The deeper groove was the Chakra Needle.
The shallower one...
Chakra Threads?
The short one must be the soldier pills.
The varying depths probably indicate different levels of influence. By spreading wisdom and knowledge, the Bodhi Seed can slowly absorb "nutrients" and grow.
The two grooves serve as proof.
Chiba exhaled, relieved.
Once he grasped the pattern, everything became much clearer.
He began analyzing the two jutsu he had currently spread.
From a ninjutsu perspective, the Chakra Needle had enormous potential, but its difficulty was also extremely high. The A+ difficulty deterred countless ninjas; even if simplified, it would still be at least A-rank.
The other technique's influence was surely weaker. After all, Chakra Threads controlling tools and puppets had long been mastered by the Sand Village. This meant it was easier and much more widespread.
"By this logic, Chakra Threads are more suitable for large-scale promotion. Now, the question is how many patterns the Bodhi Seed needs to evolve again."
Chiba understood well that both taijutsu and ninjutsu had limits. Even if he were lucky enough to learn Sage Jutsu in the future, facing Madara or Kaguya would still be extremely difficult.
For true peace of mind, he had to rely on the Bodhi Seed that traveled with him.
"Let's start with Chakra Threads—it's simpler."
Whether manipulating tools or puppetry, Sand Village was the expert. For Leaf, this was an unexplored field.
Jonin might look down on it, but ninja below Jonin rank would welcome such a new jutsu in Leaf.
After much thought, Chiba set a second goal.
"Luckily, I'm not in class now; otherwise, even I couldn't manage so many things at once."
He sighed silently.
Taijutsu couldn't be abandoned.
Medical knowledge still required effort—it was barely beginner level, at least in his own view.
He also needed to study puppetry techniques.
Busy times ahead!
Chiba stood, stretched, and moved his limbs a little.
He originally thought the "two patterns" would benefit him somehow, but after careful testing, his body hadn't changed much.
Mentally, he felt refreshed upon waking but couldn't tell if there was any real progress.
The human mind was mysterious.
Only the Yamanaka clan in Leaf truly understood mental techniques—but theirs were secret arts, and Leaf's libraries lacked that knowledge.
Still, he could test his chakra capacity to gain some insights later.
No rush for now.
Techniques like the ones he used yesterday were rare; normally, his chakra was enough.
"Heh, you're awake? "
Huh?
Chiba was startled—it was a familiar voice!
"How did you get here?! "
"Hokage-sama."
"Ahem, I came to check on you. Thanks to your rescue, Nara-kun is out of danger. Shikaku and I just came to the hospital, so we dropped by to see if you were awake."
The Third Hokage explained.
Chiba turned toward the voice and noticed someone standing behind the Third. After the Hokage finished, the person stepped forward and said,
"If it weren't for you, Shikage wouldn't have been able to be a ninja. The Nara family is deeply grateful! "
"No need for thanks. I just did my best," Chiba quickly replied.
The visitor bowed respectfully and nodded to the Third Hokage.
"Hokage-sama, I will go check on Shikage now."
"Go ahead," the Third nodded.
Chiba watched him leave, feeling a bit strange.
They must have already seen Nara Shikage, right?
So, the Third wanted to speak with him alone?
He thought for a moment and asked,
"Hokage-sama, did the Chunin senior get saved? "
"Yes. He barely saved his hand. Although his taijutsu will be affected, he relies less on it due to his clan. He can still be a ninja."
The Third smiled warmly.
"That's good."
Chiba breathed a sigh of relief.
It would have been pointless otherwise.
In reality, explosive tags were deadly. Not even Jiraiya could block them. Elite Chunin hit by them were severely wounded—serious injury was the lightest outcome.
"Hanfang told me your technique was very useful. This rescue was only possible because of your ninjutsu. If you're willing to submit it to the village, we cannot let it go unrecognized."
The Third saw Chiba had no demands, so he asked,
"Do you have any requests? "
"I heard you have many scrolls. I want to borrow some books."
Chiba had been eyeing the Third's library for a while.
He had even asked Guy to pass a message to get a chance to access the Hokage's private library. Now the opportunity was here, and he wouldn't let it pass.
No need for secrecy here—being sneaky would only raise suspicion.
The Third smiled broadly and nodded repeatedly.
"You can come to the Hokage building anytime to read. There are also some scrolls on ninjutsu. You may not have great aptitude for nature transformation, but practice makes perfect."
"Thank you for your guidance."
Chiba knew the Third meant well, but…
His inability to learn ninjutsu wasn't due to talent but the influence of the Bodhi Seed in his head. He didn't know what it was and only hoped to find answers someday.
Still, the Third was right.
He might not learn nature transformation, but many ninjutsu could be learned by analogy and didn't require elemental affinity.
One thing was certain—he was set on reading the Third's books!
"If you have questions while reading, come ask me at the office. Don't be shy. Though I'm old and forgetful, I do know some things."
After a few more words, the Third left.
Chiba couldn't shake the feeling—
Did the Third Hokage have an interest in him?
He thought about it. Given his talent, no better candidate would come along for years.
It made sense the Third would be interested.
Still, Chiba shook his head and didn't want to think too much about it.
Taking care of himself was the priority.
"Lying down all day isn't good. Rest today, and then after dinner go for a run."
It was noon, and he could grab a meal in the hospital cafeteria.
Many greeted him along the way.
After asking around, Chiba realized he had become famous in the hospital—
Twelve years old, leading surgery.
Many privately compared him to Tsunade, which made him a bit embarrassed.
After all, Tsunade could perform the whole procedure; he only had steady hands and accurate blades. Medical knowledge was still far from expert, not to mention he couldn't perform medical ninjutsu at all.
Chiba explained a few times but then gave up.
It seemed…
Whether in his past life or the ninja world, workplace gossip was inevitable.
He thought bitterly to himself.
During the meal, he happened to meet Tsunade and mentioned he was taking leave today. She happily agreed.
After eating, he went out for a walk and some exercise.
After lying around half a day, a workout felt refreshing!