Natural Energy

At the end of December, Year 42 of Konoha, several consecutive days of snowfall gave the village a different kind of beauty.

Small-scale battles occasionally breaking out at the border outposts kept the jonin busy with missions, indirectly causing newly graduated genin to frequently change team leaders.

The somewhat turbulent situation did not affect the atmosphere at the Ninja Academy. When the afternoon tactics class ended, many students happily gossiped in the classroom:

"Huh?! Kakashi has a chance to take next year's Chunin Exams?"

"You can take the exam at six?"

"Ninjas are judged by talent! Without talent, you might remain a genin for your whole life."

"That's too incredible. If he passes, he'll be a six-year-old chunin. He can take part in real combat then, right?"

"I heard he's already been through battles recently..."

"..."

Many girls liked discussing such things during breaks, and Kakashi, who had graduated early, was someone they admired.

Rin Nohara was no different from the other girls in this regard. Whenever Kakashi was mentioned, a look of yearning appeared on her face as well.

Whenever that happened, Obito Uchiha, who had sidled over, wore an unhappy expression. He used to seize the chance to loudly argue back, but after being rejected by the girls, he had recently been sulking in silence.

"What's so great about being a chunin? He's already graduated, so why are we still talking about him..."

"As long as I awaken the Sharingan, I'll definitely surpass him easily!"

"Do you think Kakashi will pass the Chunin Exams too?"

After talking to himself for a while, Obito Uchiha finally could not resist asking Shu Furukawa, who was seated in the back flipping through his notes. He did not get the answer he wanted; instead, Shizune blinked and simply replied:

"There's a very high chance he'll pass! Kakashi has already mastered some C-rank ninjutsu, and his swordsmanship is impressive too."

"Even the Hokage has praised his outstanding talent as a ninja."

The more Obito heard, the worse he felt. He scratched his head in frustration. The gap between people was simply too great; even if he trained hard, he still could not catch up to a genius.

"You have the approval of all the grandmas too. That isn't something just anyone can achieve."

Shu Furukawa, who was rechecking his experimental data, could not help teasing Obito when he saw him still muttering. At the mention of "grandmas," Might Guy behind them unusually made a serious jab:

"Every time you say you're coming to train with us, you end up late because of some grandma."

"Self-discipline means doing what you say."

Even the "youth" he usually kept on his lips was gone. After being stood up several times, Might Guy truly found it hard to judge this supposedly "hot-blooded" Uchiha.

"Ha... Yesterday, I helped a grandma carry her luggage."

Obito awkwardly offered a brief explanation before slipping away. He did not want to admit that Might Guy's "youth training method" had dealt him a blow—his stamina simply could not keep up.

"Is that guy really from the Uchiha Clan? His shuriken skills don't seem all that great either."

Turning to look at the "fleeing" Obito, Genma Shiranui, with a bandanna around his head, raised the question again. The Uchiha in the neighboring class was the top student, completely unlike Class A.

Ebisu could understand Obito's circumstances. His little sunglasses seemed to flash as he seriously analyzed the situation:

"You can't put it that way. Not every Uchiha is an elite."

"Ninjas need inheritance too. Obito probably did not receive much guidance before."

The Uchiha Clan was famous for its shuriken techniques and Fire Release, which led many youths to assume that everyone born into the clan excelled at them. Obito had thoroughly shattered that illusion.

When several of them planned to train in the snow that afternoon, Shizune noticed Shu Furukawa slipping into his usual state of deep thought again and softly said with concern:

"Shu, it's still too difficult to make a secret medicine right now. Lady Tsunade only brought it up casually."

A few days earlier, the pharmacology class had been taught by the jonin Tsunade. While teaching them how to make Military Ration Pills, she had casually praised the secret medicines of the Akimichi Clan and Inuzuka Clan.

Her original intention was to keep everyone from underestimating Military Ration Pills, but after class, Shu Furukawa had wanted to improve the existing formula.

