Arai had stated his duty was to protect Yuji and Sasori to complete the mission, but in reality, after returning to the base, he took the two of them and completely broke away from the squad's activities.
Aside from daily patrols of the area to ensure there were no suspicious targets, Arai spent most of his time guiding Yuji's cultivation.
As for Sasori... he was left entirely to his own devices.
"You are a Medical Ninja and can use Medical Ninjutsu. Currently, the nature of your Chakra transformation is gentle, belonging to Yang Release. Therefore... cultivating other types of Ninjutsu might be a bit more difficult."
"Common Ninjas are born with a certain natural Chakra nature, which they can learn to master quite easily through later growth... but this isn't absolute. Upon reaching the Jonin stage, most will have two types of Chakra nature transformations... but the proficiency and the power of the Ninjutsu after casting vary from person to person. For some, even if they master several Chakra natures, their power in using other Ninjutsu might be very limited due to their lineage, except for the inherited Chakra nature... Thus, even if they know many Ninjutsu, they don't use them much under their established combat style and patterns."
On a patch of ground in the canyon, Arai and Yuji had just finished a sparring session.
As a personal guard to the Third Kazekage, Arai belonged to the stronger tier even among Jonin.
He was an Elite Jōnin.
Therefore, even though Yuji used every trick in his book, he couldn't gain any advantage.
In the blink of an eye, a Kunai in the opponent's hand was held against his neck.
"I can't guide you in Medical Ninjutsu, as that isn't my forte... but as a Medical Ninja, because of your Chakra nature, if you want to increase your strength, you must rely on other means. Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Water releases aren't very suitable for you... even if you master one of them in the future, the power of the Ninjutsu won't be very high. So, you can only put effort into Taijutsu, ninja tool, and other Ninjutsu... Medical Ninjas exceed other Ninjas significantly in Chakra control and maintenance, which perfectly fits the requirements of a Puppeteer. Just like Grandma Chiyo, if you wish, I believe you are fully qualified to become a Puppeteer. Even if you don't reach the top level, it's enough to increase your strength."
Arai smiled.
In fact, Yuji had already considered everything he said.
He understood the factors concerning Chakra just as thoroughly.
Like Tsunade, what she relied on as a Medical Ninja was her devastating Taijutsu and physical strength.
Chiyo, on the other hand, used Puppet Jutsu.
Both are paths for a Medical Ninja to advance.
Observing Yuji's expression, Arai spoke: "Judging by your look, it seems you have no intention of becoming a Puppeteer... What you want to strengthen is Taijutsu, right?"
Even after just a few exchanges, with Arai's eyes, he could see that Yuji's body had undergone very hard training and tempering... he clearly wanted to take the path of Taijutsu.
Yang Release is a manifestation of flesh and blood vitality.
"Not exactly... I train my body just to increase my Chakra reserves." Yuji scratched his head and explained with a slight smile.
Chakra is the life energy of the body and spirit, originating from the 130 trillion cells of the body; to some extent, it is also closely related to physical strength.
"Hmm... indeed, at your age, your Chakra volume, including mobilization and response speed, far exceeds your peers."
Arai rubbed his chin and evaluated.
This was because when Yuji tempered his body, he didn't simply pursue power or muscle, but used breathing and respiration techniques, intentionally training even his internal organs and meridians.
For a Ninja, meridians are the 'channels' for mobilizing Chakra... they are also the basis for the Hyuga Clan to use the Byakugan for pressure point strikes; once a point is struck, the enemy's use of Chakra can be blocked.
Therefore, meridians are also very important for a Ninja.
"Is this Taijutsu of yours also something you researched yourself?"
Arai asked again.
When sparring with Yuji just now, he clearly noticed Yuji's very delicate observation skills, which seemed able to predict his movements... it was quite impressive.
"I'm a doctor... how should I put it? Because I understand the human body so well, think of it as a natural instinct. I can basically estimate a person's physical strength, speed, and other states with one look. Even during combat, I can capture and calculate subtle limb states. Of course, my Taijutsu only works against average opponents; against someone like Teacher Arai, it's completely useless. Because for a strong person, their performance in battle cannot be predicted through simple surface manifestations like physical data."
Yuji laughed.
In other words, his Data Taijutsu could only deal with rookies.
Furthermore... his Taijutsu relied not just on a doctor's intuition, but purely on his understanding of this world's power system.
That is, the database in his mind.
Of course, he couldn't tell Arai this.
He couldn't say he transmigrated from another world where Naruto was just an anime... "Hiss."
However, his words still made Arai's eyelid twitch.
"As expected, those who can become Medical Ninjas are not simple..." Arai sighed with emotion.
"I'm not that amazing."
Yuji said modestly.
"It seems you have a clear plan for your combat style and growth direction... In that case, there's nothing more I can teach you. The only thing I can do is improve your Taijutsu level and actual combat experience through sparring during this time."
Arai's gaze was somewhat complicated.
At Yuji's age, he was still thinking about playing... his childhood innocence hadn't faded.
His thoughts were far from being this mature, and he didn't have a single clear realization or judgment regarding his own future.
With such a comparison, Arai couldn't help but lament that sometimes, one person really cannot be compared to another.
So this is what they call a genius... "Let's continue."
Arai said seriously.
"Yes."
Yuji nodded.
Then, Arai's figure flashed and disappeared from before Yuji's eyes.
Yuji gripped his scalpel and took a combat stance.
"Combat between Ninjas sometimes cannot rely solely on the naked eye to judge, because your senses might deceive you... Therefore, most of the time, what you must rely on... is the instinct cultivated through battle. This includes the perception of Chakra... the transfer and release of energy will not lie."
Yuji's eyes darted around, just as he prepared his defense.
But in the next second, Arai's figure appeared behind him, while he offered his advice.
And Yuji had completely failed to capture the other's trace.
With a *smack* sound.
Arai swung his hand and hit the back of Yuji's neck. If this were a battlefield, Yuji would already be a corpse.
"So strong."
Yuji sighed.
So this is an Elite Jōnin... he couldn't see a single opening.
The evaluation of 'Elite' only exists at the Jonin level; there is no such term for Genin and Chunin.
There is also Special Jonin... which refers to Jonin who have special talents in a certain area but whose overall strength is relatively average.
As well as the Lead Jonin... this title refers to those who hold positions at the Ninja Academy and have led rookie squads.
The ranking of Ninjas is sometimes not determined by strength alone; the situation is quite complex.
Just as the measurement standards for Ninja ranks vary across different Villages.
Among them, the standards of the Five Great Ninja Villages are certainly the highest, but the one with the most prestige is definitely Konoha.
Not because Konoha is the main stage of this world, but because many of the systems and rules of the Ninja World were first established by Konoha, and other Villages simply followed suit later.
"Again!"
"Yes."