The Eve

"Please bear with it, Nara Motonari-sensei—if I don't extract all the glass threads immediately, there is a risk of inflammation."

"Hiss... if you could, please be a bit gentler."

The moment glass fibers invade the human body, they do not cause particularly obvious pain. However, once they pierce deeper than a certain threshold under the skin, or if the victim's skin develops an inflammatory reaction, the ultimate torture—an itch mixed with numbness, and numbness mixed with pain—becomes unavoidable.

Furthermore, because the specially crafted glass threads are so thin and brittle, no conventional method—whether scratching or pulling—can extract them from the body in one piece!

Once broken fragments are left behind, the condition only becomes more complex. To eradicate them, one must literally carve out the flesh to treat the sore...

This is precisely why "Rain Woman's Heart" is considered unsolvable.

Once Soji uses Accio to manipulate the glass fibers to break through the dermis and invade connective tissues or other major organs, the victim likely wouldn't even have the chance to cut off their own limb to survive...

Of course, since the boy had guessed Nara Motonari's identity before tonight's accident, he naturally could not deal a lethal blow to his own teacher.

The drifting "rain threads" had only pierced the epidermis and had not delved further into the body, so with the help of Soji's own Filth-Licking Technique, the treatment was not overly complicated.

"Deep breaths, relax... I will try to handle the wounds as carefully as possible, but please cooperate with the treatment and don't move around."

Soji wore special white gloves on both hands; his left hand formed a seal to cut off the flow of chakra in the target area, while his right hand, shaped like a cat's claw, hovered over the wounds.

Before long, crystalline threads, almost invisible to the naked eye, sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain, pulled one by one from Motonari's body, eventually gathering into a galaxy-like cluster of light in Soji's palm.

He skillfully placed all the debris into a pre-prepared plastic box, repeating the motion of opening and closing the lid with painstaking care after every batch he extracted.

"Glass fibers are very light; if not stored properly, they could easily cause secondary contamination. An apartment isn't a hospital, after all, and we lack proper equipment, so this is the best I can do for now," Soji explained casually while working, and the onlookers suddenly understood.

"I see... is that everything?"

Nara Motonari carefully brushed his index finger over the skin of his cheek; whether due to psychological factors or something else, he could still feel a faint stinging sensation.

"I have repaired the wounds left by the glass threads, but as a precaution, I suggest you go to Konoha Hospital early tomorrow to see a specialist. Director Kobayakawa is very experienced in inflammation prevention, and his mastery of the Mystical Palm Extraction Technique is far beyond what this student can compare to. Once he performs the post-operative care, you can rest easy."

"...Right, I'll remember that."

Motonari scratched the back of his neck, his expression somewhat subtle.

As the team leader, he had originally intended to use tonight's surprise attack to teach his students a vivid, interesting, and thought-provoking lesson in practical combat.

But as things stood, those well-prepared grand principles had become difficult to voice due to the unexpected disaster...

Fortunately, Yamada-kun, who was well-versed in human nature, maintained his usual high emotional intelligence at the critical moment.

He immediately sensed Nara Motonari-sensei's embarrassment, and before the latter could find a way to salvage the situation, the boy took the initiative to offer him a way out.

"I am truly sorry for what happened tonight. I was momentarily carried away by the urge to test my skills and was inconsiderate in my actions—I must also thank Motonari-sensei for showing mercy and not using harmful secret techniques to counterattack."

The four of them were still kneeling; Soji simply moved back half a step, then bowed deeply, offering his most sincere apologies to Motonari-sensei in both word and deed.

"I had heard of the Shadow Neck Bind Technique before. At that moment, you were so close to me, and we were both within the shadows; had we truly been on a battlefield, I fear I would have lost my life ten thousand times over.

It was just that the situation was urgent, and I didn't have time to consider the consequences before acting... I am truly sorry for causing everyone so much trouble!"

Soji kept his posture very low, his cheek almost touching the ground.

