Talent

It took only a week for Yuji to recover from the life-threatening injuries he had sustained. This astonishing recovery ability did not go unnoticed—medical-nin at the hospital were astounded, and the higher-ups had far more complex thoughts regarding what value Yuji, as an individual, could represent.

On the night of his discharge, Yuji received a short blade from Orochimaru.

"This is..." Yuji examined the weapon. The hilt was as dark as black jade, and the blade, about two feet long, gleamed with a cold light. A faint luster flowed across its surface, exuding an unmistakable sharpness. He could never forget this blade—it had once pierced deep into his chest. It was the sword of Jūō.

Orochimaru looked at him and said plainly, "This is your spoils of war."

Yuji silently accepted the short blade, nodding. "I just happened to need a sword."

During his fight with Jūō, he had acutely felt the disadvantage of lacking a suitable weapon. This short blade was perfect for a ninja—lightweight, razor-sharp, and easy to carry. In every sense, it was an ideal ninja weapon, and it could even channel chakra, making it a lethal tool.

Neither of them spoke for a while, and silence filled the room.

After a long pause, Orochimaru's characteristic raspy voice broke the stillness.

"Tell me exactly what happened that night."

Many people wanted to know how Yuji had managed to kill Jūō, a well-known ninja from the Hidden Cloud. Orochimaru was no exception, as it was fundamentally an unreasonable feat.

If Jūō had not been so skilled in taijutsu and kenjutsu, it would have been easier to accept. But his opponent had been a Cloud ninja renowned for those very abilities—on top of that, he could enhance his body with Lightning Release to boost his speed and reaction time.

Against such an enemy, how had Yuji—who had only been a genin for a little over a year—managed to win?

Orochimaru was curious. He knew Yuji's capabilities well.

Under Orochimaru's scrutinizing gaze, Yuji remained silent for a moment. Then, faint streaks of lightning flickered across his body. He extended his palm, watching the arcs of electricity dance across his skin, and said calmly, "At the time, I thought we'd both die. I didn't expect to survive. In the end, I have to thank this body of mine."

Orochimaru stared at the lightning, his eyes subtly shifting as if he had reached a conclusion but chose not to voice it, waiting instead for Yuji to continue.

Yuji moved his gaze from his palm to Orochimaru's face and continued, "By altering the chakra nature, I used Lightning Release to stimulate my body, increasing its activity to enhance my speed and reflexes. At first, I didn't even know this was possible. I just saw him do it and decided to try it myself. It worked. And because of that, I had the means to take him down with me."

Yuji didn't elaborate further—Orochimaru already knew about his body, including the fact that his heart was on the right side.

Orochimaru's expression flickered slightly. He had always known Yuji learned quickly—he only needed to see a hand seal once to memorize it perfectly. If not for the lack of Sharingan in Yuji's eyes, Orochimaru might have suspected he possessed it.

Even so, he had not expected Yuji's talent to be this terrifying.

The unknown is often the greatest obstacle to human progress, like a dense fog that must be carefully navigated.

But Yuji? He tore through the fog like the blazing sun—relentlessly and violently. Despite having no prior knowledge or theoretical foundation, he had watched Jūō use Lightning Release to enhance his speed and instinctively replicated it in real-time. Even Orochimaru, with all his pride, felt a faint sense of envy.

Jūō hadn't lost unfairly…

Such talent was one reason for Yuji's victory. The other was his unique physique.

Ordinarily, when a blade pierced the heart, a person had only a few seconds left—perhaps just enough for a final, desperate counterattack. But if that blade was infused with lightning, it was an entirely different matter.

Jūō had not known that Yuji's heart was on the right side. The moment his blade pierced Yuji's chest, he had already lost. Even then, Jūō had foolishly believed Yuji would die alongside him, never realizing that Yuji's cellular vitality rivaled that of the Senju Clan.

Orochimaru studied Yuji intently. He suddenly realized that, despite his previous regard for Yuji, he had still underestimated him.

"Can you take on a mission tomorrow?"

"I can," Yuji replied in a steady voice.

Orochimaru nodded. "Rest, then."

With that, he rose and walked toward the hallway. His decision was already made—he would increase the difficulty of Yuji's missions. Only through this could Yuji grow even faster.

Yuji watched as Orochimaru left, then slowly retracted his chakra. He unsheathed the short blade and silently stared at it. His dark eyes reflected nothing but the void, his thoughts unfathomable.

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