Soseki was not angered by this. Instead, he nodded approvingly. "You're right. I really am too weak. If it weren't for me, that night I wouldn't have dragged..."
Back when he had been trying to become Tsunade's apprentice, he had declared that he would become the greatest Medical Ninja. While that had earned him points toward becoming her disciple, it also naturally restricted his justification for learning other techniques.
Learning Genjutsu could be said to help him treat patients better. Learning monstrous strength could be said to follow his teacher's guidance.
But what about learning the Eight Gates?
Though few people would think that deeply about it, once he stood at the top in the future—
Every action he had taken and every decision he had made would be placed under a magnifying glass and studied repeatedly.
While such matters would not have much of an impact, any flaw was extremely glaring to Soseki, who pursued perfection.
That's why I need to find reasons for myself that are logically consistent beforehand! Soseki sighed inwardly, his eyes bright as he looked at the Tool Person before him.
Might Guy had not caught the vague reference in the latter half of Soseki's words, but he did not care. He merely said excitedly, "Senior Soseki, let's sweat for our youth together! As long as you train with me, I guarantee no one will be able to hit you in the future!"
A strange feeling rose within Soseki. As a master manipulator, this was the first time someone had talked him into something instead.
And for such an inexplicable reason, at that.
However, as he looked behind Might Guy, Soseki's expression became strange. "Don't tell me you've been working so hard on rehabilitation training just so you can get discharged sooner and avoid being cornered in the hospital by your classmates?"
"As expected of Senior—you're just as smart as me!" Might Guy gave Soseki a thumbs-up, a dazzlingly brilliant smile spreading across his face.
"Oh, right, Senior. What are we competing in later?"
Soseki gave him a sympathetic look, his tone grave. "Let's wait until you've rested before talking about competing."
Might Guy grinned. "No problem! I've already rested enough!"
"I'm not talking about now. I mean after you've been beaten up and had time to rest."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Just then, an "icy" laugh came from behind Might Guy.
"To stop us from quitting the club, you plastered our information all over the school!"
"You even tricked us into getting such stupid haircuts and made us the laughingstock of everyone!"
"Because of you, I've already lost my right to find a girlfriend at school!"
"Wait, with a face that ruins the village's image like yours, didn't you already have no chance of finding a girlfriend?"
"I don't care! Brothers, get him!"
Might Guy immediately realized that things were bad and turned to make a run for it.
But the others had already prepared for this. They pounced on Might Guy like Mount Tai pressing down upon him.
Then, someone's blissful cries echoed through the hospital.
Soseki did not step in to stop them. As a Medical Ninja, he could naturally tell that Might Guy's classmates were not really hitting him. They were merely jokingly grabbing his face and kneading it.
About twenty minutes later, Might Guy finally stood before Soseki again with a swollen face. "Senior Soseki, I'm ready!" he said in a muffled voice.
Looking at the pig-headed figure before him, Soseki found it amusing even as he formed hand seals and pressed his hands forward.
Bathed in the Healing Technique, Might Guy let out a misleading moan. The next moment, he shouted full of energy, "Senior Soseki, I'm healed! Let's start the competition!"
Soseki smiled. "Then let's make it a running contest."
Might Guy perked up and hurriedly asked, "Senior Soseki, are we racing to see who can run twenty laps around Leaf Village first?"
Soseki's mouth twitched. He coughed. "We're both patients right now, so excessive exercise isn't advisable. We'll just race one lap around the track."
"Just one lap?" Might Guy scratched his head, somewhat disappointed. However, he quickly rallied and shouted, "Senior Soseki, I absolutely won't lose to you!"
"Then, we're starting! Three, two, one—go!"
The moment he finished speaking, Might Guy charged forward as though his life depended on it. Even his features were distorted by the wind.
That speed really is terrifying! Soseki marveled inwardly, his gaze sharpening. Looks like I need to get a little serious too!
Though he had never intended to win from the start, losing too disgracefully would not do either.
Two gales tore across the track, making the patients strolling slowly around it shudder in fright.
The two sprinted neck and neck. One moment Soseki was ahead, the next Might Guy had taken the lead; the front position changed almost constantly.
Should I "run out of strength" now? Soseki was hesitating when he suddenly noticed that Might Guy beside him had erupted with an entirely different aura.
"Dad said that as long as you work hard, ordinary people can defeat geniuses too! Hard work can't possibly go unrewarded!" Images flashed through Might Guy's eyes—his father and himself training diligently every day, and his father being mocked disdainfully by others. An incomparably tremendous force suddenly erupted from within him, and with a quarter of the race remaining, he completely overtook Soseki.
Then, under Soseki's shocked gaze, he charged across the finish line in one burst!
"I... I won!" Might Guy was so exhausted that he dropped to his knees, his lungs burning so fiercely that he could barely speak.
"Yes, you won." Soseki smiled and sat down beside him without regard for his image. "I really never expected that my first defeat since entering the academy would be at your hands!"
"So, as punishment for losing the race... let me give you a physical examination and treatment once a week from now on!"
Might Guy froze, staring blankly at Soseki.
Soseki smiled faintly, his voice seeming to carry a warmth that soothed the heart. "Your training methods are too extreme. They'll accumulate many hidden injuries in your body. You may not notice them normally, but once they erupt completely, your whole body could collapse!"
Upon hearing this, tears of gratitude completely burst from Might Guy's eyes.
He might have been straightforward, but he was not stupid. He could naturally tell that Soseki had deliberately proposed a contest he was bound to lose so that Might Guy could receive treatment with his dignity intact.
To spare his feelings, Senior Soseki had not hesitated to damage his own reputation!
"Don't overthink it. I didn't deliberately lose to you. Might Guy, your perseverance truly is admirable!"
"Waaah! Dad was right after all—I can already feel the blazing heat of youth! Senior Soseki, I absolutely won't disappoint you!"
Soseki merely smiled gently. As a Medical Ninja, if he had a suitable model to reference, he could absorb the other person's experience at the fastest possible rate.
After all, he was destined to be unable to devote too much time to the Eight Gates. If he wanted to keep improving, the best method was to find a Tool Person and let him grind experience while he was offline.
It could be said that once Might Guy learned the Eight Gates, the data Soseki would obtain from examining and treating him would become his greatest gain.
"Medical Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, taijutsu, space-time ninjutsu, senjutsu... I finally understand how Orochimaru feels now. There are too many wonderful techniques in this world waiting for me to learn. Time really is far too short!"
"Fortunately, I have plenty of excellent Tool People!"
Before you continue