The night breeze was chilly, as if it had blown straight into someone's heart.
"I must've fallen into a genjutsu... I definitely have..." By the riverside, Kurenai Yuhi twisted his face in frustration while forming hand seals. "Hah! Kai!"
"Huh? Considering your mental fortitude, Senior Yūhi, would breaking my genjutsu really require so much effort?" Seiki tilted his head sideways and asked curiously.
"What I meant by genjutsu wasn't—never mind." A faint twitch appeared at the corner of Kurenai Yuhi's mouth. He then fixed Seiki with an intense gaze. "Your talent for genjutsu is the absolute best I've ever seen. Forget medical ninjutsu; come train under me in genjutsu!"
Seiki gave him a strange look. This was exactly what one might call a playboy prototype, right?
He'd been praising Kurenai just yesterday as the most gifted person he'd ever seen in genjutsu, and now he switched targets.
"My talent in medical ninjutsu came from sheer effort and study habits. But my skill in genjutsu? That's thanks to memories from a past life and fused souls. Comparatively speaking, my gift in genjutsu can truly be called top-level genius. Unfortunately, what Senior Yūhi could offer me is far too limited..."
Internally regretful, externally, Seiki responded firmly, "Senior Yūhi, I'm sorry, but my dream has always been to become a medical ninja like Tsunade-sama!"
Though rather impolite, truthfully, Seiki didn't think much of Kurenai Yuhi's genjutsu skills. Using free lessons was one thing, but formally apprenticing under him? Better pass on that.
That was part of genjutsu's inherent weakness—almost every top master in this world came from the Uchiha clan. In fact, Kurenai Yuhi's level of genjutsu already represented the pinnacle an ordinary genjutsu ninja could possibly reach.
Fortunately, Seiki already had a plan laid out for his future development in genjutsu, although currently he hadn't yet met the prerequisite conditions for it.
"Tch, what a waste." Although Kurenai Yuhi knew very well that the more gifted someone was, the less likely they were to change their beliefs, hearing Seiki's response still left a pang of regret inside him.
At least medical ninja had someone like Tsunade-sama holding up the front, but in genjutsu training, there were barely even enough people to count.
"Alright, maybe it's better this way. If he dedicated himself fully to studying genjutsu under me, he probably would've drained everything I know within two years anyway." Comforting himself with this thought, Kurenai Yuhi forced a smile and said, "Let's move on to the next stage of training."
...
Time quietly slipped away like sand through fingertips. Before long, two months had passed.
"W-wait! Don't come any closer!!"
"Don't worry, my knife is super sharp!"
"N-no! No no no! I don't want treatment anymore! Let me go!"
"Heh, you think you can leave once you're inside the hospital? Hurry up, hold him down for me!"
"W-wait, what are you guys holding there?"
"This little gadget will make you forget all the pain. Haha! [Physical Anesthesia Jutsu]! Huh? Why isn't it working? Let's try again—[Physical Anesthesia Jutsu]!"
"Puah~!"
"You're not doing it right—your aim's off. Here, let me take over."
"Don't, don't hit me anymore. Just cut me already~"
"Since you've asked so nicely, then I'll oblige..."
"Ahh~Oh~!"
"Barrier Team, hurry up and set up a [Soundproof Barrier Jutsu]!"
Outside Konoha Hospital, listening to the continuous screams coming from inside the ward, Nonou gave an embarrassed apology to her companion. "Tsunade-sama, please forgive this display."
Tsunade calmly shook her head. "I've witnessed worse scenes back when I used to perform surgeries."
"Still, that [Physical Anesthesia Jutsu]..."
"You weren't informed? The [Physical Anesthesia Jutsu] should have passed review over a month ago."
"A month ago, huh? Seems I really am a terrible director of this hospital," Tsunade smiled bitterly.
"Tsunade-sama, we all know it's because you fear..." Nonou hurriedly spoke, but was interrupted by Tsunade.
"Incompetent is incompetent. There's no need to make excuses for me." Tsunade waved off with slight irritation. "If the old man hadn't refused to let me resign, you'd be more suitable than me for this director position."
