Extra Ingredients

"Really?" Obito's eyes lit up, and he excitedly jumped to his feet.

The next second, he curled back into a ball. "Ow, ow, ow!"

He felt a stabbing pain all over. Every cell in his body was protesting and crying out, wishing it could knock him unconscious again.

"You can still stand? You've got plenty of energy."

Sen Chisato rubbed his chin and looked him up and down. "Looks like you really did break through your limits and get stronger. In that case, we can add a little more weight to your training from now on."

Kakashi turned his head away and said nothing.

He wasn't going to plead on Obito's behalf. After all, Sen Chisato was doing this for his own good... Besides, Obito was so petty that who knew whether Kakashi would get dragged into trouble for speaking up for him?

Obito hadn't heard what Sen Chisato said. He was grinning foolishly, already lost in a beautiful fantasy.

Just then, a pungent smell wafted out of the forest.

Obito came back to his senses, twitched his nose, and sniffed carefully. His brow furrowed. "What's that smell?"

The pungent odor grew stronger. A wave of heat drifted out, and Nohara Rin emerged from the forest, carefully carrying a bowl.

Seeing her, Obito's back stopped aching and his legs stopped hurting. He quickly waved. "Rin!"

"Obito, you're awake." Nohara Rin's eyes lit up. Then she put on a stern expression and said, "Your body is exhausted. Don't move around. Sit down, quickly!"

"Hehe, I took a nap, and I'm completely fine now. Just watch." To prove his point, Obito started jumping up and down where he stood.

His face twitched with every jump, and his body was nearly rigid, but he still forced a smile.

He failed to notice that Nohara Rin's smile had vanished completely. Her stern face even looked a little angry.

Seeing this, Sen Chisato shook his head speechlessly.

What was this guy doing?

Did he think this would prove he was fine? Did he think this would make Nohara Rin happy?

She was Doctor Nohara!

A patient jumping around in front of a doctor just to prove he was fine wouldn't make the doctor happy. It would only cause her more trouble and make her even more upset and angry.

This guy didn't even understand what Doctor Nohara cared about.

Even he had only suffered a minor injury to his hand, but he'd still obediently listened to Doctor Nohara, just to humor her... So was this guy making fun of himself?

Sen Chisato mused.

He silently stepped forward and poked Obito in the waist with a finger.

In an instant, Obito's face turned ashen and his whole body tensed. He toppled sideways to the ground like a statue.

"Argh!" A shrill scream startled a flock of birds in the forest.

Obito sat cross-legged on the ground, baring his teeth as he demanded, "What are you doing?"

"Helping you prove it." Sen Chisato replied nonchalantly. He glanced at the bowl in Nohara Rin's hands and jerked his chin toward it. "Look, your special meal is here!"

Obito turned his head and saw Nohara Rin offering him the bowl. With a stern expression, she said, "Obito, it's time to take your medicine."

The pungent smell rode the steam into his nose, went straight through his scalp, and reached his roots. Obito leaned backward, feeling as if the stench were about to bring him to tears.

"Th-this is the 'special meal' you were talking about!?" He glared at Sen Chisato, his voice turning shrill.

He'd been excited for so long, only for it to turn out to be a bowl of medicine!

That alone would've been fine. He'd had medicine before, but why did this bowl smell so terrifying?

"Rin made it especially for you. It's brimming with all her love and care. What, are you going to refuse?" Sen Chisato asked, raising an eyebrow.

At his words, Obito took the bowl with trembling hands. After preparing himself for a long while, he still couldn't bring himself to drink. He looked up pitifully and asked, "Rin, can I skip it?"

"No!" Nohara Rin refused at once, her expression serious and resolute.

Obito's face fell. Finally, he gritted his teeth and gulped down the medicine. As his throat bobbed, he swallowed every last drop.

With a clatter, the bowl, still stained with medicine, fell to the ground. Clutching his throat, his face turning green, Obito toppled over in despair.

Seeing this, Sen Chisato's lips curled.

You think you can mess with me?

You're asking for it!

He said to Nohara Rin, "The dose isn't enough. Give him another bowl tomorrow."

