Kekkei Genkai

The commotion caused by Accio did not spread across the training ground.

The young Ninja Academy students had limited experience.

Their attention was focused solely on the fact that the shuriken had curved mid-flight. Without flashy visual and sound effects, "mere" Ninja Tool Throwing Technique was nowhere near exciting enough to spark a wave of gossip.

The Uesugi Chunin in charge of teaching had a visibly broader perspective than the children.

He believed his student had created a new, undocumented technique. Although it wasn't very effective in actual combat, it could still count as an accomplishment and add to his résumé as a Ninja Academy teacher.

With that in mind, Uesugi immediately reported the situation to his superiors.

It was not until Yamada Soji, introduced by the school, met the specialist responsible for organizing and teaching ninjutsu in the administrative offices that this repeatedly underestimated situation finally began to change.

The specialist first had Soji demonstrate his ability several times, then gave him a rough examination. In the end, he overturned the conclusion Uesugi Taro had reported.

"I can't detect any obvious chakra nature, but calling it a chakra-less technique doesn't seem quite right either... This doesn't look like an ordinary technique at all."

The man was named Tanaka Masanari, and he had a hideous scar across his forehead and another over his left eye.

Strictly speaking, his position did not fall under the Ninja Academy's staff.

But ever since Tobirama Senju, it had become traditional for the Hokage to also serve as the Ninja Academy's principal. As a result, dispatched shinobi like him, who belonged to the Hokage Office, became permanent fixtures at the school.

Tanaka had once had the good fortune to serve under Sarutobi Hiruzen. Although his injuries had forced him to retire and leave the front lines, his experience was clearly greater than that of the other young Chunin.

So, after hearing his professional analysis, the issue surrounding Yamada Soji immediately became more complicated.

"Then what kind of technique do you think this is?" The Ninja Academy teachers crowded around the Special Jōnin from the Hokage Office, all turning their eyes toward the young Soji.

"I can't say for sure. Has the boy's chakra nature been determined?" Tanaka Masanari didn't rush to a conclusion. Instead, he turned to his colleagues and asked for more information.

Uesugi, the teacher nominally responsible for the class, was clearly taken aback...

With so many students enrolled at the Ninja Academy, he couldn't be expected to remember every one of them.

Caught off guard by the question, he could only rub his chin and search through his scattered memories for an answer.

"Uh... I think it should be..."

"Lord Tanaka, teachers, according to the Chakra Paper test, I only have an Earth nature.

"Of course, my most recent test was at the start of the year, about six months ago. I don't know whether anything might have changed since then."

Just then, Yamada Soji, who had remained silent until now, stepped in and answered for himself.

Surrounded by the teachers' intense scrutiny, Yamada Soji, who had lived two lives, didn't show the nervousness of an ordinary child who felt like a mouse facing a cat.

He helped Teacher Uesugi out while politely bowing to the elders present.

His words were clear and his reasoning precise. He answered everyone's questions without the slightest hint of arrogance, simply stating the facts in the most appropriate manner.

A trace of unmistakable admiration flickered in Tanaka Masanari's one remaining eye. He shifted his attention back to the boy himself.

"So you've never practiced Chakra Nature Transformation?"

"That's right. I'm afraid I have little talent for either chakra reserves or nature control. My teachers often remind me to stay grounded and not waste precious time on things beyond my abilities." Yamada Soji spoke sincerely, nodding to the teachers to show his gratitude as he explained.

"Did any of your relatives teach you any unusual training methods?"

"No." Yamada Soji shook his head. "My father died in the last Shinobi War, and my mother was a civilian. She passed away when I was young."

"Do you have any secret scrolls passed down through your family?"

Yamada Soji shook his head again. "The old house has been in disrepair for years and is no longer livable. I've been staying in an apartment the village provides for orphans."

"When did you discover that you could attract objects?"

"While practicing throwing techniques." Yamada Soji paused briefly, then added, "It was two or three days ago."

"Hmm... In that case, your condition can probably only be classified as some kind of special bloodline trait."

"Kekkei Genkai?"

"Is that for real...?"

"I've never seen one outside the major clans."

As soon as Tanaka Masanari finished speaking, the Ninja Academy teachers around him began whispering among themselves.

For the Konoha shinobi of this era, the full might of Wood Release and the Sharingan had yet to become the stuff of legends. The infamous Uchiha rebellion had not yet taken place, and the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan remained an indispensable scouting tool in wartime. As a result, Kekkei Genkai were held in high regard.

They looked at the eleven-year-old boy with envy, curiosity, or jealousy.

Yet Soji, the center of everyone's attention, remained humble and cautious. Out of courtesy, he even lowered his eyes, avoiding direct eye contact with everyone present.

This ability to deftly avoid awkwardness in social situations made Tanaka Masanari, who had faced life and death, quietly raise his estimation of the boy.

By comparison, the unknown bloodline ability itself seemed less important.

There were certainly ruthless individuals who could turn the tide of battle single-handedly in times of chaos, but most people still had to return to teamwork, each doing their part.

...Geniuses could die young, and secret techniques could be lost.

Having seen such things happen many times, Tanaka Masanari naturally valued things differently from ordinary people.

In the end, although social skills couldn't directly make a shinobi stronger, lone wolves who couldn't fit into a team tended to die sooner.

And the dead weren't worth befriending...

So Tanaka Masanari's goodwill toward Yamada Soji wasn't due to his talent. Rather, the boy's maturity beyond his years had unconsciously shifted him in Tanaka's eyes from a green recruit to a junior colleague he could speak with as an equal.

With that, his attitude grew warmer.

After all, there was a world of difference between how one treated cannon fodder and how one treated a future colleague.

"If this really is a new bloodline ability, your value to the village will be more than that of an ordinary Ninja Academy student."

Tanaka raised a hand to silence the other teachers, then addressed Yamada Soji again. "Have you thought about what you'd like to do in the future?"

"Yes. I'll respect whatever arrangements Lord Tanaka and the teachers make."

Tanaka Masanari smiled faintly but said nothing.

A performance had to be convincing from beginning to end.

Having made it through the initial setbacks and probing, Yamada Soji wasn't about to stumble at this crucial moment.

So, whatever his true plans were, the first thing he said had to fit both the persona he had established and the core values Konoha Ninja Village had upheld for decades.

The experienced Tanaka clearly understood why the boy needed to say something so obvious, so he didn't interrupt his declaration.

Sure enough, after a brief pause, Soji continued, revealing what he really wanted. "However, I know I'm not very capable when it comes to training in ninjutsu and Taijutsu.

"To better protect the Will of Fire, I hope to have the teachers' approval to focus on studying medical techniques during my final year, so I can build up the knowledge I'll need for my future career." Having revealed his true aim, Yamada Soji bowed deeply.

"You want to become a medical ninja?" Tanaka Masanari raised an eyebrow.

"I just hope to develop a useful skill so I can help my teammates and complete missions more effectively in the future."

Medical Ninjutsu, with the Mystical Palm Technique as its best-known example, had been widely used as a support skill since the Warring States Period.

Although medical ninjas hadn't held a particularly prominent position before Princess Tsunade officially proposed that every combat squad be assigned a medic, the techniques themselves had already matured through years of warfare.

...The problem was that Yamada Soji's bloodline ability seemed to have nothing to do with medicine.

His sudden request had genuinely surprised Tanaka.

But given the good impression Yamada Soji had made, he ultimately didn't refuse the boy's request.

After discussing it with the other teachers, the eleven-year-old student, who was about to graduate, got his wish: he was given the chance to intern at Konoha Hospital during the coming year!