"…Uh, and you are?"
Of course Souma knew who the man was.
But showing that would be foolish.
This guy's thoughts were more unpredictable than the wind—
well, except for one thing.
Right now, Danzo Shimura definitely wants the Hokage seat.
And he was absolutely resentful that Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to die.
Souma mused silently.
Danzo said coolly, "Shimura Danzo."
"My apologies—so it was you…"
"Danzo, what business do you have here?"
The Third Hokage's voice drifted from inside the office.
Souma bowed.
"I still have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
Danzo nodded slightly and entered the room with his usual frosty expression.
What they discussed afterward, Souma didn't know.
But Danzo initiating conversation revealed one thing:
Not only the Third Hokage…
Danzo had set his sights on him too.
And not just Danzo.
Orochimaru—still lurking in the shadows with agents inside Konoha—wouldn't overlook someone like him either.
Souma suspected he had already landed on that man's list.
He walked out of the Hokage Building slowly.
He wasn't scared.
Just… a little unsure.
Which path should he choose?
His loyalty to Konoha wasn't especially strong.
For him, strength mattered more than factions.
He sorted through his options:
Danzo? Absolutely not.
The old viper was far too dangerous.
He'd betrayed Orochimaru and Shisui—why wouldn't he discard Souma the moment he lost value?
Working with him was like handing your lifespan to a poison bottle.
Next—Orochimaru.
To be fair, Orochimaru treated those he valued quite well.
If you were gifted, he'd nurture you, not use you up.
But the man's worldview… and those experiments…
Souma doubted he could ever align with that.
Which left—
The Third Hokage.
Problematic at times, yes.
But overall still decent.
And after him would come Tsunade.
Could be worse.
Danzo…
The best outcome was him dying early.
If he did, Souma believed half the village would stand at the Memorial Stone with flowers.
"Souma? Back from your mission?"
"Keiyama-sensei. Yeah, we just returned."
Keiyama Xu still wore her white coat, a light touch of makeup making her look more like a doctor than a kunoichi.
She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, studying him closely.
Then she smiled with faint surprise.
"You really grew in just one or two weeks… it's almost shocking."
"That's just your imagination. By the way, do you have any surgeries I need to help with?"
Souma laughed lightly.
"Oh, no, no. Not during peacetime. Surgeries requiring your jutsu are rare."
She smiled awkwardly.
Souma began selecting ingredients for his next batch of ration pills.
"I figured. But you've already mastered the technique, Sensei. Even without me, you'd manage."
"W-well… yes, yes, of course!" she stammered.
"But if we really got a case like that again, I'd still feel safer with you assisting."
Souma couldn't help thinking she sounded more like a student than a mentor.
"You're making ration pills?"
"Mm. My teammates are starting some intense ninjutsu training soon, so I want to prepare special chakra pills. I'll pay for the materials."
"This little bit costs nothing," Keiyama said.
"But if you don't mind imperfections, I can give you the failed batches."
Souma blinked at the crate she pointed to.
"…That many rejects?"
"Yes. The dose control for your ration pills is extremely strict.
Even small mistakes cause big variations in effect," she explained.
"We were thinking of discarding them… or selling them as lower-grade pills."
Souma nodded.
"If they're safe, why not ask the Hokage?
The village has plenty of departments that'd gladly take low-grade pills at a discount."
Keiyama froze—
—and then her eyes lit up.
"You're a genius, Souma!"
She practically swept him off his feet, spinning him once.
"C-can't… breathe—! Sensei—!"
She hurriedly set him down with an apologetic laugh.
"Sorry! Anyway, take whatever you need.
I'll bring the rest to Lord Third."
Souma crouched and sifted through the crate.
"Oh, right—Keiyama-sensei, I have an idea.
Could you help me evaluate whether it's viable?"
"Hmm? Go on."
She sat beside him, flipping through a medical text.
Souma spoke slowly:
"I know medical ninjutsu requires precise chakra control.
But it also requires precise diagnosis of the injury, right?"
"Exactly. That's why becoming a proper medical ninja is so difficult.
Even I wouldn't call myself truly qualified yet," she sighed.
Souma nodded.
"So I was thinking… why not divide the labor?"
"Divide… the labor?"
Keiyama blinked.
"During collaborative treatment*, one person could specialize in locating the injury, while another focuses solely on healing."
She stared at him.
"That's impossible.
Even if someone points out the general area, the surgeon still has to—"
"—search manually," Souma finished.
"I know.
That's why we optimize the ninjutsu instead."
He flipped open his notebook.
Yesterday's idea filled one of the pages:
Using a barrier to absorb medical chakra from the support team, then letting the surgeon channel it directly through their jutsu.
Keiyama read it in silence.
"…Absorb medical chakra… and let the operator draw from it?"
She looked up, stunned.
"This… may actually work.
It reduces chakra expenditure, simplifies forming the technique, and frees the surgeon's focus to make finer movements."
"So it's viable?"
"…Yes. This could change collaborative treatment entirely."
"Then I'll leave the experiments to you."
Keiyama shook her head quickly.
"No, Souma. If this works, the ones who benefit most… are us medical-nin.
Thank you."
She looked down at the notes again—
and couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed.
This boy always had some new idea in his head.
And compared to him…
Her own talent suddenly felt painfully ordinary.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/pikachu614