Ken ignored the panic.
He ignored the stunned silence, the half-raised hands, the looks that hovered somewhere between fear and disbelief. Turning away from the group, he walked toward the only tree in the clearing that hadn't been damaged.
It stood alone.
Ken leaned against it, pulled out his notebook and pen, then paused.
Frowned.
He looked back at them.
"…Does anyone here know medical ninjutsu?"
Rin reacted instantly.
She stepped forward, hands already moving through seals. A pale green light bloomed around her palms, soft and steady as she pressed them against Ken's burned hand.
Not the Mystical Palm Technique.
Just a basic Healing Palm.
Good enough.
The pain dulled. The worst of the damage faded. The skin still burned, still hurt, but it was no longer screaming at him.
Rin finished quickly, then produced bandages from somewhere Ken chose not to question and wrapped his hand carefully.
Ken flexed his fingers.
It hurt.
But it worked.
"That's fine," he said calmly.
Rin let out a breath she'd clearly been holding and stepped back.
Ken's gaze shifted to Asuma.
For a moment, his expression was unreadable.
"…Who would've thought," Ken murmured quietly, "that fighting you would give me an idea."
He straightened and spoke clearly.
"You win."
The words were flat. Unemotional.
Asuma blinked.
The others exchanged confused glances. They all knew that wasn't true. But Ken had already turned away, notebook open, pen moving.
No one argued.
After a few awkward seconds, Guy gently herded them away, the group leaving the clearing in silence.
Ken was alone again.
Several hours later, the sun dipped low.
Ken sat beneath the tree, notebook open on his lap, and smiled faintly.
Name: KenAge: 10Rank: Genin
Chakra: C–Chakra Control: Adept
Taijutsu:– Konoha Basic Style (Adept)– Ninja Tool Throwing (Adept)
Ninjutsu:– Mud Wall (Master)– Mud Ball (Master)– Three Basic Ninjutsu (Adept)– Body Flicker (Adept) [Instant]– Rasengan (Adept) [Instant]– Chakra Spinning Disc (Incomplete)
Genjutsu: None
He closed the notebook briefly, then opened it again.
Learning the Rasengan had pushed his earth techniques forward. Mud Wall and Mud Ball had crossed into mastery without him noticing. Regular sparring with Guy and others had refined his taijutsu and Body Flicker as well. His chakra reserves had crept into the lower chūnin range.
The problem wasn't strength.
It was control.
Instant techniques demanded more than raw output. Removing hand seals required precision he hadn't reached yet. Body Flicker worked because it needed only one seal. Mud Ball didn't afford that luxury.
Ironically, his greatest advantage had become his limitation.
During the fight with Asuma, the realization had struck mid-combat.
Fireballs were everywhere. Annoying.
He didn't want to dodge them anymore.
He wanted to split them.
That instinct had flattened the Rasengan, forcing it into a disc-like rotation. But the attempt had been rushed. Unstable. It had regressed the technique into a crude second-stage state. Explosive. Dangerous.
Like Naruto's early training.
Which explained the burns.
Still…
If he could stabilize it.
If he could refine it into something consistent, something distinct—
Then he could use it openly.
No one would accuse him of stealing a technique if it no longer resembled the original closely enough.
And later…
Ken's thoughts drifted.
If he mastered it.
If he could effectively use its burst effect.
If he combined it with Body Flicker.
and If he ever learned Flying Thunder God—
He shook his head sharply.
"…Focus."
There were more immediate problems.
He needed at least two more ninjutsu.
Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage.Earth Release: Earth Spikes.
He could already approximate Earth Spikes through Mud Wall, but learning it properly would deepen his understanding. And Subterranean Voyage was essential. An escape technique. Mobility. Survival.
Then there was Body Flicker.
Even without hand seals, it consumed too much chakra when used repeatedly. A physical variant would be more efficient. Less chakra. More strain on the body.
Guy would know it.
Ken closed the notebook and stood.
"I'll ask him," he muttered. "Or better yet…"
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"I'll train with him."
If his path was shifting toward close combat and burst movement, then his body needed to keep up and who know he might score 8 gates technique.
There would be time to daydream later.
For now, there was work to do.