Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 153 Tsuyoshi becomes Kakashi's apprentice.

Konoha Hospital.

"Blood pressure keeps dropping! Blood pack! Get two more bags of type O blood!"

"Organ rupture, surgery is necessary immediately! Lady Tsunade!"

"Get out of the way!"

Tsunade pushed open the emergency room door, her surgical gown stained with blood. She rushed to the operating table, her hands instantly covering the patient's chest with shimmering white medical chakra.

The injured person was a boy who was at most thirteen years old and had just graduated from the ninja academy three months ago.

Today, while on a D-rank mission—helping villagers find their lost pet—I ran into a rogue ninja in the back mountains. My abdomen was pierced by a kunai, and a section of my intestines had protruded from my body.

"Anesthesia complete!" a young female ninja quickly reported.

"Okay. I'll begin the repair. You're in charge of maintaining vital signs, and the rest of you will prepare for the organ repair procedure according to the procedures I trained you on last week."

Inside the operating room, all the medical ninjas immediately got into position.

This is a brand-new medical system that Tsunade spent two years building: standardized emergency procedures, tiered surgical authority, and a multi-person collaborative treatment model.

In the past, the mortality rate of wounded soldiers at Konoha Hospital was as high as 37%, but now it has been reduced to 11%.

This is not only an advancement in medical ninjutsu, but also a revolution in ideology—every ninja, even a newly graduated genin, has the right to live.

"Hemostats"

"Attractant".

"Chakra Line Number Three".

Tsunade's voice was calm and steady.

With precise hands, she performed surgery on the boy's injuries, reconnecting severed blood vessels one by one, slowly repairing damaged organs, and cleanly removing contaminated necrotic tissue.

Three hours later.

"Heartbeat restored!"

"Blood pressure is stable!"

"Breathing is steady!"

Tsunade finally straightened up and took off her blood-stained gloves. The boy on the operating table was still pale, but his chest had returned to a steady rise and fall.

"Transfer him to the intensive care unit for 24-hour continuous monitoring," Tsunade ordered in a deep voice, her tone tinged with exhaustion but also with a hint of relief.

Outside the operating room, Kato Dan handed her a towel, his tone gentle: "Thank you for your hard work, Tsunade."

"I'm fine." Tsunade leaned slightly towards him.

The boy she had just seen reminded her of her younger brother—who was also passionate about becoming a ninja, but unaware of the true cruelty of the ninja world.

Outside the window, the lights of Konoha began to illuminate the village one by one. From the direction of the training ground, the faint light and shadow of ninjutsu could be seen.

She didn't know what had happened there, nor did she care.

All she wanted to do was guard this operating table and protect every life that was brought here.

"Duan, go and do your own thing." Tsunade gently pushed him away.

She turned to the female ninja who was hurrying towards her, her tone firm: "Tomorrow, I will convene a meeting of all medical ninjas. I am going to implement a frontline medical station system. From now on, every four-person team performing B-rank or higher missions must be equipped with a medical ninja."

The female ninja was taken aback: "But Lady Tsunade, there's a severe shortage of medical ninjas..."

"Then let's train them." Tsunade turned around, her gaze sharp and determined. "If one year isn't enough, then two years; if two years isn't enough, then five years. I want to make the phrase 'Konoha ninjas do not die from treatable injuries' more than just a slogan."

She walked out of the emergency room, and the family members waiting in the corridor surrounded her, crying and thanking her. Tsunade simply nodded and walked straight to the next ward.

Sunlight falls on the training field, where hope takes root and sprouts.

A shadow looms over the operating room, where life struggles desperately.

This is Konoha.

Kato looked at Tsunade, who was full of energy, with admiration in his eyes, but even more so with respect.

In this hospital, she was the most dazzling presence, the undisputed jewel of the Land of Fire.

"It seems I need to work even harder, otherwise I'm afraid I won't be worthy of our Fire Kingdom's princess."

"Tsunade." Before leaving, Kato Dan called out to her softly.

"What's wrong?" Tsunade turned around.

"Would you like to take on a disciple? My niece, Jingyin, has always admired you."

Kato Dan recalled that Orochimaru and Jiraiya had recently taken on disciples, and Tsunade should also have one to inherit her medical skills and will. In addition, his niece had been pleading with him for days, so he finally made the suggestion.

"Admiring me is useless." Even if it's her lover's niece, Tsunade shows no mercy and no favoritism: "She has to genuinely like medical ninjutsu and genuinely want to save lives."

"Okay." Kato Dan nodded. "I'll bring her over tomorrow. If it really doesn't suit you, I won't force you anymore."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade's tone softened slightly: "Very well. Even if she's not suited for the path of medical ninjutsu, I will find her a suitable teacher."

-

In the training ground, Kakashi Hatake stood quietly, his short sword still sheathed, the faint lightning on its blade fading away.

Baiyun Mountain looked at his empty right sleeve, then used his remaining left sleeve to carefully wipe the longsword that had been with him for many years.

His movements were slow, with an almost ritualistic solemnity.

"You've completed your apprenticeship." He looked up, a hint of melancholy in his eyes, but even more so, a sense of relief: "There's nothing more I can teach you."

This statement is true.

In terms of pure strength, Kakashi, at only five years old, was already on par with his teacher in terms of pure swordsmanship and lightning release techniques.

Even the child's self-created Chidori—an A-rank ninjutsu that compresses lightning-attribute chakra to the extreme and has astonishing penetrating power—was so sharp and promising that even he was taken aback.

Continuing to keep such a genius by your side would undoubtedly be a waste.

It seems that the best he could do had truly come to an end.

Kakashi lowered his head slightly, his eyes clear beneath his white bangs: "Teacher Yamazaki, you will always be my teacher."

Baiyun Shanjian paused for a moment, then stood up, vigorously ruffled Kakashi's silver-white hair with his intact left hand, and let out a hearty laugh that seemed to be suppressing something: "Good, good, good! Good lad!"

As the laughter subsided, he patted Kakashi on the shoulder, his tone becoming steady and firm: "Go ahead, take the graduation exam. It's something you've always dreamed of, and I won't stop you now."

"Teacher..." Kakashi was stunned.

He had expressed his desire to graduate early to his teachers many times, but they always refused, citing his young age and immature nature.

The sudden permission left him somewhat at a loss.

Looking into the teacher's calm yet encouraging eyes, he finally condensed all his unspoken words into a deep nod: "Yes."

The setting sun cast a long shadow of Kakashi as he left the training ground.

Standing in the mountains, Baiyun watched as the still-childish smile gradually faded, and his eyes hardened.

At this moment, the night breeze is slightly cool, stirring up a few fallen leaves on the training field.

Baiyun Shanjian said, "Brother Qimu, it's been almost two years. It's time to settle what happened back then."