Chapter 169
2-in-1-chapter
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Sometimes, exceptions appear. In a chicken coop, once in a while a golden phoenix will fly out. For example, in Iwagakure there was the case of Doctor Shiso, who had earned quite a reputation. As a child she entered the Iwagakure Ninja Academy, but during a routine physical examination she was diagnosed with a congenital heart condition that made it impossible for her to become a combat-type shinobi. She was expelled from the academy.
What the villagers of Iwagakure loved to repeat was how Doctor Shiso, despite being expelled, did not abandon her dream of becoming a shinobi. Since she could not be a fighter, she pursued the path of a medical-nin. In the course of her own treatments she had come to know many doctors, and through effort she managed to acquire the most basic medical ninjutsu.
After that, through effort beyond what most could imagine, Doctor Shiso succeeded. Four years ago, at the age of only nineteen, she won the recognition of the village's medical-nin through her skills. Even the Third Tsuchikage publicly praised her, encouraging the young people of the village to follow Doctor Shiso's example of hard work, hoping to raise Iwagakure's medical standards even higher.
That was the story the villagers of Iwagakure knew.
Strictly speaking, the first half of the story was true. There really had been a young woman named Shiso in Iwagakure. But in reality, she had no great talent for medical ninjutsu. Lacking a skilled teacher to guide her, she struggled for over ten years without ever crossing the threshold of medical practice.
Four years ago, under Danzo Shimura's coercion, Nonō Yakushi had been forced to resume her old work as a spy. She infiltrated Iwagakure to collect intelligence, and in her careful investigations she noticed Shiso. The girl's simple personal ties and her brief background as a ninja academy student made her an ideal target.
Nonō replaced the real Shiso. With her near-perfect disguises, and by extracting information directly from Shiso's mind, she impersonated her flawlessly—becoming a version of Shiso who was not only real but also more talented.
Standing by the window, breathing in the dry, earthen air in the way Shiso was known to do, Nonō prepared a simple breakfast. After eating, she lit a stick of incense for the mother who had long since passed away, then left for the Iwagakure hospital.
Just as with the ninja academy, Iwagakure had copied its medical system from Konoha. But the imitation was poorly executed. Without enough skilled instructors or foundational medical ninjutsu, Iwagakure's hospital was like a provincial clinic compared to the metropolitan-scale Konoha Hospital. Doctors and nurses were in short supply, and the overall level of medical care was limited.
The only thing in which Iwagakure surpassed Konoha was the size of the facility. The ambitious Third Tsuchikage had once hoped to build a medical corps greater than Konoha's, and so had taken a large section of land in the heart of the village to construct the hospital. But now, he never even mentioned that plan anymore. He himself had not set foot inside the hospital in nearly ten years.
As Tsuchikage, he had personal medical-nin always attending him; there was no need for him to seek treatment at a hospital.
"Doctor Shiso."
"Good morning, Doctor Shiso!"
From the moment Nonō entered the hospital doors, people greeted her all along the way. Though "Shiso" was, strictly speaking, supposed to be a twenty-three-year-old young woman, the truth was that in Iwagakure's small medical circle there were few truly talented practitioners. After four years, Nonō had become one of the hospital's most skilled doctors.
And as for whether a thirty-one-year-old Nonō disguising herself as a twenty-three-year-old raised suspicion—the answer was no.
Much of Nonō's legendary success as a spy had been due to her extraordinary skill in medical ninjutsu, rivaled perhaps only by Tsunade. She could adjust her appearance using her techniques and even replicate the symptoms of congenital heart disease. With this she had passed Iwagakure's checks and secured a place at the hospital.
Disguising herself as a twenty-three-year-old woman was no challenge for someone with Nonō's mastery of medical arts and self-maintenance.
"How are you doing today?"
"Your wound is healing well. After changing the dressing you can be discharged, but make sure to take walks in moderation and don't stay out in the wind too long."
"…I'll get those documents to the director as soon as I can."
