"Alright, my stop has arrived. See you tomorrow then, Hinata," Ryuku said, glancing at the quiet girl beside him. He had reached his destination—or rather, his workplace—the Hospital.
"Mm." As always, her reply was timid, her voice low and her eyes cast downward.
Seeing her like this, Ryuku paused and couldn't help but offer gently, "Do you want me to walk you home?"
Hinata quickly shook her head, her response coming out fast. "Uh, n-no... It's fine. I'll walk myself."
Father will be furious otherwise... she thought.
Not pressing the matter, Ryuku gave a small nod.
He then moved to share what he had prepared earlier. "Hinata," he said in a friendly tone that was soft and easy on the ears. Hinata lifted her gaze for a moment, her lavender eyes meeting his.
"You know… Kurenai-sensei, Kiba, and I—we're all rooting for your dream. We truly believe you'll overcome your limits and gain your father's acknowledgment."
Hinata blinked in surprise, her heart stirred by something she hadn't felt since childhood. Even though Kurenai-sensei had said something similar before, hearing it from someone closer to her age somehow felt more meaningful.
Ryuku continued, "But to succeed in that, you first need to have confidence in yourself. That's something only you can build." Smiling reassuringly, he added the final words, meant to leave the deepest mark:
"...and remember this, Hinata—I'm always here if you need help in your life, okay?"
She remained silent, but her eyes shimmered with intense emotion.
Then, finally, a pair of tears slid down from the corners of her eyes.
"..."
Ryuku immediately panicked; a few bystanders glanced their way but ignored the scene upon noticing their forehead protectors.
His voice was soft, yet clearly flustered. "Ah, did I say something wrong? I'm sorry, Hinata. Don't cry…"
Shit... Her guard must be nearby… Let's hope he isn't some obsessed freak watching over her... Ryuku cursed inwardly.
But his worries were unnecessary.
Hinata wasn't breaking down emotionally—those tears were simply the result of being treated with rare kindness. First Kurenai, and now Ryuku. The buildup of all the suppressed emotions inside her had finally overflowed.
Wiping her tears, she gave him a faint smile. "It's nothing… Ryuku-kun."
Hm? She's using an honorific now? That's progress... I guess?
Ryuku let out a quiet sigh of relief, though he still asked, "But… you cried because of me."
Hinata shook her head gently, then spoke with slightly more clarity and volume, though still not quite normal. "I was just surprised by your words, so I… I got emotional." With that, she quickly turned and walked away. "Sorry for making you worry, Ryuku-kun."
Ryuku stood silently in front of the hospital, watching her disappear down the next street.
She didn't even glance back once.
It'll take some time to help her become a proper kunoichi… A week or two, I suppose.
He shook his head with a faint smile and stepped inside the hospital. As he walked, he subtly channeled sensory chakra through his feet, scanning the area—and found a hidden presence behind a water tank a few houses away.
A near Jonin-level ninja as a bodyguard, huh? That's the Hyuga for you… always a pain in the ass with their Byakugan...
Cutting off his chakra flow, Ryuku cleared his mind of the Hyuga and headed inside to look for Hosho.
---
Hyuga Kō had been observing from the shadows. He stared at the gray-haired boy without activating his Byakugan, silently watching for a while before finally pulling back.
"He doesn't seem like a bad kid… then why did Hinata cry?" he muttered to himself.
Deciding to leave the matter for another time, Kō used the Body Flicker Technique to head off and deliver his report to the Patriarch.
----
What the hell…
Ryuku watched as staff members and fellow medical-nin greeted him with nothing short of wide smiles.
They gave him that look that screamed, 'Hello, my name is XYZ, I'm your biggest fan. Please be my friend.'
Noticing the sudden shift in their behavior, he could only respond with a polite nod.
This is probably Hosho's doing… Though, me mastering a year's worth of surgery in just a week is definitely a big factor too. From their perspective, I must look like a medical-nin with Tsunade-level potential, huh…
After wandering the halls for a while, Ryuku spotted Hosho and Kyoka seated outside the operation room, engaged in conversation as they casually sipped coffee.
"Good afternoon, Hosho-sensei," he greeted, then turned to the woman beside him. "You too, Kyoka-san."
Both Hosho and Kyoka noticed him. The latter gave a slight nod, while the former immediately stood up and said, "Ryuku, you're here. Perfect timing. We just received a kid with a bruised leg from a fall. Come on, this is a good opportunity to test your skills. I'll be overseeing the procedure."
Finishing his coffee in one gulp, Hosho led Ryuku toward the treatment room.
Watching the two leave in a hurry, Kyoka could only chuckle softly.
How desperate he is to personally train his student… Well, I can't blame him. That brat is one hell of a gem, not something you find every day.
----
Ryuku first removed the special bandages wrapped around the drugged child's leg. These were meant to prevent infection. His gaze fell on the cut and bruised area just below the knee.
His eyes narrowed.
This isn't just a bruise… the bone's clearly cracked from the fall.
Though it's nothing I can't heal…
The wound was fresh, yet oddly clean. There was no redness, no swelling, and the child showed no signs of fever. Ryuku had already confirmed that by checking his temperature.
The immune systems in this world are really something, he marvelled inwardly.
Then his expression turned serious.
Let's see what becomes of this…
He took a deep breath and activated his Mystical Palm Technique, which he had refined to a high level through relentless effort.
As the soft green chakra spread over the injury, Ryuku immediately sensed the full extent of the damage. The moment his chakra touched the wound, the internal state of the leg appeared clearly in his mind, almost like a built-in scanner.
After a swift assessment, he began the healing process under Hosho's observant gaze.
Standing beside him, Hosho was ready to jump in if needed.
He had planned to guide Ryuku through every step—how to assess injuries, spot symptoms, determine treatment methods, and gauge severity.
But all those plans went out the window.
Ryuku didn't even ask a single question.
How the hell is he doing this...? Did he really learn all this just from reading? Is that even possible…?
Hosho found the whole thing ridiculous.
What was even the point of a teacher when the student was someone like Ryuku?
To make things worse, there wasn't a single mistake in his performance.
How in the name of Lord Third am I even supposed to show off now…?
Memories of his own hellish training days flashed through his mind. Compared to that, Ryuku's smooth execution was downright unfair. Hosho wiped away an invisible tear at the corner of his eye.
Back to Ryuku.
With precise chakra control, he directed healing energy into the fractured bone. Using nearby calcium and marrow, he fused the crack back to normal within seconds.
Next, he stimulated surrounding cells to regenerate torn muscles, reconnect chakra pathways, and restore a few severed nerves.
That took him about half a minute.
Finally, he moved to the outer tissue. It was the simplest part. A few seconds later, the skin was perfectly healed, leaving no trace of injury.
Ryuku exhaled softly and stopped his chakra flow. He looked calm and collected. Not even a single bead of sweat touched his brow.
All done… Though my already half-depleted chakra is now cut in half again…
Just then, a muttered voice reached his ears.
"...was supposed to be me helping you teach and point things out... murmur..."
He glanced at the stunned Hosho, who was still frozen, staring at the now-perfect leg with a hollow expression.
Ryuku shook his head in mild amusement.
Ah, he's dead inside.