"These are all the ninjutsu scrolls you're currently authorized to borrow from the village."
The next day, Yuji sought out Arai and explained his intentions. Arai acted quickly. The Third Kazekage had already issued standing instructions that Yuji's reasonable requests were to be accommodated whenever possible, so the scrolls were delivered without delay.
Each scroll contained detailed records of ninjutsu fundamentals, including hand seal sequences, chakra pathway diagrams, and explanations of how chakra circulated through the meridian system during activation.
Arai watched as Yuji gathered them and could not help but ask, "Why do you need so many scrolls? You're a Medical Ninja. Even if you wanted to practice most of these techniques, it wouldn't be easy. Your chakra nature is still relatively limited, and elemental release techniques especially would be difficult for you to use."
Yuji smiled casually as he stacked the scrolls into his bag. "I'm not planning to use them right away. I want to study them. Even if I can't perform the techniques themselves, I can still learn how chakra flows and how hand seals shape that flow. Understanding the structure will help me build a stronger foundation."
Arai nodded slowly.
Accumulating theoretical knowledge was something every experienced shinobi valued. Even if a ninja could not personally use a specific elemental release, understanding its mechanics allowed them to analyze an opponent's technique and respond more effectively in battle.
Still, Arai hesitated before speaking again.
"To be honest, most people might think this sounds unrealistic," he said. "But you're not someone who can be judged by normal standards. If you continue studying these scrolls and deepen your control over chakra, you might eventually reach the point where you can perform one-handed seals."
He paused, then added quietly, "Or perhaps even use ninjutsu without hand seals at all."
Yuji froze for a moment.
He stared at Arai in surprise.
"In your eyes, am I really that exceptional?" Yuji asked with a faint laugh. "Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
Arai scratched his head awkwardly. "After everything you've already done, calling you a genius isn't unreasonable. I'm just saying it's worth trying. There's no harm in aiming high."
In truth, even Arai knew how rare such abilities were. Across the entire ninja world, those capable of forming seals with one hand were exceedingly uncommon. As for performing ninjutsu without seals entirely, he had never witnessed it himself.
Yuji finished packing the scrolls and slung the bag over his shoulder. He planned to devote himself to studying them over the coming weeks. Mastering their contents would not be a quick process.
Sasori still had not returned from his mission, and Yuji intended to wait for him before leaving the village again. Depending on the mission's difficulty, shinobi could be away for weeks or even months, especially during wartime patrol assignments.
As Yuji turned to leave, he suddenly stopped and looked back.
"Arai Sensei… is the village preparing to negotiate peace with Konoha?"
Arai's expression changed instantly.
As the Kazekage's personal guard, he was privy to many of the village's most sensitive decisions. His earlier relaxed demeanor disappeared, replaced by a stern seriousness.
"Matters discussed by the leadership are confidential," Arai said firmly. "You shouldn't speculate about them."
Yuji chuckled softly.
"It's already obvious. Even if no official announcement has been made, the shinobi returning from the front lines are talking. And the village's recent actions speak louder than words. I work at the hospital. I can see what's happening."
Arai fell silent.
After a long pause, his shoulders relaxed slightly.
"You really are too perceptive," he said. "That sharp mind of yours, it's not always a blessing."
Yuji's smile faded.
"So it's true."
Arai exhaled quietly.
"The hatred between Sunagakure and Konoha hasn't disappeared," he said carefully. "This isn't peace. It's simply… restraint."
Yuji understood immediately.
"A mutual ceasefire," he said. "An unspoken agreement. The village can't continue fighting at full scale, and Konoha has other enemies to deal with. Stopping now benefits both sides."
Arai did not deny it.
"The Kazekage has his reasons," he said. "Sunagakure cannot endure another prolonged war. If the fighting continues, the losses would be more than we could recover from."
"No one truly wants to end the war," Arai said quietly. "If it were possible, we would rather wipe out Konoha entirely and avenge those we've lost. But reality doesn't allow that. This isn't a complete cessation of hostilities. We will still fight them, it's just that, from now on, the conflicts will be limited in scale."
This kind of friction was nothing new. Even before the war, clashes between the Five Great Ninja Villages had been frequent. Open warfare might be ending, but smaller confrontations would continue, just as they always had.
Arai had not intended to say so much. But he knew Yuji was perceptive enough to understand the truth on his own, and more importantly, Yuji was no ordinary child. He represented Sunagakure's future. There were some realities he would need to face sooner or later. Understanding the true structure of the ninja world now would only prepare him for what lay ahead.
Yuji listened in silence, then nodded slightly.
"I understand."
His expression remained calm, without anger or resentment. He did not accuse the village leadership of weakness, nor did he question their decision. His composure only reinforced how mature he truly was.
No one had wanted this outcome.
But the village had no choice.
Before leaving, Yuji paused at the doorway and turned back.
"Please pass a message to the Kazekage," he said. "Tell him I believe Sunagakure will become stronger again."
With that, he stepped outside.
Arai remained where he stood, watching him go.
For a moment, his vision blurred slightly.
Despite their defeat, Yuji's existence gave them something they had not felt in a long time.
Hope.
Sunagakure had lost this war.
That was undeniable.
And much of the responsibility rested on the shoulders of the Third Kazekage.
His decision to wage war against Konoha had been driven by ambition and economic pressure, but the village had paid dearly for it. The cost of that decision was written in the lives of countless fallen shinobi.
Yuji understood this better than most.
He did not regret what the future would bring for the Third Kazekage.
War itself was not the mistake.
The mistake had been entering it without sufficient preparation.
From Yuji's own experience on patrol missions, it was clear that many frontline deployments had been poorly organized. The high casualty rate among Sunagakure's forces was proof enough of that.
Even with the improvements Yuji had brought to the medical corps, saving many wounded shinobi, those same people were often sent back into battle without hesitation.
Sunagakure possessed powerful advantages.
Its puppet techniques, poison expertise, kekkei genkai users.
And yet those strengths had not been fully utilized.
Chiyo's poisons could threaten even the strongest opponents, but Konoha had Tsunade, who could neutralize them. This alone should have influenced their battlefield strategy more carefully.
As Yuji stepped outside, he glanced back toward the distant Kazekage's office.
His voice was barely audible.
"I believe Sunagakure will become stronger…"
He paused briefly.
"…but you will not be part of that future."
He turned and walked away without looking back.
...
Bonus Chapter @ every 100 stones and 2 reviews.