The morning's training drills were winding down. As the young trainee ninjas dispersed, Dan Hamura pulled Ryu aside, a familiar look of concern on his face.
"There's one problem here," he said, his voice low.
Ryu looked at his grandfather and smiled faintly, as if he had already known what was coming.
"The Three Genin Problem?"
"Yes, the numbers," Dan affirmed, gesturing to the departing pairs. "The official genin squad is always a team of three plus an instructor. You've paired them in twos."
Ryu nodded, showing that he understood the issue at hand.
"I won't split them," Ryu said firmly, his expression unyielding. "Yasashii and Jiyuu are close. So are Rina and Souji, and Kaia and Akihiro. The bonds they've formed are invaluable, and I won't risk damaging their cohesion just to follow a tradition."
Dan studied him for a moment, a flicker of understanding in Dan's eyes. "Then we'll wait; their gennin days are far away. The right people will come when they're meant to."
"Yes," Ryu muttered, a shadow of impatience crossing his face. "But I don't want just anyone else. They need to be special. They need to be someone who will not only fit but also elevate the team." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'll look around. I'm sure I'll find someone that will intrigue me."
Dan nodded, knowing that Ryu's instincts were usually spot on when it came to selecting team members. He had faith that the suitable candidate would eventually join to complete the squads.
Just then, a company messenger jogged up to them, his face flushed and his breath coming in ragged gasps. He bypassed the others and went straight to Ryu, holding out a sealed letter marked 'confidential' and 'urgent'.
Dan and Ryu exchanged a knowing glance, the playful banter of moments ago now gone. Dan gave the messenger a short nod, and the young man handed the letter to Ryu.The messenger was gone now. Ryu tore it open, and his expression immediately hardened as he read the coded message from Masato.
"Trouble?" Dan asked, his tone serious.
Ryu carefully folded the letter, his eyes narrowed in thought. "I don't know yet. Masato found something in the Land of Rivers. A resource too valuable to stay hidden. If we mishandle it, it could spark a war. We need to see the Hokage… now."
Dan could sense the urgency in Ryu's voice.
"What material?" Dan pressed, his interest piqued by the gravity of Ryu's words.
"Chakra metal," Ryu replied. "I handed a map of natural minerals to Mr Masato before leaving the Land of Rivers. In one of those sites. There is a probability of finding Chakra Metal."
Dan's eyes widened at the mention of the rare and powerful substance, a material that could easily tip the balance of power in the shinobi world. Only the land of iron had a monopoly over Chakra metal, and it had iron and other metals too. He nodded, knowing they needed to act quickly.
"Let's go see Hiruzen," Dan said. "This is something we cannot handle ourselves for the time being."
Ryu turned to Kaori. "There's still time for Kohinata-san to arrive. You come too."
Kaori nodded, her posture already shifting into a more serious, ready-for-anything stance. They turned to leave, but as they opened the door, they found a familiar face standing there. It was Mr Kohinata, with a young boy by his side.
Ryu said, "Talk of the devil. We just spoke of you. You are a bit early."
Dan immediately stepped forward. "Mr Kohinata, we are so sorry. Something urgent has come up. We must see the Hokage now. We can reschedule our meeting."
"No," Ryu said firmly, his eyes fixed on the boy beside Kohinata. "The patient comes first."
Kohinata was visibly moved by the gesture. He didn't know what was so urgent, but seeing Dan's face, he knew it was important enough that it needed the Hokage's involvement. But he was reassured, knowing nothing was more important to Ryu than his son.
"Ryu Kun," Kohinata began, his voice laced with a father's pain. "My son is not much younger than you. Due to his illness, I couldn't train him like other ninja. But all he's ever wanted is to become one. But lately, his condition has been worsening. Just a little bit of exhaustion and his heart suddenly stops beating." He told Ryu he had been to every civilian doctor and medical ninja, but no one could figure out what was wrong with him.
Ryu looked at the boy. "What's your name?"
"Mikaika," the boy answered, his voice a little shaky but full of hope.
"Kohinata-san, did you bring his files?" Ryu asked.
Kohinata handed him a thick stack of medical records. Ryu's eyes scanned every report and ECG reading. He entered a state of profound focus, his mind working at an incredible pace.
Ryu activated the overclocking.
[Temporary Enhance] running on [Fast thinking] and [Parallel thinking]
[Overclocking] enabled.
Genjutsu [Mind Palace Projection] activated.
A new imaginary canvas opened in front of him, shimmering into existence. Kaori and Kohinata watched in awe as the familiar Mind Palace Projection took shape. This time, the image was of a complex neural and cardiac system.
"You've been misdiagnosed," Ryu said, his voice calm and precise. "This isn't an ailment of your body, but your heart. Your son is suffering from paroxysmal arrhythmia, or sick sinus syndrome."
He explained in simple terms as the animation of the condition played in the [Mind Palace projection].
"Your son's heart sometimes slips into an abnormal rhythm. It's like the heart's natural pacemaker, the sinoatrial node, forgets to fire. It's not a constant issue, but when it happens, it can feel like his heart is skipping or stopping. The cause? Sometimes stress, sometimes nothing at all. It just strikes without warning."
Kohinata dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "You… you know what it is? After all this time, no one could tell us anything."
A canvas opened with a title: [Lie Detection Seal].
Ryu explained, "This is a seal I developed using another seal that can detect the heartbeat of the user. The seal that was used on the ninja that tried to kill us, the one you called the [Jisatsu seal]... It could count heartbeats and was designed to explode if it detected the count had been exceeded. We can use that same principle for something else. But for safety and for your assurance, let's use this [Lie Detection Seal] instead; it has the same function except for the exploding part."
Ryu turned to a bewildered Kohinata and Kaori, their faces filled with astonishment and hope. "If the seal can detect a heartbeat, then it can detect when Mikaika has an episode of arrhythmia. If we can detect it, we can do something about it. We can introduce a pacemaker."
"This will be the next product launch from my company, a new type of pacemaker, an electronic device directly embedded into the heart to help with this condition. This device will save everyone with a similar condition to that of your son."
Kohinata asked, "How long will it take for you to make this pacemaker?"
Kohnata was desperate, apparent from his face. Ryu thought, "Mikaika's condition is worsening; it's good he came so soon."
Ryu smiled and answered, "For others, a few more weeks and months of testing and approval. But for you right now."
Just then, the canvas shimmered, and the [Lie Detection Seal] rearranged itself. The seal pattern glowed and changed. New code started to appear, and old code started to rewrite itself. The new seal formed, its characters glowing with a soft, shimmering light. The birth of the [Pacemaker Seal] marked a pivotal moment in their solution for Mikaika's condition.
[Pacemaker Seal]: A seal that replicates the function of the sinoatrial node. It would provide a small burst of lightning chakra to stimulate the heart whenever it detected an irregular beat.
"Thank those ninjas," Ryu said to Kohinata, his voice full of a new kind of pride. "Their misguided jutsu opened the door for your son's immediate treatment. This seal will help your son every time his heart stops."
Kohinata, still on his knees, looked at the glowing seal, then at his son, before burying his face in his hands and crying. He finally looked up at Ryu, his eyes filled with a gratitude that transcended words. "Thank you… You don't know how much this means to me. I will forever be grateful for your help and kindness."
"Please don't bow down for me," Ryu said again, helping him up. "I'm a doctor. I would have done it regardless of the fact that you also saved my life."
Ryu saved another life today. And in doing so, they may find one more potential ninja for the three-genin problem and a potential new bodyguard for the family.
A/N:
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