In the Hospital

The sun slowly peeked over the horizon, and the rosy dawn pierced through the clouds, draping Konoha in a veil of orange-red.

Taiichi lay bored on the bed. At this hour, he would normally have already been training his swordsmanship by the river. But today, the moment he tried to get up for some simple exercise, a passing nurse caught him and scolded him back into bed.

Sometimes, he truly wanted to use the Healing Technique to heal all his wounds at once, but he knew it was not worth the cost.

There was nothing wrong with doing so in battle or during wartime. But ordinarily, no ninja who did not want to die young would use the Healing Technique on injuries involving such extensive cellular damage.

After all, in theory, this kind of healing consumed cellular potential, stimulating cells to divide and replicate at an accelerated rate in order to close wounds. It was plainly trading life for time.

Therefore, Taiichi, who would not even over-refine chakra, could only lie in his hospital bed and kill time.

During that time, nurses came and went. It was as if they had been instructed to do so, checking in on Taiichi frequently to prevent him from secretly getting out of bed.

Until...

"Taiichi, haha, you really are here."

The door was pushed open, and the boisterous Yohei strode in carrying a fruit basket. Captain Yamaguchi followed behind him, along with Saori, who was holding flowers.

"I heard from Captain Yamaguchi this morning that you were injured, but I didn't believe it. We were only apart for one day. How did you end up this badly hurt?" Yohei looked utterly confused. Clearly, he still knew nothing.

Taiichi glanced at Captain Yamaguchi and saw him discreetly shake his head. Taiichi understood at once. This matter was probably classified, or not something Genin should know.

"I got dragged into a special mission, and this was the result," Taiichi said helplessly.

"Ah, ah, what kind of mission was it? Taiichi, tell me about it!" Yohei became even more excited the moment he heard it was a special mission.

Bang!

Captain Yamaguchi punched Yohei on the head, silencing him on the spot.

"What did I tell you before? Confidential! Confidential! Don't casually pry into other ninja's missions," Captain Yamaguchi said sternly.

Yohei wilted like a drooping chick and began drawing circles in the corner.

"You didn't have a mission today? Why did you come so early?" Taiichi changed the subject, not wanting Yohei to feel too embarrassed.

Saori, who had just placed the flowers in a vase, finally found a chance to speak. "We took on a cat-finding mission today, but we got lucky and found it near where it went missing."

Saori sat on the edge of the bed, straightened the rumpled blanket, and continued, "We submitted the mission report and came to see you. Are your injuries serious? How long will you have to stay in the hospital?"

"They said I need to stay for four days. Once the external wounds have mostly healed, I can be discharged." Feeling his teammates' concern, Taiichi was happy as well. "Good thing you came. I can only lie here and do nothing. I was about to die of boredom."

"You should rest properly and make sure you don't leave any Aftereffects. Injuries on this scale are the most likely to leave lasting problems," Captain Yamaguchi said with concern.

"Sigh, I can only do that." Taiichi turned to Yohei, who was still drawing circles. "Yohei, there are only two people left on the team now. You'll have to take on more responsibility."

"Haha, of course! I was the one who caught that cat today," Yohei said, instantly revived at full health after hearing Taiichi's words.

He then vividly recounted the entire cat-catching process to Taiichi—how cleverly he had spotted the first clue, how they had set a trap together and caught the kitten...

The team chatted in Taiichi's hospital room until a nurse came to make her rounds and chased them away.

Once the room returned to silence, Taiichi was alone again. For someone who had always packed his schedule full, he felt strangely at a loss.

With nothing to do, Taiichi let his thoughts wander. One moment, he thought of his past; the next, of the war to come. But most of all, he thought about improving his own strength.

This battle had made Taiichi understand many things. Rather than studying every ninjutsu in depth, it would be better to specialize in a few highly practical techniques.

In the previous battle, the techniques Taiichi had used most were the already max-level Phoenix Sage Fire and Great Breakthrough. He had only occasionally used ninjutsu of other attributes.

That was partly because the battle had demanded it, but more importantly, those were the two techniques Taiichi was most proficient with. The more initiative one could seize in battle, the better the odds of victory. In the end, both enemies in this fight had fallen because Taiichi caught them off guard.

Then there was the sheer power of Taiichi's ninjutsu. Setting aside the power boost from his Potent talent, his Nature Transformation was no weaker than that of an ordinary Jonin.

Under normal circumstances, once one's Nature Transformation reached Lv6, it could be considered to have reached the Jonin level.

Of course, having that level did not mean one was a Jonin. Ninja rank was an evaluation of overall ability. Being strong in only one area was useless.

