The next morning in the Medical Corps—
Kitayama-sensei arrived clutching a book.
She assumed she'd be the first one in, but as soon as she stepped inside, she saw the light on in the men's changing room.
And faint wisps of steam leaking from underneath the door.
But the steam… had a strange smell.
She hesitated, then cautiously pushed the door open—
And immediately choked.
A thick medicinal scent hit her full-force, making her cough until her eyes watered.
The fog inside was so dense she couldn't see more than a few inches ahead.
After confirming the vapor wasn't poisonous, she stepped in.
"…Who's here?"
"…No one?"
Step by careful step, she moved deeper, finally reaching the shower room inside the changing area.
And there she found the source—
A young boy, handsome to the point of unfairness, was lying back in a bathtub filled with pitch-black medicinal liquid.
Yagyu Souma. Completely submerged.
"Souma, you— Ah!"
She thought he had passed out.
In a panic, she rushed forward—only to kick something on the ground and lose her balance.
As a medical specialist who hadn't trained in combat in years, she had zero ability to recover mid-fall.
SPLASH!
A scream followed.
"Who?!"
Souma clutched his stomach, surfacing with a pained expression.
Thankfully, Kitayama had crashed into his abdomen and not lower, or the young man's future would've been… irreversibly altered.
Then—
"Pfft—! Cough cough!"
Kitayama's head popped up from the black water, sputtering violently.
She had swallowed a mouthful of the bitter brew, and her soaked clothes clung tightly, outlining a figure that would've killed a lesser man on the spot.
Luckily, the fog made the scene mostly unreadable.
"You! What are you doing?! I thought you'd fainted!"
Kitayama snapped, face burning.
She had been terrified—and rushed over without even looking. And he was… completely fine?!
Souma pulled a towel over his lower half, mortified.
"Sensei… I was experimenting. Could you step out for a moment?"
"…"
Without a word, Kitayama fled.
Just bathing.
He was literally just bathing in a cauldron of self-made mystery medicine.
She sat outside, opened all the vents, and waited for the fumes to clear.
When she sensed him preparing to leave, she quickly slipped out—
Only to run face-first into Hyakusa.
"Kitayama-senpai…?"
"That kid's… experimenting. Just look for yourself."
Kitayama retreated instantly, cheeks blazing.
Hyakusa, puzzled, cracked the door open—
And immediately slammed it shut, coughing.
A few minutes later—
Souma emerged, looking a bit sheepish.
"There's no continuous hot-water supply at home, so… I thought I'd run the experiment here yesterday."
"You ran experiments ALL NIGHT?!"
Kitayama's shock turned instantly into anger.
"Are you trying to die?! And who experiments like this—using your own body as the test subject?! What if something went wrong?!"
"It's safe," Souma explained calmly.
"For the earlier versions I confirmed everything first. The worst outcome was that it wouldn't work well—not poisoning. The new ingredients just change the effect, not the safety."
Kitayama didn't hear a word.
Every medicine in history was created through countless tests—and this brat used himself as the guinea pig?!
"You—!"
"Sensei, I understand. I was wrong."
"You know you were wrong?"
Kitayama actually laughed from anger.
This wasn't even the first time he'd done this.
The soldier pill modification was the same—he finished the whole process alone then casually showed up with a breakthrough.
"Yes! I'll definitely change next time!"
"Bah! You dare have a next time!"
Kitayama inhaled deeply to steady herself.
The earlier embarrassment of plunging headfirst into his bath faded beneath the irritation.
Finally she said, exhaling slowly:
"I know you're a genius. But even geniuses can't act recklessly. If you collapsed last night, who would've been there to save you?"
Souma nodded obediently.
Only then did her chest—which had been rising and falling rapidly—finally settle.
"…Alright. Enough about that.
What exactly were you experimenting on?"
Souma brightened.
"A medicinal bath."
"A what?"
Kitayama was blank.
Souma explained the concept—
A bath that accelerated muscle recovery and enhanced nutrient absorption, ideal for training.
Kitayama, who had once trained hard herself, instantly understood the potential.
Soldier pills restored stamina—
But nothing helped with muscular fatigue.
If Souma's formula truly worked, shinobi everywhere would buy it daily.
A training-exclusive medicine.
"What about the ingredients?" she asked.
Souma explained all five versions he had tested.
Versions 1 and 2 were best, but rare ingredients made mass production difficult.
Versions 3 and 4 were weaker but could be made cheaply.
Version 5 was slightly better but expensive.
None were final yet.
Kitayama pondered.
"Let's move forward with experimental trials.
If… you're willing to share a bit of the future profits, the Medical Corps can run the testing for you."
"No problem."
Souma nodded instantly.
"You sure? Even if the ingredients are cheap, this is a consumable. One percent profit doesn't sound like much, but over the years it's a fortune."
Souma waved a hand.
"As long as I have enough money to live, I don't care.
I'm not interested in money.
Besides—I still have to refine this formula. Doing everything myself would be a waste of time.
With that time, I could probably invent a whole new jutsu."
"…"
Kitayama's eyelid twitched violently.
Damn it—!
Yes, you're telling the truth, but it still makes me want to punch you!
After a long pause, she sighed.
"Fine. Bring me the written draft tomorrow. I'll have Hyakusa and the others start testing.
For now, your top priority—
is to go home and SLEEP."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Souma respectfully closed the door behind him.
From inside, he heard—
BAM BAM!
The sound of a book being slapped repeatedly on a desk.
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