"Not yet!"
Riku shook his head. "I'm only five. How could I possibly awaken the Sharingan this early?"
"Besides, from my perspective, awakening the Sharingan too early without a sufficiently strong body isn't necessarily a good thing."
"It could lead to kekkei illness and an early death."
Weren't Itachi and Kimimaro both prime examples of this?
Premature brilliance always comes at a price—same principle.
"Hmm?"
Tsunade looked at Riku with some surprise. "Didn't expect you to have such insight!"
"Although it's not entirely accurate, what you said is correct in most cases."
"The mind and body are inherently interconnected and dependent on one another;"
"Without either, life cannot exist."
"And likewise, if the balance between the two is disrupted, all kinds of problems can arise."
"The fact that you've recognized this shows me that you really have been earnestly studying medical arts these past months—and that you genuinely have a passion for it."
Looks like she'd truly picked up a treasure this time.
"More or less."
Riku nodded with a smile. "Honestly, what I'm really interested in is getting stronger."
"But if I want to grow stronger in the most appropriate and efficient way, relying solely on talent and the current training methods isn't nearly enough."
"Following others' paths and picking up scraps from predecessors will never let me surpass them."
"But studying medicine can help with this."
"It allows me to understand the human body better, to explore its potential."
"And to adjust or even create my own training methods and ninjutsu that suit me best."
"That's my original intention for studying medical arts and iryō ninjutsu."
"Unfortunately, the clan's medical knowledge is quite limited. I've already read through and thoroughly understood everything we have, and these days I can only rely on my own deduction to make further progress."
"Sensei, I heard there are a ton of medical books at Konoha Hospital. Is that true? Would I be allowed to read them in the future?"
Simply studying medicine would never be enough to make him strong—or to save the Uchiha or even the shinobi world.
Absolute power was the true key.
So, Riku never intended to merely become a doctor.
This was just a stepping stone—part of a bigger plan.
"Ho?"
Tsunade was visibly intrigued by his words. She hadn't expected Riku to think like this.
She fell silent for a moment, recalling her past missions and fallen comrades. And she had to admit—perhaps Riku's way of thinking was more accurate.
Medical skill was both important and unimportant.
In the end, strength was what truly mattered.
"You can."
Having made up her mind, Tsunade nodded. "Since you're now my student and so eager to learn, the medical books at the hospital—and even those at my home—are all open to you."
"Just don't slack off and be sure to study properly under me."
"Of course!"
Riku nodded seriously. "Even aside from understanding the body and supporting my training, mastering medical techniques would allow me to treat myself and my friends or comrades when they're injured."
"I've never looked down on medical arts—not at all."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have spent all this time and effort reading medical books and studying the techniques."
He was not an extremist, after all.
"That's good!"
Tsunade was finally satisfied and nodded with approval.
Soon, the two of them entered the Uchiha district.
Along the way, many villagers greeted Riku warmly, and he responded with a smile to each of them.
At the same time, those Uchiha they passed also noticed Tsunade walking beside Riku and naturally recognized her.
They were all surprised and curious that Riku had brought Tsunade into the clan grounds.
But no one asked questions.
This kind of matter was something for the clan head or elders to deal with.
Back in the early days of the village, or even shortly after its founding, there might've been cause for caution.
But now, the Senju were practically gone. The old grudge between the two clans no longer mattered.
There wasn't anything to be concerned about anymore.
"Hoh? Didn't expect you to be so popular among the Uchiha!"
Tsunade took it all in and teased Riku in a hushed tone with a grin.
"It's alright."
Riku gave a casual shrug. "After all, I'm the clan head's son, a prodigy, and I'd say I've got a fairly easygoing personality. Isn't it only natural I'm well-liked?"
"Tch tch! Cocky little brat, huh!"
Tsunade was momentarily stunned by his serious expression, but she quickly couldn't help herself—again wanting to pinch his cheek.
This time though, she missed—Riku dodged her hand.
"Alright! We're here!"
"Let me check... yep, both my parents are home. Sensei, please come in!"
By now, the two had arrived at Riku's house. After sensing his parents' presence inside, Riku led Tsunade in.
Naturally, what followed was a round of introductions. Tsunade then clearly explained her purpose: "Clan Head Nobuhiko, I've come today hoping to take Uchiha Riku as my disciple. He's already agreed. May I have your approval?"
"Of course, we have no objections."
Nobuhiko forced himself to stay composed, suppressing the joy and astonishment in his heart. He put on a calm, smiling face and replied, "Riku is a clever child. He's always had his own opinions and has never let us down. So we'll leave this decision up to him."
"From now on, Tsunade-hime, I ask you to please take good care of our Riku."
"Indeed."
Beside him, Kokomi placed a cup of tea in front of Tsunade and then sat down next to Nobuhiko, also smiling warmly. "Riku does have some talent for iryō ninjutsu."
"He's been learning a bit from me recently too."
"Unfortunately, I don't have much talent in this area. I'm at best an average medical ninja and can't really teach him anymore."
"Now that you're willing to take him in, that's truly the best outcome! We should be thanking you instead."
In truth, both Nobuhiko and Kokomi were feeling very shocked and surprised.
When they first heard that Riku wanted to take Tsunade as his master, they thought it was completely unrealistic.
Even though Riku had made plans and was very confident, they had only supported him out of encouragement, not wanting to crush his enthusiasm.
They never imagined that he'd actually pull it off so quickly.
If Tsunade weren't standing right here, they would've already started grilling Riku about how on earth he managed to do it.
After all, if Tsunade was personally coming to formally take Riku as her student, that meant the Third Hokage had already given his approval.
And that was the real miracle.
"Not at all! You're being too polite."
Tsunade waved her hand with a smile, and despite Riku's helpless expression, she ruffled his hair into a mess as she added, "This child has an incredible talent in both medical ninjutsu and general ninjutsu. If the Third hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known!"
"To take him as my student is my honor..."
After that, the atmosphere became even warmer.
Tsunade didn't stay for too long. After chatting casually with the family for a little over ten minutes, she took her leave.
Once Riku saw her out of the Uchiha district and returned home, he found his father still sitting in the living room—glaring at him as if ready to conduct an interrogation.
"Uh... Dad, Mom, what are you two doing?"
Riku looked speechless.
...
(End of Chapter)
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