On an unknown island far from the continent, a dense mist shrouded the vast, endless ocean. As the fog swirled and churned, dazzling and illusory lights flickered and merged.
Yahiko, his face swollen badly, wandered around the island—which was less than a few square kilometers in size—three times before reluctantly returning to the spot where he had first woken up.
On the reef near the coastline, Konan was still gazing at the starry sky above, trying to figure out where they were.
Nagato crouched in front of the Giant Clam that had brought them here, using his Rinnegan's power to continuously attempt communication with it.
"Konan, do you see anything?"
Yahiko placed one hand on his waist, looking troubled as he asked his companion.
"I... I think the stars here look completely different from the ones we usually see."
Konan's cheeks flushed slightly for a brief moment. She didn't have the heart to tell Yahiko that she actually found the night sky beautiful, and the sound of waves crashing against the reef soothing. Without realizing it, she had become lost in thought.
"It's fine. Since someone brought us here, they'll eventually show themselves."
"The only question is... what does the Kiri ANBU want?"
"They didn't kill our comrades; instead, they just trapped us here. They must want us to surrender! Then they'll use Akatsuki's power to throw our homeland into chaos again!"
"Then will you surrender, Yahiko?"
"How could I?! My will won't lose to them! Don't worry, Konan, I'll definitely find a way to get us out of here!"
"Mm! I believe in you!" Konan nodded with a smile, her tone full of certainty.
The three of them had endured the toughest times together. Compared to what they had been through, this hardship was nothing.
"...We might not have been captured by Kiri ninja after all. I think it was Konoha." Nagato turned his head and reminded his two companions.
"Huh?!" Konan and Yahiko both looked at him in surprise.
"Although the symbol on the clam's shell is from Kiri, its summoner was a golden-haired jonin from Konoha. Recently, another Konoha genin called 'Kurenai' was added to the contract."
"A golden-haired Konoha jonin..."
Konan tilted her head slightly, suddenly recalling a certain legendary figure—"The Yellow Flash... Minato Namikaze?"
Yahiko looked at Nagato uncertainly.
"Sorry, I still can't fully control my power. The clam is resisting my attempts to communicate. I could only glimpse a few images, so I can't confirm their identity for sure... but I think I saw Tsunade."
"If it's her, then it must be Minato-senpai! She and Jiraiya-sensei were the best of comrades!" Yahiko clenched his right fist against his left palm, arriving at a conclusion.
"But if it's him, why would he...?" Konan frowned, feeling like something wasn't quite right.
"Haha~ Maybe Jiraiya-sensei hasn't seen us in a long time, so he asked Minato-senpai to test us?" Yahiko threw out a wild guess, but before he could think any further, his stomach let out a loud growl.
As if in response, Konan and Nagato's stomachs also began to rumble in protest. The three of them exchanged glances and burst into laughter before quickly taking action.
Yahiko and Konan took on the task of catching seabirds and foraging for edible plants, while Nagato went diving for seafood.
Although the island was small and had no large animals aside from seabirds, with their abilities, finding enough food was no problem at all.
Kei gently placed the frail little girl into a new cultivation pod, then turned to instruct the three Root medical-nin beside him.
"Set the nutrient solution to its highest energy output. Perform the Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique three times a day, for at least an hour each session."
Unlike Danzō, who would emerge from the pod and be able to walk after a brief adjustment, this little girl's body was severely depleted. To fully recover, she would need several days of healing, followed by a month of treatment with conventional medicine. Otherwise, recovery was out of the question.
Of course, if Kei used the Medical Water Release: Jellyfish, that recovery time would be cut in half instantly. But using that technique on this girl… would basically be a crime.
Every time I see this damn description, I just want to curse.
Kei glanced at his system interface, seeing [Euphoria Healing], and couldn't help but grumble to himself.
A perfectly good medical ninjutsu trait, but the way it worked… was pure torment. What kind of nonsense was this?!
Looking at the previously drawn but still inactive [Iodine Fist], he furrowed his brows.
Logically speaking, this should be at least somewhat related to medical ninjutsu, right? Then, if he activated it… Would it fuse with [Euphoria Healing]?
He didn't dare to expect too much. But please—just let this trait be controllable, okay?
Oh, great Sage of Six Paths, and all mighty beings above—
I, a humble man, offer up… Ten years of Hiruzen's lifespan in exchange for a controllable trait!
Kei pressed his palms together, muttering a solemn prayer for a while before finally addressing the system.
System, activate [Iodine Fist].
The moment the trait activated, a rush of new knowledge flooded into his brain. Moments later, the system's prompt arrived right on cue.
[Compatibility detected:
- Euphoria Healing (Blue)
- Iodine Fist (Green)]
- Graveyard Healer (Purple)]
[Graveyard Healer (Purple):
To kill or to save? To torment or to liberate? That is the question. When healing with your hands, the recipient experiences all forms of earthly bliss. When attacking with your fists, your blows carry disinfecting and detoxifying effects. The greater the damage, the stronger the effect. Massively enhances efficiency in learning, mastering, refining, and creating medical ninjutsu. Greatly improves control over medical ninjutsu, chakra, Yang Release, healing speed, healing effectiveness, and taijutsu techniques.]
A flood of new knowledge about medical ninjutsu and taijutsu training poured into Kei's mind. Since he already had a foundation from the previous two traits, it only took him a moment to fully absorb the new information.
Then, he turned to read the detailed description of the trait.
Wha—凸(艹皿艹 )! Ten years of Hiruzen's lifespan just for—huh? Kei scrutinized the fine details of the trait for a long time.
Then, he turned to the three Root medical-nin and said, "You guys, step out for a bit."
"Yes." The three bowed respectfully and quickly exited the medical room, even thoughtfully closing the door behind them.
Only the clueless Yamato remained, still standing dumbly by the cultivation pod, his gaze locked on the little girl inside—her furrowed brows gradually relaxing as she slipped into deep sleep.
Forget it. He doesn't understand anyway. Kei glanced at the boy, who was so ignorant that he couldn't even speak.
He sat on a nearby bench, took off his ninja sandals, and after mentally preparing himself, awkwardly began attempting to form hand seals with his feet.
The trait's description was very clear—Hands for healing, fists for attacking. It never mentioned feet!
So if he didn't use his hands for healing, then maybe—just maybe—he could bypass the trait's restriction?
After dozens of failed attempts, constant adjustments, and refining his technique, his exceptional chakra control finally paid off.
A moment later, the signature emerald glow of the Mystical Palm Technique lit up on his feet.
"Hahaha! I freaking knew it—I'm a genius!"
He tested it by placing his glowing foot on his own thigh.
His grin was so wide it was harder to suppress than an AK's recoil. Excited, he decided to try using the Medical Water Release: Jellyfish on himself.
Same result. No weird side effects.
Without hesitation, he launched the technique at the little girl in the pod.
With this ability, which could actively absorb beneficial nutrients from the pod's solution, and use Water Release's gentle properties to continuously heal her body—
At most ten days! She'd definitely be jumping around like Yamato over there!
"…Ahem. You shouldn't learn this." Kei quickly put his sandals back on when he noticed the boy staring at his feet with wide, dumbfounded eyes.
Right now, the kid was basically a blank slate, running purely on instincts. Wouldn't want to mess up his learning path!