- "Hello, Mito-oba-chan, Kushina-chan!"
Just managing to squeeze through an even denser barrier around the Uzumaki residence — the heightened level of protection had remained since the sealing of the fox, so even visitors included in the short list had to endure considerable inconvenience to overcome it — I immediately noticed a couple training in the garden and waved to them.
- "Ryo! You're here!"
Pausing their taijutsu stances, the kids rushed towards me, and Kushina jumped on me from a distance, throwing herself onto my neck. Learned from bitter experience, I stepped back with my left foot and took the blow from the slender figure, barely avoiding falling to the ground. Catching the troublemaker, I spun Kushina in the air, laughing along with her happy squeals.
- "So, how are you doing? Didn't bother Oba-chan too much?" I asked a couple of minutes later, setting her down.
- "No! We were training, dattebane!"
Hearing this, I couldn't help but smile — Kushina's vocabulary seems to be expanding more and more with each passing day.
- "Hello, Ryo, how are you?" Mito approached, allowing us to chat a bit. "I heard about Saya, my condolences."
- "Thank you, I expect to cure her soon, so there's no need to worry," I weakly smiled, waving my hand. "Better tell me, how are you feeling today?"
- "Still far from my peak strength, years of inactive life are taking their toll," Uzumaki grimaced, "but even the best jōnin of the village would have to try hard to beat me in hand-to-hand combat."
- "Hmm, about lower S-class level?" I raised an eyebrow inquisitively and received a nod in response. "Then another examination, and we can check the condition of your kekkai genkai."
- "No problem! I can't wait to use chakra in techniques again, rather than the meager amount needed for taijutsu," Kushina exclaimed.
- "Here or at home?"
- "Here, the weather outside is too nice to go indoors for such a simple task."
Moving away from the training ground, where Kushina had resumed her kata, occasionally glancing curiously in our direction, we found a spot under a spreading young oak tree with a short grassy carpet and cool shade from the leaves, which was perfect. Mito lay down on the grass, and I applied the technique of the Mystical Palm, first examining the body and then switching to the chakra channels.
The whole procedure took no more than an hour, markedly different from the time I needed at the beginning of my medical career. With a sigh as I finished the technique, I lay down next to her on my back and put my hands under my head.
- "What's the diagnosis?"
- "Almost the same as last time — despite the rapid muscle recovery by ordinary standards, the Uzumaki kekkai genkai works quite slowly, so it will be at least another two months before intensive training can begin."
Of course, ordinary people and shinobi would call it suicidal, but the red-haired Fuinjutsu masters are much stronger than others might think.
- "But even after the specified period, I would advise against abruptly increasing the load, gradually increasing it instead. The fact that even restored muscles cannot boast exceptional strength only adds to the need for a cautious approach. I've treated any minor injuries, so the rest is up to you."
- "What about using chakra?" Turning onto her side to face me, Mito rested her head on her propped-up hand.
This position prompted a movement of the training white kimono, and I managed to catch a glimpse of the edge of her snowy chest peeking out from the now deeper neckline. Quickly averting my gaze to something less provocative, like the branches of the oak above us, I made an effort to focus on the topic at hand.
- "As for the chakra pathways, they're a bit worse — despite my seal and the effect of the kekkai genkai, full recovery of the chakra pathways is still far off. The movement of the fox turned out to be too destructive even for an Uzumaki. I've patched up the smaller channels to the best of my abilities, but the thicker ones are beyond my control, so we'll have to wait for them to return to their original state on their own. Nothing above C-rank jutsu can be used for now, otherwise, the walls of the channels, only just starting to thicken, may not withstand the pressure. Approximately in four months, B-rank jutsu will become available, but for now, it's better not to take unnecessary risks, or else I can't guarantee the final deadline."
- "And what is it this time?" Mito asked thoughtfully.
- "I would say — around two years, maybe less, if we don't disturb the chakra pathways too often."
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