"I'm afraid you'll have to bear with me, Teacher Motonari. If I don't remove all the glass fibers at once, there's a risk they could cause inflammation."
"Ah... If possible, please be gentle."
Glass fibers caused no obvious pain the moment they entered the body. But once they pierced beneath the skin past a certain depth, or if the victim's skin developed an inflammatory reaction, the resulting torment—an unbearable mix of itching, numbness, and pain—was unavoidable.
On top of that, the specially made glass fibers were so fine and brittle that neither scratching nor pulling could remove them intact by conventional means!
If any broken fragments were left behind, the condition would only grow more complicated. The only way to get rid of them completely was to literally cut away the flesh around them...
That was why Rain Woman's Heart had no solution.
If Soji used Accio to guide the glass fibers through the dermis and into connective tissue or other major organs, the victim might not even get the chance to make a desperate sacrifice...
Of course, since the boy had guessed Nara Motonari's identity before tonight's mishap, there was no way he would actually harm his teacher.
The scattered "rain lines" had only pierced the surface of the skin, without going any deeper. With Soji's Filth-Licking Technique, treatment was therefore not complicated.
"Take a deep breath and relax... I'll do my best to treat the wounds carefully, but please cooperate and don't move around."
Soji wore special white gloves on both hands. With the fingers of his left hand held together, he cut off the flow of chakra to the target area. His right hand hovered over the wound, fingers curled like a cat's paw.
Before long, the crystalline threads, almost impossible to make out with the naked eye, began emerging from Motonari's body like shoots after a spring rain. They gathered into a cluster of starlike lights in Soji's palm.
With practiced movements, he placed all the fragments into a plastic container he had prepared in advance. After removing each batch, he patiently repeated the motion of opening and closing the lid.
"Glass fibers are very light, so if they aren't stored properly, they could cause secondary contamination. This apartment isn't a hospital, and we don't have all the proper equipment, so this is the best we can do for now." Soji casually explained as he worked, and the onlookers immediately understood.
"I see... So that's it, then? I'm all right now?"
Nara Motonari cautiously ran his index finger over the skin of his cheek. Whether it was psychological or something else, he could still feel a slight prickling pain.
"I've repaired the wounds left by the glass fibers, but to be safe, I recommend you get to Konoha Hospital early tomorrow and see a specialist. Director Kobayakawa has plenty of experience preventing inflammation, and his skill with the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique far surpasses mine. Once he handles your follow-up treatment, you should be fine."
"...All right. I'll remember that."
Motonari scratched the back of his neck, his expression somewhat complicated.
As their team leader, he had planned to use tonight's surprise attack to give his students a lively, thought-provoking lesson in practical combat.
But now, after the unexpected accident, it was hard to bring himself to deliver the lecture he had so carefully prepared...
Fortunately, the perceptive Yamada-kun maintained his usual high emotional intelligence at this crucial moment.
He immediately saw how awkward Teacher Motonari felt. Before the older man could figure out how to salvage the situation, the boy offered him an opening.
"I'm really sorry about what happened tonight. I got carried away and didn't think things through before striking. I should also thank you for holding back, Teacher Motonari, and not using a harmful secret technique to counterattack."
All four of them were kneeling. Soji simply shifted back half a step, then bowed until his forehead nearly touched the ground, offering Teacher Motonari his most sincere apology in both word and deed.
"I'd heard of the Shadow Neck Bind Technique before. You were so close to me, and we were both in the shadows. If we'd actually been on a battlefield, I doubt I'd have survived, no matter how many lives I had.
"But things were so urgent that I didn't have time to think through the consequences before I acted... I'm truly sorry for causing everyone so much trouble!"
Soji bowed so low that his cheek was almost against the floor.
But thinking back to the treatment, Erina and Todo kept glancing between teacher and student, still somewhat doubtful...
The impression Rain Woman's Heart had left on them was too strong, and the image of Teacher Nara lying on the floor while they pulled out the splinters was still fresh in their minds.
It would be difficult to change their minds in such a short time. But given Soji's personality, if he had brought up the subject himself, he had naturally come prepared.
He turned to smile at his two teammates, then raised a hand and pointed at the badly damaged door lock.
"Shadow techniques are ninjutsu meant for close to medium range, but the closer you are to the target, the more powerful they tend to be. With Teacher Motonari's abilities, breaking a solid door lock wouldn't be difficult. So how could he fail to stop a few weightless glass fibers?
"Besides, if Teacher Motonari had really been going all out, the first thing he damaged when we met wouldn't have been the door. It would have been my bones and joints."
"I see!"
Todo and Erina seemed convinced by Soji's explanation, and turned their gazes to Teacher Motonari.
This time, there was less doubt and confusion in their eyes, and more curiosity.
Fortunately, Nara Motonari was clever in his own right.
He didn't waste the opportunity Soji had created by coming up with some nonsense. Instead, he used his shadow technique to bend the warped lock back into place, then moved on to the next topic while his students watched with looks that said, "So that's how it is."
"Enough, enough. That's not important... Tonight's training is over for now. As your team leader, I'm going to go over the problems each of you three had."
Compared to their casual conversation over dinner, tonight's three surprise attacks had given the four of them a real chance to fight one another.
Though the encounters had essentially been emergency drills for new recruits, what they had learned through techniques and direct exchanges of blows was far more memorable than anything they could have picked up from empty talk!
So when Nara Motonari spoke about it, he put aside his usual carefreeness and adopted an uncharacteristically serious tone. "In order, we'll start with Todo."
"Yes!" The chubby boy, sporting a black eye, immediately straightened up.
"I can understand why you let your guard down in the Akimichi Clan's compound. But in turn, I gave you a longer 'opening' to alert you before launching my attack.
"Even so, you never managed to respond calmly and correctly before the fight was over! For a ninja who'll soon be stepping onto the battlefield, you were far too careless."
"I'm sorry, Teacher Motonari..."
Akimichi Todo didn't argue. He simply lowered his head and accepted the scolding obediently. He was clearly an honest kid.
Seeing that Todo genuinely regretted his actions, Nara Motonari didn't intend to repeat himself. He merely patted him on the shoulder, then turned his attention to the young lady of the Sarutobi family.
"Next is you, Erina. Compared to Todo, you reacted faster and were more alert, and you even managed to counterattack with a technique. But aside from taijutsu and the Substitution Technique, you didn't get a chance to use any of the ninja tools or ninjutsu you're good at. Why was that?"
"Um, Teacher, you moved too quickly, and I didn't have any suitable tools nearby at the time..." Erina straightened up as well and answered earnestly.
"The battlefield isn't a game. You don't get a chance to pause and start over. No matter how many other tricks you have up your sleeve, an ambush can render them all useless. So always keep the things you rely on to protect yourself within easy reach. Otherwise, you'll be left regretting it when you're dead!"
"You're right..."
The lively girl's voice grew noticeably quieter.
Of the three, she was probably the most competitive. Now that Nara Motonari had hit a sore spot, her spirits visibly sank...
As Erina lowered her head, bowed, and hunched her shoulders, Teacher Motonari's gaze naturally shifted to the right, finally settling on Soji.
—In order, he should offer a few words of critique to the student who had performed the best.
But facing the boy who had nearly turned him into a pincushion, even Nara Motonari, easygoing as he was, found it difficult to stay calm!
After weighing his options, Teacher Motonari could only take a different tack, choosing a more unusual angle from which to begin.
Before you continue