C 23

To be honest, it was a bit inconvenient, but Kain got up and answered because he understood the value of Tsunade's visit. He let her wait outside for a while. After Kain changed his clothes, he welcomed Tsunade in.

After they sat down, Kain asked, "Tsunade-san, what can I do for you?" He hoped it wasn't about medicine, as it would be inappropriate for Konoha to send Tsunade to him. Kain had always refused to mix business with friendship.

Tsunade waved off his question with a smile, though poorly acted. "I just want to hear your opinion on something. After all, you are a master with some medical skills, and the battlefield first aid manual has some of your credit."

Kain quickly shook his head, denying the compliment. "I didn't do anything. It has nothing to do with me."

"You're too modest," Tsunade continued. "Besides, I'm asking for a personal favor. It has nothing to do with Konoha officially, but as a friend, please help. I'll buy your chocolates!"

Kain raised an eyebrow and replied bluntly, "We're not friends, Tsunade-san. And besides, chocolates are easy to sell. If you buy them all, the others won't have any, and they'll blame my store."

He noticed that despite his straightforward answer, Tsunade continued smiling and showed no intention of leaving. Kain sighed, realizing she wouldn't be deterred easily. "Fine, tell me what you need. But if it involves Konoha's government, I'll pretend I didn't hear it."

"You're really cautious," Tsunade remarked. She knew from her conversations with Grandma Mito that Kain wasn't hostile toward Konoha, but his reluctance to engage in its political matters was quite clear.

"It's about training medical ninjas. I mentioned it to Sarutobi sensei in private, but he didn't seem interested at all. Reforming the medical system could greatly reduce the number of casualties among Konoha's shinobi. Don't you think I should bring it up at the next Jōnin meeting? Surely, many would support it."

Kain, however, was not optimistic. "Give it up. It won't work, even if you have the backing of every Jōnin."

"Why not?" Tsunade asked, clearly unconvinced. "This battlefield has already proven how important medical ninjas are."

Kain leaned back in his chair and explained, "I'm not an expert on war, but training medical ninjas will cost a lot of money and resources. Konoha isn't exactly flush with cash right now, are they? Remember, they paid me millions in ryo just by handing over a few properties."

Tsunade winced at the reminder. It was true, and the transaction had the flavor of exploitation.

"Beyond that, do you have any concrete plans?" Kain asked pointedly.

Tsunade was silent for a moment before she admitted, "Well, no detailed plan yet. I thought we'd discuss it."

Kain shook his head. "You should have at least a basic outline. What's your goal? How young do you start training? Will it be a new class in the ninja school or an entirely separate medical school? What are the selection criteria, the course syllabus, and the costs? And once they're trained, what's the incentive for people to become medical ninjas? What's their salary, and how does that compare to regular ninjas? Without those answers, even if the Third Hokage wants to help, it'll be easy for him to find reasons not to."

Tsunade was struck silent by Kain's questions. They made perfect sense, and her lack of preparation became glaringly obvious. However, she now felt inspired. "You're right! I'll need to figure these things out."

As thoughts whirled through her mind, Tsunade realized that Kain's words had given her a clear idea of what to do next.

Kain sipped his tea and added, "But don't get any ideas about asking me for more help. What I just said was to give you direction. The rest is your problem."

Realizing Kain was politely showing her out, Tsunade chuckled. She hadn't expected much from him, but his advice had been invaluable. Still, she took her leave, though not without teasing, "Don't think you can get rid of me so easily next time."

After Tsunade left, Kain sighed in relief. Dealing with her was exhausting, even though he had managed to avoid getting drawn into Konoha's affairs.

Meanwhile, Tsunade rushed back to Konoha Hospital, brimming with ideas. She called two of her best medical ninjas, Yano and Kenji, to help her put together a detailed proposal. She began outlining everything Kain had mentioned—criteria for selecting medical ninjas, the difficulty levels of different medical techniques, and how to classify them in a practical way.

"Start with basic chakra control and minor healing techniques," Tsunade instructed. "Then, gradually move into advanced areas like surgery and intensive care. If we standardize these courses, we can start producing skilled medical ninjas continuously."

Her team worked diligently alongside her, and Tsunade took it upon herself to clarify the structure of medical ninjutsu. Healing Jutsu was the most commonly used technique, but its requirement for precise chakra control made it difficult for most ninjas to master. She planned to develop a set of techniques that could be taught to a wider range of students, even those with less refined control.

The more she worked, the more Tsunade realized that the training process needed to be rigorous. "Carefulness and patience should be the primary traits we look for," she said aloud to herself. "Maybe we should introduce basic medical training in ninja schools first, just to screen for those with natural aptitude."

Tsunade knew that establishing a separate medical ninja school might be too much to ask, especially in Konoha's current financial state. She would need to be more realistic. "Perhaps we can integrate medical training into the existing academy," she mused. "We can start small—test their healing abilities with simple tasks."

By the time it was late into the night, Tsunade was still at Konoha Hospital, writing down notes and refining her plan. Many medical ninjas passing by were surprised to see her working so diligently. Normally, Tsunade would be at an izakaya or a casino at this hour, not stuck in the hospital.

Around two or three in the morning, Tsunade paused, realizing that something was bothering her. She had been thinking about routine surgeries and felt uncertain about a particular detail. She considered going back to Kain's shop to ask for his advice but decided against it, given the late hour.

"Tsk, I also forgot to buy chocolate," she muttered to herself. "I wonder how much Kushina has left in her stash."

Tsunade's sudden craving for sweets distracted her from her work for a moment. She hadn't even bought any chocolate during her visit to Kain's shop, despite promising to clear out his stock. But the slight unease she felt didn't just come from forgetting to buy treats. Something deeper was stirring inside her—an unshakable sense of foreboding.

"Maybe it's just nerves," she said to herself, shaking her head. "The war is over, so what could possibly go wrong now?"