Naruto paused slightly and turned his head.
A young man with a silver-gray ponytail was standing behind him. The ponytail youth wore a Konohagakure forehead protector and had a harmless smile on his face. The most eye-catching thing about him was the pair of round-framed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. Beneath the frames, those narrow eyes were sizing up Naruto with interest, as well as the stack of books and scrolls in front of him.
"My name is Yakushi Kabuto. I saw you worrying over these Genjutsu theories. Did you run into something you don't understand?"
Yakushi Kabuto smiled, his voice magnetic and gentle. He had long heard of the "Nine-Tails" before him. Naruto looked at the young man, his pupils behind his own lenses constricting slightly as he instantly became alert.
This man's smile was like a perfect mask. He smelled the scent of his own kind. So Naruto also put on a similarly gentle and polite smile and said:
"Ah, thank you, Senior. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, a sixth-year student."
"Oh? You're Uzumaki Naruto?"
Kabuto showed a slightly surprised expression, as if he really didn't know Naruto.
"The man of the hour at school lately, going from the dead last all the way to a genius. Even I've heard of your great name. I didn't expect to meet you here."
Saying that, he pushed up his round glasses. "And I certainly didn't expect you to be interested in such dry theoretical knowledge."
Kabuto casually picked up a copy of Magen: Kokuni Arazu no Jutsu that Naruto had finished reading, a hint of playfulness in his tone:
"Usually, geniuses like you seem to prefer studying cool Ninjutsu like Katon or Raiton. And you, you seem to prefer studying the operational principles of Chakra?"
"Elemental Ninjutsu may be cool and powerful, but if you don't understand the essence of Chakra, it's just a castle in the air after all," Naruto sighed, complaining half-truthfully. "Unfortunately, the books in the library are too focused on practical combat. There are still too few books on theory. I wanted to find some theories about the flow trajectory of Yin Release Chakra in the brain's meridians, but after searching through this place, it's all just techniques for creating illusions."
Hearing this, Yakushi Kabuto's movements visibly stalled for a moment. He took a deep look at the boy before him. This statement... didn't sound like something someone this age should say at all. Even many Jonin care more about the power of a technique and don't care about the principles behind it at all. Did Uzumaki Naruto have a vision that transcended the masses at such a young age?
"Brain meridians and the essence of Yin Release?"
The smile at the corner of Yakushi Kabuto's mouth became a bit more genuine. It was the kind of look one gives when seeing a kindred spirit, showing a bit of mutual appreciation, but it was quickly restrained.
"It seems we are the same kind of people," Kabuto said softly, then naturally walked toward the Medical Ninjutsu section and pulled out a relatively thick book. "Clinical Trial Records of Chakra Stimulating the Prefrontal Cortex," he handed it to Naruto.
"General Ninjutsu books naturally won't record these, because those are killing techniques. If you really want to understand the impact of Chakra on the brain and meridians, you should look at Medical Ninjutsu. For example, this book, although it falls under Medical Ninjutsu, the theory inside about 'Chakra stimulating the pituitary gland' might solve your doubts."
"However, I'd recommend you start learning from basic Medical Ninjutsu. After all, the human body is a whole. If you don't understand meridians and anatomy, you won't understand Yin and Yang Release."
Naruto took the book, and after just one glance at the table of contents, his eyes instantly lit up.
On the Solidification Effect of Yin Release Chakra on Spiritual Space Interaction Between Neural Synapses and Chakra
...This was exactly the knowledge he needed! After flipping through it briefly, Naruto had to admit Yakushi Kabuto was right. It was filled with a large amount of professional medical vocabulary. Without systematically studying Medical Ninjutsu, it would indeed be hard to understand.
So Naruto closed the book and said with a bit of sincere gratitude:
"Senior is right. I do need to supplement some medical knowledge. Do you have any suggestions for that?"
Yakushi Kabuto didn't hold back either. He took out a pen and paper and listed a long book list for Naruto.
Explanation of Human Meridian Science Basic Cell Activation Theory Practice and Application of Hemostasis and Detoxification Techniques
"These are all basic books that can be found on the first floor of the library. After after reading these, you'll be able to understand the book I gave you."
[Ding!]
[Suggestion recorded: Learn basic knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu.]
[Task Requirement: Read, memorize, and fully understand the books on the list.]
[Task Reward: C-rank treasure chest.]
"That's a huge help, Senior!" Looking at the task that appeared, Naruto's smile became even more genuine.
"It's just a small favor," Yakushi Kabuto waved his hand, acting like he was just a helpful senior. "My name is Yakushi Kabuto. If you have theoretical doubts in the future, you can come and talk to me. After all, in Konohagakure, people who like to understand this 'useless knowledge' are becoming fewer and fewer."
"Okay, Kabuto-senpai."
After Naruto watched Yakushi Kabuto leave, the smile on his face slowly faded, and his eyes held a hint of depth and calmness.
"Yakushi Kabuto, huh..."
As his Breathing Technique gradually strengthened, the potential of his Uzumaki clan body was being continuously stimulated. A certain talent for sensing others' emotions seemed to be awakening. Naruto could faintly feel the cold, empty, and chaotic heart hidden beneath that gentle mask.
"But... what does that have to do with me?" Naruto shrugged and looked at the book list in his hand. "At least he doesn't want to harm me right now, and he even helped me, so he's a good person."
Then, Naruto began searching for books according to the names on the list...
Meanwhile, in a hidden forest in Konohagakure, Yakushi Kabuto, who had left the library, no longer had that gentle smile on his face. After confirming no one was around, he bit his finger and summoned an unremarkable small snake. Then he spat a miniature scroll from his mouth and stuffed it into the snake's mouth.
"Go, give this to Orochimaru-sama."
The small snake vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Orochimaru-sama, I've discovered a very interesting person in Konoha. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has not only learned to disguise himself but has even begun to touch the edge of truth. That look... perhaps, he can be guided in the future to be used by us."
...Otogakure, underground base, in a dark laboratory.
A pale figure was dissecting a specimen on the examination table. Suddenly, a small white snake slithered to his feet. Orochimaru stopped his movements. He knew that Yakushi Kabuto wouldn't contact him casually while undercover. He took the scroll spat out by the white snake and began to read.
"Hehehe... Uzumaki Naruto?"
He let out a cold laugh and stuck out his long tongue to lick his lips.
"Studying the essence of Ninjutsu, finding Ninjutsu crude? He even wants to use Medical Ninjutsu to analyze Yin Release... Interesting, so interesting. Even a guy like Kabuto would actually develop some good feelings toward him?"
Orochimaru burned the scroll in his hand, took out a new scroll, wrote down instructions, and stuffed it into the messenger snake's body.
"Guide him a little, Kabuto. Give him knowledge, but don't give him direction. I really want to see what direction this child, who could become the wind, will blow Konoha..."
Would you like to see Naruto begin his Medical Ninjutsu training, or should we see how Sasuke-kun's training is progressing under Naruto's new "health regimen"?