Soti after Satoshi's ass-whoopin'
I awoke with a slight headache and a cottonmouth.
My back rested against sothing soft-a bed-and a blanket draped over .
I kept my eyes shut, my breathing steady, and let my senses expand outward.
The air was still, signaling an enclosed room, and it wrapped around the contours of a bed, a lamp, a nightstand, and a cabinet-a bedroom, but definitely not mine.
It was quiet.
No voices, no movent.
Alone.
Slowly, I opened my eyes. Sunlight filtered through a window behind , brightening an unfamiliar bedroom.
It was brighter than earlier, which ant ti had passed since... whatever that was.
I didn't move right away. Instead, I ran chakra through my body, toes to head, checking my damage.
No broken bones. No internal bleeding-not anymore, at least.
Soone healed , or it was my body's abnormal healing factor that kicked in. Regardless, I was grateful.
Daiki's hit ca back to in flashes.
First, to my kidney. Then, to my ribs-I rember hearing a couple of cracks. And finally, my sternum.
I was sure I'd broken at least two ribs, but the only trace left was the headache, which felt more like dehydration than trauma.
Turning my head slightly, I saw a glass of water on the nightstand to my right. Convenient. I turned my head back to stare at the ceiling.
For all I knew, that was another one of Daiki's "lessons."
And speaking of Daiki-
"You "beat" Inoichi, who, by the way, was going easy on you." He'd said.
I knew that already. That wasn't news. No matter what it was, even hide and seek, Dad always went easy on .
"Fucked with the mind of an Uchiha, who now passes out at the sight of you." Which was honestly a surprise. I didn't expect to be placed in the sa class as him.
"Skipped a couple of grades, then played around against a Hyuga, and now you think you're hot shit." I didn't tell anyone about the spar I had at school, which ant soone reported to them. "What was your plan with the Uchiha, huh?-whatever the fuck his na is. What? Teach him a lesson? Show him how strong you are?" He asked.
Yes.
I wanted to teach him a lesson. Never ss with my clan. To stay in his place. But then his next words stilled .
"You think people wouldn't find out you did sothing to his mind? That there wouldn't be any repercussions? What the fuck were you thinking? If you're gonna do sothing like that, at least try to be fucking discrete about it!"
I saw how the instructor panned from Kiburi to when he passed out. I knew he probably wrote a report about it. And yet... I was okay with it.
Why?
Because I thought I was safe. My position protected . Any backlash I'd face could be justified as self-defense. And to be frank, repercussions weren't exactly at the forefront of my mind then.
I suppose I was wrong to think that.
Daiki made his point loud and clear: he wasn't necessarily condemning what I did he was condemning that I wasn't discreet about it. Not exactly the most morally upright lesson for a five-year-old.
But I wasn't five. ntally, I was an adult.
I exhaled and ran my hand through my matted curls.
An adult, I reminded myself bitterly, who had ntally scarred a child-and was fine with it. Did he deserve it? No. Not to that extent.
It had been just a genjutsu, but that didn't make it any better. I broke his ribs, sliced through both of his Achilles. I killed him.
And I made it so real.
He would've felt everything.
The sharp, searing pain as his tendons tore. The tallic tang of blood pooling in his mouth. The slow horror as the blade sliced through his neck.
Another exhale escaped , long and heavy.
I'd gotten too comfortable. Too comfortable with my growth, too content in knowing what I could do what I would eventually be capable of.
Who I would beco.
Daiki showed that I could be countered easily. That it was so easy, and I wouldn't even know how it happened.
Fuck.
The mind is a dangerous monster, and I had fallen into its trap.
Daiki was right. I'd gotten complacent.
Two voices broke into my thoughts. Focusing chakra to my ears, I listened.
"...still the sa as I rember," a female voice said.
The faint sound of a door closing followed.
"Surprised you still rember little old ," ca a dry, sarcastic response. Akira-sama. "This is the first ti you've visited in twenty years. Do you know how sad I've been?"
"You, sad?" The other voice said. "Right."
[Stop acting asleep and get down here to greet your guest. And send a clone to school-it starts in ten minutes.]
I jolted beneath the blanket at the ntal intrusion, but quickly collected myself. Akira was the best sensor in the clan-at least, that's what Dad said-so naturally, being able to sense when I was awake was as easy as breathing for her.
Pulling the blanket aside, I got up. The shorts and T-shirt I wore differed slightly from the training gear I rember wearing earlier.
I looked around for my old clothes, which were situated neatly on top of the nightstand. I walked over, reached into the grass-stained sleeve, and pulled out a miniature storage scroll. Infusing chakra into it, a new set of clothes fell into my hand.
[Was Daiki's "lesson" that hard?] Akira's voice chid again. [Chop chop your guest is a busy
woman.]
I ignored the jab, peeling off my current clothes before performing Cleanse, a simple E-rank jutsu that whisked away the sweat, blood, and gri clinging to my skin.
Freshly dressed, I created a shadow clone. After a quick inspection, the clone nodded, opened the window, and leaped out, darting toward school.
I stepped into the hall and descended the stairs. As I approached, the voices grew clearer. "Rember that ti when you jumped out the window and broke your leg? Why would you even do that?" Akira-sama asked.
