After running around all afternoon, Garou felt like a brand-new person. He was refreshed, recharged, and surprisingly full of energy.
Oddly enough, he felt stronger than before, not just physically, but mentally too. It couldn't be from chakra depletion; he hadn't burned that much.
'It must be the Bodhi Seed.'
'A real treasure,' he thought, grinning inwardly. As he walked back toward the academy, something caught his eye and made him stop.
Three heads peeked over the top of the academy's perimeter wall.
Garou looked up just as their eyes locked with his.
Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji.
Shikamaru put a finger to his lips, motioning for silence.
Garou gave a small nod.
The trio visibly relaxed and began carefully clambering over the wall.
"Are you skipping class?"
"Oi, look who's talking! You're clearly not in class either," Naruto shot back, giving Garou a once-over.
"I thought the academy's been really strict lately. Everyone's working hard, determined to graduate early," Garou said, raising a brow.
Shikamaru yawned and twirled a piece of straw in his mouth. "Yeah, we tried that. For a bit. But honestly, it's exhausting. Graduating early just means more responsibility. Figured it'd be better to stick around and chill."
From the way he spoke, Garou had already guessed Shikamaru had figured out who he was.
Choji, meanwhile, didn't say a word. He was happily munching on a snack.
"Heh. Come on then, I'll show you a better way to kill time," Naruto said with a mischievous grin.
Garou smiled back, a little too brightly. "Skipping school at your age? How do you even enjoy yourself with that on your conscience?"
Naruto blinked. "What's with you? Who even are you?"
"Me? Just a random guy trying to save some lost causes," Garou said with mock solemnity.
With a flick of his fingers, thin threads of chakra shot out, snagging each of the boys in a flash.
Before any of them could protest, Garou had them scrambling helplessly back over the wall like puppets. Naruto glared furiously, but with a sharp click of Garou's fingers, all three were flung unceremoniously over the wall.
Naruto immediately tried to climb back over, only to be held down by Shikamaru.
Choji looked ready to help but paused when he saw Shikamaru wasn't budging. Experience had taught him. If he stuck with Shikamaru, he was less likely to end up eating dirt.
"We can't take him on. Let's just go back before a teacher finds us," Shikamaru muttered.
"Tch! Just wait till I catch that guy on school grounds," Naruto fumed.
"Even if you did, you'd still lose," Shikamaru replied dryly as they made their way back inside. "His chakra threads were ridiculously strong. We couldn't even budge. I'm pretty sure he's that prodigy. Garou, the one who graduated early."
"Oh, that guy," Choji mumbled around a rice cracker. "Yeah, we can't beat him."
"I don't care if he's the Hokage's secret love child. I'm gonna knock his smug head off," Naruto declared, vaulting the wall again.
Shikamaru sighed and facepalmed.
Choji looked at him for guidance, to which Shikamaru said, "Forget him. Let's leg it."
And with that, they dashed away.
On their way back into the classroom, they passed the academy gate… and there was Naruto, surrendering himself to a group of teachers.
'Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless,' Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head.
Garou, meanwhile, sat casually on the stone bench just outside the gate, chatting with a couple of instructors like it was afternoon tea.
"Garou, I heard you were performing surgeries at the hospital already!" one of the older teachers called out.
"Bit of an exaggeration, really," Garou replied modestly. "I was just assisting. I am definitely not qualified to do the slicing."
"Don't sell yourself short," another teacher chuckled. "You handled those chakra threads better than any Suna puppeteer I've ever seen. Maybe you should develop puppet jutsu. Let's see how high and mighty the Sand get then!"
'Puppet jutsu?' Garou thought, suppressing a grimace.
That wasn't about controlling threads.
It was about constructing actual puppets, which required decades of knowledge, precision, and craftsmanship. Unless Konoha got their hands on Suna's secrets, it was a losing battle.
But of course, the teachers were just making conversation, impressed by his talent. Nothing serious.
After a few more polite exchanges, Garou took his leave, strolling off as Naruto stood by, still stuck in place, muttering bitterly into the wind.
---
"Garou, Lord Hanpo wants to see you when you arrive," a passing instructor informed him.
"Understood," Garou nodded and made his way toward Hanpo's office.
He knocked lightly.
"Come in."
Garou stepped inside and froze momentarily.
Sitting beside Hanpo was a kind-looking elderly woman.
'Bloody hell. She's… Koharu Utatane.'
He gave a respectful bow. "Elder. Lord Hanpo."
Hanpo smiled. "Come, sit. This is one of our village elders and an exceptional medical ninja in her own right."
Koharu chuckled modestly. "Oh, heavens no. I haven't performed surgery in years. My hands are probably more used to stirring tea than wielding chakra scalpels these days."
Humble, but not entirely false.
Garou noted that at least she was realistic.
Medical techniques weren't something you could fake expertise in.
"You're too modest," Garou said politely.
"Well then, to the point," Koharu said, folding her hands neatly. "We wanted to ask if you'd be interested in taking on a position as a special medical ninja at the hospital."
"A what now?" Garou blinked, unsure if he'd heard right.
Hanpo explained, "You haven't formally trained in medical ninjutsu, but your chakra control is exceptional."
"With the right mentorship, you could assist in highly precise procedures, like surgeries that require chakra threading and internal chakra manipulation."
He'd initially assumed Garou was just another sharp student. But after yesterday, he realized this boy was far beyond his years.
With the way he adapted, it wouldn't take long before Garou could outdo even veteran medical staff in chakra scalpel and needle techniques.
Garou rubbed the back of his neck. "I appreciate the offer, but… I'm still a student. I've barely scratched the surface of Kitayama-sensei's syllabus."
"It won't interfere. And truth be told, Kitayama has taken on further training herself. She won't be available much to teach you in person," Hanpo said, tactfully implying that the Kitayama was still recovering from the blow of being shown up by her student.
'So that's how it is.'
It made sense. Chakra needles would be a staple technique soon, and the hospital couldn't rely on a single kid to show up every time.
Even if Garou wanted to help, the pressure on the medical team would be immense.
He thought for a moment, then said, "If it's about the Chakra Needle… I did some refining last night. If I add fifteen extra hand seals, I can make it far more stable and better suited for practical surgery."
"You what?" Hanpo nearly jumped out of his seat.
Even Koharu looked rattled.
Most jutsu take years to develop, yet this boy was refining advanced techniques overnight.
"Yeah, just like this," Garou said, calmly forming hand seals.
His original version only used five, but after studying the Water Dragon Bullet Technique, he realized that a more complex seal structure could make it accessible to less advanced users.
Tobirama only needed four seals to cast it.
But Zabuza needed forty-four.
This meant the more the hand seals, the less chakra control required.
So, he tested variations until he found a more practical version.
And just like that, Konoha's surgical future had a new star.
_______________________
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