"But Hayate said he has a mission coming up… what kind of mission could it be? Don't tell me he's being sent to monitor Sunagakure again?"
Yagyū Souma pondered quietly.
The Chūnin Exams were drawing near.
Judging by Naruto and the others' pace, once Team Seven returned from the Land of Waves, the Sunagakure squads would be arriving in Konoha soon after.
"Let's just hope Orochimaru doesn't start stirring things up again."
Souma sighed inwardly.
But compared to Orochimaru, there was someone else who worried him even more—
Danzo.
There was no way Orochimaru had handed those materials to the Third Hokage just to drive a wedge between him and Danzo. There had to be a follow-up.
For example…
What if Orochimaru had enthusiastically handed the same data to Danzo at the same time, deliberately provoking internal conflict between the two?
Was that the script he was playing?
On the way back, Souma kept turning the possibilities over in his mind.
But in the end, he had no concrete intelligence. The intelligence division hadn't picked up anything relevant either. For now, it was all speculation.
And speculation alone wasn't enough to bring before the Third Hokage.
As for Kakashi—
He was out of the village.
Team Seven had likely departed on the Land of Waves mission by now. That cranky old man had to be Dazuna from the original story.
A real piece of work.
If Souma had been part of Kakashi's team, he wouldn't just have smacked Dazuna once—he would've canceled the mission and gone straight back to Konoha.
One principle only—
No moral blackmail.
But he understood Naruto and the others.
After finally getting a C-rank mission, with the chance to face real combat, no freshly graduated genin would be willing to give it up.
Newborn calves weren't afraid of tigers.
Not everyone was as cautious and paranoid as Souma.
Back at the research institute, Souma took a short rest while planning his next techniques.
His over-limit state was spreading further and further.
The Akimichi clan, warrior monks, ANBU—more and more groups were cultivating it, and the feedback he received was growing stronger by the day.
Yet he could feel it.
This state was approaching the limit of the Bodhi Pattern.
Muscle control might need another breakthrough.
But when he thought about the list of techniques waiting to be researched, his head started to hurt.
First was the Seven-Day Breathing Method.
He'd entrusted part of it to Kakashi, but Kakashi was busy—training with natural energy, leading Team Seven, reading his beloved "literature," and helping Souma refine breathing techniques.
There was only so much time to go around.
Second was senjutsu.
Its performance last time proved just how important it was—it was his true trump card.
But at the moment, there weren't many suitable applications.
If anything, the most urgent thing might actually be getting Tsunade's official super-strength technique. Compared to that, Souma's knockoff version was far too crude.
Beyond that were mental attacks and defensive techniques, Akimichi calorie-based secret arts, and even the Inuzuka clan's breeding methods and olfactory knowledge…
Too many things.
As for swordsmanship forms and routines, Souma simply didn't have the time or energy.
Thankfully, the Gekkō clan could handle that.
He organized his thoughts.
The Seven-Day Breathing Method still needed time—whatever he discovered could be exchanged with Kakashi, minimizing wasted effort.
Senjutsu could wait for now.
With his current arsenal, unless he ran into Akatsuki or a handful of exceptional individuals, he'd be fine.
So—
"Mental attacks and, more importantly, mental defense. I'm still sorely lacking counters against genjutsu."
That was the hurdle he needed to clear next.
The difficulty lay in the fact that there were almost no reference techniques.
The Yamanaka clan's Mind Transfer was an offensive art, not defensive. In fact, the shinobi world as a whole seemed to undervalue defense.
"I'll make that my next research target."
"And maybe combine it with a barrier that isolates perception?"
With a clear direction in mind, Souma felt refreshed. Just as he was about to enter the institute—
Bzzzz—
A familiar buzzing sound filled the air.
The Beetle King hovered nearby, wings vibrating.
"I just got back too. I haven't stored much natural energy. I'll give you a little—just enough to satisfy you. Then go train on your own. You can cultivate it yourself now."
Souma squeezed out a small amount of senjutsu chakra.
Even if he wasn't actively researching senjutsu, he couldn't let the Beetle King develop bad habits.
Otherwise, every time he returned, it would come begging.
"Bzzzz!"
The Beetle King bobbed up and down in agreement.
After feeding, it left contentedly, without lingering.
It had grown much larger now—bigger than an ordinary dog—and faint traces of senjutsu chakra flowed within its body, similar to Souma's.
Its carapace, influenced by senjutsu chakra, had gradually shifted from pure black to a faint golden sheen.
The result—
Its defensive power had increased significantly.
"Captain Yamato, please make one more clone! Please! My ninja tool throwing is long-range support—I shine when there are lots of targets!"
"I really don't have any chakra left, Tenten! Let me rest for a bit!"
Yamato's tragic voice drifted over from the training grounds.
"Alright… looks like you're really out of chakra. Perfect timing—I just finished a new chakra-absorption ninja tool yesterday. Let's test it."
"…Huh???"
"..."
Souma paused for a moment, chose not to enter the training area, calmly coated his body with a chakra membrane, and quietly slipped away—leaving behind only virtue and merit.
Captain Yamato, believe in yourself. You can do this.
Then Souma remembered another project.
Wood Release.
He'd promised Yamato.
"So hard…"
He sighed silently.
The task list had just gained a new, high-priority item—one that had to jump the queue.
From his perception earlier, there were at least ten Wood Release clones active in the institute. If he didn't offer some incentives, Yamato would definitely lose motivation soon.
