Next, Aoshi began training in the Mystical Palm Technique.
To the untrained eye, the Mystical Palm Technique might appear almost identical to basic Healing Jutsu. But while Healing Jutsu is merely a D-rank technique, Mystical Palm is an A-rank medical ninjutsu—and the difference between the two is night and day.
If Healing Jutsu can only treat external wounds, then the Mystical Palm Technique is capable of healing both internal and external injuries with much greater efficacy.
The jutsu functions by emitting a steady stream of chakra from the user's palms to stimulate and accelerate healing at the affected area.
However, just as no two leaves in the world are identical, no two patients or injuries are exactly the same.
That's why when performing the Mystical Palm Technique, a medical ninja must finely adjust the chakra output based on the patient's condition.
Too little chakra reduces the technique's effectiveness. Too much can cause damage to healthy tissue and disrupt the body's natural circulatory system.
This is why the jutsu demands not only superb chakra control but also precise diagnostic skills and extensive experience. Very few medical ninjas ever master it fully.
With Aoshi's innate aptitude for medical ninjutsu, however, mastery was never in doubt—only a matter of dedicated practice.
Another quiet night passed.
Before the first rays of sunlight crept over the rooftops of Konoha, Aoshi was already up.
Determined not to let his new training interfere with work, he woke an hour earlier than usual to fit in a morning run.
After jogging, he arrived punctually at Konoha Hospital—just in time to encounter Uchiha Mikoto, who had just been discharged.
Over the past few days, Aoshi had visited her regularly, so he wasn't surprised to see her leave the hospital this morning.
"Good morning, Aoshi." Mikoto greeted him with a soft smile—she looked stunning under the warm glow of early sunlight.
It was summertime, and her outfit was light and breathable, highlighting her graceful, elegant figure. But unlike Tsunade, Mikoto's personality was more reserved—so while she was undoubtedly beautiful, she didn't flaunt it.
"Good morning. Want me to walk you home?"
"Oh? Do I look like some helpless girl to you now?" Mikoto pouted playfully, gently swatting his arm—half teasing, half flirtatious.
Given their rapport, this kind of interaction had become natural.
Aoshi smiled and replied, "Of course not. You're the strongest and most beautiful genius kunoichi of the Uchiha clan."
"Hmph, sweet talker." Mikoto withdrew her hand, a trace of shyness appearing in her expression. Her warm smile showed she was clearly in a great mood.
"But I don't dislike it."
Even in a world like the shinobi world, women appreciated heartfelt praise from men—that much hadn't changed.
After a brief exchange, Mikoto gave a cheerful goodbye. "Alright, Mr. Busy. Go save lives—I can get home on my own."
As Aoshi watched her walk away, his thoughts drifted to Uchiha Fugaku.
He didn't know exactly when Mikoto had married Fugaku in the original timeline, but for now, it was clear they weren't involved—not yet, anyway.
Back at home, Mikoto found her place empty. Her parents had passed away when she was still very young.
If she hadn't been born into the Uchiha clan, she might have grown up in the orphanage—just like Qingshui once did.
Since she hadn't returned home in days, the house had gathered a thin layer of dust.
After tidying up, Mikoto left again—this time heading to the Hokage's Office.
Her team had lost a member on their last mission. Now, only one Genin remained. To continue accepting assignments, the team would need to recruit new members—and such matters required the Hokage's approval.
"Lord Third." When she entered, Hiruzen Sarutobi was buried in paperwork.
It wasn't until he heard her voice that he looked up. "So it's you, Mikoto. You've already recovered and been discharged?"
Despite the Uchiha clan's somewhat strained reputation, things hadn't yet deteriorated to what they would after the Nine-Tails Incident.
At this point, aside from Danzo's subtle distrust, Konoha's leadership—including Sarutobi—still treated the Uchiha clan with basic respect.
After all, even someone like Uchiha Kagami had once been hailed as a trusted comrade.
Mikoto nodded and cut to the chase. "Lord Third, when can Team Four be reformed?"
Hiruzen took a slow drag from his pipe, then handed her two personnel files. "I've already made arrangements. These two will join Team Four. You'll meet them later today."
Meanwhile, Aoshi had just completed another treatment.
[Successfully treated Fukushima Yukiko. Reward: One golden technique orb.
Congratulations! You've acquired: Shadow Clone Jutsu.]
Aoshi's eyes lit up. In both this life and the last, he was intimately familiar with the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
After all, it was Naruto Uzumaki's trademark technique.
When in doubt—make a Rasengan.
Still stuck? Make a bigger Rasengan.
Still not enough? Summon shadow clones to help you make an even bigger Rasengan.
Still can't win? Just drown your opponent in even more shadow clones with Rasengan.
But that wasn't the real reason for his excitement.
As a B-rank jutsu, Shadow Clone was rarely used in combat by most shinobi. The reason? It splits the user's chakra equally.
For those without massive chakra reserves, forming even a single clone significantly lowered their combat power. The cost simply wasn't worth it.
In practice, Shadow Clones were more useful for intelligence gathering.
However, the technique held one hidden advantage: the experience gained by a clone returns to the original body upon dispelling.
This made it a perfect training tool.
In the original series, Naruto had used this very trick to master wind chakra transformation.
"With Shadow Clones, I can now rapidly master the techniques I gain from the system."
While receiving the same jutsu multiple times through system rewards did improve proficiency, the odds of duplication were low.
Only jōnin-level patients granted jutsu rewards—and most jōnin knew multiple techniques.
With Konoha's jutsu library containing hundreds, if not thousands of ninjutsu, relying solely on system rewards would be far too slow.
At this rate, if he didn't supplement his training, he might only master a handful of battle jutsu before the Third Great Ninja War erupted.
Soon, the day's work came to a close.
After clocking out, Aoshi formed a hand seal and activated the Shadow Clone Jutsu, summoning a single duplicate of himself.
"Your task is to focus entirely on training the Mystical Palm Technique."
The clone offered no complaint and ran off toward their usual training ground.
Since this was Aoshi's first time using the technique, he didn't dare create multiple clones.
When a Shadow Clone disperses, the caster receives not only its experience, but also its fatigue. Aoshi wasn't like Naruto—he didn't have a massive chakra pool. Creating too many clones at once would only lead to exhaustion.
At best, he'd pass out and end up as a patient in his own hospital. At worst, he could suffer chakra depletion—and die.
With the clone gone, Aoshi resumed his physical training.