**Chapter 9: The Genius (Part 1)**

Staring at the young woman in front of him, who had just called him "young master" and was bowing respectfully, Hattori found himself momentarily stunned.

"What's going on? Mistaken identity?"

Thinking this, he quickly waved his hand at her.

"No, no, you've got the wrong person. I'm not Master Chiyo's grandson, Sasori. I'm just her student, Hatt... er... Tokage!"

"Hehe, I know!"

The woman merely smiled and shook her head, unbothered by Hattori's little slip.

"You're not mistaken, Young Master Tokage. Lady Chiyo is away for a while, so I'll be taking care of your needs from now on. My name is Mizusuna. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything!" she said with another polite bow. Then, she reached into her robe, took out a scroll, and handed it to Hattori.

"This is a medical ninjutsu scroll that Lady Chiyo asked me to pass on to you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Don't judge by appearances—I'm a special jonin in our village, after all!"

"Hm?"

Hearing this, Hattori raised an eyebrow and checked her stats.

**[Name: Mizusuna]**

**[Level: 29]**

**[HP: 276/276]**

**[MP: 285/285]**

**[Specialty: Medical Ninjutsu]**

**[Combat Power Assessment: B]**

Hattori: "..."

Just a chunin's stats, and she has the nerve to call herself a special jonin? Though mentally criticizing, Hattori realized from her stats that she was telling the truth.

Which raised a question: why did Lady Chiyo suddenly assign someone to take care of him? The situation in Sunagakure hadn't gotten so dire that she would need to step in personally.

Could it be that Sasori had defected?

If so, that would be fantastic! He wouldn't have to face that dangerous guy every day!

With this in mind, Hattori couldn't help but ask Mizusuna, "Did something happen to Lady Chiyo? Where's Lord Sasori?"

"Hehe!"

Mizusuna just chuckled and shook her head.

"Don't worry, Young Master Tokage. Lady Chiyo and Lord Sasori are perfectly fine; they're merely on a mission. You'll understand when they return. For now, let me go prepare your breakfast!"

"Uh… alright."

Disappointed that he didn't get the answers he wanted, Hattori just nodded.

"I understand. Thanks for taking care of me, but there's no need to call me 'young master' or use such formal language. I'm just a regular person. Just call me Tokage."

"Yes, Lord Tokage!"

"…"

Wait, she's not getting it, is she?

Seeing Mizusuna's smiling but very serious face, Hattori knew convincing her was pointless.

"Fine, call me whatever you want!"

Shrugging, he took the medical scroll she had handed him and returned to his room under her watchful gaze.

Back in his room, Hattori opened the scroll, glanced at it, then tossed it aside. It wasn't that he didn't want to study it—he just couldn't read the text!

The writing in the ninja world was like gibberish; without a system or long-term study, it was unreadable.

But Hattori wasn't inclined to study the language. His medical skills weren't acquired through learning; they were unlocked through leveling up. In his view, Chiyo's scroll served only to provide a cover for his newly unlocked skills.

After breakfast, Hattori asked Mizusuna to read the scroll's contents aloud, carefully memorizing the medical ninjutsu described within so that he wouldn't accidentally use a skill that wasn't in the scroll and raise suspicion.

Mizusuna, unaware of his real intent, smiled warmly and asked after reading it, "Lord Tokage, would you like me to read it again?"

"No need," Hattori said, stopping her with a raised hand as he stood up. "I've memorized it."

And with that, he directed his chakra into his hand, creating a faint white glow under Mizusuna's astonished gaze.

"This… This is… the Chakra Scalpel?"

Mizusuna's eyes widened in shock, her face filled with disbelief.

"Lady Chiyo said you had mastered the Healing Technique, but the Chakra Scalpel is far more advanced… When did you…? Could it be you just learned it? That's impossible!"

Doubting her own senses, Mizusuna reached out to touch Hattori's glowing hand.

Predictably, the moment she touched it, the sharp chakra blade cut her hand. If Hattori hadn't immediately stopped, she might have lost her whole hand!

Seeing her bleeding hand, Mizusuna snapped out of her daze. Besides shock, her face now showed intense joy.

"Lord Tokage, you're only six years old and already mastering such advanced medical ninjutsu as the Chakra Scalpel. You're truly a medical genius! It won't be long before Sunagakure has a powerful medical ninja like Lady Tsunade—this is wonderful!"

Hattori: "(ω`)"

It's good to care about the village, but shouldn't you be worrying about yourself right now? You're still bleeding!

Watching Mizusuna's mixture of excitement and awe, Hattori didn't know what to say. With a resigned sigh, he grabbed her injured hand and muttered, "Hold still, I'll heal you."

"It's nothing, just a small—"

"Shut up and lift your hand!"

"(﹃)"

…

Mizusuna's wound wasn't severe; Hattori healed it with a single Healing Technique. As he finished, familiar purple letters floated before his eyes.

**[EXP +40]**

Experience points?

Glancing at the healed hand and the letters, Hattori felt as though he had just uncovered a key insight.

"So I get experience points only if I finish a treatment after causing damage with the Chakra Scalpel? I'd figured it out by luck before, but it looks like the secret to gaining medical skill experience really lies in the 'medical' part. I wonder if small animals could substitute for real people? That would be great…"

With this thought, he turned back to Mizusuna.

"Mizusuna, I haven't fully mastered my new medical skill and need more practice. Could you find some small animals for me? Anything is fine, as long as they're alive!"

"Yes, Lord Tokage! I'll go right away!"

Seeing him as Sunagakure's future, Mizusuna responded enthusiastically and dashed out the door, vanishing instantly with the Body Flicker Technique.

Watching her, Hattori couldn't help feeling a bit emotional.

"Chiyo, that old lady, didn't forget to get me a caretaker even with her grandson gone. Mizusuna's been nothing but respectful, calling me 'Lord Tokage' with unwavering devotion. It seems like no matter where you are, the healer role is highly valued. In that case, I'll settle into my role as the village's 'healing daddy'!"

*(End of Chapter)*

(tokage means lizard) (sasori mean Scorpion)