"It's nothing."
Kakashi's voice trembled ever so slightly—so subtle that one would miss it without listening with great care.
Rei, pretending not to notice anything, patted Kakashi gently on the shoulder and spoke with sincere comfort, "You don't have to worry about hurting me. My regenerative ability is very strong."
Kakashi gave Rei a lingering look but remained silent.
No matter how strong the regenerative ability, a pierced heart would still mean death.
At his side, Kakashi's right hand, hanging loosely near his thigh, trembled faintly. He clenched it into a fist, trying to steady the quivering muscles.
"That's enough training for today."
He lifted his head, gazing up at the patch of blue sky framed between the gaps of the tree leaves above.
Amamiya Rei's progress was remarkable. Kakashi firmly believed that it would not be long before Rei's strength surpassed that of many other shinobi.
Then—soft, almost imperceptible footsteps approached from behind.
Kakashi, instantly alert, turned around.
But the instant he saw who it was, his alertness faded.
Rei also shifted his gaze to the two men emerging steadily from the forest—Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, and beside him, Uchiha Fugaku.
Only then did Rei realize how completely he had allowed himself to be absorbed in the delight of playing tricks on Kakashi, neglecting to release his own sensory perception.
He could not tell when Minato and Fugaku had arrived, nor how long they had been observing his training session with Kakashi from the shadows.
From Minato's deliberate act of bringing Fugaku here, Rei could more or less guess Minato's intention.
Uchiha Mikoto shared a close friendship with Uzumaki Kushina, and Minato's relationship with Fugaku was equally good.
The Uchiha clan's combat strength was among the very pinnacle of Konoha.
For Minato to bring Fugaku to witness a shinobi who possessed the Wood Release bloodline was, without doubt, a deliberate gesture to convey trust.
No matter how the village elders viewed the Uchiha with suspicion, no matter how the villagers feared them—at the very least, the Hokage, Namikaze Minato, placed his trust in Uchiha Fugaku, and in the Uchiha clan itself.
Suppressing the shock that stirred within his heart, Fugaku remained calm. He was no fool; naturally, he understood the significance of Minato's action.
Fugaku had truly not expected that in this era, there could still be a shinobi capable of awakening the Wood Release bloodline, something once unique to the First Hokage himself.
Even more astonishing—he never imagined that the girl who had accompanied Uzumaki Kushina to visit his wife Mikoto in the hospital that day would turn out to be the very inheritor of Wood Release.
In his heart, Fugaku clearly understood: the number of people in Konoha who knew of this girl's Wood Release ability must be extremely limited.
Minato had shown trust toward the Uchiha clan, and as clan head, Fugaku, too, would return that trust to Minato.
Two of Konoha's strongest shinobi exchanged glances, reaching a silent understanding without a single word spoken.
What Rei had not expected was that Minato's purpose in bringing Fugaku here extended beyond that simple gesture.
Minato proposed that Uchiha Fugaku should become Rei's instructor in ninjutsu.
In other words, from now on, Kakashi would be responsible for Rei's foundational shinobi abilities, while Fugaku would take on the task of guiding him through higher-level ninjutsu training.
An all-star lineup indeed!
Rei could not help but sigh inwardly.
Although being used as a pawn in Minato's political maneuvering left him somewhat displeased, he could not deny that he stood to gain much from this arrangement.
Since this decision was mutually beneficial—good for both himself and Minato—Rei chose to generously forgive him!
The look on Fugaku's face, however, betrayed unmasked astonishment.
He had never expected Minato to make such a request.
After all, merely knowing that a shinobi with Wood Release existed was one matter, personally training her was an entirely different matter.
Fugaku's eyes lingered deeply on Minato. Without wasting words, he nodded in agreement. "Very well."
Seeing this, Minato's lips curved into a smile.
The matter was settled then and there.
Training under Uchiha Fugaku would begin tomorrow.
After finishing the morning's session with Kakashi, Rei returned to Kushina's home, where he bathed, changed into fresh clothes, and shared a meal with Kushina. He did not even take an afternoon nap, but instead headed early to the hospital.
Just as Rei stepped through the entrance of Konoha Hospital, he nearly bumped into Honma Mei, who was returning from lunch.
"You're here so early?"
Mei asked in surprise, staring fixedly at Rei.
Amamiya Rei pressed her lips together, a faint smile appearing on her face as she looked at Mei. Her eyes sparkled with scattered light—everything she wished to say contained in that single gaze, without words.
In that instant, Honma Mei understood why Rei had arrived so early. She let out a long, heavy sigh. Yet under Rei's unwavering gaze, she could only give in and reluctantly escorted Rei into the ward.
As she closed the door, Mei once again emphasized seriously to Rei:
"Do your best—but only your best! If you get tired, stop and rest immediately!"
Otherwise, she would once again have to face the wrath of the Hokage's wife, just as she had the previous afternoon.
Who in Konoha did not know of the fearsome reputation Kushina once held during her school days?
Even after marrying into her role as Hokage's wife, Kushina's temper had not diminished in the slightest.
Everyone knew that the Red-Hot-Blooded Habanero's explosive temper was something that not even the Hokage himself could handle.
As for Mei—an ordinary working shinobi—she certainly had no desire to suffer such calamity for no reason.
"Mhm, mhm!"
Amamiya Rei nodded quickly, though her expression involuntarily carried a hint of urging impatience.
"..."
Honma Mei felt that Rei had not listened at all, her perfunctory reply proof enough.
The ward door shut in Mei's face.
She lingered there a moment longer. Just then, a fellow medical-nin, visibly exhausted, passed by. Seeing her standing there, the colleague offered a tired greeting.
"Why are you standing at the door?"
Even as he asked, his eyes flicked toward the ward door behind Mei. In the next moment, realization dawned on him, and he added:
"That little girl, Amamiya Rei, is already inside, isn't she?"
Mei stiffly nodded.
The colleague shook his head and patted her on the shoulder comfortingly.
"Don't worry. After enough time, she won't keep doing this."
After all, they had all once gone through the same stage themselves.
Honma Mei: "..."
That kind of comfort was utterly useless.
Because when the time came, she would be the only one facing Uzumaki Kushina!
At this moment, Rei had no attention to spare for what they were saying outside.
In his mind, the familiar sound of notifications chimed one after another.
[Ding!]
[Scanning in progress...]
[Scan complete.]
[Congratulations, host has obtained: "Chunk of Shinobi A's Flesh" x1]
[Ding!]
[Scanning in progress...]
[Scan complete.]
[Congratulations, host has obtained: "Chunk of Shinobi B's Flesh" x1]
[Ding!]
[Scanning in progress...]
[Scan complete.]
[Congratulations, host has obtained: "Chunk of Shinobi C's Flesh" x1]
...
By the time the sun leaned westward, casting its golden light across the ground, Rei finally concluded a long, exhausting but fulfilling afternoon.
He could have continued to handle one more patient ward, but at the exact moment the afternoon shift ended, Honma Mei's eyes fixed on him like spotlights.
Under that piercing gaze, Rei had no chance to harvest more from patients, leaving him no choice but to halt his work and leave punctually.
The scent of blood clinging from hours inside the wards was carried away by the evening breeze as he walked toward Kushina's home.
Standing at the door, Rei placed his hand upon the knob. Even before he stepped inside, he sensed it—an unfamiliar but powerful chakra presence waiting in the living room.
***