"Lord Shikaku, I'm Yagyū Chiba. I came uninvited without a formal letter of introduction—please forgive the intrusion."
Chiba bowed politely.
Shikaku smiled and waved a hand. "Think nothing of it. I've actually been meaning to invite you over for a visit. You were still recovering then, and the hospital kept you busy—I didn't want to take up your time. I'm glad you came today."
"Sorry for the trouble."
After a round of polite courtesies, Chiba was welcomed into the courtyard.
"Good day, I'm Nara Clan Shikamaru."
The boy's expression was the same as ever—half-lidded eyes and an air of disinterest. He greeted Chiba without any trace of the anger one might expect from someone who'd once been puppeteered st his will. With his intelligence and temperament, Shikamaru had clearly gotten over it long ago.
"Shikamaru," Shikaku began with a knowing smile, "you probably don't know this yet, but Chiba here submitted a new jutsu—the Ninja Tool Manipulation Technique. It's already being promoted among the Chūnin."
At that, Shikamaru's eyes flickered with surprise, but he soon understood.
Of course.
That day, Chiba's chakra threads had been strong enough to control three of them at once. Manipulating weapons must be child's play for him. No doubt his real goal wasn't tool manipulation at all—
but puppet mastery.
Shikamaru thought silently.
"It's nothing special," Chiba said modestly. "Just a C-rank technique."
Shikaku chuckled and shook his head. "Plenty of people have created advanced jutsu before, but few ever manage to learn them. Take the Rasengan, for example—Lord Fourth Hokage's creation. How many can truly perform it?"
Shikamaru listened quietly, curious how Chiba would respond.
"That's true," Chiba nodded, "but chakra threads alone can't achieve much. And I'm just one person—my strength is limited. Only by combining everyone's wisdom can Konoha truly become stronger."
Shikaku's eyes lit up with appreciation. He nodded with a faint smile and continued chatting for a bit before glancing back toward his son.
"I heard you've been studying anatomy, muscle structure, and pharmacology lately," Shikaku said. "Are you here to buy special herbs, or do you need reference materials?"
Chiba gave a small, sheepish smile. "You see right through me, Lord Shikaku. I heard that the foundations of Konoha's pharmacology came from the Nara Clan. I've been working on a formula, but it's incomplete. I was hoping to ask your advice."
He briefly explained his idea and the ingredients he'd been testing.
Shikaku narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, then smiled. "That medicine would benefit all ninja—especially the Akimichi Clan. They have a secret medicine of their own that's tied to stimulating physical potential."
Chiba's eyes brightened.
So that was what he meant—
the Akimichi Clan had even deeper knowledge of this field. He had some acquaintance with the Nara Clan, but none at all with the Akimichi Clan. Marching up to ask about a clan secret would be impossible.
He was about to speak when Shikaku said,
"You were honest with me, and that shows trust. How about this—let me reach out to the Akimichi Clan on your behalf. If they're willing to collaborate, we'll research something better together. If not, our two clans can continue the study ourselves."
Shikaku looked at him seriously, not even bothering to avoid Shikamaru's presence. "You may have to share some of the benefits, but there will be plenty of advantages too. Think about it."
"That would be wonderful. Thank you so much for your help!"
Chiba accepted immediately.
Shikaku worried he might overthink it because of profit, but in truth, Chiba's goals were entirely different. What he wanted wasn't money—but reputation.
Shikaku smiled, pleased, and chatted with him a little longer.
Soon, the smell of food drifted from inside the house. Chiba tactfully excused himself.
As he watched the boy's back disappear down the path, Shikaku sighed softly.
"Father, are you feeling sorry that he can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu?" Shikamaru asked.
Shikaku gave him a sideways glance and replied dryly, "A boy that clever at his age—what's there to pity? I just pity that he's not my son."
He didn't name anyone in particular, but the insult landed with full force.
Gee, thanks, Shikamaru thought bitterly.
"Listen, son," Shikaku went on, "the world's full of clever people. Don't wait until you hit a wall to regret not putting in more effort earlier. Now come on, let's eat."
Akimichi Clan, huh?
Chiba jogged down the street, mulling it over with a smile.
"Their Three-Color Secret Pills really are tied to the body's potential. Even if I can't learn everything, knowing part of their principles could help me develop drugs that stimulate stamina and chakra flow."
Of course, such stimulants would shorten lifespan and damage the body—but when your life's on the line, who cares about longevity? Survival came first. And in those moments, these medicines could save lives.
"If I can work with the Akimichi Clan, I'll have two formulas at once."
He hadn't expected that one polite visit would bring such a windfall.
Still smiling, he broke into a light run—when suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps behind him and sensed a familiar chakra presence approaching fast.
Lee.
He slowed his pace.
"Ch–Chiba! Wait for me!"
"Lee, class over already?"
"Yeah." Lee sighed. "Lately, everyone—especially Tenten—has been studying so hard. I just can't keep up. After trying for a few days, I gave up and went back to training."
Judging from his face, he'd clearly been frustrated.
Chiba couldn't help but chuckle. Then, with a serious tone, he said, "Why compare yourself to them? I only graduated early because I had to. You're training every day—that's already incredible. But you need balance. Push too hard and you'll just injure yourself."
"Really?"
"Did kid hit you?"
"Uh… yeah."
Lee answered honestly.
He wasn't very smart, easily swayed by others' energy and enthusiasm. But hearing both Chiba and kid say the same thing made sense to him. Gradually, he stopped overthinking.
Then—
"RAAAH! Training with Chiba really fires me up! My youthful passion is burning once more! Chiba-kun, let's have a challenge! Five hundred laps—whoever collapses first loses! Then we'll do a hundred handstand laps!"
"Heh."
Chiba ignored him and simply sped up.
"Eh? Wait for me!"
"Oh, by the way," Chiba asked mid-stride, "where's kid?"
"On a mission, I think," Lee replied.
"Perfect. I just happened to need someone's help with a little experiment. Interested?"
"Me?"
Lee's thick eyebrows shot up in disbelief, eyes bright with excitement.
Truthfully, Chiba's ideal training partner was still kid.
The stronger someone's taijutsu, the more they understood the subtle control of muscle and chakra. That way, they could help him test his theories. But Lee, while far less analytical, was a perfect hands-on fighter.
Ask him how to punch or kick, and he'd demonstrate flawlessly.
Ask him why a punch works that way, or how to channel chakra through it for maximum power—and you'd lose him completely.
Sure enough—
an hour later, Lee's face was blank with confusion, his head spinning from Chiba's explanations.
"Forget it," Chiba said finally. "Just punch like this. Try it, and compare the result with your usual strike."
He stepped forward and threw a punch.
Crack!
The massive tree trunk before him let out a sharp, splintering sound.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
https://www.patreon.com/Mindsmithstudio