The truth (55)

Seijuro would continue his little side gig at the hospital, learning under Lady Tsunade. His medical ninjutsu were nowhere near her level—at all.

But it was good enough so that while he couldn't heal a missing limb—like regrow a new one from scratch—he could pop it back in place, as long as the limb was still fresh. With a few sterilized needles and some expertly placed thread, he could realign the muscles, tendons, and bone. The rest? That came with slow, concentrated healing over time.

Case in point: earlier today, he treated a Chūnin who had suffered third-degree burns across both arms. The skin had been charred black, cooked down to the muscle in places. It was beyond painful—it was a mutilation.

First, Seijuro carefully trimmed away the necrotic tissue using a chakra scalpel, keeping his breathing slow and steady to avoid cutting too deep. He had already injected a numbing compound and used a mild sedative to keep the patient unconscious. Once the dead skin was removed, he applied a layer of antibacterial salve, then layered gauze soaked in a chakra-infused fluid designed to promote cell regeneration.

Over the next two hours, he sat with the patient, feeding chakra slowly and steadily into the affected areas. Not too fast—rushing regeneration could cause scarring or tissue misgrowth. He had to balance the chakra just right, encouraging the body to repair itself while also reinforcing the immune response to prevent infection.

By the time Seijuro was done, fresh pink skin had already started forming, and while the patient would need another few days for full mobility, the worst had been reversed. That was enough. He had done good work.

He sighed to himself, having just finished treating another patient. Once done, he removed his gloves, tossed them in the trash, and began washing his hands, once again trying to keep them clean from any unknown or unwanted variables—germs, mostly.

Medical ninjutsu was fun. No—learning was fun. He enjoyed learning way more than someone like him should be enjoying it.

Yet, this also taught him... just how fragile human life truly was.

Finishing his shift for today, he clocked out. His unpaid 8-hour shift was done. Now, back to living his life.

As he exited the hospital, the fresh air of the outside world hit him once more—the smell of Konoha.

Barbecue drifted faintly in the background. Hm. He could also smell light metal in the air—not the iron tang of blood, but something else.

Ah, right. There was a blacksmith nearby.

Seijuro took in a deep breath, observing the world around him, his gaze eventually landing on the Hokage Monument. There, the faces of three men stood tall.

The first was the First Hokage—the God of Shinobi—a man who could treat tailed beasts like pets.

Wood Style, huh. Seijuro didn't desire that. It wasn't something he himself wanted. What he wanted wasn't Wood Style.

That dream belonged to Nawaki. Even if Seijuro knew that Nawaki didn't have the potential for it. Sure, the boy had both water and earth affinities, but his Yang Release wasn't quite there. So unless something drastic happened... Wood Release was going to remain a pipe dream.

Still... maybe Seijuro could help him awaken it. The Kurama clan should have latent Yang Release, and the Akimichi definitely had it in spades.

He just needed to stimulate the dormant Yang energy in Nawaki's body. Considering the kid was a half-Senju, half-Uzumaki hybrid, Yang chakra should flow through him like blood.

As he wandered, he passed a nearby shop—one that sold maps.

Well, that was one detour.

Entering the shop, Seijuro looked around at all the maps on display.

He picked through the selection, taking interest in the smaller nations that bordered the Five Great Nations. The Land of Rain, for example, shared borders with Konohagakure to the east, Sunagakure to the south, and Iwagakure to the north.

Oh shit. That village was in a terrible spot. It was like being stuck in the middle of a power struggle between three bears with bloodlust.

Next was the Land of Rivers, bordered by Sunagakure to the west and Konoha to the east.

Then came the Grass Village, bordering Konoha to the west and Iwagakure to the northeast. It sat right above the Land of Rain.

The Waterfall Village was hemmed in with Konoha to the south and Iwa to the east.

And so on, and so forth. He ended up taking quite a few, even though he'd originally come just for information on the Waterfall Village. This would all be useful if he were ever deployed there. He needed to learn some good water and lightning jutsu in case he was ever sent to the Land of Rain—high humidity and thunderstorms practically made those elements mandatory.

"That'll be 600 Ryo."

Seijuro nodded, handed the clerk the cash, and left. The maps were useful.

Plus, they could be bait—in case Konoha ever got too nosy. He didn't want to be associated with his other identity, the one he was planning to create.

Aizen Sōsuke and Seijuro Kurama would be two different people. One would be a tailed beast thief, a wanted criminal by all five nations. The other would be an elite Jōnin of Konoha... him.

He looked at his hand.

The things he did for power. He wanted power. But at the same time, he wanted the truth.

The truth of this world.

How did they come to be?

How did chakra first appear?

Who was the first person to wield it?

He wanted answers.

Tailed beasts were a good place to start. They were old—hella old—so chances were, they knew something.

Second would be the sages. Tsunade had the slugs. That could work.

Slug Sage Mode, hmm.

It could work.

He was already strong, but he needed more. The Chūnin Exams were in a week. Chances were high he would participate.

Seijuro's eyes took on a determined look. He would win. He had to win.

He calmed himself.

He could feel his body reaching its limit. His 10-year-old frame had practically reached the maximum chakra capacity it could handle for now. He wouldn't get much stronger until puberty hit.

So... two years.

Yet, he needed a tailed beast before then. Before his chakra coils fully matured.

Seijuro thought about the seals currently inscribed on his body. They were all complete. Right now, they were just adapting to his body—learning how it functioned normally, without a tailed beast. That way, once he did get one, his chakra control wouldn't be completely wrecked.

The seals would stabilize it... somewhat.

A/N