"I rember grandmother asked you to watch ." The voice responded dryly. "What were
you even-"
My appearance at the foot of the steps interrupted their conversation. I bowed slightly,
acknowledging the guest.
"Greetings, Lady Tsunade."
Her assessing eyes scanned from head to toe, her ruby-red nails flicking upward in a
subtle signal for to stand.
"A shinobi with chakra exhaustion collapses mid-mission," she began, tone critical. "What is
the first step in treatnt?"
My confused gaze panned from Tsunade to Akira, then back to Tsunade.
Of all things, I hadn't expected one of the legendary Sannin to one, be here, and two, ask
an impromptu dical question after I had just woken from a child abuse session.
"I'm... sorry?"
"Do you not know the answer?" she asked.
Akira, seated nearby, crossed her legs and rested an elbow on the arm of the chair.
[Go ahead. Show her what you know.] She transmitted.
I obliged.
Straightening, I said, "Assess their vital signs and administer water infused with electrolytes
to stabilize hydration. Then, restore minor chakra flow using a direct infusion if I have reserves and am skilled enough to do so."
Over the past year, Akira had learn from hundreds of dical textbooks. I had countless dical texts, history, data, techniques, et cetera stored in my mind palace for use at any
mont's notice.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow but didn't comnt. Instead, she continued with her questions.
"A kunoichi breaks her wrist mid-combat," she said. "How do you immobilize it in the
field?" "I'd use a splint fashioned from nearby rigid materials-wood or kunai sheaths-and secure
it with bandages or cloth. Then keep it elevated to reduce swelling."
"What herbs do you use to stop minor external bleeding?"
"Crushed Eishin leaves-they work as a clotting agent."
Her brow arched. "And for internal bleeding?"
"Stabilize the patient with chakra compression at the injury site, then administer a liquid
extract of Hinso root to prevent clot breakdown." I said.
"A shinobi suffers a deep laceration from a kunai. What's the first thing you do?" she asked,
finger drumming on her armrest.
"Apply direct pressure to stop the bleeding, then clean the wound with antiseptic or the
Cleanse jutsu to prevent infection."
"You know how to use Cleanse?"
I nodded. "Yes, Lady Tsunade."
She humd, but the questions kept coming. "A genin accidentally ingest poisonous wild
mushrooms. What's your imdiate action?"
"Induce vomiting if within an hour, then administer activated charcoal and prepare an
antidote with Kiri spores."
"How do you detect internal organ damage without diagnostic jutsu?" "Check for abnormal swelling, tenderness, bruising, or rigidity in the abdon."
Her gaze sharpened. "What's the precise thod to counteract the effects of a Rengoku leaf
overdose in an adult shinobi weighing 65 kilograms?"
I paused. I'd read this before, but applying it to the scenario took a mont. Closing my eyes, I sifted through my mind palace, ntally flipping through mories of
text until I found it.
After another second to contextualize, I opened my eyes and responded. "Administer 200 milliliters of distilled water with 0.8 grams of powdered Jeori root
dissolved. Then follow up with an activated charcoal tablet to absorb residual toxins within 20 minutes."
"And if the patient is a child?"
I blinked, then answered. "I'd reduce the Jeori root to 0.3 grams and the water to 100
milliliters while ensuring the charcoal dosage matches weight at 0.5 grams per kilogram."
Tsunade's eyes slid toward Akira, who smiled faintly but said nothing. She looked back at , a flicker of sothing appeared as fast as it vanished. "You're in the middle of a battlefield," she began. "Your teammate is bleeding out from a
deep abdominal wound. Their pulse is weak, and chakra exhaustion is setting in. The nearest fully equipped dic station is over an hour away. What do you do?"
I locked her steady gaze, and without blinking, I said. "I'd imdiately apply pressure to the wound with whatever sterile material I have to slow the bleeding. Then, I'd use chakra to create a temporary seal around the severed vessels. If I have access to blood-replenishing pills, I'd administer one to stabilize their condition." Tsunade pressed. "And if their chakra network begins to collapse?"
"I'd anchor their chakra network by transferring small, controlled pulses of my own,
prioritizing vital organs," I said. This scenario seed quite familiar. "If they're still conscious, I'd guide their breathing to regulate chakra flow and keep their heart steady."
She shifted in her seat. "And if they're fading fast? You can feel their life slipping through your hands."
My voice remained steady. "Then I'd do everything in my power to hold them here. Talk to them. Keep them fighting to stay alive until help arrives. But if..." I paused. "If it becos clear I can't save them, I'd make sure their final monts were peaceful. I'd let him know he
wasn't alone."
Her eyes flickered at my "accidental" pronoun change, but she quickly gathered herself and leaned back in her chair.
"One last question," she said. "Akira says you're a good cook. Is that true?"
I blinked, already seeing where this was going.
"I'm decent," I replied.
Her lips curved into a smile-warm and disarmingly beautiful, her teeth pristine and white.
"I had a eting with a senile old man, but since I'm hungry, I suppose I can stay a little
longer. Care to make so breakfast?"
I returned her smile with a genuine one of my own.
"I don't mind at all, Lady Tsunade."
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