"Uncle Dan?" Shizune asked, her brow furrowed with concern as she treated Kato Dan's wounds. "Have you gone to see the teacher again? What happened?"
Kato Dan grimaced, shifting uncomfortably as Shizune worked on his injuries. The situation had been dire for three days now, and he was beginning to wonder if his attempts to reach Tsunade were doomed from the start.
"Master Dan said there was some misunderstanding with the teacher," Shizune relayed, her voice laced with curiosity.
"Shizune, you need to be more careful," Reiki chimed in. "Before we repair any injuries, we have to examine every part."
He paused, glancing at Kato Dan's battered frame. "Let's start with your ribs. It looks like you're broken here, so it needs to be reset."
"Crack..."
With a swift motion, Reiki reset one of Kato Dan's ribs. The resulting pain made sweat bead on Kato's forehead, but he held back his cries. It would be too embarrassing to show weakness in front of his niece and Tsunade's students.
"Look, there's this arm," Reiki continued, cracking it back into place.
"Crack…"
"Look, there are these legs."
"Crack…"
"Look, there's this neck."
"Ka... wait, I'm sorry, nothing's wrong with the neck. I made a mistake."
"Crack…"
As Reiki continued his commentary, Kato Dan felt like he was being taken apart and put back together like a set of building blocks. By the end of the ordeal, while his body was repaired, his mental state was far from intact.
"Senior Brother Reiki, I've written it all down!" Shizune said, her face beaming with admiration.
"Okay, Shizune, we have other work to do next. Battle training has begun," Reiki replied, trying to steer her attention away from Kato Dan's plight.
Hatake Sakumo was engaged in combat drills with a team of ninjas. The improvements in everyone's abilities were evident, as was their growing confidence in dealing with opponents.
---
"Going to ninja school tomorrow?" Tsunade asked Reiki.
"Teacher, can I not go?" Reiki groaned, feeling a wave of reluctance wash over him. He hadn't attended school for months, and the thought of returning filled him with dread.
"I've already signed you up for the genin exam. Just go through the motions," Tsunade said gently. "You'll also participate in the medical ninja assessment. With your current skills, you're more than capable."
"Is that so? I see," Reiki replied, reluctantly accepting his fate.
---
Sitting in the classroom, Reiki pondered Tsunade's words about the genin test. The exam would include the Three Body Technique, some basic academic lessons, and an essay praising the achievements of the Third Hokage.
As he scanned the list, he couldn't help but admire Sarutobi Hiruzen's shamelessness.
"Reiki-kun, here's the breakfast I prepared! And I made you a lunchbox too!" Yuhi Kurenai chirped, her eyes sparkling as she approached.
"Reiki-kun, can I come to your house tonight?" she continued, chattering away excitedly.
Reiki didn't mind her enthusiasm and simply nodded, grateful for her kind gestures.
At that moment, Sarutobi Asuma, sitting nearby, felt a wave of discomfort wash over him. Though he knew he had no chance with Yuhi Kurenai, he found it difficult to watch her interact so closely with Reiki.
"By the way, why did you suddenly come to school today?" Kurenai asked, realizing she hadn't known why Reiki was back.
"I'm here for the genin assessment, and I'll be assigned a jounin and my companions afterward," Reiki explained calmly.
Once he became a genin, Tsunade would likely take him out on missions. Though he was excited, a part of him hesitated. He didn't want to leave the village until he felt stronger.
"Be confident!" Kurenai encouraged. "Reiki-kun, your birthday is next month. Isn't that when you'll be seven?"
The other girls in the class looked at Reiki with curiosity, their interest piqued by Kurenai's words.
"I don't know yet," he admitted, glancing at the exam content in front of him. "I'm not very good at writing."
Kurenai's enthusiasm was infectious. "I'll help you! Sandaime-sama teaches us so much—like the will of fire, the contributions he made to the village, and the legendary Sannin in the teaching department…"
As Kurenai listed off points with impressive speed, Reiki couldn't help but admire the school's brainwashing efficiency.
"Kurenai, if you had to choose between the village and being my friend, which would you pick?" he asked, feigning disappointment.
"I choose Reiki-kun!" she declared, standing up with conviction.
Reiki's heart sank at the declaration, and Asuma fainted in the background from sheer frustration. **Can't they keep the drama to a minimum?**
---
After a brief interlude filled with awkwardness, Reiki was called away by a teacher into a separate room.
"Reiki-san, the genin test will begin now," the chuunin instructor said, seriousness etched on his face. "Please demonstrate the clone technique."
"Understood," Reiki replied confidently.
"Clone technique!"
With a simple gesture, Reiki summoned his shadow clones, impressing the examiner with ease.
The test progressed smoothly, and after showcasing his skill, Reiki moved on to the written portion. He had already memorized the key points and found writing the praise for Sarutobi Hiruzen to be a trivial task.
Soon enough, he was told to wait. In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen reviewed Reiki's results with a satisfied grin.
The little boy had written several pages praising the Hokage's achievements, solidifying Hiruzen's affection for the young ninja.
"Sure enough, this kid can be cultivated as a backbone for the village," Hiruzen thought, determined to accelerate his plans for Reiki's training with Tsunade.
Without any hiccups, Reiki received his official genin status half an hour later, marking the start of a new chapter in his life. As expected, his supervising jounin would be none other than Tsunade herself.
>>>>>
Gimme Power stones I'm Poor