Because these were war years, the ages and ranks of Genin in the same generation varied wildly. Take Yūhi Kurenai and Might Guy, for instance—they were already Chūnin, while Ishiki, Chinatsu, and Hayate were still just Genin. Kakashi and Guy were both two to five years older than Ishiki's group.
And that wasn't even the most chaotic part. There were shinobi older than Kakashi who were still considered part of the same broad "generation"—like Yamashiro Aoba, who was three years Kakashi's senior.
War had left the Ninja Academy in a constant state of disruption.
Konoha only entered a period of peace at the end of last year. Ishiki had only become a Genin after the war ended. His talent was average—but his luck had been exceptional.
In a way, that was one of the "advantages" of being a civilian-born ninja in this world. The noble clans trained their children early and intensely, producing powerful prodigies at young ages.
But that same strength meant those children were deployed earlier to the battlefield.
Yet Ishiki also understood something: civilian shinobi had far higher mortality rates than clan-born ninja.
Sure, they were sent out later, but their numbers were greater. Civilians made up the majority of the village's forces.
Even so, some civilian-born shinobi did rise above.
The most famous being the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. And now, among the new generation, Might Guy was also a shining star of the civilian class.
"Hey, Ishiki, is the hospital still short-staffed?"Kurenai had just finished checking on Chinatsu and had no reason to stay longer.
"What's up? Got someone skilled in medical ninjutsu to send over?" Ishiki asked, a little surprised.
At times like this, anyone in the village with any skill in medical techniques—aside from clan specialists—should already be at the hospital.
"No, it's a friend of mine who wants to learn medical ninjutsu," Kurenai replied, direct as always.
"Oh? Well, tell them to come try. The hospital desperately needs help right now. If they've got talent with medical chakra control, the staff won't turn them away." Ishiki smiled. "Have them talk to Renge tomorrow. She's been ranting all week about how overworked everyone is."
Due to the staff shortage, Ishiki—who'd been assisting for weeks—had even been exposed to several medical ninjutsu techniques he'd never expected to touch.
A hidden benefit, really.
The only downside? None of the discs he'd acquired contained medical jutsu. Otherwise, he might've been able to fast-track himself from part-timer to official Medical-nin.
Because real Medical-nin—even on missions—were treated with respect and protected. And inside Konoha, their treatment far outclassed that of ordinary shinobi.
Of course, during real combat, medical specialists were often the first targets.
But all in all, Ishiki saw becoming a Medical-nin as a smart move.
Especially since he already had some basics—and now wanted to build on them.
A slender, pale arm suddenly snaked around his neck from behind, and Ishiki was pulled into a warm embrace, soft pressure against his back.
"Oi, brat—talking behind my back again?"
Renge, with her perpetual black circles under her eyes, had finally changed out of her scrubs—probably catching her first break in days.
"What? No way. I'm trying to solve your staffing crisis so you can finally get some rest," Ishiki muttered, face red as he squirmed free.
"Hello, Sister Renge."Kurenai, Hayate, and Guy all greeted her politely.
"Let's go eat. My treat," Renge waved casually, already deciding.
These were all her juniors—especially Guy and Hayate, who were good friends with her little brother.
The idea was nice.But reality hit hard: they only managed a quick meal of sandwiches before heading their separate ways.
Rebuilding efforts across Konoha meant most restaurants were either overcrowded, out of ingredients, or just outright closed.
During the meal, Renge told Ishiki something that sparked his interest—he might have a chance to go official.
If he passed the written and practical test at the end of the month, he'd be certified as a full-fledged Medical-nin of Konoha.
He might even gain access to the training scroll for Delicate Extraction Technique (Shōsen Jutsu: Saikan Chūshutsu no Jutsu)—a B-rank medical ninjutsu that required incredible chakra precision and control.
A true master could extract poisons or even transplant internal organs.
Until now, Ishiki's chakra control had been far from that standard.
But things had changed.
The fusion of two souls—his and Kujo Ishiki's—had gifted him far greater spiritual energy. He was growing into his chakra manipulation with startling speed.
With that thought in mind, Ishiki skipped jutsu practice for the night and pulled out Renge's notebook—a compilation of her personal study notes from her time learning medical ninjutsu.
He never imagined his first serious challenge in this world wouldn't be hand seals or taijutsu…
…but homework.
Night fell, and Ishiki burned through the notes by lantern light, flipping page after page, brushing up on anatomy, chakra pathways, and medicinal herbs.
What he didn't know… was that a masked shinobi, wearing a long horse-faced ANBU mask, had appeared silently outside his dormitory window—and now watched him in silence.
At 1 a.m., Ishiki finally turned out the light and collapsed into bed, exhausted.
At 2 a.m., a dark figure slipped into the room, methodically searching through drawers and belongings. Minutes later, it vanished back into the shadows.
At 4 a.m., the Hokage Tower lit up.
Inside his office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, looked older than ever. He stood at the window, smoking from his long pipe, eyes fixed on a village shrouded in darkness.
On the desk behind him, two sets of files lay open.
One was from Konoha Hospital.The other—from the Uchiha, Hyūga, and Akimichi clans.
Both reported the same anomaly:Several near-death shinobi had recovered—only to lose the ability to mold chakra.
As if they'd… forgotten.
Seventeen cases in total:
Three Jōnin
Seven Chūnin
Seven Genin
The Uchiha and Hyūga clans were especially disturbed. Their recovered members couldn't even activate their dōjutsu.
Hyūga took it in stride. The patient was a branch family member.
But the Uchiha? Their case involved a Jōnin with three-tomoe Sharingan—a Captain of the Konoha Military Police.
Even Hiruzen had no idea what was happening.
How could these shinobi lose access to their own chakra—just like that?
The ANBU had launched an investigation into the hospital. But the intel so far was frustratingly shallow.
And so now… the investigation would shift to those who had come into direct contact with the affected.
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I will post bonus chapter if we reach 300 power stones !
300 power stones = 1 bonus chapter