I spent the late afternoon and the entire night studying with the books I got from the library.

At a certain point in my studies, the letters in the books began to jumble together and the knowledge started to flow into my mind thanks to the system.

[You have acquired new knowledge about medical ninjutsu!]

[Current level: 1]

[You have acquired new knowledge about medical ninjutsu!]

[Current level: 2]

…

[You have acquired new knowledge about medical ninjutsu!]

[Current level: 4]

Notifications appeared whenever I reached certain "checkpoints" in the books, but there was a catch — the knowledge I gained from them was limited, so the most I could advance in one night was level 4.

That was enough for me to instinctively identify some types of poisons and perform basic medical procedures, such as treating minor and moderate injuries and preparing some antidotes, although I still didn't have what it took to use medical ninjutsu itself.

'That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The system doesn't make me acquire knowledge instantly, but rather progressively... well, at least I won't have to read every single page to reap the benefits of studying,' I thought as I prepared for bed.

'Tomorrow I'll continue my studies after training.'

Then I finally fell asleep.

Unlike the other nights so far, this time I had a slightly more complicated night. During my sleep, constant whispers tormented me, causing me to wake up several times before finally waking up for good.

I woke up feeling like I hadn't slept at al l— and in fact, I hadn't.

"I can already tell this is going to be one of those days," I muttered, annoyed by the fatigue I was feeling.

I went down to the kitchen and made my breakfast, taking the opportunity to have some green tea, hoping that it would improve my mood a little.

When I finished, it was time to go to the training ground to continue with what Sensei wanted to teach us.

*

Renji and I arrived at the training ground at the same time.

"Riku," he said, greeting me and maintaining his usual taciturn manner.

"Renji," I imitated his behavior, but not for long.

"You know, yesterday I was doing some research on medical ninjutsu, and I learned a lot, but... I'm still not sure how to find a master to teach me. A doctor said that would be the best way."

"Hmm... I don't know any ninja doctors experienced enough to teach you, if that's what you're asking. But that's definitely not the only way, right?" he replied.

"Yes, of course... but I was looking for a slightly easier way. I don't know if I have the patience to learn on my own or anything like that," I said, already tired just thinking about it.

Renji was about to respond to my comment, but was interrupted by Sora's arrival.

"Hey, guys! Look, I'm feeling much better."

"Sora, hi! I'm glad you're feeling better. I was just talking to Renji about medical ninjutsu. I started learning a little more," I commented.

Renji nodded.

"That's awesome, Riku. What did you learn?" she asked me.

"Well, not much, but I managed to pick up a little bit about how to identify poisons and neutralize them. For example, yours is a poison..."

I continued explaining to her for a few minutes, and she paid attention to every detail, staying interested and asking several questions during the explanation. Renji was also paying attention to the conversation, although whenever we looked at him or made a comment, he pretended not to care.

As I explained, Tetsu-sensei finally appeared, relaxed as always.

"All right, everyone. Yesterday's mission wasn't the best, and unfortunately we weren't able to capture or neutralize our enemies... I got a little scolded for it, but don't worry, I'm fine!"

No one was concerned.

"Ahem... as I was saying, it wasn't all bad. I don't think he'll act up again anytime soon. It's one of the traits I noticed about him the last time we met. But speaking of today's training — we're going to continue honing our combat skills. During the last training session and our mission, I noticed a few areas for improvement in each of you."

We all looked at each other, knowing that we weren't at our best.

"Sora, you tend to get too excited and worry too much during combat, so let's start by improving that."

She nodded, agreeing with the sensei's comment.

"Renji, your hand-to-hand combat skills are great, but your mental and physical endurance aren't the best. You let yourself get carried away by comments and attack without a concrete strategy, acting impulsively. I'll help you better understand the battlefield and improve this 'fragile' side of you."

"Okay, sensei," Renji replied.

"As for you, Riku, I want to test your chakra limits — to see how far you can go and how you can use that to your advantage."

His comment made me a little tense, but also eager to see what he would do.

'Test my limits? ... I've never run out of chakra without evolving before, but since it's harder to evolve now, maybe it's possible,' I thought.

"OK, sensei, when do we start?" I asked.

"Now. Sora, I'll start with you. In the meantime, you two warm up and get ready," Tetsu said, pointing at me and Renji.

*

Renji and I warmed up together, starting to exchange a few blows with our empty palms. Nothing that could hurt us — we were just training our reflexes.

The speed at which he could attack always impressed me, but with my improved reflexes, it wasn't difficult to defend myself successfully against his blows. The same was true for him, as he was able to protect himself from mine.

'Maybe we're evenly matched when it comes to combat reflexes,' I thought.

It didn't take long for Tetsu to finish explaining Sora's training and call Renji over so he could explain his, and then start teaching me.

While I waited for that moment to come, I decided to spend my time meditating, letting the natural chakra flow through me. During that time, I didn't notice anything around me; I just felt the breeze blowing on my face.

When I least expected it, Tetsu blocked the warm sun that was shining on my face, casting a shadow and bringing me out of my trance.

"I thought you had fallen asleep," he said as soon as I opened one of my eyes and realized it was him standing in front of me.

"Never, sensei. Meditation helps me from time to time, and then I end up forgetting about my surroundings," I said, getting up and standing in front of him.

"Great — that's excellent, to be honest. But right now, you have to focus on our training," he said.

"Okay, how are we going to do that?" I asked.

"Did you feel tired when you created that giant arm?" He answered my question with another question.

"Hmm, a little, but nothing I couldn't handle."

"You're going to keep doing that, but this time without using a natural source of wood. I want you to create it yourself, in any way you like." He smiled defiantly.

"Err... okay, I'll try!" I said, worried about how I would do it.

....

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