Rorin, resting in his new home, gazed out at the sky beyond the window.
By now, the first battle between Naruto and Sasuke at the Valley of the End should have already concluded.
Naruto left a claw mark across Sasuke's forehead protector as a parting gesture.
Sasuke left his own forehead protector behind, giving Naruto something to remember him by. Their bond shattered, and they went their separate ways—truly a tragic and moving friendship.
Rorin didn't dwell on their entanglement any further. Now that he had arrived in the Hidden Leaf Village, the thing he most wanted to do was visit the legendary Ichiraku Ramen and taste this famous delicacy of the ninja world.
Following the directions Rock Lee had given him earlier that day, Rorin arrived at the entrance of Ichiraku Ramen. Pulling aside the curtain, he stepped inside.
Hm? In the corner on the left, Rorin spotted a familiar figure from behind—an unmistakable pineapple-shaped hairstyle. Nara Shikamaru.
At that moment, Shikamaru sat with his head lowered, hands resting on his thighs, silent. The ramen in front of him still steamed.
Rorin took a seat beside him and ordered a large bowl of ramen.
Sensing someone sit next to him, Shikamaru initially thought it was Asuma-sensei coming to comfort him. But when he looked up, he saw an unfamiliar boy sitting there. Just as he was about to get up and leave—
The boy grabbed his arm, pointed at the ramen on the counter, and said with a smile, "Wasting food is a bad habit, you know."
Hearing this, Shikamaru pulled his arm free, a trace of annoyance on his face, but he still sat back down and began slurping his noodles.
Rorin didn't pay him any more attention. His own ramen soon arrived, and he eagerly started eating as well.
It had to be said—worthy of its reputation as a ninja world specialty, it was truly delicious. Naruto hadn't lied to him.
With their impressive appetites, the two quickly finished their bowls.
"Alright, say it. What do you want with me? I doubt you came over just to tell me wasting food is shameful."
After finishing, Shikamaru turned his head toward Rorin, his expression calm as he asked.
"Sorry, let me introduce myself first. My name is Kaguya Rorin. Nice to meet you," Rorin said lightly.
"Nara Shikamaru. Nice to meet you." Shikamaru scratched the back of his head with his left hand.
"Believe it or not, I didn't come here specifically to find you. It's just a coincidence."
"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving." With that, Shikamaru stood up, paid the bill, and as he left Ichiraku Ramen, his gaze flicked briefly toward Rorin.
Kaguya Rorin, huh? Looks like I'll have to look into him. What a drag.
With his hands in his pockets, Shikamaru hunched slightly as he slowly walked away.
Watching his retreating figure, a faint smile curled at the corner of Rorin's lips.
The greatest mind in the Hidden Leaf Village… he might come in handy someday.
After eating his fill, Rorin returned to his new home, lay flat on his large bed, and quietly drifted into sleep.
It had been over three months. As a soul form, he hadn't been able to experience the joy of sleep. At this moment, he wished he could sleep for three days and three nights straight.
But reason told him that wouldn't do. Right now, time was life itself.
A quiet night passed...
...
The next day.
Full of energy, Rorin arrived at the entrance of the Hidden Leaf Village hospital according to his appointment with Tsunade. Shizune was already waiting there, holding Tonton. When she saw Rorin, she immediately walked over.
"Good morning, Rorin-kun."
"Good morning, Shizune-san."
Following Shizune, he entered the hospital. As she walked ahead, she explained,
"Tsunade-sama is currently at the Hokage building handling official duties. She asked me to get you settled first, and then she'll come to treat you."
Rorin nodded. As the leader of a village, she naturally had many responsibilities. He had no complaints—he was already grateful that she was willing to treat him.
Once everything was arranged, Rorin changed into a striped patient gown and waited quietly in his hospital room.
An hour later, the door opened. Tsunade had already changed into a white coat.
Looking at Rorin lying on the bed, she smiled. "Sorry, kid. I'm late."
Rorin shook his head. "It's fine, Tsunade-sama. I just got here not long ago."
Tsunade nodded, then stepped forward, her expression turning serious.
"Kid from the Kaguya clan, I thought about your condition all night. I've come up with two treatment plans."
Rorin straightened up, listening carefully.
"In my opinion, your condition is closely related to your Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai. I looked into some records—your ability manipulates osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and calcium levels in the body, allowing bones to grow, break down, or remain hardened. On the surface, it doesn't seem dangerous. But the real issue is your unlimited overuse of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, causing uncontrolled cell proliferation. At the same time, it suppresses normal hematopoietic function—some of your blood-forming cells have become abnormal. Multiple organs in your body are suffering from insufficient blood supply, which is why your condition keeps worsening."
Hearing Tsunade's explanation, Rorin fell into deep thought. If that was the case, then why could the Byakugan suppress the Shikotsumyaku bloodline disease?
Suddenly, it clicked.
The Byakugan could see the flow of chakra throughout the entire body, including the bones. Since Shikotsumyaku controls osteoblast proliferation through chakra, then with the help of the Byakugan, one could regulate the growth of osteoblasts within the bones and maintain cellular stability. That way, hematopoietic stem cells wouldn't be affected, and the bloodline disease would cease to exist.
After figuring it all out, Rorin looked at Tsunade attentively, wanting to hear the two treatment plans she mentioned.
Seeing that Rorin had gradually accepted the cause of his illness, Tsunade continued,
"As I said, there are two treatment options. The first is a direct blood replacement. Some of your hematopoietic cells have already mutated, so the simplest method is to completely replace them with healthy ones. Ideally, the donor should be your closest relative, but unfortunately..."
Rorin shook his head. That was practically impossible. He then asked about the second option.
"The second method will be extremely painful. We would destroy the mutated hematopoietic stem cells in your body, leaving only the healthy ones. After that, your body should be able to regulate itself."
"Tsunade-sama… do I really have a choice?" Rorin gave a bitter smile.
Tsunade nodded, then added one last warning.
"There's something else you need to remember. During treatment, you must not use the power of Shikotsumyaku. In the future, you must also use it sparingly, or you'll fall into the same situation again. If your body deteriorates like this again, you may not be so lucky next time. It could truly become impossible to save you."
Rorin nodded obediently. He understood. If it weren't for the system's Life-Extension Pill this time, this body might have already collapsed.
Seeing his promise, Tsunade finally relaxed. She was genuinely worried that after healing him, he'd go right back to risking his life. As a doctor, the kind of patient she hated most was one who ignored medical advice—gets cured, then recklessly throws their life away, wasting the second chance they were given.