Amaru rose early as usual, tucking her red hair beneath a small hood, a practice personally instructed by Shennong, the elder who taught her medical skills.
This simple yet effective action to conceal her striking red hair had been a habit for nearly ten years, as far back as her memory went.
After a brief wash, Amaru pushed open the wooden door of the house, located in the commoner district southeast of Konoha, and stepped outside. Today, she still needed to help Teacher Shennong prepare the herbs and tools for treating the commoners of Konoha.
Though these tasks were quite demanding for a child of only eight or nine, Amaru found joy in them.
"Teacher Shennong is so old, yet he's busy saving poor people all day. Compared to that, these things are nothing!"
Carrying a basket filled with medicinal herbs picked from the Konoha forest yesterday, Amaru looked at her teacher, who was standing by a bathtub, giving a medicinal bath massage to a young man with watermelon-shaped hair wearing a green full-body jumpsuit. She couldn't help but sigh with emotion:
"Teacher Shennong is truly the best teacher in the world!"
She tiptoed to Shennong's side and set down her basket. Taking out a small handkerchief embroidered with a whirlpool pattern from her bosom, she stood on her tiptoes and considerately wiped away the sweat beading on her teacher's face, caused by the scalding steam.
"Teacher, let me wipe your sweat for you!"
Shennong, who was intently sensing the meridians within Might Guy's body, paused. He looked down at the girl who had just reached his waist. A kind smile appeared on his aged face, hidden beneath his white hair.
Allowing the little girl to wipe the sweat from his brow, he asked casually as he always did:
"Have you finished your homework for today?"
Amaru gave Shennong a sweet smile and nodded vigorously.
"Mm!"
"How could I possibly fail to do what you've asked?"
Shennong nodded with satisfaction and turned his gaze back to Might Guy, who was soaking in the bathtub.
"How are you feeling today?"
Might Guy's face was flushed, and he gritted his teeth, enduring the erosion of heat and medicinal power on his body. He slightly trembled as he gave Shennong a thumbs-up.
"The footsteps of youth will not be halted by bodily pain!"
"Senior Shennong, thank you for your help!"
Looking at Might Guy, whose teeth seemed to be shining, a thought suddenly sparked in Amaru's young mind.
"Uncle Guy looks like a shining sculpture!"
Shennong smiled and shook his head, placing his hands back on Might Guy's tensed muscles, slowly using massage techniques to help his body absorb the medicinal effects.
"No need to call me senior, I'm just an ordinary healer, an old man!"
Might Guy suppressed the urge to groan, tapped his chest with his thumb, and grinned.
"I am also... just an ordinary Konoha genin!"
"For Senior Shennong to provide me with free treatment to recover my physical strength and muscle damage..."
"Although... senior uses it as an excuse for experiments..."
"I know... Senior Shennong clearly knows I cannot afford the expenses required to train the Eight Inner Gates, so..."
"You are a good person!"
"Thank you!"
Might Guy was moved by his own sentiments and couldn't help but grasp Shennong's aged, heavy hand. Two streams of hot tears flowed down his cheeks.
Amaru blinked. This was the umpteenth time she had seen Uncle Guy cry!
What a shameless fellow!
Hmph!
She stuck out her tongue at Might Guy, and the little girl skipped back into the house to attend to other matters.
Shennong, having been given the "good person" card by a passionate young man with watermelon-shaped hair, wore a cheerful expression. He easily broke free from Might Guy's iron-like grip and continued his work.
"Heh..."
"I never expected a mere Konoha genin to train in such a miraculous taijutsu as the Eight Inner Gates."
"This trip to Konoha, even without obtaining a method to seal Void, has already far exceeded expectations with just the Eight Inner Gates!"
"The Eight Inner Gates, coupled with my Body Activation Secret Technique, and the nearly infinite dark chakra within Zero Tail..."
"The rise of the Sky Ninja is not far off..."
"However, I have only obtained the training methods for the first six gates. To acquire the complete Eight Inner Gates technique, I'm afraid I'll need to employ some other means!"
Shennong mused in his heart, a satisfied curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. The strength in his hands unconsciously increased.
"Hiss..."
"Senior Shennong has such strength!"
Shennong jolted awake, his pupils constricting. He slowly withdrew his strength.
Looking at Might Guy, who was grinning and marveling, a barely perceptible cold glint flashed in Shennong's eyes. He offered a perfunctory explanation:
"Heh heh!"
"When I was young, I was like you. Though I couldn't become a true ninja, I still trained in taijutsu for a while."
"I relied on this brute strength to ensure my own safety when traveling the war-torn ninja world to treat people."
"My apologies, I was thinking about the formula for your subsequent medicinal bath and unconsciously used a bit too much force."
"Did I hurt you?"
Might Guy suddenly realized.
"So that's how it is!"
"When I held your hand just now, I found it strange. At your age, your palms are as well-maintained as a man in his late twenties or early thirties."
"Senior truly is exceptionally gifted!"
"If you were a few decades younger, you might have been more suited to training the Eight Inner Gates than I am!"
Shennong narrowed his eyes, smiling, and gently shook his head.
"I am too old now and have no intention of becoming a ninja. Taijutsu training is sufficient to provide me with some self-defense capabilities."
"As for profound taijutsu like the Eight Inner Gates..."
"That's something I wouldn't even dare to imagine!"
"Besides, isn't this a secret art of Konoha?"
Shennong withdrew his hand and wiped it with the handkerchief Amaru had placed there earlier.
"Are you not afraid that the great ninjas of Konoha will come looking for trouble if you casually tell it to an outsider like me?"
Might Guy waved his hand dismissively, flipped over his softened body, and comfortably reclined in the bathtub.
"It's not a secret art of Konoha that cannot be passed down. It's simply a precious legacy left by our predecessors for ordinary people like me who cannot cultivate ninjutsu but wish to become ninjas!"
"If Senior Shennong is interested, I can tell you the training methods."
"Although you are too old and might not be suitable for further taijutsu training, it's still good for building strength!"
Shennong concealed the flicker of joy in his eyes and asked with feigned hesitation:
"Really?"
Sensing his tone was perhaps a little too eager, Shennong paused and explained:
"I mean, if one can master the Eight Gates that unlock the body's secrets, it would undoubtedly bring unexpected improvements to my future medical practices!"
Might Guy splashed out of the bathtub and nodded heartily at Shennong.
"Of course, no problem!"
"The very first thing you think of after obtaining such a powerful secret art is to heal and save people!"
"As expected of Senior Shennong!"
"I can already see it, Senior's flame of youth has not been extinguished with age, but burns even more fiercely!"
Might Guy bared his bright white teeth and gave Shennong a thumbs-up.
"Please wait a moment, Senior. I'll go back and get the Eight Inner Gates training secret art immediately."