Chapter 32: 31: Internships and Private Funding
Fire Release: Majestic Demolisher.
Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction
These are the two advanced fire ninjutsu that Uchiha Sora entrusted to Ruri, reaching the B-rank level.
These are the only ways for her to come into contact with higher-level ninjutsu, although she may not be able to use them skillfully.
After reading the instructions, Ruri realized that mastering these two B-rank Fire release ninjutsu requires a significant amount of chakra for each ninjutsu in order to execute them smoothly and maximize their power.
Since these are high-level ninjutsu, even Ruri, who is skilled in manipulating fire attribute chakra, couldn't master all three fire ninjutsu in a short period of time.
Fortunately, she is still in fifth grade and has over a year left before graduating from sixth grade. She should have no problem mastering the two advanced Fire release ninjutsu within that time.
The most crucial part is how to enhance her chakra capacity. Without enough chakra, even if she learned these two high-level fire ninjutsu, she would only be able to use them in critical situations.
Therefore, Ruri directly approached Shiraishi and expressed her desire to increase her chakra capacity.
Shiraishi who was sitting in the lab drinking tea, wore a concerned expression upon hearing Ruri's request.
Enhancing chakra capacity poses more challenges than improving physical fitness. Shiraishi himself has perfect control over chakra, so there is minimal wastage. Even with a moderate amount of chakra, he has enough to utilize.
Ninjas can easily dodge a shuriken or kunai using their agility. Shiraishi doesn't seek to increase the power of ninjutsu deliberately.
Currently, Shiraishi doesn't have a strong need for more chakra and focuses on cultivating his physical fitness.
Lately, he has dedicated most of his time to studying the application of natural energy, incorporating it into medical practices and developing new types of medicine.
"I will do my best, but it will take some time. I have other tasks at hand' Shiraishi assured Ruri.
Upon hearing Shiraishi's response, Ruri nodded without pressuring him.
It would be great if he could accomplish it, but she has nothing to lose if he can't.
Her body has not yet entered a period of rapid growth. Chakra will definitely not be a problem as she grows older, but she desires to have as much as possible.
"So, does that mean your strength is already on par with the Jonin in the clan?" Shiraishi asked, holding a bottle containing solidified white, slightly transparent particles. He opened the lid, used tweezers to take out a solid particle, and placed it on a small iron stand.
This solid particle had also been infused with natural energy, but the amount of infusion was negligible, almost insignificant.
"I don't have enough chakra for a prolonged battle against a Chunin, so my chances of winning are less than 20%," Ruri recalled her previous battle and made an accurate assessment.
"That's already impressive. After all, your Uchiha Jonin Chakra is higher than the average Jonin. The reason you lost to him is due to your physical limitations and age," Shiraishi replied, implying that Ruri's current strength is no worse than an ordinary jonin.
At least when she has sufficient chakra, the difference between her and a Chunin is minimal.
By the time she graduates from sixth grade, it is almost certain that her strength will reach Jōnin level.
The reason Ruri has become so powerful is closely linked to natural energy.
It was evident that natural energy, including further chakra, plays a significant role in promoting a ninja's growth.
Although there are side effects, Shiraishi contemplated that many things in life have side effects. The food people consume often contains traces of toxins, and drinking cold water introduces numerous bacteria.
The human immune system cannot be overestimated, but it also cannot be underestimated.
Side effects are not necessarily dangerous.
After chatting for a while, Ruri left, perhaps to practice or take a bath.
He forgot that there's a small outdoor bathhouse in the backyard of Ruri's house, but unfortunately, it has a partition in the middle.
He believed that this separation is the original sin that prevented humans from truly seeing each other and has been deeply rooted in society.
Setting aside all distracting thoughts, he settled down to focus on his research. He had no urgency to improve his own abilities because no matter how much he enhanced his strength, his physical limitations and age would remain.
The study of natural energy was different. If one day he could completely master it and extract senjutsu chakra perfectly, his strength would experience a tremendous surge.
He had only scratched the surface of the truth behind natural energy, allowing Ruri to possess the strength to fight against a Jonin at her age. While Ruri's talent and the Sharingan's abilities played a role, the impact of natural energy was undeniable.
