All sounds of doubt abruptly ceased. Time seemed to stop in its tracks. Everyone stood frozen in place.
Eyes wide and mouths agape, they could clearly hear each other gasping for breath.
Sasuke's eyes also went wide as he stared in shock. The ever-cool and handsome guy finally lost his composure at this moment.
"Cough, cough," Naruto choked on the smoke from earlier, closing his eyes. "Shiki, what exactly are you doing? Is the Uzumaki clan's purpose just to release smoke?"
Naruto's voice faded away, returning everything to absolute silence.
Even someone as calm as Shikamaru couldn't help but mutter one word: "Troublesome."
What Shiki had performed was simply the Clone Jutsu.
It was merely the basic Clone Jutsu, except this time there were so many clones that when everyone looked around, they found themselves surrounded by the unmistakable red hair of Shiki Uzumaki.
"T-This is really just the Clone Jutsu?"
"So many! I've never seen such an overwhelming number of clones in my entire life."
"What kind of sheer willpower does the Uzumaki clan possess?"
Lee, on the verge of tears, shouted excitedly, "He truly is a man of steel! So full of fiery passion! So bursting with vibrant youth! Guy-sensei! You're absolutely right about youth and effort!"
This is so cringe.
While others remained shocked, Shiki kept thinking he should probably wear the same cold expression like Sasuke did.
But Lee's comment completely shattered that image.
Never had Sasuke imagined that Shiki had been concealing his true strength all along. Driven by his thirst for power, Sasuke declared to Shiki, "Shiki Uzumaki, I, Sasuke Uchiha, challenge you!"
Hearing Sasuke's icy tone, Shiki thought how even during a challenge, this kid still acted so calm and collected as if nothing happened.
Yet Shiki currently had no interest in playing along with Sasuke's challenge. Therefore, he responded, "Sasuke, you're not strong enough to fight me yet. Also, you should broaden your perspective—it's not just about having large chakra reserves that makes a powerful ninja. There are many incredibly strong shinobi who have very limited chakra reserves."
Shiki paused before continuing, "Challenge me again when you've seen more and feel ready to face me."
Indeed, measuring a ninja's strength isn't solely based on chakra volume. Yet seeing such massive chakra reserves—how astonishing!
Could it be the Uzumaki clan's strength of will truly surpasses everything?
After saying that, Shiki smiled again and turned to Iruka, asking, "Iruka-sensei, may I take leave now?"
Chapter 28: Doctor Shiki
"I just don't know what to do with you," Iruka said helplessly while rubbing his temples. "Still, promise me you'll return to class after completing your training."
"Of course, don't worry."
Shiki replied, then left the office.
Watching Shiki's back disappear from view, Iruka felt somewhat powerless. Originally, he wanted to evaluate Shiki further, but unfortunately, Shiki's performance in the Clone Jutsu had been too astonishing to continue questioning further.
So much so that Iruka found the subsequent exams meaningless.
"Perhaps Shiki Uzumaki really could become a man famous throughout the ninja world?" Iruka mused aloud.
Mizuki asked, "Iruka, have you ever heard of the Uzumaki clan Shiki Uzumaki mentioned?"
This...
Something about it felt familiar to Iruka, but he couldn't quite place it. It seemed like when he was young, there had been an important figure in the village with red hair from the Uzumaki clan. But who exactly was it?
Iruka tried hard to remember until his head hurt, then gave up. "I don't know either, Mizuki."
Still puzzled, Mizuki decided to visit a bookstore later to research ninja world history and look for information about the Uzumaki clan.
After sending off another patient, Sena Hoshino stretched her arms and yawned. Her graceful figure could make anyone's heart skip a beat—except most women, of course.
In autumn, the streets had far fewer pedestrians and naturally appeared desolate. Even the usual twittering birds had vanished off to find bugs elsewhere.
Because of the sudden cold snap, many had caught colds. The hospital became busy, and for such mild illnesses, no one was busier than trainee nurses like Sena Hoshino.
Actually, Sena's [Medical Ninjutsu] wasn't bad at all, but she needed extensive experience before becoming a full-fledged medic in Konoha Hospital.
Yet after half a day of work, she suddenly recalled—the child who had promised loudly yesterday to come learn Medical Ninjutsu from her still hadn't shown up.
"Just a kid, I guess. Got distracted by something fun and forgot completely."
Sena smiled sweetly, though only she knew—there was some loneliness inside her heart.
She grew up in Konoha's orphanage, never having experienced familial love.
But Shiki, the boy who showed up out of nowhere yesterday, felt just like a long-lost little brother.
He was seriously injured but couldn't afford medical treatment—probably an orphan like herself?
Unfortunately, now she didn't know where he'd gone.
"Onee-san, what are you thinking about?"
A familiar voice entered Sena's ears, causing her to turn around quickly. Sure enough, it was that adorable face with a mischievous grin.
Pretending to be angry, Sena said, "Shiki, you've been bad. You promised Onee-san you'd come today, but you're so late."
"Sorry, something delayed me," Shiki scratched his head, clearly embarrassed.
"Fine! You're gonna help me with the patients today," Sena said, puffing up her cheeks like a little kid.
"I definitely will help Onee-san well," Shiki patted his chest earnestly.
Shiki came to the hospital with just two goals in mind: fool Danzo and secretly study the [Offensive Ninjutsu] he wanted to master.
Of course, he couldn't reveal his true intentions immediately—he knew Danzo's Anbu were observing him from the shadows.
"Good, pay attention. Try to control your chakra more gently."
Even though it was just a minor wound, Shiki had already broken into a sweat.
For him, controlling chakra so precisely was extremely difficult. Even with Sena Hoshino carefully instructing beside him, Shiki still performed unsatisfactorily.
"Hmm, that's already quite good. When I first used Medical Ninjutsu, I wasn't nearly as good as Shiki is now," Sena Hoshino said affectionately, patting Shiki's head.
Shaking his head, Shiki replied, "Sena, please don't flatter me like this. I know exactly how poorly I'm performing."
Sena Hoshino simply smiled and remained silent.
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