During their training breaks, Ino also offered her suggestions to the newly formed Team 10.
"Asuma-sensei, do you think Team 10 is missing something?"
Missing something? Not really, right? I feel like I've been a bit short on money lately. The flowers your family sells are just too expensive! Asuma was a bit puzzled by her question.
Ino asked seriously, "We're missing a medical ninja! When we were dealing with those bandits last time, Shikamaru got injured, and all we could do was some basic bandaging. That was against bandits, but what if we're up against other ninja? What if I get hurt, or Shikamaru and Choji get hurt, or even you, Asuma-sensei, in the future? What would we do then?"
Asuma looked at her intently, "So, you're saying you want to learn medical ninja techniques? You're already learning so much—Water Release, Earth Release, Genjutsu, your clan's secret techniques, and basic body techniques. Even with the Shadow Clone Technique, do you think you can handle all that? Strictly speaking, having a medical ninja is something for Chunin teams. At the Genin level, it's very difficult for you to master medical ninja techniques."
Ino didn't say anything, but her determined eyes told him, "I must learn this! For my dreams, for my bonds, to become an excellent ninja like Tsunade, and to handle all the chaos in the future, I have to learn this! Right now, immediately!" Asuma was completely defeated, "Alright, alright. Having a medical ninja on the team would indeed be very convenient. But I don't know medical ninja techniques myself, so I'll help you get in touch with a ninja who specializes in them."
"Thank you, sensei!"
With the influence of the Yamanaka Clan, Ino could have easily gone to the Konoha Hospital to find a medical ninja to teach her.
However, for a long time, the Yamanaka Clan had kept their influence confined to the intelligence field. By the time the Third Hokage took power, the roles of various departments in the village had become increasingly defined, and the Yamanaka Clan's influence was largely limited to the Analysis Team.
Apart from the Yamanaka Clan's ninja, others like Yamashiro Aoba and Tobitake Tonbo were all under Inoichi's command. The Yamanaka Clan's influence was already substantial, and they rarely ventured beyond the Analysis Team.
Similarly, the Nara and Akimichi Clans were also very cautious. Overreaching could easily provoke suspicion from the Hokage and the advisors. The Uchiha Clan was a prime example of what could go wrong.
Asuma didn't have these concerns. Not only could he reach out to the medical team, but he could even contact the Anbu directly. His father was the Hokage, so what did he have to fear?
Just one day later, Asuma brought Ino to the Konoha Hospital and introduced her to a Jonin named Kampo.
Kampo was the head of the Konoha Medical Team and was the same age as Asuma, both 27 years old.
After Tsunade left the village, the medical team became a direct unit under the Hokage's command. Apart from the Nara Clan supplying medicinal herbs to the medical team, the influence of other ninja clans in this area was minimal.
For civilian ninja to join the medical team, they had to undergo rigorous examinations. Ninja from clans were treated the same way. In this regard, the Third Hokage truly maintained fairness.
Kampo looked at Ino's school records and said, "If Yamanaka-san wishes to learn some medical ninja techniques, I personally welcome it. However, considering you still need to carry out Genin missions, you'll only be considered a trainee. How much you can learn during this trainee period will depend entirely on you."
No salary, no dedicated instructor—Kampo made it very clear.
Ino had come here through connections to learn. This was a hospital, after all, with a heavy workload. The fact that they were willing to give her the title of an intern was already a generous gesture, and she had no reason to refuse.
"Alright, thank you, Director."
"Hmm, I'll have someone show you around." Considering Asuma's influence and knowing Ino's background, Kampo added a few more words: "Being a medical ninja is tough. You need to be mentally prepared for hardship."
Worried that Ino might have some of the temper typical of a ninja clan's young lady, Kampo put in a bit of extra effort. The person assigned to show Ino around was a kind and gentle-looking Genin—Yakushi Kabuto! Despite some mental preparation, Ino couldn't help but feel a ripple in her heart when she suddenly saw his sunny smile.
Good grief, this was the junior of the infamous traitor Enshin, and equally traitorous Enmu! She couldn't take on Kabuto right now. This guy's strength was almost on par with Kakashi's.
Kabuto seemed to notice her surprise.
"Miss Yamanaka, you seem a bit surprised to see me?"
Ino's imaginary enemy was the clan that ate from giant wooden barrels. Compared to them, Kabuto was nothing. She didn't think she was on Kabuto's mission target list, so this was just a normal interaction. No big deal. She quickly adjusted her mindset.
"Sorry, senior, it's just that..."
She hesitated, her words stumbling.
Kabuto thought he understood. He smiled like a big boy and said, "You think I'm a bit old, right? It's true, I'm already 20 years old. I've been trying for years but still haven't passed the Chunin Exams. I'm still just a Genin. Sigh, I really can't compare to geniuses like you from ninja clans."
His smile was bitter, as if he was genuinely frustrated by his inability to pass the Chunin Exams.
Ino tactfully asked, "Is the Chunin Exam really that difficult? Could you tell me about it, senior?"
"Of course, but aren't you here today to learn Medical Ninja Techniques?"
"Ah!" Ino feigned surprise and gave a slight bow to express her apology.
"Miss Yamanaka is very polite."
"Senior, you can just call me Ino."
Strictly speaking, Kabuto was also one of the legendary "Konoha Genin." This guy had never become a Chunin in his life.
At this moment, Kabuto's status was the same as Ino's—both were interns at Konoha Hospital, with no salary or dedicated teacher. He usually had his own ninja team and would take on some D-rank missions. According to him, he had taken the Chunin Exam seven times in the past four years but still hadn't passed. He could only take on missions, and by now, he had completed 163 D-rank missions.
Ino was utterly impressed. Those messy, trivial missions—you've done 163 of them? Your patience is truly astonishing! Kabuto's Medical Ninja Techniques were actually not much worse than Tsunade's, but he still pretended to be a novice. Ino had been at Konoha Hospital for several days, and most of the time, Kabuto just sat around reading various case files. Sometimes, the Chunin would ask him to try his hand, but he always declined, citing his lack of ability.
Kabuto looked down on the level of these medical ninjas. He was the real deal.
He was more concerned with the long-accumulated medical cases from Konoha Hospital, continuously drawing nutrients from them to expand his knowledge reserves.
By connecting theory with practice and using practice to research new theories, Yakushi Kabuto had undoubtedly reached the latter stage.
Ino, a complete novice, couldn't compare to the veteran at all. Her current task was to learn, speak less and do more, and only talk after she had mastered it.