However, combined with the scene during the treatment, the gazes of Erina and Todo shifted back and forth between the teacher and student, and they couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious...

The impression left by the "Rain Woman's Heart" technique was too profound, and the image of Nara-sensei lying there while having the needles pulled out was still fresh in their minds.

With that as a premise, it was by no means easy to change their perspective in such a short time, but given Soji's personality, since he had taken the initiative to start the conversation, he had naturally made full preparations.

He turned his head to smile at his two teammates, then raised a finger to point at the completely destroyed door lock.

"Although the shadow secret techniques are mid-to-close-range ninjutsu, the shorter the distance to the target, the greater the power they can exert. With Motonari-sensei's ability, breaking a solid door lock is not difficult, let alone blocking light glass fibers?

Furthermore, if the teacher had truly gone all out, what would have been destroyed at the first moment of our encounter wouldn't have been the door, but my bones and joints."

"So that's how it is!"

Todo and Erina seemed convinced by Soji, and they shifted their gazes back to Motonari-sensei.

This time, their gazes held less doubt and confusion, and more inquiry.

Fortunately, Nara Motonari was also a top-tier clever man.

He didn't waste the opportunity Soji had created by spouting nonsense; instead, he once again used his shadow secret technique to bend the deformed lock back into place, and while under the "as I thought" gazes of his students, he moved on to the next topic.

"Alright, alright, none of that is important... Let's wrap up tonight's drill. As your Jounin team leader, I will summarize the issues each of you had."

Compared to idle chatter at the dinner table, the three surprise attacks tonight had created a real opportunity for the four of them to engage in actual combat.

Although this was essentially a test similar to an emergency assembly for new recruits, the information gained through direct contact with techniques and physical combat was far more profound than empty words!

Therefore, when discussing this topic, Nara Motonari set aside his usual free-spirited nature and became uncharacteristically serious: "In order, let's start with Todo."

"Yes!" The little fatty, sporting a panda eye, immediately sat up straight.

"I can understand that you were in the Akimichi clan's compound and thus let your guard down. But relatively speaking, I also arranged a longer 'prelude' before launching the attack to give you a warning.

But in fact, until the end of the battle, you never made a calm and correct response! For a ninja who will soon step onto the battlefield, you were far too careless."

"Sorry, Motonari-sensei..."

Akimichi Todo did not argue, simply lowering his head to accept the criticism; he was clearly an honest kid.

Seeing that he truly had the intention of self-reflection and regret, Nara Motonari didn't intend to repeat himself, simply reaching out to pat his shoulder before turning his target to the Sarutobi young lady.

"Next is you, Erina. Compared to Todo, your reaction was faster, your vigilance was higher, and you successfully countered with a technique. But aside from taijutsu and the Body Replacement Technique, the ninja tools and ninjutsu you excel at never had a chance to be utilized. What is the reason for this?"

"Uh, Teacher, your movements were too fast, and I just didn't have any suitable tools at hand at that moment..." Erina sat up straight as well, answering the question with complete sincerity.

"The battlefield is no child's play; there are no chances to pause or start over. No matter how many backup plans you have, they can all vanish into thin air the moment you are ambushed. So, remember to always keep your means of survival within arm's reach, lest you end up feeling aggrieved and regretful in the afterlife!"

"You are right to lecture me..."

The energetic girl Erina's voice grew noticeably weaker.

Among the three of them, she was usually the most competitive, and having been poked in her weak spot by Nara Motonari, her mood visibly plummeted into a low point...

As Erina lowered her head, bowed, and hunched her shoulders, Teacher Motonari's gaze naturally shifted further to the right, finally landing on Soji.

--Following the order, it was time for him to offer a few words of critique to this most outstanding disciple.

However, facing the boy who had nearly turned him into a pincushion, no matter how easygoing Nara Motonari's personality might be, it was difficult for him to maintain his composure at this moment!

After weighing his options, Teacher Motonari had no choice but to take a different path, choosing a more peculiar angle to open the conversation.