Another month had passed at Kirigakure Academy. The morning fog had barely cleared when Fujimoto-sensei entered the classroom, his stern gaze roaming over the students.
"Today," he announced, "we will check your progress with Henge no Jutsu." He paused, studying the reactions of the class. "I will call some of you randomly. I want to see who really practiced and who just wasted time."
The tension in the class was palpable. Jun'ko straightened in his chair, Aoi began muttering the sequence of seals under his breath, while Shinji tried to hide the fact that he had fallen asleep on his notes.
"Hōzuki Hiroshi."
The boy stood up with a confident smile, performed the seals, and turned into a perfect replica of Fujimoto-sensei.
"Acceptable. Tsuki Jun'ko."
Jun'ko turned into Hiroshi, even adding his typical arrogant grin, snatching a few laughs from the class.
"Mizutani Ren."
' My usual luck!'
Ren stood up, trying to maintain a neutral expression. 'I've already mastered the transformation technique, and I'm just short of the substitution technique my father showed me,' he thought as he deliberately performed the seals with studied slowness.
His transformation into Fujimoto-sensei was imperfect - his hair slightly disheveled, his height not exactly correct.
"You need to work on the precision of the details, Mizutani," Fujimoto commented. But Ren noticed Yukiko's piercing gaze. Was there something in her eyes...suspicious?
"As you know," Fujimoto continued after testing other students, "Henge no Jutsu is one of the basic techniques required for the end-of-year test. It is not just about infiltration-it demonstrates your chakra control and visualization skills."
During the lunch break, the group gathered in their usual place.
"My transformation was perfect!" bragged Jun'ko. "Did you see how I imitated Hiroshi's grin?"
"Technically," Aoi intervened, "your chakra distribution was slightly unbalanced on the left side. I noticed a small asymmetry in the--"
"Oh, shut up you walking encyclopedia!" interrupted Jun'ko laughing.
"If you want," Yukiko said, addressing Ren in a tone that hid something, "I can give you some tips on transformation. You seem to be having...difficulty."
There was something in her gaze that made Ren hesitate.
'Why does she keep looking at me like that? It's as if he knows...'
"By the way," Aoi intervened, interrupting his thoughts, "do you want to come to the hospital after class? My father is on duty today and I thought it might be interesting..."
Kirigakure Central Hospital was an imposing building, but what struck the group was not the structure but the constant coming and going of injured ninjas.
"It's been like this for weeks," Aoi murmured as he led them through the corridors. "The war..."
They stopped in front of a waiting room full of shinobi with wounds of various kinds. Some had bloody bandages, others showed signs of burns or frostbite.
"Aoi!" A deep voice made them turn around.
Dr. Kaito was a tall man with the same glasses as his son, but his eyes betrayed deep fatigue. "This is not the best time for a visit, son. We just received another group from the front and-"
"Father," Aoi interrupted him, "remember when I told you about that boy who manifested healing chakra on the first try? That's him." He pointed to Ren.
The doctor's tired eyes lit up with interest. He studied Ren for a long moment. "Show me."
Ren hesitated.
'It's risky to show too much talent, but ... this could be my chance to learn medical ninjutsu.'
Concentrating, he let his chakra flow into his hands. The green glow appeared almost immediately, steady and bright.
Dr. Kaito held his breath. "Incredible... The control of the chakra, the stability of the emission.... Aoi, how long did you say it took to achieve this result?"
"On the first try, Father."
The doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "With a talent like that... Aoi, teach him Shōsen Jutsu. It is a rank E technique, but it is the basis of all medical ninjutsu. With his chakra control, he could learn it quickly."
As the group left the hospital, Ren thought back to all the injured people he had seen. 'War is not a game,' he reflected. ' Reading it in a manga and experiencing it firsthand is totally different.