He needed to placate him.
This was even more urgent than the Seven-Day Breathing Method.
With that in mind, Souma quickened his pace toward his research room—
But at the door, a figure was already waiting.
Not very tall, but with well-groomed hair and a bright, eye-catching outfit. Her figure hadn't fully matured yet—the "fruit" was still unripe.
"Souma-senpai!"
Souma scanned her from head to toe, then smiled.
"Ino. What kind of trouble did you run into?"
"No, it's not that. I studied your technique carefully after I got back. It does work, but for genin or chūnin, the difficulty might be a bit too high…"
Ino chose her words carefully, afraid of offending him.
Souma nodded lightly. "The technique I envisioned is around B+ to A-rank in difficulty. It's normal for most people to struggle."
"I—I'm sorry. It's only been a day, and I still haven't fully grasped it. But I tried incorporating some of my clan's sensory techniques, and I think I can lower the difficulty."
As she spoke, Ino handed him a notebook.
Her own notes.
Souma's expression turned strange.
It felt like he'd been the first to do this—and now, everyone he interacted with was developing the same habit.
Truly…
A cause for celebration.
He chuckled inwardly and took it without comment.
The notebook wasn't thick. It was obvious Ino had only just started this habit—just a few thin pages.
Her face reddened slightly. "I'm sorry. I copied your method without asking."
"It's fine. This is a learning technique. You know it too—human memory is limited. If you don't write things down, old ideas get pushed out by new ones."
Souma replied casually.
Ino twitched at the corner of her mouth.
Limited memory… pushed out by new ideas…
Just how many ideas do you even have?!
Still—
She never doubted Souma's ability. The more she understood him, the more she admired this senior who was only a year older.
He was a role model for the new generation of shinobi.
Just like yesterday.
A problem that felt impossibly difficult to her—Souma had turned it into a concrete technique within two or three minutes of hearing her idea.
Creating a jutsu in minutes.
Before understanding Souma, she might've called it pure talent.
But now—
She knew better.
Souma could do it because he read more, thought more, and accumulated enough knowledge and ideas that his mind could instantly assemble a solution.
Unlike clan-based prodigies, Souma's secret was simple—
Knowledge made him strong.
Of course, that was Ino's perspective.
In truth, the technique Souma gave her wasn't that complex—just a simple combination of the Telescope Technique and sensory synchronization. The difficulty lay in understanding chakra, perception, and hand seals.
While Ino was lost in thought, Souma had already finished reading her notes.
"Ino, there are quite a few Yamanaka clan techniques in here, aren't there?"
"It's fine. These aren't secret arts—just knowledge. I asked my father before coming, and he fully supports letting you see them."
Ino smiled. "He also supports your ideals. If real results come out of this, he's willing to share them with the village as well."
Souma glanced at her, then nodded thoughtfully.
Yamanaka Inoichi was playing a clever hand.
Helping Ino, strengthening ties with Souma, and gaining goodwill among the village's chūnin and genin—
Four birds with one stone.
No clan head was ever simple.
Souma closed the notebook, thought for a moment, then took out a pair of sunglasses—before reconsidering and swapping them for a crystal ball.
"Your idea works. But there's one thing you overlooked—ordinary people don't have mental energy as strong as your clan's. They need help from teammates."
He gestured for her to place her hand on it. "Just inject chakra."
"Yes!"
Ino placed her hand on the crystal ball, fingers trembling slightly.
Then Souma placed his own hand on it, transmitting what he perceived into the ball via mental energy.
Moments later—
Clear images surfaced inside the crystal ball.
This was—
Captain Yamato.
More than that, Ino could fully sense Souma's perception state.
It was terrifying.
Souma's perception felt no different from direct sight—he could clearly distinguish Yamato's clones from his real body.
This was sensory ability?
Aside from lacking dōjutsu penetration, this was basically the Byakugan!
After a few seconds, the synchronization ended.
Ino opened her eyes, emotions churning.
"Well?"
"Uh… your perception…"
"I'm not asking about my perception. I'm asking what you think of the technique—and whether you understand why I had you do this."
Ino thought carefully. "As you said, ordinary people don't have mental energy like the Yamanaka clan. Apart from genjutsu users, most people don't know how to use mental energy at all."
She paused. "Using chakra is the simplest and most direct way to bridge that gap."
"Exactly."
Souma nodded approvingly.
The Konoha Twelve truly were all talented. Even Ino—often dismissed as a 'vase'—was no exception.
Ino bowed deeply.
"Thank you for your guidance!"
"Since Inoichi-sama wants to share this with the institute and the village, creation alone isn't enough. You'll need to write a detailed report—break down the principles and knowledge involved. Consider it an extra research assignment."
"Yes!"
Ino knew exactly how difficult this task was.
The technique itself was Souma's creation. Her contribution was only a minor optimization. She could use it—but explaining every principle clearly was far beyond her current ability.
So she understood—
Rather than a research task, this was a learning assignment.
"Then… I'll go work on my research?"
Souma pointed inside.
Ino nodded repeatedly, watching him enter the room.
She didn't complain that he hadn't brought her in.
There were surely many secrets inside.
It wouldn't be appropriate for her yet.
But—
She clenched her fists and pumped them excitedly.
"Ino, you're still far behind. You have to work twice as hard—one day, you'll become a research-type ninja worthy of Souma-senpai's recognition!"
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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