My Techniques are a bit off

Nighttime, Hospital

"Whew~"

Link withdrew his hand from Nara Ensui's chest, exhaling deeply.

[Finally, some progress...]

Popping a soldier pill into his mouth, he felt a sense of relief. Four applications of the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, each using over half his chakra reserves, had begun to yield visible improvements.

Unlike regular medical treatment, which required careful planning to avoid deformities during regeneration, this technique simply extracted illness or injury. Once removed, the body naturally returned to a "normal" and "healthy" state.

Damaged muscle tissue and misaligned bones had already started to revert to their original form.

"Ugh..." Nara Ensui groaned faintly, his eyelids fluttering open.

"Link..." His voice was raspy.

As soon as he spoke, a sharp pain radiated through his chest. His lung, punctured by the Kusanagi Sword and further damaged by the forced use of Shadow Sewing to restrain it, had been shredded. Surviving was a miracle owed to Link's earlier life-saving technique that barely sustained his breathing.

Even with medical team intervention and debridement surgery, Ensui's body barely maintained basic function. His shoulder had suffered massive tissue necrosis due to freezing, and his lung was still fragile with newly regenerated sections. Attempting to speak loudly only risked reopening his wounds.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Violent coughing brought blood spilling from Ensui's mouth.

Ignoring his fatigue, Link immediately infused chakra into his hands and placed them on Ensui's chest.

"Whew... whew..." As the chakra worked its magic, Ensui's breathing gradually stabilized. After a moment, he weakly pushed Link's hand away, his voice faint and hoarse. "Don't waste your chakra."

Even as an injured jōnin, he understood his condition perfectly. A mere infusion of chakra could only provide temporary relief—prolonged treatment was futile.

"How are Iris and Ami?" he asked.

"They're back safely. The village's reinforcements arrived in time," Link answered without claiming credit, instead attributing their survival to the village's support.

Ensui's lips curved into a weak smile. Looking at his student, he managed a difficult but heartfelt grin. "Good work."

Link turned away, staring at the wall. "The doctors say you might not be able to work as a ninja anymore."

"I figured as much." Ensui accepted this calmly. When he had taken on the bait role during the mission, he had already prepared for the possibility of never waking up.

Being alive and back in the village was already more than he had dared hope for.

"Well, not being a ninja anymore means I'll have plenty of time to find someone to settle down with. Maybe even start a family..." he said lightly.

"I'll heal you."

"I believe you."

As Link's footsteps faded down the hallway, Ensui gazed at the ceiling, a bittersweet smile spreading across his face.

[Kids... so troublesome.]

…

The Next Day – Training Ground Seven

"Drip, drip, drip."

Sweat poured off Link as he leaned against a rock, catching his breath. No matter what happened, he refused to let his daily training lapse.

Since being reborn into this world, he had resolved to become stronger. With his mother's early passing and his father's strict training, Link had been forced to grow up quickly.

His past self—an easygoing, aimless shut-in—was worlds apart from the hardened individual he had become. Survival had taught him to shed traits that held him back.

At first, his goal was simply strength. Later, upon discovering his mutated chakra techniques, he shifted his focus to mastering as many jutsu as possible. This eventually gave way to an ambition to rise through the ranks: chūnin, jōnin, and ultimately, Hokage, granting access to all the village's secrets.

The thought of stealing forbidden scrolls or defecting from the village had crossed his mind. But he dismissed it as unnecessary.

First, the risks of failure far outweighed the potential rewards. Second, Konoha provided him with protection and resources—there was no need to gamble when the structured ninja system already paved the way.

Yet along this path, he found certain burdens almost too heavy to bear.

[In the end, it's always just me...]

Rubbing his rumbling stomach, Link stood and looked up at the high noon sun. After wiping away his sweat and putting on his jacket, he left the training ground alone.

Not long after, he arrived at Ichiraku Ramen. After placing his order, he stood by the vending machine, pondering what to drink. He wanted something sweet but wasn't in the mood for soda.

As he deliberated, a hand suddenly appeared, offering him a can of sweet red bean soup.

"This is for you!"

Turning, he saw Naruto Uzumaki grinning widely, his eyes squinting with joy.

Link hesitated for a moment before accepting the drink. "Thanks."

Back at the table, Link remarked, "Your tracking skills are still terrible."

"Uh, well..." Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

That morning, Naruto had spied on Link's training at Ground Seven. He then trailed him all the way to Ichiraku Ramen—not exactly a "coincidental" encounter.

"Ugh, Naruto! You said you were busy, but you're just here eating ramen!" Sakura Haruno's voice rang out as she entered with Sasuke Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake in tow.

Kakashi naturally sat beside Link, his tone lazy yet cheerful. "What a coincidence—fancy seeing you here again."

The word "coincidence" lacked any sincerity.

Naruto sat beside Link, with Sasuke and Sakura on his other side, effectively boxing Link in.

As the three newcomers placed their orders, Sakura chatted about their latest mission. Naruto complained about having to do more boring low-rank tasks the next day. Sasuke listened quietly, his expression neutral.

Kakashi watched the lively group with a smile.

"Thud." A bowl of extra-large ramen was placed before Link. He looked up, confused. "Uncle Teuchi, this isn't—"

"When you're feeling down, nothing beats a special bowl of extra-large ramen!" Ichiraku grinned, giving a thumbs-up. "It's on the house!"

Link glanced at the bowl of ramen, topped with golden tempura shrimp. Just as he was about to express his thanks, Kakashi interjected dryly:

"If that's your idea of a special treat, please don't bother giving me one..."

Kakashi really did hate tempura.

~~~

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