The Silent Strong and the Bird in a Cage

"Senju Chiba again?"

Chiba used the tip of a vine to lift the wooden plaque. There was no hidden layer within the wood grain, but the edge of the clan crest still carried the same chakra trace as the shrine.

The system gave no response, and the route traced by the roots ended beside an underground water channel.

"The messenger wanted me to inspect the plaque. The Naka River was only bait left in the open."

He brought the plaque back to the clan grounds and buried it inside a stone case that isolated chakra. For the next several days, he stayed away from the Naka River.

More than half the watchers at the school had vanished.

Only Anbu directly under the Hokage remained on the rooftops, while the positions once occupied by Root had been replaced by ordinary patrol ninja.

Danzo's voluntary retreat only made that wooden plaque more suspicious.

"Chiba, are you even listening to me?"

Naruto waved a hand in front of him, and the leaf on his forehead fell into his lunchbox.

"You're blocking the light."

"I'm asking whether you want to go to the river this afternoon. Kiba said walking on water is harder than tree climbing. I'll definitely learn it before Sasuke."

"You can't even stay on a tree."

"My shoes were just too slippery yesterday. I changed into a new pair today."

Naruto raised a foot and planted his mud-stained sandal against the edge of the bench.

Chiba saw a faint flash of red chakra beneath the cloth over his abdomen.

That power appeared quickly and vanished just as fast. None of the nearby students noticed, and Naruto himself was still fiddling with his shoelaces.

"Who touched you just now?"

"No one. Kiba snatched my rice ball, and I chased him across half the playground. Does that count?"

"Give me your hand."

Naruto extended his hand across the table, then pulled it back just before Chiba could touch his wrist.

"You're not trying to poison me, are you?"

"Then forget it."

"Wait, I'll give it to you. Is that okay?"

Chiba placed his fingers on Naruto's pulse. Ordinary chakra rampaged through his meridians, while the heat leaking from the Nine-Tails still lingered near the seal.

This chakra was highly corrosive, but it also contained life energy far exceeding that of an ordinary ninja.

If the root system could absorb tailed beast chakra, the branch of Wood Release that devoured chakra might unlock early.

[High-activity chakra residue detected.]

[Energy level exceeds the current absorption limit. Direct connection is not recommended.]

Chiba withdrew his hand.

"Don't refine chakra when you're exhausted these days."

Naruto rubbed his wrist.

"You can examine patients too?"

"No."

"Then what were you feeling around for?"

"Checking when you'll drop dead."

"Hey, would it kill you to say something nice?"

Naruto chased after him out of the classroom, only to be stopped by Iruka as soon as they reached the corridor.

"No running during lunch break, Naruto. You still haven't handed in your class exercise."

"Chiba hasn't handed his in either. Why are you only picking on me?"

Iruka took the chakra control record Chiba handed over, opened it, and placed it in front of Naruto.

"He handed his in this morning."

"He must've secretly finished it early. I'll finish mine early tonight too."

"Tomorrow's assignment hasn't even been announced yet."

Naruto snatched back his blank worksheet and ran toward the classroom, muttering under his breath.

Chiba was about to leave when Iruka called out to him.

"Has anyone gone to the clan grounds to see you again these past few days?"

"No. There are fewer people on the rooftops too."

"The Hokage has reassigned the guards. They won't affect your life."

"Who were the ones that disappeared?"

Iruka's hand, still holding the record sheet, paused for a moment.

"Guard assignments rotate. You don't need to identify them."

"Teacher doesn't know either."

Chiba walked past him, and Iruka did not deny it.

During the afternoon shuriken class, Sasuke hit the bullseye repeatedly. After Kiba lost, he shifted his attention to Chiba.

"Don't go hiding your skills again. Teacher said practical scores would be recorded publicly."

"I'll only throw once."

Chiba took a shuriken from the equipment basket and flicked it toward the wooden target.

The iron blade embedded itself just outside the bullseye, placing him neatly in the middle of the class rankings.

