章 21: Guidance

Registering as a medic ninja wasn't as hard as Yami thought it would be. Upon arriving at the hospital and telling the receptionist his intentions, he was escorted by a passing medic ninja to the examiner who would judge if he was fit for the position.

The test wasn't hard; he just had to show excellent chakra control and heal an injured fish, for which he managed to get full marks according to the examiner.

Yami also noticed that the examiner was acting a bit weird, as he was overly enthusiastic about Yami passing the test. However, he quickly understood that due to the war, Konoha was desperately looking to recruit medic ninjas, so the examiner's actions weren't a big surprise.

Anyway, after several more tests and confirming his background, Yami was told to come back the next morning to meet the person in charge of the hospital, as they would decide whether he would work there or not. But according to the examiner, he was bound to be accepted, so there was no reason to be worked up over the matter.

****

After leaving the hospital, Yami walked back to his house, taking in the environment around him. The people weren't as enthusiastic as they had been a few days ago; a shadow of worry was obvious on their faces. Despite being guaranteed not to be sent to the battlefield, the terror of war still made them anxious. Even though they wouldn't be on the battlefield, they feared that some enemies might manage to sneak into the village. They knew this because it had happened in the previous war, where a traitor was discovered among them, and during his escape, a big battle erupted on the streets, taking the lives of civilians living nearby.

"War… no one could guarantee his safety at that time," he mused. No, only the low-level people would suffer. Those higher up would stay in Konoha, pretending to protect the village while they were just hiding behind thousands of ninjas.

Yami wouldn't deny the importance of the Hokage staying in the village, as his combat power worked as a great deterrent to those who wanted to sneak in. However, some people held high positions despite not bringing anything beneficial to the war effort.

"It's useless to think about this stuff. The war is bound to break out anytime now, and I better think of a way to strengthen myself."

Working as a medic ninja meant that his training time would be cut short, and his improvement wouldn't be as significant, but there was no other way. If he wanted to delay his deployment, this was the only option.

The only solution left for him was to use a shadow clone to train while he worked at the hospital. As for why he wouldn't send the shadow clone to work while he trained, he didn't want to blow his chances in the hospital by sending a shadow clone that would disappear after a few hours due to the chakra consumption required for healing.

"Huh?"

On the way home, Yami noticed an unexpected person walking ahead of him. Not wanting to miss a chance to learn something, he quickly called out while increasing his pace.

"Minato-san!"

Hearing the call, Minato halted his steps and looked back, seeing Yami quickly making his way toward him.

"Oh, it's Yami," Minato said, smiling warmly. "How have you been?"

"I've been well, thank you. I just started working at the hospital as a medic ninja."

Minato's eyes lit up with interest. "That's great to hear! We could use more skilled medics, especially with the current situation. How are you finding it so far?"

"Huh? Well, I just passed the exam, so I have yet to officially start working there," Yami replied.

"Good on you. Keep up the hard work. Medics are the backbone of our forces," Minato nodded approvingly.

Yami hesitated for a moment, then decided to seize the opportunity. "Minato-san, if you have a moment, I was hoping you might share some advice about fuinjutsu. I've been interested in learning more about it."

"Oh really?" Minato asked. "But aren't you going to start working at the hospital?"

"I am, but I could still learn a few seals when my work is done," Yami continued. "So far, I have been able to successfully make storage and explosive seals."

Minato's smile grew wider. "That's impressive, Yami. Fuinjutsu is a complex art, and mastering even the basics is no small feat. I'd be happy to help you advance your skills. Do you have any specific questions or areas you're struggling with?"

Yami thought for a moment. "I want to understand how to make barrier seals and possibly some more advanced sealing techniques that could be useful in both combat and medical applications."

"Hmm, well...," Minato took a moment to think before he said. "Barrier seals are all about creating a stable and enduring field of chakra. You'll need to focus on both the strength and the duration of the seal. As for advanced techniques, once you have a solid understanding of the basics, you can start experimenting with combining different seals for more complex effects."

They continued walking as Minato explained the intricacies of creating and maintaining barrier seals. He also shared some advanced tips on combining seals and using fuinjutsu creatively in various scenarios.

By the time they reached the point where their paths diverged, Yami felt more confident and motivated. "Thank you so much, Minato-san. Your advice means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, Yami," Minato replied. "Remember, fuinjutsu requires patience and precision. Keep practicing, and don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it. Good luck with your work at the hospital and your training."

Nodding his head in appreciation, Yami turned around and was about to leave when Minato's voice halted him.

"Wait!"

Turning around, Yami saw Minato pull out a sealed scroll and hand it over to him.

"Here," Minato said. "This scroll contains some intermediate fuinjutsu techniques that I think you'll find useful. Study them well, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"I..." Yami was at a loss for words and didn't know what to say. He didn't expect that Minato would be so generous to hand him his precious notes despite not having any kind of close relationship.

Usually, these kinds of scrolls would be treated as inheritance secrets that wouldn't be passed down easily. Yet, here was Minato handing it over to him despite having only met each other a few times.

"Just accept it. It has no use for me, but it might be a great help for you." With a smile on his face, Minato pushed the scroll toward his hand.

Looking at Minato's sincere expression, Yami subconsciously used soul perception out of the habit of not trusting people. But he was surprised to see only a green color surrounding Minato's soul, indicating pure intentions.

Realizing that Minato truly meant well, Yami felt a wave of gratitude. "Thank you so much, Minato-san. I will make good use of this and work hard to live up to your expectations."

Just as Yami took the scroll, out of the corner of his soul perception, he felt a terrifying malice. It was an intense, dark presence that sent a shiver down his spine.

Within a second, he jumped back, distancing himself from Minato, and looked warily at the corner where he felt the malice emanating from.

Minato, noticing Yami's sudden reaction, turned to him with concern. "Yami, what is it?"

Yami didn't respond immediately. Instead, he focused intensely on the shadowed corner of the room. "Who are you? Come out!"

A tense silence hung in the air for a moment before a red-haired figure emerged from the corner.

"Kushina?!"

***

Quick question for the next arc: do you think Madara and Zetsu met Obito by chance, or did they kept an eye on him, and were behind his incident at Kannabi Bridge?

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