When you focus on one thing, time flies. And Chiba, who poured all his energy into Konan, was no exception.
"Brother Chiba, you're so fast—already done for the day?!"
"Ah, Konan, I've given you everything I've got. There's really nothing left to squeeze out."
Three months slipped by just like that.
Facing the exceptionally talented and nightly-eager-to-learn Konan, Chiba swore he truly had no more medical ninjutsu left to teach her.
"Hmm, alright then. I'll let you off the hook tonight, Brother Chiba. I'll come find you again tomorrow night."
"Yeah… Wait, what?"
"Hehe~" A horrified look crossed Chiba's face. Konan covered her mouth, giggling like a cunning little fox.
"You little rascal, you even dare to mess with me now?!"
He saw her stifled laughter and finally realized he'd just been played by a kid. Infuriated, he scooped her up and delivered a series of rapid spanks to her bottom.
"Ah! No, Brother Chiba! Konan knows she's wrong!" Her little face flushed crimson as she begged for mercy.
Ding! Successful treatment. Congratulations, host, for obtaining [Dance of the Shikigami]!
The system prompt rang out abruptly. Chiba's body froze in place, his mind utterly blank.
"What the hell?!"
He looked at his own hands, then at Konan in his arms, momentarily unable to process it.
For three whole months, through diligent, exhaustive psychological counseling for all three kids, he hadn't been able to resolve Konan's core issue. So how… now?
What kind of messed-up logic was this?!
"Brother Chiba, why aren't you talking to me? Are you really mad?"
Konan peeked over her shoulder. Chiba's continued silence made her panic.
"Brother Chiba, I shouldn't have scared you just now. Hit me a few more times, really hard! Just don't be angry, okay? Please don't ignore Konan!"
Her string of pleading words snapped Chiba out of his daze. His heart ached a little as he ruffled her hair.
"Silly girl. Who said I was mad? I'm thrilled right now."
[Dance of the Shikigami: Transform the body into countless paper sheets, allowing free movement and metamorphosis. A gorgeous 'paper technique' that dances like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon!]
How could he not be ecstatic about acquiring such a powerful skill from Konan?
Not only would it grant him immunity to physical attacks and patch his lack of wide-area offensive options, but most importantly, it bestowed upon him the dream of countless—flight!
You had to understand. Ninja in this world who could truly fly were as rare as hen's teeth. Currently, only Ōnoki could manage it.
Back when he'd watched the series, Chiba had been stunned by the scene of Konan descending from the sky on white wings. And now… he had that ability too!
With further development, he could even master the [Paper Person of God Technique], wielding the power to turn six hundred billion explosive tags into a sea.
Shifting the heavens and earth with a mere gesture… Damn. Just thinking about it was exhilarating.
Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. And this skill fits me pretty well too.
Chiba nodded in satisfaction. Him, a medical ninja, transforming into a white-winged angel? Made perfect sense.
Now, he was literally a paper man.
"You're really not mad, Brother Chiba?" Konan blinked her big eyes, stealing glances at his expression.
"Of course not. Have I ever lied to you?" Chiba pinched her cheek, smiling.
"Hehe, that's great!"
Finally convinced, Konan relaxed and happily nuzzled against Chiba's chest.
Watching her, a sudden realization dawned on Chiba.
Maybe… a stable, close bond is the crucial piece missing from these kids' growth. What they crave most. The key to unlocking their psychological knots.
If that was the case… should he try beating up Nagato and Yahiko tomorrow?
Chiba stroked his chin, a thoughtful look on his face.
Spare the rod, spoil the child, right? Maybe a good thumping would trigger the rewards.
…Yeah. Worth a shot.
…
For several days straight,
Chiba almost beat Yahiko and Nagato to a pulp. No rewards appeared. He had to give up.
…Not that he'd actually kill the kids, even if Nawaki and old man Kōsuke hadn't held him back.
It did prove one thing, though: his psychological counseling was working. At least Nagato could control his emotions now, not flying off the handle at the drop of a hat. Mostly.
Chiba had a strong suspicion Yahiko was just like that idiot Nawaki—probably had zero psychological issues to begin with.
As for Nagato, the burden of pain he carried was simply too heavy to dissolve in a short time.
Meanwhile,
on a small hillside with a perfect view of the wooden cabin, two pure white figures, as if without substance, slowly emerged from the ground.
They were humanoid creatures with green hair and bizarre features. If Chiba saw them, he'd instantly recognize them—White Zetsus!
"Arare. So annoying. That guy's sensory perception is too sharp. Ever since he showed up, we can't even get close to listen to little Nagato's chats," one White Zetsu complained.
Its companion seemed disinterested, so it struck up the conversation again.
"Hey, speaking of which, that guy seems to be constantly giving little Nagato hope. Shouldn't we stop him?"
"Stop him? Why?"
Its companion glanced over, a sinister grin spreading. "This is perfect. Hope is like a bubble. The bigger you blow it, the more satisfying it is to pop. Let him fill Nagato with hope first. Then we'll destroy it with our own hands. How beautiful."
"Arare. Never knew you were such a pervert."
"Shh. Someone's coming. Hide!"
Movement approached in the distance. The two White Zetsus sank back into the earth, leaving no trace they were ever there.
…
"Lord Jiraiya, you're—Damn it, Nawaki, you colossal dumbass!"
Outside the cabin, Chiba was sparring with Nawaki when he saw a familiar figure approaching and stopped.
Nawaki, however, showed no intention of holding back. His fist kept going, landing squarely on Chiba's handsome face.
"Don't look at me like that, Chiba."
Nawaki looked at the fuming Chiba with utter smugness. "Anything can happen in a fight. Consider this a lesson from your big bro Nawaki. Learn from it."
"Dumbass… Secret Healing Wound Destruction!"
Chiba cast the technique on himself, instantly healing the injury on his face. He then turned to the loudly guffawing Jiraiya.
"Lord Jiraiya, what brings you here? Could it be…?"
Jiraiya was beaming. A guess began to form in Chiba's mind.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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