Hanekawa glanced up at Tsunade, her reflection caught in his eyes.

  His right eye trembled.

  Everything shifted.

  The world sharpened—magnified eight times over. Tsunade's delicate collarbone came into perfect focus, the fine texture of her skin rendered in crystalline detail. At this magnification, most people's skin would reveal its imperfections. But Tsunade was different.

  The Yin Seal.

  An S-Rank medical sealing technique that did more than just heal wounds. It kept the body's functions locked at their peak—eternal youth, enhanced strength, increased speed. All of it. And at thirty years old, with that seal active, her skin was flawless.

  Okay, that's... wow.

  "Why are you staring?"

  Tsunade's voice snapped him back. Her expression had shifted from playful to stern—the teaching mode he'd learned to recognize. When she was serious about instruction, she didn't tolerate distractions.

  "Sorry!" Hanekawa quickly deactivated the eight-fold scope and refocused on the scalpel in his hands.

  After a few seconds of experimentation, he'd figured out the basics. The scope activated automatically whenever he held a ninja tool—in this case, the scalpel. That was convenient, if a bit inconvenient when he didn't want it active.

  Second discovery: only his right eye could use it. Not a flaw, actually. Using both eyes at different magnifications would throw off his depth perception and spatial awareness. One magnified eye, one normal—that was the way to go. Though it would take practice.

  And the system is still garbage tier, he thought wryly. Automatic activation? Really?

  "Better," Tsunade said, watching his hands move with renewed precision.

  The E-Rank entry 'Seven Ninja Tools' had become a synthesis material, but its effect lingered—a 10% power boost to all ninja tool usage. Combined with the eight-fold scope's clarity, his scalpel work had noticeably improved.

  Tsunade didn't know about the cheating. She just thought he was absurdly talented across every discipline. Illusions, swordsmanship, medical ninjutsu—he was competent in all of it.

  He watched her expression shift as she studied him, and he could almost see the gears turning. She was thinking about what Nara Shikaku had said at the barbecue restaurant. A genius like this deserves to be my student.

  But it wasn't enough. Not yet. She wanted to see him truly shine in medical ninjutsu—something that would make her feel like she couldn't live without teaching him.

  "That's enough for tonight," Tsunade said after a long moment. "If you want to advance further, you'll need to focus on becoming a surgical specialist. That's where the real skill lies."

  "Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Hanekawa set down the scalpel carefully.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Don't thank me." Tsunade chuckled, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "I'm the one getting the better deal. One million ryōs in winnings? I'd say we're even."

  Right. The gambling luck charm angle.

  "You're different from other teachers," Hanekawa said, smoothing his hair back down with the hand that had been ruffled.

  "Oh?" Tsunade tilted her head, her expression turning playfully mischievous. "How so?"

  Because you're not trying to turn me into a weapon, he thought. You're just... teaching me.

  "Because you're the best medical ninja," he said aloud, keeping his tone serious.

  "Flattery." Tsunade's smile widened. "You'll have plenty of girls fooled with that tongue of yours."

  "That's slander," Hanekawa protested formally.

  Tsunade laughed harder. Hanekawa caught himself about to activate the eight-fold scope again and firmly shut that down. I'm a serious person. Serious.

  After saying goodbye, he stepped out into the evening. The street lamps cast pools of light across the darkened path. Hanekawa activated the eight-fold scope experimentally, testing its range against the distant lights.

  Clearest within two hundred meters. Blurry but functional to four hundred. Beyond that, the image degraded rapidly.

  So Kakuzu throwing a kunai from eight hundred meters away? Hanekawa smirked. Yeah, that's not happening. That's pure exaggeration.

  "Hanekawa!"

  He turned to find Kurenai jogging toward him, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

  "You waited for me?" he asked.

  "No!" she huffed indignantly. "I have an announcement. I've mastered the Magical Naraku-ken Jutsu!"

  For her age, it was genuinely impressive. Genjutsu wasn't easy, and she'd progressed faster than most. Not as fast as him, but still remarkable.

  "That's incredible," Hanekawa said, watching her puff out her chest, clearly fishing for praise. "Very impressive."

  "Of course!" She beamed.

  He reached over and ruffled her hair.

  "Don't mess it up!" she protested, swatting at his hand.

  "Sure, sure." He kept patting anyway.

  Huh. This is actually fun. Way more fun than getting my own head patted.

  Kurenai glared at him, then spun around and bolted into the house. Hanekawa laughed, following her inside. He changed out of his shoes and found Uncle Shinku in the living room.

  "Back already?" Shinku looked up from his tea. "Did you eat?"

  "At Lady Tsunade's place."

  "You've been spending a lot of time with her lately." Shinku's tone was casual, but his eyes were sharp. "Any progress?"

  Ah, here we go. Hanekawa knew what he was really asking. Tsunade was Hiruzen's student. If Hanekawa became her student, he'd automatically gain the Hokage's backing. The Yuhi clan would benefit enormously from that connection.

  "Can't say yet," Hanekawa replied mysteriously.

  Shinku's expression fell slightly—clearly he'd been hoping for better news—but he didn't press. "I'll teach you a new genjutsu tomorrow, then. Medical ninjutsu is valuable, but your combat ability needs work. Genjutsu is your foundation."

  It was true. And it was also a calculated move—riding on Hanekawa's growing reputation to elevate the Yuhi clan's profile.

  "Actually, could we do it the day after tomorrow?" Hanekawa asked. "Lady Tsunade is visiting me tomorrow."

  "Then by all means, prioritize Lady Tsunade," Shinku said, waving a hand. "We can wait."

  Hanekawa nodded. It had been nearly two months since his last genjutsu lesson. Time to get back to fundamentals. Besides, he'd just hit the limit on ninja tool mastery—the D-Rank entry had no synthesis path, which meant it was maxed out.

  Ninja tools are just foundation work anyway, he thought. Real power comes from ninjutsu.

  As he headed upstairs, he mentally reviewed his progress. The eight-fold scope was solid. His medical training was advancing. His genjutsu needed refreshing. And somewhere in the background, his spy mission for the Hidden Cloud continued to exist, waiting for him to remember it existed.

  One problem at a time, he decided. Tomorrow: Tsunade. Day after: genjutsu. Everything else can wait.