The Third Hokage was, after all, a man of vast experience.
After the initial shock and surprise passed, he quickly rereaped his composure.
Only…
Chiba's stream of praise was a bit too much for him to handle. After all, the original idea behind the Telescope Technique—well, only the Third himself knew how it came to be.
He gave a small cough and asked, "You have something in mind?"
"I'll give you an example," Chiba said. "You don't know medical ninjutsu, but you have a fair understanding of it, right?"
"Of course."
The Third Hokage nodded slightly.
Chiba sat down, grabbed a brush and paper, and began sketching. After a while, he handed the paper to the Hokage.
It was a simple surgical diagram—nothing complicated. Anyone who understood basic surgery could make sense of it. What Chiba was proposing was to use a technique to locate the source of an injury—essentially a diagnostic jutsu to quickly pinpoint where someone was hurt.
Feasible?
If modified in the right direction, it was certainly possible. Most jutsu were like that—once you pierced the thin barrier of concept, they weren't that difficult. For instance, if you gave the Third Hokage some time, he could probably modify it himself.
The hard part was thinking of it in the first place.
He patted his forehead and sighed, "Alright, fine… this jutsu—"
"Just give it to me. I don't need any reward. If you can help develop it, that's more than enough," Chiba said with a grin.
The Third Hokage was speechless.
He hadn't even agreed yet!
And besides, what kind of Hokage sat around researching this sort of thing?
"As Hokage, shouldn't you lead by example?"
"Alright, alright, you brat—you talk better than I do. Get lost already."
The Third muttered, forming a few hand seals with swift strokes, jotted down the basic principle on paper, then tore off the slip and tossed it to Chiba.
If this conversation went on any longer, he was afraid he might actually lose his temper.
"Wait, I have one more thing," Chiba said. "That jutsu is useful, but its value isn't quite on par with the one I gave you before."
The Third gave him a long, strange look, then sighed. "Fine. I'll count this one as another A-rank contribution. Anything else you want?"
"I want to learn your Five Elements Seal and Five Elements Unseal techniques."
"That's two techniques!"
The old Hokage's face cracked into a smile. "So this time, I'll mark down an extra favor owed."
"Fine, fine," Chiba agreed without hesitation.
Things like Shuriken Shadow Clone were ones Kakashi already knew—no need to waste precious chances on those. Only the jutsu that Kakashi didn't have access to were worth getting from the Hokage.
The three jutsu he mentioned fit that description perfectly.
In the end, Chiba received two scrolls. The Hokage told him to take them and study at his own pace—but for someone like Chiba, a few readings were enough to memorize them entirely. Taking them home would only waste time.
A few days later, word spread through the ninja ranks: the Hokage was encouraging the creation of new jutsu.
Among the chūnin and jōnin, who were more familiar with inside news, rumors began to solidify—
The Hokage intended to create a counterpart to the Scroll of Seals: a Book of Creation.
Only those who achieved great merit or invented new techniques could learn the jutsu recorded within.
It was said that…
A powerful and practical new taijutsu had already been added.
Konoha had no shortage of inventive shinobi, but most preferred to keep their creations secret—personal trump cards, never to be shared.
Why?
The rewards weren't worth it.
If not for the feedback he received from the Bodhi Seed, Chiba himself would never have handed over his original jutsu for free. Sure, the village might have paid him a bit, but most ninjas weren't short on pocket change.
If the money was enough, people would gladly share—but the village definitely wouldn't like that outcome.
Powerful jutsu were another matter entirely.
Many were still observing, waiting. But the Third Hokage, a wily old fox, knew exactly how to motivate people.
The very next day, Asuma showed up.
Then the Hokage publicly announced that Asuma had submitted a new Fire Release technique called Ash Pile Burning, and in return had been granted a new taijutsu from the Book of Creation—Leaf Style Fluid Technique: Limit Break.
And of course,
Asuma demonstrated it right there in front of the Hokage's building…
"Chiba-kun, do you think Asuma-sensei really wanted to do that?"
Tenten leaned in and whispered in the mission hall.
