Chapter 12: A Pity He’s Not My Son

"Lord Shikaku, I'm Kai Yagyu. I apologize for visiting without a formal invitation. Please forgive the impromptu visit."

Kai bowed lightly.

Shikaku waved his hand with a smile. "It's no trouble at all. I was actually planning to invite you to my home, but you were recovering and the hospital was busy. I'm glad you came."

"Sorry for the inconvenience."

After some polite exchanges, Kai was welcomed into the courtyard.

"Hello, I'm Shikamaru Nara."

Shikamaru still looked as disinterested as ever. He greeted Kai but didn't show any anger or hostility—his intelligence and personality had led him to accept things with a more relaxed attitude.

"Shikamaru, you might not know, but Kai recently submitted his technique for chakra thread manipulation. It's now being promoted among the Chūnin ranks," Shikaku began.

Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly at the news, but he quickly understood.

Yes, that chakra thread technique—if they could control it, manipulating simple ninja tools would be a piece of cake. The ultimate goal must be puppet techniques.

Shikamaru thought to himself.

"It's just a C-rank technique," Kai said nonchalantly.

Shikaku shook his head gently. "Many advanced techniques have been developed, but only a few manage to master them. For example, the Rasengan that you and the Fourth Hokage conceptualized—how many have truly learned it?"

Shikamaru, listening from the side, chose not to interject but was curious to hear Kai's response.

"That's true. However, chakra threads alone are not enough, and one person's power is limited. We need collective wisdom to make Konoha stronger."

Kai nodded in agreement.

Shikaku smiled and nodded back, then asked, "I hear you've been researching muscle anatomy, body functions, and pharmacology. Are you looking to purchase special herbs or books?"

"Well," Kai said, "it seems the foundational pharmacology knowledge originally came from the Nara clan. I have a recipe that's not quite perfect and was hoping you could provide some guidance."

Kai briefly explained his ideas and the current state of his research.

Shikaku narrowed his eyes, then smiled. "This drug would benefit all ninjas, particularly the Akimichi clan. They have a secret medicine involving techniques for stimulating the physical body."

This implied that…

Kai's interest was piqued. Shikaku's suggestion was clear—though the Akimichi clan might be more knowledgeable in this area, he had some goodwill with the Nara clan. Requesting such secret knowledge from the Akimichi clan would be unrealistic.

Before Kai could respond, Shikaku continued, "Since you've been honest with me, it's only fair I help you. I can lead the effort to contact the Akimichi clan. If they're willing to collaborate, we can work together on a better solution. If not, we'll focus on what we can develop between our two clans."

Shikaku looked at Kai seriously, even though Shikamaru was present. "Though it might split the benefits, there are still many advantages. Think it over."

"That would be ideal! Thank you so much for your help!" Kai accepted enthusiastically.

Shikaku smiled, knowing that Kai's interest lay more in the recognition than in the profit. He chatted with Kai for a bit longer before Kai caught a whiff of a delicious aroma and politely excused himself.

Shikaku watched him leave with a quiet sigh.

"Father, are you regretting that he can't master ninjutsu or genjutsu?" Shikamaru asked, noticing his father's demeanor.

Shikaku glanced at him and said with a touch of irritation, "Why would I regret a kid being this smart at such a young age? What I regret is that he isn't my son."

Though he didn't name names, it was a strong insult.

Shikamaru frowned internally.

"Kid, there are plenty of smart people out there. Don't wait until you face difficulties to regret not working harder before. Let's not talk about this anymore. Dinner time."

...

"The Akimichi clan… I had almost forgotten about them. Their three-color secret medicine is incredibly effective when combined with their techniques. Even if we can't learn everything, knowing part of it could help develop drugs to enhance physical strength and chakra."

Stimulant drugs may shorten lifespans and damage foundations, but if life is at risk, discussing lifespan and foundation becomes irrelevant.

Life is more important than anything, and these medicines can be lifesaving in critical moments.

"Connecting with the Akimichi clan could mean access to two types of medicines."

An unexpected gain from the visit. Kai ran with a smile on his face. Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps behind him and sensed a familiar presence.

Rock Lee.

He slowed his pace.

"Kai… Kai, wait up!"

"Lee, is school out?"

"Yeah. Sigh, everyone's working hard, but I can't keep up. After a few days of trying, I had to go back to training."

Lee sighed deeply, clearly troubled.

Kai smiled and offered some advice. "Don't compare yourself to them. I graduated early because I had specific needs. Even if you leave school, you'll still be training every day. If you don't balance work and rest, you might end up overworking yourself."

"Really?"

"Didn't Guy-sensei give you a hard time?"

"Uh, yeah, he did."

Lee was quite honest.

He wasn't the brightest, but he was influenced by the atmosphere at school and the encouragement from Guy and Kai. He slowly accepted their advice, and his concerns faded.

So…

"Wow! I still feel that training with Kai is the best! My youthful spirit is ignited again! Kai, let's duel! Five hundred laps, and whoever can't keep up loses! Then a hundred laps of wall-walking!"

"Heh."

Kai was too lazy to respond and increased his speed.

"Hey, wait!"

"By the way, where's Guy-sensei?"

Lee usually trained with Guy.

"He's on a mission, I think."

"That's fine. Since I ran into you, I need someone for a research project I'm working on. Are you interested in helping?"

"Me?"

Lee looked incredulous, his eyebrows raised in excitement.

Kai was most interested in Might Guy.

The stronger one's taijutsu, the better they could understand the benefits of using muscle strength efficiently, and it also helped identify and fill in gaps. Lee, being purely a practitioner, was ideal for this.

If asked about punching techniques or kicking methods, Lee could perform them perfectly.

But if asked about the principles behind a punch or how to incorporate chakra to maximize its power…

He'd be lost.

Sure enough, an hour later, Lee looked bewildered, becoming more confused the more he listened.

"Never mind. Just follow my instructions and see if it improves your technique compared to before."

Kai started demonstrating punches.

With a single strike—

Crack!

The large tree trunk echoed with a loud, piercing crack.

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