The thought filled Chiba's heart with excitement.
After a long while, he exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down.
Now wasn't the time to get carried away.
The Bodhi Seed was indeed miraculous, but if he wanted to truly draw out its benefits, he'd have to rely on his own hard work. He couldn't afford to be content with just the little advantages it offered him now.
Thinking back to his battle with kid, Chiba's excitement cooled further.
Even when kid had suppressed his own strength, Chiba still had to calculate and maneuver carefully to stand a chance. And if he were to face someone like Uchiha Madara…
He was still far too weak.
He turned, slipped out through the window, and headed home with the medicine bundle in hand.
Training!
—
The Third Hokage, who had been secretly observing, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The current era wasn't like the past—no longer an age of constant wars and countless geniuses. For a prodigy like Chiba, what Hiruzen worried about most was that the boy might grow arrogant too soon.
But from the look of things, this child was remarkably steady.
Even after creating two or three original jutsu and formulating a medicinal bath that shook the entire village, he hadn't grown proud—he still maintained a humble and driven heart.
Truly rare!
Still, the boy was too intelligent for his own good. Hiruzen had already rewarded him with full access to the library archives. Now that he'd developed and submitted this strengthening bath formula…
What else could he give him?
The old Hokage rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
He couldn't just give nothing—that would discourage others from submitting their own inventions in the future. Yet Chiba wasn't even an official genin, so promotion was out of the question.
After pondering for a while, he made a decision.
"Call Kakashi here."
Soon, Hatake Kakashi appeared before him.
"Kakashi, I assume you've heard about the medicinal bath formula?"
"I have. Too bad I couldn't get any."
Kakashi nodded. He'd gone to take a look earlier, but the sight of that massive line had made him abandon the idea of buying some altogether. He'd gone off to train instead.
But… what did this have to do with him?
He looked at the Hokage, slightly puzzled.
Hiruzen chuckled. "If you really want some, I've got two packets here. But that's not the main issue. I called you because I'm troubled about how to reward the boy. Money won't move him—he's not the type."
That much was true.
With the formula under his name and the backing of the Medical Department, the Hospital, and the Nara Clan and Akimichi Clans, Chiba had a secure gold mine. Wealth didn't tempt him at all.
Kakashi thought for a moment and said, "He's been studying kenjutsu recently. Maybe you could let him read the second Hokage's swordsmanship notes. He'd probably be thrilled."
"Oh? He's interested in swordsmanship too?"
That was news to the Third.
Though he did possess the Telescope Technique, he didn't spend all day spying on Chiba's every move—he only glanced occasionally. Most of the time, his attention was elsewhere.
When he heard Kakashi's suggestion, his eyes brightened. "If he's interested, then yes… I understand what you mean now."
He fell silent for a few seconds, then laughed softly and patted his head.
"Old age really dulls the mind. You're right—giving him the second's notes would be better than a fully developed sword style. Mature techniques might actually stifle his creativity."
"Exactly, Hokage-sama."
Kakashi nodded.
For most people, granting them something like the Dance of the Crescent Moon would be ideal. But Chiba wasn't most people. A boy who could conceive the early form of the Rasengan on his own clearly possessed an extraordinary mind.
As long as his fundamentals were solid and he understood the theory, Chiba could develop his own sword style—one perfectly suited to him.
"In two days, the team assignments will be announced," said the Third Hokage. "Take the notes to him then. And while you're at it, review them yourself. Don't neglect your own swordsmanship."
He had someone fetch the second Hokage's swordsmanship notebook and handed it to Kakashi.
Kakashi accepted it with a nod.
"Also, take these two packets of medicine. They're not of much use to an old man like me, but for you young ones, they'll do some good. If you don't need them yourself, you can pass them on to your future students."
"Hokage-sama, I'm fine with that," Kakashi said seriously. "But if they fail my test, I'll still send them back to the Academy for retraining."
Hiruzen smiled.
"Of course. That's why I chose you, Kakashi—you're sharp and principled. I trust you'll guide them well."
—
Two days wasn't long, but it was enough for the medicinal bath's effects to spread through the village.
By the next morning, Chiba's home was swarming with people.
Since it was nearly impossible to buy the medicine from the hospital, they'd come straight to him for the formula instead.
Overwhelmed, Chiba could only run for it.
Thankfully, as a soon-to-be ninja, he'd learned the basics of hiding his chakra. And he wasn't bad at it—at least not bad enough for the mob to catch him sneaking out the window.
The moment his feet hit the ground—
"Chiba-kun, you—mmph!"
"Shh! Don't make a sound. Come on."
Chiba hurriedly covered Tsukikage Tsukikage Kaza's mouth.
She pointed at herself in panic, promising she wouldn't shout. Once he let go, she still couldn't hold back a quiet giggle.
Chiba sighed and dragged her farther away.
Just yesterday, she'd been all shy and reserved—and now she was crouching under his window? That was a big leap in courage!
He gave her a curious look. "Tsukikage Kaza, what are you doing here?"
"I—I meant no harm. I just heard you were surrounded and wanted to check on you."
"It's fine. But—what did you mean yesterday by 'please take care of me'?"
Chiba gave her a once-over.
"Ah, that. I forgot to explain!" she said quickly, fidgeting with her sleeves. "I was originally supposed to be in another team, but my father said the day before yesterday that I might be grouped with you, so he told me to get used to you first, so… so…"
She bowed . "I'm sorry!"
"Oh… I see."
So that was it.
Chiba understood now—yesterday's medicine and questions had probably just been an excuse to approach him. Her attempt at striking up a conversation was… well, not very subtle.
Still, he decided not to call her out on it.
"So, you already know the team assignments? That's impressive."
"Not exactly," Tsukikage Kaza said quickly. "I don't know who our instructor will be—Father just said the Hokage values you a lot, so it'd be best if we weren't total strangers before the teams are set. That's all."
"Got it."
Chiba waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, nice to meet you. Let's get out of here—it's not safe to talk here."
Once things were cleared up, he didn't mind her company much. After a short pause, he shrugged.
"Alright, I'm heading to train. You coming?"
"Y-yes!"
Tsukikage Kaza hurried after him as he leapt down from a tree and made his way to his usual training spot.
After a short while, they ran into Tenten.
She hadn't planned on joining them—until she saw Tsukikage Kaza.
Before long, their training group had one more member.
Lee, who had been observing from a distance, considered joining too—but after watching for a while, he couldn't stand the awkward silence between Tenten and Tsukikage Kaza.
Quietly, he changed routes and went off to train alone.
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