Inside the office, Sukui played around with Aoba's small face for a while.
Feeling satisfied, she calmly sat back in her seat, sipped her tea, and read a medical book while waiting for patients to come in for consultation.
Aoba also browsed through the medical books in the office, asking Sukui whenever he encountered something he didn't understand.
Mastering medical ninjutsu was only the most basic requirement for a medical ninja. In addition, one needed extensive theoretical knowledge to diagnose different conditions and injuries on patients.
With his current talent, Aoba could learn many things on his own. Whenever Sukui treated villagers, he observed from the side, combining theory with practice.
Sukui was considered an expert in Konoha Hospital. During work hours, patients came in endlessly, leaving her little free time.
However, her personality was the complete opposite, usually very lazy. If it weren't work hours, she would most likely be taking a nap.
"Little Aoba, your talent even shocked the Third Hokage."
"I heard the Third Hokage personally prepared a surprise for you."
While organizing medical supplies, Sukui suddenly mentioned this.
"Huh?"
Aoba paused, put down his book, and asked with a puzzled expression, "What surprise?"
Sukui tilted her head and pursed her lips, pretending to be in deep thought, "Hmm~ I'm not sure. When I reported to the Hokage building yesterday, the Third Hokage told me he prepared a surprise for you but didn't say what it was."
"Is that so? Now I'm really looking forward to it."
Aoba didn't actually feel much excitement or anticipation. When he decided to display his medical talent, he had already expected something like this.
Moreover, if his guess was correct, this surprise was likely related to Tsunade.
Tsunade's departure and psychological issues were a great loss to Konoha's medical field.
No one in the village could fully inherit Tsunade's skills. Even in the future, Shizune and Sakura could only learn a portion of her abilities.
Sarutobi Hiruzen likely wanted Tsunade to pass on her knowledge, and Aoba seemed like a suitable candidate.
"I have to say, Little Aoba, why do I feel like you're not excited at all? The Third Hokage personally prepared this for you," Sukui curiously leaned in closer to Aoba. No matter how she observed him, she couldn't see any change in his expression.
"Hmph! With my talent, isn't it natural for the Hokage to take notice?", Aoba calmly stated the obvious.
Annoyed, Sukui started messing with him again, making him feel that she was more suited to be a priest than a doctor, "You little brat, you're not humble at all!"
After mentoring Aoba for a few days, Sukui started feeling a bit self-conscious.
She had been considered a genius before, but compared to him, she felt like an ordinary person.
The knowledge that took her a long time to master, he could grasp after reading a few times.
Maybe this was the difference in talent.
Sukui could only sigh inwardly and turn her frustration into motivation, by aggressively ruffling Aoba's hair.
No matter how talented he was, he was still a five-year-old brat, powerless against the clutches of a big sister.
After venting on Aoba's poor little face, Sukui looked refreshed and satisfied.
She even used Mystical Palm to restore the slight swelling on his face.
Seeing Aoba's resentful expression, she couldn't help but chuckle.
"Alright, there's a clinical surgery later. Aoba, do you want to watch?", Sukui asked for his opinion.
Clinical surgeries were quite bloody. Since Aoba was still young, she worried it might scare him.
Though Aoba felt a little resentful, he had no choice. When under someone's roof, one had to bow. He still needed to learn medical ninjutsu from her.
Besides, she was a youthful beauty, not some old geezer. He didn't really mind; in fact, he kind of enjoyed it.
"I'll go!", Aoba responded decisively. It was a good opportunity to gain experience.
But once inside, he started feeling nauseous.
The oppressive atmosphere, watching someone's abdomen being cut open and sewn back together. It was a bit much for his mental state at the moment.
Before the surgery was even over, he couldn't take it anymore and stepped outside.
After changing his clothes, he planned to go downstairs to clear his mind.
"It's you! I finally found you!", A young voice, carrying a hint of a sob, suddenly rang out.
Following the voice, Aoba saw a blond boy.
His expression shifted slightly in surprise. He hadn't expected to see Uzumaki Naruto in the hospital.
And from Naruto's words, it seemed like he had been looking for him for a long time.
Naruto's eyes were filled with excitement.
"Oh, it's you. I didn't expect to see you again so soon. But why are you at the hospital? Did you get hurt?", Aoba originally thought they would meet again at the Ninja Academy.
But he was genuinely curious. Given Naruto's constitution, he shouldn't need to visit a hospital in his lifetime.
After all, even if he got stabbed by a kunai, he'd practically heal before the bandages were applied.
"Uh… actually, I came to find you…", Naruto scratched the back of his head awkwardly, flashing a shy and careful smile.
"Last time, you helped me out, and I haven't had the chance to thank you."
Aoba blinked, furrowed his brows slightly, then smiled, "That was just a small favor. No matter who was in trouble, I would have helped."
Then, he changed the subject, "But why did you come to the hospital to find me?"
Naruto kept scratching the back of his head, his smile never fading, "At first, I looked for you where we met last time. Then, a weird one-eyed old man told me to check the hospital."
"I didn't expect to really find you. That one-eyed old man is a good person."
'One-eyed… old man…'
As far as Aoba knew, the only one-eyed person in Konoha was Kakashi. Danzo would probably count as an old man, though.
If Kakashi had taken the initiative to interact with Naruto, it was likely under Sarutobi Hiruzen's orders. That meant Hiruzen wanted them to meet.
'Does Hiruzen really value me that much?'
'Well, it isn't a bad thing.'
Aoba smiled.
"That's quite a coincidence. My name is Aoba, but you can just call me Aoba. What's your name?"
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y