By that time, even if he left Konoha, he would be able to live comfortably in the ninja world.
Therefore, Shiraishi began to calculate various plans and make early preparations for his future life.
Currently, he was not only developing physical enhancement medicines, but also cold medicines, hemostatic medicines, stamina recovery medicines, and more.
In summary, the medicines developed using natural energy were diverse and peculiar. However, in terms of effectiveness, they surpassed similar drugs available on the market and some were even potent specialized medications not found elsewhere.
If these medicines were to be released on the market now, they would undoubtedly cause a commotion and unnecessary trouble.
When he eventually left Konoha, Shiraishi planned to leave some of the medicinal formulas behind as a token of gratitude for his upbringing and the connections he had forged over the years.
Konoha could use these medicines to conveniently and effectively treat patients within the village, or they could be sold to other countries, yielding substantial profits.
The profits from drugs were always substantial, especially when they had potential military applications.
Ultimately, it would be up to Konoha to decide what to do with them.
Whether they were used for commercial purposes or kept for themselves, invested in medical and military fields, or used in all three areas, he would not interfere.
This way, when he left, he wouldn't feel indebted and could calmly part ways with Konoha.
To be honest, Shiraishi didn't harbor any animosity toward the Will of Fire, but...
Philosophy and personal beliefs were completely incompatible, and forcibly intertwining them would only lead to suffering for both.
For him, Konoha was merely a chapter of his life, not where his heart belonged.
Therefore, Shiraishi neither despised the Will of Fire nor lied about his lack of fondness for it.
In Konoha , there is no sense of oppression brought about by the war. The adults choose to shoulder the burden themselves, creating a seemingly peaceful paradise for the young children and protecting them from the harsh realities of the world.
Over the past few years in Konoha, Shiraishi's perspective on things has gradually changed.
He now has a deeper intuitive understanding of the people, systems, values, ideals, and political styles present here.
Despite its imperfections and occasional bad habits, Konoha is, overall, a relatively peaceful village.
Especially when standing on the Hokage Rock and gazing at the entire expanse of Konoha, one is struck by its prosperity and size.
It's hard to believe that this is just a village.
School days continue to be quiet and peaceful. If it weren't for occasional wounded individuals returning from the front lines, one could easily forget that a war is even taking place.
As an intern in the First Medical Ninja Class, Shiraishi has begun his formal internship at the hospital.
Typically, internships for medical ninjas involve tasks such as carrying items and, if lucky, bandaging wounds for the injured.
Shiraishi's assigned duties include inspecting medicines, maintaining medical equipment, and occasionally assisting experienced medical ninjas in preparing new medicines or purifying herbs.
Thus, fifth grade passes smoothly for Shiraishi.
By the time he entered the sixth grade, he was eleven years old and has already been interning at the hospital for over six months.
The team leader of his group is a medical ninja with ten years of experience in the hospital. Seeing that Shiraishi has a solid foundation of knowledge and is careful and conscientious, the leader entrusted him with tasks such as equipment maintenance and even the more complex process of herb purification.
Given Shiraishi's knowledge, these tasks are not overly difficult, aside from being tedious. However, he felt frustrated about the hospital's tendency to overwork and oppressive child labor.
He understood that there was shortage of manpower, not only at the hospital but also on the front lines. However, this means that he fould only attend the academy in the morning and spend the rest of the day, from noon to seven o'clock in the evening, constantly busy at the hospital.
Furthermore, the team leader deducted half of Shiraishi's salary to cover the cost of education and guidance, which wasn't much to begin with.
Relying solely on the salary earned from the hospital, Shiraishi doubted if it would even provide for his basic needs.
After all, he came from a poor background, and Ruri covered his daily expenses and research funds.
Looking back, Shiraishi realized that his decision to rely on Ruri's support was wise.
Even ninjas need to eat. Hence, the salary he earned at the hospital was kept as his private money, stashed away in his wallet.
At this moment, Shiraishi felt that Ruri's eyes are more like a blessing than the all-seeing Byakugan
The thought of accumulating hundreds of thousands of ryo as private money and having the freedom to use it after graduating from the academy fillled him with joy.