"Mr. Kakashi, I apologize if my earlier questions were a bit rude."
From inside the carriage came the voice of Sakuraba Sadatoki.
Kakashi smiled faintly. "It's fine. They did just graduate, but Chiba's strength is such that even a chūnin would struggle to compare with him. What he lacks is experience—that's why he's under my guidance."
"I see… that's very reassuring to hear."
"You really don't need to worry. The other two are also disciples I hold in high regard. They're both exceptionally promising kunoichi—more than capable of serving as your guards."
As a noble family from Kyoto, the Sakurada household was hardly ignorant of ninja affairs.
So at first, Sakuraba Sadatoki had been somewhat displeased—believing that the Hidden Leaf had sent a team of rookies.
If not for Kakashi being their captain, she likely wouldn't have agreed at all.
But now…
it seemed she had been worrying over nothing.
Before long, Chiba returned after tidying himself up.
There wasn't a drop of blood on him—only some dust and dirt on his clothes.
This had been the first time he used the Chakra Needles in real combat.
"Not bad. That technique's more suited for battle than a chakra blade."
Kakashi pushed up his forehead protector, covering his left eye, and murmured in praise.
"Mm, but the chakra consumption's a bit high. If I can perfectly control the cohesion and density of the Chakra Needles—switching between solid and ethereal forms—it might be even better. Also, thickening the needles during combat could be more effective."
Chiba voiced his own thoughts.
"Indeed," Kakashi nodded. "But that kind of control is already at an S-rank level. I'd say only you could pull it off."
"Actually, I've also been considering adding a chakra absorption effect. If I can manage that, I might be able to draw in an opponent's elemental chakra and use it to strengthen myself."
Chiba casually mentioned the idea he'd been mulling over.
Kakashi fell silent.
He honestly didn't know what to say.
A chakra construct solid enough to be nearly tangible was already absurdly difficult—and Chiba wanted to make it absorb chakra too?
Who else in the world could even learn that?
Yes, talent really did allow one to do whatever they pleased.
Kakashi sighed inwardly.
Chiba pulled out a book and went back to reading.
At this point, none of the Sakurada retainers dared to underestimate the three Leaf genin anymore.
Who would've thought that the quiet, gentle-looking boy—who seemed so harmless—was actually the most terrifying one of all?
Few samurai ever dared to challenge a team of shinobi head-on.
Yet these samurai—many clearly trained retainers of noble houses, not wandering swordsmen—had done just that.
Even they wouldn't dare claim they could easily win st ninja.
And yet—
Chiba had moved through dozens of drawn blades like a phantom, cutting in and out of the fray without a single drop of blood on him, while his foes lay groaning on the ground.
To the onlookers, his methods were no less fearsome than some demonic jutsu.
"Chiba, that technique of yours…"
During the midday shift change, Tenten hesitated for a long moment before biting her lip.
"Could I trade you for it? Ninja tools, explosive tags—whatever you want. Or… just name your price."
"No need. That jutsu doesn't suit you. If you want something similar, you could try reinforcing your chakra threads—make them sharp enough to cut."
Chiba replied evenly.
"Chakra threads… that can cut?"
Tenten blinked.
Wait—could that even work?
No—Chiba had done something like that before! During Kakashi's bell test, the bells had been sliced off by his chakra threads… but she hadn't thought too deeply about it at the time.
How had he done it?
"It's actually a byproduct of creating the Chakra Needles," Chiba explained, releasing a faint blue thread of chakra. He gave it a casual flick—
and a branch a few meters away was cleanly severed.
"Can the attack power be increased?" Tenten asked eagerly.
"That would be difficult."
Chiba shook his head.
"In that case… hmm, I get it. What if I run the chakra through a steel wire instead? That should boost both its power and efficiency, right?"
Tenten mused aloud.
Plain chakra threads could only do so much damage—but if she used them to sheath a wire…
the results could be incredible.
"Huh? That's actually a clever idea," Chiba's eyes lit up.
"You could even replace the kunai at the wire's tip with something heavier. The added momentum would make the wire strike harder."
"Let me think!"
Tenten's inspiration burst forth. She whipped out her notebook and flipped to a sketch—
—a mechanical weapon she'd designed:
an iron ball packed with shuriken and kunai, appearing like a spiked flail on the outside.
Tenten slapped Chiba's shoulder excitedly.
"As expected of you, Chiba-kun! You always spark the best ideas! I'm gonna test this as soon as we get back!"
"If you could just pat a little lighter, I'd sincerely thank you,"
Chiba said flatly, returning to his book.
Tenten laughed awkwardly and skipped off to tinker with her notes.
Sakuraba Sadatoki remained in her carriage and hadn't appeared since their departure.
To this point, Chiba still had no idea what she even looked like.
Not that he cared much—just a bit curious.
His main reason for taking this mission wasn't Sakurada herself, but Chiriku, the abbot of the Fire Temple—
the one with a bounty of thirty million ryō.
That "Sage Chakra" he'd heard about intrigued him greatly.
"Teacher Kakashi," Chiba said suddenly.
"Hmm?"
"I heard there's a monk at the Fire Temple—one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Do you know him?"
Kakashi paused his reading, thinking for a moment before replying,
"Chiriku? I think that was his name. We're not really acquainted—just know of each other."
"What a pity."
Chiba sighed softly.
The so-called Sage Chakra…
He suspected it was related to natural energy, like the powers of the three great sanctuaries.
If he could study it, it might open the door to entirely new categories of ninjutsu.
"But you're interested in learning their techniques?"
Kakashi tilted his head, studying Chiba with his single visible eye.
"I've heard their chakra is unique—something called the 'Sage Chakra'. Their ninjutsu, barrier arts, and sealing techniques all operate differently. If I could learn that, maybe I could develop something new."
Kakashi considered for a moment, then shook his head.
"That'll be tough. The Sage Chakra is their temple's secret. Even among their monks, few are permitted to study it. For outsiders like us… nearly impossible."
"That's fine. I'll just try to make contact first. If I recall correctly, Asuma-senpai was also one of the Twelve Guardians. Maybe I can use him as an introduction."
Chiba spoke with perfect calm.
Kakashi chuckled.
"Asuma did serve as one of them, yes—but I doubt you'll get the Sage Chakra from him. You'll still have to work something out with the Fire Temple itself."
"Teacher Kakashi, your thoughts are quite dangerous," Chiba said, giving him a look.
"I meant having Asuma-senpai introduce me—so that Chiriku would learn about my skills in ninjutsu development. Then I could exchange one of my original techniques for their instruction."
He raised a brow.
"What did you think I meant?"
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