Chapter 68: Teacher, Did You Also Invent Your Own Ninjutsu?

"Senior Kitayama, this surgery was a complete success! Even a tough nut like the Aburame clan was handled!"
Hyakusa's voice was filled with excitement.

"The Aburame clan are not easily poisoned, so this was a rare opportunity. Fortunately, we seized the moment and validated the necessity of collaborative surgical improvements."
Kitayama绪 let out a long sigh of relief.

With the Aburame clan harboring a swarm of insects inside their bodies and having been struck by a targeted, highly infectious poison, pinpointing the exact source of the disease had been extremely difficult.
Fortunately, Chiba's jutsu was powerful enough!

"Sigh, after finishing this case, I don't want to take in any patients from the Aburame clan anymore. It's really..."
Hyakusa continued to vent.

"Indeed."

Neither of them noticed the robed, sunglasses-wearing man sitting by the doorway.
He silently stood up.

"Captain Kitayama, thank you so much for the successful surgery. If it weren't for you, this child wouldn't have survived at all."

"Although it was a bit troublesome... I'm sorry, I mean the surgery was a bit high in difficulty. Besides, the success wasn't solely my merit!"
Kitayama绪 muttered halfway through, only to realize the identity of the speaker, causing her to shudder violently. "We used the latest medical ninjutsu to quickly and accurately locate the source of the disease; otherwise, the longer it dragged on, the more dangerous it would have been."

"The latest medical ninjutsu? No wonder."
Aburame Shibi adjusted his sunglasses, then smiled with a "stiff expression." "Understood, thank you very much!"

"..."

That "no wonder" of yours definitely carries a deep subtext.
Do you believe me if I say I'll give you a nasty cut next time?
Kitayama绪 thought to herself.

However, she also understood the caliber of Konoha's medical team prior to this. While they certainly weren't incompetent—Konoha's medical division was among the finest in the ninja world—dealing with targeted poison infections meant they usually couldn't find the source of the poison and eradicate it in such a short time.

As for innovating new jutsu, they could hardly claim to be proficient. Ever since Lady Tsunade left, very few new jutsu had appeared; the last one had been the chakra needles created by Chiba.
Combined with Chiba's performance, there was no doubt who had created the new jutsu.
Although they had participated in the process, they were far too ashamed to brazenly claim it as their own invention.

"In any case, thank you all very much."
Aburame Shibi bowed slightly and then walked toward the ward.

Kitayama绪 and Hyakusa exchanged glances.
Once he was far enough away, the two began whispering.

"When did he get here?"
"I have no idea, didn't notice him at all. Good thing he didn't hold it against us, or we definitely would have gotten a complaint."
"I think handling complaints is my job."
"..."

Aburame Shibi stood in silence outside the doorway around the corner.
Although he had been standing some distance away, a ninja's hearing was exceptionally sharp. He stood quietly for a moment, then pushed the door open and stepped inside.

No matter what, the child had been saved at least.

Pushing the door open, he saw a figure he hadn't expected.

"Lord Danzo?"
"Shibi, take a seat."

Aburame Shibi remained silent for a few seconds, then sat down nearby.
His clansman would not wake up anytime soon.

Danzo sat by the window and said in a low voice, "Regarding this incident, do you think it was an accident?"
"I don't know."
He shook his head, not directly voicing the suspicion in his heart.

Although the Aburame clan was still supplying manpower to Root, it didn't mean he was completely on Danzo's side; their alliance was merely built on overlapping interests.
Aburame Shibi couldn't gauge Danzo's true intentions and decided to wait and see first.

Danzo sneered, "The Kamizuru clan has been reduced to the brink of extinction. How could they possibly still have the energy to research drugs targeting the Aburame clan?"
"Perhaps Iwagakure has put them to use once more."
Aburame Shibi sighed softly.

One's enemies are often those who understand them best, and it was entirely possible for the Kamizuru clan to manufacture specialized poisons.
"Shibi, research of this caliber cannot possibly be the product of the Kamizuru. The researcher is someone else entirely, though unfortunately, I don't have a target in mind either."
Danzo sighed, then stood up. "I'll point you toward someone who can help you."
"Who?"
"Yagyu Chiba."

...

"Chiba, what do you think?"
"I think with my eyes—well, frankly speaking, there is no ideal optimization plan at the moment. Utilizing absorption barriers both internally and externally simultaneously can certainly boost efficiency, but the problems it brings are also significant."
Chiba rubbed his temples.

One problem solved, only for another to arise.
A dual internal-external barrier greatly enhanced efficiency, but this type of barrier ninjutsu was not something anyone could learn.
Even among jounin, those proficient in barrier ninjutsu were exceedingly rare.

"Indeed."
Tenten thought for a moment. "Using chakra steel might solve it."
"That would be far too extravagant."
Tsukikage Kesha whispered.

Forging a ninja tool of that size would consume a massive amount of chakra steel.
If used for blades, it could forge several fine swords instead.
What a waste!

"Alright, those are issues for Lord Hokage and the others to consider. Let's talk about these few designs instead."
Kakashi pulled the conversation back on track.

Thus, the group conducted a brief summary of the four sets forged so far.
Unlike chakra weapons, provided the structure and formulation remain unchanged, the influence of the forging craftsmanship is practically zero.

Good news.
This proved that it possessed the capability for mass production.

The only regrettable part—
It wasn't very convenient. It was difficult to use during regular small-team missions, classifying it as a ninja tool required primarily for battlefield engagements or large-scale collective operations involving multiple teams.

"Don't feel discouraged. As a first version, it's considered quite successful."
Kakashi smiled, making fun of himself. "Take my original ninjutsu for example; when it was first created, its flaws were fatal."
"Is that the jutsu with lightning in your hand?"
Tsukikage Kesha's eyes lit up.

That jutsu looked incredibly cool, and she had wanted to learn it the moment she saw it. However, after searching around, she couldn't find any records of it, turning out to be Teacher Kakashi's original ninjutsu after all.

"Teacher Kakashi actually has his own original ninjutsu?"
Tenten wore an expression of astonishment and disbelief.

Kakashi squinted, chuckling dryly. "Doesn't it look like it? Back in the day, I was quite a famous genius too!"
"Uh, Teacher Kakashi, that's not what I meant, it's just..."
"Tenten probably means you don't look like it nowadays."
Chiba helpfully added.
"No, it's not!"
Tenten's face flushed red.

After all, Kakashi didn't seem to read books every day; he was either late or reading age-inappropriate material, hardly looking like someone capable of inventing a ninjutsu.

"Teacher Kakashi once used that jutsu to slice through lightning bolts, you know."
Chiba backed Kakashi up.

Tsukikage Kesha quickly asked, "Teacher, what happened afterward? Did you overcome that flaw?"
"To some extent, yes."
Kakashi sighed.
"It must be the Sharingan."
Chiba stated, "Teacher Kakashi's jutsu is primarily used for surprise attacks and assassinations, which require high-speed movement during combat. The flaw must be that ordinary people cannot control it."
"Mmm."
Kakashi nodded.

Following the praise, he vaguely felt that something wasn't quite right.
This child had already accumulated an astonishing depth of knowledge, capable of internalizing many techniques after seeing them just once. The inner workings of Chidori could not possibly be hidden from Chiba.
Could this kid...
Be thinking of a better solution?