After the surgery, Anko's mother stood outside the operating room, repeatedly thanking them. "Thank you so much, Lady Nonou, Lady Tsunade!"
Nonou smiled teasingly. "You seem to have forgotten someone."
Anko's mother quickly realized. "Young doctor Seiki, thank you too!"
Seiki kept his face tight but couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from lifting. "This is actually the first time I've ever been called a doctor."
Seeing this, everyone chuckled. No one expected that such a calm, dependable little Seiki would get so flustered from just being called 'doctor' once.
But it was seeing this side of Seiki that made him seem even more like a kid!
Anko stared at Seiki with her big, sparkling eyes—her gaze filled with... hunger.
"Big Brother, can I have dreams like that again someday?"
"Of course! As long as you learn genjutsu later, you can create any kind of dream for yourself."
"Whoa! Then I want to eat mochi balls, three-colored dumplings, red bean dumplings... Ah, Mom, don't pull me!"
"Are you trying to die?! Even if it's just a dream... do you really want to eat so much candy that you'll get too fat to walk?!"
"Grrr! I don't care — being so fat I can't walk is still better than starving until I can't walk!"
The mother and daughter playfully bickered while walking away, drawing smiles from everyone who watched the warm scene unfold. Suddenly, Seiki looked up and asked, "Lady Tsunade, were we the winners of the last war?"
Though confused about why he suddenly asked this, Tsunade still sighed deeply, empathizing with his question. "In war, is there really such a thing as a winner?"
Seiki bit his lower lip tightly. "I was just thinking... if even our villagers here in Konoha live such tough lives, how terribly hard must life be for people living in those small countries caught in the war?"
Tsunade fell silent, memories of those three orphans Jiraiya had saved from Amegakure rising unbidden.
"This kind of thinking..." she murmured, gazing at Seiki, "really reminds me of that idiot Jiraiya... and..."
"Can learning medicine truly heal the world?" Seiki whispered, sounding lost. He then quickly shook off his hesitation, looking up firmly at Tsunade. "Tsunade-sama, may I ask you to guide my training?"
Tsunade blinked, pausing quietly. "Why me?"
"Obviously because you're the most revered medical ninja in Konoha!" Seiki answered matter-of-factly.
"The most revered medical ninja?" Tsunade gave a self-mocking smile, then shook her head under Seiki's hopeful gaze. "I have no intention of taking on any disciples."
"Tsunade-sama, you—" Nonou frowned urgently, wanting to intervene.
"It's okay, Nonou." Though slightly disappointed, Seiki soon perked right back up. "It must just be because I'm not good enough yet."
As he walked away, Seiki shouted loudly, "Tsunade-sama, I won't give up!"
Watching Seiki disappear into the distance, Tsunade's expression grew somber. "You really are like... Nawaki!"
It was like she was pulled right back into that nightmare again. The blood just wouldn't stop pouring out, and Tsunade's body trembled in fear.
"Blood... blood..." She murmured, jolting awake from the nightmare. Only then did she realize something she'd missed before: "This time, even though I wasn't performing surgery, I didn't deliberately avoid it either—so why didn't I feel that same sense of terror and despair? Could it be… I was influenced by his belief?"
Meanwhile, Seiki, back in the lounge, also wore a slightly helpless expression.
"Tch, no wonder she's known as 'Emotionless Beauty' Tsunade-hime. Looks like I'll have to try another angle if I want to break through this barrier."
Even so, Seiki didn't feel much disappointment. After all, planning meant simply nudging one of many possible outcomes forward.
If it came too easily, he might not value it at all.
"In that case, it's time to let those rumors spread," he thought, a soft, radiant smile curling his lips. "Don't disappoint me now, senpai!"
...
A week later, at the Ninja Academy, in a quiet and remote corner.
The calm was shattered by a sudden burst of mocking laughter.
"This is your big confidence? Doesn't look like much, does it?"
"Don't think you're real ninja just because you learned some Clone Jutsu. You've got a long way to go!"
"Yeah, if you wanna fight us, show us at least a D-ranked ninjutsu!"
"D-ranked ninjutsu? Are you underestimating Boss Shuunen's strength?"
A group of third-year students dressed like delinquents laughed loudly. Standing in the middle was a boy who frowned slightly. "Enough, don't waste time with them."
"Got it," one of the delinquents lazily stepped forward, squatting down on the ground. "From your looks, seems like you're not too happy?"
Several younger-looking students were already knocked to the ground, glaring angrily at him.
"Angry doesn't matter. In the world of ninja, strength is everything!" The lazy delinquent patted the leader's face with a grin. "And as a thank-you gift for teaching you this lesson, shouldn't you guys 'lend' us some money?"
The young leader turned red with rage. "I'd never lend money to trash like you!"
The delinquent merely smiled, undisturbed by the insult. "Of course, lending or not is up to you. But still, we might come around daily to have more 'chats' with you."
"You!"
"No need to look so excited. After all, we're third-years—your senior Aniki!" Hearing that, some of the other second-year students grew fearful.
"Yanta, just give it to them."
"Yeah, it's not like it's the first time."
Seeing his companions backing down, Yanta could only grit his teeth and say shamefully, "Fine, I agree."
Upon seeing this, the rest of the delinquents burst into loud mockery and laughter.
"Boring! Already giving up today, huh?"
"I actually thought there might be something exciting happening."
Provoked like this, Yanta's temper flared as he shouted, "You only dare to pick on us! If you've got the guts, why don't you pick on the first-years instead?"
Hearing him say that, the bullies' expressions darkened. Ignoring their reactions, Yanta continued shouting, "And what about this 'mighty Uchiha clan'? You couldn't even dare to open your mouth in front of Hokage-sama!"
"What did you say?" Shuunen, who had been watching coldly until now, suddenly shot over a frigid glare.
"Did I say anything wrong?" Yanta shot back, standing tall and defiant. "It's already been spreading around school that you, a member of the Uchiha clan, don't even have the courage to stand before Asuma Sarutobi!"
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!