The sudden revelation of the true cost caught Shikamaru and Ino completely off guard. Having mentally prepared themselves for elimination, their minds struggled to process the information, leaving them momentarily stunned. Faced with this unexpected twist in Naruto's carefully laid trap, they both stumbled and crashed.
"Huh? Treatment fees... soldier pills... What is he talking about, Shikamaru? Do you understand?"
Ino's mind went blank as she stared in disbelief, her jaw dropping. She instinctively turned her head slightly, seeking guidance from Shikamaru, the team's strategist. Her hand shot out to pinch her cheek hard.
"Huh? Huh? This is so weird... Hiss! It hurts so much, why haven't I woken up yet? ...Could this not be a dream?"
"This... what does this mean? Weren't you planning to eliminate us?"
Meanwhile, Shikamaru, though momentarily stunned like the others, quickly regained his composure. Having sensed Naruto's unsettling smile earlier, he had already suspected the true cost was far more complex than it appeared.
Ignoring the questions from his companions, he asked Naruto with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism, "Eliminate us? Oh—! You mean that? Yeah, if the Proctor intervenes, we're automatically disqualified... But I'm not the Proctor, I'm the Examiner. Or rather, right now I'm just like you—an ordinary, unremarkable candidate struggling to pass the exam."
As he spoke, Naruto's smile grew wider and more triumphant. He deliberately blinked innocently, feigning complete innocence, while tightening his arm around Hinata, who had finally recovered and was now giggling uncontrollably, her legs trembling. With renewed confidence, he continued, "So, why would I eliminate you?"
"Regardless of my identity, I'm not a 'Proctor,' am I? So... why would being healed by me mean you're eliminated?"
"Huh?! Then... if we're not eliminated, why did you deliberately mention 'Proctor' to mislead us?!"
Naruto's infuriatingly smug grin, coupled with his specious arguments, left Ino feeling utterly defeated, on the verge of tears.
"Soldier pills as payment for healing? What kind of nonsense is that?! This 'price'... you're definitely just messing with us... Tsk, forget it. I'm not saying another word. Hmph."
Her eyes turned into pure white, bean-like dots as Ino instinctively began to complain. But she quickly realized the potential loopholes in her words, fearing Naruto might seize on them to manipulate her and her team.
She abruptly cut herself off, crossed her arms, and pouted, turning her head away with a "out of sight, out of mind" attitude.
"Huh? I was just offering some friendly advice to remind you of the rules. How can you blame me? Besides, if a Proctor had treated you before I did, you would have been disqualified. I was just warning you about the consequences of your recklessness."
Naruto nearly burst out laughing at Ino's dejected expression. She seemed to be struggling with some psychological trauma, wanting to complain but too afraid to.
He spread his hands, shrugged, and desperately suppressed the laughter in his voice, trying to sound indignant and wronged.
He even bent his knees slightly to feign weakness, continuing without a blush or a gasp for breath.
"And... restoring you all cost me a lot of Chakra! Look! If Hinata weren't here to support me, I wouldn't even be able to stand! How can you be so heartless as to deny me a few extra soldier pills to recover properly?!"
"Pfft... Naruto-kun, you're such a... ha ha, you're so wicked... ha ha ha..."
"Hmph, what's wicked about it? I'm just telling the truth~"
"Telling the truth? Doesn't your conscience hurt?! You were clearly being misleading just now!"
"Huh? No, not at all? My conscience isn't hurting; in fact, it's feeling quite pleased and cheerful right now~"
"...You!"
"Alright, alright, I know I'm handsome. You don't need to keep pointing it out, or I'll... I'll... I'll get embarrassed~"
"...Ugh!"
While the others were distracted by this exchange, Naruto seized the opportunity to place his palm on Chōji's shoulder.
Chōji had already fainted from the overwhelming emotional rollercoaster he'd endured. Naruto channeled the pure, life-force-infused Chakra that had been accumulating in his palm, refining it into a gentle stream that slowly flowed into Chōji's body.
This process not only reinforced the physical benefits Chōji had gained from his intense exertion but also replenished his stamina and Chakra...
Just as he had treated Ino and Shikamaru earlier, it seemed Naruto was simply following the same pattern, like copying a template. Yet, upon closer inspection, subtle differences emerged.
"As expected, many hands make light work. With more brains working together, ideas come faster..."
While maintaining constant control over every movement of his chakra within Chōji's body, Naruto simultaneously divided his attention.
He quietly dispelled a Shadow Clone to retrieve the improved plan that the clones had been diligently researching and refining.
Then, he meticulously maintained the delicate balance between restoration, healing, and continuous enhancement.
Not content with his previous progress, he gradually familiarized himself with the composition of Chōji's chakra attributes.
He began to gradually condense his own purified chakra, transforming it into a perfect match for Chōji's chakra profile.
With this, he began testing the feasibility of a theoretically more perfect solution, refined and supplemented by the experience he had gained from treating Shikamaru and Ino earlier.
Hmm... the situation is exactly as I predicted. After adding the corresponding attributes, the absorption speed has indeed increased significantly.
If I maintain this pace while preserving the original enhancement effects, I should be able to complete the process about thirty percent faster.
Once I fully refine this theory and further improve my precise control over Chakra... learning other Medical Ninjutsu in the future, or even mastering the Strength of a Hundred Seal—that ridiculously resilient technique of that golden, plump sheep—should become much easier, right?
Wait a minute... if I actually manage to learn the Strength of a Hundred Seal, should I also try to acquire the Eight Inner Gates Formation? Perhaps the Strength of a Hundred Seal's insane vitality could perfectly offset the fatal cost of fully opening the Eight Inner Gates? Combine that with the Flying Thunder God Technique's pinpoint teleportation, and every attack would essentially guarantee a hundred percent hit rate... Hmm, thinking about it, that seems a bit too overpowered...
Still, it sounds pretty amazing, doesn't it? I like it~