"Lord Shikaku, I'm Yagyu Souma.
Forgive my rudeness for coming without prior notice."
Souma bowed politely.
Shikaku waved his hand with a relaxed smile.
"Think nothing of it. I actually wanted to invite you over earlier, but you were still recovering, and the hospital was hectic. I'm glad you came today."
"Thank you for receiving me."
After a round of polite greetings, Souma was welcomed into the Nara compound.
A sleepy voice drifted over.
"Good afternoon. I'm Nara Shikamaru."
Shikamaru still looked completely listless, but he greeted Souma calmly—
No anger left from their… less-than-pleasant first encounter.
Given his personality, he'd sorted that out long ago.
"Shikamaru," Shikaku said with a chuckle, "you might not know this—Yagyu Souma here recently submitted a jutsu for ninja tool manipulation. It's already being introduced among chunin."
Shikamaru's eyes flickered in surprise for half a second.
Then clarity settled in.
Of course.
Those chakra threads that dragged him, Naruto, and Chōji back to class…
If that level of control could bind three people, then moving kunai was trivial.
He could guess Souma's real target wasn't "tool manipulation" at all—
but puppet techniques.
Shikamaru thought silently.
"It's nothing much," Souma said lightly. "Just a C-rank ninjutsu."
Shikaku shook his head.
"Many people have created high-ranked ninjutsu, but few are widely usable. Take your Rasengan variant—coinciding with the Fourth Hokage's idea. How many shinobi have ever mastered it?"
Shikamaru listened silently, curious how Souma would respond.
"True," Souma nodded. "But Chakra Threads alone don't accomplish much. I'm just one person—Konoha becomes stronger only when more people contribute ideas."
Shikaku's eyes softened with approval.
After chatting a bit more, Shikaku asked:
"I've heard you've been researching muscles, the body, and pharmacology lately.
Are you looking for rare ingredients? Or… books?"
Souma smiled.
"As expected of you, Lord Shikaku. I heard the earliest foundations of pharmacology came from the Nara clan. I have a formula that's still incomplete—I hoped to ask your guidance."
He explained his thoughts and the herbs he had tested so far.
Shikaku narrowed his eyes, then laughed.
"This mixture would benefit all shinobi—especially the Akimichi clan. Their secret pills involve knowledge about stimulating the body."
Souma's eyes lit up.
Ah…
So Shikaku meant that the Akimichi had deeper expertise in this matter.
But Souma had no connections with them yet.
He could hardly walk up and ask for clan secrets.
Souma was about to speak—
"You told me the truth because you trust my character," Shikaku said warmly.
"So let me help. I'll contact the Akimichi clan.
If they're willing, the three of us can research a better formula together.
If not, the Nara and Yagyu families can proceed on our own."
He looked straight into Souma's eyes.
"There may be profit to share, but there are many advantages too.
Think it over."
"That would be the best outcome," Souma said immediately. "Thank you, Lord Shikaku."
Shikaku feared Souma might overthink the benefit-sharing—
but Souma's goals were completely different from what he imagined.
Souma wasn't chasing money.
He wanted recognition.
Contribution.
Influence.
Shikaku nodded with a smile and chatted with him a bit longer.
When Souma caught the scent of dinner preparations, he politely excused himself.
After Souma left, Shikaku watched his silhouette fade beyond the gate and sighed softly.
Shikamaru looked over.
"Father… you're regretting that he can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu?"
Shikaku cast him a sidelong glance.
Then I snorted.
"That child is brilliant beyond measure. What is there to regret?
I'm regretting that he isn't my son."
He didn't name names, but the insult level was… devastating.
Shikamaru stared blankly.
Ouch.
"Listen, son," Shikaku continued. "Geniuses are plentiful in the world. Don't wait until trouble comes before regretting your laziness. Come, it's time to eat."
Running through the forest path, Souma's mood was bright.
"The Akimichi Clan… I almost forgot about their Three-Colored Pills.
Even if I can't learn the secret formulas, understanding part of it could let me develop medicines that stimulate strength, stamina, and chakra."
Such stimulants damaged the body and shortened lifespan—
but in real combat?
If you didn't survive the fight, lifespan was meaningless.
Life first—everything else later.
"If I can connect with the Akimichi, that's two new medicines immediately."
A simple visit brought unexpectedly great opportunities.
As Souma jogged, footsteps approached rapidly behind him.
He sensed the chakra signature.
Rock Lee.
Souma slowed down.
"Souma… wait up!"
"Lee? Finished class?"
"Yeah… sigh… Tenten and the others are studying harder than ever. I tried for a few days, but I just can't learn any of it. So I went back to training."
Lee looked depressed—clearly something had been weighing on his heart.
Souma couldn't help smiling.
"You don't need to compare yourself to them. I graduated early because I needed to.
If you left the Academy now, you'd still spend every day training anyway."
"If you don't learn to rest properly, you'll break your body before you get strong."
"Really?"
"Did Guy-sensei scold you?"
"…He did."
Lee answered honestly.
Smarts weren't his strength, but the atmosphere always influenced him.
Once Souma and Guy both said the same thing, he relaxed a bit and stopped overthinking.
Then—
"YOOOSH! I knew it! Training with you fires up my youth!
Souma! Let's duel! Five hundred laps! Whoever collapses first loses!
Then one hundred laps—upside down!"
"…Heh."
Souma didn't bother responding and simply sped up.
"Wait! Souma!"
"Oh right," Souma asked, "where's Guy-sensei? You two always train together."
"He went on a mission!"
"That works too. Since I ran into you, want to help me with a new experiment?
I need someone physically skilled."
"M-me?"
Lee's eyebrows shot up, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Souma's preferred partner was still Might Guy—
the stronger the body, the better they could sense and explain the principles of using muscles and chakra together.
Lee was pure instinct and practice.
Ask him how his kicks worked, he'd show them perfectly.
Ask him the biomechanics and chakra principles behind it—
He'd be lost.
And indeed—
One hour later, Lee's face was blank.
His brain had melted.
Souma sighed.
"Forget it. Just copy what I'm doing.
Then see whether it feels stronger than before."
He stepped forward—
Crack!!
A fist slammed into a thick tree trunk.
Fractures spread across the wood like lightning.
Lee's jaw dropped.
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