"…That’s all."
Mediinja Mokusa drew a line on the bckboard to underlihe key points he had just expined. “This cludes today’s lecture on mediinja training. For those ied, you apply at the hospital for further study and training.”
He added, “Genin Link, please stay behind.”
The genin attending the css quickly packed their belongings a without hesitation ohey heard the dismissal.
A few mier, only Link remained in the . Mokusa walked up to his desk and asked, “Have you given any thought to what we discussed st time?”
During the previous lecture, Mokusa had invited Link to join the mediinja program.
Most genin who attehese sessioually ended up w in the hospital—not necessarily practig mediinjutsu, but using their chakra to aid in healing alongside traditional surgery and medical procedures. Mokusa saw great potential in Link. His chakra trol was already at a level where he could begin learning mediinjutsu.
Of course, his chakra reserves were still somewhat g, but at just nine years old, he had plenty of time to improve through further training. Joining the medical program early would familiarize him with the enviro, and with guidance from other mediinja, his progress would undoubtedly be swift.
Link, however, politely deed with a smile. “Thank you for the opportunity, Mokusa-senpai, but I’m afraid I must dee.”
Being a mediinja came with the stability of not having to leave the vilge for missions and a steady path for promotion. However, for Link, it was too stable.
The current year was Konoha Year 62. He had no time to waste. Rapidly climbing the ranks and growing stronger was his top priority.
After reag in rank, he’d have access to numerous jutsu through the vilge’s official els—a steady and reliable (and free) way to acquire eiques.
As for being a mediinja… what would he do? Wait for Tsuo return and seek her guidance like Sakura Haruno?
It ossibility, but one he didn’t want to rely on.
Mokusa sighed regretfully but didn’t press the issue. “If you ever ge your mind, feel free to find me anytime.”
“Thank you,” Link said early. Bowing slightly, he added, “I’ll take my leave now, Mokusa-senpai,” aed the .
…
The Day: The Forest of Death
The gate beled 13 creaked opeing in a cool breeze that carried a hint of freshness from the dense woods.
Nara Ensui g his three subordinates and said, “Stick to the pn.”
“Yes, sir!” the three genin responded in unison.
Lihe group into the forest without hesitation, with Ensui following at a rexed pace. Without letting his students notice, he jotted down notes about their performan a small notebook.
The Forest of Death was Konoha’s 44th training ground, surrounded by locked gates and barbed wire. It was a massive circur area with a radius of 10 kilometers, making it 20 kilometers in diameter. It was also located closer to the vilge’s outer perimeter.
While Konoha might appear x in the manga, where vilins infiltrated with ease, iy, the vilge operated like a military base. It was well-fortified with high walls and protected by a rge-scale barrier system. Entry a weren’t as easy as they seemed.
For about 20 minutes, Lihe team, leaping across brahey eventually spotted a pack of tigers. These weren’t ordinary tigers; they were massive, and likely due to abundant food and petition, they had formed a group instead of hunting alohere were over a dozen of them, varying in size.
Link signaled an attack. Having pleted their tree-climbing and water-walking training, his teammates, Iris and Ami, immediately sprang into a.
“Shh~!”
Their kunai and shuriken struck true, nding with , solid hits. Before the tigers could fully react, the two genin closed the distance, finishing them off with swift, merciless strikes.
In no time, most of the tigers were dead, with a few managing to flee.
They didn’t give chase. Their mission was to trol the popution, not to extermihe species. The twnant tigresses in the group had been spared entirely.
Standing on a tree branch, Link observed his teammates and nodded in satisfa. He hadn’t even o intervene. After assessing their efficy, he motioned for them to tihe group moved forward, leaving behind the tiger carcasses to naturally depose and cycle bato the ecosystem.
Using a chakra-enhanced sense of smell, Link adjusted their route and soohe team to a wolf pack feasting on its prey.
The se unfolded just like before. The two genin effitly dispatched their targets, and the group moved on.
By noon, they found a clearing to eat a bnd meal of roasted meat before tinuing their work. By around 3 PM, Iris and Ami were visibly tired, having expended much of their stamina. Despite this, they had already eliminated about one-fifth of the excessive wildlife.
Link, oher hand, had served his energy throughout the mission. As the leader, he o stay vigint and be ready to intervene if anything ued occurred.
Though Nara Ensui resent, jonin rarely intervened in missions unless circumstances drastically ged. Relying on their leader too much could lower the jonin’s evaluation of his team.
At their current pace, they were on traplete the mission in about a week. The biggest challenge y in the sheer size of the Forest of Death and the mobility of their targets. Wild animals didn’t stay in one pce, making it difficult to track them without specialized sensory skills.
Toward the end of the day, as the sun began to set, Link led his team back to the forest’s entrance.
In the absence of instrus from their jonin, Link naturally took on the role of leader—a necessary step on his jouroward being a in.
