Chapter 9: The Three Major Rules of Medical Ninjas!

  [Precision +3]

  [Precision: E- → E]

  As the message popped up on the panel, Nara Raku finished the last grain of rice on his plate with a satisfied expression.

  This is what they call a true "food warrior"—someone with a deep soul for eating! (leans back tactically)

  One meal and the [Precision] attribute nearly doubled!

  Plus, if one meal can increase [Precision] by 3, then three meals could increase it by 10, a year would be 3,000, ten years 30,000, a hundred years 300,000, and in three hundred years, he could become a million-year-old deer spirit, ascend to immortality...

  Nara Raku furrowed his brows, realizing things weren't as simple as they seemed.

  Can a normal ninja live for 300 years?

  It looks like the [Lazy Eater System] is quite unique, but perhaps it's not as powerful as he first thought.

  ‘Should I eat more? Or eat better? Or maybe...’

  Nara Raku touched his belly.

  ‘Should I find another way to increase the [Precision] attribute?’

  "Something's a bit strange..."

  Tsunade looked at the empty plate and then glanced at Nara Raku’s belly.

  "By logic, a ninja who eats this much shouldn't lack energy!"

  Eat a lot, grow strong, have great stamina—just look at Choji from the Akimichi clan, part of the "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio.

  "Maybe Raku was just really hungry today?"

  Yakushi Nono got up to clear the table, smiling warmly.

  "He doesn’t usually eat this much."

  Nara Raku returned to his senses and said seriously, "Maybe it’s because I’m growing, so my appetite has increased!"

  His honest reply didn’t cause much of a stir.

  Yakushi Nono gave him a doting look, while Tsunade rolled her eyes playfully.

  "Ninja develop much faster than regular people!"

  Not wanting to dwell on the subject, Tsunade tugged at her tight-fitting nun’s outfit.

  "Nono, do you have any other clothes I can change into?"

  During this meal, Tsunade and Yakushi Nono had grown quite close.

  If Nara Raku had to describe it, it would be something like, "The two of them are now close enough to hold hands and go to the bathroom together."

  Nara Raku couldn’t understand this.

  He’s the type of guy who feels awkward even if someone’s using the urinal next to him...

  "I do."

  Yakushi Nono glanced at Tsunade’s ill-fitting nun’s outfit, her expression slightly complicated.

  "It’s the uniform for the medical emergency team."

  "No problem!"

  Tsunade changed clothes and said goodbye to the two before quickly leaving the Kikyo Orphanage.

  She still remembered she had to report the spy intel to Sarutobi Hiruzen, as well as something else she had just thought of...

  Nara Raku leisurely lay back on his bed. In front of Yakushi Nono, who knew him well, he didn’t bother hiding his true nature.

  "Raku, you’re starting with your ‘energy-saving lifestyle’ again, huh?"

  Yakushi Nono finished tidying up the table, teasing him.

  "I don’t do unnecessary things, and anything necessary, I do as simply as possible."

  "As expected, only you understand me, Nono. I’m not lazy—I’m just energy-efficient."

  Nara Raku, lying on the bed, didn’t mind her teasing and went along with her words.

  "By the way, Nono, now that you’re back, will you continue doing missions outside the village?"

  Yakushi Nono hadn’t revealed her identity as a "Root Ninja" to Nara Raku, though he had already figured it out.

  In her eyes, Nara Raku had always seen her as an elite medical ninja, not someone involved with "Root."

  "I’m not sure."

  Yakushi Nono sat next to Nara Raku, gently brushing her hand through his black hair.

  "After all... war is about to begin."

  In the past, Yakushi Nono had never mentioned missions or wars in front of Nara Raku.

  But now, Nara Raku had become an official ninja and was soon to become her "colleague."

  So this time, she didn’t avoid the topic.

  However, she still wasn’t planning on revealing her identity as a Root ninja.

  The dark underground world of the Root was too far removed from the bright, hopeful world that Raku represented...

  "War... the Third Great Ninja War..."

  Nara Raku’s relaxed expression turned serious and cold as soon as he heard those words.

  A face flashed in his mind—the Iwagakure spy he encountered earlier today.

  "Nono, you’re an elite in the medical department. No matter what mission you get in the future, don’t forget the Three Major Rules of Medical Ninjas! Especially the second and third ones!"

  The Three Major Rules of Medical Ninjas?

  Yakushi Nono’s hand paused for a moment.

  First, a medical ninja must never give up on a teammate before they die!

