time infiltrating Konoha, he had been in frequent contact with Might Duy and Might Guy, often treating their injuries from training in the Eight Gates.
Given the intelligence level of that father-son pair, it wouldn't be difficult for Shinnō to obtain the Eight Gates technique from them.
And with two ready-made test subjects, it would be even easier for him to collect data, refine, and perfect the technique.
Of course, with a top-tier medical-nin like Shinnō assisting them, Duy and Guy would naturally avoid many pitfalls in their training.
They were both representatives of Konoha's Strong Fist style, which was inseparably tied to physical conditioning. Without speed or strength, Strong Fist was nothing but empty form.
During childhood, when their bodies had yet to mature, taijutsu specialists were far inferior to ninjutsu users. Training was brutal, and injuries were commonplace. Shinnō's timely treatments were one of the key factors that allowed the two of them to grow as they did.
At their peak, Might Duy single-handedly crippled the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, while Might Guy nearly kicked Six Paths Madara apart.
Now, Duy had already fallen in the Third Great Ninja War, and Guy was steadily growing into the Konoha elite Ryuya remembered.
"Ryuya-kun? What brings you here?"
Hearing Ryuya's cough, both men inside turned to look at him. A strange glint flashed briefly in Shinnō's eyes as he spoke.
"Ryuya, are you here to see me?"
Guy, lying on the bed, looked as though he was about to cry, his face filled with emotion.
"Uh… Guy, I'm here to see Arai from the Medical Team today. I just happened to run into you, so I came in to take a look."
Ryuya first bowed politely to Shinnō, then shot Guy an exasperated look.
This guy's personality was seriously exhausting.
Hearing Ryuya's blunt words, Guy scratched his head and laughed foolishly, completely unfazed.
Shinnō stepped in smoothly, smiling faintly as he looked at Ryuya.
"The Medical Team? Ryuya-kun is also interested in medical ninjutsu?"
"Of course," Ryuya nodded decisively.
"Becoming an outstanding doctor like you has always been one of my dreams."
"呵呵… is that so?"
Shinnō chuckled lightly, clearly unconvinced.
"Guy, in a few days I'll be leaving the village for quite some time," Shinnō said, turning back to him.
"Don't push your training too hard lately, or you might leave hidden injuries."
After giving a few instructions, Shinnō turned and left without another word.
"Yes, sir! Please don't worry!"
Guy called out loudly after him, his face full of gratitude.
Meanwhile, Ryuya watched Shinnō's departing back in silence, deep in thought.
From the looks of it, Shinnō had likely already obtained the Eight Gates technique from Duy and Guy.
The only question was whether he had already developed Body Reconstitution.
If he had, combining it with the Eight Gates would be more than enough to give him power rivaling a Kage-level shinobi.
However, Shinnō's real combat experience was sorely lacking. He possessed immense power but couldn't fully utilize it.
And judging from Shinnō's tone and expression earlier, he was already suspicious of Ryuya.
Had Shinnō discovered that Ryuya had secretly learned Body Activation?
"Ryuya-kun, I'll be heading out on a long journey again soon. Would you be interested in taking on another escort mission?"
Just as Ryuya was thinking, Shinnō stopped at the doorway, turned around, and fixed his gaze on Ryuya.
"Oh? To have the chance to learn at Doctor Shinnō's side, I'd be happy to," Ryuya replied after a brief pause, shrugging as he accepted.
Ryuya could see scrutiny and suspicion in Shinnō's eyes. Avoiding him would only deepen those doubts.
As for safety, Ryuya wasn't too worried.
"Hehe, that's wonderful. With an outstanding shinobi like Ryuya-kun protecting me, I can rest easy."
Shinnō's eyes narrowed slightly, his gentle smile returning.
With that, he turned and left.
"Guy, are you close with Doctor Shinnō?"
After watching him go in silence, Ryuya turned back toward the bed and asked.
Guy was also looking at Ryuya thoughtfully—it was clear he had sensed something subtle between the two.
"I've known Doctor Shinnō for several years," Guy said earnestly.
"All the injuries my father and I suffered from training were treated by him.
Doctor Shinnō is a great physician. Not only is his medical skill incredible, he always charges us very little."
…Tch. He just wants your Eight Gates technique.
Sold out and you don't even know it.
Ryuya inwardly sighed, impressed by Shinnō's acting skills. If he didn't know the truth, even he might have been fooled by that benevolent exterior.
Still, none of it showed on his face. Instead, he nodded in agreement.
"Yes. He really is a great doctor."
At least in terms of medical ninjutsu, Shinnō—creator of Body Activation, Body Regeneration, and Body Reconstitution—truly deserved that title.
It was just that he harbored deep hatred toward Konoha for the destruction of the Sky Ninja Village.
After exchanging a few more words with Guy, Ryuya took his leave.
It wasn't that Ryuya disliked spending time with Guy—
it was just that the man was far too enthusiastic and constantly wanted to spar.
Without summoning the Green Serpent, Ryuya really had no desire to deal with that boundless excess of energy.