Exchanging brief words with patients and colleagues she passed, Nonō finally arrived at her office. But when she opened the door she found someone already there. A small girl sat in her chair, calmly disinfecting the scratches on her arm with iodine.
The black-haired, black-eyed girl had delicate features, almost cute.
Nonō noticed the window she had closed yesterday was now wide open, showing clearly how the girl had entered.
Seeing the uninvited guest, Nonō sighed in resignation. She stepped forward and asked with concern, "Kurotsuchi, how did you get yourself injured again?"
"Of course I got hurt, I've been training. Sister Shiso, you're not a shinobi, so you don't understand!" the girl said brashly, extending her arm without hesitation. Nonō performed the Mystical Palm Technique, treating the scrapes and bruises on Kurotsuchi's arm.
"You little brat, who are you underestimating? I'm a medical-nin now."
Nonō pretended to be angry.
"It's not the same. Sister Shiso, you're not a combat-type shinobi. I've been training in Earth Style: Hardening Technique. Every day I smash myself against stone posts. Until I fully master it, I'm bound to get hurt." Kurotsuchi explained.
"You're pushing yourself too far. Don't think I can't see it just because I'm not a fighter. Most of these injuries are from overtraining. Kurotsuchi, you're ruining your body like this." Nonō's expression turned serious.
"…I don't have a choice. I have to get stronger quickly. Only by becoming stronger can I teach that idiot Deidara a lesson, make him bow his head and apologize to Grandfather. Because of him, Grandfather hasn't rested properly for over a month now." Kurotsuchi lowered her head and spoke quietly.
Deidara.
The name was one Nonō had heard many times. In fact, everyone in Iwagakure who was of sound mind knew of Deidara. At only nine years old, he was infamous as the first child in fifty years of the village's history to carry out acts of terrorism within its walls.
Nonō did not know his full background, but she knew Deidara was the Tsuchikage's disciple, a prodigy known throughout the village. She had encountered him, Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi several times before in her work.
Just over two months ago, a series of explosions had shaken Iwagakure. At first, only buildings had been damaged. Soon, however, people were being injured. Under the Tsuchikage's orders, the village police force launched an investigation. In the end, it was discovered that the culprit behind the blasts was none other than the Tsuchikage's favored disciple, nine-year-old Deidara.
In the end, considering his young age, the Third Tsuchikage chose to exile him from Iwagakure. Take note: he was only expelled from the village, not removed as the Tsuchikage's student.
In Nonō's eyes, the old man was still holding onto hope that Deidara would return and admit fault.
But to Nonō, such thoughts were pure fantasy.
She had dealt with Deidara, Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi before, and had even become close friends with Kurotsuchi, who often came to her to talk and vent her frustrations.
Through those conversations, Nonō had learned much of Iwagakure's secrets straight from the Tsuchikage's granddaughter herself.
In Yakushi Nonō's eyes, Deidara suffered from a psychological condition difficult to determine as innate or developed later. His obsession with explosions had reached a state of near madness. Village, clan, family, friendship—none of it interested him compared to the joy of detonation.
To expect that child to reflect and admit fault was impossible.
"Even so, you can't keep tormenting yourself like this. Doing this won't make you stronger. Your body is still developing, and harming yourself this way will leave damage that can't be repaired in the future. Even putting aside the long-term, if you keep this up, next time it won't just be scrapes and bruises. If you injure your bones, you'll end up in the hospital for more than a month."
Yakushi Nonō half-admonished, half-intimidated, her tone that of a doctor who seemed to be wholeheartedly concerned for her patient, her friend.
"But… if I don't do this, I'll never be able to beat Brother Deidara!"
Kurotsuchi bit her lip, on the verge of tears.
"Deidara's situation is something Lord Tsuchikage will handle. You said yourself that because of Deidara, the Tsuchikage hasn't been resting properly. If you get hurt badly enough to be hospitalized, won't that only make him worry about you even more?"
The reasoning of an adult left Kurotsuchi entirely speechless.
The girl widened her eyes, taking quite some time to untangle the logic.
"It feels… so complicated!"