This Burden Isn't Mine to Bear

Hanfu's reason for resisting the examination was simple: he was worried someone would discover the green light in his mind.

It was his ultimate cheat, his trump card for dominating the Shinobi World. If anyone discovered it, they might even cut him open and study him. After all, Konoha had two lunatics like Danzo and Orochimaru. Just thinking about it was enough to fill him with despair.

Unfortunately, Hanfu was completely powerless against the formidable Gekko Hoshino and Keiko.

Under the couple's iron-fisted rule, Hanfu was taken straight to Konoha Hospital!

This was Hanfu's first time at Konoha Hospital.

Konoha Hospital was enormous. Most buildings in Konoha were only three stories tall, but the hospital had a full seven floors—a marvel combining architecture and Earth Style Ninjutsu!

"Come with me."

Once inside the hospital, Keiko led Gekko Hoshino and Hanfu toward the top floor with practiced ease. Along the way, they ran into quite a few medical staff, and Keiko greeted them all politely.

Gekko Hoshino also ran into a few acquaintances. They wore Ninja Headbands, but their faces were bloodless, and they looked as if they had suffered serious injuries.

Hanfu trudged behind them, utterly dejected, like a Wild Boar on its way to the slaughterhouse. He had no energy at all.

"Hanfu, cheer up. If the examination finds a Kekkei Genkai, you'll definitely become an excellent ninja!" Gekko Hoshino encouraged him.

"Feng-chan, ganbatte~" Keiko said, affectionately rubbing Hanfu's head.

"Heh." Hanfu sneered, feeling as though his life had already reached its end.

Soon, the family of three arrived at the top floor of Konoha Hospital. Keiko led the father and son all the way to the director's office.

Knock, knock!

Keiko respectfully knocked twice.

"Come in."

A middle-aged man's voice came from inside.

"Director."

As soon as she entered, Keiko immediately bowed respectfully in greeting.

"Lord Nara."

Gekko Hoshino did the same.

Hanfu's heart stirred.

Lord Nara?

Could he be from the Nara Clan?

The Nara Clan wasn't just a ninja clan; they also owned a mountain where they raised a large herd of deer and grew great quantities of medicinal herbs. They were Konoha's biggest supplier of medicinal ingredients and a giant in the pharmaceutical industry!

So it was no surprise at all that the director of Konoha Hospital was from the Nara Clan!

Hanfu looked up and saw that the director had a thin face and a high ponytail that stood straight up, a distinctive Nara Clan style. There was no doubt about it—he was from the Nara Clan!

"Keiko, Hoshino. Have you come to see Hayate?" Nara Lukai asked with a warm smile.

Gekko Hoshino asked respectfully, "Lord Nara, have you confirmed Hayate's Kekkei Genkai?"

"We're still examining him. We won't know exactly what type of Kekkei Genkai it is until tomorrow," Nara Lukai replied. Then he turned his gaze to Hanfu and asked, "Is this your child?"

Gekko Hoshino answered respectfully, "Yes, Lord Nara. He's Keiko's and my child. His name is Hanfu."

Hanfu stood there without moving.

Gekko Hoshino patted him on the head.

Hanfu looked up at him.

Gekko Hoshino cleared his throat, a little awkwardly.

Keiko was more direct. She grabbed Hanfu's ear and twisted it. "Feng-chan, children shouldn't be so rude~"

"Ah!!"

His ear hurt, and Hanfu had no choice but to give in. "Hello, Uncle Nara!!"

"Good, good. Haha, what an energetic child!" Nara Lukai said with a laugh, shaking his head.

"Lord Nara, I'd like to ask you to examine Hanfu too." Gekko Hoshino looked a little embarrassed. "I suspect Hanfu may have awakened a Kekkei Genkai as well."

"Hmm?"

Nara Lukai raised an eyebrow and smiled. "If that's true, then the Gekko name really will resound throughout the Shinobi World."

As he spoke, Nara Lukai stood up and walked toward Hanfu.

"Sorry for the trouble, Lord Nara," Gekko Hoshino and Keiko said together, bowing.

"Come with me."

Led by Nara Lukai, the four of them entered a small laboratory. The room was filled with glassware. Some containers held human organs; others were filled with red or yellow liquids, with bubbles occasionally rising to the surface. It was a horrifying sight!

Are you sure this isn't Orochimaru's laboratory?

Hanfu felt uneasy, afraid a snake might slither out of a corner and swallow him.

"Hanfu, I'm going to draw a little blood for the examination. Don't be afraid of the pain."

Nara Lukai took out a syringe and smiled warmly at Hanfu.

Hanfu blinked. A blood draw?

That was right. Kekkei Genkai were related to DNA. They could just draw blood; there was no need to examine his brain!

Hanfu readily rolled up his short sleeve and gave up half a tube of blood.

Afterward, Nara Lukai divided Hanfu's blood among several glass containers. Then he took a few sealed glass test tubes from a rack. Inside them were liquids of strange colors.

Next, Nara Lukai poured the liquids from the test tubes into the glass containers one by one, labeled them, and began observing the chemical reactions in each container.

Before long, half an hour had passed.

Nara Lukai watched the reactions in Hanfu's blood and slowly furrowed his brow. After some thought, he turned around and drew another half-tube of blood from Hanfu for further tests. But in the end, he found nothing at all!

Gekko Hoshino and Keiko seemed to realize what that meant too. They exchanged glances and sighed in unison.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't found any sign of a Kekkei Genkai in Hanfu."

Nara Lukai sighed and gave them the answer they least wanted to hear.

"We were being greedy. I'm sorry for the trouble, Lord Nara," Gekko Hoshino said.

Nara Lukai smiled and shook his head. "No, I'm happy to conduct experiments like this. If more people in the village awaken Kekkei Genkai, the village will naturally grow stronger, and the other villages won't dare provoke us. All right, Hayate should be about finished too. Let's go back."

The four of them left the laboratory and returned to Nara Lukai's office.

"Director, Uncle Hoshino, Aunt Keiko, big brother."

Gekko Hayate, who had completed all his examinations, was already waiting in the office.

Hanfu's blood test had been done first. If it had shown signs of a Kekkei Genkai, they would have conducted more detailed examinations to identify its type. As for the results, they wouldn't know until the next day.

"Hayate, the Gekko Clan will have to depend on you from now on."

Gekko Hoshino looked at Gekko Hayate, his heart full of both pride and bitterness.

"Mm, I understand, Uncle Hoshino. I'll work hard." Gekko Hayate nodded like a bird pecking at rice. It was hard to tell whether he truly understood what Gekko Hoshino meant.

But Hanfu, standing beside them, understood. In the Original Work, Gekko Hayate had most likely been crushed by the burden of his clan and forced himself to train like mad every day, until his body gave out at a young age.

Hanfu sighed, walked over, and patted Gekko Hayate on the shoulder. He spoke earnestly. "Little bro, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Focus on Stealthy Development, understand?"

As soon as he finished speaking...

Smack!

Gekko Hoshino's eye twitched as he smacked Hanfu on the head, exasperated. "This is all because you're so untalented!"

"Huh? Is it because of me?"

Hanfu looked up in disbelief. He wasn't taking the blame for this!

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