"Senior Kitayama, this operation was a total success! Even the Aburame case—one of the toughest we've ever had—was handled perfectly!"
Baicao's voice brimmed with excitement.
"The Aburame are notoriously hard to treat. We were lucky to get this opportunity," Kitayama Xu exhaled deeply. "Still, it proves the necessity of the improved combined surgery method."
The Aburame Clan cultivated colonies of insects within their bodies, and this patient had been infected with a contagious poison specifically designed to target them. Pinpointing the source of the infection had been nearly impossible—
Fortunately, Chiba's technique was powerful enough to handle it!
"Ugh, after this case, I don't ever want to take another Aburame patient … seriously…" Baicao grumbled.
"Agreed."
Neither of them noticed the man sitting quietly by the doorway—a man in a long robe and dark sunglasses.
He slowly stood up.
"Captain Kitayama, thank you so much. If not for you, my child would've been beyond saving."
"It… it was a bit troublesome— I mean, the operation was difficult," Kitayama stammered as realization hit her. She straightened and quickly added, "Also, it wasn't just my doing! We used the latest medical ninjutsu to rapidly and precisely locate the source of the infection. Any longer, and it would've been fatal."
"The latest medical ninjutsu? No wonder."
Aburame Shiwei adjusted his sunglasses, his expression stiff but voice calm. "Understood. Thank you."
"..."
That 'no wonder' sounded way too loaded.
Say that , and next time I'll 'accidentally' nick you with a scalpel, Kitayama thought darkly.
Still, she knew the truth. Konoha's Medical Department was already among the best in the ninja world. But when it came to complex cases like targeted toxic infections, even they struggled to find and remove the source quickly.
Innovation in medical ninjutsu had stagnated since Lady Tsunade's departure. The last major breakthrough had been the Chakra Needle, a technique created by none other than Chiba.
Given Chiba's involvement in this operation, there was no question about who had truly developed the new technique.
Kitayama and Baicao had only assisted—they'd never dare to claim the invention as their own.
"Anyway, thank you all for your help," Aburame Shiwei said quietly, bowing before heading toward the patient's room.
Kitayama and Baicao exchanged looks.
"When did he even come in?"
"No idea. I didn't notice him at all. Thank goodness he didn't take offense—he could've filed a complaint."
"Guess who'd have to handle that complaint?"
"…"
At the corner near the ward, Aburame Shiwei stood in silence.
Even from this distance, his sharp ninja senses easily caught their whispered conversation. He stayed there for a few moments before pushing open the door.
Whatever the case, his child had been saved—that was what mattered most.
Inside, however, a completely unexpected figure awaited him.
"Lord kid?"
"Shiwei. Sit."
Shiwei hesitated briefly before taking a seat. His clansman was still unconscious; there was no rush.
kid sat by the window, speaking in a low, gravelly tone. "Do you believe this incident was an accident?"
"I… don't know."
Shiwei shook his head. He didn't dare reveal his suspicions outright.
Although the Aburame Clan still provided support to Root, that didn't mean he personally shared kid's ideology—their cooperation was merely one of mutual convenience.
kid gave a cold, mirthless chuckle. "The Kamizuru Clan is all but extinct. They don't have the resources to develop poisons that specifically target the Aburame."
"Maybe Iwagakure decided to revive their research." Shiwei sighed.
After all, no one understands you better than your enemies. The Kamizuru could indeed have engineered a specialized toxin.
"This level of sophistication isn't something the Kamizuru could pull off," kid muttered. "Someone else is behind it. Unfortunately, I don't yet know who."
He paused, then rose from his seat. "But I'll point you toward someone who might help."
"Who?"
"Yagyū Chiba."
"So, Chiba, what do you think?"
"Using my eyes to look, obviously," Chiba said dryly. "Honestly, there's not much room for optimization right now. Employing both inner and outer absorption barriers at once does boost efficiency—but it also creates huge complications."
He rubbed his temples, frowning. Solving one problem always seemed to create another.
A dual-layered barrier was indeed more efficient—but barrier techniques weren't something just anyone could master. Even among jōnin, those truly skilled in fūinjutsu were exceedingly rare.
"True," Tenten mused. "Maybe chakra metal could help?"
"That'd be ridiculously expensive," muttered Tsukikage Kaza softly.
Forging equipment of this scale with chakra metal would consume an absurd amount. That same material could forge several high-grade blades—using it here would be a waste!
"Alright, that's something for the Hokage's office to worry about," Kakashi said, steering the discussion back. "Let's focus on these prototypes."
They summarized the performance of the four completed sets.
Unlike standard chakra weapons, these constructs weren't sensitive to forging quality—as long as the design and technique remained constant, the results barely varied.
Good news.
It meant they could be mass-produced.
The only downside—
They weren't exactly convenient. They'd be hard to use on small-scale missions and were better suited for large-scale operations or coordinated squad deployments.
"Don't be discouraged," Kakashi said with a smile. "For a first version, this is already a huge success."
He chuckled, teasing himself. "When I created my own jutsu, the first version had fatal flaws."
"You mean that Chidori?" Tsukikage Kaza's eyes sparkled.
That jutsu was so cool! She'd tried to look it up before, but found nothing—no wonder, it was one of Kakashi-sensei's original creations.
"Kakashi-sensei, you actually invented your own jutsu?" Tenten's eyes widened in disbelief.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes and gave a dry laugh. "What, do I not look like someone who could? I was a famous genius back in the day, you know."
"Uh, that's not what I meant, I just—"
"I think what Tenten means," Chiba said helpfully, "is that you don't look like one now."
"N-no, that's not it!" Tenten's face turned red.
After all, Kakashi didn't exactly act like a genius—always late, always reading those books no one under eighteen should be reading. Hardly the image of a ninjutsu innovator.
"Kakashi-sensei once used that jutsu to cut through lightning itself," Chiba added in his defense.
Tsukikage Kaza leaned forward eagerly. "And later? Did you fix the flaw?"
"In a way, yes." Kakashi sighed.
"The Sharingan, right?" Chiba said quietly. "Kakashi-sensei's technique is best suited for assassination and ambush. In battle, it requires extreme speed—something most people can't control."
"Mm." Kakashi nodded.
He appreciated the insight—but a strange unease crept into his chest.
This kid's understanding had grown terrifyingly deep. He could analyze techniques after seeing them once, and often improved on them instantly.
Could it be… that Chiba might actually come up with a better version than his own?
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