"Is that someone from the clan delivering food?"
A knock sounded at the door.
Supporting himself with his only remaining right hand, Yamanaka Genichi slowly shifted from the bed into the wheelchair beside it. As he wheeled himself toward the door, he speculated.
From his memories, he knew that ever since his discharge from Konoha Hospital, the clan had been responsible for his three daily meals. Immediately after leaving the hospital, someone had been assigned to care for him since he couldn't move. But once he became mobile enough to use a wheelchair, the caregiver left, only coming back at mealtimes to deliver food.
There were quite a few disabled ninja like him within the clan. The family would arrange for members without ninja talent to take care of them and pay them a wage. This was one of the advantages of belonging to a clan.
If he were a civilian ninja, things would be much harder. Someone as severely injured and without relatives as he was would have to rely entirely on compensation from the village to hire help.
---
With these thoughts in mind, the wheelchair reached the door.
Yamanaka Genichi pulled it open—
And froze.
---
"Clan Chief? What are you doing here?"
---
Standing outside was not the usual clansman delivering food—
But the current head of the Yamanaka Clan:
Yamanaka Tadashi.
---
Tadashi's gaze swept over Genichi's empty left sleeve, pausing briefly.
He said nothing.
Stepping inside, he closed the door behind him and pushed the wheelchair forward, bringing Genichi to the small table in the living room.
"Genichi, are you feeling any better?"
---
"Much better. At least I can move around with the wheelchair now."
Genichi's tone was calm—almost detached, as if he were speaking about someone else.
---
Seeing that he hadn't fallen into despair, Tadashi quietly let out a breath of relief.
After a moment of silence, he spoke again.
"Genichi… you can no longer serve as a ninja. The village has decided to retire you due to your disability and seal your ninja records."
He paused, then added gently:
"You understand… right?"
---
"Our Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques are primarily supportive and not suited for direct combat. You were a sensory ninja—surviving the battlefield alone was already an achievement."
---
Genichi nodded.
"I understand, Clan Chief."
---
He had already expected this outcome.
Given his current condition, retirement was inevitable.
As for whether he could recover and return to being a ninja in the future—
That remained uncertain.
But if he could truly use Puppet Techniques to fight again, applying for reinstatement shouldn't be too difficult.
---
Besides—
As Tadashi said, he had been the sensory ninja of his squad.
The fact that he survived while all his teammates perished…
Already made him far luckier than them.
---
In truth, the original Yamanaka Genichi had survived not because of strength—
But pure luck.
As a sensory ninja, he had stayed at the rear.
The enemy had quickly baited out his abilities—
Then finished him off with a kunai attached to an exploding tag.
---
His talent had been average.
Slightly better than a civilian ninja—
But nothing exceptional within the clan.
---
And the Yamanaka techniques weren't meant for direct combat.
They required teamwork.
---
From what Genichi remembered—
Even Ino Yamanaka had only managed a draw against Sakura Haruno during the Chunin Exams.
For a Yamanaka ninja to fight alone—
Was like a support character trying to 1v1 a jungler.
Pure suicide.
---
Seeing how calmly he accepted everything, Tadashi was finally reassured.
He had seen too many ninja refuse to accept such a fate.
"It's good that you understand. A ninja's fate may be to die on the battlefield—but being alive is always better."
---
Then he changed the subject.
"By the way, the village has decided to promote both you and your teammates to Chunin."
"Compensation for your fallen teammates, as well as your retirement pension, will all be issued according to Chunin standards."
---
"Really? That's great."
Genichi's throat tightened slightly.
"At least their families will be able to live better."
---
Though surprised at first, he quickly found it reasonable.
It was the middle of the Second Great Ninja War—
A time when promotions came quickly due to high casualties.
His squad had already been nominated for promotion.
This mission had been their last as Genin.
They had even planned to celebrate together afterward.
---
Talk about a death flag…
---
Now, including the original owner of this body—
The entire squad was "reunited."
---
A stray thought crossed his mind—
If the original soul is in the Pure Land… would Edo Tensei work on this body?
---
He quickly dismissed the idea.
---
Raising his right hand, he said:
"Clan Chief, I have no objections to retiring given my condition. I'll have to trouble you with the procedures."
---
"As expected."
Tadashi nodded, then gestured to the lunch box he carried.
"Once everything is processed, Yamanaka Kazuhiko will bring the documents when he delivers your meals."
"This is your dinner. I brought it along the way."
"Eat well. I'll take my leave."
---
"Understood. Thank you, Clan Chief."
---
After seeing him out, Genichi returned to the table.
Opening the lunch box, he looked at the still-warm food—
His thoughts already moving ahead.
---
After dinner… I'll study the Puppet Technique scroll.
And properly experience chakra for myself.
---
He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of rice.
As the warmth slid down his throat—
For the first time, he truly felt it.
---
His new life in this ninja world—
Had just begun.
---
After finishing his meal, Genichi wasted no time retrieving the Puppet Technique scroll from the box.
Just as he remembered—
It was there.
---
The scroll felt heavier than expected.
He spread it open on the floor.
---
The moment it unfurled—
Familiar handwriting caught his eye.
---
It was his father's.
---
"Father must have used the Yamanaka secret technique to extract this from a Sand ninja's memories…"
---
As he stared at the text, more memories surfaced.
His father had always been meticulous.
Every time he conducted an interrogation mission, he would record any ninjutsu he obtained.
Not for any specific purpose—
Just in case it might be useful someday.
---
Over time, he had compiled numerous such scrolls.
Even now, many similar records were stored in the clan archives.
---
"…That's actually a very practical habit."
Genichi made a mental note.
---
In a world as dangerous as this—
Knowledge itself could be the difference between life and death.