Unknown to everyone, Kaida went to the hospital as usual, but today he didn’t go directly to treat patients.
"Are Sensei free right now?" Kaida asked Mitsuru’s secretary.
"Yes, she doesn’t have any meetings scheduled for quite some time," the secretary replied.
Kaida nodded and headed to meet his Sensei. Ever since he was scolded for not updating her on his progress, he had made it a point to report every week.
*Knock knock.*
"Come in," Mitsuru said.
"Good morning, Sensei," Kaida said as he entered the office.
"Good morning. What’s going on? You usually report your progress at the end of the day," Mitsuru observed.
"Sensei, I’ve completed my one month of practice. Can I take my certification exam now?" Kaida asked eagerly.
"Oh! So you’re finally ready for the exam. But let me tell you something: after you get your certificate, you won’t be allowed to treat patients for free like you’ve been doing. Do you still want to take the certification exam? I sense you have another reason for providing free treatment," Mitsuru said, resting her chin on her hand.
Kaida was taken aback but then chuckled. Underestimating Mitsuru Nara was a mistake he wouldn’t make.
"You’re right, Sensei. I do have another reason for treating patients for free, but it’s not shady. About a month ago, I noticed the Uchiha clan's reputation was unexpectedly declining. I wanted to help my new clan a little. Although those rumors won’t affect the Uchiha clan much, I didn’t want our name to be tarnished," Kaida explained.
"Well, it’s your money; you can decide what to do with it. But I need to know if you still want to take the certification exam or focus on improving your clan's reputation," Mitsuru said.
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"Before I answer, I want to confirm something: will I be prohibited from treating patients for free altogether or just in the hospital?" Kaida inquired.
"There’s no rule stopping you from treating patients for free, but your actions over the past month have made many medical ninjas complain to me. They feel it’s reducing their patient load and that they’re being vilified for charging fees. I didn’t mind, but once you’re certified, you’ll lose the excuse you’ve been using. If you try to use another one, they might complain to Lord Third. I want to avoid that escalation; that’s why I don’t want you treating any more patients for free in the hospital. However, you can still treat patients for free outside the hospital—then they won’t have a valid reason to complain," Mitsuru explained.
"Then I would like to take the certification exam, Sensei," Kaida replied.
"As you wish. I will arrange it by tomorrow, so prepare yourself well. If you fail this exam, I won’t consider you my disciple anymore, as my reputation will be on the line," Mitsuru warned.
"Trust me, Sensei. I’ve prepared hard for this exam. There’s no way I will fail it," Kaida said with a confident smile.
"Okay, I’ll send someone to inform you about the exam timing. If you don’t have anything else, you can go. Also, inform your patients that their free medical service is ending soon," Mitsuru said, returning her focus to her paperwork.
"Thank you, Sensei," Kaida said before leaving to attend to his patients.
…
As Kaida informed the patients leaving his office that he would no longer be able to provide free treatment at the hospital due to his upcoming certification exam, their expressions turned somber for the first time in a month.
Though the free treatment was ending, Kaida assured them he would keep his fees as low as possible. Many patients were disappointed to hear that Kaida would stop offering free services, but they understood there was little they could do.
Knowing it was the last day for free treatment, more people than usual flocked to Kaida’s office, even those who were mostly healthy. He had to use many shadow clones to handle the influx, treating over 500 patients by the end of the day, of which only about 100 were genuinely ill.
Afterward, he returned home, deciding to take a day of rest and prepare.
…
While Kaida was resting at home, an important meeting was happening at Konoha Hospital.
"That damned brat has finally decided to take the certification exam. I can’t even remember how many medical ninjas from my department have complained about him," Tetsushi, head of the nursing department, grumbled.
"While I’d love to see him fail the exam to show Mitsuru the difference between experience and talent, it’s not worth the trouble. Let’s just allow him to get the certificate," Masayuki, head of the general practitioner department, agreed.
The others in attendance simply nodded, uninterested in the topic.
…
That night, Kaida received a notice that his exam was scheduled for 10 AM.
"I didn’t realize this was such a big deal," Kaida said, looking at the official letter in his hand.
"Well, if you were a normal medical ninja, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. But since you’re the disciple of the chief medical ninja of Konoha Hospital, they’re not going to treat this as a routine exam," Shisui explained, understanding the significance of the situation.
"I didn’t think there was any chance I could fail this test, but according to this letter, various department heads will be present. This may be more intense than I initially thought," Kaida admitted.
"Are you scared?" Shisui asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nope! I’m just excited for tomorrow," Kaida replied with a grin.