Why did medical ninjutsu feel so easy to Fujimoto Tōma?
Because it demanded two things he already had in excess: precise chakra control and patience. Especially the former. Long before he ever touched medical techniques, he'd already studied the human body in detail for the sake of lightning-based muscle stimulation. Anatomy, chakra pathways, recovery limits—none of it was new to him.
So when he actually began learning medical ninjutsu, it clicked almost immediately.
Even high-level techniques like the Mystical Palm Technique didn't give him much trouble. After a few attempts, he could already apply them smoothly.
At its core, medical ninjutsu used chakra to stimulate cells, accelerating natural healing. With enough control, that stimulation could also neutralize toxins or even be turned into an offensive method. But it wasn't free healing. The patient's own vitality still mattered. Once the body was truly exhausted, even the best medic couldn't pull someone back.
None of that bothered Tōma.
What bothered him was something else.
When he used medical chakra on himself, it felt inefficient. Like shuffling energy around instead of fixing the source.
Chakra was a blend of physical and mental energy. Physical energy came from cells. So why convert cellular energy into chakra, then use chakra to stimulate those same cells again? Why not skip the middle step entirely?
If physical energy could be isolated and directed straight to an injury, recovery should be cleaner. Faster. More complete.
In theory.
In practice, he couldn't do it.
No matter how he tried, physical energy refused to separate cleanly from chakra. Still, the experiments weren't a total loss. He discovered he could heal internal injuries directly by guiding chakra from within, without external application. Crude, but effective.
Not perfect. But useful.
He didn't abandon the idea. Physical and mental energy still felt underexplored.
As for other medical applications, chakra scalpels were already second nature to him. He'd long fused them with wind-based cutting techniques. His blade didn't just cut flesh. It severed chakra flow. If he struck before a jutsu fully formed, he could disrupt it outright.
Stopping Tōma's sword was never easy.
"Physical energy…" he muttered, briefly thinking of Yin and Yang Release. He knew the concepts existed. The details were fuzzy.
That was enough theory for one day.
He shifted to practice.
Wind Release: Rasenshuriken came first. He raised his hand, forming a Rasengan infused with basic wind transformation. His goal wasn't size. It was density. Every thread of chakra needed to cut.
The air screamed.
The Rasengan grew unstable, shrill and violent, then collapsed in his palm.
Tōma wasn't surprised.
Even with his control, this wasn't something you solved in one try. He swallowed a soldier pill and let the chakra replenish. Developing this technique would burn through supplies, but money wasn't an issue anymore.
"Adding wind really is a problem," he muttered. "No wonder the Fourth didn't finish it quickly."
As the chakra settled, a new thought surfaced.
Wind was hard. What about lightning?
He tried.
Lightning crackled violently in his palm as he attempted to shape it into a Rasengan. Sweat beaded on his forehead. After a long struggle, he stopped.
Too unstable.
Lightning was too aggressive to mold freely in open air. That was why Lightning Blade worked better.
But what if lightning wasn't the core? What if it was just acceleration?
An idea formed.
He created a normal Rasengan, then injected lightning chakra into it. The technique held. At the center, sparks danced wildly.
Speed was the key. Rasengan lost power if thrown too slowly.
Tōma waited for the threshold.
Then he released it.
The Rasengan vanished.
A heartbeat later, it reappeared as it slammed into a reinforced training post.
The explosion was sharp and violent. When the dust cleared, lightning still crawled across the shattered remains.
Fast. Paralyzing. But weaker than a standard Rasengan.
Useful, maybe. But situational.
If his electromagnetic field was active, accelerated kunai were more efficient. Less chakra, better penetration.
Still, this variant had value for stealth.
More importantly, it sparked another idea.
What if Vacuum Wave could be accelerated with lightning?
Cutting plus near-invisible speed.
That attempt failed immediately. Vacuum Wave already pushed wind transformation to its limit. There was no room left for another element.
Rasengan worked because it was flexible by design.
Still, Tōma didn't give up. He stepped back, deciding to start smaller. Wind Cutter first. Then Vacuum Wave. If the concept worked, refinement could come later.
Cutting and speed belonged together.
Time, however, didn't care.
Days slipped by in repetitive failure and adjustment. Practice. Recover. Repeat.
Before he realized it, the promised day arrived.
Tōma left the training ground and headed toward a familiar place.
"You finally showed up, Tōma!"
A voice thick with battle intent rang out the moment he arrived.
Uchiha Sasuke stood there, already waiting.
"Long time," Tōma replied calmly.
"Fight me," Sasuke said, stance already set.
"Relax," Tōma said with a faint smile. "How've you been doing lately? Grades. Training. I remember we talked about that."
Sasuke froze.
"…Why ask that?"
"Oh? Judging by that reaction, you didn't fully replace me after I graduated."
"I've been first in the class ever since you left," Sasuke snapped.
"Oh? Including theory? And stamina?"
Silence.
Sasuke clenched his jaw. Competing with Uzumaki Naruto's endurance wasn't exactly fair.
The duel hadn't even started yet.
...
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