After a pause, he continued, "From now on, add one more bowl every day."

"Won't that be too much for Obito?" Nohara Rin asked hesitantly. "Besides, we don't have enough medicinal herbs."

"No problem. His training will keep getting harder every day. As for the herbs, I'll take care of them," Sen Chisato promised confidently.

Getting medicinal herbs was far too easy for him. As Orochimaru's disciple, he'd spent so long in the secret laboratory. What herbs couldn't he get his hands on?

And if he ran out, couldn't he just look around the forest?

That's right, he'd added something to Obito's medicine.

It wasn't revenge. Those herbs were good stuff. Many of them were great for the body's recovery and growth, making them ideal for a ninja who was constantly training and breaking through his limits.

Sen Chisato hadn't lied to Obito. This really was a special meal prepared just for him—just the Sen Chisato special edition.

For this, he'd dug out plenty of precious medicinal herbs he'd kept hidden away. Some of them he'd never even used himself.

Obito was a premium seedling he'd carefully selected, so of course he had to nurture him from childhood.

He wasn't afraid Uchiha Obito would grow too strong. He was only afraid Uchiha Obito wouldn't grow strong enough.

The stronger Uchiha Obito became, the more Sen Chisato would gain after burying him!

Of course, Kakashi and Nohara Rin were important to his plans centered on Uchiha Obito, too.

At the very least, in the grand drama Uchiha Madara had prepared for them, Nohara Rin couldn't die too soon. She had to hold out until he arrived.

So, while Uchiha Obito was unconscious, Sen Chisato sent Kakashi off to train by himself and turned his attention to Nohara Rin.

"How are you getting on with those three techniques?" Sen Chisato asked casually as he sat on the ground.

"I've finished reading them, and I've memorized all the hand seals. But I still can't perform them." Nohara Rin sat in front of him, looking a little embarrassed despite her serious expression.

"Good. For now, focus on training in the techniques Minato gave you," Sen Chisato instructed.

"Huh?" Nohara Rin looked puzzled.

"Give me the scrolls." Sen Chisato held out his hand.

"Oh, right." Nohara Rin quickly took out three technique scrolls.

Sen Chisato unrolled all three scrolls. They recorded Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu, Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, and Water Style: Water Body Flicker Technique.

"You want to start with Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, right?" Sen Chisato asked, looking up as he pointed to the only Fire Release technique.

Nohara Rin nodded.

Nohara Rin had three chakra natures: Fire, Water, and Yang. These three techniques had been carefully chosen by Sen Chisato and Namikaze Minato to suit her chakra natures perfectly.

Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique was C-rank, Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu was B-rank, and Water Style: Water Body Flicker Technique was A-rank!

These ranks had nothing to do with a technique's power. They represented how difficult it was to learn.

That was why Nohara Rin wanted to start with the simplest technique.

Sen Chisato explained, "These three techniques are mainly meant to help you protect yourself. At most, you'll support your teammates in a pinch, not take part in battle."

"Whether it's Phoenix Sage Fire Technique or Water Dragon Jutsu, both can do more than attack. They can also harass enemies from a distance, giving you time to put some space between you and them. But the technique that can truly help you protect yourself is Water Body Flicker!"

The Water Body Flicker Technique was acquired by Jiraiya from the Rain Ninja during the Second Shinobi World War.

Hanzo of the Salamander had once used this technique. With just one hand seal, he could briefly turn himself into a puddle of water and move himself a short distance away, avoiding harm in the process.

It could be called an extremely powerful life-saving technique. Even if an enemy reached him, he could perform it in the shortest possible time.

After a thorough yet concise explanation, Nohara Rin finally understood. Her role, her responsibilities going forward, and what she needed to do in battle... It had all become much clearer.

She nodded and said earnestly, "I understand. I'll prioritize learning this technique!"

"Good. I'll take a look first, then try to teach you."

Sen Chisato read through the scroll from beginning to end, shamelessly taking advantage of the situation. Once he understood the technique's principles and how to perform it, he began, "First, the principle behind this technique is..."