In Konoha Hospital, Tsunade's office sat on the third floor.
"Teacher, is there really no way?" Dosuke asked, holding a test report. "You are a Sannin!"
Tsunade crossed her arms, her presence strong.
She leaned forward, hands on the desk, her face close to Dosuke's. "You are a doctor too," she said. "You know Takuto's results."
"If you had not healed his legs during the mission, he could not walk like a normal person," Tsunade said, her face blank. "You did enough."
"I understand," Dosuke said, his voice low. "But can Takuto ever be a ninja again?"
"Dosuke, I know your pain," Tsunade said. "I feel helpless too. I am a Sannin, not a god. You have done all you could."
She stood and patted Dosuke's shoulder. "Being a civilian is safer than dying in wars or missions," she said, looking out the window, her voice sad.
"I get it, teacher," Dosuke said. "I will head to the lab now." He set the report down.
"Wait," Tsunade said. "The Third Hokage said you did well on the mission. He asked if you want a reward or a ninjutsu to learn."
"Any ninjutsu?" Dosuke asked, his eyes bright.
New ninjutsu meant more strength. As a commoner ninja, Dosuke had few chances to learn advanced techniques.
Clan ninjas, like the Hyuga or Uchiha, trained in chakra, the energy for ninja techniques, from age three. Commoners like Dosuke started later, at ninja school, around age four.
Clan kids learned high-level ninjutsu early. Commoners fought with basic taijutsu, physical combat, and simple jutsu, like the Three Basic Techniques. They lacked chakra and advanced skills.
After ninja school, commoners did missions to rank up and earn chances to learn better ninjutsu. Villages guarded their secret techniques to prevent enemies from finding weaknesses.
Clan secret arts, like the Hyuga's Gentle Fist, the Oil Girl's insect jutsu, or the Nara's shadow jutsu, were passed down by families, not villages.
Dosuke's usual ninjutsu—Water Scythe, Water Bullet, Finger Gun, Finger Fang, and Water Wall—were low-level. He made them himself, using his strong chakra control.
With Tsunade's help, Dosuke created more ninjutsu, but none were high-level, game-changers.
Tsunade's path did not fit him. Her Strange Strength Fist and medical ninjutsu were deadly, but Dosuke's nine-year-old body could not handle them.
He once tried Strange Strength Fist. It broke his right arm in three places. The bones shattered. Even with healing jutsu, it took months to recover.
Tsunade taught him medical ninjutsu and ninjutsu basics instead.
Now, a chance to learn Konoha's advanced ninjutsu was here. Dosuke wanted one he had dreamed of, a core technique to face tailed beasts or even god-level foes later.
"Do not worry," Tsunade said. "You are my student."
"You cannot pick clan secret arts, but with me, you can choose Konoha's secret ninjutsu." She grinned, shaking off the heavy mood.
"Come on," Tsunade said. "I will take you to pick one."
Tsunade led Dosuke to the Hokage Building.
"What? That one?" Tsunade said, sitting in the Hokage office's library. She watched Dosuke study a ninjutsu in the Book of Seals.
"Yes, teacher, this is it," Dosuke said, nodding firmly, despite Tsunade's shock.
"You know how hard this ninjutsu is," Tsunade said. "Only its creator and one other ninja in Konoha ever learned it. Are you sure?"
"I am confident, teacher," Dosuke said, pointing to the ninjutsu.
"Fine," Tsunade said. "I will ask the Third Hokage for it. Wait here." She left to find the Hokage.
Dosuke held the Book of Seals. * This ninjutsu is not easy to get *, he thought. The book listed forbidden techniques but not their training methods.
Like Naruto in the original story, just having the book was not enough. A genin could not break its seals. Dosuke flipped through it, finding no details on techniques like Multiple Shadow Clone.
Ninjutsu needed hand seals and the right chakra flow in the body. The Sharingan, an Uchiha eye technique, could copy movements and see chakra flow, making it a cheat.
Dosuke envied the Sharingan, but without an Uchiha, Senju, or Uzumaki body, it would drain a normal ninja, becoming a burden.
He shook his head and read the Book of Seals again. He studied another forbidden technique, Dirty Reincarnation, a summoning jutsu he wanted but could not use in Konoha.
The library door opened.
Swish.
Tsunade tossed a scroll at Dosuke. "Here, kid," she said. "You cannot take it. Memorize the training method."
"Got it, sensei," Dosuke said. He caught the scroll.
Dosuke unrolled it on his knees, reading the ninjutsu's name.
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