18

The next day, Haru started his day as usual. After his conversation with Nawaki the previous night, Haru felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. While he had known about Nawaki's death in the original timeline, he was uncertain about when exactly it had occurred. Knowing that Nawaki had died at a young age, Haru had spent a lot of time and attention on him over the years, determined to prevent the same fate from befalling him. Haru did everything he could to make Nawaki stronger and eventually decided that adapting some of Naruto's fighting strategies was the best plan, as Nawaki was a weaker version of Naruto without the Nine-Tails but was otherwise very similar. With Nawaki's rash character, Haru knew that it was impossible for him to plan before a fight or be strategic, but idiots also have their own advantage. The "monkey see, monkey do" style was very suitable for Nawaki. Now that Nawaki was on the right track, Haru could pay less attention to him and focus on himself.

In the past two years, Haru has made comprehensive improvements to his skills. His proficiency in seals has increased tremendously, and the only thing holding him back now is his chakra. But he wasn't very worried as his calculations showed that his chakra was growing at a good pace for the time being. Therefore, he has decided to put his medical training into practice. He has been studying the theoretical aspects for years, and since his chakra control is already very high, he should be able to start with ease now.

Haru needed medical ninjutsu at this point. His research had been stagnant and was progressing at a very slow pace. At this rate, he would need years to achieve any results, but time was a rare commodity in the ninja world. In the past, he had managed with just herbs and pharmacy, but to make progress in ninjutsu research, he needed medical techniques. His best choice was, of course, Tsunade, but since he had become Nawaki's friend, the number of times he had seen her could be counted on one hand. Tsunade was very busy at this stage, being the disciple of the Third Hokage and an excellent ninja. She spent most of her time on missions or researching medicine. Although Haru was very close to her family, she didn't pay too much attention to him. Their relationship was mostly limited to greeting each other, and the little time she had, she preferred to spend with her little brother and family.

However, since becoming Mito's adopted grandson, this situation was bound to change, and their relationship was sure to improve. The problem that he faced now was that Tsunade was currently outside the village and wouldn't be back for a while due to a long mission at the border. While Haru could wait for her to return in a few months, he didn't want to wait as there was a better solution available.

The Senju clan has a long history. Although medicine was not their specialty, over time, they amassed a huge collection of medical books. In addition, Mito had added knowledge from the Uzumaki clan. With these resources, Haru could become an excellent medical ninja even without Tsunade's help. Of course, he wouldn't give up on seeking Tsunade's guidance, but for now, this would suffice.

Having made up his mind, Haru went to Mito. With her approval, he would have access to the vast collection of medical books from the Senju clan. Upon arriving at her study, he found Nawaki already there, discussing his new fighting style. With Nawaki's presence, he knew that he was already halfway to success. So, he sat there calmly, not in any hurry.

Mito sat and listened as Nawaki explained his new training program, nodding her head from time to time. She agreed that this new style was really tailor-made for someone with Nawaki's attributes. Once Nawaki finished, she turned her attention to Haru and said, "You really hit the nail on the head, Haru. This is really too suitable for Nawaki. It could help him overcome his weaknesses and make the most of his advantages. Furthermore, this style can have a very high sealing if used properly. I don't think anyone could come up with something better. When you grow up, I think you could be a teacher. Konoha could then have another professor."

Haru just chuckled at Mito's praise, knowing that his previous life memories had given him a lot of creative ideas. It wasn't that he had a talent for teaching per se, and in his heart, Mito was the most suitable. She was far more knowledgeable than Nawaki and had far better chakra control, plus the Nine-Tails chakra. Imagine multiple Mito's with close to infinity chakra doing seals simultaneously in the battlefield. She could truly become a weapon of mass destruction.

Haru then said, "Nawaki really doesn't like theoretical study. Even with my help, he's still just average in a lot of those subjects, and I don't think that will change with his usual practice. Since he's going to use shadow clones for a long time, he will surely master it. I think it would be a waste if he didn't use it in combat. If used correctly, it could be very versatile, and with his chakra capacity, it's tailor-made for him. I think when the Second Hokage created it, he knew that it was most suited for the Senju clan. He was such a genius." Haru couldn't hide his admiration for the Second Hokage.

The Second Hokage was truly a genius. Although his strength wasn't godly like the First Hokage's, his contributions to the village were no less significant. One of the reasons why the village is so strong is because of his research in ninjutsu. The Second Hokage created numerous ninjutsu techniques, ranging from C-rank to forbidden S-rank ones. He alone expanded Konoha's jutsu collection to a great extent.

Haru respected and preferred the Second Hokage way more than the First Hokage. The First Hokage's contributions came from his strength, which couldn't be replicated. His wood release was strong because of his vitality, and even if one tried to copy it by adding his cells, the result wouldn't be the same godly strength. Haru wasn't interested in this research because the effort required was huge compared to the results obtained. It was a waste of time.

On the other hand, the Second Hokage's strength came from his thorough study of ninjutsu and chakra nature. He was known as the strongest user of water ninjutsu. Haru saw a lot of similarities between them and took him as his model for his future self. If he followed in his footsteps, he would become a very strong ninja.

Mito chuckled at Haru and said, "Well, it seems my husband isn't your favorite Hokage. That's a little sad, but Tobirama really doesn't have the respect he deserves. If he knew that someone as smart as you respected him this much, he would surely be happy." She said this with a warm smile as she remembered her late husband and his brother.

After a while, Mito came back from her memories and asked Haru, "Well, Nawaki told me about the pill. In theory, it's really possible to make, but I don't think there is anything of that nature currently in the village. The closest thing is really the Akimichi pills, but their pills are on the physical side, not in the mental like yours. If you want to make it, you will have to start from scratch."

Haru nodded his head, agreeing with Mito's opinion. The closest thing he had was the supplement he made in the beginning, but even that was just an herb that helped relax the brain and refresh the mind. For the pill, he needed much more. "Master, I don't think any herb would have that potent effect. To make the pill, we need much more. I think it's going to take a lot of research, and even if I succeed, I don't know what side effects it could have. With my current abilities, I don't think I can make it," he said to Mito with a frustrated face. He continued, "If I want to take on this project, I would need a lot of medical knowledge not only about herbs but also about the body and its internal systems."

Mito agreed with Haru and sighed, saying, "It's really unlucky that Tsunade isn't here. She would be able to help you more than I can. She is far better than me in those aspects. It seems we need to wait for her to return."

Haru stayed silent for a while, as if deep in thought, before asking, "Master, is there any archive in the clan about these topics? I already have some knowledge in medicine and pharmacy, and I think I can start some research. When Tsunade comes back, at least I will have some results. This way, it would be much faster."

Mito thought for a while before agreeing. Even if Tsunade came back, with her busy life, it could take her a while to help. It was better for Haru to continue on his own, and even if he failed, it would be a good lesson for him. This was better than waiting, but she still added, "But don't neglect your training, as you said it would take a long time for this research to bear any fruit. Just do it on the side."

Haru nodded. He wasn't going to make this research his focus; he would just assign it to one of his clones. Although Haru's chakra pool wasn't as large as Nawaki's, he had far better chakra control than him. This allowed him to sustain two shadow clones: one for studying ninjutsu and chakra control, and the other for research. Currently, Haru's main body was focused on increasing his chakra and physical strength. When he was able to create a third clone, he planned to let it study nature chakra thoroughly, but that was for later. For now, the research would be put on hold temporarily as he would focus on studying medical ninjutsu.