Konoha Hospital.
Yakumo was brought here by Kurenai. Because of Tsunade’s orders, she was able to enter directly and find Sakura.
"Kurenai-sensei!"
Seeing Kurenai, Sakura quickly stood up.
She was from Team 7, while Kurenai led Team 8. Since they were from the sa graduating class and Kakashi and Kurenai were acquainted, the two of them knew each other.
"Sakura, I brought Yakumo for a full physical examination." Kurenai stated her purpose directly.
Yakumo?
Sakura gave Kurama Yakumo a once-over. Based on shinobi standards, the girl didn’t fit the mold at all.
First, her limbs lacked strength, devoid of the firm musculature typical of shinobi.
Among genin, close-quarters combat and kunai throwing were crucial skills, and poor physical condition was a dealbreaker. Yakumo’s physique was an open book to Sakura, who was training in dical ninjutsu.
’Where did this girl co from? Is she Kurenai-sensei’s student? But I’ve never heard of her!’
Sakura’s mind buzzed with questions as her hands moved skillfully to operate the equipnt.
"Yakumo, right? Lie down here. I’ll check your muscle condition first."
Yakumo obediently followed Sakura’s instructions while Kurenai stood nearby, watching closely.
---
Training Ground 10.
The Ino-Shika-Chō trio were sprawled in various postures—lying down, sitting, or leaning against a tree. Their clothes were sared with dirt, as if they’d been rolling around in mud.
"Seems like Hikari-senpai isn’t coming to train us today." Shikamaru muttered, lying on his back and taking deep breaths to ease his fatigue.
"So what if he doesn’t show up?" Ino said, sitting primly with her knees together.
When it ca to Kamizuki Hikari, she didn’t have any particularly strong feelings—just saw him as a sowhat unreliable senior.
Sure, he’d taught them so chakra techniques, and for that, Ino was grateful. But the way he flirted with multiple won at once made it hard for her to feel any real respect for him.
"It’s about ti to head ho for dinner and recharge!" Chōji chid in, stating the obvious to remind everyone he was still there.
Shikamaru reached a hand toward the sky, as if trying to grasp so clouds. After a pointless gesture, he lowered his arm.
"Hikari-senpai’s older brother, Kamizuki Izumo, is getting married soon. What are we gonna do about it?"
Though Shikamaru wasn’t fond of Hikari’s irresponsible attitude, he couldn’t deny the effectiveness of the techniques he’d taught them.
Since training under him, Shikamaru had felt his reflexes sharpen, his chakra grow denser, and even his clan’s shadow techniques improve slightly.
A teacher’s guidance wasn’t to be taken lightly.
Hikari’s laziness was his own problem, but now that Kamizuki Izumo was getting married, they—as Hikari’s temporary students—had to at least show so courtesy.
Ino wiped the sweat off her face with a handkerchief, restoring her fair complexion.
"I think we should discuss this with our families. Training is our priority now, and social obligations like this aren’t really our responsibility yet."
Despite her gripes with Hikari, Ino had a knack for handling social matters. Raised with high expectations by her father, she’d been schooled in etiquette and diplomacy, even if she wasn’t a boy.
Shikamaru thought for a mont, then nodded.
"Fair enough. But since we’re shinobi now, we should use our own earnings to buy a gift for Izumo-senpai. It’d show more sincerity, don’t you think?"
He had his own unspoken motives.
Their team’s situation was unusual. Officially, their sensei was Sarutobi Asuma—but he’d vanished without a word.
As for Hikari? He felt more like a temporary substitute.
Since their bond as teacher and students wasn’t formally recognized, Shikamaru didn’t want their families involved. That might send the wrong ssage.
"That actually sounds nice!" Chōji stood up and walked over.
"It doesn’t matter how much we earn. The thought counts, right?"
Putting aside their status as the Ino-Shika-Chō heirs, they were still just kids. Even as genin, it was hard to shake off adults preconceptions.
Unless they proved themselves on the battlefield, most adults wouldn’t take these young sprouts seriously.
"If you two are fine with it, then I won’t object. But we still have training. Taking missions will eat into our ti." Ino pointed out.
As clan kids, they’d rarely taken missions before—avoiding nial tasks like weeding whenever possible.
Partly because of Asuma’s influence, but mostly because none of them were short on money.
"That’s not a big deal." Shikamaru said. "I tested it earlier—Hikari-senpai’s chakra control techniques don’t just boost offense and defense. They also improve our speed and mobility. Tomorrow, we can try applying them during missions. If it works, our chakra control will get even better."
"Wow, Shikamaru, you’re so smart!" Chōji agreed enthusiastically.
Ino pondered for a mont, recalling her own training progress, then nodded.
"Alright, let’s take a mission tomorrow!"
---
Konoha Hospital.
After over an hour of tests, Yakumo was so exhausted she could barely stand. If not for Kurenai supporting her, she would’ve collapsed on the floor.
"Yakumo’s constitution is... really weak." Sakura remarked, flipping through a stack of reports as she recorded her findings.
Curious about her results, Yakumo peeked over—but couldn’t understand any of it.
Once Sakura finished writing, she set down her pen and looked at Yakumo gravely.
"Your current physical condition is worse than I expected. Your body is on par with an average eight-year-old civilian child."
"Doesn’t that an I’m... younger?"
"Not in a good way." Sakura, a theory prodigy, had studied countless dical cases in recent days and could analyze Yakumo’s situation clearly.
"Especially during childhood, the body should grow stronger and sturdier with age. That’s the natural progression."
"But you’re fifteen, and your physical developnt is stuck at an eight-year-old’s level. This weakens your overall health. For example, your bone density is only three-fifths of what’s typical for your age, and your muscle density is seven-tenths. Your feminine traits are underdeveloped too. Your body can’t even handle normal... intimate relations."
-----
Read 40 advanced Chapters on my P@treon.
/KakuzuTL
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