Chapter XXIX

It was the afternoon after the examination when I was finally allowed to be discharged from the hospital. Aside from some scratches and superficial cuts, I only suffered from minor exhaustion. I sat in front of the doctor.

"Also, fix your sleeping pattern. Are you kidding me? Two hours per day is clearly not enough, especially for someone in their growth spurt period," the doctor scolded me.

I hung my head low, feeling a bit remorseful. I knew my sleeping habits were wrong, but I was so eager to become stronger than anyone else, to live a fulfilling life, and to find happiness. I didn't want to fall back into my old ways of procrastinating and doing nothing meaningful.

"I know I should change. I'll try," I replied softly.

The doctor sighed and then stood up, grabbing a file. "Also, I've taken a look at the abnormality of your chakra. Katou-san requested me to investigate it."

I recalled that there was a class where we had a health checkup, and they recorded our chakra reserves for medical purposes. Katou-sensei probably obtained the data from that.

"We've had a few cases of energy imbalance in the past, but none as drastic as yours. Usually, the body naturally balances itself as you grow," he explained.

"I- is that a good thing?" I couldn't help but ask.

The doctor nodded, "Imbalance isn't necessarily a problem. In fact, some shinobi specialize and focus on a specific energy type. For instance, there's a Taijutsu user in this village who can't use chakra normally, so he focused solely on physically training his body, leading it to lean more towards physical energy than spiritual."

He was probably referring to Maito Guy. I knew who he meant, probably for confidentiality, even if he didn't mention the name directly.

"So..." I hesitated, trying to gather my thoughts, "should I focus on specializing in my spiritual energy?"

The doctor shook his head, "No, your physical energy is normal for someone of your age, so you shouldn't neglect it. Also, I'm not your career advisor or teacher, so I can't casually tell you which path to pursue."

I nodded, understanding his point. "So, what should I do, Sensei?"

"For now, just continue with some light exercises as you have been doing. Do cardio in the morning, sleep in regular intervals. Also, talk to your teacher about your dietary plan and inform him of your condition. If the imbalance persists until your body is physically mature, let's say around the time you have your first wet dream, then we can continue our discussion."

"Yes, sensei!" I stuttered, bowing to him before leaving. "Thank you so much!"

As I walked down the corridor, I sheepishly smiled at passing patients and the kind nurse on duty. Some of them were well-endowed, but I quickly scolded myself for letting my mind wander. I needed to get home soon and check on my hamster and the owl eggs. Also, I'm worried about one of Ranmaru dolls taking care of Naruto.

Just as I was about to turn at the end of the corridor towards the hospital's entrance, something tackled me from the side. "Oughh~!" I winced in pain as I felt pressure against my chest where the bandage was still tightly wrapped.

"Derpy Onii-chan!" I recognized that voice.

"I- Izuna, what are you doing here?" I asked, trying to pry her head from my chest. Despite being a year apart, we were almost the same height.

"Ehehe~" She ignored my attempt and continued nuzzling. I could feel my face turning red as Katou-sensei appeared behind her, chuckling at the scene.

"I'm sorry about Izuna," he said, reaching over to easily pry her off me.

"Mou Papa! I need my Nobunium charge!" Izuna protested.

"Don't talk so strangely, look, he's hurting," Katou-sensei scolded gently.

"Eh?" Izuna's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Onii-chan!"

I managed a wry smile, "Well, it's alright as long as you understand."

Looking up, I gathered my words, "Um... Katou-sensei, what are you doing here?"

He smiled at me, which was a rare sight and honestly a bit creepy. His hand patted my shoulder, "What's wrong? We just want to celebrate you for passing the exam. I'm in a good mood since I received an additional boost in my paycheck, so let's go for some yakiniku."

"Yes..." I replied, still unsure where this is going.

In the end, I was swept along by the father and daughter duo's enthusiasm. Although inwardly I was happy that someone cared for me, even if it was for slightly different reasons on their part.

