Hidden Trace Technique

Time always flies when one is focused. Before Yuehua Ai could even process his immersion, the morning session had already concluded.

Today's class left a deep impression on Yuehua Ai. It wasn't just the content of the curriculum; it was the experience of attending class itself. Counting his previous life, it had been over a decade since he had sat in a classroom and listened to a lecture with such peace of mind.

He had gained a great deal from Yamazaki Kazuna's explanations. She was no longer teaching basic medical knowledge, but had shifted to the activation of cells via chakra. Although he couldn't verify these theories through his own experiments at this stage, it didn't stop him from memorizing the theorems and conclusions. After all, in certain aspects, the medical science of this world surpassed his past life; the experiences and theorems passed down here were time-tested and accurate.

After the lecture, Yamazaki Kazuna specifically came over to check on Yuehua Ai, asking if he had understood the material and telling him to ask her or seek Shizune's help if he had any questions.

After dealing with the earnest and responsible instructor, Yuehua Ai stood up to leave.

It was noon, and students were free to do as they pleased until two in the afternoon. For those who lived far away or disliked the hassle, they chose to eat at school. Before leaving home in the morning, their families usually prepared bento boxes for them, though some families simply gave them money to eat at nearby shops.

Yuehua Ai's residence with Jiraiya was not far away, and since he was alone at home and no one had reminded him that he could bring a lunch to the training class, he had no choice but to go home and cook for himself while the other students took out their insulated lunch boxes.

It wasn't that he couldn't afford to order food at a nearby shop, but Yuehua Ai pondered the matter and decided that with the meager funds Jiraiya had left behind, it was better not to be extravagant until he knew when the man would return. After all, he had no idea if there were any places in Konoha that hired child labor.

Shizune opened her mouth as she watched Yuehua Ai stand up to leave, but ultimately said nothing. She knew he lived alone. Although there was a tenuous connection between the people behind them, she had only just met him and felt too embarrassed to ask him to stay for lunch. They got along well, but they weren't that close yet, and besides, her family had only prepared a single portion for her bento...

Yuehua Ai walked along, stopping occasionally. Even though he didn't buy anything, it didn't dampen his enthusiasm for strolling through the streets. He had plenty of time before the afternoon class, so he didn't need to rush.

He moved from the bustling commercial district to the relatively quiet residential area. Since it was noon, there were quite a few pedestrians on the roads. Yuehua Ai looked around casually, eventually wandering into a rather secluded, older residential neighborhood.

After turning a corner into an alley, Yuehua Ai didn't walk much further before stopping in his tracks.

With his hands tucked into the pockets of his tracksuit, Yuehua Ai tilted his head slightly and said in a cold, indifferent voice to the space behind him:

"Come out. You've been following me long enough!"

"..."

"Still not coming out? I even created such a perfect opportunity for you, yet you still don't dare to show yourself..."

Yuehua Ai sighed with disappointment, shook his head slightly, and began to walk toward the exit of the alley.

Just as he took a step, an abrupt voice sounded from behind him.

"Wait!"

The light rippled like a curtain of water, and a figure suddenly "walked" out from the wall at the corner of the intersection.

Yuehua Ai turned around, frowning slightly at the figure that had appeared. The person was also a young boy, about eleven or twelve years old. He wore a Konoha forehead protector and a gray-green casual outfit. On the arm of his jacket was a diamond-shaped emblem divided into four parts—a family crest. Unfortunately, Yuehua Ai had no impression of it; the only family crests he recognized in the world of Naruto were the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha...

The boy was decent-looking, and while his face carried a hint of arrogance and roguishness, it wasn't particularly off-putting for his age. The reason Yuehua Ai frowned was the look of pure hostility in the boy's eyes as he stared at him.

He looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before. A teenager, a ninja...

Among the people I've come into contact with who fit these criteria, it can only be a classmate from the medical training class!

"Hmph!"

Yuehua Ai's uninhibited scrutiny made Takeda Shin feel incredibly annoyed. The boy's indifferent, nonchalant gaze was truly... infuriating!

Before Yuehua Ai could ask about his intentions, Takeda Shin took the initiative and demanded:

"How did you see through my disguise?"

Takeda Shin found it completely inconceivable that Yuehua Ai could see through his ninjutsu and detect him. He knew that the concealment technique he had been using was the Hidden Trace Technique, a secret art of the Takeda Clan.

Any family-secret ninjutsu had its own unique strengths. The Takeda Clan's Hidden Trace Technique was different from ordinary versions, far exceeding them in its concealment effects.

The Takeda Clan's Hidden Trace Technique could use chakra to create a field similar to a genjutsu while simultaneously possessing the camouflage ability to blend into the environment. Although it couldn't compare to the A-rank invisibility jutsu that only Jonin could learn—which could hide one's physical form, chakra, and spiritual fluctuations—it was leagues ahead of the common, low-tier straw-cloak concealment techniques.

Takeda Shin still remembered that when he first mastered the family's Hidden Trace Technique, it had even startled some of the clan elders. Although the Takeda Clan had declined to the point where only one Jonin remained to support it, it wasn't easy to shake the entire family. He still remembered how many clansmen had praised him as the second genius ninja after Kakashi!

The difficulty of the Hidden Trace Technique was indeed far beyond the ninjutsu accessible to students at the Ninja Academy, and it was thanks to this technique that he had become a standout among his graduating class. His name was not only widely circulated among the students, but many teachers had even taken the initiative to learn about him. This had always been a source of pride for Takeda Shin.

He knew that a large part of his reputation as a genius was built upon the family's Hidden Trace Technique, but that didn't stop him from being arrogant. Because the technique was rare and difficult to practice, he believed that as long as he didn't make a mistake, no one below the rank of Chunin could possibly discover him. After all, within a certain range, this technique of the Takeda family was known as the strongest physical concealment jutsu.

The strongest physical concealment jutsu—setting aside chakra and spiritual concealment, it was indeed an impeccable existence in terms of hiding one's physical form.

Yet, this "strongest" technique, capable of deceiving most Chunin, had been easily seen through by this seven or eight-year-old child. Takeda Shin couldn't help but be shocked. The reason he hadn't made a move while tailing him was that he assumed the boy must have some extraordinary talent to be a transfer student in his class. He never expected that the technique he was most proud of would be exposed so easily!

"The reason I discovered you is because you stared at my back too many times!"

Yuehua Ai didn't mind telling him the truth. In fact, he was quite interested in the boy's technique; if he hadn't possessed a keen talent for perception, an ordinary ninja would have found it very difficult to detect him.