Late

Buzz...

Pale blue Chakra glowed from Houka's hands as he gently touched an old hen lying on the ground.

Beside the old hen, five or six fluffy chicks chirped anxiously.

The old hen was nearing death from old age, but Houka's stimulation reactivated the cells in her body. Miraculously, she got to her feet and flapped her wings, full of energy. The chicks grew excited too, circling around her.

Houka watched the scene and smiled softly, then got up and returned home. In his bedroom, he took out a scroll.

A staff member at Konoha Hospital had given him the scroll a month ago, saying it was on Yakushi Nonō's behalf. The staff member had also passed along Nonō's message: she wanted him to focus on learning Medical Ninjutsu and not worry about her.

Of course, Yakushi Nonō had also left him a large sum of money.

Houka knew Yakushi Nonō was a member of Konoha's Root. Her sudden departure, without even time to say goodbye, was likely on Danzo's orders.

Though Yakushi Nonō shouldn't die at this point in time, I can't help worrying about her.

Houka looked at the three Medical Ninjutsu techniques in the scroll: Healing Technique, Hemostasis Technique, and Mystical Palm Technique. He had learned the first one long ago and had mastered Hemostasis Technique over the past month, but he still hadn't made much headway with Mystical Palm Technique.

Mystical Palm Technique was an advanced form of Healing Technique. It activated all the cells in a wound and could heal it in just five minutes. It was considerably more difficult than Healing Technique and Hemostasis Technique. On top of that, Houka had to set aside plenty of time to refine Chakra, train in Taijutsu, and practice Hand Seals, so he still hadn't learned it.

Oh, right. The Ninja Academy opens tomorrow!

Remembering what Obito had said earlier, Houka felt a sudden flicker of excitement.

So far, he had met only three characters from the original story: Uchiha Obito, Yakushi Nonō, and Uchiha Fugaku. But there were plenty of them at the Ninja Academy.

People like Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, and Ibiki.

Just thinking about it made him a little excited.

But no matter how excited he felt, his daily training went on as usual.

That evening, Uchiha Obito showed up at Houka's house right on time, bringing his grandmother.

"Houka, is dinner ready?"

"Almost. Go wash your hands first," Houka called from the kitchen.

"Houka, thank you so much for everything you've done for us lately." Uchiha Obito's grandmother was very polite—or rather, extremely well-mannered. Everything she said and did was proper and gracious.

Houka smiled as he came out of the kitchen with a bowl of stir-fried meat. It smelled delicious, and he had cut each slice very thin, so it practically melted with a single chew—perfect for an elderly person.

For Houka, slicing the meat into thin strips was also a form of training. It improved his wrist control and finger dexterity. He had already made training a part of his everyday life.

Thanks to his relentless training, Houka's Chakra reserves had reached Genin level over the past month. His Hand Seals had also gotten much faster, down to 0.8 seconds per seal.

As for Taijutsu, no one was teaching him, so he trained based on what he remembered from his previous life. His stamina had improved a lot, but he still couldn't put it to use in a fight.

Still, Houka wasn't worried. He already knew who he wanted to ask to teach him.

When it came to Taijutsu in Konoha, no one could top Might Guy. But Guy was a year younger than Houka, so there was no way he could teach him.

His father, however, could!

Might Duy was a Taijutsu ninja from Konoha, known as the Eternal Genin. Countless shinobi had mocked him, but his strength was absolutely terrifying!

During the Third Ninja World War, a few years later, Might Duy would open the final gate of the Eight Inner Gates, the Gate of Death, to protect his son. He would face off against the Hidden Mist's trump card, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and kill four of them before finally dying after running out of Chakra!

Houka guessed that by now, Might Duy had already trained the Eight Inner Gates all the way to its final gate, the Gate of Death!

With Duy as his teacher, Houka was sure his Taijutsu would improve by leaps and bounds!

As for whether Might Duy would be willing to teach him, Houka wasn't worried in the slightest.

As the Eternal Genin, Might Duy was naturally good-natured. And as a staunch believer in the Will of Fire, he would never ignore Houka's request.

He spent the night training.

Early the next morning, Uchiha Obito was up and calling for Houka.

"Houka, hurry up! It's the first day of school, and we're going to be late!" Obito shouted excitedly from outside.

Houka opened his eyes and looked at the faintly brightening sky, speechless.

"Come on, it's way too early!"

But with Uchiha Obito shouting at the top of his lungs, Houka still got out of bed. He made breakfast, and, at Obito's reminder, packed lunch too.

They wolfed down their breakfast, grabbed their lunch boxes, and headed out together.

Uchiha Obito was buzzing with energy the whole way, looking left and right as if some peerless... old lady about to cross the street might appear at any moment...

Houka's eye twitched as he watched Uchiha Obito dash off and help a woman in her seventies or eighties across the street.

The old woman took Uchiha Obito's hand and praised him enthusiastically, until he was blushing and scratching his head shyly.

At last, Uchiha Obito came running back, grinning like an idiot.

"Houka, doing good deeds feels amazing!" Uchiha Obito said, brimming with excitement.

"Ugh!" Houka sighed. Now he finally understood why Obito had gotten up so early.

As they went along, sure enough, whenever they came across an old lady, whether she needed to cross the street or not, Uchiha Obito was there to help her across safely—for free! A once-in-a-lifetime offer, old ladies and gentlemen, don't miss your chance!

By the end, Houka looked up at the sky, almost in tears.

"At this rate, I think we're already... late, aren't we?"

Obito finally realized it, then slapped Houka on the shoulder. "Hurry, or the teacher's going to scold us!"

Houka was so mad he wanted to hit someone.

Should he stab Uchiha Obito a couple of times while he was still a nobody, so that when Obito made it big later, Houka would have something to brag about?

They ran as fast as they could, but sure enough, by the time they reached the Ninja Academy, they were late.

"Hey, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Houka! You two have some nerve, being late on the first day of class!"

In the office, Shin Kiyono, the teacher for Houka and Obito's class, was giving them a thorough scolding!

Shin Kiyono was a Chunin with average fighting ability, but he was an excellent teacher. He grabbed Houka and Obito and lectured them for a full hour and a half without drinking a drop of water or taking a breath. By the time he was done, the two were in tears and ready to confess everything, be reborn, and start their lives over!

"Teacher, we know we were wrong."

Houka let out a helpless sigh. What could he do? He was helpless too!