Chapter 96: Within the Limits of Reason
The rain had stopped at some point.
Shinobu Kocho finished her quiet examination of the little girl, her internal
assessment flashing with a trace of shock.
The Block of Wood... his medical skill has spiked again.
Given the filthy environment and limited supplies, even she had to admit that in
the realm of pure [Medicine], he had left her far behind. And that he chose to
walk all this way to heal a total stranger immediately after a mission?
He's an infuriatingly considerate skirt-chaser!
Shinobu turned and looked up at Natsuya. "Natsuya-kun... about earlier... I'm
sorry!"
He had come to save a life, and she had greeted him with a lethal thrust to the
spine.
Natsuya blinked, his brain cycling through several open menus before he realized
what she was talking about. Oh, right. That low-tier sneak attack.
"It's whatever. You didn't even chip my armor durability. Forget about it."
Outside, the last of the rainwater dripped from the eaves. A sliver of moonlight
pierced through the hole in the roof, illuminating the space between them like a
cinematic spotlight.
Nobuko blinked, watching the two. Am I... am I a third wheel right now?
She coughed tentatively. "Um... anyway, thank you both, Lord Physicians! I'll
definitely prepare a proper reward and visit you soon!"
Natsuya: "She's not out of the woods yet. Keep filling the prescription I
wrote."
Shinobu: "Make sure she stays warm, but don't wrap her so tight she can't
breathe."
Natsuya: "Keep the air flowing. Don't let her drink unboiled water. If her HP
drops or the debuff returns, come find me."
He looked at the girl. "Shinobu, is it okay to give civilians the Rengoku
address?"
"Lord Shinjuro might not be thrilled..." Shinobu tilted her head, tapping her
chin playfully. "But if Natsuya-kun is the one asking, I'm sure it'll be fine."
Natsuya turned back to Nobuko and nodded. "I'll be in Tokyo for a while longer.
You can find me there."
Hearing his words, Shinobu suddenly felt the weight of something she had been
ignoring. Natsuya was only in Tokyo for a temporary "Advanced Training" session.
She was only here to cover her sister's shift and assist the Kakushi. Neither of
them would stay here forever.
The "Parting" flag was already waving in the distance.
I haven't written to Nee-san in a while...
While Natsuya continued giving Nobuko detailed recovery instructions, Shinobu
stood watching his back, lost in thought.
"What are you spacing out for? Let's move."
Natsuya waved a hand in front of her face. Usually, he was the one "AFK," but
this time, it was the girl who was lagging.
"Oh. Right."
She gave a small, quiet response and followed him out of the slums, beginning
the trek back to the Rengoku estate.
A few days later.
The sun was scorching. Natsuya and the others were in the backyard dojo, deep in
the middle of a high-intensity session.
It was Natsuya versus three. Or rather, Natsuya was acting as a "Raid Boss" for
Kyojuro Rengoku, Obanai Iguro, and Shinobu Kocho.
At the start, Natsuya had played along using a wooden sword. But after an hour,
he got bored. He tossed the sword aside and decided to enter Phase 2 of the
"Coaching Manual."
Fists.
Compared to Kanae or Uzui, these three were still "Early-Game" units. Even
compared to the previous generation he had trained—Seiko and Kojiro—there was a
gap. After all, Seiko and the others had survived the Final Selection and months
of live combat. They were veterans, however minor.
Even Dojima, the Flame-user from the last batch, had a Power Level significantly
higher than Kyojuro's current stats.
"You guys are the worst generation I've ever carried!"
[Fists] [Footwork] [Ambushes] [Counters]
The yard was a chaotic blur of motion. Figures flew through the air as the
sounds of impact echoed.
Natsuya's perspective? Smurfing in a low-level lobby is a great way to relieve
stress.
"Too slow! Iguro, is that supposed to be Water Breathing? Are you moving slow
because you're afraid Drip-maru will fall off your neck?!"
"Kyojuro, morale isn't a volume slider! It's a Breathing Style, not a War Cry!"
"Shinobu, stop trying to brute-force the gap! You aren't just practicing
thrusts; you need to practice how to land them from a blind spot!"
In the eyes of the three students, Natsuya was a ghost. One second he was
sliding across the grass, the next he was a trail of afterimages. No matter what
they tried, he was always at the perfect coordinate at the perfect frame,
tapping their openings with a wooden sword—or now, a fist.
They didn't know if he was "tilted" or just "cranking the difficulty," but once
he dropped the sword, the pressure doubled.
Kyojuro was sent rolling across the dirt by a clever redirection. He sprang back
up immediately, roaring, "THANK YOU FOR THE LESSON, ANIKI!"
Obanai, sweat dripping from under his bandages, was frustrated. He specialized
in "Tricky Ambushes," but against Natsuya's [Insight] and raw speed, he was
getting hard-countered.
"It's Kaburamaru, Senior!" he hissed as another bruise bloomed on his arm.
As for Shinobu? Since Natsuya had "Banned" the use of toxins during training,
she was forced to rely on her raw thrusting speed. Despite having the highest
Power Level of the three, her Breathing Style and limited reach meant she was
the one Natsuya focused on the most.
Naturally, under Natsuya's "Equal Opportunity" iron fists, she was taking the
most heat.
On the porch, Shinjuro watched the carnage with his arms crossed, his eyes
sharp. Beside him sat Lady Ruka in the shade, her health noticeably improved.
Since Natsuya's Medicine skill hit LV.4, her condition had moved from
"Stabilized" to "Recovering."
"Shinjuro..." she whispered, her voice full of worry. "Is this really... okay?"
To her, the "flesh-on-flesh" impacts sounded far too violent for a teenage
sparring session. Even if Natsuya was holding back, the other three were
fighting with a desperate, life-or-death intensity.
It looked like a real battle.
If they weren't using wooden swords and blunted strikes, she was convinced
someone would have been decapitated by now.
Shinjuro didn't look away. "It's fine. Natsuya has 'Judgment'."
He knew that this kind of high-pressure, guided "Boss Fight" was the fastest way
to force Kyojuro's potential to the surface. It applied to the other two as
well. It was far more efficient than the "Textbook Drills" most Cultivators
used.
In fact, Shinjuro realized Natsuya was a natural at "Modding" their
behavior—helping them find their own unique "Logical Paths" rather than just
mimicking the base styles.
I'm not even this good at teaching, Shinjuro admitted silently.
Under a tree, tiny Senjuro clutched his small fists, cheering for his brother.
He let out a small "Ah!" as Natsuya ducked a strike and delivered an Iron
Mountain Lean (Tetsuzanko) that sent Kyojuro flying.
The boy hit the dirt on one knee, struggling to catch his breath.
Ruka looked at her eldest son, then at the bruised Obanai and the dusty,
disheveled Shinobu. She turned a sharp gaze toward her husband.
This is what you call 'Judgment'?
The Owl Uncle let out a nervous cough. "Well... probably?"
Then he raised his voice, shouting into the yard: "KYOJURO! STAND UP! YOUR
MOTHER IS WATCHING YOU!"
The Owl Cub's hair twitched. He steadied his breathing and forced his shaky legs
to stand straight.
"YES! FATHER!"
The shout was as loud as ever, even if his lungs were burning.
Shinjuro turned back to his wife. "See? Natsuya knows exactly where the
'Critical' line is."
☆☆☆
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