Chapter 18: Tsukiko Hazama

"By the way, are you going to be assigned like the rest of us?"

As they walked, Ten Ten suddenly asked.

Kai tilted his head, slightly confused. "Am I supposed to be any different?"

"Don't you think so?" Ten Ten found it odd.

What kind of ninja, who hasn't even graduated yet, keeps coming up with new jutsu every now and then?

It got to the point that if Kai didn't show some new development for a month or two, Ten Ten would feel strangely unsettled, as if something was missing.

"Maybe a little, but unless something unexpected happens, I should be assigned like everyone else. As for who our teacher will be, I honestly don't know."

Kai shook his head.

Though, he did have a suspicion.

If he remembered correctly, this year was around the time when Kakashi officially stepped down from the ANBU. He had come across some information, noting that Kakashi had started taking on students in recent years, although his dropout rate was extremely high—currently sitting at 100%.

Given how often Kakashi had been hanging around him recently…

The odds were high that his future teacher would be none other than Hatake Kakashi.

This would align with the Hokage's usual practices.

As for Ten Ten, it was harder to say. She might end up with Might Guy, but there was also the possibility they could be in the same team.

Among this year's students, aside from Ten Ten and Neji, the rest weren't particularly remarkable, so the team assignments would likely be rather arbitrary.

Kai mulled this over.

Seeing him deep in thought, Ten Ten assumed he had come up with another idea and remained quiet, holding her breath so as not to interrupt him.

After a moment, Kai looked at her curiously. "Why are you making that face?"

"Uh, I was afraid to disturb your thoughts."

Ten Ten bashfully brushed her hair aside.

"There's no need for that. But you should focus on your training—learn to use chakra threads in combat as soon as possible. I heard there's another test after graduation."

Kai offered some advice.

Ten Ten's face immediately turned pale.

Another exam?

That's…

Too much! After team assignments, how could they still make them take a test?

She didn't understand.

But.

Seeing Kai's confident expression, Ten Ten was already convinced. She nodded heavily in response.

Kai was ready to leave.

He wasn't very close to most of his schoolmates—aside from Ten Ten and Lee—so he didn't really have much reason to stick around. After checking things out, he planned to leave.

However, just as he was about to turn around, Kai spotted a flash of golden blonde in the throwing practice area of the training field. It stood out from the crowd.

Uzumaki Naruto.

Now that he thought about it, if Kakashi were to lead his team, wouldn't that change Naruto's team for the next year?

He pondered this for a moment before breaking into a wry smile.

What happens to Naruto, Sasuke, and the others doesn't really concern him.

"What's wrong?" Ten Ten asked.

"Nothing, just thought of something. By the way, in a few days, the hospital will be selling a new medicinal bath formula that's good for strengthening the body. You might want to pick some up."

"You made it?"

Ten Ten's eyes lit up. Suddenly, she understood why she hadn't seen much of Kai lately—he had been busy working on the formula.

Kai nodded slightly and made a "shh" gesture. "Tell Lee, but don't let anyone else know."

"Got it."

…

Three days later, Kai received the news.

The medicine had been approved, the experimental results were deemed successful, and it was cleared for sale. Several families had already caught wind of the news, with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio being the most enthusiastic.

The academy exams had essentially wrapped up, and the news of the new medicine had spread throughout Konoha via the bulletin board.

There were two sales points: Konoha Hospital and the Nara clan's herb store.

On the morning of the fourth day, Kai arrived at the hospital as usual, only to be greeted by an incredibly long line. The queue stretched from inside the hospital all the way outside, an overwhelming mass of people.

Moreover…

Kai looked up and immediately spotted someone in the crowd who didn't quite fit in—while everyone else had their heads up, this guy had his feet up.

Kai walked over.

"Guy-sensei, why are you here?"

"Lately, I haven't had any missions, so I thought I'd come and see if I could get my hands on some of that medicine." Might Guy smiled as he stood on his hands.

Kai lowered his voice. "Guy-sensei…"

"Kai-kun!"

Suddenly, a voice called out from the front of the line.

Kai looked up.

He thought it might have been Ten Ten, but when he followed the voice, it wasn't her. Instead, it was a short girl with black hair, carrying a short sword on her back. She was pretty but had a quality that made her seem unremarkable in the crowd—easy to overlook.

Do I know her?

A thought flashed through Kai's mind.

After a moment of pondering, he leaned closer to Guy and whispered, "Sensei, I created this medicine. I can arrange for you to get some."

"No need! Standing in line is also part of my training, my youthful friend!" Guy, still standing on his hands, gave a thumbs-up and flashed his signature gleaming smile.

Since he insisted…

Kai could only nod in agreement before walking over to the girl who had called him.

"Hello, and you are…?"

"Apologies, you probably don't remember me. My name is Tsukiko Hazama."

"Tsukiko Hazama…"

Kai thought hard, and then it clicked.

No wonder he hadn't recognized her.

She had always sat in the corner of the classroom, her grades somewhere in the upper-middle range, and her appearance was ordinary and unremarkable. Not noticing her would have been expected.

It was only because he had been late once and slipped in through the back door that he had sat next to her for a class, which was why he vaguely remembered her.

"Sorry, I really didn't…"

"It's fine! I always sit in the corner. It's normal for people not to notice me."

Tsukiko smiled and shrugged.

Then, she looked around anxiously, rubbing her hands together. "I heard the medicine was your creation. Do you think you could do something about this line? Standing around like this is such a waste of time."

Kai chuckled.

So that's why she called out to me.

It made sense, though. With so many people packed together, even getting some exercise would be difficult.

He nodded. "I'll talk to them. We'll figure out a better system soon."

"Thanks!" Tsukiko bowed lightly.

Kai waved it off.

This wasn't a big deal, and having so many people queue up like this wasn't ideal.

But then…

"Kai, I see! So you're the genius Yagyu Kai I've heard so much about. Impressive! Does this medicine really work?"

"The effects are real."

Kai replied quickly.

"What's the price like?"

"How did you come up with something like this at your age?"

"Are you engaged yet?"

At first, the questions were normal—mostly about the medicine—but they quickly veered off course. Kai's face stiffened as the questions became more and more absurd. He made a quick escape.

Tsukiko covered her mouth, giggling, though she couldn't help feeling a little guilty.

If it weren't for me, maybe not as many people would've recognized Kai-kun…

Ten Ten is still waiting up ahead.

While making his getaway, Kai caught sight of Ten Ten near the front of the line. He waved from a distance before quickly retreating to the medical unit. Seeing it mostly empty, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That was terrifying!

Thank goodness no one dares enter the medical unit.

"Tsk tsk, a genius like you—if only I weren't much older, I'd have considered marrying you myself."

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