Naruto : Konoha Light

Shimizu didn't know the full story behind the fear of blood but still continued to persuade, "You are one of the three legendary Sannin, Konoha's greatest medical ninja! You can definitely overcome this damn fear of blood!"

Tsunade still looked dispirited. "What good is medical skill? Not only could I not save this suffering world, but I couldn't even save the people I cared about."

Shimizu was silent for a moment, then his tone grew heavy. "I don't know what kind of pain you've endured, and I have no right to tell you to forget it. But as medical ninja, we must be strong! If even we give up, then there's no hope left in this world!"

"This world is not easy for anyone. No one lives more comfortably than others. Many of our classmates have lost family members in the war. But this isn't a reason to give up hope. If anything, it's because of their sacrifices that we should cherish the present."

Seeing Tsunade remain silent, Shimizu pointed to the door, striking while the iron was hot. "Mizuki lost his family, his friends, and now... should he lose even his dreams?"

A trace of struggle flickered in Tsunade's eyes, but in the end, she shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"I was wrong. You may be Konoha's strongest medical ninja, but you're not the greatest one!" Shimizu's face fell as if his idol had shattered. "A Tsunade like this... is truly disappointing!"

"You can't talk about Lady Tsunade like that!" Shizune angrily ran over, standing protectively behind Tsunade like a mother hen. She glared at Shimizu. "She must have her reasons for this!"

Tsunade placed a gentle hand on Shizune's head, sighing bitterly. "He's right. I really am a coward."

Shizune turned in shock. "Lady Tsunade, you..."

Tsunade shook her head slightly, exhaling deeply. Then, her sharp eyes locked onto Shimizu. "I may be weak, but... do you really have the courage to take this on yourself?"

"I don't know." Shimizu pursed his lips, then looked up with determination in his eyes. "But I must protect everyone's faith!"

"Fine. I will guide you in medical training. Then... you will be the one to perform his surgery!"

"...Me? Perform the surgery?"

"You. If you accept this, know that a mistake in the procedure could be fatal." Tsunade's calm gaze met his. "Besides me, no one else in Konoha has a success rate over 30% for this operation. But for you... I require at least a 50% success rate."

Shimizu fell into deep thought. At this moment, Mizuki also stepped forward, his voice filled with emotion. "Class rep, accept it! If it's you, I won't have any doubts!"

Tsunade recalled what Shizune had mentioned yesterday. Inwardly, she thought, Such unwavering trust... how enviable.

Shimizu took a deep breath and nodded firmly. Then, he turned to Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, from now on, please guide me!"

The Next Morning

Lying on a narrow wooden bed, Shimizu sighed secretly. "Looks like even for someone as calm as me, getting truly angry isn't easy. Luckily, I didn't slip up yesterday."

He didn't expect Tsunade to overcome her fear of blood overnight. After all, in the original story, it took Naruto's passionate words and the threat of Orochimaru to finally push her past her trauma.

Compared to that, his words alone wouldn't have been enough. But as long as Tsunade agreed to assist during the operation, that was enough.

"As for Mizuki... his change is an unexpected benefit. A person who has lived in darkness will treasure even the smallest ray of light."

Classroom Scene

"That concludes today's lesson on 'The Will of Fire: Its Extension and Expansion.' Be sure to review it thoroughly at home—this material is key for the entrance exam, as instructed by Lord Hokage. Class dismissed."

"Ugh! So much to memorize!"

"When I become Hokage, the first thing I'll do is abolish tests!"

"Yeah, and I'll personally go find whoever wrote this book and give them a beating!"

"Uh... the author is the Third Hokage himself."

"Oh... never mind, then."

Hearing the complaints, Asuma coughed awkwardly.

To change the subject, he suddenly raised his voice. "Shimizu, how's Mizuki doing now?"

This would let the other students know that their classmate's efforts had meaning.

Asuma's words reminded everyone that someone was missing from class today.

"Oh yeah, Mizuki hasn't come to school!"

"I bet he's just skipping. Yesterday, my parents scolded me, and I didn't feel like coming to school either."

Asuma's tone grew serious. "Don't talk nonsense. Mizuki's injuries were severe. The hospital even said he might never be a ninja again."

"What?! How did that happen?"

"I know he's not the most likable guy, but..."

Asuma waved his hand. "Don't worry too much. Shimizu took him to see Lady Tsunade yesterday, so maybe by now, the surgery is already done. Right, Shimizu?"

Everyone turned to look.

Shimizu shook his head solemnly. "For certain reasons, Lady Tsunade was unable to perform the surgery herself."

Asuma's brows furrowed. "Then what do we do? I could ask my old man—he's the Hokage! He'll definitely have a solution!"

"Calm down first," Shimizu reassured. "Although Lady Tsunade can't perform the operation, I will."

"...Huh? What do you mean?"

"Lady Tsunade will train me. Then, I will perform the surgery on Mizuki myself."

Hearing this, the class immediately relaxed.

In their eyes, their class rep was more reliable than anyone—even Tsunade.

"Whew, that's a relief! If the class rep is handling it, Mizuki will definitely be fine!"

"Almost gave me a heart attack! Ugh, I'm still mad. Let's go beat up those third-years again."

"Yeah! Mizuki almost lost his future as a ninja. We should go teach those bastards a lesson!"

As the class was getting heated up about beating up their seniors, a group of upperclassmen suddenly appeared at the classroom entrance, shouting.

All at once, the furious gazes of the first-years turned toward them.

The two groups locked eyes.

A few beads of cold sweat rolled down the foreheads of the upperclassmen.

Did they mishear? These first-years... want to fight us again?!

And what's with those ferocious expressions?

Are these first-years... demons?!