Kiba sat in the staff lounge during his lunch break, medical textbooks spread before him. His primary focus remained on the volume detailing advanced healing techniques, though he occasionally glanced at the secondary text exploring genjutsu applications in medical treatment.
The faint rustle of turning pages marked the passage of time until a glance at the clock startled him only five minutes remained.
Closing both books with careful precision, he stowed them in his bag and made his way to his assigned station.
Leaning against the cool corridor wall, he allowed his eyes to drift shut as he activated his seismic sense.
The world expanded around him in pulses of vibration, ten meters in every direction came alive with minute tremors his ordinary senses could never detect.
Each breath taken by passing staff, every heartbeat of patients waiting nearby, even the delicate flutter of a sparrow's wings outside the window painted themselves across his awareness.
The technique's limitations became equally apparent. Expanding his range further would drain his chakra reserves alarmingly fast, while maintaining it all day required severely restricting both distance and sensitivity.
With a practiced exhale, he deactivated the ability and blinked back to ordinary sight, the sudden sensory reduction leaving him momentarily disoriented.
His contemplation ended when familiar footsteps approached. The same medical-nin who'd assigned him previously a man called simply Gou, much like himself stopped before him.
"New assignment," Gou announced without preamble. "You'll diagnose incoming patients. I'll evaluate your assessments."
Kiba straightened his posture. "Understood. I won't disappoint you."
Gou led the way to the patient ward with Kiba following closely behind. Upon reaching their destination, Gou paused beside a hospital bed and retrieved the patient's medical chart from its holder at the footboard. With a subtle nod, he signaled Kiba to begin the examination.
The patient appeared to be a healthy young woman, showing no outward signs of distress as she sat upright in bed. Kiba approached with practiced professionalism, offering a reassuring smile. "How are you feeling today?"
The woman returned his smile, though confusion flickered across her features. "Perfectly fine. Is something the matter?"
"Just routine follow-up," Kiba explained, maintaining his calm demeanor. "Would you mind extending your right hand for me?"
As the patient complied, Kiba gently took her wrist, monitoring both her pulse and the adjacent medical equipment simultaneously. His fingers positioned themselves with deliberate precision. "Do you experience any sensitivity to chakra?"
"None at all," she responded.
Kiba channeled a measured flow of chakra through her system, his brow furrowing slightly as he detected an obstruction in her circulatory pathways. The irregularity became clear, a partial blockage disrupting normal blood flow.
Gou stepped closer, his tone professional yet probing. "Your findings?"
"Circulatory obstruction in the upper thoracic region," Kiba reported, withdrawing his chakra carefully.
A barely perceptible widening of Gou's eyes betrayed his surprise - such precise diagnostics typically required master-level chakra control.
After a moment's consideration, he gestured toward the door. "We'll continue our rounds." He replaced the clipboard with a polite nod to the patient.
Before following, Kiba offered the woman an encouraging smile. "Your condition is being properly addressed. And if I may say, that's quite a remarkable smile you have."
Her cheeks colored slightly at the compliment. "You're very kind."
Once they were out of earshot, Gou's expression turned instructive. "Tell me what you overlooked."
Kiba shook his head. "I'm not certain."
"The blockage isn't external," Gou clarified. "Her body is producing it autonomously. Remember this, always look deeper. When you find one anomaly, search for its cause." He tapped his temple meaningfully. "Abnormalities within abnormalities."
Kiba absorbed the lesson with a thoughtful nod, filing away the insight for future examinations.
Gou continued guiding Kiba through patient assessments throughout the afternoon, gradually progressing to letting him treat simpler cases under supervision.
His experienced eyes tracked every movement, every precise application of chakra, marveling at the ten-year-old's unnatural competence.
"At this rate," Gou remarked as they concluded another successful treatment, "you'll be ready to assist in surgeries within a year."
Kiba paused mid-bandage application, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that overly ambitious?"
Gou gave an approving clap to Kiba's shoulder. "Talent like yours shouldn't downplay itself. I've trained medics twice your age who couldn't channel chakra half as precisely."
Unnoticed by either, a pair of glasses gleamed from the shadowed corridor entrance. Kabuto observed the exchange with quiet intensity, his usual pleasant smile taking on a sharper edge as he witnessed Kiba's capabilities firsthand.
'This changes everything,' Kabuto mused, fingers twitching toward the scroll in his pocket. 'Orochimaru-sama will want to know about this particular specimen.'
. . . .
Shimura Clan Compound,
A Root operative knelt before his commander, the flickering torchlight casting long shadows across Danzo's bandaged face. "Danzo-sama, our assessment requires revision," the operative reported, voice carefully neutral. "The subject's potential exceeds initial projections."
Danzo's grip tightened around his cane, the wood creaking under the pressure.
The report confirmed his suspicions another promising asset slipping through his fingers due to Hiruzen's sentimental policies. His single visible eye narrowed at the thought of his rival's interference.
"Another one lost to Hiruzen's weakness," Danzo spat, the name dripping with decades of frustration.
The Third's protection over the boy created an impenetrable barrier, especially with those meddlesome ANBU constantly watching.
The Root agent remained perfectly still, knowing better than to interrupt his master's brooding.
The original plan had been simple: extraction and reprogramming, like so many other promising children before him.
But the combination of the boy's family connections and his unexpected notoriety had complicated matters immensely.
"Maintain surveillance," Danzo finally commanded, each word measured and cold. "Record every technique mastered, every weakness observed. His value to Root cannot be overstated."
The operative bowed deeply. "Your will shall be done." In a swirl of leaves, the agent vanished, leaving Danzo alone with his schemes and the bitter taste of another opportunity denied.
Danzo's fingers tightened around his cane as a new strategy crystallized in his mind. The boy's growing potential couldn't be left to Hiruzen's sentimental guidance.
There were other ways to secure loyalty less direct than Root's usual methods, but potentially more lasting.
A slow approach would be necessary, one that couldn't be traced back to him.
Perhaps through intermediaries, or by creating circumstances that would make the boy seek his protection willingly. His visible eye gleamed with calculated interest as the pieces began falling into place.
— — — — —
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