The secret techniques of the Nara Clan revolve around extracting the mental energy from chakra before applying it. This gave Shikamaru a significant advantage when learning the separation of "Yin" and "Yang" components in medical ninjutsu.
Inside one of the medical department's laboratories, Shikamaru wore a white coat as he stood at a workbench. On the bench sat a brown wild hare, its eyes blinking as it stared directly at him. A small leather strap was fastened around its waist, restricting its movement. A wound on its hind leg caused it to twitch slightly in pain.
Shikamaru gently stroked the rabbit's head. Then, forming hand seals with both hands, he concentrated, gradually separating the physical and spiritual energy in his chakra. A faint green glow slowly emerged from his hands—unlike the typical pale-blue hue of chakra, this green energy represented pure physical vitality.
Using medical ninjutsu involved more than just separating the mental and physical energies of chakra. To activate the "Yang" aspect, chakra needed to be channeled into the injured area to re-energize dead tissue and stimulate the body's natural healing process.
What Shikamaru was doing now was precisely that: directing the "Yang" chakra into the rabbit's wound to help its body heal faster through the power of life energy.
A more skilled medical-nin could apply salves over such superficial wounds, but Shikamaru hadn't reached that level yet. He still needed to closely observe the effects of the physical energy being applied.
He had to constantly extract physical energy from his chakra while simultaneously channeling "Yang" chakra into his hands and carefully infusing it into the wound. Even after just a short while, a fine layer of sweat had already formed on Shikamaru's forehead.
Experienced medical-nin could use "Yang" chakra to stimulate cellular regeneration around a wound. As a beginner, however, Shikamaru could only passively flood the wound with energy, which was a much more chakra-intensive process.
"Done!" After some time, the wound on the rabbit's leg visibly began to heal. In the end, only a faint scar remained on the skin. Since Shikamaru had shaved the fur around the injury, the area looked a bit odd now. He chuckled quietly, retrieved some gauze, and wrapped the injury neatly.
After just a few days of medical ninjutsu training, Shikamaru already felt his chakra control improving significantly. It was far more effective than his previous trial-and-error methods.
A qualified medical-nin could even use chakra scalpels to damage internal organs without harming the skin—similar to the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist. Lacking the Byakugan's x-ray vision, normal medical-nin had to rely on near-perfect chakra control to achieve such precision. The human body was intricate and delicate—just a small fluctuation in chakra output could harm vital organs.
A top-tier medical-nin like Tsunade could instantly inject chakra into a target's nervous system on contact, producing overwhelming results with only a minimal amount of chakra—all due to her incredible control.
Shikamaru still had a long way to go in mastering medical ninjutsu.
Though immersed in the thrill of improving through medical ninjutsu, Shikamaru still had to fulfill his duties as a genin and a member of Team 10. He couldn't devote all his time to training. Now, he truly understood why geniuses like Orochimaru pursued immortality—this gradual growth, this satisfaction from gaining new knowledge, was deeply addictive. A human life of barely a century just wasn't enough.
That day, Team 10 gathered at the usual yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant, a long-standing tradition since the team's formation. These get-togethers had greatly strengthened their bond.
Asuma Sarutobi had been docked a month's worth of jonin pay as punishment. Naturally, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji felt too guilty to let him pay for dinner again—so they agreed to split the bill, no questions asked.
Once the food was served, Ino and Shikamaru worked together to grill the meat, while Choji's attention drifted elsewhere—today, Asuma had brought a small package with him, and it immediately caught the attention of all three genin.
Noticing their glances, Asuma let out a hearty laugh. After clearing the table, he placed the package on it.
"Our mission in the Land of Waves earned us some punishment from the higher-ups, but that was mainly because we violated ninja protocols during the operation," Asuma explained as he opened the package. "Still, considering how you all stayed calm under pressure and fulfilled your duties even when facing enemy shinobi, I'm proud of you."
"As your jonin instructor, I think it's only fair that I give you a little reward," Asuma said with a grin. He pulled out a small gift box and handed it to Choji. "Choji, you stood your ground and protected Tazuna when Zabuza Momochi attacked. Great work—this is for you."
Choji eagerly opened the gift box. A few colorful paper vouchers lay inside. He blinked, then his eyes practically lit on fire with joy. "These are half-price coupons for the Konoha BBQ restaurant?!"
"Ino," Asuma continued, smiling at Choji's excitement. He handed another small gift box to Ino. "You were brave on this mission too. You're already a fine kunoichi. This is for you."
Ino blushed, sticking out her tongue playfully as she opened the box. Inside was a pair of silver earrings. They were simple and elegant—no dangling parts, and very compact in size.
"Don't underestimate them!" Asuma added as he saw her examining them. He picked up the earrings and pulled down the pins on each—one revealed a thin steel wire, and the other a long, fine lockpick. "One holds a foot-long wire, the other a lockpick. If used at the right moment, they could make a big difference."
While Ino gleefully played with her earrings, Asuma brought out the final item—a long gift box, larger than the others. Neither Choji nor Ino objected; they both knew that among the three of them, Shikamaru had contributed the most during the Land of Waves mission. Though Team 10 had faced disciplinary action, the fact that they had turned in Zabuza's executioner's blade had mitigated the consequences. In reality, Shikamaru had risked his life in that battle.
"Thank you, Asuma-sensei," Shikamaru said as he accepted the gift box. He carefully peeled off the decorative wrapping, revealing a lacquered wooden case.
"This is…" Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat as he opened the case. Inside lay a short blade sheathed in a sleek scabbard. On the hilt, two small kanji characters were engraved: "影秀" (Kagehide).
Shikamaru's eyes widened in surprise as he looked up at Asuma. "Asuma-sensei… This is chakra metal? Where did you get this!?"