"I just want to apply what I've learned in practice. Don't worry."

Seeing the concern on the girl's face, Shu Furukawa gave a simple reply. Then, as usual, he invited Shizune to preview the afternoon's Medical Corps lesson together.

By the time their homeroom teacher, Ryosuke Kimura, appeared at the podium, Shu Furukawa was listening to the lecture while his thoughts drifted. The "essence" obtained through Collection was most likely Natural Energy, and that gave him many ideas:

Could Sage Chakra be created even without being able to sense Natural Energy?

In the final days of Year 42 of Konoha, the weather finally cleared, and the commercial district became lively once more.

The New Year was approaching, a joyful occasion for everyone in the village. They were all looking forward to a peaceful and comfortable new year.

For once during the rare holiday, Shu Furukawa did not go out to train. He stayed in his basement, conducting simple experiments while observing the test subjects' reactions to the medicine.

After carefully examining Rabbit No. 6 and finding no outward mutations, he was just about to smile when he suddenly noticed that its mouth had become filled with sharp teeth...

"Failed again?"

Dressed in casual clothes, Shu Furukawa frowned slightly. After a careful inspection, he sighed helplessly, casually used [Collection], and, after obtaining nothing, wrote in his notebook:

"Optimized Formula No. 6 failed. Suspected leakage of Natural Energy."

"..."

Unlike the petrification caused by absorbing Natural Energy in his memories, the "essence" collected from trees seemed much gentler. The mutations it caused would not endanger life.

The "essence" could not be used directly and would completely dissipate in less than half a day. While studying pharmacology, Shu Furukawa had accidentally discovered that it could be infused into certain medicinal ingredients, which was how these "pharmacological" experiments began.

The Military Ration Pills taught in class were pills rich in protein that could restore stamina after consumption, increase Chakra, and provide a certain stimulating effect.

Shu Furukawa was not pursuing any of those effects. He only hoped the medicinal ingredients could effectively suppress the side effects of mutation. After two months of trial and error, he had already made considerable progress.

After continuously observing and recording, then confirming the most effective medicine once more, Shu Furukawa looked at the information in his notes and could not help feeling sorry for his wallet:

I hope this really works.

Snow began falling early on the first day of the New Year. Although the weather was poor, the commercial district was especially lively today.

Shu Furukawa had received an invitation from Shizune and Tsunade. To his surprise, this teacher, who was so rigorous and serious in class, had ultimately drunk herself into a complete stupor at home.

Tsunade lived in Konoha's "second ring," not far from Konoha Hospital. Her two-story apartment was spacious but somewhat desolate, clearly showing that its owner had not put much care into maintaining it.

Looking at the spotless plates on the heated table, Shizune explained somewhat embarrassedly:

"Lady Tsunade isn't usually like this. She may have run into some trouble lately. We originally wanted to personally give these to you."

The girl handed him a scroll. Shu Furukawa gave a gentle smile, and after they exchanged gifts, before he could thank her, the half-drunk Tsunade suddenly raised her head, swayed as she looked at them, and said:

"Having talent as a ninja isn't necessarily a good thing, kid. Exceptional people always pursue some great goal."

"What about you? You're working so hard to learn all this that Shizune isn't as cute anymore..."

Unlike her usual jonin attire, Tsunade was unusually dressed in a kimono, her golden hair draped loose around her. As she looked at Shu Furukawa, her gaze became clear.

"Right now, I just want to live better and protect some important people."

"How un-cute! I want a bowl of plain noodles..."

After hearing that, Tsunade muttered and returned to her drunken state.

When Shizune saw Shu Furukawa nod and rise to his feet, she felt somewhat embarrassed. Just as she was about to speak, Tsunade pulled her into her arms.

Noticing that the teacher had begun dragging the girl into another bout of "nonsense," Shu Furukawa glanced over and silently sighed:

As expected of one of the "great" Sannin!