.

"Izuna, grill the meat yourself and don't forget to eat your vegetables too!" I said, but my words seemed to vanish into thin air as she ignored me.

The girl was eagerly brandishing her chopsticks in the air, ready to swipe the sizzling meat on the grill. I was too exhausted to compete with her, so I watched as she took one of the beef tongues and devoured the rest. Where on earth did she learn these techniques?

"Nope. That's the last one. I don't want to grill anymore," I declared, putting down my chopsticks and crossing my arms petulantly.

"Onii-chan!" she whined, but then something else caught her attention.

"Look, Izuna, papa grilled more, you know!"

"Papa, I love you!" she exclaimed, showering her father with adoration and affection, to which he responded with laughter, clearly enjoying being doted on by his daughter.

"Well, Izuna has a small appetite, so we should be able to get our share on the next batch, Nobuyuki-kun," Katou-sensei informed me.

"That's right, onii-chan," she nodded, her mouth full from chewing the grilled meat.

In an attempt to shift my focus away from Izuna, I turned to Katou-sensei and asked, "Um, Sensei, did both of us really pass?"

"Yes, both of you passed. The current term will end next week, and then you will be assigned a new instructor. You will train under them until you receive your headband and graduate. However, you will still need to attend regular classes as usual," Katou-sensei explained.

"But after the term ends, it's summer holiday, right? Are you saying I won't get a break?" I inquired, hoping for some time off.

"What I mean is that while you will have a holiday, there will still be training sessions with your instructor. Additionally, when the new term starts, you and Itachi will likely be transferred to a new class with your fellow seniors," he clarified.

"Um... who will be my instructor?" I pressed for more information.

"You will find out soon enough," Katou-sensei replied, leaving me with no further details.

Right. Well, it doesn't matter. I think.

.

I returned to my apartment, my stomach almost bursting from the fullness. Katou-sensei certainly kept his promise to treat me as much as I wanted.

"I'm home," I announced as I opened the door.

"Welcome back, milord," Ranmaru greeted. It seemed to function fine despite me summoning an additional clone of him during the fight with Itachi.

"Are you alright? Did something happen while you were away, milord?" The concern in the doll's voice was evident.

Addressing Ranmaru was always a bit confusing for me. While it was technically a clone, its demeanor was very feminine, making it hard to decide on the appropriate pronoun.

"I forgot today was my advancement exam," I admitted.

"But I wasn't there! This is outrageous, milord. They should redo it so I can fight alongside you," Ranmaru protested.

I offered a wry smile. "I summoned three of you, regardless." Unfortunately, that only seemed to make the doll more crestfallen. "You'll have other opportunities to show off your skills. Anyway, how's Naruto doing?"

"No problem, he's sleeping now," Ranmaru replied.

"That's good." My thought drifted to the duel "I'm glad I didn't bring heavier stuff with me," I remarked, recalling a few pistols and seals that I had made along but hadn't needed to use.

In hindsight, those items were designed for a guaranteed kill, but I hadn't yet mastered adjusting their output.

It was probably for the best that I hadn't used them, especially considering the dangerous arsenal I had employed, such as explosives, spinning blades, and the senjutsu gauntlet.

I stayed up a little later, jotting down notes about my duel with Itachi. I revised where I had made mistakes and contemplated the best approach for future fights. I addressed some issues, like refining the design of Ranmaru's doll, enhancing the senjutsu gauntlet, and perfecting the flash seal technique.

I'm certain that others have taken note of how I swiftly incapacitated Itachi for a brief moment using flash seal, so I need to develop countermeasures for their countermeasures.

But that can wait until tomorrow. I'm exhausted as it is. I yawned and settled down next to Naruto, turning off the light. Ranmaru remained vigilant, the faceless doll silently watching over us in the dimly lit room.

Everything went smoothly. I drifted off to dreamland, my mind finally at rest.