"Tsunade-sama..." Not knowing how to respond, Nonou quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of the [Physical Anesthesia Jutsu], it initially encountered strong opposition from the traditionalists."
Hearing the mention of traditionalists, Tsunade indeed became slightly interested. "What happened?"
"Because the essence of this '[Physical Anesthesia Jutsu]' is allowing patients temporary relief from pain, enabling treatment in peace."
"Forget pain!" Tsunade's expression turned strange after hearing those screams still ringing in her ears.
Still, she could see why the traditionalists were against it.
In ninja culture, enduring pain is seen as a virtue and a test of willpower. They wouldn't actually encourage seeking pain, but for traditionalists, anyone requesting anesthesia for medical pain must surely be disgracing ninjas everywhere.
"Oh right, you mentioned earlier about exactly how this [Physical Anesthesia Jutsu] makes patients forget their pain?" Thinking about this, Tsunade asked curiously.
"Well...you see..." Nonou used her right index finger to lightly scratch her cheek, her eyes avoiding direct contact.
Just then, the ward door from which the screams had come swung open.
Two petite, adorable nurses stepped out, each holding half-human-sized thick wooden clubs in their arms. Their small frames created a stark contrast with the massive weapons, giving an extremely jarring impression.
"Phew! Finally managed to 'anesthetize' him — if you can call it that."
"Even having a strong constitution can be a problem sometimes."
"Yeah, if only...Ah! Captain Nonou, Tsunade-sama!"
"Tsu-Tsunade-sama!"
As they spoke, both quickly hid the clubs behind their backs.
"Tsunade-sama, this is..." Nonou looked awkward.
"You don't need to explain. I think I already understand everything perfectly." Looking at the small portion of club protruding from behind them, Tsunade said with twitching lips.
"Hem hem, actually...we were very careful with our strength. Plus, our ninjas have tough constitutions anyway. Look, this ninja remained conscious for quite some time even after getting 'anesthetized'." Nonou explained weakly.
"I don't mean to blame you," Tsunade shook her head, eyes flickering with a trace of nostalgia. "If it were me back then, I might have come up with something even more... unconventional."
Nonou adjusted her glasses and remained silent. She had heard that Tsunade-sama used to bear the title of Maou (Demon King), but now...
"By the way, who proposed this 'operation'? If I didn't know Jiraiya was out of Konoha right now, I'd think this was his doing."
"It was suggested by Seiki. He's one of the most popular young talents over at Konoha Hospital."
"Seiki Shimaseki?" Tsunade slightly raised her eyebrows, asking with surprise.
"Tsunade-sama, you know Seiki too?" Nonou first looked startled, then quickly realized. "Oh, is it because of that fight between Seiki and the son of the Hokage?"
"Hehe, not just that," Tsunade smiled meaningfully. "That girl Shizune has mentioned more than once how steady and reliable their class representative is. But judging from today..."
"Shizune? A classmate of Seiki's?" Nonou gave a slight frown, then without much thought, came to Seiki's defense. "Seiki-kun is definitely dependable! He only becomes somewhat radical when it comes to patient issues. Also, this compromise we're using now was also his idea."
"A compromise, huh?"
"Yeah. Originally, Seiki proposed adding a Genjutsu Department where patients could undergo operations while immersed in illusions. In fact, he even suggested expanding the department's role beyond surgery—like calming minds, easing anxiety, and relieving pain. Unfortunately, most genjutsu ninja simply can't achieve that level."
"Relieving pain, huh?" Tsunade pursed her lips and sighed. "That concept does sound beautiful, but it demands an extremely high immersion level in genjutsu."
Nonou gave a reluctant nod. If the illusion depth wasn't sufficient, the intense pain from a single incision would immediately snap the patient out of the genjutsu.
Besides, very few genjutsu can last as long as a full surgical procedure.
Relatively speaking, the [Physical Anesthesia Jutsu] appeared far more practical for implementation.
Just then, noise erupted from deep within the hallway.
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