"I see."
After witnessing Miliei's use of Magnet Release, Kaito returned to his inn.
At this point, he more or less understood how Magnet Release functioned.
A faint current of static electricity formed at his fingertips. From it, he extracted the corresponding magnetic force, then guided that force into a core of non-attribute chakra.
The moment the magnetic chakra devoured the neutral chakra, any ninjutsu formed with it naturally carried the properties of Magnet Release.
"So that's all there is to it."
Magnet Release was… nothing special.
This kind of analysis could only be completed by someone who possessed extreme chakra control—or a certain ability that allowed surgical-level manipulation of energy.
For ordinary ninja, this was impossible.
Neither their physical conditioning nor their muscle memory would ever allow such precision.
Unless someone abandoned all other training and focused solely on chakra control and Lightning-nature transformation for decades, they wouldn't even come close.
And this was only the starting point.
To actually use Magnet Release in combat, the chakra had to be refined rapidly and continuously.
Otherwise, it dissipated before a technique could even form.
Ninjutsu didn't wait for you to slowly prepare each component.
Bloodline ninja were different.
They were born with the necessary chakra composition.
They didn't need to build it—only to use it.
With that thought, Kaito adjusted his pillow and lay down, staring at the ceiling.
Where to go next?
What to do?
Travel without purpose quickly became boring.
And promoting an organization with only one member was painfully inefficient.
I need people.
Employees. Tools. Experiments.
Elsewhere
Miliei, having regained his body, collapsed unconscious upon returning to the inn.
Troi, still shaken but awake, helped bring him inside.
The anesthetic gas had already been aired out.
Wuhua and Kali soon woke as well.
When they heard the name "Surgeon" from Troi, fear spread across their faces.
"T-That wandering doctor… was really that strong?" Wuhua asked, pale.
"Damn it! That handsome face—and he does things like that?!" Kali clenched her fists. "I want to beat him flat!"
Troi said nothing.
Whatever Kaito's purpose was, he was certain—
It had already been achieved.
The next morning, Troi noticed something wrong.
Miliei was burning up.
"He has a fever," Troi said grimly. "We need a doctor."
"Is it infection from last night?" Kali asked anxiously.
Wuhua pulled out a city map, already searching for nearby clinics.
Kano Town · Morning
Kaito strolled down the street, chewing on a minced-meat flatbread.
Lightning Country meat is cheap.
Fifty ryō here—one hundred in Konoha.
And the portions were bigger.
"Feels familiar," he muttered. "Somewhere I've seen before."
Traveling in person always revealed the truth—
Prices, culture, streets, people.
You couldn't trust hearsay.
"Doctor—quickly! Our teacher seems to be running a fever—"
Wuhua was leading an elderly physician when his voice cut off mid-sentence.
He froze.
"So it's you!!"
The moment he saw Kaito, rage took over.
He charged forward.
Kaito blinked, mid-bite.
Did I kill his teacher? I'm pretty sure I didn't.
Wuhua accelerated with chakra, fist aimed straight at Kaito's chest.
Kaito sidestepped casually—still chewing.
The punch missed.
Wuhua pivoted instantly, kunai flashing toward the remembered position—
Crack.
"AAAAH—!!"
Kaito dislocated Wuhua's wrist and flipped him onto the ground, pinning him from behind.
He lay comfortably against Wuhua's back… still eating.
"Easy there," Kaito said lazily.
"We said goodbye peacefully yesterday, didn't we? No need to start throwing hands over breakfast."
The street erupted.
"A Cloud ninja was taken down by a civilian?!"
"And without chakra?!"
"Who is this guy?!"
To onlookers, Kaito looked like an ordinary civilian—no headband, no chakra flare.
"Let go of me!! You murderer!!" Wuhua shouted.
Kaito paused.
Dead?
He swallowed the last bite and looked up at the clouds.
"I see…"
"So your teacher died?" he asked calmly.
"But I stayed at the inn all night. Shouldn't be my problem."
"It's you! It has to be you!"
"You're the only one we fought!"
Soldiers were already moving in.
With a sigh, Kaito grabbed Wuhua and vanished.
Rooftop
Below, guards began preparing a warrant.
Kaito looked at the furious boy beside him.
"I really was at the Hyde Inn," he said.
"I even have the receipt."
"Lies!!"
Kaito crouched.
"What are you—?!"
Wuhua swung again.
Crack.
The wrist snapped back into place.
Then Kaito formed seals.
"Medical Ninjutsu: Hemostasis."
Soft green light flowed.
Cuts healed.
Swelling faded.
"Why… are you healing me?" Wuhua asked blankly.
Kaito answered simply:
"Killing needs a reason."
"Saving someone doesn't."
The light vanished.
Wuhua flexed his wrist—perfectly fine.
"T-Thank you…"
Kaito sighed internally.
Healing him is harder than killing him.
Then—
Wuhua bowed deeply.
"We encountered a powerful ninja last night.
Our captain is injured."
"Could you… please treat him?"
Kaito stared.
Didn't you just say he was dead? Truly filial.
Still, he nodded.
"Fine. Take me there."
Cloud Village — Elsewhere
Being the Eight-Tails jinchūriki meant one thing above all—
Restlessness.
Fear from villagers.
Control from the higher-ups.
Only Killer B and the future Fourth Raikage treated him like a person.
That morning, his medication ran out.
Climbing the spiral tower, he entered the top office.
"Doctor," Bee asked, eyeing the medicine cabinet.
"New meds?"
The bespectacled doctor smiled.
"Your condition hasn't improved?"
Bee shook his head.
"Maybe this is just the jinchūriki's fate."
The doctor handed him a new bottle.
"Try this. Sleep may help."
"Thank you, Dr. Sakurai!"
Later—
As Bee swallowed the pills, something felt wrong.
Before he could react—
A graceful woman appeared above him, hands pinning him down.
She peeled away her disguise.
Orochimaru.
"Let me free you from this restless life," he whispered.
Seals spread across Bee's chest.
"Release."
"Come forth—Eight-Tails."
Near Cloud Village
Kaito stopped walking.
Far away—
A massive chakra surged.
Eight-Tails-level.
Miliei frowned. "What is it?"
"I forgot something," Kaito said calmly.
"I'll head back."
Miliei nodded—until a Cloud jōnin rushed in.
"Miliei-sama! The Eight-Tails has gone berserk!!"
Silence.
Miliei stared at Kaito—
Then laughed and slapped his shoulder.
"So you're a sensor type too, Bai-san!"
"Stay in the village for now. It's dangerous outside."
Kaito exhaled.
Good. Not blamed… yet.
"Fine," he said.
"But I don't join Cloud Village."
"And treatment costs money."
"No problem!"
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