Naruto: Can't Use Ninjutsu? I'll Create the Strongest Fighting Style-Chapter 41 - 39: When a Jutsu Doesn’t Give You a Buff, Try Again

"You're just getting here now? We're practically dead on our feet!"

"Sorry, sorry! I was discussing a jutsu idea with Kitayama-sensei, and she insisted I stay for dinner. But hey, the upside is... I brought some decent military ration pills, aside from a few duds."

Garou Zenin lifted the basket he was carrying.

Kakashi looked up from his seat. "Duds?"

The quality of Konoha's Medical Division was rarely questionable. It was uncommon for their pills to have defects.

"Don't tell me you passed off the bad ones as good?"

"Not exactly."

"It's a new formula we're still tweaking. We had a lot of failures, but I picked out the better ones to bring over," Garou explained casually.

Tenten didn't wait. She popped a pill into her mouth without hesitation. She was exhausted, her chakra reserves completely drained.

Kasumi wasn't much better off. If Garou hadn't shown up, the two might've passed out from overwork.

After handing out the ration pills, Garou pulled three sealed bowls from the bottom of the basket.

"Ramen. Ichiraku's Take-out."

"Sweet!"

Tenten and Kasumi lit up with joy.

Kakashi, still masked, accepted a bowl and some chopsticks. He noticed the others watching him intently.

"...What? Why are you all staring at me?"

"N-Nothing!"

Tenten quickly looked away and focused on her ramen.

But still... they were so curious how Kakashi looked under the mask. Only Garou didn't care. He knew what Kakashi looked like.

After all, he'd seen the anime.

Garou glanced at Kakashi.

"Sensei, do you want to eat somewhere else?"

"No need."

Kakashi shook his head.

Tenten and Kasumi's eyes gleamed.

At this moment, they were more focused than they'd ever been in training.

And then... Kakashi lifted his mask.

Or rather, half-lifted it.

He only pushed it up enough to eat and began slurping down his noodles at lightning speed.

Tenten and Kasumi were frozen in silence, mouths agape.

Meanwhile, Garou chuckled silently.

Kakashi wasn't trying to be mysterious. He just enjoyed messing with them. He was still the same Kakashi.

Infuriating and amusing.

"Tch, such a tease."

"Anyway, Garou, you mentioned working on a new jutsu earlier. Is it medical?" Tenten asked while chewing.

"Not quite. It's a reverse application of a chakra absorption barrier. I'm experimenting with it to simplify medical ninjutsu," Garou replied. "It's not all that useful for field medics, but it might be a game-changer in surgeries."

"I see."

Kakashi nodded, immediately understanding the principle.

This kid's thinking was always off the beaten path.

While Kakashi was considering how to apply it to combat, Garou had already pivoted to surgical uses.

Which made perfect sense.

If Garou were a typical ninja, he'd prioritize battlefield applications to strengthen himself.

That would be the logical move.

But to him, inventing widely adoptable techniques was just as valuable, maybe even more so.

Like now.

Another mark had formed on his Bodhi Seed.

Two of the five now amplified spiritual power, one enhanced perception, one aided recovery.

The newest was still developing, medium-sized, average depth.

The effect remained uncertain.

After distributing the pills and lunch, Garou checked in on their progress.

Tenten and Kasumi weren't eager to talk about it and ended up shoving him out, not letting him watch.

So, left to his own devices, Garou returned to training, while observing the changes from the latest mark.

By evening, he was sprawled out on the ground in exhaustion.

"Yup, the fifth mark also seems to affect recovery. When layered with the fourth, the effect is much stronger."

It wasn't just physical recovery. His spiritual power had improved too.

He hadn't tested it for injury recovery yet.

He couldn't exactly stab himself just for the data.

Since the girls were focused on learning ninjutsu, they couldn't take C-rank missions. After resting for two days, they picked up a few D-ranks to grind experience and maintain their training rhythm.

Meanwhile, Garou kept tabs on the revised sealing formation and the collaborative barrier system.

The improved seal had already been rolled out to chunin-level and above.

According to Kitayama, the joint barrier project was nearly done, final testing underway. As a result, the fifth mark on the Bodhi Seed grew longer and deeper.

Not only that, each mark began to emit faint lights, two white, one pale yellow, two blue.

The accumulation of these marks sparked another transformation in the Bodhi Seed.

Although for now, Garou hadn't felt a clear boost.

"Whatever. It's obviously a sign of getting stronger. No need to overthink it. I just need to keep going."

He brushed off the uncertainty.

What was clear, though, was this: as long as a technique originated from him, even if others completed or refined it, he still received feedback and enhancements. However, the correlation wasn't one-jutsu-one-mark.

It was category-based. His absorption barrier, for example, had multiple functions but was treated as a single derived technique.

Same with his chakra threads.

"Then why didn't 'Limit State' trigger anything?"

Garou pondered deeply, then headed off to find Rock Lee.

At this hour, Lee was probably still training.

Sure enough.

In their usual forest clearing, he found Lee in mid-practice.

Lee hadn't fully grasped the technique yet.

To be precise, he was inconsistent, still in the process of refining it.

"Just as I thought. It's too difficult to spread widely."

Guys like Guy and Kakashi would probably be able to master it, but so what? Would they even trigger a mark?

There was only one answer.

He had to develop a downgraded version.

With that decision, Garou made his way to the Medical Division.

For the next ten or so days, their team settled into a rhythm of missions, training, and experimentation.

But Garou's appearances during missions became less frequent.

Tenten and Kasumi were concerned, but they understood.

Garou was clearly working on something, likely a groundbreaking jutsu. Even if they had time to visit him, they had to hold back.

Eventually, Garou reappeared, notebook in hand.

"How's training been?"

"Pretty good! We've completed nature transformation. Kakashi-sensei says all that's left is practical use. Right now, we're learning a new jutsu," Tenten boasted.

"That fast, huh?"

Garou smirked, and her grin froze.

Kakashi glanced at the notebook. "Another jutsu?"

"The taijutsu I mentioned before. I've named it Limit State. It was too hard for most people, so I spent half a month simplifying it. This version should be usable by the average ninja."

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