Kiba laughed while holding Akamaru.

"You dared call me weak yesterday, but you can't even hit the bullseye."

"The wind was coming from the right."

"You lose and blame the wind?"

"You can look behind the target."

Kiba walked around it and discovered that the shuriken had passed through the edge of the wooden target and pinned a poisonous bee that had been about to pounce on Akamaru.

His laughter died in his throat.

"You saw it already?"

"It was more useful than the bullseye."

Chiba retrieved the shuriken. Sasuke, who had watched the whole thing from nearby, flipped his score card facedown.

"Fight me after school."

"Come back after you learn the Fireball Jutsu."

Sasuke grabbed his sleeve.

"How do you know what I'm practicing?"

"Your collar smells scorched."

Chiba tugged his sleeve free and headed for the library.

After class, he needed to search for records on the seals in the Senju shrine. The public library might not have the answer, but it could contain records of Konoha's early experimental accidents.

The old archives were arranged by era, and most shelves concerning the First Hokage were locked.

Chiba followed the catalog numbers to the sealing jutsu section. Just as he pulled out a book explaining chakra nodes, a hand from across the shelf pressed down on its spine.

"I got it first."

Byakugan and a forehead protector entered his view. Chiba recognized Neji, a Hyuga student one year above them.

"Your hand was on the book. My chakra touched it first."

Neji released the spine and looked toward the faint roots that had not yet faded beside Chiba's hand.

"Using Wood Release to snatch a book? Is this all the Senju clan has left in the way of rules?"

"A branch family member of the Hyuga sneaking around to study sealing jutsu has no right to lecture anyone about rules."

Neji shoved the scroll beside him back into the shelf.

"What did you see?"

"Human chakra nodes, Cursed Seal lockdowns, seal backlash."

"This is only classroom research."

"They don't teach Bird in a Cage in class."

Neji blocked the passage between the bookshelves.

"If you dare mention this to the main family, I'll make sure you never speak again."

"You can't undo it."

"Shut up."

"The forehead is only the entrance point of the formula. Destroying it will damage your brain first."

Neji raised a palm before his chest, already taking the stance of the Gentle Fist.

"You know the structure of Bird in a Cage?"

"A little."

"Tell me everything you know."

Chiba opened the chakra node diagram and found the page on the meridians near the heart.

"The seal's weakness isn't in the forehead. It's in a chakra node near the heart."

Neji seized the book, his eyes moving down the meridian chart.

"Bird in a Cage controls the meridians in the brain. How could it be located in the heart?"

"The formula needs chakra to sustain it. The core that maintains it wouldn't be placed in the most obvious spot."

"Which node?"

"Find it yourself."

Neji grabbed Chiba's shoulder, chakra already pressing through his palm against the cloth.

"Where did you see this?"

"Let go."

"Answer me first."

Fine roots emerged from the gaps between the floor tiles and wrapped around Neji's ankle without breaking his skin.

Chiba raised his eyes to Neji's forehead protector.

"Get stronger first. Then you'll be qualified to touch that seal."

Neji's hand slowly loosened.

"What do you want in exchange?"

"Come talk about an exchange after you find the core."

Chiba pulled out the lowest book, Konoha Medical Accident Records, and turned away from the shelf.

Behind him came the sound of pages turning, faster and faster.

"Senju Chiba."

"What now?"

"Why are you helping me?"

"I just don't like seeing people put locks on children's heads."

Neji did not follow him out.

When Chiba reached the checkout desk, he heard the librarian speaking with Iruka.

"The transfer paperwork has been approved. The student will join your class tomorrow morning. The file came from an orphanage in northern Konoha."

"This child has received ninja training?"

"Only basic chakra refinement. Their taijutsu grades are average, but their medical theory is quite good."

Iruka accepted the file, but the name on the cover was blocked by his fingers.

Chiba passed them by and checked out the medical accident records.

That night, the sensory roots pressed over the stone case sent back a sensation. Inside the untouched Senju wooden plaque, there was now a child's photograph.