Since Jiangchuan Ju expressed his desire to become a medical ninja, more than half a month has passed. During this time, he often met with Saigyouji Kei to ask about medical knowledge. However, Saigyouji Kei has not brought up the topic of the medical ninja selection, and Jiangchuan Ju has not pressed the issue, focusing instead on his studies and training.
Currently, Jiangchuan Ju's daily routine consists of attending classes, completing daily tasks, practicing ninjutsu, and studying medical knowledge. It seems that the simpler achievements have already been triggered, as the frequency of new achievements being unlocked has significantly decreased recently. Thankfully, his daily tasks remain stable, and Jiangchuan Ju estimates that he should be able to save up 1600 gold coins for a ten-draw lottery by the end of the month. However, he hasn't yet decided whether to draw from the water attribute pool or the general attribute pool.
While both prize pools have golden prizes that are quite tempting, Jiangchuan Ju does not believe he is lucky enough to win a golden prize with just ten or twenty draws. Therefore, he prioritizes purple items that will enhance his own abilities. In the water attribute pool, those water escape techniques that complement his acquired traits should allow for smoother improvement in strength. The general attribute pool, on the other hand, contains many bizarre skills and items, some of which are incredibly powerful, but drawing cute skills like Call or Round would be a waste of lottery chances.
As Jiangchuan Ju was looking at various information on the system panel, planning for his future, he was drawn to the conversation of two ninja-looking passersby who had just exited a dumpling shop. "Have you heard? The third Kazekage of Sunagakure has gone missing." "I heard about it, but it has nothing to do with us, right? It's just as expected of Sunagakure; they can even lose their village's leader." "Indeed, Sunagakure is getting weaker and weaker; it's simply a disgrace to the five great ninja villages." "Who would disagree?"
Having just finished school, Jiangchuan Ju was preparing to go to the Kirigakure Hospital for additional medical knowledge training. As the two ninjas walked away, their conversation became harder to hear. However, Jiangchuan Ju's thoughts grew unsettled. He knew that the disappearance of the third Kazekage was not entirely unrelated to Kirigakure. Jiangchuan Ju vaguely remembered that it was because of the Kazekage's disappearance that Sunagakure took the opportunity to challenge Konoha. This incident marked the beginning of the Third Shinobi World War.
During the Second Shinobi World War, Kirigakure had closed its doors and did not participate, as the conflict centered around the Land of Rain involving Fire, Earth, and Wind. However, the Third Shinobi World War could be considered a true free-for-all, with all five great nations participating—no village could escape. Thinking about the active and deceased figures from the war and the brutal nature of the conflict reignited Jiangchuan Ju's urgent desire to improve his own strength, which he had previously set aside due to the possibility of becoming a medical ninja and not having to worry about graduation exams.
Although he did not know how long the third Kazekage had been missing, since rumors had reached ordinary ninjas in Kirigakure, it was likely that Sunagakure declaring war on Konoha was not far off. Upon hearing this news, Jiangchuan Ju felt an immense headache. If war truly broke out, even ordinary medical personnel would have to go to the battlefield, and he would not be able to avoid it even if he became a medical ninja. Moreover, if the war broke out too early, it was possible that this cohort of students would be required to graduate early, which might disrupt his plans.
Unfortunately, these were things Jiangchuan Ju could not change. He could only pray that the war would come later, at least that Kirigakure would join the conflict a little later. Feeling somewhat depressed, Jiangchuan Ju thought about complaining to his little frog. However, just as he reached for his shoulder, he remembered that Lan Zi had recently made progress in training and had mastered the classic skill Lightning Flash. Perhaps feeling the benefits of his training, Lan Zi had been engrossed in his practice and had not accompanied Jiangchuan Ju out.
