Chapter 38: Combined Treatment and the Use of Absorption Barriers

Chapter 38: Joint Treatment and the Application of Barrier Absorption

"Uh, who are you?"

Although he knew exactly who the man was, Chiba had no choice but to feign ignorance. After all, the mind of this man was even more inscrutable than a woman’s.

Well, there was one thing that was easy to guess. Danzo definitely wanted to be Hokage, and he must be incredibly annoyed that the Third Hokage was so long-lived. Chiba grumbled inwardly.

"Shimura Danzo," Danzo said coolly.

"My apologies, so it is you..."

"Danzo, is something the matter?" The Third Hokage’s voice drifted from inside the office.

Chiba gave a slight bow and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you further."

"Hm."

Danzo nodded slightly, his face icy, and stepped into the Hokage's office. Chiba didn't know what they were discussing, but Danzo acknowledging him sent a clear message: he was now being watched not just by the Third Hokage, but by Danzo as well.

Perhaps there was even more to it. Orochimaru, the rogue ninja who had left the village, had plenty of eyes within Konoha, and one of them happened to work at the Konoha Hospital. He might already be on Orochimaru’s list as well.

Chiba walked slowly away from the Hokage building. He wasn't particularly worried, just somewhat... lost. Where did his future lie? He didn't feel a strong sense of allegiance to Konoha; to him, as long as he could grow stronger, it didn't really matter who he followed.

Thinking it over carefully, he mentally crossed Danzo off the list first. The old man was too dangerous. He had betrayed Orochimaru and Shisui; if Chiba ever lost his utility, he would be sold out just as ruthlessly. Collaborating with him was like an old man drinking arsenic.

Next was Orochimaru. To be honest, Orochimaru was actually decent to his subordinates—provided they were of high quality and could become his trusted right-hand men rather than just tools. Working with him might spark more innovation in ninjutsu development, but when Chiba thought about those experiments, he reflected that he would find it hard to truly align with Orochimaru's worldview.

Upon reflection, while the Third Hokage had his frustrating quirks, he seemed like a relatively decent partner. If the Third passed away and Tsunade took over, that also seemed like a viable path. As for Danzo, it was a pity he was so hard to kill; a dead Danzo would be a good Danzo. If he died early, people might even pay their respects at the Memorial Stone.

"Chiba? You're back from your mission?"

"Kitayama-sensei, yes, I'm back." Chiba smiled.

绪 Kitayama was dressed as usual, in her white lab coat with light makeup, looking more like a doctor than a ninja. She brushed back the hair that was obscuring her vision, examined him with her beautiful eyes, and sighed with a smile, "It's been so fast. It's only been a week or two, but it feels like you've grown up quite a bit."

"It's just psychological. Anyway, is there anything in the surgery room that needs my help?" Chiba asked with a chuckle.

"No, it's not wartime, so surgeries of that magnitude are quite rare," Kitayama said with a smile.

Chiba began selecting materials to make military rations, replying, "That's good. But you should have mastered that technique by now, so you could definitely handle it yourself without me."

"Uh, yes, that's right, haha, but if such a surgery really did come up, it would still be safer to have you there." Kitayama scratched her head.

At that moment, she had a strange feeling—in front of Chiba, she felt more like the student.

"Are you preparing to make military rations?"

"Yes, my partner is training in ninjutsu lately, so I plan to make some specialized chakra-infused rations. I'll pay for the materials."

"These few materials don't cost much. What I mean is, if you aren't too picky, you can take some of the defective ones we made earlier." Kitayama pointed to a box to the side.

Chiba paused, surprised. "So many defects?"

"Yes. Your military ration recipe is effective, but the dosage control needs to be extremely precise; otherwise, the results vary significantly," Kitayama explained. "We’ve been debating whether to discard them or sell them as a lower grade."

"That is true... uh, if there are no side effects, you could discuss it with the Hokage. See if these rations could be sold at a low price to the village; Konoha has so many departments that they would definitely be able to consume them." Chiba suggested.

Kitayama’s eyes lit up. She happily hugged Chiba and spun him around, saying, "That's right! Why didn't I think of that? Thank you so much, Chiba!"

"Uh, I... I think putting me down would be the best way to thank me!" Chiba was struggling to breathe. This woman... he couldn't tell when she was wearing her lab coat, but she was surprisingly well-endowed.

"Ah, sorry, sorry! You see how many rations you need, and I'll take the rest to ask Lord Third for help," Kitayama apologized with a laugh.

Chiba crouched down and began picking through the basket. "By the way, Kitayama-sensei, I have an idea. I wonder if you could help me evaluate it."

"Hm? Tell me." Kitayama sat to the side, reading a book.

Chiba thought for a moment and said, "Although I don't know medical ninjutsu, I know it requires extremely high chakra control, and one must precisely locate the patient's injury points while controlling that chakra, right?"

"That's right. That’s why becoming a professional medical ninja is very difficult. Even I wouldn't dare call myself a qualified medical ninja yet," Kitayama sighed.

Chiba nodded. "Exactly. So I was thinking, why not divide the labor? I remember you have joint treatments; couldn't one group focus on locating the injury points while the other focuses on the treatment?"

"But how could that be done?" Kitayama asked, puzzled. She naturally knew the benefits of such an approach, but it was incredibly difficult to implement. Even if someone found the injury, the human body was like a sealed box; unless you opened it up completely, the surgeon still had to find the location themselves. It would save at most a little time.

"I’m just using the concept of division of labor as an analogy. As for how to achieve it, we just need to optimize the medical ninjutsu," Chiba said, taking out his notebook and flipping to a page. It was a plan he had come up with yesterday.

Kitayama took it and looked closely. It contained a concept—

"Using barrier ninjutsu to absorb medical chakra, and then having the surgeon channel it into their technique?" She was surprised. This approach...

"Do you think it's feasible?"

"Feasible... I suppose so? Saving on chakra production would make weaving hand seals and performing the technique much simpler, and it might give the surgeon more energy to perform the operation." Kitayama thought for a long time before finally nodding.

"Then I'll leave it to you to find a way to test it," Chiba said.

"Not at all. If your invention is verified, it's us medical ninjas who will benefit," Kitayama said, her emotions feeling somewhat complex. This child always had so many ingenious ideas; by comparison, her own talent seemed truly mediocre.