  Second, a medical ninja must never be on the front lines of battle!

  Third, a medical ninja must never die before anyone else in their squad!

  "Raku, I appreciate your concern."

  Yakushi Nono gently brushed his hair again.

  "Honestly, you’re still just a kid... though Nara clan kids do mature quickly."

  "Nono, about the funds for the Kikyo Orphanage—"

  Yakushi Nono, usually gentle, for the first time gave him a stern look and interrupted.

  "Raku, the Kikyo Orphanage is my responsibility."

  "But I’m one of its founders, aren’t I?"

  Nara Raku closed his eyes, recalling the first time they met.

  "And wasn’t it you who brought me back to the Kikyo Orphanage?"

  Technically speaking, Nara Raku was the first "orphan" of the Kikyo Orphanage... though it wasn’t exactly a proud moment.

  "We promised not to talk about that!"

  Yakushi Nono’s face turned a little red, her usual calmness replaced with embarrassment.

  Years ago, when training in the forest outside Kikyo Castle, she found Raku sitting alone, with no identification. Now, it was the same.

  Yakushi Nono didn’t know his true identity; she just thought he was a lonely child and, driven by maternal instincts, took him home—to what later became the Kikyo Orphanage.

  She was nearly arrested by the Nara clan, mistaken for a kidnapper!

  Looking into her eyes, Raku said earnestly, "Anyway, if there are any financial issues with the Kikyo Orphanage, let’s discuss it together."

  Nono adjusted her glasses and replied softly, "Raku, I can’t just accept support from the Nara clan."

  "Not the Nara clan—just me."

  Raku pointed to himself with his thumb.

  "Being a ninja is an expensive profession... I don’t want to keep relying on my family."

  Yakushi Nono was a little confused by his statement.

  Are ninjas expensive?

  But if it’s just Raku’s support... then maybe it’s okay.

  She had always considered Raku to be one of the founders of the orphanage.

  Her personal income made it difficult to sustain it on her own.

  Plus, she was starting to think about leaving Root.

  Root missions were dangerous and deadly, but they paid well.

  If she left Root, she wasn’t sure how she’d fund the orphanage.

  But can Raku really handle this?

  Yakushi Nono studied his handsome young face.

  "Alright, let’s find a time to discuss how we’ll ‘make money’ together!"

  At that moment, she realized something felt odd.

  It sounded like they were a married couple discussing household finances...

  "No problem!"

  Nara Raku sat up from the bed.

  "I’ll head home now... Nono, you must’ve been to my house earlier to give them the message, right?"

  Yakushi Nono nodded, watching him leave the orphanage.

  ...

  Under the cover of night, Nara Raku hurried home.

  Nono was always so thorough. Whenever he visited the orphanage, she never forgot to notify his family.

  Dad and Mom should be waiting for me… right?

 Nara Raku walked up to the front of his house and stared at the dark, unlit interior, with not a single light on.

Silently, he pulled out his keys, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. After just a few steps inside, a beam of bright light hit his face, and he instinctively raised his hand to shield himself. Peeking through his fingers, he glanced at the person holding the light.

"Why is it you? How are you back?"

A familiar voice he hadn't heard in twelve years rang out, but the light stayed on.

"..."

Nara Raku stayed silent for a moment before slowly lowering his hand.

"Chieko, tell me, is there a chance this is also my home?"

Click!

Nara Chieko turned off the flashlight in her hand and switched on the overhead light in the house, glaring at her son with irritation.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me 'Mom'!"

Nara Chieko turned and walked further into the house. If you looked closely, you'd notice her steps weren't quite normal—she walked with a bit of a limp.

"Little Horn, you're getting less cute the older you get!"

"Until you change how you address me, I’m not changing how I address you, Chieko."

Nara Raku said seriously.

"Nara Little Horn… that name sounds like such a joke! Especially since our family also has a deer named 'Big Horn!'"

Nara Chieko turned and glared at her unlucky son.

"Your dear father gave you that name!"

Nara Raku shuddered.

"Dear father."

And then there was the nickname that went with it: his dad Nara Shosuke's special title—"Dear Wife."

'What an embarrassingly mushy couple… and they're my parents. This is just tragic.'

"And speaking of 'Big Horn'..."

Nara Chieko picked up a kitchen knife and twirled it skillfully in her hand, the gleaming tip pointing straight at her son's head.

"Why is it that only Little Horn came back, but Big Horn didn’t?"

(End of chapter)