Fortunately, with the existence of summoning techniques, even if there were sudden situations, it would not affect his combat power. Speaking of the skill Lightning Flash, it is somewhat similar to a teleportation technique that allows for a second change in direction, and it can stack the impact from quick movement onto attacks, making it a very effective offensive move. However, despite Jiangchuan Ju's overall strength being much higher than Lan Zi's, he could not learn this technique because he lacked the unique leg structure of the little frog that provided exceptional jumping power. This meant that the four skills currently mastered by Lan Zi—Slap was ineffective for him, Call and Water Gun did not require hand seals and were somewhat like innate abilities, and Lightning Flash was beyond his physical capabilities.
Jiangchuan Ju, who was thinking about secretly learning Lan Zi's skills to enhance his combat power, found that he couldn't learn any of them. With his mind full of concerns, Jiangchuan Ju walked to Saigyouji Kei's office. However, he did not see Saigyouji Kei's figure, which he had grown accustomed to, as the head of Kirigakure Hospital was indeed quite busy with work.
Jiangchuan Ju sat at Saigyouji Kei's desk and opened a medical scroll, continuing his focused study from where he left off yesterday. So far, he had only learned Healing Technique and Water Flow Ring in medical ninjutsu, which were sufficient for this stage. More of his energy was focused on practicing precise chakra control and studying human anatomy, and during his free time, he would ask Saigyouji Kei about pharmacology. This led to Jiangchuan Ju experiencing a bit of knowledge overload recently, and his progress in ninjutsu practice at home after class was very slow. Not only could he not condense a human form for Water Clone, but even the simpler Mist Concealment Technique was still in the exploratory stage.
As time passed quietly during Jiangchuan Ju's concentrated study, the sun was about to set completely. "Creak~" The office door was suddenly pushed open, and Saigyouji Kei walked in with a hint of fatigue. However, upon seeing the scroll on Jiangchuan Ju's desk, a slight smile of relief appeared on her face. "Auntie Kei, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I bought some dumplings on my way home from school." Seeing Saigyouji Kei's tired appearance as she entered, Jiangchuan Ju asked with concern.
"No need, there's a surgery to perform later. I'm here mainly to tell you something." Jiangchuan Ju felt a sense of anticipation at her words. Sure enough, Saigyouji Kei continued, "The selection of talents from the ninja school for medical ninja training has been confirmed. The ninja school will receive notification from the higher-ups in the next few days. They will select from the students who are about to graduate this year, and your level, Xiao Ju, is certainly up to the mark."
"After the selection, there will be a two-month training for medical ninjas, and those who pass the training will directly be granted the rank of genin." This means that he might become a genin even earlier than Zabuza! Jiangchuan Ju inwardly accepted that he would pass the selection. Even including the teachers at the ninja school, Jiangchuan Ju's medical level should be unparalleled.
"Alright, Xiao Ju, I still have work to do, so you should head home early too." With that, Saigyouji Kei hurriedly left the office, having spent less than two minutes from entering to leaving. Jiangchuan Ju tidied up the office a bit and then headed home.
In the following days, Jiangchuan Ju was somewhat distracted. Although he repeatedly reminded himself that "a ninja must have sufficient patience," this only helped him maintain a calm exterior. "No wonder ninjas like Zabuza and Kakashi wear masks; controlling the expression of emotions is too difficult!" However, Jiangchuan Ju did not suffer for too long. Three days later, in the morning, as the students were preparing as usual and waiting for class, the homeroom teacher entered the classroom with surprising news for the students.
"What? Who wants to become a medical ninja?" "Exactly, is a medical ninja even considered a ninja? Don’t underestimate us, Teacher Ueda!" "We are Blood Mist ninjas; only cowards would want to be doctors! I don’t want to hide behind in battle!" Most students expressed disdain towards the news brought by the homeroom teacher. Even the few who were aware of their limitations didn’t want to face the ridicule of their classmates and participate in the medical ninja selection.
Regardless of their strength, students were all trying to display their bravery at this moment. The atmosphere in Kirigakure was such that even the homeroom teacher at the podium did not correct the common misconception that medical ninjas would follow teams into battle, rather than being powerless like doctors. However, at this moment, Jiangchuan Ju stood up. "Teacher Ueda, I hope to participate in the medical ninja selection."