CH_67

"I came back with you guys—how would I know anything? But I'll report to the Hokage tomorrow. I'll find out then." Kenji said between mouthfuls.

Though the group had been so caught up in the gossip that they'd almost forgotten to enjoy their meal. But after living on dry rations for so long, they certainly weren't going to let good food go to waste.

They chatted back and forth, and the meal was satisfying enough. Since Tōji didn't drop any spoilers—being the low-key guy he was—they didn't reach any conclusions. After finishing their meal, they all headed home.

Tōji could already foresee what his parents and clan would say to him over the next few days—Look at that Hatake kid—he's only two years older than you, and he's already a jōnin, making major contributions on the battlefield! Put some effort in—don't fall too far behind!

He suddenly felt unsure whether he should even bring up his plan to transfer into Konoha Hospital.

But then again—he could always learn medical ninjutsu first.

He'd find the right time to talk to his parents later.

Since Tōji didn't want to lie to them, the moment he got home and was "checked over" by his family—even though his injuries were no longer visible—he immediately told them he'd been seriously wounded during the final stretch of the war.

What Tōji couldn't understand, though… was that while his parents were clearly worried about him, they never once suggested he quit being a ninja. It was baffling!

The mindset of Konoha's minor shinobi clans… unbelievable.

Over the next three or four days, aside from cooking for the family, Tōji had little else to do.

So even though he hadn't fully recovered, he slowly eased back into his daily training routine.

Even if Tōji couldn't become a savior, with the Chūnin Exams approaching, whether he planned to pursue promotion or not, he still needed to prepare. As the saying went—better safe than sorry.

If he couldn't change the ninja world as a savior, then at least he could keep improving himself. When disaster struck, it was the skills honed through daily training that would save your life.

Also, Tōji was too lazy to go out much—he barely had any friends to hang out with anyway. Even when he did go out, it was just for a walk, listening to the street gossip—watching how the big news got more and more exaggerated with each retelling…

In short, staying home or training around the neighborhood was the most comfortable option. When he wasn't training, he'd set up a hammock in the small woods behind his house and just lie there zoning out, even if he wasn't napping. Or he'd prepare some snacks, head to the little river behind his house, and fish.

After all, he was still recovering—he couldn't spend all his energy on training.

When he was finally strong enough for more intense training, he still wouldn't spend the whole day at it—instead, he'd go to Konoha Hospital and learn from Haruka.

Tōji understood all too well that he didn't have vast reserves of chakra to waste. So like most ordinary shinobi, his focus was on honing his taijutsu and a few of his best jutsu—and maybe, if he had the talent, learning a genjutsu or two.

If the opportunity arose, he'd also explore some niche areas—skills used mostly outside combat or in support roles, like barrier techniques, sealing arts, mind-reading techniques, medical jutsu, and summoning… though summoning wasn't really in that category—summoning was all about your foundation.

Yep—Tōji was among the vast majority who had no summoning beast. Unless he took a huge risk—like Jiraiya stumbling into Mount Myōboku—but that was more likely to get you killed. Jiraiya was blessed by fate; Tōji couldn't imitate that, nor did he dare to.

Still, Tōji did know the Summoning Jutsu… Even without a contract, he could use it in a life-or-death situation to reverse-summon himself to an unknown location.

Whatever anyone else thought, Tōji considered it a self-rescue measure.

You could never have too many ways to save your own skin…