Naruto: Reborn with the Tenseigan

"Danzo, Hyuga Takashi is someone both Lady Mito and Tsunade approve of."

The Third Hokage had no idea what Shimura Danzo was planning, but he wanted to give a warning first. Any funny business would spell trouble for everyone.

"And you want me to sacrifice my interests for a kid with a degenerative Byakugan disorder?"

Shimura Danzo slammed the table in anger. "I just don't want to see him in the village. As long as he leaves, I won't continue to target him."

The Third Hokage did not believe a single word Danzo said. If Danzo was so intent on forcing Takashi out of the village, it was definitely for something underhanded.

The Third Hokage frowned, remaining silent.

Danzo pressed further. "Sarutobi, don't forget, he's ultimately a member of the Hyuga clan. He has the Caged Bird Seal on him. As long as the Hyuga clan exists, there will always be a sword hanging over his head."

"Can you guarantee that if Hyuga Takashi ever became as powerful as Tsunade, the Hyuga clan wouldn't turn their backs on us?"

Half a person will always be half a person. As long as the Caged Bird Seal remained, the branch family would always be under the control of the main family.

Danzo stared at the Third Hokage, waiting for his answer after speaking his piece.

The Third Hokage sat there, quietly sipping sake. He didn't speak for a long time.

In the small tavern, the only sounds were the clinking of sake bottles and quiet sipping.

After what seemed like an eternity, he downed the last of his sake and stood up, his face flushed from the alcohol. He began walking toward the door.

"The new year is approaching, and the border outpost needs personnel rotation. The Elder Council should lead this matter."

The Third Hokage was only willing to let things take their natural course, but for Danzo, it was exactly what he needed.

That same evening, Danzo paid a visit to Koharu Utatane's residence.

The next day, a border rotation document was placed on the Hokage's desk. The next steps involved selecting a group of shinobi to head to the border and bring back those who had completed their tours.

Among them were also medical-nin.

This is how Takashi's name ended up on the list.

Takashi was completely unaware until someone from the Hokage's office came to inform him to prepare for departure.

"So, you're saying there's a group of shinobi stationed at the border whose time is up, and the village is picking replacements? And I'm on that list?"

Someone is targeting me, or did I actually get randomly selected?

"I really don't know about that," replied the staffer from the Hokage's office. "Please be ready in three days for departure."

They were only in charge of delivering the notice, nothing more.

After the staffer left, Takashi made his way to the lounge.

A fire was burning in the lounge, warming the small space. On such a cold day, the warmth made it quite cozy and, frankly, made people sleepy.

Sure enough, Tsunade was dozing off, her head resting on the table.

"Wake up, help me take a look at this."

Takashi nudged her gently.

Tsunade woke up groggily, instinctively wiped the corner of her mouth to check for drool, and then picked up the notification on the table.

"Border rotation?"

Still a little out of it, Tsunade stared at the paper for a while before showing a frustrated expression. She ruffled her hair in annoyance.

"How the heck did this fall on me? Dammit, I thought I could enjoy a peaceful new year."

Clearly annoyed, Tsunade cursed, only to notice a moment later that her name wasn't even on it.

"Wait, you got picked?"

What else? Takashi responded wryly, "I always thought people with fixed roles in the village weren't included in these drafts."

"No way."

Tsunade put the notice down, raised both arms, and stretched. "Any shinobi in the village is eligible. After all, no one wants to be stationed at the border, dealing with monotonous tasks every day and not even being able to go home."

"Back when our squad disbanded a couple of years ago, Jiraiya was unlucky enough to get picked."

Thinking of this, Tsunade couldn't help but laugh maliciously.

So, this wasn't someone purposely targeting me?

"Just go without worries. Medical-nin have a lot of freedom. You don't have to do any of the usual patrol tasks—just treat the wounded whenever they appear. The rest of the time, you're basically free, and you still get your salary."

"So being stationed at the border isn't that bad after all?"

In the hospital, he had to deal with patients daily, but at the border, unless there was fighting, a medical-nin could basically relax.

Tsunade shrugged. "As long as you don't find the boredom unbearable, then yeah, it's not bad at all—you get paid to sit around."

"Is it the same for other shinobi?" Takashi was curious.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Do you think that's possible? If everyone had those benefits, the village would be bankrupt by now. Only shinobi with special skills get those perks—medical-nin, sealing-nin."

Medical-nin and sealing-nin were both specialized and rare, so they enjoyed better treatment and benefits.

Ordinary shinobi weren't so lucky.

"I guess I'd better go pack then, to make sure I have what I need when I get there."

Most things could be done without, but spices were a must. During free time, he could cook something tasty for himself. As for ingredients, they could be gathered on site.

As long as they were within the Land of Fire, there were forests and plenty of game to be hunted.

That was the benefit of living in a resource-rich area. If it were the Land of Wind, good luck—you'd be more likely catching lizards in the desert.

Takashi didn't tell Kushina about going to the border—she'd be upset if she knew.

Three days passed quickly, and Takashi, fully prepared, arrived at the training grounds to assemble with the others.

The shinobi heading to the border would gather at the training grounds before departing as a group.

The border outpost wasn't big. Its purpose was to guard against surprise enemy attacks. The moment something happened at the border, the outpost could send a warning to the village, giving them time to prepare.

Thus, the number of shinobi stationed there was never large.

An outpost typically housed only a few dozen people.

Takashi was the only medical-nin in this group.

A few shinobi who knew each other gathered to chat.

"I promised my wife we'd spend a warm and festive new year together, but my luck sucks, and now I've got border duty."

"Don't even mention it—I was about to propose to my girlfriend when the notice came."

"Hahaha, I hope she's still your girlfriend when you get back."

"Shut up!!"

"By the way, who's the medical-nin for our outpost? We should get to know them. It'll be good to know who to ask for help if we get hurt."

Whether in the village or at an outpost, medical-nin were always the ones you wanted to treat well.

Especially at the border—getting injured without treatment could easily be fatal.

There had even been cases where a shinobi offended the medical-nin, and when that shinobi got injured, the medical-nin delayed treatment just long enough for him to die.

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