Araki said he was escorting Yubi and Sasori to complete their mission, but after they returned to the outpost, he brought the two of them out and completely separated them from the squad's movements.
Aside from routine patrols to confirm there were no suspicious targets nearby, Araki spent most of his time personally coaching Yubi's training.
As for Sasori… he was basically left to his own devices.
"You're a medical-nin. You can use medical ninjutsu, and your chakra nature is currently gentle—aligned with Yang Release. So… training in other types of ninjutsu will likely be harder for you."
"In general, most shinobi are naturally inclined toward a certain chakra nature, and with enough growth they can learn it fairly easily… but that isn't absolute. By the time someone reaches the level of jōnin, most can perform chakra nature transformation in at least two elements. Still, their proficiency—and the power of the techniques they produce, varies from person to person. Some people might even grasp several chakra natures, but because of bloodline factors, anything outside what they inherited ends up weak… so even if they can use many jutsu, they don't really bother in their usual fighting style."
On a stretch of ground in the canyon, Araki and Yubi had just exchanged a few moves.
As the Third Kazekage's personal guard, Araki was strong even among jōnin—
an elite jōnin.
So no matter how hard Yubi pushed himself, he couldn't gain any advantage.
In the blink of an eye, a kunai was braced against his throat.
"When it comes to medical ninjutsu, I can't really teach you—this isn't my specialty," Araki said with a grin. "But because of your chakra nature, if you want to get stronger, you'll need other methods. The usual elemental ninjutsu: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Water—aren't ideal for you. Even if you master one later, its power won't be particularly high. So you'll have to focus on taijutsu, ninja tools, and other avenues."
"Medical-nin have far better chakra control and sustained output than most. That actually fits a puppet user's requirements perfectly—just like Granny Chiyo. If you wanted, I believe you're fully qualified to become a puppet master. Even if you don't reach the very top, it would still boost your overall strength a great deal."
Araki smiled.
Truthfully, Yubi had already thought all of this through.
He understood chakra factors extremely well.
Tsunade, as a medical-nin, relied on overwhelming taijutsu and raw physical power.
Chiyo relied on puppetry.
Both were established paths for medical-nin to grow stronger.
Watching Yubi's expression, Araki continued, "From the look of it, you're not planning to become a puppet user… You want to strengthen your taijutsu, right?"
Even in just a few exchanges, Araki could tell Yubi's body had been honed through brutal training—clearly aimed at a taijutsu route.
Yang Release was, in essence, the manifestation of physical vitality.
"Not exactly… I trained my body mainly to increase my chakra reserves," Yubi scratched his head and smiled, explaining.
Chakra was the life energy formed from physical and spiritual power, drawn from the body's vast number of cells—so in a way, it was tied to stamina as well.
"Mm… that's true. At your age, your chakra volume, and the speed of your control and response—are far above your peers," Araki said, stroking his chin.
That was because when Yubi refined his body, he wasn't just chasing muscle or brute strength. Through breathing and controlled intake of air, he was deliberately training internal organs and chakra pathways as well.
For shinobi, those pathways were the "channels" used to circulate chakra—also the foundation of the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist, which could seal tenketsu and disrupt chakra flow.
So those pathways mattered.
"Did you come up with that fighting style yourself too?" Araki asked.
During their exchange, he'd clearly sensed Yubi's unusually delicate observation skills—like he could predict movements.
"It's because I'm a doctor," Yubi said with a grin. "Since I understand the human body, it's almost like instinct. If I look at someone, I can estimate their strength and speed—and in a fight, I can catch tiny shifts in their posture and 'calculate' from that."
"Of course, my taijutsu only works on opponents who aren't that strong. Against someone like you, Araki-sensei… it's useless. For true experts, you can't predict them just from physical 'data.'"
In other words, Yubi's so-called "data taijutsu" was mostly for dealing with rookies.
And besides… it wasn't only a doctor's instinct. It also relied on his understanding of this world's power system—
the "database" in his head.
Naturally, he couldn't tell Araki that.
He couldn't exactly say he was a reincarnator who'd watched this world as an anime in another life.
"Tch…"
Even so, Araki's eyelid twitched.
"As expected… medical-nin are never simple," he muttered with a sigh.
"It's not that impressive," Yubi said modestly.
"You seem to have a clear plan for your growth and fighting style," Araki said, his gaze turning complicated. "In that case, there's not much left I can teach you. The only thing I can do is use sparring over the next stretch of time to raise your taijutsu level—and your real combat experience."
When Araki had been Yubi's age, he'd still been thinking about playing around—childish and carefree.
He'd never been this mature, never had such a clear understanding of his future.
Comparing them made him feel, once again, how unfair people could be.
So this is what they call a genius…
"Again," Araki said sternly.
"Yes," Yubi nodded.
In the next instant, Araki vanished from Yubi's sight.
Yubi gripped his scalpel and settled into a fighting stance.
"In shinobi combat, you can't always trust your eyes," Araki's voice said from nowhere. "Your senses can lie to you. More often than not, what you rely on is the intuition forged in battle. That includes sensing chakra—because the movement and release of energy never lies."
Yubi's eyes flicked around as he braced himself—
but in the very next second, Araki's figure appeared behind him, finishing his warning.
Yubi hadn't caught a single trace of him.
Smack.
Araki chopped the back of Yubi's neck with his palm.
If this were the battlefield, Yubi would already be dead.
"So strong…" Yubi let out a breath.
Elite jōnin… you can't see any openings at all.
And "elite" was a label only really used among jōnin. Genin and Chunin didn't get classifications like that.
There were also Tokubetsu Jōnin (Special Jōnin)—shinobi who excelled in one area but weren't outstanding overall.
And Jōnin Instructor, a title for jōnin assigned to the Academy and to leading rookie squads.
Shinobi ranks weren't always decided purely by strength. Things were complicated.
Even the evaluation standards differed between villages.
Among them, the Five Great Nations held the strictest standards—but the rank with the most "weight" was still Konoha's.
Not because Konoha was the story's center, but because many of the shinobi systems and rules had originally been established there, and other villages followed later.
"Again!" Araki barked.
"Yes!"