Naruto: This Genius is Somewhat Ordinary-Chapter 426

Ever since Fujimoto Tōma crossed blades with Takeda Retsu, life had settled back into something close to normal.

They still sparred when their schedules aligned, keeping it strictly to swordsmanship. Every time, Retsu won. No tricks. No chakra techniques. Just pure blade skill.

And in that field, she stood at the summit. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Retsu once claimed she had spent centuries studying every known sword style in the shinobi world. Only after facing a legendary war monster years ago did she realize mastery still had limits.

Tōma, meanwhile, had always leaned more on ninjutsu in real combat. He simply had not obsessed over the sword the way she had. Even so, his talent was undeniable. Training under her was like trying to drink from a waterfall. Brutal. Exhilarating. Addictive.

Lately, during their duels, he had started slipping into a strange hyper-focused state. The world narrowed. Sound dulled. Every twitch of Retsu’s wrist became readable.

And his growth had accelerated fast enough to scare even him.

Right now, he stared down at his chakra blade, Meikyō Shisui.

The blade gave off a faint vibration, almost like a sulking pet.

Tōma chuckled under his breath.

"Hey. You need to grow too. If you fall too far behind me, I’m not wasting time sparring with you anymore."

The blade hummed sharply, then went quiet, like it had decided to go train out of spite.

Then chaos kicked in.

A figure sprinted straight through the gates of the Medical Corps compound, ignoring every guard trying to stop her.

Akiyama Rika.

She skidded to a stop, chest heaving, eyes scanning wildly until they locked onto Tōma.

"Tōma!"

"Hm?" Tōma glanced past her at the frustrated medical-nin trailing behind. "She’s with me. Let her through."

"Yes, sir."

They dispersed.

Tōma turned back to Rika. "What happened? You look like you ran here from another country."

"Tōma... is Captain Retsu here?"

He shook his head. "Out gathering medicinal herbs in the northern mountains. Won’t be back soon."

Rika’s face fell.

"That bad?" Tōma asked quietly.

She nodded and started explaining.

Lately, several shinobi had vanished inside the village perimeter. Rika’s unit had taken the investigation mission. The team had been led by their vice-captain’s wife, Shiba Miyako.

Only Miyako came back.

Alive, but unconscious.

Medical Corps had found no injuries. No illness. No poison. Nothing.

So Rika had come running. Tōma was now the Medical Corps vice-captain. Maybe he could get Retsu involved.

"...I’ll go look," Tōma said.

Rika nodded, though her eyes said she expected nothing. In her mind, he had earned his position through combat strength, not healing skill.

She wasn’t completely wrong.

His medical ninjutsu was strong. Just... not Retsu-level. Probably not even former vice-captain Yamada-level.

But still top-tier.

They reached Rika’s unit compound quickly.

Outside, Shiba Kaien sat slumped against a wall, eyes hollow with exhaustion.

"Vice-captain," Rika said gently. "This is Fujimoto Tōma. Medical Corps vice-captain. He can help."

Kaien looked up. Recognition flashed. Then fragile hope.

"Please," he said.

"I’ll try," Tōma replied honestly.

Inside the room, Miyako lay pale and still. A medical-nin stood nearby, looking frustrated and confused.

"Report," Tōma said, already stepping closer.

"Vitals normal. Chakra pathways normal. No trauma. No toxins. Nothing abnormal."

Tōma studied Miyako’s face.

Too pale. Too... empty.

Silence filled the room as he focused.

Kaien looked like he was about to speak, maybe to say "it’s okay if you can’t fix this," but the words never left his mouth.

"That’s because..." Tōma exhaled slowly. "She’s not injured. And she’s not sick."

Rika swallowed. "Then what is it?"

Tōma hesitated only a second.

"There’s something inside her chakra network."

Everyone froze.

"What kind of something?" Kaien asked, voice breaking.

"A parasitic chakra entity," Tōma said bluntly. "Something like a wraith. It’s already consuming her mind."

Shock hit the room like a physical force.

"If it finishes," Tōma continued quietly, "your wife won’t exist anymore. Just a puppet wearing her body."

Kaien’s face drained of color.

Rika couldn’t speak.

The medical-nin looked like he was mentally reviewing every life decision that led him to this room.

"Is... there a way to save her?" Kaien asked.

Tōma was silent.

Then:

"...Maybe."

Kaien grabbed his sleeve. "Tell me."

"I can suppress it with chakra pressure," Tōma said. "Maybe even force it out."

Hope sparked.

"But I don’t know if she’ll survive the extraction."

Hope cracked.

"So it’s a gamble," Kaien whispered.

"There’s another option."

All eyes snapped to him.

Tōma met Kaien’s gaze. "Would you allow her to be studied?"

"...What?"

"The Research Bureau," Tōma said. "They develop experimental jutsu and bio-chakra tech. If anyone can figure out how to separate them safely, it’s them."

Kaien’s jaw tightened.

Everyone knew the Bureau’s reputation. Brilliant. Effective. Morally... flexible.

Tōma placed a hand gently on Miyako’s forehead, releasing a thin layer of chakra pressure to stabilize the entity.

Rika and the others physically felt the weight of it.

Her eyes widened.

He was stronger than Kaien.

Noticeably.

"I recommend the second option," Tōma said quietly. "The first is too likely to kill her. If you’re worried about the Bureau... bring your captain into the decision."

Kaien inhaled slowly.

"...Second option. I’ll get Captain Mizuno."

He vanished in a body flicker.

Rika looked at Tōma. "Thank you."

"No need. I owe her. She helped guide me into the village when I first arrived."

Soon, Kaien returned with a pale, white-haired man leaning slightly on him.

Captain Mizuno Jūshirō.

For a split second, when Tōma looked at him, he saw something impossible.

A massive black spectral hand hovering behind the captain.

Then it vanished.

...What was that?

"I’ll contact the Research Bureau captain," Mizuno said after hearing everything. "They need to see this immediately."

Relief and dread mixed in Kaien’s eyes.

Outside, a massive summon-creature landed in the courtyard. Retsu had returned.

She entered, assessed Miyako quickly, then sighed.

"If Tōma says there’s a chakra entity inside her, he’s right," she said. "I’ve never seen one with this kind of assimilation ability."

Even she had no solution.

"Then I’ll go speak with the Bureau," Mizuno said, already turning.

Retsu nodded.

Later, as she and Tōma left aboard her summon, Mizuno called after them:

"You found a good vice-captain."

Retsu smiled faintly. "I know."

As they lifted into the sky, Tōma couldn’t stop thinking about that black spectral hand.

Something was very, very wrong.

And he had a feeling this was only the beginning.