The Doctor and the Patient

The nameless small-fry calling themselves the Five Tigers surrounded the current generation of Ino-Shika-Cho.

This was perhaps the peak of their lives.

The gap between commoner ninjas and clan ninjas was not merely a matter of how many ninjutsu one had mastered.

The chakra refinement techniques of the major ninja clans were, without exception, superior to those taught at the Ninja Academy.

Various tips and tricks for the use and cultivation of ninjutsu were also vital inheritances within the major ninja clans.

Not to mention the various secret clan techniques that were never taught to outsiders.

Furthermore, in this world where bloodline was everything.

Ninja children possessed stronger innate talent for ninjutsu than the children of commoners.

Seeing the Five Tigers small-fry surround them, Shikamaru wasn't afraid, but he still felt a bit nervous; after all, the opposition had the numbers.

He turned his head to look at Kimura Takuya.

He saw that he was still sitting there eating, and was even holding back another person who wanted to come over and help.

Damn it, he doesn't want to get involved in this at all?

Ino-pig, how could she like a guy like this?

What a drag.

Shikamaru's little brain whirred, and he shouted loudly.

"What do you guys think you're doing? With trash like you, my big brother Takuya could take on ten at once! Just the five of you? Big brother Takuya could finish you off with one hand!"

"Yeah, that's right!"

Ino felt that Shikamaru was absolutely correct and expressed her full agreement.

Choji nodded along as well; anything was fine, as long as they didn't come to steal his potato chips.

The five pieces of trash—oh, pardon, the Five Tigers—turned to look at Kimura Takuya.

They saw that he was still busy stuffing his face, and was even holding Lee back to keep him from interfering.

"Hahaha, this loser! He doesn't dare show his face, and he's even holding someone else back. It's hilarious, hahaha!"

"Hahaha, yeah, what a total loser. He's an orphan, too. A loser orphan."

Seeing that Kimura Takuya still had no reaction and was continuing to eat, Shikamaru tried to provoke him again.

"Hmph, that's just because you're all too incompetent. You don't even have the ability to make big brother Takuya interested. My big brother Takuya could kill you in seconds! He wouldn't even need a single finger to deal with you."

"Him? This sickly weakling? I'm going to beat him up first, just to show you how incompetent your big brother Takuya really is!"

Plan successful. They took the bait!

The corners of Shikamaru's mouth curled up slightly before he quickly smoothed them out, continuing to stir the pot.

"You guys, don't! Don't go over there. Big brother Takuya hasn't said a word this whole time; he must be furious. If you go over there now, you'll die! Come back!"

"Kid, you dare look down on us! Ah! Kimura Takuya, come out and fight us!"

"Hiccup!"

Full at last. Homemade Chinese food is still the best.

What kind of 'love-filled' bento does a little girl make? It's all sushi and rice balls—is that even food for humans?

Kimura Takuya raised his eyes to look at the small-fry charging toward him, silently lamenting his failure.

A failed disguise.

I shouldn't have exposed my strength that day just to save some little girl.

"A certain soon-to-graduate ninja who wet his pants because he was afraid of needles."

Among the Five Tigers small-fry, one man's expression turned panicked, and the other students in the class pricked up their ears.

"Someone who was afraid of thunder while hospitalized alone, hiding under his covers in the middle of the night, nearly suffocating himself."

"Another one who got diarrhea from gluttony and crapped his pants."

"There was also one who went skinny-dipping and had his little bird bitten by a turtle, forcing him to go to the hospital for help."

"And finally, one who wanted to know if wetting the bed at twelve years old was actually a disease."

For every sentence Kimura Takuya spoke, one of the Five Tigers small-fry would turn pale with panic.

Seeing them notice the curious and mocking gazes of the surrounding students—looking as if they might jump over the wall in desperation—Kimura Takuya stopped spilling secrets.

"Oh my, I can't even remember what their names were. If someone were to knock on my head, I might be able to recall them, though."

"I heard that amnesia can be cured like this. You guys help me out, come and knock on my head!"

"Uh, how could we do that? We're all classmates, how could we knock on your head?"

"Yeah, that's right! These aren't even important things anyway; if you've forgotten them, just let them be!"

Watching the small-fry scramble to dissuade him, he secretly laughed at the bunch of brats, though he didn't show it on his face, merely knitting his brows.

"No, if I don't remember, I feel uncomfortable all over! If you won't knock, I'll do it myself."

With that, he picked up his chopsticks and made a move to strike his own head.

Terrified, the group hurriedly pinned his hands down.

"Don't, Kimura Takuya, you can't self-harm! Just let it go; we still have an exam this afternoon. After the exam, we'll graduate, and we all have a bright future ahead of us!"

"That's right, a bright future is waiting for us."

Kimura Takuya nodded and put down the chopsticks in his hand.

"Hmm, that's true. But I suddenly feel like I might be able to remember without needing to knock my head. If someone scolds me and I get angry, I might remember too. How about you guys scold me?"

"Ho, how could we scold someone? I hate people who scold others more than anything in my life. It's so crude. Weren't you two the ones scolding earlier? Hurry up and apologize to Kimura Takuya!"

"Uh, sorry, sorry, Kimura Takuya, we were just joking with you."

"Hmm, it's okay, I forgive you."

Kimura Takuya watched the group forced to bow their heads and found it quite amusing.

Although he hadn't become an official medical ninja yet, Kimura Takuya had been working odd jobs at the hospital all these years to make ends meet.

People, who doesn't have times when they suffer from headaches or fevers?

These few people, Kimura Takuya had naturally encountered them at the hospital.

While Kimura Takuya was chatting and laughing, making the five of them back down, Shikamaru narrowed his small eyes.

Not simple at all; he solved the problem without any effort.

Is this kind of person really the troublemaker-fearing loser everyone says he is?

Could what Ino said be true? Could there really be a master capable of taking on ten people in this class of dead-enders?

It wasn't just her being a fangirl because he was handsome and imagining things, was it?

"Kimura Takuya, you're amazing! You solved the problem without even lifting a finger."

Ino ran toward Kimura Takuya like a lovesick fan, placing the bento box in her hands in front of him.

She opened it carefully, revealing heart-shaped sushi and heart-shaped rice balls inside.

"Kimura Takuya, look, this is the love-filled bento I made for you, and I even added ketchup."

"Burp, ah, thanks. You're late; I'm already full. Sorry, burp, I can't eat any more."

"It's okay, Kimura Takuya, you can take it home for dinner. Here, Kimura Takuya, drink some water."

Takuya took the water bottle Ino handed him and thanked her, declining the bento.

However, he did take the packet of ketchup from inside.

"Thank you, but wouldn't this stuff lose its freshness by tonight? The flavor will change. That classmate over there eating potato chips, he isn't full yet, right? Give it to him. They are your friends, aren't they?"

"Ah, right, just ordinary friends. Kimura Takuya, don't misunderstand, okay? It's only because our families know each other that I became ordinary friends with them. You're not allowed to misunderstand!"

"Mm-hmm, hello everyone, my name is Kimura Takuya, and this is my good friend Rock Lee."

As soon as Rock Lee heard the words "good friend," he got fired up and was moved to tears.

"That's right! I am Kimura Takuya's good friend. Kimura Takuya's friends are my friends too, hello!"

After the two sides finished introducing themselves and getting to know each other, Shikamaru looked at the Five Tigers small-fry who had returned to their seats and whispered to Kimura Takuya.

"Senior Kimura, although those guys were forced back by your words, they don't look like the type to let it go. This is a bit troublesome."