Naruto: You Call This A Medical Ninja?

After a long silence, the shadows of the four great ninja villages turned their gazes toward Namikaze Minato.

"Hey, hey, why are you all looking at me like that?" Minato asked nervously, scratching his head.

Truth be told, he was feeling out of his depth. Minato still couldn't fully grasp the intricacies of Reiki's mind. A part of him even thought he became Hokage solely due to Reiki's unseen guidance. Yet, because of Reiki's young age, he dismissed the thought. Now, after seeing Reiki's astonishing analysis once more, Minato could only smile awkwardly.

"Hokage," the Third Raikage interjected, his deep voice cutting through the room, "now that we've joined the Ninja Alliance, shouldn't Konoha show us your so-called sincerity?"

His blunt words resonated. Raikage no longer cared about how Reiki conducted his analysis. What he wanted now was clear: proof that joining the alliance would strengthen his village and provide the tools to face any future enemy with confidence.

Onoki nodded, his eyes gleaming with interest. "Agreed. If possible, we'd like to visit Konoha and see your strength firsthand."

Though Onoki had been defeated by Uchiha Madara yet again, a part of him still clung to hope. Perhaps, aside from Konoha's prodigious geniuses and high-level combatants, their village had little else to show. He imagined Konoha's strength was concentrated solely in its elite few—an imbalance that Iwagakure could exploit.

"This sounds like a good idea!" Yagura chimed in, his youthful enthusiasm evident. He wasn't trying to spy on Konoha's secrets. Instead, he wanted to observe and gather insights that would help convince Kirigakure of the alliance's merits.

Only Rasa seemed reluctant. Sand Ninja Village had clashed with Konoha numerous times recently, especially due to conflicts with the Fire Country. He understood Konoha's strength all too well. Why walk into a situation where Sand Ninja Village's shortcomings would be laid bare?

Minato, ever the optimist, grinned warmly. "If that's what you'd like, I have no objections. I'll make arrangements for everyone to observe our daily training sessions. It'll strengthen the alliance as well."

"Hahaha, this guy is such a ray of sunshine!" Tsunade remarked, a fond smile playing on her lips.

Roy leaned back, his tone teasing. "Indeed. Minato's smile makes people trust him. It's one of his biggest strengths."

Black Zetsu, observing from the shadows, muttered to himself. "A dangerous man, but nowhere near as terrifying as that boy... Reiki."

A Private Meeting with Black Zetsu

Later that night, as the village quieted, Black Zetsu appeared in Reiki's home. His expression carried an unusual mix of hope and unease.

"Reiki, how do you plan to rescue my mother next?" he asked, his voice low.

Reiki remained calm, his expression unreadable. "The next step isn't to rescue Kaguya Otsutsuki," he replied. "It's to strengthen everyone."

Black Zetsu's frustration was palpable. "Are you saying we have to wait until the ninja world is strong enough to fight the Otsutsuki clan before you'll consider freeing my mother?" His tone revealed his displeasure at the vague timeline. Reiki could easily use such reasoning indefinitely.

Reiki shook his head. "No. The priority isn't to gather strength—it's to meet Otsutsuki Hagoromo." He paused thoughtfully. "But for now, I don't have a direct way to find him."

"Hagoromo?" Black Zetsu's expression darkened at the mention of his creator. His hatred for Hagoromo and Hamura ran deep. "If you want to find him, Uchiha Madara might be able to help," he suggested grudgingly.

Reiki nodded. "Thank you, Black Zetsu. I'll figure out the next steps soon."

As Reiki left the room, Black Zetsu muttered, "What is this boy planning? He's brilliant yet infuriatingly unpredictable." He raised his gaze to the moonlit sky. "Mother, as long as there's even the slightest hope of rescuing you, I won't stop."

Just then, a White Zetsu emerged from the ground. "Lord Black Zetsu, traces have been found, but the target escaped. We couldn't stop him."

"It doesn't matter. As long as we know where they are, it's enough," Black Zetsu replied. "Reiki, I've shown you all my sincerity. Don't disappoint me."

With that, Black Zetsu sank back into the earth, vanishing from sight.

A New Threat in the Shadows

Far to the north of the Land of Fire, in a dense forest, a man examined a lifeless White Zetsu with a critical eye.

"This... this must be related to Kaguya Otsutsuki," the man mused. His name was Ishiki, and his decaying body bore the weight of his desperation.

"Lord Ishiki," a thin man with the number three tattooed on his face said with a sinister smile, "should we take action against the ninja world?"

Ishiki shook his head. "No. Find the one controlling White Zetsu. I want to meet him." His voice was filled with cold determination. Whoever controlled White Zetsu might have access to Kaguya's secrets—secrets Ishiki needed to reclaim what was rightfully his. His decaying body clenched in frustration. He needed to escape this state.

The thin man, Kabu Yun, smirked. "By the way, that brat from Konoha we were monitoring... It's confirmed. He wields power that doesn't belong to this world. Should we bring him into this as well?"

Ishiki's eyes darkened. "Yes. Bring him to me."