Chapter 6: The Orb of Light, Bodhi Seed

Chapter 6: The Light Orb, the Bodhi Seed

"Standard-issue, emergency-use... quite a logical classification. Did Chiba really come up with all of this himself?" The Third Hokage looked over the report, somewhat incredulous.

"Yes, the rest of us only assisted him," Kitayama O replied, nodding. "The standard-issue type is for daily consumption during missions, while the emergency type is for rapid physical recovery after intense combat; it is less filling and places less burden on the body."

"Implement it as soon as possible." The Third Hokage exhaled, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Kitayama O acknowledged the order and left.

"Kakashi, what do you think?" A moment later, a figure emerged.

"Are you referring to him or this report?" Kakashi looked up.

"Both." The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, his expression obscured by the mist.

Kakashi thought for two seconds. "The fact that he cannot learn nature transformation does not mean much. As for the military ration pills, they are indeed more logical after being subdivided. The costs incurred by ninjas on missions should drop by more than a third."

"Three days!" The Third Hokage sighed deeply.

Three days. From learning to researching to mastering—the entire process had been completed. Such talent was simply incredible. And he remembered that the boy had only joined the medical team to learn ninjutsu and medical knowledge. Thus, in that child's eyes, the military ration pills were likely just a side project.

"Are you interested?"

"Uh, Lord Third, my apologies, but I would like to wait a little longer." Kakashi froze for a second before ultimately refusing. Moreover, he did not feel he was the right person to teach the boy. "I think the best people to teach him would be Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya."

Did the Third Hokage not know that? But neither of them was in Konoha anymore. The atmosphere fell into a momentary silence.

"Regardless, I will keep an eye on the child for you. I will help look after him until he has a team leader, but acting as that leader myself is out of the question." After saying this, Kakashi offered a salute, picked up his book, and left.

The Third Hokage did not stop him. For an elite Jonin like Kakashi, even the Hokage had to respect his opinion, not to mention that Kakashi’s reluctance to lead a team was due to the son of the Fourth Hokage. He silently relit his pipe.

...

"Huh? What is this?"

During his lunch break at the hospital, Chiba lay down to meditate and organize his previous knowledge when the familiar light orb spontaneously appeared in his consciousness. To his surprise, the orb seemed smaller.

No, to be precise, it seemed to have condensed. As its light retracted, the surface appeared uneven and mottled, looking like some kind of bizarre, intricate pattern.

Wait? This pattern, this shape—he felt he had seen it somewhere before.

Chiba paused, recalling where he might have encountered a similar shape. After a long while, he rummaged through his memories from his previous life and finally remembered. Before he had transmigrated, he had obtained a Bodhi seed; the markings on the light orb were identical to it.

It was that very Bodhi!

Chiba’s eyes widened in disbelief, but he quickly calmed himself. Now was not the time to ponder its origins. Whether it was a Bodhi seed or a light orb, this thing was undoubtedly the foundation of his standing in the ninja world, and there must be a reason for its current transformation.

He could no longer rest. He sat up, picked up a pen and paper, and began to write distractedly while lost in thought.

A few minutes later...

*Thud!*

Chiba jabbed the tip of the pen straight into the paper.

Military ration pills!

He had modified the military ration pills a few days ago, and after submitting the report today, they were likely already being published.

"I need to learn, achieve enlightenment, and then pass on what I have realized to others. That is how I can make the Bodhi seed change and provide feedback to me."

"But what did I receive?"

The light orb had manifested as a Bodhi seed, so he must have received some benefit.

Chiba conducted a few tests. He then basically determined that the feedback he received this time was likely an enhanced sensory ability—not ordinary perception, but something that allowed him to sense more than just chakra; he seemed to be able to sense when he was being watched.

For instance, someone was staring at him right now.

Chiba did not look over immediately, instead waiting until he got up to exchange his books to steal a glance. The person was fast, but he caught a glimpse of the edge of some glasses and silver hair.

Yakushi Kabuto?

Chiba pondered for a moment, identifying a suspect. There was no one else it could be. It was not unexpected, either. His teacher was Mizuki; it was normal for Yakushi Kabuto to take an interest in him.

Better not to startle the snake. Who knows? Perhaps they could cooperate in the future.

He walked silently toward Kitayama O's office. The door was unlocked, but Kitayama O was asleep. Chiba slipped inside, swapped his book, and was about to leave when he glanced sideways.

*Er,* Teacher Kitayama... It is normal for adults to look at "adult" material, but you could at least close the door.

He turned to leave silently. Just as he was about to exit, an exclamation came from behind him.

Then came the sound of rustling as she scrambled to organize her books. Before Chiba could turn around, she stammered an explanation: "Cough—Ch, Chiba, are you here to borrow books? Did you finish the previous ones?"

"Yes. Well, I’m planning to look at some books on neurology," Chiba nodded.

Kitayama O’s face flushed slightly as she nodded. "That's good, that's very good. Go ahead, and if it's too noisy outside, you can read here."

"No need. By the way, Teacher, could I learn the Chakra Scalpel in advance?"

"That jutsu is still quite... uh, never mind, go ahead and take it."

Kitayama O had intended to say it was an A-rank jutsu and extremely difficult, but then she remembered that the boy had even learned Lord Fourth's Rasengan—and had thought of it himself. People really shouldn't be compared; it was infuriating!

"Thank you, Teacher."

As expected. When someone is in a state of social embarrassment, the probability of them agreeing to a request is often higher.

Chiba read through the scroll once and immediately returned it.

After Chiba left, Kitayama O buried her head and let out a silent scream. That brat definitely saw it! I hope he doesn't know what kind of book that was. Otherwise, it would be... I have lost all dignity as a teacher.

Chiba left the office, reading his book while forming hand seals to attempt the Chakra Scalpel.

The first time, he failed.

Back in the office, Kitayama O, who had been secretly observing him, let out a quiet sigh of relief. *Good, it's not that...*

The second time, he succeeded.

*Heh!*

He stood up silently, deciding to find a different place to rest—out of sight, out of mind.

Chiba was completely oblivious, testing the effects of the scalpel with great interest. It was indeed a B-rank jutsu; mastering it in one go was not easy. No wonder few people used it for combat. After all, for a normal person, just maintaining it was difficult enough; the requirement for chakra control during intense combat was extremely high. Those who could do it often had more efficient attack methods, like Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred or Chiyo's puppet techniques. Someone like Kabuto was a rare exception.

However, for Chiba, this was a good jutsu.

He thought for a moment and began to experiment with modifications, compressing the chakra until it was as thin as a dagger.

"In actual combat, it doesn't seem that useful, but it has given me inspiration for condensing chakra needles in terms of forming hand seals and mobilizing chakra."