Take Taiichi, for example. His Nature Transformations had all reached Lv7, but limited by his physical condition and ninja experience, he could at most be considered a Chunin right now.

That said, Taiichi's Nature Transformation was already at a relatively high level. In the past, he had improved and deepened his understanding of Nature Transformation through practicing ninjutsu.

But once Nature Transformation reached Lv6, that method became far less effective. Taiichi now needed to find a way to specifically improve his Nature Transformation.

As he thought, Taiichi raised his right hand and slowly gathered chakra in his palm. Because his chakra pathways still hurt, he could not move too quickly. Gradually, a pale blue mass of chakra condensed in his hand.

Taiichi looked around the room, then decisively transformed the chakra into the water attribute. The pale blue glow gradually vanished, replaced by a fist-sized sphere of clear water. This was Nature Transformation.

Looking at the water sphere in his hand, Taiichi focused and controlled it, making it rotate and stretch in his palm. At times, he reverted it back into chakra before transforming it into water again. Gradually, Taiichi became completely absorbed until a panel notification appeared.

[You continuously practiced Water Nature Transformation. Water Nature Transformation +1]

So this worked too. Taiichi suddenly understood. Right, Nature Transformation did not just require practice; it also required comprehension.

The panel had actually hinted at this long ago. Hadn't his Great Water Prison Technique been comprehended this way? That time, his Nature Transformation had increased by a full 1,000 points.

With a new goal in mind, Taiichi laughed and no longer felt bored. Chakra gathered in his hand again as he slowly began to comprehend its changes.

The next day.

"Excuse me, is Matsushita-kun here?" A knock sounded from the door.

Taiichi frowned at the voice and dispersed the chakra in his hand. Who would come at a time like this? He thought about it, but could not come up with an answer.

"Come in."

Two adults and one child entered: the Kurama Clan Head and his wife, along with the little girl Kurama Chizuru. All of them were carrying gifts.

"We learned that Matsushita-kun had been hospitalized, so we came specially to visit you and thank you for your previous rescue," the Kurama Clan Head said first.

"You're too polite, Kurama Clan Head. I'm sorry, but I'm covered in injuries and can't get out of bed to greet you," Taiichi said politely. Yet inwardly, he thought, Do all members of great clans speak so formally?

"Big Brother Taiichi, I picked these flowers myself. Thank you for saving me." Kurama Chizuru was quite familiar by nature. She broke free from her mother's hand and ran over.

"Chizuru, don't be rude," the Kurama Clan Head reprimanded.

"It's alright. I like Chizuru being like this." Seeing that Chizuru was on the verge of tears, Taiichi quickly smoothed things over while patting her head.

Seeing this, the Kurama Clan Head went along with it. After all, she was his daughter.

"Taiichi-kun, we came for two reasons. First, to visit you. Second, to ask whether there is anything you need."

"Your rescue was truly too important to my wife and me. But we do not know what you need, and ordinary things cannot express our gratitude. That is why we came specifically to ask for your thoughts. Please do not take offense."

Taiichi could feel the sincerity of the Kurama Clan Head and his wife. They genuinely wanted to thank him.

But Taiichi still declined. "Uncle Kurama, sorry for calling you that. This is simply what I should do as a Konoha ninja. There's really no need. Besides, Hokage-sama has already counted it as an A-rank mission reward for me."

"Hokage-sama's reward is from the village, but the Kurama Clan must show its gratitude. Otherwise, if others hear of it, they'll say the Kurama Family does not know how to repay kindness," the Kurama Clan Head said firmly.

"Then... how about this, Uncle Kurama? Could you give me some Genjutsu materials from the Kurama Family?" Taiichi asked hesitantly.

"This..." The Kurama Clan Head looked troubled. "Matsushita-kun, the Kurama Clan's Genjutsu is all developed around Five Senses Control, our bloodline ability. It would be of no use even if you had it."

Seeing that the Kurama Clan Head had misunderstood, Taiichi hurriedly explained, "Sorry, Uncle Kurama, I wasn't clear. I only want some general Genjutsu materials, not the Kurama Clan's unique Genjutsu."

"Oh, that won't be a problem. Once I return, I'll arrange for someone to deliver them," the Kurama Clan Head said readily.

"Thank you so much, Uncle Kurama. I happen to be lacking these right now. You've really helped me out!" Taiichi deliberately exaggerated his need to put the Kurama Clan Head at ease.

Though he did indeed want to learn some Genjutsu. He had discovered that he possessed immense spiritual power but lacked the corresponding methods to use it. It was truly a waste.

Thus, both sides were satisfied. After chatting for a while longer, the Kurama Clan Head took his family and left on his own initiative.

However, the Genjutsu materials Taiichi had requested were delivered that very day.