Chiba glanced around and said, "Asuma-senpai is devoted to Konoha. Of course he's sincere about contributing."
"I don't know… it felt like—"
Before she could finish, a harsh coughing sound came from nearby.
Kakashi appeared, cutting her off. "Let's focus on picking a mission instead."
"Let's take a C-rank one! We've been training for ages—it's time to test our strength!" Tenten said eagerly.
"Mm."
Beside her, someone murmured softly.
Chiba turned to see Tsukikage Kaza. The girl was always quiet around crowds—just speaking up in the busy mission hall was a big step for her.
"You sure?" Kakashi asked. Then he looked at Chiba. "What about you?"
Chiba hesitated.
Truth be told, a C-rank mission wasn't very meaningful to him. From a personal standpoint, he'd rather take on something B-rank or higher—real combat st actual ninja.
That was the only kind of fight that pushed one's limits.
But rationally, he knew that wasn't likely to happen.
Also…
If his calculations were right, the Chūnin Exams were coming up soon.
He turned toward Kakashi, intending to ask—but then his eyes flickered, and his expression changed.
"Even though C-rank missions are boring, I'll take one too," he said.
"..."
Kakashi sighed and covered his face.
This brat clearly guessed the reason behind the sudden "mission talk" but deliberately played along. Maybe he understood something deeper—or maybe he was simply looking out for his teammates, choosing not to bring it up.
So Chiba said nothing more. Instead, he looked at Tenten and Tsukikage Kaza.
"The Chūnin Exam registration period's coming up soon. You really don't want to participate?"
"Eh? We can?"
Tenten blinked. "I thought most squads only took the exam in their second year?"
"That's usually the case," Kakashi replied seriously. "But your team is one of the strongest I've seen in years. You were already at chūnin level during the graduation test—and you've only improved since then. As your jōnin leader, I believe you qualify to participate."
"That's awesome! I—wait. Chiba-kun, what do you think?"
Tenten almost agreed right away, but her trust in Chiba—and her sense of reason—pulled her back from the edge of excitement.
"What about you?" Kakashi asked Tsukikage Kaza.
The quiet girl said nothing, merely pointed at Chiba. Her meaning was obvious.
Kakashi chuckled softly. "So it's up to you, huh? Congratulations—you've already mastered the first quality of a leader: trust."
"So you're leaving the decision to me?" Chiba asked, looking between the two girls.
Both nodded.
"How does it feel?" Kakashi asked, his eyes narrowing—he was definitely smiling behind the mask.
"Honestly, knowing my decision will affect the fates of two people… that's quite a bit of pressure," Chiba admitted.
He'd been a doctor, and yes, he'd killed before—but those surgeries were the kind where "not operating" meant the patient would die or be crippled. The burden was different.
This time was not the same.
"So, your answer is?"
"Not participating."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
After a long silence, he asked, "Why?"
"No particular reason. Graduating a year early or late doesn't really matter. A chūnin title doesn't mean much—but if my teammates were to get hurt because of a rash decision I made, I'd feel awful."
Chiba spoke calmly. "I value my comrades more than a rank."
"You don't trust your teammates?" Kakashi's tone sharpened.
"Sensei!" Tenten couldn't hold back. "Chiba-kun doesn't mean that! He's just worried about us!"
"Oh? So you're saying I'm not worried about you?"
Kakashi's voice turned cold, a faint killing intent leaking out. Tenten and Tsukikage Kaza both paled, and the nearby genin quickly backed away. Only Chiba remained motionless.
"Sensei has his thoughts, and I have mine," Chiba said, smiling. "I simply stated my belief. There's no conflict between the two."
"I'll give you one more chance to reconsider," Kakashi said flatly.
"No need to test me, Kakashi-sensei. If I remember correctly, there are two Chūnin Exams a year, right? Even if we skip this one, we can take the next. I think waiting will actually benefit Tenten and Tsukikage Kaza more."
"Oh? You think I'm testing you?"
"Isn't that what this is?" Chiba said lightly. "I believe if you were in my place… you'd make the same choice."
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