17, So-called Potential

"As for Soji..."

Nara Motonari shifted his posture, sitting cross-legged and tapping his knees lightly.

He looked at the boy sitting upright before him, speaking slowly in a tone more cautious than before: "In terms of adaptability and vigilance, you have achieved near perfection within the scope of your capabilities. The secret techniques you execute with the aid of special tools are even more impossible to guard against. Setting aside the objective limitations of combat experience and perspective, you have a better chance of surviving on the battlefield than most Chunin...

However, Soji, from my perspective, you still have weaknesses uniquely your own."

The traditional art of the carrot and the stick is universal. From the moment he heard that long string of praise at the beginning, Yamada-kun had been waiting for this crucial pivot.

Therefore, the moment the word "however" left the teacher's lips, Soji was not surprised; instead, he felt a sense of relief.

He cupped his hands in a salute and bowed deeply once more.

"Please, teacher, enlighten me."

"From using a Shadow Clone to lure the enemy to cutting the lights to obscure their vision, your series of responses were perfectly in line with textbook regulations. Yet, such intricate and tightly woven designs conversely expose your weaknesses in fundamental abilities."

Having said this, Nara Motonari couldn't help but tilt his head to glance at the young girl who hadn't yet fully emerged from her low spirits.

"Erina, objectively speaking, if you were the one behind that door and discovered an unidentified ninja impersonating a teammate to trick you into opening it, how would you respond?"

"Uh... set up a trap with Explosive Tags in advance?"

"And if you didn't have that much time?"

"Then I'd use a Flash Tag to lure the enemy and an Explosive Tag to blow the door open, aiming to catch the opponent off guard!"

Nara Motonari nodded upon hearing this and turned to Akimichi Todo.

"And you?"

"...I might use the Multi-Size Technique?"

Teacher Motonari still offered no evaluation, merely nodding before refocusing his attention on Soji.

"Todo and Erina's methods aren't necessarily superior to yours, but in terms of adaptability, they are more versatile than your complex and delicate designs, and they have lower requirements for the environment.

Soji, your secret techniques are strong, and you possess the intelligence to utilize your abilities effectively. However, that does not change your shortcomings in ninjutsu and taijutsu—it might sound strange coming from me, a ninja who also relies heavily on secret techniques, but as your teacher, I must remind you: walking down one path until it hits a dead end is not a good thing."

Seemingly to avoid crushing the proud genius boy or triggering a rebellious streak, Nara Motonari deliberately touched the freshly healed wound on his cheek while saying this, using his own person as a cautionary tale to remind Soji not to repeat his mistakes.

Soji was grateful for this thoughtfulness, but from a practical standpoint, this slightly contrived performance was actually unnecessary.

Admittedly, the boy was indeed currently following a path of "one trick to rule them all."

But that was merely a temporary solution derived from the objective limitations of his energy, talent, and resources.

Not to mention what other surprises the unscientific golden finger in his head might provide in the future, even without external aid, Soji had long since formulated a mature and complete plan to strengthen his personal capabilities once he advanced to a higher level.

—He had heard the "bucket theory" so often in his past life that his ears had grown callouses, and he was well aware of the dangers of having a singular skill set.

Since Nara Motonari had now pointed out the crux of the matter, which happened to confirm Soji's own thoughts from a different angle, how could he possibly feel any sense of rebellion?

Thus, the boy smiled and nodded, then leaned forward to take the teacher's arm, calling a halt to the teacher's monologue in his capacity as a medical practitioner.

"Yes, your teachings are etched in this student's heart.

However, before undergoing an examination, please do not scratch the wound even if it itches, so as to avoid breaking the skin."

Soji's eyes were clear and sincere as he spoke. As their gazes met, Motonari immediately understood his student's intentions from the subtle changes in his micro-expressions.

"Is that so? I suppose I was overthinking it... tsk tsk, you really don't act like a brat at all."

"Not at all," Soji bowed again, deliberately misinterpreting the meaning behind the teacher's words: "These are just introductory concepts in the field of medicine. As long as one studies diligently, an ordinary person can understand them in less than half a year."

"Let's just say that's the case, then."

Nara Motonari waved his hand, taking the opportunity to rub his stiff shoulders.

The stern expression he had maintained since the lecture began crumbled at this moment, seamlessly switching back to his usual listless, lethargic state.

"Tonight's temporary drill ends here, but tomorrow's meeting time and location remain unchanged. That is all, dismissed!"

"Yes! Teacher!"

The three youngsters stood up to see him off, but Motonari declined their kindness.

He instructed the three to head home early to rest, noting that tomorrow's mission would be no easier than tonight's surprise attack, before vanishing into the night.

The three youngsters were left looking at each other, at a loss.

—With tonight's special test as a baseline, Todo and Erina each added a few more worries about what tomorrow would bring.

"Sigh... I wonder what kind of tricks he'll pull tomorrow." Akimichi Todo rubbed his bruised eye socket, hunched over with a dejected look on his face.

"Worrying now is useless. Instead of imagining things and causing yourself unnecessary trouble, it's better to adjust your state and prepare for every eventuality."

Soji comforted his companion, pulled the little fatty over, and used the Mystical Palm Technique to heal the injury around his eye socket.

"Soji, you're the only one who can say things like that now..." Erina patted the boy's shoulder from behind, having already adjusted from her earlier low mood: "A counter-kill against a lead Jonin! I've never even heard of such a thing before~"

"I just did my best." Soji first put on a gentle face, then shifted the tone to address the topic of his earlier spar with Teacher Motonari: "But let's not bring up the 'counter-killing a lead teacher' talk again. At the end of the day, it was just a test; it shouldn't be taken seriously."

"Wow! You saying that makes me even sadder, you know?" Erina deliberately made a dramatic, sobbing face: "So that means Todo and I didn't even qualify to 'play around' with the teacher..."

"What are you saying? It's just that our individual personality tendencies led to slight differences in our ability to adapt to new environments." Soji carefully controlled the flow of chakra on his palms, his expression remaining steady and calm: "Medical ninjas aren't suited for head-on combat, after all. Your and Todo's potential is actually higher than mine. Once you adapt to the changes in the environment, I'll have to rely on you to look after me."

"Ha! Don't worry, if that day ever comes, we'll definitely protect you~"

Setting aside the internal chatter of the three little ones for the moment, Nara Motonari did not head straight home to rest after slipping away.

It was obvious that a squad composed of an Akimichi clansman, a descendant of the Sarutobi, and a wielder of a special bloodline could not have been the result of some so-called random assignment. As the jonin instructor for Team Five, beyond his daily teaching duties, Nara Motonari naturally had to answer to the relevant departments.

Regarding the Akimichi clan, there was not much to report due to the long-standing friendship of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. However, he had to provide a serious report to Lord Hiruzen concerning the situation with Erina.

Fortunately, the raid to infiltrate the residence tonight had been reported in advance, so upon arriving at the Hokage Office, Nara Motonari quickly got straight to the point.

"Overall, Miss Erina's performance was clearly superior to that of an average student..."

"Had it not been for the unexpected situation with student Yamada Soji, her response would have been sufficiently brilliant."