Naruto: You Call This A Medical Ninja?

Three days passed without any action from Reiki, much to the relief of the other ninja villages.

If Reiki, a mere medical ninja, continued to challenge them and come out on top, it would deal a serious blow to their reputations. While the Kages might stand a chance against him, the thought of anyone else failing would be a humiliation too great to bear.

Fortunately for them, Reiki seemed to have stopped, which made them suspect that this was not some elaborate scheme by Konoha to embarrass them.

At Namikaze Minato's temporary residence, Reiki approached the Hokage with a request.

"You want to leave and go to Yūmura?" Minato asked, clearly puzzled.

Given how much attention Reiki had drawn, leaving the safety of their station now was extremely risky.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Reiki replied calmly. "I have some personal matters to attend to."

"Should I assign someone to accompany you?" Minato asked, his concern evident.

"That won't be necessary. I can ensure my own safety. I'll only be gone for a week at most."

Seeing Reiki's confidence, Minato reluctantly agreed, though Kushina voiced her concerns after Reiki left.

"Are you sure it's okay to let him leave like this? He's drawn so much attention. What if someone targets him?"

"I feel the danger too," Minato admitted. "But for some reason, I trust him. It's irrational, I know, but I can't shake this feeling."

Unbeknownst to Minato, Reiki had subtly used his chakra abilities to calm the Hokage's mind, ensuring his decision would go unchallenged.

Reiki set off toward Yūmura. Since purchasing the land, the relocation of the Rouran Kingdom to the village had been in full swing. Reiki was curious to see how the construction had progressed, particularly with the help of Prime Minister Sanada.

But as he made his way through the River Country, two figures appeared in a dense forest nearby.

"Our target, Reiki, the medical ninja of Konoha, has left the station alone," one of them said in a low voice.

"Inform the superiors. It's time to act," the other replied, vanishing into the shadows.

The first figure lingered a moment, sneering. "Konoha… They dare challenge the majesty of gods with their little ants. Let's see how long they can last."

Half a day later, Reiki had crossed the River Country. With just another half day to go before reaching Yūmura, he decided to rest for a moment.

However, a notification on his panel caught his attention: two unfamiliar names, Kabu and Losca, appeared at the edge of his detection range.

Both names glowed yellow, indicating they posed some level of threat and were rapidly approaching his location.

"So, they're coming for me, huh?" Reiki mused. Instead of feeling worried, he smiled.

"If it's a fight they want, then I'll oblige," he said, sitting down to prepare.

Not far away, Kabu—a thin, wiry man with bloodshot eyes—licked his lips with excitement.

"This kid knows we're coming," Kabu said, his voice trembling with eagerness.

"Calm down," Losca warned. "This isn't an ordinary medical ninja. His combat methods are strange, and we've received limited intelligence about him. Don't let your guard down."

"Yeah, yeah," Kabu replied dismissively, increasing his speed.

Unlike Losca, Kabu wasn't interested in teamwork. The idea of needing help to take down a nine-year-old was laughable to him.

Moments later, Kabu emerged from the forest, his thin frame and bloodshot eyes immediately unsettling.

"You knew we were coming and waited for us?" Kabu asked, his voice dripping with mockery. His excitement was palpable, and saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth.

Reiki frowned. "What's with the drooling? Didn't your parents teach you to control your twitching fingers when you were a kid? You're disgusting."

Kabu's grin widened. "Kid, let me introduce myself. I'm Kabu, and I'm the one who's going to kill you today."

Without warning, Kabu lunged at Reiki, his speed leaving afterimages in his wake.

Boom!

The force of his attack sent Reiki flying backward.

Losca arrived moments later, observing the situation from a distance. Though he had been cautious, seeing Reiki up close eased his worries.

"This kid… isn't as strong as the reports made him out to be," Losca muttered.

Kabu, emboldened by his first strike, taunted Reiki.

"Is this it? The genius medical ninja of Konoha? Stop holding back—I know you're stronger than this!"

As Kabu's attacks rained down, the ground cracked under the sheer force of his blows. Yet Reiki remained eerily calm.

From his position, Losca watched with growing confusion.

Why wasn't Reiki retaliating?

But as he scrutinized the boy's expression, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Something wasn't right.

Reiki wasn't panicked. In fact, he looked… bored.

"Hey, Kabu," Losca called out. "Don't get cocky. Something about this feels off."

But Kabu ignored him, too caught up in his frenzy.

"Show me what you've got, kid!" Kabu roared, his strikes becoming more erratic and powerful.

Reiki finally sighed. "Alright, if you're so eager to see what I can do… I guess I'll have to show you."

Standing up and dusting himself off, Reiki's demeanor shifted. His calm, almost lazy smile now carried a sharp edge.

For the first time, Kabu hesitated.

And then Reiki moved.