Chapter 29: Medical Ninja Tools!

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Medical Ninja Tools!

"It's Shūichi and Kakashi!"

Shizune exclaimed in delight. She hadn't seen Shūichi Hoshita for several days.

Might Guy was full of energy: "There's no room for slacking off! Today, I'll challenge myself to climb the cliff 500 times. If I can't do it, I'll have a match with Shūichi!"

Sarutobi Asuma was secretly impressed: "Their speed is incredible."

Being able to fight so fiercely while moving as if the cliff were flat ground showed how well both of them had mastered their chakra control.

"Their progress is amazing!"

Asuma began to consider the possibility of graduating early. Although he had his older brother and other clan members to guide him, and could continue to improve even without graduating, school was starting to feel a bit dull for him.

Watching Shūichi Hoshita and Kakashi, he had the sense that both of them had advanced even faster after graduating.

However...

Asuma couldn't help but glance at Kurenai Yuhi beside him.

Compared to graduating, Kurenai was more important!

...

Atop the cliff, Shūichi and Kakashi were panting heavily, drenched in sweat, and too exhausted to continue fighting.

Another draw!

However, considering that Kakashi had already expended some energy before the fight, even with a short rest, Shūichi could tell that Kakashi still had the edge in stamina and energy.

If it weren't for the boosts in focus and mental processing speed from his tags, he might not have even managed a draw.

Kakashi's combat intelligence was impressive—even at his young age, it was already beginning to show.

But Shūichi wasn't discouraged. The fact that he could now hold his own against Kakashi in taijutsu was proof that his training hadn't been in vain, and that his tags were truly powerful.

At the same time, Shūichi felt an increasing urgency to improve his physical condition.

He didn't expect to rival people like Jiraiya or Naruto, but at the very least, he couldn't afford to fall behind Kakashi.

Shūichi remembered that among Konoha's jōnin, Kakashi wasn't particularly notable in terms of stamina—he was slightly outclassed by someone like Asuma Sarutobi.

In the ninja world, as battles grew more intense, physical stamina—or chakra reserves—became increasingly crucial, often forming an insurmountable barrier.

Without enough chakra, even the most powerful techniques couldn't be unleashed.

...

After descending from the cliff, Shūichi greeted Shizune and the others. Just as he was about to grab a drink from his backpack, Shizune handed him a bottle.

He wore black clothing with iron wrist and arm guards, similar to before, but his original jacket had been replaced with a black vest resembling Minato's green vest.

Besides the color difference, Shūichi's vest was customized with several small pockets.

Noticing Minato and the others looking at him curiously, Shūichi hooked a finger into one of the vest pockets, revealing a sharp surgical knife.

"Shūichi, did you bring your surgical tools along?"

Kurama Sanyō recognized the knife immediately—he'd seen Shūichi dissect all those small animals with it over the past few days.

Shūichi smiled, "Of course. As a medical ninja, carrying medical tools is both reasonable and necessary, right?"

Kurama Sanyō scratched the back of his head, "Well, yeah, but... aren't surgeries usually done with more than one person?"

Shūichi sheathed the knife, "Once I have enough chakra to use shadow clones, the tools will come in handy. Better to be prepared."

He could already use shadow clones, though his chakra reserves didn't allow him to sustain them for long.

At this point, Minato stepped in to stop the small talk, "Alright, let's get going! Our mission this time is to serve as one of the patrol squads on the western border of the Land of Fire. The mission will last for half a month, so be prepared."

The three of them responded in unison, "Understood!"

The four of them set off immediately, heading west after leaving the village.

By evening, they had reached the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, taking over from another squad to become one of the patrol units.

That night, they began their monotonous patrol duties.

Konoha had stationed far more patrol squads on the border with the Land of Rain than on the Land of Rivers' border—five squads in total, patrolling in a staggered, overlapping pattern.

This heavy presence was due to the chaos that had gripped the Land of Rain since the end of the Second Shinobi World War.

Rogue ninjas, bandits, and spies or ninjas from other villages were common in the area.

The reason for this was twofold: the Land of Rain had been one of the major battlefields of the Second Shinobi World War, and it was also surrounded by the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth.

As a result, it had become a hotspot for conflict among the three major ninja villages.

Additionally, the instability in the Land of Rain was exacerbated by Hanzo's waning ambition and the retreat of his forces.

(End of Chapter)

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